Operation Thai Visa

Hello from Vientiane, Laos!  It was my intention to be back in Chiang Mai by now but things didn’t go as planned.   I left Chiang Mai on Tuesday the 14th and came here to Vientiane, Laos to apply for a six month education visa.  What that means is I signed up with a school that offers Thai classes that cater to foreigners and helps with the visa paperwork.  So when I get this visa, I will be able to stay in Thailand for six months without having to do what they call a “visa run,” whereas people on regular tourist visas have to renew every 90 days.  In exchange, I agree to take a certain number of hours of Thai classes, which will be helpful for me to navigate and communicate while I am in Chiang Mai. .

Statue in front of the temple across the street from my hotel in Laos.

The first complication was that last week was the new year celebration for both Thailand and Laos, which meant most offices were closed for most of the week.  There was nothing I could do about it, my Thai visa was set to expire on the 18th. I checked the official website of the Thai Embassy in Vientiane, and it showed that they would be open Wednesday and Friday.  So I decided to buy a one way plane ticket in on Tuesday, get settled in my hotel, drop off the paperwork on Wednesday and pick it up on Friday.  A little bit about Thai new year.  It is called Songkran, and Chiang Mai is one of the most popular places for celebrating it.  The traffic in Thailand is already ranked one of the worst in the world and during Songkran, it turns into absolute mayhem.  On top of that, a traditional way to celebrate Songkran is to go out with a bucket or water gun and splash everyone you can.  So the city basically turns into one huge drunk water fight.  Hundreds of people die in traffic accidents and thousands are injured.  Many foreigners, like myself, hide away during Songkran for safety.

The tuk tuk drivers have these ingenious hammocks that get stored on a bar under the roof when they are working, and can be brought down for them to relax in during the afternoon when it is hot and they are waiting for clients.

What does this have to do with my trip?  I had to take a taxi to the airport, which would mean going out during Songkran.  I wanted to be safe, plus I heard rumors of the traffic being so backlogged it could take up to four hours to get there.  So I hailed a taxi at 8am to avoid the mayhem, which usually starts in midmorning.  My plan worked.  It took us 15 minutes to get to the airport, which means I wouldn’t miss my flight but now I had all day to wait, since my flight was at 3pm.  Most of the staff looked at me like I was crazy when they saw how early I was but I just made my way to the lounge and did some reading.  It wasn’t too bad and before I knew it, I was on my way to Vientiane.

This is not my photo.  I rarely use any photos but my own, but I wanted you to get an idea of how Buddha Park is laid out.

Wednesday morning rolled around and I had all my paperwork ready to go.  I hailed a taxi and off we went to the embassy.  We got there and there was a sign on the gate saying they would be closed that day and reopen on Friday.  Dang.  That meant that I would have to extend my stay here until at least Monday, assuming there were no other unexpected delays.

Since I had some downtime on Thursday, I did go see a place called Buddha Park.  Basically it’s about an acre of land that has huge stone sculptures of Buddha and various other deities scattered about.  It was fun to walk around and take pictures.  So that was one touristy thing I got to do.  I’m really glad I did, it was a lot of fun! Friday morning came and once again I got all my papers ready and went down to the lobby to call a taxi.  I asked the receptionist and he said "sorry, no taxi."  What???  I looked at him and said "Please, I really need to go to the embassy this morning."  He shrugged his shoulders.  "Please, it is very important!  I must go now!"  He sighed and picked up the phone again.  In a few minutes, he said "ok, taxi come in 15 minutes."  I bowed and said "Thank you so much!"  Apparently he had called someone who lived near the hotel and was on his day off.  He got me to the embassy and I successfully submitted my paperwork.  I paid him double his fee and that cheered him up.  He said "if you ever need a driver, call me!"  Visa processing takes one business day but since I dropped it off on Friday, I would have to wait until Monday to pick it up.  I spent the weekend relaxing and doing a bit of exploring around the hotel but nothing big because it was so hot and I didn't want to do a tour.

As of this writing, it is Monday afternoon and I have successfully secured my Visa and am able to re-enter the Kingdom of Thailand!  I have booked a plane ticket back to Chiang Mai for tomorrow so tonight is just for me to relax.  After a stressful week of wondering if and when I was going to get that Visa I am ready for some down time!