Heading North

Today was a sad day. A number of circumstances have pushed me into making a decision to leave my beloved Bangkok. It was not an easy decision to make, either. I've spent a little more than 8 months living in Bangkok, and it's been wonderful.

For those of you that know me well, you will know that I've struggled to get a decent job in Thailand, and this contributed to my departure. For about a month or so, i began working on a new magazine that was to be published and distributed throughout SE Asia, but after the protests rocked Bangkok in April and May, the investor pulled out of the project and I was out of work again. That was short lived.

The political protests have destroyed much of Bangkok, with some popular shopping malls playing victim to anti-government forces. The largest mall in Bangkok was completely destroyed due to senseless arsonists. What does a shopping mall have to do with politics? Countless billions of baht have been lost due to the crisis. It may take years for the economy to recover. So many foreign Governments (including mine) warned their citizens to stay away. Only recently, have they lifted their travel advisories.

In the period since my short-term job ended, I've been seeking work all over Asia (including Thailand). I've sent applications to postings in Singapore, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing. The only responses I've had at all are in China. So I've made the decision to chase them down, and see if I can get a job out of one of them. So I am now in Hong Kong again, in order to get a Visa for China. I will be in Shanghai and Beijing later in June.

Leaving Bangkok was a difficult thing to do, but i think it is the smart thing to do. I will miss the many friends that I've met while there. Some more than others. My departure was sudden, so i didn't really get a chance to say goodbye in a proper way. But I hope to return soon, and pick up the friendships where we left off. And really, China is only a few countries away. I will continue to seek work in SE asia every day (especially Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore), so who knows.