Hi Gram,
Unfortunately after staying up last night for phone calls, I woke early again for my morning walk. I was exhausted and didn’t really feel like it, but that’s when you need a four mile walk the most, right? We saw some more cool views, including what looked like a parade float or similar decoration in the shape of a giant flower. After the hills and stairs, I was glad to walk straight back to the hotel afterwards instead of having to sit at camp and wait for the next class. It gave me a chance to peel off my sweaty clothes, take a shower, and have breakfast.

No rest for the wicked, though, as they say so I washed my dishes and headed back out. My visa is set to expire in a few days, so I was off to the immigration office at Blueport mall. I had my passport, cash, and a letter as proof of where I was staying and why I was visiting Thailand. When I arrived, I grabbed a number for my place in the queue and an application to fill out while I waited. One of the other foreigners told me that I would need a passport photo to attach to the application and asked if I knew where I could get one at the mall. I didn’t know the answer to that question, but I have a few passport photos in my luggage for just this occasion.

I reluctantly headed back outside and caught a Tuk Tuk back to the apartment to grab the photo and fill out my application. It was good to fill it out at a desk with my pen instead of trying to scrounge a pen somewhere and filling it out on the cushioned seats like everyone else seemed to be doing. With that taken care of, I headed to get a massage at a little boutique near the mall, hoping the line would die down a little at the immigration office. In the normal course of conversation while I was getting my massage, I found out that she was sore from helping her family and needed a massage too. I told her that I used to be a massage therapist and offered to trade.

I’ve been giving massages for most of my life. For me, it’s almost a meditative experience where I just let my hands do their thing while my brain wanders. I don’t subscribe to the woo-woo energy stuff, but with the right person, I feel electrified. It brings me a joy that I can’t describe, leaves me feeling recharged, and makes the whole rest of my day better. It’s been a while since I’ve given a proper table massage, but it’s like riding a bike – it doesn’t matter how long it’s been, I just intuitively know what to do. The next hour passed in the blink of an eye. We thanked each other for the exchange, then I paid her for my massage anyway. The living wage here is low and the exchange rate means it cost me like $12 or $13 – well worth it for her efforts.

I finished my walk to Blueport and took a number to wait again. Just under an hour later, it was my turn and I sat across from a no-nonsense officer who barked orders at me and made me nervous. I handed her documents as she requested them, answered her questions, apologized even though I didn’t know why, then shuffled off to the next desk to finalize the process. I’m not sure what the second desk was for – the first officer had stamped everything, taken my money, filled out all the paperwork – but after a few minutes of looking everything over she smiled, handed me a receipt, and sent me on my way. Glad for the opportunity to stay in the country for another 30 days, I stopped by the grocery store to grab a few things, then headed back to the apartment for a nap and shower.

Rested and clean, I headed to meet Thip, who I’d met online, at Village Market. We found each other in that awkward way people do when first meeting in person, then headed inside. She doesn’t speak much English and I know two phrases in Thai – “Hello/Goodbye” and “Thank you” – so as we walked around, there was a lot of pointing, gesturing, and laughing. We settled in at a Thai food restaurant where we were able to use Google Translate on each of our phones to have more of a conversation. It was nice that she ordered for both of us, speaking with the waiter since they spoke the same language. We talked about ourselves, trading stories and surface level background information as we ate. After dinner, we walked around the mall for a little longer, then headed back to my hotel lobby where it was quieter and we could talk a little more easily without the crowds. As the night got later, we decided it was time to say our goodbyes. She called a motorbike to pick her up and I headed upstairs to get a good night’s rest.