Visa Time

Before we came into Thailand, we applied for 60 day tourist visas at the Thai embassy in Phnom Pehn. When the border officials stamped them when we crossed the border, my passport had a stamp that was up Feb 2nd. But you can apply for a 30 day extension at an Immigration Office, which will give you a total of 90 days in the country. So, in an attempt to not leave things till the last minute, I woke up this morning and headed over to the Immigration Office, located across town by the mall. I was going to try and walk or borrow a bike and ride over, but I slept in a bit and was meeting Julia, so I had to take a bus. I walk up to the complex slightly hesitant, but luckily they had a scattering of signs in English and I had done some research online, so I make my way into the Visa Extension Building. I walk in and decide to do what I usually do in situations like this, which is sit out of the way and watch what's going on. No sign of Julia, so I grab a chair in back try to look like I know what I'm doing. After a few minutes, I think I have some idea of what to do, and Julia's arrival from the photo taking station fills in the rest of the blanks. So 1 form, 3 photo copies, 4 passport size photographs, 6 signatures, 1,900 bhat and about an hour and a half later, I have my visa extension and they aren't going to kick me out of the country on Tuesday! Woo!

(Before March 3rd though, I have to go a border run. Basically I take a bus to the nearest border - either Burma or Laos - leave the country, turn right back around and come back into the country with a new 60 days, able to be extended another 30 days. Kind of a pain, but you can pretty much do it indefinitely, unless you land a sweet gig that helps you apply for a work permit, which lasts like 6 months or something. Visa juggling, just one more part of teaching abroad.)

Once I got my passport back, headed over the mall, grabbed lunch in this crazy baked goods restaurant. Basically it was just shelves of both fresh and wrapped baked goods that you walked around putting on your tray, and when you were done, you brought it up to register to pay. I had a bacon and cheese crossiant, a hot dog in a roll, an apple fritter, a vegetable pie, a cookie and doughnut. And let me tell you, it was delicious. Walked around the mall for a while and then decided to walk home instead of catching another bus. Spent most of the hour long walk listening to R. Kelly, including all 12 minutes of Trapped in the Closet, which when you haven't heard it in a while, is kind of exciting, finding out what is going to happen! Later I met Julia for dinner, had some noodle soup and we watch the Princess and the Frog on my computer. I liked it a little more than she did, thought it was good, but not great. Tomorrow we are renting a moterbike and she is teaching me how to drive it! She is an expert now, she has had two lessons, so I'm sure the two of us will be fine driving all over town. Take care everyone!

TPWWLT - 'Gaston' - Beauty and the Beast