60 Day Tourist Visa

For those who have not followed this blog, American citizens are able to get a 30 day visa on arrival from Suvarnabhumi International Airport.  Since I live in Bangkok and am not sure if I will want to take a trip in 30 days, I always try to get a 60 day visa for arrival in Bangkok.  Besides the obvious 30 more days, if you arrive in Bangkok with a 60 day visa, you can extend it in Thailand for another 30 days without having to leave the country.

The Easy Way and the Hard Way

I was planning on going to the Thai embassy in Kathmandu when I left Bangkok to get a new 60-day tourist visa for when I returned to Bangkok.  When I started talking to a tour/trek organizer I was offered his visa service where I would give him my passport and an agent would go to the embassy for me. It wasn’t a tough choice for the reason that I wanted to go to the embassy at all.  It was a tough choice because I had to trust my passport with a guy/company which I really didn’t know.  Secondly, I was taking a domestic flight in Nepal from Kathmandu to Pokhara in a couple days.

Using a Visa Agent in Kathmandu

I was weary of giving my passport up because I was flying to Pokhara with a couple friends.  I didn’t want to be denied entry on the flight with my friends waiting.  Bin from Treksexpedition.com told me I didn’t need it to travel within Nepal and I also had the receptionist at Hotel Paradise Plaza confirm I didn’t need it so I gave it to my guide after the 2 day Tour of Nagarkot in Kathmandu Valley.

Visa Requirements

I got my 2.5-3.5” visa photos in Bangkok which came in handy when arriving in Nepal.  These photos along with my passport and a copy of a credit card were all the visa agent needed!  A completed application was not even needed!  I remember having to provide a print-out with proof of funds in a bank account before which was annoying.

Shiny New Visa

I wanted to make sure I got the passport to the embassy as soon as possible because of the many Nepali holidays during my stay there.  Since the Thai government was running a promotion for free tourist visas I only had to pay the agent fee which was 2100 rupees ($30USD). If you would like to get a 60 day tourist visa while in Nepal it is a painless process.  Simply get your 2.5-3. Inch visa photos, make a copy of your credit card and give it to Bin.  His office is located in tourist central AKA Thamel and you can contact him at Treksexpedition.com

Trip to Immigration

As I mentioned in my previous post about getting a Thai Visa in Kuala Lumpur I have a ED or student visa through my language school Language Express.  This student visa is actually good for up to 3 years provided I keep my tuition payed at my school and my ED visa current.

To keep the ED visa current you DO NOT have to leave Thailand.  You simply must go to immigration every 90 days and pay the 1800 baht ($55 USD) fee.  Since I plan to travel outside of Thailand often I have to also purchase a re-entry permit.  The re-entry permit allows me to leave the country without losing the student visa.

The multiple re-entry permit I get costs 3800 baht ($116 USD) which allows you to leave Thailand as many times as you want before the 3 months are up and keep the ED visa.  Single re-entry permits are also available for 1000 baht ($30 USD).  While I consider the re-entry permit to be a necessity it does cause a major headache at immigration making it a whole day event.

New Location

The Thai immigration bureau was previously located at Thanon Suan Plu which was very close to Silom and convenient for most people who live along the BTS.  The street was a nice, friendly neighborhood with the typical food on the street, 7-elevens and shops.  The actual immigration building was a dump to say the least.  It was extremely crowded and had minimal, if any air conditioning which is probably the reason why the location was updated.

The new location for immigration is in a GIANT government building complex consisting of multiple buildings.  The immigration department is directly on the right as you walk in (see photo at top) and if you walk forward you will see a huge convention center surrounded by various government offices.  It looks bleak at first but the basement floor has a bunch of surprises for you long immigration wait.

In addition to the copy shop which charges a ridiculously low 1 baht (3 cents) per copy there are several restaurants, a giant coupon cafeteria,  7-Eleven and even a small kiosk-style shopping mall not to mention a bunch of real estate advertising and even more shops which I didn’t explore.  You’re no doubt going to be waiting if you go to immigration and if you time it right, you could avoid sitting listening to the horrific Scottish-Spanish sounding woman recorded voice of the queue numbers.

Ground floor of the Goverment Building

Getting to the New Location

The new location is far more inconvenient for anyone living near Sukhumvit or any BTS station.  It is located near the Don Muang Airport.  To get there the best and fastest way is to take the BTS to Mo Chit aka Jatuchak where there is always a line-up of taxis right as you exit the BTS.  Make sure you exit the BTS station on the side of the Jatuchak Market and the lake to catch a cab in the right direction.

The cab ride from the Mo Chit BTS takes around 10-15 minutes and costs around 100 baht ($3 USD).  The immigration is located inside building B of an ENORMOUS government building complex.  It is on the ground floor (2nd floor) which is visible directly as you enter the building from where the taxi drops you off.  After you get there, your immigration adventure finally begins.

New Location for Thai Immigration

New Queue System, Very Long Wait

Instead of the free-for-all type of queue where people rush the machine to push the button to get their number, the new immigration has a system (the word system should be used loosely).  First you have to get your forms from the agents at the front desk as you walk in.  Signs were posted saying you would NOT get a queue number if your forms were not completely filled out.

Once the forms are filled out and the photos are glued (glue provided) to the forms you walk through a metal detector in the main waiting room.  A line awaits which is for getting your queue number ticket.  Once you get the queue number it is time to wait for your number to be called.  Once your number is called you simply walk up to the agent, pay your fee and sit back down and wait again to receive your freshly stamped visa on your passport.

In my case I had to go back to the initial line to get another queue number for my re-entry permit.  IF YOU NEED A RE-ENTRY PERMIT THIS TIP MAY SAVE YOU AN HOUR OR MORE. If you are getting your visa extended as well as a re-entry permit, make sure to get the queue number for your re-entry permit directly after you submit your passport for the visa.  Make sure you get your re-entry permit application at the time you get your passport application, fill it out and have it ready.  It took me over an hour (2 counting lunch) to get my passport back and if I waited to get the re-entry permit queue number until after I got my passport I would have wasted at least another hour.

I took some photos in immigration but decided not to post them as it may get me in trouble….

Lunch for All

Something that really bugged me was the lunch.  Signs were posted throughout the immigration office “Lunch: 1200 -1300.”  I was thinking, “there is no way they are going to shut this place down at noon.”  I was wrong.  Instead of having separate shifts, the entire immigration department has lunch from noon to 1 while everyone is shooed out of the office.  Most people went to eat but I went to the copy shop to start this blog post.

Learn from My Mistakes

My language school recommended being at immigration at around 8:30am which is when they open.  This is dead on.  If you arrive from 8:30am to 9:30am there is a good chance you will be out of immigration before noon when everyone goes on lunch.  If you think you are going to be there much after 10 or 11, it may be worth it for you to just wait until after 1pm when the workers get back from lunch.  I arrived around 10:30 or 11:00am and I ended up leaving at 4:30pm which wasn’t desirable at all.

Whoever is helping you with your visa should give you all the directions but they aren’t always very clear.  Anything dealing with a visa requires copies of everything.  It is a great idea to make MULTIPLE copies of every (pertinent) page on your passport.  Also remember to get multiple copies of your passport/visa photos so you don’t have to take them over and over again.

Renewing a visa is akin to going to the DMV in America.  Driving is a privilege and in order to be able to drive you have to put in some time in the DMV.  Living in Thailand as a foreigner is a privilege and every 3 months for a student visa holder this privilege is beaten in your head with a wasted day inside immigration.

Best Part about Going to the Government Center: Leaving

My Trip to Kuala Lumpur

I thought I was going to be able to get my 1 Year Thai education visa at immigration in Bangkok but my school informed me that you had to leave the country to get it so I had to choose between a few different places.  I was more in settling down in Bangkok mode than travel mode so I wanted to go somewhere close.   I ended up choosing Kuala Lumpur because 1.  They had a flight that same night and a nighttime return flight for cheap on AirAsia and 2.  I love big cities and KL has that big city allure with big skyscrapers and 3.  Of course, I had never been to Malaysia.

What is Kuala Lumpur Like ?

I didn’t know what to expect going to Malaysia because it is the first conservative, primarily Muslim country I have traveled to.  I even heard that pornography was illegal and carrying a 5 year prison sentence if you got caught!  On Malaysian TV shows censored out almost all foul language, sex scenes and even censored a scene on an Adam Sandler movie of 2 women kissin each other.

This didn’t effect me while I was walking down the street or in public places but I’m sure there are some differences I did not notice. KL is a huge sprawled out city which has everything which makes large metropolitan areas interesting including skyscrapers, shopping malls, parks as well as a very extensive monorail and subway public transit system (view map here).

Despite the urban jungle feel, you can see a lot of greenery from high vantage points. Right under KL tower I walked through a park with monkeys which was a jungle as far as a kid from california is concerned. Despite this it was smack dabin the business center of the country which consisted mostly of big business skyscrapers, high end hotels along with restaurants and lots of shopping.  The streets were nice and wide (compared to Bangkok) and the traffic seemed to flow smoothly. Taxi drivers would talk about bad traffic when it was not even as bad as San Francisco as the city seemed to be well laid out.

Kuala Lumpur was very clean.  I didn’t find any areas in which the smell hit you like a Mike Tyson left hook to the face.  One of the more annoying things I came across in KL was the fact that hailing cabs in the street was not a possibility.  Cabs only were allowed to pick you up at stops which were often at large buildings, hotels and shopping centers.   I took probably 10 or so cab rides and only a single one used the meter which was dirt cheap (cheaper than Bangkok).  Most cab drivers wanted 10-20 ringitts ($3-6USD) to go most distances which could easily be walked.

If you insisted on cab drivers to use the meter they either wouldn’t or suddenly lost their ability to speak broken English.  Usually the desire to get an air conditioned cab ride over walking in 100 degree heat took over and you paid the extra fare.  Half of the taxis I took didn’t use the air conditioning which was a downer. Kuala Lumpur was another one of those big cities in Asia where you felt completely safe.  I arrived from the airport near 11:00pm and had no problem walking around by myself with no feelings of being unsafe.

What are the People like in Kuala Lumpur ?

Kuala Lumpur is a very diverse city.  I  talked to people from South Africa, Japan, India, Australia, Sao Paulo as well as Texas.  It is a very international city where foreigners are not anything out of the ordinary.  People keep to themselves more than I’m used to (I’m used to Bangkok so I may be biased) as you were constantly hounded (outside of Chinatown) to buy something, hop in a taxi of some sort, or be some sort of scam victim.

This being said, KL didn’t seem very friendly either.  The Malaysian people had an invisible barrier which seemed pretty hard to get passed when you first talked to them.  The service at most places was great as expected but I never received that extra kindness that I have received in other countries in Asia.   I expected to see my fair share of beautiful women which seem to be walking down the street everywhere in places like Tokyo, Hong Kong and Bangkok where my head is often going from right to left like a tennis match.

I did not see the same thing (in my limited time) in Kuala Lumpur.  Maybe it was a fact that many of the women are wearing the traditional Muslim head scarf?  I don’t know but would love to find out some time in the future.

Things I had a Chance to Experience in Kuala Lumpur

• Getting to Kuala Lumpur from Bangkok

  • The easy way or the hard way?  For most people the question of the expensive way or the cheap way is a more question.  The good news is Bangkok & Kuala Lumpur are conveniently connected in more ways that one.

• Petronas Towers

  • The most famous landmark in all of Malaysia is not ancient ruins from a past civilization, a tropical rain forest or some of the best diving spots and beaches in the world (which Malaysia all has) but 2 marvelous man-made skyscrapers with a skybridge which was completed in 1998.

• KL Tower

  • Unless you’re going to Malaysia you probably have no idea that there’s a third component to Malaysia’s skyline.  Once you get there it beckons your visit which you’ll be surprised includes more than just a panoramic view of the city.

• Chinatown

  • Recommended on every tour guide I had to go check out the backpacker central where you could get the cheapest lodging, cheap merchandise and of course Chinese food.

• Best hamburgers I’ve ever had

• Getting Thai Visa

  • The primary reason I found myself in Kuala Lumpur.  If you have no idea about living in a foreign country you may be interested in the fact that it is not as easy as you think!  Unless you live in Mexico;)  There are thousands of foreigners in Thailand who have to travel to Thai embassies in foreign countries on “visa runs” every 30 days!

• Lodging at Lanson Place

  • I arrived on a late Monday in a city of over 6 million people with no hotel reservation!!!  Both good and bad could arise from this situation.

• It’s Cool to Wait at the KL Aiport

  • I inadvertently got to the airport 5 hours early and most of the time this has you pulling out your own hair but luckily there’s a saving grace of KUL.

Overall Impression

When I lived in San Francisco I thought I would like to visit Kuala Lumpur one day.  The problem was it as 8,000 miles away and a ticket from SFO to KUL os over $1,000.  I’m glad I waited until I lived less than $150 away so I could visit KL with no pressure. Kuala Lumpur was a clean, safe city which was easy to get around in. I know the Malaysian Tourist Authority will be happy with this but I personally thought seeing the magnificent Petronas Towers satisfied me.

I would say that if you were in a rush and wanted to visit Kuala Lumpur 2-3 days would be enough to experience the main attractions.  If you wanted to spend a week in KL without leaving the city you would probably get bored. Although I didn’t experience any night life  most of the bars and nightclubs I saw were 90% foreigners who were probably living in KL for business. Chinatown also had a good set of travelers but not my crowd so I can’t provide much input on those 2 questions.

If your company was to move you to Kuala Lumpur I thing most people would get along nicely as there are good affordable accommodations as well as a great public transportation system (minus the taxis). I know I didn’t stay long enough to really get to know KL but to me it seems kind of boring compared to the other large cities in Asia, correct me if I’m wrong.

Thai Visa in Kuala Lumpur

The primary reason I’m writing this post is to help any future travelers who want to go to “KL” for a visa run. There are numerous sources online but I have yet to find simple, laid out instructions explaining the exact process. If you are looking for direction please scroll down to step by step.

On a total whim I decided to head to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to complete the 2nd to last official step I have to personally take to obtain my 1 year education visa for my Thai language studies at Language Express.

I stayed in a nice serviced apartment less than a 5 minute walk away from the Thai embassy so getting there was no problem. I did make a mistake which probably cost me 60-90 minutes though. I was one of the first dozen or so people in the line outside, waiting to get the form to enter the embassy gates.

Once I got the form I made the costly mistake of immediately sitting down to fill it out instead of rushing in to get my number ticket. I sat and filled out the form while probably 30-50 people went in front of me and got a number.

This made me angry but luckily again, my hotel was nearby so I got some cold snacks at 7/11 and walked to the apartment in 5 minutes where I twittered my situation, watched some TV and most importantly chilled out in the dual super-powered air conditioning units which was a highlight of Lanson Place for about a half hour before I went and handed in my paperwork.

Step by Step Instructions

1. Make sure you arrive at the embassy as early as possible. It opens at 9:30am so try to head there around 9:00am so you can get one of the few spot in line in the shade. They will not open early.
2. When it is your turn in line, show the guy your passport and he will hand you a form. He hands the same exact form out to everyone, regardless of the type of visa you are applying for.
3. As soon as you get your form, IMMEDIATELY head to the right and you will see an open door on the right side of the building in front of you. Enter the door and immediately to the right is a number tag machine. Push the button for visa or passport and get your ticket.
4. Fill out the form inside the building or if you have a high number you can walk outside and fill it out on the tables under the fans. On the form there will be a section which says, “Thai guarantor.” Leave this section blank unless you are applying for a work visa.
5. If you are there early enough you will get to the counter and be done. It is likely there will be many people in front of you. If your number is dozens of numbers off you can leave and return later. If you exit the embassy and walk to the left there is a 7/11 and a couple restaurants within 5 minute walk. BE CAREFUL: They can skip over around 10 numbers (no-shows) at a time so make sure you’re in the room when your number is within 15-20.
6. After you pay the fee 220 Ringgits you will get a receipt with the time you are supposed to pick up the passport/visa the next day DO NOT LOSE THIS SHEET or the number tab stapled to it. The sheet will tell you the exact time they will open passport collection the next day.
7. Return the next day 20 or so minutes early if possible, there will be no line in front of the embassy but there will be a group of people waiting in the back. If you want to save time stand right in front of the door (same door of room you gave passport the day before). A line will form after you and when the door opens it is first come/first serve and the process of handing out your visa will take no longer than 15-30 minutes unless you were extremely late.
8. Congratulations you now have a fresh visa!

5 Hours in the Airport?!?!??

Whatever the circumstances may be, 5 hours in the average airport is not part of anyone’s ‘dream vacation’ or even work trip.   This is unfortunate because most airports have a huge amount of space.  Why not create money-making facilities which could make the time spent in the airport more bareable or even enjoyable for the passengers?

No, I’m not talking about the duty free.  No wonder why the airlines are losing money.  They have their ultra snooty VIP lounge which is really just a bunch of chairs left over from the 70s with a moseleum like atmosphere but for the average person they have nothing.

Plaza Premium Lounge

I didn’t know what to expect for my first time getting my Thai visa in a foreign country so I booked a late return to Bangkok which boards at 8:50pm.  I remember the airport being very far away (about 1 hour) so I didn’t want to take any chances.  I hooked up with a taxi driver who was hustling at the embassy and probably got over-charged but I ended up arriving to KUL or the Kuala Lumpur International airport at around 4.

I begged the lady at the ticket counter to let me on one of the 3 or 4 AirAsia flights to BKK before my ticketed plane to no avail as I tried to keep my composure.  I passed through security and passport control in a jiffy and ended up at the boarding gate a whopping 4 hours before my boarding time.  I was beginning to panic as I saw no chargers for my laptop and the usual mix of sports bars, junk food peddlars, and of course the duty free when I saw the Plaza Premium Lounge.

At first I thought it was one of those first-class-only types of exclusive clubs but it wasnt.  I talked to the receptionist and she told me it had a fee which I gladly paid w/ my last remaning Malasian Ringgets for 5 hours of (as far as I was concerned) 5 hours of a power adapter and charge for my laptop.  To my surprise it included a lot more than a simple chair, desk & charger.

It actually included “massage chair” which sounded like those crap coin-operated ones at most airports but the Plaza Premium Lounge includes a free massage!  It also included a free all-you-can-eat buffet, all you can drink drinks including cans of diet coke, movies, newspapers, magazines and even showers w/ all the amenities for the filthy backpackers!

I’m sitting here right now and thinking how fortunate I am to have this oasis among the hell of sorts which is an international airport’s boarding gate.  By the way for 5 hours in KUL I paid 128 ringgits which about $36USD which I think is totally fair when you consider how much you would spend at an airport milling around buying overpriced junk and junk food.

I look on the Plaza Premium Lounge website and I see the other locations in the region which I will definitely keep in mind when planning my next trip. By the way, the picture on this post was taken with my low quality laptop webcam camera and certainly doesn’t do the plaza premium lounge justice, you just have to check one out.

• Hong Kong Int’l Airport
  
• Guangzhou Balyun Int’l Airport
  
• Beijing Capital Int’l Airport
  
• Shanghai Pudong Int’l Airport
  
• Malaysia Int’l Airport
  
• Singapore Changi Airport
  
• Vancouver Int’l Airport
  
• Toronto Pearson Int’l Airport
  
• Muscat Int’l Airport

Decisions, Decisions

I just had to get it over with. As I explained previously I needed to leave Thailand to get the education visa process finalized so I don’t have to do these rediculous border runs every 30 days. Border runs actually give you the freedom to travel but I personally hate having deadlines. I like to be under total control of my schedule while I travel. I had a few places where my Thai language school recommended and I couldn’t choose with any logic so I just closed my eyes and checked AirAsia.com to find which flight I could take on Monday to get it over with. The only place where there were a plentiful amount of cheap flights day and night were to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I haven’t heard much about KL other than it was cheap. People in Bangkok even say KL is cheap which leads me to believe it is dirt cheap.

Flying Air Asia

I took the 6:15pm Air Asia flight from Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur which (along with a return flight on Wed Night) cost me 5,725 baht or $166USD which believe it or not, is way overpriced for the 2 hour flight. If I booked it in advance like any responsible traveler would have, it would have probably cost around 4,000 baht or $116. The AirAsia flight which happened to be on a Airbus A330 which AirAsia publicly hasn’t modified since the news of the crash of Air France Flight was as smooth as any flight I’ve ever been on. Seeing lightening in the distance kind of freaked me out for a second but when the flight is so smooth there was no stress.

Keep this in mind it doesn’t include the 1,000 baht rape by the taxi driver to the airport who I evidentally paid for his return back to the city or the hour plus taxi ride with a Malay grand-pa taxi driver traveling around 80km/h on a wide open expressway. You can tell upon arriving in the Kuala Lumpur airport it is going to take a while to get to the city as you see NOTHING in all directions.

The hour drive reminded me of driving on highways in Oregon. Lots of trees is about all you see until about an hour when huge high-rise apartment buildings pop up out of nowhere. These apartment buildings looked modern. They were all wide, rectangular buildings as opposed to the narrow, square apartment buildings (slums?) in Hong Kong. The apartment buildings are everywhere you look and they block the most famous site of KL the Petronas Towers. They look cool but it seems no matter where you are there is a large building obsuring their view like in the picture (which I did NOT take). I ended up at a hotel semi-near the Thai embassy which I must goto bright and early in 6 or so hours tomorrow morning.

Finding a Hotel in Kuala Lumpur

My first night I’m staying at the Flamingo Hotel. It’s the second choice after the first hotel which was recommended by the information kiosk at the airport the DePalma was booked except for the rockstar suite which I didn’t even want to know how much it was. The Flamingo hotel is one of those wannabee nice hotels which over charges for crap that I don’t care about. The room cost about 325 Malaysian Ringgits ($90) per night which is why I’m up at 2am looking for cheaper hotels.

I still have no idea how to pronounce their money (EDIT:  ringgets ), more on that later. I was looking for cheap hotels for short trips like this one and I came across a new looking cheap place called Tune Hotels in the flight catalogue in the airplane which I may check out tomorrow.

I have to wake up and get to the Royal Thai Embassy early so I can come back to this wanabee fancy, 32inch Sony Bravia (which I won’t turn on) having, no food anywhere in Kuala Lumpur after midnight hotel and check out to find a cheaper place with less bells & whistles which I don’t care about before noon. Sorry about the pathetic attempt at English Grammar but its late and know it’s going to be tough to wake up in time tomorrow if I don’t get to sleep like now!!!

Home Away from Home

I finalized my search and payed my deposit for my new apartment today.  I signed the 1 year contract with the American owner of the condo and did the fingerprint and palm print for security.  The condo is located right next to (red X on Map) the world renown international hospital, Bumrungrad. Bumrungrad has some of the best medical staff in all of Asia as well as a nice food court and gym.  I timed a 10 minute walk from my apartment to the BTS.

There is also a canal which has boat taxis is right next door.  I haven’t explored my area which is called Ploen Chit yet but I will blog about it soon. I’ve been living at a serviced apartment for the first couple months that I’ve been here called Patumwan House.  The location is great right in the middle of the one of the biggest shopping areas in the world and a 5 minute stroll to BTS which is the skytrain which is probably the cleanest and coolest (air conditioned)  subway I’ve ever been on. Without the BTS which has only been around since 1999 getting around in Bangkok would be hell as some say Bangkok is in the top 10 for world’s worst traffic.

The first time I came to Bangkok I remember the BTS skytrain was significantly slower and didn’t travel as far but now it is lightening fast and includes an extensive subway system as well. For a Farang (foreigner) in Bangkok it is essential to be within walking distance to a BTS station and Patumwan House couldn’t be more convenient.  Walking 5 minutes in high heat and humidity is just about enough time to not start sweating too profusely.

I read reviews about Patumwan house on Lonely Planet and they said exactly what I felt. The reviews said that Patumwan House was a great place to stay for a short duration while you get used to Bangkok and find an apartment to your liking.  It just didn’t feel like a home to me but I would recommend it for anybody wants to have a nice place to stay while exploring the city.  It has nice hardwood floors, is extremely clean (I never saw a single roach, gecko or even ant for 2 months) and that’s with a messy guy who eats all the time. I was paying 15,000 baht ($440) a month plus electricity for a 40sq meter (409 sq. feet) studio (compared to my 1 bedroom of 350sq. feet in San Francisco for $1200).  Unfortunately for me, my first month’s electricity (air conditioning) bill was 6,000 baht ($176) which is probably what most Thai people pay for the rent itself.

I am now paying 11,000 baht ($323) a month for a smaller 30 sq. meter (322 sq. feet) studio.  More space for me equals more clutter,  bigger mess and more spending money on crap I don’t need which were all issues at my San Francisco apartment.  The place is small but has western style hardwood/marble floors, a nice modern granite bathroom and some cool bells and whistles. Many places I looked at were pretty Thai to me, meaning they had things that I wouldn’t expect being an American.

Things included non-glass open windows, curtain instead of front door, and stone slab floor.  When it came down to it though the location was most important which is a 15 minute walk to my Thai language school which is the only time I need to be a place while I’m here for the 4 hours a week or so I thought…

Settling In, or so I thought

Just when I thought I was settling in and getting into a normal routine my language school called me and let me know that I could not get an Education visa without leaving Thailand.  This is bad because 1.  I’m lazy, and 2.  I’m freaked by the  lightening which is around all the time here) after the recent horrible Air France disaster, 3.  A 12-24 hour train or bus ride is completely out of the question. It is also good because it gives me a chance to book at least a 3 day excursion.  I have tons of options but have narrowed it down to 5 flights under 3 hours for the time being.

1. Fly to Penang, Milaysia which is famous for incredible street food and decent beaches.
2. Fly to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), Vietnam where my crazy friend Zeus has been living for a year+
3. Fly to Penom Penh because it’s only a 90 minute cheap flight and cheap hotel.
4. Fly to Calcutta, India because I’ve never been to India.
5. Fly to Hong Kong because Hong Kong is badass.

I will definitely blog when I decide.  I need to research visa agents because standing in a crowded embassy is not my idea of a vacation.  To my knowledge the visa agent takes your passport and does the dirty work going to the embassy and getting the paperwork done.  The major thing I need is the stamp on the visa when I arrive back at BKK.

View out Apartment Window during Day