Here we go again, but without so much urgency as on previous occasions. On last years trip I was influenced sufficiently enough to make the decision to relocate to Phuket so I made provisional enquiries on how to get a retirement visa in Thailand. Don't get me wrong. I'm not abandoning India but my visa situation in general only allows 180 in India and 30 (extendable to 60) in Thailand which means having to leave Thailand every sixty days. The more expensive but more convenient option is to get a Thai retirement visa that has to be renewed each year but will allow me to remain in the country for ten years. In general my life will continue as usual with trips back to Goa every year but without being dictated to on when and where I can be in a place or when to leave.
January 14th 2024: I book a flight from Goa to Phuket via Bengalaru.
February 29th 2024: My flight is changed by the airline to fly via Mumbai.
April 30th 2024: I take an early evening flight to Phuket via Mumbai.
I was originally booked on a later flight via Bengalaru with a four hour stopover but the earlier flight resulted in a ten hour stopover in Mumbai where my connection was due to arrive around the same time in Phuket as the original flight was due to arrive.
May 1st 2024: I arrive mid-morning in Phuket.
True to form, before unpacking I headed straight to Rock Star Bar in Bangla Road for an efternoon livener then on to The Original Mouse Hole Bar in the evening.
May 2nd 2024: Pub quizz night in the Original Mouse Hole.
Our team "Chang" won convincingly.
I put the wheels in motion to get a Thai Retirement Visa earlier in the day.
May 3rd 2024: I return to the visa office to fill in the necessary forms and pay for the service.
May 7th 2024: I have to go to the immigration office where my 30 day "visa on entry" is extended.
May 8th 2024: I have to return to the visa office where I am given a Bank of Bangkok bank book and debit card.
May 14th 2024: Back to the visa office. This time the one in Phuket town.
All that happened was I had my photo taken in the office. Seemingly it was a part of the process of obtaining a "non immigrant long stay visa" which is in between a thirty day visa on arrival and a retirement visa.
End of blog for a whileIn a nutshell, my relocation to Phuket has temporarily taken priority over travelling which means there isn't so much about my nomadic mindset for me to say right now. Following this you will find a summary of what may or may not be of importance to me but not necessarily to you. I will of course get back into travelling and this blog but for the time being, I have to secure my future by getting the relevant visas both here and in India. When the blog resumes I'll post another sign like this. |
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May 22nd 2024: No alcohol due to it being Buddha Day.
Drinks are still available in non public places such as my hotel.
May 28th 2024: I collect my processed visa from TMT visa office.
Half way to a full retirement visa. I received a 90 day Non O Retirement Visa.
June 9th 2024: I have to again return to immigration in Phuket Town for another photo shoot. This time for my retirement visa.
June 16th 2024: I collect my processed Retirement Visa which is valid until 17th August 2025.
June 20th 2024: No public alcohol sales for 48 hours due do Buddha celebrations.
September 14th 2024: I book flights to Goa with a five night stopover in Hong Kong.
I will leave Phuket on the 5th of November, take in horse racing at Happy Valley Racecourse on the 6th an 9th and then fly to Goa on the 10th. My hotel is located 300 metres from the main entrance to the racecourse which is in the downtown central area of Causeway which in turn is very close to Wai Tsui Crescent where I stayed on my previous trip in 1986.
October 7th 2024: I had to report for my 90 day check-in with Thai Immigration.
October 17th 2024: No alcohol available in public places due to Buddha celebrations.
My hotel bar was ok though.
5th November 2024: I fly to Hong Kong where I arrive late afternoon.
My arrival was perfectly timed to try out my newly acquired Hong Kong Octopus credit card on the local transport and take the Star Ferry to Tsim Sha on the Kowloon side of the harbour. Every night tourists congregate on Tsim Sha Promenade to watch a fifteen minute sound and vision show which happens on the Hong Kong island side of the harbour. It didn't live up to my YouTube expectations. I got lost returning to my hotel.
November 6th 2024: Gambling day number 1: I was up early to take a trip to Victoria Peak to kill time before placing my so called money making "off track" bet.
In the evening I went to Happy Valley racecourse where I didn't pick a single winner.
November 7th 2024: I take the MTR metro to Mong Kok in Kowloon which is the market area at the North end of Natham Road.(/p)
I did too much walking in the day so have a quiet few drinks in a local hotel.
November 8th 2024: A quiet day locally in the Causeway area.
In anticipation of my forthcoming win at Happy Valley the next day I bought a new Samsung flagship S24 Ultra mobile phone.
November 9th 2024: The horse race meeting that never was.
Don't ask me how but somehow I got the meetings mixed up. There was a day meeting at Sha Tin racecourse not a night meeting at Happy Valley but by the time I realised it was too late. I went for a meal and a few last beers locally before having an early night in preparation for my 05:30 call the next morning.
November 10th 2024: I return to Goa via Delhi.
No mishaps to report but an unexpected surprise was being upgraded to business class on the Hong Kong to Delhi leg.
(now available to read on-line in it's entirety).