This Month's Visa Run

[Kerryd]

Well, it was "that" time of the month again. Hired my friend to drive me out to Ban Laem.

As she has made the trip a couple of times now, I felt secure having a snooze in the back seat (I told her it was becuase I didn't want to see the accident she was going to have that would end up killing me. She laughed and told me that if I died in an accident, she would swipe my mobile and moto ! It didn't occur to her that if I died while in the back seat, she would probably be toast as well).

Pretty uneventful trip. Just after getting onto highway 36, the police had a checkpoint set up. They were waving cars and motos and large trucks through, but stopping some pick-up trucks for some reason.

They haven't moved into their new building at Ban Laem yet. Last month they told me they would be in there this month. This month they tell me they will move in next month.

Quiet day at Ban Laem. One big bus from Jack's Total Golf (Bangkok). No line-ups (guess the Jack's gang were in the casino at the time). Zipped through Thai Immigration and made the speedy walk into Cambodia. Most of the ankle-biting, flea infested mongrels were splashing in the creek (I'm talking about the kids, not the dogs). Still, there's more beggars now than there were 6 months ago. Must have taken them awhile to migrate down from Poi Pet.

Smooth as silk on the Cambodian side. I notice that they are making no attempt to upgrade their facilities, unlike their Thai counterparts. 2 young Brit lads were there, doing the visa run on their own for the first time. Gave them a couple of pointers while we filled out the paperwork.

Another quick sprint across the border back into Thailand, to the cries of "pom pui" from the brats upset at my lack of generosity. A quick chat with the Immigration Official, stamp/stamp/staple and I was on my way.

20 minutes maybe from start to finish.

Major rain squalls off and on all the way back. Stopped at a noodle place on the way (has a Jewellery store, and a large fish tank with these 3 huge, weird looking fish).

My friend ordered a noodle dish with chicken for me. They gave me a noodle dish with seafood.

(I let my friend pay the bin, knowing she wouldn't tip)

The only real bummer for the whole trip was when I looked at the stamps in my passport. It's 1 August today. I have to go back on 30 August. Not even a month.

Sure wish I had a work permit and 1 year visa......

[Noel]

Well, it was "that" time of the month again. Hired my friend to drive me out to Ban Laem.

(I let my friend pay the bin, knowing she wouldn't tip)

The only real bummer for the whole trip was when I looked at the stamps in my passport. It's 1 August today. I have to go back on 30 August. Not even a month.

Sure wish I had a work permit and 1 year visa......

You could always marry your friend...

[Kerryd]

You could always marry your friend...

It's funny. She has a Thai husband (though he's more off a free-loader than anything). Her mom owns the building I'm in. Her mom doesn't like her husband (because he spends most of his time free-loading off of her).

She (my "friend") flirts quite openly with me. Kind of embarrassing. I don't see her or other members of her family acting the same way towards other people (Thai or farang). She (my friend) used to bug me about why I was out looking for a girlfriend when she was right there !

I guess her husband (with no income) had a mia noi that worked in a restaurant on soi 7. It appears she had decided that if he could do it, so could she. I've resisted (a little to close to home, and no desire to get involved in Thai domestic squabbles). (Maybe there is a reason we always end up with a chaperone when we do these visa runs ? Keeping her honest ?)

I'm pretty sure that, if I wanted to, I could "arrange" a marraige in order to get the visa, but I don't know if I'd want to do it that way. Could be more expensive in the long run too !

[Michael W]

The only real bummer for the whole trip was when I looked at the stamps in my passport. It's 1 August today. I have to go back on 30 August. Not even a month.

And you're using up almost two passport pages every month. I'd actually be willing to pay 500 baht extra to avoid getting the full page Cambo visa sticker in my passport. Geez, I'm only there for an hour.

Sure wish I had a work permit and 1 year visa......

Have you thought of getting a triple entry tourist visa from Penang. 60 day stay plus 30 day extension. Can do that three times for nearly nine months on one visa.

[Ling Kae]

How many hours all up did it take?

[Tufty]

The run I did 6 months ago a similar thing happened, it just turned out a friend who lives in the same condo was doing his monthly run on the same day with the same company.

We were chatting as we waited in line comminig back into Los, my friend gets to the window and gets his 30 day stamp and walks away,

I hand over my passport and it came back stamped with 30 days the same, lucky I noticed cos Im on a multi 'o' thankfully the officer corrected his mistake and very politly apologized but it nearly cost me another 2400 baht run

ALWAYS CHECK YOUR STAMP AS ITS HANDED TO YOU

[hiromj]

Had a similar one yesterday. My Non-Immigrant visa expires on August 7th but I am suppose to stay until August 25th. Now, I'll admit, I'm not the brightest candle on the birthday cake, so I thought, to be safe, I'll go in a week early to make sure I had everything. Off I go to Sri Racha and it appears that I did have everything. I learned that I can get a two week extension that one more week after that. Well, I think she started my two week from yesterday (Aug 1) instead of Aug 7th. Furthermore, I was informed that I needed to return on Aug 14th (Thai holiday) for my final week extension. Crap, this could cost me a week in Pattaya. Crap.

[Kerryd]

Have you thought of getting a triple entry tourist visa from Penang. 60 day stay plus 30 day extension. Can do that three times for nearly nine months on one visa.

There was a local company offering trips to get that visa. They only mentioned a single entry visa though, and when I priced out the difference between the trip+visa, and doing the monthly runs, the monthly trips were cheaper.

A triple entry would be better, but I heard that Penang wasn't giving them out anymore ?

The trip to Ban Laem from Pattaya takes about 3 hours each way, depending on how nutty your drivers is (mine thinks she is driving a Formula 1 race each time). Total distance is apparently 260 kilometers each way (surprised me, as every time I looked at the speedometer, she seemed to be doing 140+. I figured the distance had to be quite a bit more, or we should have arrived quicker.

[Michael W]

A triple entry would be better, but I heard that Penang wasn't giving them out anymore ?

No, they are still offering triples. There was only a brief one or two week period in June when the regular staff was off and people from a Burma consulate were filling in and didn't know 'the procedure' that only singles were offered.

When I got mine in May I did it all myself in a single one night stay, using neither a visa company in Thailand nor an agent in Penang. I posted a couple reports in the visa forum:

Penang Trip Report

A Few Penang Pictures

[Mobi]

A triple entry would be better, but I heard that Penang wasn't giving them out anymore ?

No, they are still offering triples. There was only a brief one or two week period in June when the regular staff was off and people from a Burma consulate were filling in and didn't know 'the procedure' that only singles were offered.

When I got mine in May I did it all myself in a single one night stay, using neither a visa company in Thailand nor an agent in Penang. I posted a couple reports in the visa forum:

Penang Trip Report

A Few Penang Pictures

Sounds like a winner Kerry. Why don't you try it next time?

Then you won't have to be bothered by all those: Quote: ankle-biting, flea infested mongrels were splashing in the creek (I'm talking about the kids, not the dogs).

It's not their fault that they live in one of the poorest, most corrupt countries in the world, and are forced to lead a hand to mouth existence, begging for anything that will keep them alive

[Kerryd]

Then you won't have to be bothered by all those: Quote: ankle-biting, flea infested mongrels were splashing in the creek (I'm talking about the kids, not the dogs).

It's not their fault that they live in one of the poorest, most corrupt countries in the world, and are forced to lead a hand to mouth existence, begging for anything that will keep them alive

I know where you are coming from Mobi

It was meant to be a "tongue in cheek" reference. I realise they are most likely from the poorest segment of society.

But mobbing every farang that tries to cross that strip of land isn't the best solution either. In fact, it was the antics of these children (or others just like them) that led in part to the visa runs moving from Poi Pet to Ban Laem. Too many tourists/visa runners complaining about getting pick-pocketed by the swarms of kids (who get it down to a fine art, as some distract you from the front, while others pick your pockets from behind.).

I will often give money to people to beggars and cripples. Though I've seen what happens when someone does try to give one of these kids some money.

Elderly farang woman was almost shoved over the bank and into the creek one day. She tried to give some coins to a couple of kids and got swarmed. They kept demanding more and shoving forward until she lost her balance and fell to one knee. If her husband hadn't waded into the swarm, she may very well have had a nasty tumble.

In another case, a farang gave a crippled kid in a wheelchair some coins, and a bunch of other kids swarmed the crippled kid and took the money !

I've also seen (and heard) the insults these kids will use on people that don't give them anything.

I could give them money, sure. I could give every kid a 20 baht bill as I walk across the border. Would it help ? No. Not even a little. The money would be gone in a flash, and the next time a farang tried to cross, he/she would face even more kids, demanding even more money. Pretty soon no one would want to go to Ban Laem for their visa runs either.

(and Mobi, you should know by now that I tend to refer to ALL children as "rug-rats" or "ankle-biters" or "poop factories" ect.)

[Mobi]

Hi Kerry,

Wondered when you were going to reply.

Ok, your explanation is fair enough, and I accept that you were making a light hearted joke.

I have been to Poi Pet and Siem Reap and have seen the kids. To me it is very sad and depressing. A couple I was with, a Farang with a Thai lady (who he had lived with for several years) had a major bust up because the man gave the kids some water and a few scraps of food, and his lady told him not to. They even split up in Arun and made their own separate ways back to Bangkok.

To me the Thai lady was totally in the wrong. If he wanted to give something to the kids it was his business.

I'm afraid that I just don't agree that it doesn't help when you give them something. Of course it will help - every little helps. If no one gave, they would all be dead. That lady was so wrong and so typical of many Thais - they just ignore the hunger and depravation around them, and even try stop people helping - in her case because she didn't want the hassle with the kids - and in many cases beacause they don't want the plight of Thai street kids brought to the attention of the public and cause them (the Thais) embarrassment.

What you see in Cambodia is life in the raw - you can't pretend it doesn't exist by ignoring it. If everyone cared just a little bit more it might make a small difference.