Visit to the Australian Embassy in Bangkok

As part of the on going saga of Marcus getting his work permit issued we had to drive to Bangkok today to get a statutory declaration signed at the Australian Embassy to say that his resume is a true account of his work history and not full of bullshit.  Thankfully one of the lawyers of the company that is handling his permit application came and met us at the Embassy and made sure that all the documents we gave him were correct and assured us that now the process can really start and we should have to meet him again in about a month for an interview of the whole family.  I don't know why they need to meet me and the kids, we aren't the ones who want the permit, but I think it has something to do with us all getting 12 month visas to stay in Thailand without having to do those annoying border runs every 90 days.  So fingers crossed they get the ball rolling now.  I am holding off getting my Thai drivers license until this permit is issued as apparently it cuts back on some of the paperwork you have to supply.  I have been told that they drown you with forms and requests for odd documents that most people don't think to travel with.  But they don't require you to sit a driving test or an exam.  And you need a medical certificate to basically say that you are alive and wont be dying anytime soon.  I will also have to drive back to the Embassy in Bangkok in a month or so and get another statutory declaration saying that my address is accurate and that my Australian divers license is a real one.  I thought to get it all done today since we were already there but as we don't know how long this permit is going to take there is apparently a time limit on how old these documents can be for them to be accepted.   


Stuck in traffic



I really do need to get a Thai license as I don't have a International License and if I get pulled over by the police they have alot of trouble reading a foreign license and it causes more confusion and just adds to the possibility that I will have to hand over cash to make them let me go.  I guess it has an upside though, tourists and expats can get around most things if they are quick to hand over some Baht.

Our dive into Bangkok today was interesting.  Marcus thought it would be easier if we drove the car into the city instead of catching the bus and then the connecting sky train to the Embassy.  I didn't really agree but I didn't argue the point either.  Turns out I should have.  The unfortunate thing about being in a foreign country like Thailand is that the language is very hard to speak and the written word is even harder to read.  So of course we drove way way past our exit and instead of being on the south side of Bangkok we popped out at the North end of Bangkok and had to negotiate several U-turns before getting ourselves back on track.  Luckily I recognised a market and park called Chatachuk which is also the last stop of the Sky Train, called Mo Chit.  I remembered these places from our very first visit to the city back in May when Marcus and I came for 4 days to preview the country we were planning to move our entire life to.  I was pretty impressed with my memory and sense of direction, however I am sure that Marcus would take all the credit as he was the one who was driving.  So in that case I could let him take the credit however he would also have to shoulder all the blame for getting us lost in the first place.  I can live with that.
We found our way back to the Embassy and parked at the Mariot Hotel down the road.  The problem with driving in Bangkok is that there is nowhere to bloody park.  If you have money you can find a hotel and pretend you are going to dine in their restaurant so they let you park in their secure car parks, if not, then I have no idea where everyone else parks but there has to be somewhere since there are thousands and thousands of cars, trucks, bikes and buses driving around the city all day long.

Turned out that the restaurant at the Mariot was having a special lunch offer and we had the most amazing lunch for only 190 baht each.  I did however have to order dessert which cost the same for only 1 scoop of the most amazing white chocolate ice cream I have ever had.  It was Movenpick Ice Cream and its worth every cent (or baht).  Marcus really enjoyed his lunch too, get got it all over his face and didn't care, he groaned and kept going on and on about how yummy it was.




After lunch we miraculously found our way back onto the motorway to head back to Pattaya and got the easiest run home, so we decided to treat ourselves once more with a massage each before heading back home to the kids. It was Marcus' first Thai Foot massage and I told the girl to go really hard on him as he likes the pain, and from what I could tell from his groaning and flinching she heard me.  I got a head and shoulder massage and I swear I could almost have stayed there all day.  It is the best 200baht ($6.10) I have ever spent. 

 Meanwhile our lovely friend Karen came over and spent the day with Judd and Lillie and helped our nanny/maid take care of them while we went to the city.  She is one of the most kind hearted, warm and caring people I have ever met.  We have only known each other for just over 2 months and already she has adopted the kids as her grandchildren (and spoils them like a grandparent too) and she gives up her time regularly to look after them for me.  Without Karen I think my time here in Thailand would have been alot harder than it has been. 


Overall it was a good day and I think we handled the traffic pretty well, I got cranky as usual, but we didn't fight and apart from Marcus farting in the car with the windows up it was a really nice trip.  One which we will have to repeat in a month or so to finalise the work permit.  Maybe we will make a weekend of it and stay in the city and do some tourist things.