The Kingdom of Thailand was a fairly tropical country. This meant that there was a natural abundance of bloodsucking mosquitoes. Of course this was nothing unexpected to Pancho’s well traveled self; however there was a minor detail he was unaware of when he arrived. Some of these mosquitoes grew to monstrous sizes, where a bite would swell up to a mountain that could easily be mistaken for an extra limb.
Occasionally these beasts would infiltrate Pancho’s room and bathroom. If they made it into his room it became an especially riveting nuisance. They would search out any possibility to bite their favourite spot which was around the feet and ankles. The worst was in fact if they managed to attack through the soles of the feet. The resulting itch would be bad enough to actually wake Pancho up from deep slumber. He did manage to mount an effective defence by using the cover during the cold season, however when it was hot the only available protection was the fan that would hopefully blow the pesky bloodsuckers away. In the end Pancho always had to hope that the mosquitoes would eventually die of hunger or be eaten by one of the numerous spiders. In fact that hope was one of the reasons why Pancho had become fond of the many little spiders and their homely cobwebs in the corners of his room. Although he had a natural aversion against these eight legged creatures their small size ensured that they did not bother his busy mind. However, there was one spider that stood out.
In fact it stood out so significantly in terms of size that he would never have accepted it in his room (He had to chase it out once). But in his bathroom matters were different. Here it could be counted as his pet. It was a well sized huntsman that especially liked to position its self in the middle of the room. So every morning Pancho, in his gracious nature used the shower to herd his little friend into a safe place.
Compared to his room, the bathroom also proved an effective hunting ground for mosquitoes. Pancho’s keen eyes could pick them out more easily from the light background of the room as well as hear them better in the confined space. It was actually a relatively enjoyable activity. He would enter the bathroom only with a towel and suddenly hear that incredibly annoying buzz. Selflessly using himself as bait he would scan the room for any tiny movement. And SNAP his hands would shoot out and clap a mosquito in mid air or squeeze out its life on the wall.
On one morning, the spider was once again comfortably lazing about in the middle of the room. Not having herded it away yet Pancho’s spectacular hearing ability caught the subtle buzz of a mosquito. Within a few moments the beast had been slain. Being a gracious nature Pancho wanted to ensure that his pet got a balanced diet, so he dropped the dead mosquito next to the spider. No reaction. He tried again, this time dropping it onto the spider (He was quite clever when it came to these matters). Again no reaction. Well, if the stubborn pet refused to eat, Pancho had his morning toilet to get on with and turned on the shower. After a short and as usual frantic escape, Pancho was relaxing on the toilet, deep in the thought. His thoroughly important thoughts were rudely interrupted be the chirping of a bird.
This was nothing special as occasionally a bird or two would land outside of the little window. This window was not closed however. It consisted of two glass panes. The outside one was attached to the top but did not quite reach the bottom of the window while the inside pane was attached to the bottom but did not quite reach the top. Thus there was a gap for air to circulate. And occasionally mosquitoes. At this point in time Pancho’s still drowsy mind was not ready to accept any other kind of circulation. But before he realized anything, that peacefully chirping bird had entered his bathroom and was fluttering around wildly above. Pancho sat there, half ducked in disbelief. He was not really one to dislike birds but for some reason, they had never quite been what Pancho called nice animals, whether they tried to fly into his head, relieved themselves on him or tried to wake him up with their horrendous screeching, there was something about them that did not quite suit Pancho’s taste.
In any case the room was only about 2,50 meters long and 1,50 meters wide which meant hat the bird truly did not have much freedom of movement. Pancho was slightly helpless as to what to do. His current situation made it difficult to run out and get help. Toilet paper was not used in Thailand. And despite there being a little shower head beside the toilet, Pancho held the firm belief that one should have a proper shower before one could go wondering around the place. After a few moments of ducked deliberation he was about to take the risk and rush out. He couldn’t afford to be hit by a bird while showering. Just as he was going to lunge for the door the bird finally landed on the edge of the inside window and disappeared down the gap between the panes. Pancho sighed. Finally able to relax, he went about his business.
The business of the day in fact was the process of extending his visa. The plan was the following. First, drive to near by Amnat Charoen to get a photo taken. Then travel to the necessary immigration office in Khenmarat, which was about 140 kilometers away. And then head home. The first part went smoothly. The photos were taken, and picked up after a short wait. And after a few stops here and there, for his coordinator to get some chores done they set out again. They arrived in Khenmarat at about midday. After having spent half an hour finding the municipal office they finally went inside to get the necessary over and done with. Once inside however they were informed of a small problem. The immigration office had moved to Amnat Charoen a few days ago. Everybody had a good laugh. The coordinator, the advisor, the driver and Pancho himself. In fact Pancho did not mind as it meant he would have a day off school. The others did not mind as it meant they would get out of a boring 3 hour meeting. Thus after having had a quiet lunch right at the Mekong river they set out once again in the opposite direction. Around 3pm they found themselves once again in Amnat Charoen. The office was brand new and actually quite comfortable. The procedure did take a while and Pancho lost a significant amount of money for having to pay for the visa but eventually matters were settled. The Kingdom of Thailand officially allowed Pancho to stay on and further enlighten the masses. And that before the closing hours of 4:30pm! Before setting out on the trip back home a quick break was made at a coffee shop, to fill up the used up energy supply. Pancho returned home at about 6pm. As usual in Thailand, he had lived through an incredibly efficient day.
Occasionally these beasts would infiltrate Pancho’s room and bathroom. If they made it into his room it became an especially riveting nuisance. They would search out any possibility to bite their favourite spot which was around the feet and ankles. The worst was in fact if they managed to attack through the soles of the feet. The resulting itch would be bad enough to actually wake Pancho up from deep slumber. He did manage to mount an effective defence by using the cover during the cold season, however when it was hot the only available protection was the fan that would hopefully blow the pesky bloodsuckers away. In the end Pancho always had to hope that the mosquitoes would eventually die of hunger or be eaten by one of the numerous spiders. In fact that hope was one of the reasons why Pancho had become fond of the many little spiders and their homely cobwebs in the corners of his room. Although he had a natural aversion against these eight legged creatures their small size ensured that they did not bother his busy mind. However, there was one spider that stood out.
In fact it stood out so significantly in terms of size that he would never have accepted it in his room (He had to chase it out once). But in his bathroom matters were different. Here it could be counted as his pet. It was a well sized huntsman that especially liked to position its self in the middle of the room. So every morning Pancho, in his gracious nature used the shower to herd his little friend into a safe place.
Compared to his room, the bathroom also proved an effective hunting ground for mosquitoes. Pancho’s keen eyes could pick them out more easily from the light background of the room as well as hear them better in the confined space. It was actually a relatively enjoyable activity. He would enter the bathroom only with a towel and suddenly hear that incredibly annoying buzz. Selflessly using himself as bait he would scan the room for any tiny movement. And SNAP his hands would shoot out and clap a mosquito in mid air or squeeze out its life on the wall.
On one morning, the spider was once again comfortably lazing about in the middle of the room. Not having herded it away yet Pancho’s spectacular hearing ability caught the subtle buzz of a mosquito. Within a few moments the beast had been slain. Being a gracious nature Pancho wanted to ensure that his pet got a balanced diet, so he dropped the dead mosquito next to the spider. No reaction. He tried again, this time dropping it onto the spider (He was quite clever when it came to these matters). Again no reaction. Well, if the stubborn pet refused to eat, Pancho had his morning toilet to get on with and turned on the shower. After a short and as usual frantic escape, Pancho was relaxing on the toilet, deep in the thought. His thoroughly important thoughts were rudely interrupted be the chirping of a bird.
This was nothing special as occasionally a bird or two would land outside of the little window. This window was not closed however. It consisted of two glass panes. The outside one was attached to the top but did not quite reach the bottom of the window while the inside pane was attached to the bottom but did not quite reach the top. Thus there was a gap for air to circulate. And occasionally mosquitoes. At this point in time Pancho’s still drowsy mind was not ready to accept any other kind of circulation. But before he realized anything, that peacefully chirping bird had entered his bathroom and was fluttering around wildly above. Pancho sat there, half ducked in disbelief. He was not really one to dislike birds but for some reason, they had never quite been what Pancho called nice animals, whether they tried to fly into his head, relieved themselves on him or tried to wake him up with their horrendous screeching, there was something about them that did not quite suit Pancho’s taste.
In any case the room was only about 2,50 meters long and 1,50 meters wide which meant hat the bird truly did not have much freedom of movement. Pancho was slightly helpless as to what to do. His current situation made it difficult to run out and get help. Toilet paper was not used in Thailand. And despite there being a little shower head beside the toilet, Pancho held the firm belief that one should have a proper shower before one could go wondering around the place. After a few moments of ducked deliberation he was about to take the risk and rush out. He couldn’t afford to be hit by a bird while showering. Just as he was going to lunge for the door the bird finally landed on the edge of the inside window and disappeared down the gap between the panes. Pancho sighed. Finally able to relax, he went about his business.
The business of the day in fact was the process of extending his visa. The plan was the following. First, drive to near by Amnat Charoen to get a photo taken. Then travel to the necessary immigration office in Khenmarat, which was about 140 kilometers away. And then head home. The first part went smoothly. The photos were taken, and picked up after a short wait. And after a few stops here and there, for his coordinator to get some chores done they set out again. They arrived in Khenmarat at about midday. After having spent half an hour finding the municipal office they finally went inside to get the necessary over and done with. Once inside however they were informed of a small problem. The immigration office had moved to Amnat Charoen a few days ago. Everybody had a good laugh. The coordinator, the advisor, the driver and Pancho himself. In fact Pancho did not mind as it meant he would have a day off school. The others did not mind as it meant they would get out of a boring 3 hour meeting. Thus after having had a quiet lunch right at the Mekong river they set out once again in the opposite direction. Around 3pm they found themselves once again in Amnat Charoen. The office was brand new and actually quite comfortable. The procedure did take a while and Pancho lost a significant amount of money for having to pay for the visa but eventually matters were settled. The Kingdom of Thailand officially allowed Pancho to stay on and further enlighten the masses. And that before the closing hours of 4:30pm! Before setting out on the trip back home a quick break was made at a coffee shop, to fill up the used up energy supply. Pancho returned home at about 6pm. As usual in Thailand, he had lived through an incredibly efficient day.
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