Meandering Thoughts & Long Range Plans

Not a whole lot going on here.

I go to Co-Working about 3X a week.

I still haven't got to Church, yet. Last Sunday, Grab Taxi wasn't working. Without speaking Thai, I rely on it to get a Taxi. Without a car, one's sphere is much smaller and more constricted. It is an eye opener.

Here, church is 11.3 kilometers away. In Nepal, Church and school are 5.3 kilometers from each other and I plan to live somewhere in the middle, hopefully no more than 3.5 kilometers (2.1 miles) from either of them.

When I get to Nepal, I will get a bike very soon. First, I will get a 3 wheel Tuk Tuk bike. It will make it easier to get around. After awhile, I will get a mountain bike. The 3-wheeler will be like a pick up truck or minivan and the mountain bike will be like my commuting car.

My leg is (very) gradually getting better. I will continue riding taxis this week. I used the BTS once last week and I will use it once this week. Next week, I will ride a taxi to Co-Working and ride the BTS home. I now go down stairs very slowly and softly.

I went gaming yesterday. My gaming thread is at:

https://boardgamegeek.com/article/25601252#25601252

Notice we just played a game called Bangkok Klongs (Klong = canal). Bangkok has more canals than any other city in the world, including Venice, Italy. The game is about the floating markets. You stand on the bank of the canal and wave over boats (like canoes and rowboats) if you want to examine their products or want to buy one of their meals. The larger ones have hundreds of boats.

I like to record my games to encourage gaming in my area. This was especially true in Kansas and Orange County. I also threads for those areas at those times. In those areas I concentrated on wargames which are rarer. But, as people saw reports of those games being played, they got nostalgic and wanted to play again.

I jus noticed that there is a free gaming coffee shop across the street from the Co-Working place. Unfortunately, you cannot cross the streets here unless to go to a BTS station and go over. You would have a better chance of crossing I-91 or the I-35 freeway alive than the street outside.

My long range schedule, due to VISA requirements is:

Feb 24 - April 24: stay in Thailand on my 2-month VISA. Apply for an automatically approved 30 day extension.

April 24 - May 24: stay in Thailand on my 30 day extension.

~May 23 - ~June 7: Travel to Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) and hang out for 2 weeks. They allow for an automatic 30 day VISA when you arrive.

June 6 - July 6: Return to Thailand (I will keep my apartment during my "vacation"). Receive automatic 30 day VISA when I arrive. Apply for automatically approved 30 day VISA extension.

July 6 - August 6: stay in Thailand on my 30 day extension.

August 6: Fly to Nepal. You can stay there 5 months per year. This will take me to the end of this year and then another 5 months at the beginning of next year. Meanwhile, I will apply for school to learn Nepali for the term that starts in February. This will get me a student VISA for a year at a time.

It will also give me 6 months to learn Nepali before school starts. Learning the language is key for settling in so you can talk to taxi drivers, grocery clerks, read some signs, etc.

My plan is to spend the time before Kuala Lumpur continuing to adjust myself to living here. After I get back, I will make my travel arrangements for Nepal, which should take little time. Then the last 6 or 7 weeks (June and July) I will do some sight seeing.

Kuala Lumpur will be a good experience as it will give me 2 weeks practice of living in a country with poor water quality like Nepal. Thailand has good water quality, mostly. Most people, including Thais, drink bottled water. However, the water is pretty safe and showering and washing dishes with tap water is usually no problem. I haven't been sick, so far. When I go to Nepal, I may have to stop showering and just take bed baths with wet wipes. Eventually, I hope to be able to set up like a camping shower where I can take a quick shower with bottled water eventually.

Back to work.

Namaste From (halfway to) Nepal