Originally Posted by
TroyW 
All the best AGAGONNHOJ!
Too bad you're all the way up in Chiang Mai. Otherwise, we could hang out, and slap each other across the head any time one of us decided picking up a drink was a good idea.
Thanks man
- I'm actually in Chiang Rai, at the moment in the center but will be moving soon to start new job in Thoeng, along the road to Phu Chi Fah.
Kind of felt between a rock and a hard place; school I was at brought in a new director, who then decided he wasn't going to use our agency any more - with just a few days to go before term started. So found myself suddenly out of a job.
Pretty gutting as I was getting on perfectly well at the school, got on well with the other staff, loved the students, and the students certainly enjoyed my lessons, had been told to be back in CR by May 1st for school . . . and then this happened.
The only other place the agency has was in Thoeng. Got other offers from other companies in CR center, but if I left the agency, I'd have to face the whole nightmare of having work permit cancelled, thus having to hop the border at Mae Sai and come back on a 30 day visa waiver (my ******** is chock full of visas & stamps from the past 2 years, only about 3 pages left - mostly of Thai and Lao visas, along with a fair few from Eastern Europe; not even sure they'd even let me back in).
Then have to go Laos to apply for a new Non-B visa from the Thai embassy, and go through the process of getting a new work permit again.
Basically, that's what did it this time. Had been out with friends 2 nights in a row, both times only drinking fruit shakes like I usually do in Chiang Rai. Then on the 3rd night, felt so agitated that it was the classic case of "Well just one to calm my nerves should be OK".
I know, right -Einsteinian definitions of insanity.
But decided, after agonising about it, to take the Thoeng job. It's over 40km away, but will be able to come back to CR at weekends, see my friends and suchlike. And yesterday I hopped on the motorbike to check out Thoeng (I've driven to Phu Chi Fah a few times, so driven through it but not paying much attention) - the place is pretty beautiful, mountains, Wat Phra Tat (temple on a hill) etc.
Think I'll be rate there. And should be able to keep up the soberness.
And on weekends in CR, I'll be so happy to be back, around my friends, that I won't even want to drink - that's been the case at weekends for most of the time since New Years.