IELTS Test Results: My heart was beating faster when I tried to log on the IELTS website for checking my results on October 4th, 13 days after the actual test. At 4:15pm Australia Central Time the awaited data was supposed to be online. Apparently I wasn’t the only one trying to check the results on the page. Due to high server traffic the page could not be loaded but I kept trying and trying, and after an eternity, my results showed up on the screen. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I had to check, if the personal data was correct and the band score referring to my test performance did not belong to a different candidate. SUCCESS! The results exceeded my highest expectations by far. Reading and Writing 8.0, Listening and Speaking 8.5, summed up to an overall band score of 8.5!

WOW! If you read in my last post, how I struggled during the writing module and in the speaking examination, you can understand that such a high score was something I did not dare to dream of. 8.0 was the magical number I tried to score, and now it looks like the test was a walk in the park for me.

Later on, I checked the requirements for the subclass 189 visa. It turned out that not the overall band score is decisive but a performance of 8.0 or higher in ALL modules. That was new for me. It means that a maximum score of 9.0 in three of the four modules and a 7.5 or lower in the remaining one had been a failure. I am so happy that I misunderstood this paragraph, otherwise I probably had resigned because doing that well was more than I thought to be capable of. However, this is officially the biggest positive surprise of 2013 for me. My chances to apply for my desired Australia visa  in 2014 have massively increased.

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Now I am waiting for the AACA (Architects Accreditation Council of Australia) to assess my German diploma. Once they confirm that my degree is equivalent to an Australian Masters degree or at least a Bachelor, I can create a portfolio with all required documents and lodge the visa application. From that point on it will probably take several months of waiting again. In the meantime they might ask for a medical check including an X-ray of my chest… . Assumed they have no objections concerning my health,  I have high hopes that the visa will be granted.

As you can see, it is still a long way to go but the first big hurdle – the IELTS test – is passed. As a side effect I can show off with the IELTS band score in my CV. To have an official record that my English language skills are close to native speaker level, will be definitely something working in my favour. (Although I am self-critical enough to know that in reality there is still a huge gap between the language skills of a native speaker and mine.)

More Patong: I reported about my first Patong impressions recently. What can I say about that touristy town after my 5-days experience?

Short and simple: I like it. I walked through a lot of small, nearly secret sois (soi = side street) and saw how life goes for the ordinary local people. Many houses are completely run down. They look dirty at least from the outside and the level of improvisation is stunning. Everything is created with the littlest effort possible to fit the minimum requirements. It perfectly reflects the life style of Thai culture. „We don’t need luxury – as long as it works it is okay“. Whatever Thais construct – it will not last for long, not survive a storm, earthquake, look pretty or satisfy any hygienic standards but they don’t worry about that. The contrast between my home country Germany and Thailand couldn’t be much bigger in this respect: The typical German demands highest quality standards, pays attention to detail, will have an insurance even for the most absurd catastrophes imaginable, will try to separate his property from the neighbours with walls and fences, close the front side of the house for more privacy, will tidy up everything with the aim to make things look like a glamorous magazine photo. Thai people in comparison will focus on the bare necessities, take higher risks regarding  safety precautions, keep houses and private spaces open or secure them with a $2-5 lock. Excessive ornaments and luxury are mainly applied to things related to religion.

Often, the decoration  in and at Thai buildings looks colourful and expensive, but if you get close enough, you will surprisingly notice that for example the gold is only a mediocre print on cardboard, the luxurious covers are only a fraction of a millimetre thick and the assembling of the parts is done atrociously sloppy. If something is not following this scheme you can be sure it was created for Farangs (Farang = Foreigner from a western country, characterized by a prominent nose and light skin) and the price will be multiple times higher than normal.

There is a lot of large-scale construction going on in Patong – mainly hotels. They don’t have to worry about shortage in space for real estate – still enough open area available. I would prefer though if not everything will be sealed with concrete. Old buildings are constantly replaced by new ones – maybe a good way to preserve undeveloped areas.  Apart from the historical constructions there are not many other buildings older than 30 years. Anyway, if you see how dirty the facades of many buildings look you would reckon they have to be older.

One day it was raining cats and dogs. A neighbour’s dog (suffering of innumerable ticks in his fur) followed me to my room after I had petted her close to the hotel reception. I opened the door and managed to make clear that she was allowed to come in. The dog  did not hesitate and followed me inside. She laid down at the entrance, later on under my bed. For more than an hour I was inofficial owner of a guard dog. 😉

On my fourth day I had the plan to go to Phuket Town, using a local bus for 25 Baht (about € 0.65 / AUD $0.85). I got a free scooter lift to the beach where the bus left every 30 minutes. I was so tired that I tried to rest a bit in a horizontal position with the feet still touching the floor. No kidding – in spite of the curvy road and half a dozen other people in the bus, I felt deeply asleep and the deputy of the bus conductor had to wake me up. I felt terrible, sleepy and having a headache. My stomach was upset and contributed to my general discomfort. I had no map of Phuket and no idea where I was. Trying to keep in mind where I left the bus in order to find the spot again several hours later, I strolled down a street and ate one of the spartan equipped restaurants. It was so basic furnished that you could transform it into a workshop, a video store or a supermarket within one hour. Desperately searching for a place to lay down, I had the idea to get a massage and sleep during the treatment. Phuket doesn’t have as many massage shops as Patong which is entirely focussed on tourists but it did not take me longer than 10 minutes until I passed one. The girl was not caring much about my sensitiveness and stopped the blood flow in my arms and legs  about 10 times for 20 seconds or more. No way I could relax and sleep while being massaged. The visit was still worth it because they had a toilet I had never seen before. The room was so small that it wasn’t easy to take a picture but as you can see in the gallery, it worked out not too bad. To flush, you scoop water with a plastic bowl out of a big bucket and pour it in the toilet. After the massage it was raining, raining, raining and I was not in the mood for further activities in Phuket, so I returned to the pick-up point and headed back to Patong already three hours after my arrival.

On my last day I bought a fresh pineapple from a fruit boost as I had done it every day before. I refused the discount of 5 baht for being a regular customer and had a last lovely chat with the lady who tried with me for 10 minutes to get a bee out of the glass box filled with fruits and ice cubes. After finishing our rescue action, I noticed a piece of watermelon next to the boost. A huge wasp, a fly and a toad were sitting on and next to the melon in adorable coexistence. Another time I thanked myself to (nearly) never forget my camera when I going out.

The same taxi guy who moved me up from the airport to the hotel, brought me safely back to the hotel again. I left Patong with mixed feelings. I would have like to stay longer but I was much more excited to return to Chiang Mai to see friends I had made earlier this year.

Review 2,5 Weeks in Chiang Mai: It was night-time when my airplane landed at Chiang Mai Airport which is a 8 minutes drive away from the walled city . In a very practised manner I quickly organized a taxi ride and was surprised how well I remembered the buildings and streets even in dimmed light. I met up with a friend who works in a massage parlour and spend my first night on the hardest mattress ever. She had just moved to another furnished flat so I couldn’t blaim her for that. Also the tankless water heater was not working with the result of taking a cold shower. That was even more motivation for me to find an accommodation for my own as quick as possible.

My first day in Chiang Mai was frustrating and staggering. I was full of anticipation to get the BMW X6 mountain bike back which I had rented  last time I stayed in Chiang Mai (often abbreviated as CM). Sadly, the owner had sold it for 10.000 Baht (around € 250/ AUD $350) and could only offer another mountain bike for 50% more. I rented a simple bicycle for 50 Baht/day. I considered the two-wheeled vehicle to be worth the upgrade from the simple city bike without gears and paid the 3000 Baht/months. It is a TREK mountain bike with awesome disc brakes. After some negotiation the dealer agreed to mount a back carrier for me. I only used it so far to store the heavy lock on it but who knows when it will come in handy for example after excessive shopping in the supermarket. – I liked my old BMW more, though! It felt like it was made for me while my current bike is just pretty decent. :´-(

After the disappointment with the forever-unavailable BMW bike, I walked – sun-protected by my umbrella – to the Ranahan restaurant. The kitchen front looked somehow different from how I remembered it. I got more confused when I didn’t see Ayee – the bar guy behind the juice bar counter at the restaurant’s entrance. I moved up the three steps to the seating area and was alarmed when I couldn’t see Rem or another staff member who worked there four months ago. I went straight to the kitchen and was shocked: only new Thai people I had never seen before, no Soraya, the manager, no Mr. Pong, the cook. It got worse: my tent construction was torn apart, half of it was still assembled, other parts were hanging down in pieces. Everything looked dirty and run down. The kitchen staff seemed to give an F about it. They had not taken any effort to repair the construction. I asked different staff how long they were already running their business at this place and if they knew Soraya. A women informed me that they moved in two months ago. She called several people with her mobile phone to investigate Sorayas number.

Finally I talked to her and she was flabbergasted that I was back in town. Ten minutes later she picked me up with her scooter and we drove to her apartment. It took me about one hour of interrogation due to her basic English before I comprehended what had happened: Six weeks after I had left, a big storm and lots of rain had damaged the tarp construction in the kitchen. One week later, Mr.Pung and Rem quit their jobs because they were constantly discussing and couldn’t get along with each other. For one week, Soraya tried to do everything by herself but she struggled and felt worn out, yearning to go on holidays. Although the restaurant would be closed during her time-out she would have to pay 10.000 Baht for rent per months.  The owner had increased the lease continuously and the costs for water and electricity, too. Soraya made the decision to give up the restaurant. The bar guy, who was in a similar position with his café and fruit juice bar, did the same.

All my modifications are still there: the postcards at the kitchen door, the chain lights, the paper umbrellas…but nothing is like before. I know: nothing lasts for eternity, but it was hard to deal with these radical changes which had happened only within a few weeks.

At least I had found Soraya again who was more than happy to see me. She offered help to find an accommodation. We cruised through the walled city for hours. The answer we got from the owners and employees was always the same: “We are fully booked!” Two places offered anti-charming looking rooms for 5.000 Baht / month and one receptionist baffled me by offering a room for insane 15.000 Baht. At this moment I hated the upcoming High Season wholeheartedly. In the early afternoon Soraya and I separated with the plan to continue our search the next day at 11:00 am.  For unknown reasons she did not show up and did not answer my SMSs. This was more than two weeks ago. Today, I saw that I had missed a phone call from her. I am excited to find out what happened.

I kept my search for an apartment up, walking through the city without a specific destination. With the help of some locals I discovered a vegetarian restaurant near the Chiang Mai gate which was marked on the map at a different point – meeh!  An English-speaking guy who had noticed me asking if the dishes were vegan, told me that I would be at the right place for that. I sat down at his table and chatted. At the end he asked me about my accommodation, I described my dilemma and he recommended the hotel 50 metres down the road. He is staying there  at a very affordable rate since six months already.

You guess it: That’s indeed the place where I settled down. It is a the “Noble House”. Its pricing exceeded the limit I had set for myself but for 8.000 Baht per months I get a nicely furnished, clean hotel room with modern bath, balcony, TV, fridge, aircon, free WiFi and room service, cleaning two times per week. I am provided with fresh towels, toilette paper and one litre of drinking water every time they make up the room . For that level of luxury I find the price reasonable, especially in the high season. The room they gave me first was on the other side of the aisle but stank terrible of cigarette smoke. On the second day I moved into another room on the same floor. It has colours which are women-ish/girly-ish but the air quality is better. That’ s what matters for me much more than the interior design.

The location of the Noble House is spot on. It is outside of the walled city but only 100 metres distant from the Chiang Mai Gate.  There you have a huge food market and some convenience stores open at least until 11 pm. Some market boosts are selling hot food the whole night – which is not unusual for Thailand. A laundry (three washing machines in an open shed at the side of the road) is in the very close vicinity to the hotel. For lunch I often go to the vegetarian restaurant mentioned earlier. They offer food in a buffet style. No matter how many different dishes you choose, you will not pay more than 25-30 Baht, maybe 5-10 Baht extra for a spring roll. A tasty full meal for less than a dollar is very competitive. The most useful Thai word I recently learned is „jaay“, meaning basically the same like „vegan“. This word is understood by every Thai and makes ordering food much easier, most notably at non-vegetarian establishments.

I needed some days to get over the disappointment respectively the broken tarp construction and the restaurant abandoned by all the people I had made friends with in April. What finally cheered me up was that so many people in Chiang Mai remembered my face and my name. There are thousands and thousands of Farangs (western foreigners) in Chiang Mai visiting the Night Market every day –  nevertheless, a women selling clothes immediately recognized me although I had never bought anything from her. This time I bought blue pants, very suitable for Thai massage, and we were both happy.

What have I done since I have settled down in my hotel? – I have visited the famous Suteph Temple on a hill 30 minutes outside of Chiang Mai, I prepared my CV and applied at least for two jobs, with hopefully 2-5 more  with every new day from now on. As mentioned before, I rented a good mountain bike and I met up with my former massage teacher Daow. I opted for  ten days Thai Massage + Foot Massage course and enjoy it so far although having an aching body from head to toe. I am not used to sit in a kneeling position for hours and hours. The course regularly starts at 10:00am  and finishes at 5:00 pm including one hour of lunch break. I say regularly because there are always incidents which require a change of the schedule. I get private lessons – so changing the appointment is not too difficult. Practising is fun but tough, too. As a further encouragement I will get a certificate at the end of the course. I have already completed five days of learning and look forward to the certificate I will receive at the end.

My plans for the next weeks – besides learning massage and sending out job applications – are to visit a local cinema and to take a tour to the only elephant wildlife park which is treating their animals in a respectful manner. Maybe, maybe, maybe, I will attend at a 3-day bamboo workshop outside of Chiang Mai in November, organized and guided by an Australian guy who is befriended with Daow.

As always, I hope and try to keep you frequently updated…although I often fail big-time. 😉  5555555 (The number five is “ha” in Thai language. If Thais want to express laughter in written language, they simply multiply the five)

Good night – Chris