Rainy roadtrip to Cambodia - OT

So the company that Dennis works for is refusing to renew our Thai visas.
They say that Dennis works in Burma now and it's not their problem that we
live in Thailand. Technically it's true but do they have to be such jerks
about it?
Anyway, my visa expires on Sunday, so yesterday I drove to the border at
Cambodia in order to leave Thailand and re-enter to get a 1 month visa.
I packed several tapes of my favourite driving tunes, a couple of BBQ pork
chops and a tub of pomelo for food, bottled water, road maps, big wad of
cash and my passport.
At 8:20 am, I was off on my lonely drive. It rained pretty much the whole
way there, which was nice in the fact that it wasn't so hot, but the road
isn't the best and the hydroplaning led to some scary moments. It was 300km
there and took till 12:30.
The Cambodian side of the border was incredibly corrupt. First I had to pay
200 baht ($5) for this guy to staple a form into my passport saying that I
don't have SARS. No one checked to make sure I don't have SARS. Then I had
to pay $1100 baht ($28) for my Cambodian visa so I could enter Cambodia. Of
course I didn't spend any time there, I just turned right around and came
back. There's nothing to see at that border post. So that was an expensive
5 minutes I spent in Cambodia! Then I had to pay 300 baht ($8) for them to
let me leave Cambodia. Grrr! When I re-entered Thailand I got a stamp for
one measly month more :-( Next time we leave Thailand to go to a country
with a Thai embassy we'll apply for a year visa, but until then I'll be
driving to Cambodia every month.
On the way back, I was trundling along at a good rate of speed when suddenly
a cop jumps out from behind a bush and waves me over. I was going so fast
that I screeched to a halt only a foot from his cop car. I thought I was in
big trouble. But he said that he had pulled me over for driving in the fast
lane, a big no no if you're not actually passing anyone. His English was
surprisingly good and he asked me if I wanted to pay the fine now or if he
should give me a ticket. Duuuuuh! Pay now, I said. Paying later involves
having to go to the nearest police station to where it happened one week
later. No thanks, that's almost 300 km away! So I pulled out 200 baht ($5)
from my wallet. He reached in and snatched it out of my hand and ran away
from my car to pull someone else over. So I left. Very weird. Not a word
about my obvious speeding (not that I've ever seen a speed limit posted
anyway, nor do I think they have radar). I guess he got what he wanted
(cash) and at least it was only 5 bucks.
Other than that, it was a fine roadtrip. I had an ice cream at the border.
I saw all the giant fruits (giant pineapple, giant durian, giant banana). I
saw trucks filled to overflowing with rambutan and rambutan flying off the
trucks and rolling around all over the road. I sang badly to myself in the
car. Yeah, it wasn't so bad ;-)
--
Britta
Sandpaper kisses, a cuddle and a purr. I have an alarm clock that's covered
in fur!
Check out pictures of Vino at:
http://photos.yahoo.com/badwilson click on the Vino album

On Thu, 10 Jun 2004 10:44:05 +0700, "badwilson" wrote:

So the company that Dennis works for is refusing to renew our Thai visas.
They say that Dennis works in Burma now and it's not their problem that we
live in Thailand. Technically it's true but do they have to be such jerks
about it?
Wonder if they have a reason, or if it's just some nitwit sitting in
an office somewhere. Lots of times senseless policies and rules that
we had to deal with while I was in the Army were thought up by low
ranking clerks. Once the higher ups were made aware of the "policies"
things went back to normal. Hopefully there's someone you could talk
to in the company that can help.
Anyway, my visa expires on Sunday, so yesterday I drove to the border at
Cambodia in order to leave Thailand and re-enter to get a 1 month visa.
I packed several tapes of my favourite driving tunes, a couple of BBQ pork
chops and a tub of pomelo for food, bottled water, road maps, big wad of
cash and my passport.
At 8:20 am, I was off on my lonely drive. It rained pretty much the whole
way there, which was nice in the fact that it wasn't so hot, but the road
isn't the best and the hydroplaning led to some scary moments. It was 300km
there and took till 12:30.
The Cambodian side of the border was incredibly corrupt. First I had to pay
200 baht ($5) for this guy to staple a form into my passport saying that I
don't have SARS. No one checked to make sure I don't have SARS. Then I had
to pay $1100 baht ($28) for my Cambodian visa so I could enter Cambodia. Of
course I didn't spend any time there, I just turned right around and came
back. There's nothing to see at that border post. So that was an expensive
5 minutes I spent in Cambodia! Then I had to pay 300 baht ($8) for them to
let me leave Cambodia. Grrr! When I re-entered Thailand I got a stamp for
one measly month more :-( Next time we leave Thailand to go to a country
with a Thai embassy we'll apply for a year visa, but until then I'll be
driving to Cambodia every month.
On the way back, I was trundling along at a good rate of speed when suddenly
a cop jumps out from behind a bush and waves me over. I was going so fast
that I screeched to a halt only a foot from his cop car. I thought I was in
big trouble. But he said that he had pulled me over for driving in the fast
lane, a big no no if you're not actually passing anyone. His English was
surprisingly good and he asked me if I wanted to pay the fine now or if he
should give me a ticket. Duuuuuh! Pay now, I said. Paying later involves
having to go to the nearest police station to where it happened one week
later. No thanks, that's almost 300 km away! So I pulled out 200 baht ($5)
from my wallet. He reached in and snatched it out of my hand and ran away
from my car to pull someone else over. So I left. Very weird. Not a word
about my obvious speeding (not that I've ever seen a speed limit posted
anyway, nor do I think they have radar). I guess he got what he wanted
(cash) and at least it was only 5 bucks.
Other than that, it was a fine roadtrip. I had an ice cream at the border.
I saw all the giant fruits (giant pineapple, giant durian, giant banana). I
saw trucks filled to overflowing with rambutan and rambutan flying off the
trucks and rolling around all over the road. I sang badly to myself in the
car. Yeah, it wasn't so bad ;-)
Except for the rainy roads, sounds like a rather pleasant way to spend
the day.
--
Steve Touchstone,
faithful servant of Sammy, Little Bit and Rocky

[remove Junk for email]
Home Page: http://www.sirinet.net/~stouchst/index.html
Cat Pix: http://www.sirinet.net/~stouchst/animals.html

On Thu, 10 Jun 2004 10:44:05 +0700, "badwilson" wrote:

So the company that Dennis works for is refusing to renew our Thai visas.
They say that Dennis works in Burma now and it's not their problem that we
live in Thailand. Technically it's true but do they have to be such jerks
about it?
Wonder if they have a reason, or if it's just some nitwit sitting in
an office somewhere. Lots of times senseless policies and rules that
we had to deal with while I was in the Army were thought up by low
ranking clerks. Once the higher ups were made aware of the "policies"
things went back to normal. Hopefully there's someone you could talk
to in the company that can help.
Anyway, my visa expires on Sunday, so yesterday I drove to the border at
Cambodia in order to leave Thailand and re-enter to get a 1 month visa.
I packed several tapes of my favourite driving tunes, a couple of BBQ pork
chops and a tub of pomelo for food, bottled water, road maps, big wad of
cash and my passport.
At 8:20 am, I was off on my lonely drive. It rained pretty much the whole
way there, which was nice in the fact that it wasn't so hot, but the road
isn't the best and the hydroplaning led to some scary moments. It was 300km
there and took till 12:30.
The Cambodian side of the border was incredibly corrupt. First I had to pay
200 baht ($5) for this guy to staple a form into my passport saying that I
don't have SARS. No one checked to make sure I don't have SARS. Then I had
to pay $1100 baht ($28) for my Cambodian visa so I could enter Cambodia. Of
course I didn't spend any time there, I just turned right around and came
back. There's nothing to see at that border post. So that was an expensive
5 minutes I spent in Cambodia! Then I had to pay 300 baht ($8) for them to
let me leave Cambodia. Grrr! When I re-entered Thailand I got a stamp for
one measly month more :-( Next time we leave Thailand to go to a country
with a Thai embassy we'll apply for a year visa, but until then I'll be
driving to Cambodia every month.
On the way back, I was trundling along at a good rate of speed when suddenly
a cop jumps out from behind a bush and waves me over. I was going so fast
that I screeched to a halt only a foot from his cop car. I thought I was in
big trouble. But he said that he had pulled me over for driving in the fast
lane, a big no no if you're not actually passing anyone. His English was
surprisingly good and he asked me if I wanted to pay the fine now or if he
should give me a ticket. Duuuuuh! Pay now, I said. Paying later involves
having to go to the nearest police station to where it happened one week
later. No thanks, that's almost 300 km away! So I pulled out 200 baht ($5)
from my wallet. He reached in and snatched it out of my hand and ran away
from my car to pull someone else over. So I left. Very weird. Not a word
about my obvious speeding (not that I've ever seen a speed limit posted
anyway, nor do I think they have radar). I guess he got what he wanted
(cash) and at least it was only 5 bucks.
Other than that, it was a fine roadtrip. I had an ice cream at the border.
I saw all the giant fruits (giant pineapple, giant durian, giant banana). I
saw trucks filled to overflowing with rambutan and rambutan flying off the
trucks and rolling around all over the road. I sang badly to myself in the
car. Yeah, it wasn't so bad ;-)
Except for the rainy roads, sounds like a rather pleasant way to spend
the day.
--
Steve Touchstone,
faithful servant of Sammy, Little Bit and Rocky

[remove Junk for email]
Home Page: http://www.sirinet.net/~stouchst/index.html
Cat Pix: http://www.sirinet.net/~stouchst/animals.html

On Thu, 10 Jun 2004 10:44:05 +0700, "badwilson" wrote:

So the company that Dennis works for is refusing to renew our Thai visas.
They say that Dennis works in Burma now and it's not their problem that we
live in Thailand. Technically it's true but do they have to be such jerks
about it?
Wonder if they have a reason, or if it's just some nitwit sitting in
an office somewhere. Lots of times senseless policies and rules that
we had to deal with while I was in the Army were thought up by low
ranking clerks. Once the higher ups were made aware of the "policies"
things went back to normal. Hopefully there's someone you could talk
to in the company that can help.
Anyway, my visa expires on Sunday, so yesterday I drove to the border at
Cambodia in order to leave Thailand and re-enter to get a 1 month visa.
I packed several tapes of my favourite driving tunes, a couple of BBQ pork
chops and a tub of pomelo for food, bottled water, road maps, big wad of
cash and my passport.
At 8:20 am, I was off on my lonely drive. It rained pretty much the whole
way there, which was nice in the fact that it wasn't so hot, but the road
isn't the best and the hydroplaning led to some scary moments. It was 300km
there and took till 12:30.
The Cambodian side of the border was incredibly corrupt. First I had to pay
200 baht ($5) for this guy to staple a form into my passport saying that I
don't have SARS. No one checked to make sure I don't have SARS. Then I had
to pay $1100 baht ($28) for my Cambodian visa so I could enter Cambodia. Of
course I didn't spend any time there, I just turned right around and came
back. There's nothing to see at that border post. So that was an expensive
5 minutes I spent in Cambodia! Then I had to pay 300 baht ($8) for them to
let me leave Cambodia. Grrr! When I re-entered Thailand I got a stamp for
one measly month more :-( Next time we leave Thailand to go to a country
with a Thai embassy we'll apply for a year visa, but until then I'll be
driving to Cambodia every month.
On the way back, I was trundling along at a good rate of speed when suddenly
a cop jumps out from behind a bush and waves me over. I was going so fast
that I screeched to a halt only a foot from his cop car. I thought I was in
big trouble. But he said that he had pulled me over for driving in the fast
lane, a big no no if you're not actually passing anyone. His English was
surprisingly good and he asked me if I wanted to pay the fine now or if he
should give me a ticket. Duuuuuh! Pay now, I said. Paying later involves
having to go to the nearest police station to where it happened one week
later. No thanks, that's almost 300 km away! So I pulled out 200 baht ($5)
from my wallet. He reached in and snatched it out of my hand and ran away
from my car to pull someone else over. So I left. Very weird. Not a word
about my obvious speeding (not that I've ever seen a speed limit posted
anyway, nor do I think they have radar). I guess he got what he wanted
(cash) and at least it was only 5 bucks.
Other than that, it was a fine roadtrip. I had an ice cream at the border.
I saw all the giant fruits (giant pineapple, giant durian, giant banana). I
saw trucks filled to overflowing with rambutan and rambutan flying off the
trucks and rolling around all over the road. I sang badly to myself in the
car. Yeah, it wasn't so bad ;-)
Except for the rainy roads, sounds like a rather pleasant way to spend
the day.
--
Steve Touchstone,
faithful servant of Sammy, Little Bit and Rocky

[remove Junk for email]
Home Page: http://www.sirinet.net/~stouchst/index.html
Cat Pix: http://www.sirinet.net/~stouchst/animals.html

"Steve Touchstone" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 10 Jun 2004 10:44:05 +0700, "badwilson" wrote:

So the company that Dennis works for is refusing to renew our Thai visas.
They say that Dennis works in Burma now and it's not their problem that
we
live in Thailand. Technically it's true but do they have to be such
jerks
about it?

Wonder if they have a reason, or if it's just some nitwit sitting in
an office somewhere. Lots of times senseless policies and rules that
we had to deal with while I was in the Army were thought up by low
ranking clerks. Once the higher ups were made aware of the "policies"
things went back to normal. Hopefully there's someone you could talk
to in the company that can help.

Nah, all avenues have been explored. It's a favouritism thing. They don't
want to give us a visa because they are afraid that all sorts of other
employees will come out of the woodwork and try to live in Thailand, etc.
And then they'll have to give them all visas. We're on our own, I'm afraid.
But we do have a plan, muahahaha ;-)

Anyway, my visa expires on Sunday, so yesterday I drove to the border at
Cambodia in order to leave Thailand and re-enter to get a 1 month visa.
I packed several tapes of my favourite driving tunes, a couple of BBQ
pork
chops and a tub of pomelo for food, bottled water, road maps, big wad of
cash and my passport.
At 8:20 am, I was off on my lonely drive. It rained pretty much the
whole
way there, which was nice in the fact that it wasn't so hot, but the road
isn't the best and the hydroplaning led to some scary moments. It was
300km
there and took till 12:30.
The Cambodian side of the border was incredibly corrupt. First I had to
pay
200 baht ($5) for this guy to staple a form into my passport saying that
I
don't have SARS. No one checked to make sure I don't have SARS. Then I
had
to pay $1100 baht ($28) for my Cambodian visa so I could enter Cambodia.
Of
course I didn't spend any time there, I just turned right around and came
back. There's nothing to see at that border post. So that was an
expensive
5 minutes I spent in Cambodia! Then I had to pay 300 baht ($8) for them
to
let me leave Cambodia. Grrr! When I re-entered Thailand I got a stamp
for
one measly month more :-( Next time we leave Thailand to go to a country
with a Thai embassy we'll apply for a year visa, but until then I'll be
driving to Cambodia every month.
On the way back, I was trundling along at a good rate of speed when
suddenly
a cop jumps out from behind a bush and waves me over. I was going so
fast
that I screeched to a halt only a foot from his cop car. I thought I was
in
big trouble. But he said that he had pulled me over for driving in the
fast
lane, a big no no if you're not actually passing anyone. His English was
surprisingly good and he asked me if I wanted to pay the fine now or if
he
should give me a ticket. Duuuuuh! Pay now, I said. Paying later
involves
having to go to the nearest police station to where it happened one week
later. No thanks, that's almost 300 km away! So I pulled out 200 baht
($5)
from my wallet. He reached in and snatched it out of my hand and ran
away
from my car to pull someone else over. So I left. Very weird. Not a
word
about my obvious speeding (not that I've ever seen a speed limit posted
anyway, nor do I think they have radar). I guess he got what he wanted
(cash) and at least it was only 5 bucks.
Other than that, it was a fine roadtrip. I had an ice cream at the
border.
I saw all the giant fruits (giant pineapple, giant durian, giant banana).
I
saw trucks filled to overflowing with rambutan and rambutan flying off
the
trucks and rolling around all over the road. I sang badly to myself in
the
car. Yeah, it wasn't so bad ;-)

Except for the rainy roads, sounds like a rather pleasant way to spend
the day.

Yeah, all in all it wasn't too bad. I was a bit apprehensive driving so far
all on my own. The drivers are so bad here, but I have adapted quite well
and can now "go with the flow" of craziness that happens on the roads here.
And now that I've done it once, it'll be easier to do it again. But we are
still planning to get a 1 year visa on our own (without the help of the
stupid company) so I don't have to drive there once a month.
--
Britta
Sandpaper kisses, a cuddle and a purr. I have an alarm clock that's covered
in fur!
Check out pictures of Vino at:
http://photos.yahoo.com/badwilson click on the Vino album

"Steve Touchstone" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 10 Jun 2004 10:44:05 +0700, "badwilson" wrote:

So the company that Dennis works for is refusing to renew our Thai visas.
They say that Dennis works in Burma now and it's not their problem that
we
live in Thailand. Technically it's true but do they have to be such
jerks
about it?

Wonder if they have a reason, or if it's just some nitwit sitting in
an office somewhere. Lots of times senseless policies and rules that
we had to deal with while I was in the Army were thought up by low
ranking clerks. Once the higher ups were made aware of the "policies"
things went back to normal. Hopefully there's someone you could talk
to in the company that can help.

Nah, all avenues have been explored. It's a favouritism thing. They don't
want to give us a visa because they are afraid that all sorts of other
employees will come out of the woodwork and try to live in Thailand, etc.
And then they'll have to give them all visas. We're on our own, I'm afraid.
But we do have a plan, muahahaha ;-)

Anyway, my visa expires on Sunday, so yesterday I drove to the border at
Cambodia in order to leave Thailand and re-enter to get a 1 month visa.
I packed several tapes of my favourite driving tunes, a couple of BBQ
pork
chops and a tub of pomelo for food, bottled water, road maps, big wad of
cash and my passport.
At 8:20 am, I was off on my lonely drive. It rained pretty much the
whole
way there, which was nice in the fact that it wasn't so hot, but the road
isn't the best and the hydroplaning led to some scary moments. It was
300km
there and took till 12:30.
The Cambodian side of the border was incredibly corrupt. First I had to
pay
200 baht ($5) for this guy to staple a form into my passport saying that
I
don't have SARS. No one checked to make sure I don't have SARS. Then I
had
to pay $1100 baht ($28) for my Cambodian visa so I could enter Cambodia.
Of
course I didn't spend any time there, I just turned right around and came
back. There's nothing to see at that border post. So that was an
expensive
5 minutes I spent in Cambodia! Then I had to pay 300 baht ($8) for them
to
let me leave Cambodia. Grrr! When I re-entered Thailand I got a stamp
for
one measly month more :-( Next time we leave Thailand to go to a country
with a Thai embassy we'll apply for a year visa, but until then I'll be
driving to Cambodia every month.
On the way back, I was trundling along at a good rate of speed when
suddenly
a cop jumps out from behind a bush and waves me over. I was going so
fast
that I screeched to a halt only a foot from his cop car. I thought I was
in
big trouble. But he said that he had pulled me over for driving in the
fast
lane, a big no no if you're not actually passing anyone. His English was
surprisingly good and he asked me if I wanted to pay the fine now or if
he
should give me a ticket. Duuuuuh! Pay now, I said. Paying later
involves
having to go to the nearest police station to where it happened one week
later. No thanks, that's almost 300 km away! So I pulled out 200 baht
($5)
from my wallet. He reached in and snatched it out of my hand and ran
away
from my car to pull someone else over. So I left. Very weird. Not a
word
about my obvious speeding (not that I've ever seen a speed limit posted
anyway, nor do I think they have radar). I guess he got what he wanted
(cash) and at least it was only 5 bucks.
Other than that, it was a fine roadtrip. I had an ice cream at the
border.
I saw all the giant fruits (giant pineapple, giant durian, giant banana).
I
saw trucks filled to overflowing with rambutan and rambutan flying off
the
trucks and rolling around all over the road. I sang badly to myself in
the
car. Yeah, it wasn't so bad ;-)

Except for the rainy roads, sounds like a rather pleasant way to spend
the day.

Yeah, all in all it wasn't too bad. I was a bit apprehensive driving so far
all on my own. The drivers are so bad here, but I have adapted quite well
and can now "go with the flow" of craziness that happens on the roads here.
And now that I've done it once, it'll be easier to do it again. But we are
still planning to get a 1 year visa on our own (without the help of the
stupid company) so I don't have to drive there once a month.
--
Britta
Sandpaper kisses, a cuddle and a purr. I have an alarm clock that's covered
in fur!
Check out pictures of Vino at:
http://photos.yahoo.com/badwilson click on the Vino album

"Steve Touchstone" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 10 Jun 2004 10:44:05 +0700, "badwilson" wrote:

So the company that Dennis works for is refusing to renew our Thai visas.
They say that Dennis works in Burma now and it's not their problem that
we
live in Thailand. Technically it's true but do they have to be such
jerks
about it?

Wonder if they have a reason, or if it's just some nitwit sitting in
an office somewhere. Lots of times senseless policies and rules that
we had to deal with while I was in the Army were thought up by low
ranking clerks. Once the higher ups were made aware of the "policies"
things went back to normal. Hopefully there's someone you could talk
to in the company that can help.

Nah, all avenues have been explored. It's a favouritism thing. They don't
want to give us a visa because they are afraid that all sorts of other
employees will come out of the woodwork and try to live in Thailand, etc.
And then they'll have to give them all visas. We're on our own, I'm afraid.
But we do have a plan, muahahaha ;-)

Anyway, my visa expires on Sunday, so yesterday I drove to the border at
Cambodia in order to leave Thailand and re-enter to get a 1 month visa.
I packed several tapes of my favourite driving tunes, a couple of BBQ
pork
chops and a tub of pomelo for food, bottled water, road maps, big wad of
cash and my passport.
At 8:20 am, I was off on my lonely drive. It rained pretty much the
whole
way there, which was nice in the fact that it wasn't so hot, but the road
isn't the best and the hydroplaning led to some scary moments. It was
300km
there and took till 12:30.
The Cambodian side of the border was incredibly corrupt. First I had to
pay
200 baht ($5) for this guy to staple a form into my passport saying that
I
don't have SARS. No one checked to make sure I don't have SARS. Then I
had
to pay $1100 baht ($28) for my Cambodian visa so I could enter Cambodia.
Of
course I didn't spend any time there, I just turned right around and came
back. There's nothing to see at that border post. So that was an
expensive
5 minutes I spent in Cambodia! Then I had to pay 300 baht ($8) for them
to
let me leave Cambodia. Grrr! When I re-entered Thailand I got a stamp
for
one measly month more :-( Next time we leave Thailand to go to a country
with a Thai embassy we'll apply for a year visa, but until then I'll be
driving to Cambodia every month.
On the way back, I was trundling along at a good rate of speed when
suddenly
a cop jumps out from behind a bush and waves me over. I was going so
fast
that I screeched to a halt only a foot from his cop car. I thought I was
in
big trouble. But he said that he had pulled me over for driving in the
fast
lane, a big no no if you're not actually passing anyone. His English was
surprisingly good and he asked me if I wanted to pay the fine now or if
he
should give me a ticket. Duuuuuh! Pay now, I said. Paying later
involves
having to go to the nearest police station to where it happened one week
later. No thanks, that's almost 300 km away! So I pulled out 200 baht
($5)
from my wallet. He reached in and snatched it out of my hand and ran
away
from my car to pull someone else over. So I left. Very weird. Not a
word
about my obvious speeding (not that I've ever seen a speed limit posted
anyway, nor do I think they have radar). I guess he got what he wanted
(cash) and at least it was only 5 bucks.
Other than that, it was a fine roadtrip. I had an ice cream at the
border.
I saw all the giant fruits (giant pineapple, giant durian, giant banana).
I
saw trucks filled to overflowing with rambutan and rambutan flying off
the
trucks and rolling around all over the road. I sang badly to myself in
the
car. Yeah, it wasn't so bad ;-)

Except for the rainy roads, sounds like a rather pleasant way to spend
the day.

Yeah, all in all it wasn't too bad. I was a bit apprehensive driving so far
all on my own. The drivers are so bad here, but I have adapted quite well
and can now "go with the flow" of craziness that happens on the roads here.
And now that I've done it once, it'll be easier to do it again. But we are
still planning to get a 1 year visa on our own (without the help of the
stupid company) so I don't have to drive there once a month.
--
Britta
Sandpaper kisses, a cuddle and a purr. I have an alarm clock that's covered
in fur!
Check out pictures of Vino at:
http://photos.yahoo.com/badwilson click on the Vino album

Britta, I'm surprised you were brave enough to drive by yourself, being a
woman, such a long distance. Next time bring someone else in the car with
you. I'm from the Philippines and I would NEVER think of driving alone
especially on a long drive like that. We always had a chauffeur and at least
one other person, preferably male, on long trips. I know what it's like
living in a third world country where the cops sound all alike.
Be very careful, please.
Lydia

--

Irulan
from the stars we came, to the stars we return
from now until the end of time


"badwilson" wrote in message
...

"Steve Touchstone" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 10 Jun 2004 10:44:05 +0700, "badwilson" wrote:

So the company that Dennis works for is refusing to renew our Thai
visas.
They say that Dennis works in Burma now and it's not their problem that
we
live in Thailand. Technically it's true but do they have to be such
jerks
about it?

Wonder if they have a reason, or if it's just some nitwit sitting in
an office somewhere. Lots of times senseless policies and rules that
we had to deal with while I was in the Army were thought up by low
ranking clerks. Once the higher ups were made aware of the "policies"
things went back to normal. Hopefully there's someone you could talk
to in the company that can help.

Nah, all avenues have been explored. It's a favouritism thing. They
don't
want to give us a visa because they are afraid that all sorts of other
employees will come out of the woodwork and try to live in Thailand, etc.
And then they'll have to give them all visas. We're on our own, I'm
afraid.
But we do have a plan, muahahaha ;-)

Anyway, my visa expires on Sunday, so yesterday I drove to the border
at
Cambodia in order to leave Thailand and re-enter to get a 1 month visa.
I packed several tapes of my favourite driving tunes, a couple of BBQ
pork
chops and a tub of pomelo for food, bottled water, road maps, big wad
of
cash and my passport.
At 8:20 am, I was off on my lonely drive. It rained pretty much the
whole
way there, which was nice in the fact that it wasn't so hot, but the
road
isn't the best and the hydroplaning led to some scary moments. It was
300km
there and took till 12:30.
The Cambodian side of the border was incredibly corrupt. First I had
to
pay
200 baht ($5) for this guy to staple a form into my passport saying
that
I
don't have SARS. No one checked to make sure I don't have SARS. Then
I
had
to pay $1100 baht ($28) for my Cambodian visa so I could enter
Cambodia.
Of
course I didn't spend any time there, I just turned right around and
came
back. There's nothing to see at that border post. So that was an
expensive
5 minutes I spent in Cambodia! Then I had to pay 300 baht ($8) for
them
to
let me leave Cambodia. Grrr! When I re-entered Thailand I got a stamp
for
one measly month more :-( Next time we leave Thailand to go to a
country
with a Thai embassy we'll apply for a year visa, but until then I'll be
driving to Cambodia every month.
On the way back, I was trundling along at a good rate of speed when
suddenly
a cop jumps out from behind a bush and waves me over. I was going so
fast
that I screeched to a halt only a foot from his cop car. I thought I
was
in
big trouble. But he said that he had pulled me over for driving in the
fast
lane, a big no no if you're not actually passing anyone. His English
was
surprisingly good and he asked me if I wanted to pay the fine now or if
he
should give me a ticket. Duuuuuh! Pay now, I said. Paying later
involves
having to go to the nearest police station to where it happened one
week
later. No thanks, that's almost 300 km away! So I pulled out 200 baht
($5)
from my wallet. He reached in and snatched it out of my hand and ran
away
from my car to pull someone else over. So I left. Very weird. Not a
word
about my obvious speeding (not that I've ever seen a speed limit posted
anyway, nor do I think they have radar). I guess he got what he wanted
(cash) and at least it was only 5 bucks.
Other than that, it was a fine roadtrip. I had an ice cream at the
border.
I saw all the giant fruits (giant pineapple, giant durian, giant
banana).
I
saw trucks filled to overflowing with rambutan and rambutan flying off
the
trucks and rolling around all over the road. I sang badly to myself in
the
car. Yeah, it wasn't so bad ;-)

Except for the rainy roads, sounds like a rather pleasant way to spend
the day.

Yeah, all in all it wasn't too bad. I was a bit apprehensive driving so
far
all on my own. The drivers are so bad here, but I have adapted quite well
and can now "go with the flow" of craziness that happens on the roads
here.
And now that I've done it once, it'll be easier to do it again. But we
are
still planning to get a 1 year visa on our own (without the help of the
stupid company) so I don't have to drive there once a month.
--
Britta
Sandpaper kisses, a cuddle and a purr. I have an alarm clock that's
covered
in fur!
Check out pictures of Vino at:
http://photos.yahoo.com/badwilson click on the Vino album

Britta, I'm surprised you were brave enough to drive by yourself, being a
woman, such a long distance. Next time bring someone else in the car with
you. I'm from the Philippines and I would NEVER think of driving alone
especially on a long drive like that. We always had a chauffeur and at least
one other person, preferably male, on long trips. I know what it's like
living in a third world country where the cops sound all alike.
Be very careful, please.
Lydia

--

Irulan
from the stars we came, to the stars we return
from now until the end of time


"badwilson" wrote in message
...

"Steve Touchstone" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 10 Jun 2004 10:44:05 +0700, "badwilson" wrote:

So the company that Dennis works for is refusing to renew our Thai
visas.
They say that Dennis works in Burma now and it's not their problem that
we
live in Thailand. Technically it's true but do they have to be such
jerks
about it?

Wonder if they have a reason, or if it's just some nitwit sitting in
an office somewhere. Lots of times senseless policies and rules that
we had to deal with while I was in the Army were thought up by low
ranking clerks. Once the higher ups were made aware of the "policies"
things went back to normal. Hopefully there's someone you could talk
to in the company that can help.

Nah, all avenues have been explored. It's a favouritism thing. They
don't
want to give us a visa because they are afraid that all sorts of other
employees will come out of the woodwork and try to live in Thailand, etc.
And then they'll have to give them all visas. We're on our own, I'm
afraid.
But we do have a plan, muahahaha ;-)

Anyway, my visa expires on Sunday, so yesterday I drove to the border
at
Cambodia in order to leave Thailand and re-enter to get a 1 month visa.
I packed several tapes of my favourite driving tunes, a couple of BBQ
pork
chops and a tub of pomelo for food, bottled water, road maps, big wad
of
cash and my passport.
At 8:20 am, I was off on my lonely drive. It rained pretty much the
whole
way there, which was nice in the fact that it wasn't so hot, but the
road
isn't the best and the hydroplaning led to some scary moments. It was
300km
there and took till 12:30.
The Cambodian side of the border was incredibly corrupt. First I had
to
pay
200 baht ($5) for this guy to staple a form into my passport saying
that
I
don't have SARS. No one checked to make sure I don't have SARS. Then
I
had
to pay $1100 baht ($28) for my Cambodian visa so I could enter
Cambodia.
Of
course I didn't spend any time there, I just turned right around and
came
back. There's nothing to see at that border post. So that was an
expensive
5 minutes I spent in Cambodia! Then I had to pay 300 baht ($8) for
them
to
let me leave Cambodia. Grrr! When I re-entered Thailand I got a stamp
for
one measly month more :-( Next time we leave Thailand to go to a
country
with a Thai embassy we'll apply for a year visa, but until then I'll be
driving to Cambodia every month.
On the way back, I was trundling along at a good rate of speed when
suddenly
a cop jumps out from behind a bush and waves me over. I was going so
fast
that I screeched to a halt only a foot from his cop car. I thought I
was
in
big trouble. But he said that he had pulled me over for driving in the
fast
lane, a big no no if you're not actually passing anyone. His English
was
surprisingly good and he asked me if I wanted to pay the fine now or if
he
should give me a ticket. Duuuuuh! Pay now, I said. Paying later
involves
having to go to the nearest police station to where it happened one
week
later. No thanks, that's almost 300 km away! So I pulled out 200 baht
($5)
from my wallet. He reached in and snatched it out of my hand and ran
away
from my car to pull someone else over. So I left. Very weird. Not a
word
about my obvious speeding (not that I've ever seen a speed limit posted
anyway, nor do I think they have radar). I guess he got what he wanted
(cash) and at least it was only 5 bucks.
Other than that, it was a fine roadtrip. I had an ice cream at the
border.
I saw all the giant fruits (giant pineapple, giant durian, giant
banana).
I
saw trucks filled to overflowing with rambutan and rambutan flying off
the
trucks and rolling around all over the road. I sang badly to myself in
the
car. Yeah, it wasn't so bad ;-)

Except for the rainy roads, sounds like a rather pleasant way to spend
the day.

Yeah, all in all it wasn't too bad. I was a bit apprehensive driving so
far
all on my own. The drivers are so bad here, but I have adapted quite well
and can now "go with the flow" of craziness that happens on the roads
here.
And now that I've done it once, it'll be easier to do it again. But we
are
still planning to get a 1 year visa on our own (without the help of the
stupid company) so I don't have to drive there once a month.
--
Britta
Sandpaper kisses, a cuddle and a purr. I have an alarm clock that's
covered
in fur!
Check out pictures of Vino at:
http://photos.yahoo.com/badwilson click on the Vino album

Britta, I'm surprised you were brave enough to drive by yourself, being a
woman, such a long distance. Next time bring someone else in the car with
you. I'm from the Philippines and I would NEVER think of driving alone
especially on a long drive like that. We always had a chauffeur and at least
one other person, preferably male, on long trips. I know what it's like
living in a third world country where the cops sound all alike.
Be very careful, please.
Lydia

--

Irulan
from the stars we came, to the stars we return
from now until the end of time


"badwilson" wrote in message
...

"Steve Touchstone" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 10 Jun 2004 10:44:05 +0700, "badwilson" wrote:

So the company that Dennis works for is refusing to renew our Thai
visas.
They say that Dennis works in Burma now and it's not their problem that
we
live in Thailand. Technically it's true but do they have to be such
jerks
about it?

Wonder if they have a reason, or if it's just some nitwit sitting in
an office somewhere. Lots of times senseless policies and rules that
we had to deal with while I was in the Army were thought up by low
ranking clerks. Once the higher ups were made aware of the "policies"
things went back to normal. Hopefully there's someone you could talk
to in the company that can help.

Nah, all avenues have been explored. It's a favouritism thing. They
don't
want to give us a visa because they are afraid that all sorts of other
employees will come out of the woodwork and try to live in Thailand, etc.
And then they'll have to give them all visas. We're on our own, I'm
afraid.
But we do have a plan, muahahaha ;-)

Anyway, my visa expires on Sunday, so yesterday I drove to the border
at
Cambodia in order to leave Thailand and re-enter to get a 1 month visa.
I packed several tapes of my favourite driving tunes, a couple of BBQ
pork
chops and a tub of pomelo for food, bottled water, road maps, big wad
of
cash and my passport.
At 8:20 am, I was off on my lonely drive. It rained pretty much the
whole
way there, which was nice in the fact that it wasn't so hot, but the
road
isn't the best and the hydroplaning led to some scary moments. It was
300km
there and took till 12:30.
The Cambodian side of the border was incredibly corrupt. First I had
to
pay
200 baht ($5) for this guy to staple a form into my passport saying
that
I
don't have SARS. No one checked to make sure I don't have SARS. Then
I
had
to pay $1100 baht ($28) for my Cambodian visa so I could enter
Cambodia.
Of
course I didn't spend any time there, I just turned right around and
came
back. There's nothing to see at that border post. So that was an
expensive
5 minutes I spent in Cambodia! Then I had to pay 300 baht ($8) for
them
to
let me leave Cambodia. Grrr! When I re-entered Thailand I got a stamp
for
one measly month more :-( Next time we leave Thailand to go to a
country
with a Thai embassy we'll apply for a year visa, but until then I'll be
driving to Cambodia every month.
On the way back, I was trundling along at a good rate of speed when
suddenly
a cop jumps out from behind a bush and waves me over. I was going so
fast
that I screeched to a halt only a foot from his cop car. I thought I
was
in
big trouble. But he said that he had pulled me over for driving in the
fast
lane, a big no no if you're not actually passing anyone. His English
was
surprisingly good and he asked me if I wanted to pay the fine now or if
he
should give me a ticket. Duuuuuh! Pay now, I said. Paying later
involves
having to go to the nearest police station to where it happened one
week
later. No thanks, that's almost 300 km away! So I pulled out 200 baht
($5)
from my wallet. He reached in and snatched it out of my hand and ran
away
from my car to pull someone else over. So I left. Very weird. Not a
word
about my obvious speeding (not that I've ever seen a speed limit posted
anyway, nor do I think they have radar). I guess he got what he wanted
(cash) and at least it was only 5 bucks.
Other than that, it was a fine roadtrip. I had an ice cream at the
border.
I saw all the giant fruits (giant pineapple, giant durian, giant
banana).
I
saw trucks filled to overflowing with rambutan and rambutan flying off
the
trucks and rolling around all over the road. I sang badly to myself in
the
car. Yeah, it wasn't so bad ;-)

Except for the rainy roads, sounds like a rather pleasant way to spend
the day.

Yeah, all in all it wasn't too bad. I was a bit apprehensive driving so
far
all on my own. The drivers are so bad here, but I have adapted quite well
and can now "go with the flow" of craziness that happens on the roads
here.
And now that I've done it once, it'll be easier to do it again. But we
are
still planning to get a 1 year visa on our own (without the help of the
stupid company) so I don't have to drive there once a month.
--
Britta
Sandpaper kisses, a cuddle and a purr. I have an alarm clock that's
covered
in fur!
Check out pictures of Vino at:
http://photos.yahoo.com/badwilson click on the Vino album