Sawasdee Khrup,

I went to Singapore, by air, with some real anxiety:

1. I had a terrible experience there six years ago when they refused to accept a letter from Chiang Mai's Ram hospital (number one for farangs) on official letterhead and envelope, addressed to the Ambassador of Thaiand, in Thai, asking to grant me a multiple because of need for six months more of rehab for a right leg broken in several pieces thanks to a hit-and-run drunk or stoned Thai motorcyclist who ran me down while I was on a bicycle.

After the "dragon lady" at the counter refused to accept, or read, the letter, I asked to speak to a supervisor, and said dragon-lady at the counter simply told the supervisor I had improper documentation, and the supervisor just walked away without even talking to me, and I was then threatened with being thrown out by the Embassy police when I kept demanding to have the letter accepted.

2. I had two back to back Laos double-entries in my (one year old, renewed in Chiang Mai) American passport.

At the Embassy:

1. The "dragon lady" (of Chinese appearance) who "stalks" the line looking at documents, and was throwing people out frequently while I was in line (no pattern I could see in who she was throwing out: farangs were getting booted, Indian looking people getting the kibosh, etc.), for whatever reason was nice to me, but did ask to see my return air-ticket.

dam_n: I had left my e-ticket on Tiger back in the hotel: to my surprise, rather than throwing me out, she just put a red check mark on top of my visa application form, and said see the lady at the counter.

2. at the counter: to my relief the lady there did not appear to be the same (very large) Muslim lady that gave me grief six years ago.

The lady asked me about the return ticket; I told her I had left it at the hotel, and would be unable to travel to the hotel to get the print-out, and return by the time, 12 noon, the application process was shut down.

To my surprise the lady, rather than kicking me out, gave me a fax number, and said I could fax her the e-ticket in the next hour: that was doable. She then did give me a mild lecture that I "appeared to be living in Thailand continuously," and that I should not return there for another visa.

~

I wonder if my preparing for this "running the gauntlet" at the Embassy ... I made sure I was in a clean, pressed, white business shirt, just had a hair-cut prior to the trip ... I made sure my "body language" in every moment I was inside the Embassy expressed "meek humility" ... might have been a factor ... well, I'll never know ... could have been just "luck."

But, I did go knowing better than to ask for anything but a single-entry visa.

And now the question becomes: what to do next time : Laos and fork over the cash to a visa-pimp ? I am bored to tears with going to Vientiane !

regards, ~o:37;

Edited March 23, 201214 yr by orang37

For the time being, Savannakhet looks good, even double-entry tourist visa, no agents needed.