Hi,
Today the weather was perfect for our road trip. In the process, we experienced Customs, and a Makro that blew our minds.
‘Easy Monday’ was “Good Day Sunshine” by The Beatles. The ‘Zany Day’ tune should get you movin’.
“You get up every morning from your alarm clock’s warning, take the 8:15 into the city. There’s a whistle up above, and people pushin’, people shovin’, and the girls who try to look real pretty. And if your train’s on time you can get to work by nine and start your slaving job to get your pay. If you ever get annoyed, look at me I’m self-employed, I love to work at nothing all day. And I’ll be __ __ __ __, every day. __ __ __ __, every way…"
Hint: There is an expression that might put you in the right direction: TCB Otherwise, I got nothin’.
The ride north to Customs, at the border with Burma, was fast and beautiful. The foothills were draped in what looked like a very low cloud, but the sun was shining on the farmland at their base. We saw various stages in the growing of rice. Some farms looked like giant squares of muddy water, while others had tips of green poking through the surface. When we arrived in Mae Sai, Lisa found a note in her phone that gave us the landmark to look for in order to find the Customs House. The building seemed to be empty, with just a few staff personnel handling paper work. We were told that we’d need a license from the Food and Drug minister to ‘import’ our vitamins. After a conversation out of a movie, it was agreed that we would pay some fees and taxes. Hmm, six months ago we were told there was nothing to tax. Eventually we left with our two boxes and the suggestion that next time we bring the vitamins in our luggage. Amazing.
Today’s photo is the Mae Sai Customs House. Notice the ornate entry in the foreground. That is our van, waiting for it’s freight.
Since Makro was on our list of places to go, we decided to check out the store just south of Mae Sai. We entered, expecting to see a copy of the one in Chiang Rai, but we were quite wrong. The store was big, spacious, very clean, and the staff was friendly. The layout of the vegetable and meat departments made it easy to see what was there. Now I’m trying to figure out a good reason to drive all the way back up there to shop at the Mae Sai Makro (555).
In the afternoon we went to Immigration with Blue. After some paper-signing and waiting for approvals, he finally got his 1-year visa! While we were waiting, one of the officers came over and sat with us. His English is pretty good and we talked about learning by listening, and how difficult it is to follow TV shows and movies in another language. He’s always fun to do ‘business’ with at the office.
Time for Wacky Wednesday.
Peace,
Danny
“The deepest principle in
human nature is the craving
to be appreciated.”
~William James
Gettin' Funky, Thai Style
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