Sunday 9th August, 1998. We walked around the town in the morning and had coffee and a nice breakfast beside the river. David Hardy arrived at 12.00 hrs from Chiang Mai and we all went to the bridge to cross to Burma and for me to renew my 30 day ‘visa on arrival’. My visa had an overstay of 79 days, so I was fined 7,900 baht at 100 baht/day by Thai immigration. The overstay receipt number stamped in my British passport is 2793 and dated 9th August 1998. The Thai immigration officers were amazed and very courteous and gave us great respect. David took our photos for future “Good Morning Chiangmai” magazine publications:
We walked across the bridge to Burma immigration and I paid 250 baht to enter Burma for a few hours. Tachilek was very dusty and a poor, run down place with lots of cheap imports for sale. We found a bar with good Chinese beer at 25 baht for a large bottle and had several and met the locals. They were amazed that we had walked to Mae Sai from Krabi and Padang Besar. David presented us with a map of Northern Thailand and we had our photo taken when he presented it to us. We walked back across the bridge to Thailand and I got another free 30 day ‘visa on arrival’. The Thai immigration officers said to us “Welcome Back To Amazing Thailand” - Nice to be back!
We returned to King Kobra Guest House and briefly met Kobra Joe on leaving. We joined David for the drive back to Chiang Rai and it rained very hard on the way! We took 2 rooms at “Boon Bundan Guest House” for 120 baht each. We learn’t there was an article about Walking For Thailand written by David in today’s Bangkok Post in the Sports Section. What a fantastic 52nd birthday present for me. Thanks and Well Done Mr David! I phoned Andrew in Hat Yai and he was delighted that we had arrived safely in Mae Sai. It was a very enjoyable day for us and one that I shall always remember and cherish.
SUNDAY 9TH AUGUST 1998 - BANGKOK POST - SPORTS SECTION - WALKATHON THOSE FEET ARE MADE FOR WALKING. Retired Englishman bids to go through all 76 provinces.
Fifty-three year old Dennis Peacock, a retired English accountant and resident of Songkhla, set out alone from Padang Besar on February 11th to walk through all 76 provinces of Thailand to demonstrate support for the country during the hard times.
After 377 kilometres (as an accountant he keeps very accurate figures), he met former travelling monk Boonchern Jinapirom from Nakhon Si Thammarat at a travel agents in Krabi. Said Boonchern: “I think you need a protector, an interpreter and companion. May I come with you?” Stopping to rest in Chiang Mai recently, they had covered 2,317 kilometres and worn out two pairs of trainers each. “We call this project ‘Walking for Thailand’. We want to meet people, encourage them in hard times, show that walking is a great exercise and demonstrate real spirit,” explained Peacock.
“We turn down all offers of lifts, even from bus drivers and Highway Police, who are very friendly. We average 32 kilometres a day, but sometimes take a day off. We’ll take a break during the worst of the rainy season so I calculate that we’ll finish at the mermaid statue on Songkhla beach about June 2000.” By the end of the marathon, Peacock and Boonchern hope to have hundreds of companions walking with them to “help put Thailand back on it’s feet again!”
With no back-up crew, the two walkers were recently on the Fang road to Chiang Rai and would welcome a friendly wave or chat from anyone who spots them, “but no lifts, thanks!” Good Morning Chiangmai Magazine magazine donated a pair of new Adidas trainers to Boonchern, but otherwise the pair have no sponsors. Readers online can find out more about Walking for Thailand at:
http://www.escati.com/walking_for_thailand.htm
Yours truly,
Escati Tiger Team Walking For Thailand
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