Day 167-171: How not to enter Thailand (visa fiasco II)

What's that you say? Surely after the resolutions made back in July regarding the Vietnamese visa fiasco Team 365 would not be so stupid as to make a visa-based mistake again...erm...well...we did.

SO what we were sure of when entering Thailand is that when you cross the border by land you are given 15 days gratis (thank you very much you lovely Thais) and then one must extend this visa while remaining on Thai soil. What we thought was that this extension would be easy to do and fairly priced; this is where we went wrong.

Once you have received your free 15-day pass you can extend your visa ONLY by 7 days and ONLY once and all for the outrageous fee of 47USD. There are loopholes, though these loopholes involve doing "border runs" i.e. traveling into Burma for about half an hour just so you can turn around and get another 15 days for free on re-entry. Unfortunately this can only be done at 2 specific borders (one in the south and one in the north) and you, of course, have to pay to get to and from the borders.

So we were left with a few options;
1) Numerous border runs around a carefully-planned itinerary to make sure we were indeed near enough to the borders at the right time.
2) Fly out of and then back into the country (those entering by air, as apposed to land, are given 30 days free)
3) Go back to Vientiane (Laos) and visit the Thai embassy there where we can get a 2-month visa for free

We opted for #3 - of course this is more than mildly annoying since it involves 2 night buses and takes 4 days in total and we have already been to Vientiane, stayed right around the corner from the embassy, and could have saved all this hassle if we had - as we resolved to - been more visa-efficient the first time round.

But we're back on Thai soil now and after what I have been trying to dub "a city break", our trip to Vientiane wasn't all that bad. We love the city and we met some fantastic people - a special thanks to Daniel (of frequent border-run experience) here for making everything so easy :)

Now...may the Thailand adventure continue!

Day 105: Keeping it Riel

You have read correctly; without any sort of visa-based disaster on this border-crossing we have made it into Cambodia! Hurrah! We weren't even ripped off, what a bonus...

We have been very busy since arriving on Phnom Penh indeed; visiting the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek straight off the night bus which was something of a sombre awakening in many respects. This blog isn't about regurgitating history, but it was harrowing to see the skulls of thousands of Cambodians who were killed by Pol Pot and his Khmer Rouge army...as recently as the 70's.

Following their reign of terror, which deliberately wiped out the intellectual population of Cambodia - a tally that reaches around 2 million of Cambodia's then-total population of 7 million - the nation now has an average age of 22. Twenty two. It's a young country, a war-torn country - and you can see this walking the streets.

But what I've also enjoyed seeing is that this is a proud nation; the architecture is the most beautiful I've seen. Ornate Pagodas sit aside ultra modern hotel complexes and tarpaulin market stalls with ease. And everyone is smiling.

As well as sampling the local specialty - specialty beer that is - Angkor, at around 2000 Riel (ahh yes, that's the reason for the obscure title spelling) or 30p a pop, we've been exploring the city at large, and loving every moment.

First impressions of Cambodia are more than favourable; they're bloody fantastic. The photos are up so why not have a browse yourself and see what we mean?

Day 78: How not to enter Vietnam (and other resolutions)

So here we are in pastures new and the first of our South East Asian resolutions is to leave behind the musical punns that were forming the title of our posts [*brief pause while you look back and realise that was what they were all about*] But - fear not - we won't be stooping to anything as helpful as using actual place names...

Our second resolution, after being refused entry into Vietnam, is to be more visa-efficient. I should explain; Vietnamese visas can be quickly and easily obtained on entry with possession of an 'approval letter' from the government which is, again, easily obtained in advance. The problem arose when we extended our stay in India by a month and subsequently arrived at the airport with an approval letter that allowed us entry up until the second of July...on the seventh of July.

After much pleading, smiling, dodgy translation and even some tears we were provided with a last-minute visa for $140...each; more than five times the price we'd already paid for our (now expired) approval letters in advance.

Needless to say we left the airport with spirits somewhat dampened. But - and this is one of the joys of backpacking - the bus we boarded into town was full of other travellers and we spent the rest of the day finding accomodation and getting our first taste of bia hoi (local beer) with some lovely folk.

Hanoi is an awesome city; we've been pounding the pavements, and the streets, since the pavements are usually full of parked mopeds and street cafes. The locals are a venerable mix of the super-stylish and weathered-workers; friendly folk with wide smiles and peaked hats.

We've seen some incredible architecture, some beautiful art galleries and some seriously fresh fish being sold; they're kept in bowls pumped with oxygen and they're still gasping for breath when they're cut and weighed and sold. It's quite something to behold. And all the more reason (for me) to keep it en chay (vegetarian).

Tonight we're leaving for the mountaneous north of the country, right up on the boarder with China, where we hope to trek through paddy fields, meet some of the Vietnamese hill tribes and, Heiniken in hand, watch Holland win the world cup.

Let the Vietnamese adventures begin!

Day -10: These boots were made for walking

Well as the day of departure looms ever nearer, members of team365 can be found in various guises of preparation.

One has dutifully attended the appropriate outdoorsy shops in the Bucks area and equipped himself with the requisite anti-mosquito and safety-enhancing devises (nets, sprays, ancient chants to be mumbled two strokes before the dawning of each new day while facing south and balancing in an improbable position.)
The other, last seen "wearing in" some visually offensive walking boots (with a high waisted skirt and turquoise tights, if you're asking) in the vicinity of Leicester Square, has only recently breathed a sigh of relief since posting the teams' passports to an address in Hayes.

They have since been returned with a shiney new Indian Visa in each and so, it seems, the trip can continue as planned!

A belated happy easter to all!