By Colin Jarvis
Chiang Mai can be interesting or irritating, exciting or boring, wonderful
or frustrating. I have just been reminded of an interesting, exciting and
wonderful experience I had in Chiang Mai, or rather Hang Dong, some years
ago.
First I should explain how I got into the situation. I
had arranged with my family in the UK that I would get married at Hampton
Court and arranged with the British visa people (I'm not sure what to call
them as they had recently been privatised) to provide my wife to be with a
suitable visa. It was only when we arrived in the UK that we discovered that
the visa was wrong, that we could not get married unless we stayed in the
country for more than six months and surrendered our passports. (Now I can
think what to call the visa department but I don't think the Chiang Mai Mail
will print it).
My wife and the family were very disappointed I was less
so as I had planned to spend many thousands of pounds on suitable
festivities. I therefore decided that we should get married immediately upon
our return to Chiang Mai.
One morning we went down to the Town Hall in Hang Dong,
collected our little numbered ticket and waited to announce our business at
the little window. When number was called, upon informing the lady in the
window that we wished to get married she gave us a blinding smile and
settled us down onto comfortable chairs in readiness for us to start filling
in the large number of forms that were no doubt required.
It was immediately apparent, to all the other citizens
seated clutching their numbered tickets, what we were planning to do. One by
one they came up to us, crouched very low and whilst smiling broadly offered
us their congratulations and good wishes. I could not believe that so many
complete strangers seemed to have a genuine desire to wish us well.
20 minutes later, when all the forms had been completed
we were called in to see the Thai equivalent of the town clerk. This
delightful gentleman, after asking us a few questions, filled in a huge
ledger and presented us, each, with wedding certificate. Not the boring
official looking form which is given in the UK… and only one certificate
between two… these were very romantic, featuring a border of pink roses.
Following this brief but very pleasant ceremony we were
now married. My wife decided to change her name and disappeared to have her
photograph taken and obtain a new citizen card. In the meantime, number
clutching Hang Dongians continued to congratulate me. I felt wonderful and
realised I had avoided all the family conflicts that usually rear their ugly
heads at typical British weddings.
When my wife eventually returned she shamefacedly asked
me to pay for the wedding ceremony and her new citizen card. I wondered how
many thousands of Baht it would be only to be told that it came to a total
of 40 Baht.
I was feeling exceedingly generous. This delightful
experience had saved me thousands of pounds so I let my wife choose any new
restaurant that she desired, so that we could have a romantic lunch
together.
She elected to patronise a newly opened restaurant on the
Canal Road. Upon entering that we discovered it was their first day of
business and we were their first customers. When they discovered we had just
got married you can imagine how attentive they were.
We had a fantastic meal. We had, for once, some wine at the appropriate
temperature. Then came the bill? After we had eaten and drunk our full, the
total bill came to less than 200 Baht as the restaurant were kind enough to
pay for the drinks.
For many thousands of pounds I could have had a wedding
in the UK full of tension and costing as much as a medium-range car. Instead
I had had the most wonderful day for less than five pounds. What a wonderful
place Chiang Mai can be!
By the way, the reason I remember this event is now is
that we are coming up to our fifth wedding anniversary and I have to
confess, even had the wedding cost thousands of pounds, it would have been
well worth it to marry the lady I did.
