I loved reading all these stories. MOREMOREMORE! You might highlight links in a darker color on the white background though instead of yellow. Other than that, it's readable, fun, and informative. I don't think you're crazy at all; then again, I've been accursed of that myself. HA!
One thing that nudged at me, though, is the idea of education and how it changes societies. Many people around the world have come to value education, perhaps to our peril. What purpose is education? Is it to help us find easier, better-paying work? Is it to teach us about the knowledge and wisdom developed from the past that will help us build a more sustainable and pleasant global society? Is it filtered and winnowed of the chaff of human knowledge to the point we have no skills to help us feed, clothe, and house ourselves? The story about the Khmer Rouge forcing unskilled city people to work in rice fields led to starvation and death. As for the family's son working with his father in the paddies, he regrets baling from his educational opportunities, but if he doesn't continue the tradition of raising rice, who will do that so his wife can continue the business? To get the work he would be educated to do, the family would need to move to the city. And the cycle continues. We in America are highly educated, but we have to hire foreign labor to do the essential work for us, either because Americans don't have those skills or they don't want to do that kind of work. We've become incompetent in providing for ourselves and look down upon those who still do these jobs. The Cambodians live a very pre-industrial lifestyle. If they mechanize, burning various fuels to power the machines, they will be following in the dirty footsteps of industrial cultures. So, how do we calibrate our educational standards and our mechanization so that it provides for our needs while not polluting the earth? We could rely on wind and solar, of course, but there are downsides to all alternative power sources, as we are learning now. I doubt if anyone would want to take the human population back to pre-industrial levels, but maybe a prudent exploration of some of those hands-on technologies would be part of the solution. Food for thought. Thank you, Michael, for this fascinating post.
Thanks for the very thoughtful response. You raise a lot of great issues. Forgive the short response. I'm currently touring northern Thailand and about to head out for the day!
My wife and I have a running gag: which one of us is responsible for attracting crazy people? The ledger usually tips in my favor, and this post is more fuel for the fire. 🤣🤣🤣
Love the new column idea. Looking forward to more!
I also live in Thailand, and I think your short-term status here maybe obscured the reality behind your interaction with the Embassy.
Thailand is INCREDIBLY bureaucratic -- they make foreigners here jump through all kinds of hoops just to do regular business. And, in fact, the paper requirements are getting worse over time, not better.
It's more and more stupid crap that they 1) don't need as they ALREADY HAVE THE INFO IN THEIR SYSTEMS and 2) pushes their work off on others -- foreign citizens, foreign embassies, foreign companies. The passport letter is just one example of that -- they already have your other passport number in their system. Why do they need a letter?
So from my interactions with the Embassy on this same subject, they said they had a choice -- either fulfill stupid and worthless Thai requirements or do things like... issue you a new passport. They can't do both.
As someone who lives here I actually have changed my mind -- I support the short-term pain if it creates a long-term gain. Maybe someday I can stop doing regular residency letters, educational degree letters, income letters... if you live here the list goes on and on. All of it dumb and despite having lived on five different continents, I NEVER had to do this elsewhere. Thailand is truly the worst.
If it helps, other foreign embassies stopped these letters long ago (e.g. the Brits, the Canadians). The Americans are late to the game. Anyway, sounds like you were in a pickle but also sounds like you got them back, I guess. I'm sure it felt good to zing them in public.
Sorry to bang on and on but I living here I feel strongly about this, and I think you were wrong.
Thanks for sharing your experience, Steve, and it sounds like you definitely have a greater depth of knowledge.
All I can say is that the Embassy was utterly indifferent to our plight and curt to the point of being assholes. Even with all else you describe being true, if Thai Immigration won't process our passports without those letters -- and we tried multiple avenues to get around this -- then the Embassy should've been prepared to give them to us instead of forcing us to leave the country.
BTW, in getting our sixty days visas ahead of time in Penang, Malaysia, at the Thai consulate, we saw first hand all of the ridiculous paperwork. But we've also heard from multiple folks dealing with American immigration that the bureaucracy there is pretty hellish.
You are not a lunatic at all. Just a free spirited individual who enjoys new ways of looking at and experiencing novel things. I am so glad you do and are willing to share with your readers. Perhaps your spouse loves these quirky things about you as well
I feel you re: the US Embassy. I didn't even get an e-mail reply back from the US Embassy in Cyprus, where I plan on getting a new passport in a few months. What's more is that their instructions involve using Cyprus post to mail you your new passport. In my experience, Cyprus Post is where packages go to disappear forever. 😆
We were VERY reluctant to use the mail system. In fact, we dropped our passports off in person, but had no choice but to have them mailed back. Thankfully, there were no problems.
Everything you write is so enjoyable! I do think you're a bit over the top with the photos, but hey, you clearly enjoy it! My husband thinks I take a lot of pictures, but I don't hold a candle to you. I do enjoy seeing them (after you've gone through them and selected the best ones!
I used to work at the US Embassy in Bangkok. I’m sorry they were such twits to you. There’s definitely a weird sort of bureaucratic brainwashing that happens when you are responsible for dealing with documents and they provide a sometimes outsized version of truth.
I imagine you still have some kind of state residency, for your drivers' licenses and voting? If so, your Congressional and/or Senate reps can often help when you have difficulties with government agencies. That passport story is ridiculous. Sounds like it's behind you now, but my advice to anyone struggling with a federal agency is to contact your Congressional or Senate office, who can often get things unstuck.
That aside, I like all your stories, but found the "floating village" especially fascinating!
Good advice! Alas we were down to days and I doubt they could've cut through the red tape. Glad you liked the stories! And the village was Soooo cool....
You do not get a 'travel lunatic' award because I happen to feel that all of us who have been bitten by that wanderlust bug are travel lunatics - or at least that what our 'normal, stay-in-one-place friends and family think about us! I think is a badge of honor to be one of the lunatics!
I loved reading all these stories. MOREMOREMORE! You might highlight links in a darker color on the white background though instead of yellow. Other than that, it's readable, fun, and informative. I don't think you're crazy at all; then again, I've been accursed of that myself. HA!
One thing that nudged at me, though, is the idea of education and how it changes societies. Many people around the world have come to value education, perhaps to our peril. What purpose is education? Is it to help us find easier, better-paying work? Is it to teach us about the knowledge and wisdom developed from the past that will help us build a more sustainable and pleasant global society? Is it filtered and winnowed of the chaff of human knowledge to the point we have no skills to help us feed, clothe, and house ourselves? The story about the Khmer Rouge forcing unskilled city people to work in rice fields led to starvation and death. As for the family's son working with his father in the paddies, he regrets baling from his educational opportunities, but if he doesn't continue the tradition of raising rice, who will do that so his wife can continue the business? To get the work he would be educated to do, the family would need to move to the city. And the cycle continues. We in America are highly educated, but we have to hire foreign labor to do the essential work for us, either because Americans don't have those skills or they don't want to do that kind of work. We've become incompetent in providing for ourselves and look down upon those who still do these jobs. The Cambodians live a very pre-industrial lifestyle. If they mechanize, burning various fuels to power the machines, they will be following in the dirty footsteps of industrial cultures. So, how do we calibrate our educational standards and our mechanization so that it provides for our needs while not polluting the earth? We could rely on wind and solar, of course, but there are downsides to all alternative power sources, as we are learning now. I doubt if anyone would want to take the human population back to pre-industrial levels, but maybe a prudent exploration of some of those hands-on technologies would be part of the solution. Food for thought. Thank you, Michael, for this fascinating post.
Thanks for the very thoughtful response. You raise a lot of great issues. Forgive the short response. I'm currently touring northern Thailand and about to head out for the day!
My wife and I have a running gag: which one of us is responsible for attracting crazy people? The ledger usually tips in my favor, and this post is more fuel for the fire. 🤣🤣🤣
Love the new column idea. Looking forward to more!
Why am I not surprised? 😂😂😂
And thanks for the kind words.
Forgot to add. The pictures of swans are gorgeous
Thank you! I loved taking them.
Another great read! I so enjoy your commentary not only on what you observe around you, but what you observe about yourselves! Stay safe❤️
Thank you so much!
I also live in Thailand, and I think your short-term status here maybe obscured the reality behind your interaction with the Embassy.
Thailand is INCREDIBLY bureaucratic -- they make foreigners here jump through all kinds of hoops just to do regular business. And, in fact, the paper requirements are getting worse over time, not better.
It's more and more stupid crap that they 1) don't need as they ALREADY HAVE THE INFO IN THEIR SYSTEMS and 2) pushes their work off on others -- foreign citizens, foreign embassies, foreign companies. The passport letter is just one example of that -- they already have your other passport number in their system. Why do they need a letter?
So from my interactions with the Embassy on this same subject, they said they had a choice -- either fulfill stupid and worthless Thai requirements or do things like... issue you a new passport. They can't do both.
As someone who lives here I actually have changed my mind -- I support the short-term pain if it creates a long-term gain. Maybe someday I can stop doing regular residency letters, educational degree letters, income letters... if you live here the list goes on and on. All of it dumb and despite having lived on five different continents, I NEVER had to do this elsewhere. Thailand is truly the worst.
If it helps, other foreign embassies stopped these letters long ago (e.g. the Brits, the Canadians). The Americans are late to the game. Anyway, sounds like you were in a pickle but also sounds like you got them back, I guess. I'm sure it felt good to zing them in public.
Sorry to bang on and on but I living here I feel strongly about this, and I think you were wrong.
Thanks for sharing your experience, Steve, and it sounds like you definitely have a greater depth of knowledge.
All I can say is that the Embassy was utterly indifferent to our plight and curt to the point of being assholes. Even with all else you describe being true, if Thai Immigration won't process our passports without those letters -- and we tried multiple avenues to get around this -- then the Embassy should've been prepared to give them to us instead of forcing us to leave the country.
BTW, in getting our sixty days visas ahead of time in Penang, Malaysia, at the Thai consulate, we saw first hand all of the ridiculous paperwork. But we've also heard from multiple folks dealing with American immigration that the bureaucracy there is pretty hellish.
I love it guys, keep.being crazy and travel. Your living my dream. Maybe one day I can too.
I'm not sure I could stop the crazy! LOL. I hope you can as well.
You are not a lunatic at all. Just a free spirited individual who enjoys new ways of looking at and experiencing novel things. I am so glad you do and are willing to share with your readers. Perhaps your spouse loves these quirky things about you as well
I think he does! Well, most of the time... LOL
I feel you re: the US Embassy. I didn't even get an e-mail reply back from the US Embassy in Cyprus, where I plan on getting a new passport in a few months. What's more is that their instructions involve using Cyprus post to mail you your new passport. In my experience, Cyprus Post is where packages go to disappear forever. 😆
We were VERY reluctant to use the mail system. In fact, we dropped our passports off in person, but had no choice but to have them mailed back. Thankfully, there were no problems.
I'm so glad you got your passports safely. Was that the US Embassy in Thailand?
Thanks! And, yup, the one in Bangkok...
Everything you write is so enjoyable! I do think you're a bit over the top with the photos, but hey, you clearly enjoy it! My husband thinks I take a lot of pictures, but I don't hold a candle to you. I do enjoy seeing them (after you've gone through them and selected the best ones!
Thank you so much! You just made my day! As for taking too many photos -- GASP!!! Okay, it might be true, but let's not tell Brent... 😂😂💯
Your secret is safe with me!
PHEW!
I used to work at the US Embassy in Bangkok. I’m sorry they were such twits to you. There’s definitely a weird sort of bureaucratic brainwashing that happens when you are responsible for dealing with documents and they provide a sometimes outsized version of truth.
Oh well. It all worked out for the best!
Thank you, I so enjoyed reading this. You make armchair traveling such a pleasure!
I've just ordered McCormick's book from the library. Our local pharmacist was born in Cambodia as his family were fleeing - he told his story here https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/voice-it-tim-siv-part-1/id1567517132?i=1000552844040. We had no idea! He's currently writing a book about it with his Mum.
Thanks for reading and thanks for the kind words! I'll try to listen to that episode. Those stories are truly harrowing.
I imagine you still have some kind of state residency, for your drivers' licenses and voting? If so, your Congressional and/or Senate reps can often help when you have difficulties with government agencies. That passport story is ridiculous. Sounds like it's behind you now, but my advice to anyone struggling with a federal agency is to contact your Congressional or Senate office, who can often get things unstuck.
That aside, I like all your stories, but found the "floating village" especially fascinating!
Good advice! Alas we were down to days and I doubt they could've cut through the red tape. Glad you liked the stories! And the village was Soooo cool....
You do not get a 'travel lunatic' award because I happen to feel that all of us who have been bitten by that wanderlust bug are travel lunatics - or at least that what our 'normal, stay-in-one-place friends and family think about us! I think is a badge of honor to be one of the lunatics!
Agree 💯💯💯! It's a great club!
I consider myself a travel lunatic, especially after the last three months running all over Southern Africa!
You are indeed!
Love this new format! Embrace the lunacy!
🙏🙏🙏🙏
So enjoy your articles and your Facebook posts! I am living my travel life vicariously through you . Thank you!!
Thank you for reading and coming along!