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Previous entries

Returning Home - Again

The God Illusion

Going Home

2022

A Change of Direction

Dogs and Pandemics

The Forgotten tenors

Nine Things I will Miss about Thailand

Circles

Just Do It

Ayr on a Shoestring

Oh Lonesome Me

Tipping Point

Movie Reviews

Putting Pen to Paper

A Year to Remember

A Year to Forget

10 Reasons I Cannot Go Home

China Girl

The State of Play

Veggies

Mind Your Language

New Horizons

Injustice

Honeymoon

Taxes and Death

Also-rans

Stinkhorns

Grey is the Colour

Beating Myself Up

Nothing More to Say

Better Late than Never

Staying Put

Musical Chairs

Wanderlust

A Dog's Life

A Sabbatical

A Welcome Diversion

A Guide to Business Ethics

Remembering the Austin Allegro

Our Lords and Masters

In Transit - Part 2

In Transit - Part 1

Nagging Doubts

While Bangkok Burns

An Evening to Remember

Thai Business Malpractice

The New and the Old

Christmas Lights

Groundhog Day

Singapura

Possessions

Adventure is Out There

Education

Grabbing it While You Can

A Few Ups and Many Downs

Limbo

Pack Up Your Old Kit Bag

Salmon

Bananas

Religion

Football

Grateful

Yummy

Ate Two Caesar

Swine Pie

The Thai Rollercoaster

Stuck in the Middle

There's no Regrets

Profit and Loss

Running on Empty

Getting it out Your System

National Mistrust

Bring in the Old, Out with the New

Humility

I am Reviewing, My Situation...

Wat Phrabhat Nam Poo

Today I will Mostly be Eating...

Mortality

The Thai Experience

Wat Khaowong

Reality Bites

Wat Simalais

Amazing Thailand

He Must have a Big Wand

Right Place, Wrong Time

Carousel

Tin

And it does go on

Mangos

Bring Him Home

Resurgence

Protege

Listening to my Reader.

 

Archives

Diary Archive 18.

Diary Archive 17.

Diary Archive 16.

Diary Archive 15.

Diary Archive 14.

Diary Archive 13.

Diary Archive 12.

Diary Archive 11.

Diary Archive 10.

Diary Archive 9.

Diary Archive 8.

Diary Archive 7.

Diary Archive 6.

Diary Archive 5.

Diary Archive 4.

Diary Archive 3.

Diary Archive 2.

Diary Archive 1.

 

 

Staying Put

 

This month is our fourth anniversary of moving to Thailand. Since I met Ploy this is the longest that we have lived in any one country.

There is no doubt over the last two months I have seriously been considering whether to stay here. The problem is, with all the traveling I have recently been doing, is you have time whilst on the flights or sitting in restaurants alone or sitting in hotel rooms alone, to reflect. To think too much. Of course Thailand is not perfect, you don't have to live here to realize that. But things I thought would never bother me, such as the incompetence of the current government, started to irritate, and I wasn't sure why. Actually I do know why. They are not just incompetent but are belligerently so. The last few days we have had flooding. Nothing too serious and it didn't last long. Other places are much worse hit. We did not have a repeat of two year's ago though because the industrial estates have built flood barriers and in any case the rain was much less. But whilst some stood waist deep in water outside their houses or shops, the government were telling us it was not serious and was not as bad as 2011 and it was all hyped by the media. The same scenario goes for the rice subsidy, the way they deal with unrest in the south, well they way they deal with anything. Or don't deal with anything.

Why does this bother me. The Canadian government were bordering on the insane with some of their initiatives. I think because I feel less permanency here, especially now I am back to 3 monthly visa runs again. And as new visa regulations have just been applied for those entering Thailand for the first time so you realize those rules could also change at any time.

 As I left for my last trip to Shenzhen we had been two days without water. Of course it came back but what civilized country just turns off the water (for repairs apparently we later found out) for such an extended period time. And perhaps because I have been traveling on the roads here more (trips to the airport mostly) the insanity of the drivers here has irritated me more than usual. I could go on. I already have. Even my regular reader has probably given in by now, drowning in a tsunami of whining.

But when I look back over these last four years I realize that in any other country we would be destitute. The low cost of living here, the ability to just do things without permits or health and safety or some other bureaucratic Hitler sticking their nose into your business, has meant we have survived the inevitable misjudgments and mistakes we have made in running our business. And we have managed it without getting seriously into debt because no-one here will lend us money anyway (except for the usurers that is). So we have had to rely on a good friend and Ploy's gold. And soon we can set that right.

Whatever the outcome of the next few weeks we are almost certain to have got our business on a sound footing. Finally. And the financial security that will bring will allow us to look at Thailand with completely refreshed eyes. Gone will be the sixteen hour days, seven days a week, (to be just twelve hour days, 6 days a week). I can't do anything about the water or the government but money does allow us to isolate ourselves a little more. If the water goes we encamp ourselves to a hotel for a short break because we can afford to and I won't have always urgent work to complete. When the social anarchy starts to affect us as people are out of work and have no money, we go and live in Singapore for a couple of months or even longer if need be. Or we buy that boat and anchor in international waters for a few weeks.

When I look back I wonder if I would have had it any other way. Weeks after moving here we had paid off the balance of our house. A few months after that the business was established and we had a balcony and kitchen built onto the house. We have a dog, and not just any dog but a dog that I helped be born. We have achieved sales to some prestigious companies, including Lockheed and NASA. We have invented something that has attracted the attention of many companies (it is one of these that may be buying exclusive rights to the idea that is providing us with our financial security). And Ploy and I are happy, probably more so than we have ever been. Ploy has stood by me through all of this roller coaster ride and even today as I explained I was probably going to accept an offer for our idea that is magnitudes less than what we could potentially realize she just smiled and told me to do what I thought best. And not because she didn't care but because she trusted me to do the right thing for us, the thing that is the nicest thing to do. The altruistic thing to do. The opposite of what this government would do.

But without trying to come across as sanctimonious, what is the point of spending a silly sum of money on vet fees for a street dog whilst screwing someone else over at the same time over some business deal. We can't change the world but we can at least distance ourselves from its actions.

 

 

 

 

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