Everyday Things Are..........Stupid Easy!

Mail:

We needed to mail a package to a city 10 hours away by car and had no clue what to do. The map created by Nancy Chandler at http://www.nancychandler.net/ has been invaluable. We located a nearby post office and with my gifts wrapped and loose in a bag we went inside. 

There was a small machine and lighted sign with numbers so we took a ticket and waited for our turn. It was not crowded and took less than 3 minutes. I unloaded the gifts on the counter and handed the man the address printed in English. He asked no questions and took the gifts away through another door. 

A few minutes later he returned with a box, taped the English address to the box, we paid 120 Baht = $3.63. Vince and I looked at each other as our brains could not comprehend how easy this was. No questions like in the U.S.........what is wrapped? Is it perishable, liquid, guns, hazardous material, bombs, mortars, gopher traps, body parts, human bones? Just a simple......we will package, you give us the money! WE LOVE THAILAND!

Package by Green Bus:

I have a Thai friend that lives to the north of Chiang Mai in a small village. She is very creative and is always thinking of new things to make and sell. I asked her to send me some scarves she made, but was afraid the postal mail would not get them here before we left “No Problem!”, she said. “I will put it on the Green Bus and you will pick it up the next day.” 

After a message from her saying when it would arrive and the phone number of the package pick up and delivery building we had the tuk tuk driver call to get directions. Signs were in also in English and I made sure to take my passport for identification. 

I had given Moue money for shipping which was about $6.06 so all I had to do was sign the receiving slip. Easy as can be!

Sewing:

In our exploration we have noticed every neighborhood has it's own market, shops, food, laundry, sewing, shoe and cycle repair and hardware store. 

I noticed a hole in a bag that I adore and happened to walk past a sewing lady. I showed her the hole, she stopped what she was working on and quickly fixed it for 20 Baht = .60. 

Two more times I went to a sewing lady.....for replacing a broken button with just stitching. 20 Baht again. 

And hemming sleeves of three blouses I bought to several inches shorter as they came to my fingertips instead of wrist. 120 Baht = $3.64. Even though she said to come back in a couple hours I chose to wait till early evening to let her know I was in no hurry.

Pharmacy:

Vince had a cold and proceeded to get a cold sore. He needed some medicine and we see pharmacies on nearly every corner. I found a picture of a cold sore on the internet and showed the woman behind the counter. She said, “Ahhhh” and handed me a small box. I paid less than $2.00 and was on my way. 

I also learned from my friend that you can go to any pharmacy and show them your prescription from your home country and you can pick up medications without a doctor's note. 

We also needed some Tylenol and I paid approximately $10.00 for 20 - 500 mg tablets. 

I went for a swim and forgot to put my ear plugs in and managed to easily get water in both of my ears. No matter what I tried, it would not release. So, I went to the pharmacy again to see if they could help. I bought some drops with anti-biotic and felt immediate relief after the first treatment. This was about $8.00 . In the U.S. I would have had to make an appointment to see the doctor, $150.00 and time off work.......then wait for the pharmacy to fill a prescription....even though we have health insurance and the prescription would have been under $10.00 it is such a hard thing to arrange. Again.......WE LOVE THAILAND!

Renting:

Unlike in the U.S., renting here from a property management company was so easy we are still shaking our heads at the simplicity of the process. We were shown several condo units and fell in love with this one.

This is January and we will not be moving until August 10^th. Feeling like we were loosing our dream place we decided to take a long shot and ask them if there would be any way to pay a deposit and hold the condo for nearly 7 months! The next day we called and spoke to the woman that showed us the condo. She remembered us and as far as we could tell, it would be possible to hold it.

A couple hours later we were sitting in the office, they filled out one page, took copies of our passports, a deposit and first month rent. We asked to see the condo again so we could take a video and after we were done, she gave us a copy of the one page contract, told us to send an email and she will pick us up at the airport when we arrive and she will bring us to our new home.

There were no questions.....Do you smoke? There was not a 20 page contract all in legal-ease, no background check and no one asking for our banking information! WE LOVE THAILAND!

Yes we are goofy happy!