Finally after 1 week, 2 passports and one blacklist I have finally been granted access into Myanmar (Burma). I am looking forward to getting out of Bangkok. Bangkok is a lot like Las Vegas, it’s a cool place for 1 or 2 days, but after a week here I am ready to jump out my 7th floor window.
Posted by Jimmy under Burma, Thailand, Thoughts, Travel Tips, Uncategorized, Updates | Comments (1)
I am still in Bangkok Thailand waiting for my visa so I can get into Burma. Over the last few days I have been killing time by the pool, getting dental work, and some random shopping. I have been feeling a little restless and in need of a thrill or something dangerous. For a lot of big cities around the world the traffic can be down right crazy!
On arrival into Bangkok I shared a taxi with a newbie to Thailand. While driving I could see that he was scared to death. For the most part I feel pretty safe inside a car with a seat belt on. But there is one mode of transportation that will scare the living shit out of you. Sometimes when traffic is grid locked and not moving the only one way to get around is by motorbike taxi. You pretty much hop on the back and hold on for dear life! Today I had to get my camera fixed so instead of taking the normal taxi I decided to live a little and went with the motorbike. With the wind in my hair and the smog filling my lungs… I was alive again! We sliced and diced are way through traffic like a samurai sword. Within only 10 short minutes I was there. I hopped off the bike with the hair on the back of my neck standing up and a tingling feeling in my legs.
Sometimes when life seems to be a bit dull its nice to spice it up and live a little closer to the edge. They say that on the other side of fear there is a glorious feeling and it only takes to us to challenge our fears to experience it. Now i’m not saying you should go out and kill yourself on a motorcycle, but try to conquer your biggest fears. If it’s skydiving, or something as small as giving a speech in front of a large crowd. Get out there and do it… I promise you wont regret it!
Posted by Jimmy under Burma, Thailand, Thoughts, Updates | Comments (1)
Wow I never thought I would actually be banned from a country! I came back to Thailand for a few reasons. 1) See my dentist (which I just did, and my mouth is still numb from the Novocaine!) 2) Get all my visas together for the next leg of my trip. Over the last few years I have been toying with the idea of going to Burma (Myanmar). But every time I get close to going I decide not to go. Most of the world knows what happened last September when there were protests and mass killings. So I was kind of on the fence as if I should go or not. People say that if you travel to Burma your money goes to the government and that helps fuel the bad things that are happening there. On the flip side I have also heard that its good for the international community to be there since its unlikely for those things to happen when foreigners are there with their video cameras in hand. I went to a place that helps with getting visas, they turned in my application and it came back saying I was on some sort of Blacklist! The lady said that she has only had this happen one time before and the guy was a journalist. It makes sense that Burma doesn’t want journalists or photographers there since they could easily capture images that could show the country in a way that they are trying to hide. It has happened in the past, last September a Japanese journalist was killed. I started to think why I would be on that list… then I realized that I have done some work with the Freedom Campaign which is a human rights organization that’s fighting to stop what’s happening in Burma. Now it all makes sense, and for some reason the thought of being black listed makes me want to go even more. I got to thinking and thought hey let me try to apply for the visa with my other passport (Canadian) and see if I can slide under the radar. I went to a different visa office so that the lady wouldn’t remember me. I handed in my passport and everything looks good… no black list but I still have to wait 4 days to get it. So you never know they might still put 2 and 2 together! But it sure felt like such a Jason Bourne move!
Posted by Jimmy under Burma, Thailand, Updates | Comments (1)
Today is my last day in the
Posted by Jimmy under Philippines, Thailand, Travel Tips, Uncategorized | Comments (1)
Wow where to begin? Well I have been back in Bangkok for about 6 days now and I have been pretty busy taking care of all sorts of things, from shopping, dental work, massages, working on my tan and the other things that go on here in Bangkok. About 3 years ago I had two root canals done back in Los Angeles but before I could finish the final step of putting on the crown, I left to go overseas (which seems to be the story of my life.) So now after 3 years of neglect my teeth are in need of an overhaul. Thailand and a few other countries are becoming hot spots for all types of medical work, people come from all over the world to get medical procedures done here. The main reason is the cost, an average open heart surgery in the United States cost around a hundred and fifty thousands dollars if not more and here in Thailand the same procedure cost around forty thousand… so a lot of people are finding it hard to resist the cost savings… but I wont go into details here but if your in need of medical care I would recommend you doing some research online and see for yourself. Anyway enough about open heart surgery I am only getting my teeth fixed. I just got two crowns put on and 3 cavities filled and my teeth cleaned. This work in the US would cost around $3000 dollars but here in Thailand it only cost me $400…. a pretty sweet deal. So now that my teeth are pearly white its time for me to say goodbye to Bangkok, I leave for Nepal on Friday. Its time for me to get off the tourist route and get back into the unknown.
Posted by Jimmy under Thailand, Travel Tips, Uncategorized, Updates | Comments (0)
