Going Out For Thai Food: Searching For A Package Sent From The US To Thailand

Our good friend Desiree sent us a package from the US to Hua Hin, Thailand. It was marked "Gift" and we tracked it across the ocean to our town.......or so we thought. We received a paper that we assumed said it had arrived and based on the other package we picked up at the local post office a few months ago we headed to town via our friend and neighbors Bob and Peggy...because they are just so darn helpful with their car and kindness!

As expected, the paper we had with the tracking number on it was in Thai. When I handed it to the lady she said, "No, not here" "Prachuap Khiri Khan Customs". I asked, "Post Office in Prachuap Khiri Khan?" and of course she said, "Yes". Yep, there I go again expecting an answer or explanation other than yes.....silly me!

Prachuap Khiri Khan is 60 kilometers or just over 37 miles and takes an hour and 15 minutes! Bob said, "We wanted to check out the area anyway so lets go!" After filling their car with fuel we were off. We stopped at the city 20 minutes north of where we were headed called Pran Buri just in case it was there instead. Nope not there. "Go to Prachuap."

We found Prachuap post office and we were told, "No, not here!" "Go to Prachuap Customs." The man was visibly relieved when I pulled out my phone and showed the him a map so he could tell us where it was. I could see on his face he was thinking, "Oh, hell....how am I going to explain to the foreigners how to get there!"

Back the way we came but along the seashore road which was very pretty. We stopped at a cement pond where large statues of monkeys are used as high dives for hundreds of real monkeys! It was fun watching them play like little kids. They pulled each other off and pushed their friends in, and jumped from the highest limb of a tree. We watched a man and woman walk up to the pond and the monkeys were grabbing at them both to see what they had. The man was eating a snack which the monkeys thought was for them. When he would not give them any, one of them jumped up at the man and he had to kick at it. Then we watched as the same monkey reached for the woman's cell phone she was holding in her hand. Luckily he didn't get it or it would have been in the water in two seconds. We were smart enough to stay in the car and only put down the window for quick pictures.

Arriving at the small customs building, I handed the boss lady my paper and a copy of my passport. She asked what was inside the box. I told her, "Gifts." She said, "Open." To which she did her job thoroughly and inspected each item. There was one item they were interested in which was a remote switch for Vince's camera. They had not seen one before and spent the next 20 minutes going through their books and the internet to see how much it cost so we could be charged the correct amount of import fees. It turns out we only had to pay less than $30 USD for the entire contents of the box. Wooo Hoo! we were very happy. Because there was a slight chance they would confiscate it because it was on their list of No No's to bring into the country. How would we know that? When she was done and getting our receipt a man walked over and looked through the box....because he could. He picked up a package and asked to see what was inside. So, we showed him my new ladies underwear! He walked away after that!