Why would I want to be an ambassador?

Besides the embassy in Bangkok, Thailand has a consulate in Chiang Mai, up in the North. Before budget cuts, there were also consulates in the Northeast and South, but I think those were largely honorary positions. I knew the deputy consular official at the one down South, in Songkhla. He was paid a small stipend, I believe, and was tasked with coordinating with local authorities in cases of dead or jailed farangs in that region. I don’t think it took up too much of his time.

Also, in addition to the embassy in Washington and consulate in New York, Thailand has a consulate in Los Angeles. And there used to be one in Hawaii, on Oahu in Pearl City, not too far from Honolulu. I don’t see the Hawaiian one listed anymore, but the consul back in the day was just this Thai businessman who owned the now-defunct Honolulu Bookstore chain. The “consulate” was just an office in the corner of his book warehouse, and it was run by a retired Japanese-American couple. I heard his only salary was whatever he could take in for visa fees, which would explain his reputation for handing out visas like candy. Much looser than the mainland locations. When I moved back to Thailand 20-odd years ago, I obtained an almost unheard-of triple-entry visa from them. In and out of the office in 20 minutes.