Welcome to Mike’s 2005 Blog
I will start by recounting 2005, where I went and what I did.
2005 was a busy year for me. At the end of 2004 a friend of mine told my that a company that I have wanted to work for was hiring. I sent in my paperwork and was offered a day rate
contractor position
I started the year finishing out a job in Lima, Ohio. I survived the worst ice storm (Below photos) for the past 100 years. The power was out for 4 days and it was too damn cold for my liking. I finished the job in Ohio and returned to my friend Barbara’s house in Fountain Valley, California.
I acquired a 1 year visa for India and 2 weeks later was off to Hazira, India. Hazira is about 4 hours by train north of Mumbai (Bombay as most us remember.) The name Bombay is a spin off from the Portuguese wording Bom Bahia (Good Bay) but the English couldn’t say it correctly hence it became Bombay. In the mid 1990’s it was renamed to Mumbai.
I spent about 2 weeks there on a training assignment. The client released me and my trainer Louis - the young lad in the picture at the top. I went to Thailand.
I spent several days in Bangkok with my good friend Pichet and then took off to Phuket. I got to Phuket and didn’t call the girl friend. As it turns out the jungle drums were beating and she came to my hotel around 1 am (so I am told) but they refused her entry. The next night it was a repeat and the hotel manager told me that I really should call her and let her know it was over. The next day she called me and she wanted to know what was going on. I told her that things had not been working out for the past 3 years and I saw no reason to continue the relationship. She hung up on me. Several days later her girl friend called me and and asked what was up. I gave the lady a rundown of the past 3 years. She then said she would talk to the girl friend. A couple of days later she called back and confirmed that my girl friend had agreed with what I had said. 
During my time there I got to see what damage had been inflicted by the Tsunami of December 26, 2004. There was damage along the beach road but most things that were 200-300 meters back and not along any of the roads where the water came up to were void of any damage. After about 3 weeks in Phuket I decided to head over to Pattaya via Bangkok. While I was in Bangkok I was instructed to get a visa for China.
I had never been to Pattaya and was told it was good place to check out. A couple of my friends from Phuket had already moved over there so I had some people that could show me around. One of my reasons for going to Pattaya was to see if I could find a good buy on a condo. I arrived in Pattaya and met my friends who showed me around and got me acquainted with the area. It was everything that everyone had told me it was. Lots of good single guy nightlife and lots to do and see during the day. I hung out for about 5 days then took off for a job in Jiangyin, China.
By now it is the end of March. I arrived in Jiangyin which is about half way between Shanghai and Nanjing. The weather was cool and pleasant. There were several bars across the street from the hotel. I met a nice Chinese gal who went by the name of Emma. Things started out ok but in the end it was a repeat of my old Thai girl friend and she just wanted money. I guess I know how
to find the ones that want the money. The job lasted until the end of May. I met a couple of good guys to work with - Jim and Lucas as well as Franco (photo at the top). Then it was off to Bangkok. I was there a day then asked to get another visa for China. I liked China the first time so was happy to be going back.
5 days later I was back but in another area in the NE. The name of the town was Daqing which is about 200 kilometers north of Harbin. There was not much to do in Daqing as it is a company town. There was a Micky D’s and a KFC so we didn’t have to do Chinese every day. Sometimes we would go to Micky D’s just for the eye candy. There are sure a lot of good looking ladies in China. Chinese food is good but they cook with a lot of oil. Lean Cuisine is not a part of the diet.
This job lasted until early September. I then went back to California to take care of some business. As my luck would have it I had a 1 year visa for India ...... so I was sent back to India. North of Delhi in a town called Panipat. Now I thought Daqing in China was a dump. Daqing was a paradise compared to Panipat. Anyhow, I was employed so I guess it was best to get on with the job. I was there mercifully only 3 weeks then was sent to Bangkok for .... yup ..... one night in Bangkok and then back to Delhi to prep for another assignment over in the western part of the country in Vadadorra. I went to the site and it was step up from the Panipat. The work is the same but the guest house was much better with better service. This job also lasted 3 weeks. By now it is early November and I was back to Thailand.
I spent several days in Bangkok and then to Phuket for a couple of days. I was then asked to go to Minsk, Belarus. I ended up in a town called Mozyr which is in the south central area. There were some folks complaining that it w
as in the fall out radius of the Chernobyl mishap. I was not really concerned as I was not at the site of the accident and I was not going to be there long term. I finished my work and was then sent to .... yup ..... India again. Before I left, there was a goodbye dinner with our Belarussian translators. They all 3 had very fat heads the next morning as they went through 3 bottles of vodka. This time I was in Mumbai. I arrived at the work site and later that day the client had a major problem so they released me. I waited in Mumbai for about 5 days before the company sent me back to Thailand.
Remember that condo that I was looking for back in March? As I was never in Thailand very long between jobs I never got a chance to go shopping. This round I did have the time and did find a suitable property to buy. It is in Pattaya. Pattaya is abou
t 2 hours south by car from Bangkok. It is bigger than Patong Beach on Phuket Island. It is well developed and has a land registry so you know who owns what, unlike Phuket where you are never sure about properties. I got hooked up with a relator referred by my friend. He showed me 4 or 5 properties. I finally picked one that was new and under construction. It had the location, the price was in the range for me, and a partial sea view that I feel will not be blocked by other new properties yet to be built. There are only 30 condos in the building. The upper side photo is the view from the bedroom and the lower side photo is the finished show room
. My unit is a studio loft design with the bed room up stairs. 
The lower floor has 650 square feet and the loft has 350 square feet. The total is 1000 square feet. The only down side is that there is only one bathroom. I tried to get a half bath upstairs but the construction is all concrete and 10 inches thick.
By now it is mid-December and I am asked to return to India ..... yup ..... my favorite place, Panipat. That is where I complete the year 2005.
The 2006 blog is up - Select the link below.
