Meth: a Ticking Timebomb Gone Viral

Immigration...Day One

When I was a younger man, I got the opportunity to travel and work in Malaysia, just before the Commonwealth Games in 1998, as a concretor. It was the first time I had experienced what it must be like to be a minority. It was subtle...an almost invisible force that I felt, but couldn't quite put my finger on.

People were mostly friendly to my face, but when I wandered around open marketplaces or even when I was working with a crew of locals, there was this sense that I was the outsider...a foreigner in a foreign land. I remember writing to my then-girlfriend describing myself as a white alien from another planet.

So, I knew that this relocation was to be a similar experience...and so it is. This time, at least I know what it is and have an understanding of why those who speak Thai, see me as at best, a way to make money, and at worst, someone who has come to exploit the cheap sex trade and leave before contributing much at all to the local community...most of whom, treat me with disdain.

In a way, I know why I get treated like I am unworthy of respect. And that the respect I yearn for will not come easy or overnight. I need to learn more Thai than a simple Sawadee Khrup (hello, how are you?). It will take time, especially since my motivation is not to live in the tourist districts of Phuket or Ko Samui. Perhaps Krabi or Hua Hin I think will be more to my liking...and much cheaper rents.

I am in Bangkok right now, and to be perfectly honest, I hate the place. It's like Sydney x 10...and I never did like Sydney because it lacks soul, and coming from Brisbane, which is just a large country town, I never could get used to the pace or the disassociation people have to, and with each other. Get lost in Brisbane and ask anyone for directions, and you are assured to be put on the right path. In Sydney, however, they will assume you are trying to scam them or worse, and they will quite literally step over you if you fall in the street (please understand, this is a generalisation and not 100% true, 100% of the time).

Bangkok taxi drivers are OK. But the experience I had today with the immigration agency who are helping me gain my visa, has been far from pleasant. Only one person I dealt with (out of the four or five I saw) smiled at me. Not one shook my hand or introduced themselves. I am a number...a way to make money, and you know what? I couldn't give a fuck what they think of me, so long as I get my visa granted and can get the fuck out of Bangkok as quickly as possible. When that happens on Wednesday, I will be a happy man.

I'm a Google Local Guide, level six. I've been writing reviews on businesses for over seven years now. I rarely tell the proprietors this and write an honest review on my assessment of their services. This is the only way to get a true evaluation of the service they offer.

I cannot knock the agency for their efficiency (which is excellent) or even the price they charge (around AU$2300 for a ten-year visa). But it wouldn't hurt them to be a little friendlier than the cold greeting they give their clients. Especially considering most, if not all, are not familiar with the routine and are new to the country. So, I did feel a little like a fish out of water. However, I took it in my stride, did as I was asked (except give the man who met me at the bank to open my Thai account the B5000 he asked for in cash) and got through the day a little tired and hungry, but satisfied with the progress so far.

Tomorrow, I have to return to Immigration to collect my passport and hopefully, my retirement visa, which lasts for fifteen months, before I have to report my current address and have the necessary B800000 (AU$32000) in my Thai bank account. After that, it's once a year report to immigration. After the ten years expires, my guess is I must reapply for another visa.

On a different note...I love the contrast between a 2 and a 4-star hotel. I've spent the last two weeks living in sheer luxury at The Grand Mercure Hotel in Patong. When I was told I had to travel to Bangkok for my visa, I decided to cheap it out for the three nights I am here. There's nothing wrong with the digs here in Bangkok...the bed is nowhere near as soft, and the service is not even close (non-existent). There is no room service and no one speaks English, but at AU$30 per night, compared to the nearly AU$200 per night at Patong Beach, at least now I have something to compare...a contrast that I wouldn't have had if not for the fact that I had to travel to Bangkok to get my visa.

All in all, the trip has been awesome. I've had no thoughts of using drugs and no intention of ever using them again. The entities are still with me, although on days like today when I spent a lot of time waiting around, they didn't seem too keen on the boredom that brings. And when I closed my eyes (which almost always sees their eyes looking back at me), they were nowhere to be seen...LOL.

Perhaps this life of no drugs is simply too boring for them...or on the other hand, perhaps they are hanging around just to make sure I don't relapse so they can reap havoc on me for the crime of self-destruction. I still haven't worked out if they are friend or foe, and my guess is, I never will.