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[bluebear]

Just went for another run on my multiple entry yesterday and got it but yeeesh!

A total of just over 14hrs door to door. Getting there was no hassle but when I got to the corner before all the offices, I notice a long line of Thais waiting. I thought that the were waiting to get into the shrine thats just beside the Thai exit building as there was a steel barricade down keeping them 2 abreast.

I just walked round past them all and into the exit building where it was mobbed, I could hardly get into the room. Every line was full - 3 windows for the Thais and one for everyone else. I had hoped by going on a Sunday and arriving at 12.00 that it wouldnt be busy with Thais crossing to gamble and the KSR buses wouldnt have arrived yet.. Wrong. Looking across the road to the Thai entry building, the queue was 40 yards long for the foreigners and about 15 yards for the Thais.

All the Thais leaving must have been going to the casinos after all, as the Cambodia visa issuing, the entry and exit offices were completed in 5 minutes.

But they are now asking for 200B for a same day exit. They were asking everyone where they are going and when they were going back to Thailand. They will accept 100B after no more movement on your part or if you can brass it out try nothing and see what happens.

When I got back to Thailand, the entry queue had reached back another 10 yards. The queue was moving very slowly and it (not so) soon became apparent why. It was a combination of people not filling in the arrival cards until the got to the window and the officers were asking detailed questions of many people - where did they say as in room number, how long, what were they going to do, where did they work and so on. When it was my turn they both ( the keying in officer and the stamping officer ) had a very good look at all the stamps in my book before they gave me another 90 days. It was a more detailed look than when the scare about fake stamps was at its highest! At one point, I looked back to check the length of the queue and saw it almost reach the gold painted fence!

Just over 2hrs in total to go through both sets of immigration!

And to top it all, when I was queing to get back in, the rainy season arrived

Anyone know what was / is going on there? Was it a Thai holiday after all or is it the crackdown on Thais leaving to gamble or what?

[johng]

I had a long wait to get out of Thailand and back in when I did my visa run on the 26th of December.

If it was due to the gambling crack down or just because it was high season I don't know it certainly want a fun trip 12 hours door to door.

Any way the kids where begging as usual so at least some thing don't change

And it didn't rain that day so I count myself lucky.