THE IMMIGRATION OFFICE, SNAKES, FERAL DOGS AND RABIES....
The next couple of months are spent
meeting new friends who I am still in regular contact with and will be visiting
again soon, sightseeing, lots of playing pool over a few beers, going to the
gym, eating a great and vast assortment of healthy food and meeting a girl I
would end up spending my next 6 months with, Mon. There are many crazy stories from this period but I might save those for another blog that my parents aren't reading!
I also begin my scooter riding apprenticeship here and this opens up a load more destinations that I can now get to, and many new places to explore. Simply riding around anywhere here is an adventure all in itself. I party very hard for the first month as it is just such a wild place that never sleeps, the great friends I have made and the girl I have met keep me here and my plans to be more mobile are put on hold. But I enjoy the feeling of becoming ‘local’ and soon I find it hard to go up the street without bumping into people I know.
I also begin my scooter riding apprenticeship here and this opens up a load more destinations that I can now get to, and many new places to explore. Simply riding around anywhere here is an adventure all in itself. I party very hard for the first month as it is just such a wild place that never sleeps, the great friends I have made and the girl I have met keep me here and my plans to be more mobile are put on hold. But I enjoy the feeling of becoming ‘local’ and soon I find it hard to go up the street without bumping into people I know.
After my first 2 months it is time to
visit the Jomtien Immigration Office for a visa extension, it proves to be quite
confusing the first time around but I am now a master at it and the whole
process is fairly painless. I will
remember this day well as I still bear a scar… After sorting my visa extension I stop at
one of my locals for a quick, early afternoon beer, this turns into a mammoth
session as I meet a new friend from England.
We quickly get along well and the beers flow, it is soon dark and we go wandering in search of more fun. After a couple more beers nearby, we get talked into having our pictures taken with an assortment of exotic animals, one being a fairly large python I have wrapped around my neck that seems to be getting ready to bite me on the face. He decides against it and I escape unharmed, for now.
We quickly get along well and the beers flow, it is soon dark and we go wandering in search of more fun. After a couple more beers nearby, we get talked into having our pictures taken with an assortment of exotic animals, one being a fairly large python I have wrapped around my neck that seems to be getting ready to bite me on the face. He decides against it and I escape unharmed, for now.
Martyn offers to take me up to
Walking Street, the most famous party zone of the area and a place I have yet
to visit in my 2 months here. I’m more
of a casual pub or bar with mates and some pool guy than into discos and night
clubs, but it is a great night and we kick on until late. It is time to part ways and I start my walk
home alone, a wrong turn sees me end up on a quiet little backstreet but I press
on.
As I am casually strolling along I feel a sharp nip on the back of my leg and quickly turn around to see a mangy feral dog scampering away after taking a cheap shot at me. I think to myself ‘ah shit, that bastard just got me’ but I don’t think it is that bad until I feel how much blood is gushing down my leg.
As I am casually strolling along I feel a sharp nip on the back of my leg and quickly turn around to see a mangy feral dog scampering away after taking a cheap shot at me. I think to myself ‘ah shit, that bastard just got me’ but I don’t think it is that bad until I feel how much blood is gushing down my leg.
I am wearing long pants for possibly
the first time of the trip as I wanted to look a little more respectable while
visiting the Immigration office (it is unnecessary by the way) and this has
probably saved me a little. I pull the
leg up and it is bad, I can’t even see exactly how bad the wound is, as there
is so much blood but I know it’s not good.
I’m bleeding fast and manage to find a couple of locals not too far away and plead for them to take me to hospital. Their English is non-existent and the guy doesn’t want to take me, a couple of hundred baht (about $7) and a few stern words from his girlfriend and we are off. Luckily I already know where the hospital is and direct him all the way.
I’m bleeding fast and manage to find a couple of locals not too far away and plead for them to take me to hospital. Their English is non-existent and the guy doesn’t want to take me, a couple of hundred baht (about $7) and a few stern words from his girlfriend and we are off. Luckily I already know where the hospital is and direct him all the way.
The service and staff at the hospital
are great and they soon have me patched up, though I am unsure why they choose
not to stitch, possibly the high risk of infection. After a less than pleasant clean up and about
7 needles I am set to go, the bill is huge but they conveniently have an ATM
located in the waiting room! Fancy that!
This first visit sets me back around $700 Australian and I still have to go back for the next 3 weeks to get dressings changed and have another heap of needles to finish up my anti rabies treatment.
3 weeks and around another dozen or so needles later and I am nearly healed, with no sign of a rabies infection, hell i'd be dead by now if there was! I very nearly left home with no travel insurance and only made the call to get some about a week before I left.
Great call and it has paid for itself in the first 2 months! Don’t ever undertake a trip like this without good travel insurance, I used Allianz and they were a pleasure to deal with and the whole claim process was swift and easy. I have used them again for this trip.
picture warning!!! gross pic of dog bite coming up... look away if you can't handle it!
this picture is about a week after the bite...
links to Allianz Insurance
Australia http://www.allianz.com.au/travel-insurance/
United States http://www.allianztravelinsurance.com/
This first visit sets me back around $700 Australian and I still have to go back for the next 3 weeks to get dressings changed and have another heap of needles to finish up my anti rabies treatment.
3 weeks and around another dozen or so needles later and I am nearly healed, with no sign of a rabies infection, hell i'd be dead by now if there was! I very nearly left home with no travel insurance and only made the call to get some about a week before I left.
Great call and it has paid for itself in the first 2 months! Don’t ever undertake a trip like this without good travel insurance, I used Allianz and they were a pleasure to deal with and the whole claim process was swift and easy. I have used them again for this trip.
picture warning!!! gross pic of dog bite coming up... look away if you can't handle it!
this picture is about a week after the bite...
links to Allianz Insurance
Australia http://www.allianz.com.au/travel-insurance/
United States http://www.allianztravelinsurance.com/
