On this Terrestrial Ball

Long term traveling is fun.  Visiting new and exciting places.  Meeting new people. Experiencing different cultures.  It’s all good.  Except for…the Visa process.  Or, I should say, the long-term Visa process.  First off, depending on what country you are planning to visit, you need to determine the type of Visa you need/want.  For me, traveling for an extended period in Thailand meant deciding if I should apply for a retirement visa, but if I wanted work, then it might be a work visa.  Being married, I could also apply for a spouse visa, which is similar to a retirement visa but with definite differences.  The typical longer-term timeframe is one year, but there are also longer-term visas for five or 10 years.  And then there’s the fancy-smanchshy “Elite” visa that gives you a lot of privileges (how about an escort through the immigration office when you arrive at the airport?  How’s that sound?) but does cost more.   You...

Have you ever come across words that you thought were just plain silly?  Traveling around the United States, I would come across a few, like Lake Okeechobee in Florida, or La Jolla , California (pronounced luh-HOY-uh). Or how about Boise , Idaho?  I used to think it was spelled BOYS-ZEE based on its pronunciation.  Then go down a little south in the America’s to find Lake Titicaca between Peru and Bolivia. But then when I visited Thailand, I found words that not only sounded silly but also were impossible to pronounce for me.  Ever try saying the full name for the city of Bangkok?  Here you go: Krungthepmahanakhon Amonrattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilokphop Noppharatratchathaniburirom Udomratchaniwetmahasathan Amonphimanawatansathit Sakkathattiyawitsanukamprasit . Phew!  I understand that word is in the Guinness World Records for its length.  Then there’s this one phrase in Thai which means “to be generous,” that always makes me smile becau...