Thai Visa Application

When I left off in the last blog I mentioned the disaster of a day on Monday.  Some were asking how did Tuesday work out?  The good news it we started with internet connection but then after receiving an urgent email from my contact in Chiang Mai…. read about it below… I could neither send nor receive anything again!  But in regards to the window that fell out.  I’m glad to report it was easily fixed.

Ok so what were the challenges I faced when applying for my Thai visa …..

It was getting closer to my time to leave Cambodia and I suddenly thought oh dear I better apply for a 3 month visa before I go as I can only get a one month if I just arrive at the airport.  I didn’t have much time so I contacted Joshua who had mentioned he had a friend, Calvin, in Chiang Mai who might be able to assist.  Martin downloaded and printed out the visa application form from the Thai Embassy here in Phnom Penh (I’ve been spelling it wrong since the beginning!!).  That night I received an email with letters from a children’s foundation to assist with applying for a one year visa which would give me an initial 3 months and opportunity for a year if I so desired.  Then I hit a snare!  The PDF copies where of very poor quality and when printed out were illegible!  Martin and I tried to darken the print but this also darkened the paper.  It was now a day before Martin and Deborah were leaving for a month in Korea.  Time was running out.  I contacted Joshua who called Calvin but these were the only copies he had at present.  Friday, Martin tried again at the HisChild office.  Praise the Lord, with a bit of tweaking all 6 pages were printed.  Some were still very dark but, God willing, would be accepted by the Thai staff at the embassy.  More prayer needed.  Now it was a wait till the Embassy opened on Monday.  I had tried to call on Friday but no answer so I suspect they were still on their New Year holiday.

Many shops in Cambodia are closed over the NY period except some, which I was told were owned by the Vietnamese who don’t celebrate the Khmer NY.  My favourite restaurant, I was informed, would be closed but when we passed on Thursday it was open so we went in for coffee.  The owners were running it themselves and boy were they flat out!  Even with fewer patrons they were still rushing about.  The husband was working the floor and till while his wife was preparing the meals.  I really admired their determination.

Then on the Saturday, a week before my departure I started filling out the visa request form and realised there was information I still needed to acquire to complete the form.  After several emails back and forward to Calvin and a desperate attempt to contact AirAsia for my flight details (they had not emailed me my itinerary when I had rebooked) I finally, on Sunday evening, had all I needed.  Well, I thought I had, till I spoke to the Thai consulate on Monday morning!  He said he was very sorry but I needed original papers and if I could get them to him by Thursday then he would grant me my 3 month visa.  So racing back to the house (where that morning and even now when I returned we had no wifi, the server was down) I picked up my tablet and headed to the Rosewood to make some frantic calls and emails.  I needed an address to send the papers to and a reliable courier who could get them here on time.  It seems Cambodia doesn’t have a regular postal service and there are very few post offices.  Praise the Lord, HisChild has a postal address which I forwarded to Calvin.  Yet another wait!

Tuesday morning started well.  I sent off my last blog to be proof read and I received two emails from Calvin, one to reassure me that he had the original papers sent by FedEx to the address I had given him and a second to answer all my questions.  Then a third came in to ask me for the zip/post code of the address I had given.  And you guessed it the server once again was down so I couldn’t reply.  Not only this, we were waiting for our drinking water to arrive and I was the only one home.  eeekkkk everything seems to happen at the same time.  Fortunately Yu Jin was coming back before 11am when the delivery was due.  Thank you Lord.  Then dash off to my favourite restaurant to use their wifi and cool down over a coffee.  Email and prayers sent.  Now just waiting on the Lord to do His part in sending the papers swiftly and safely to my hot little hand by Wednesday.   Wednesday came and went with no papers.  The tracking on Thursday morning showed the package was still in Thailand at least it was not in Bangkok.

Wednesday evening I joined Yu Jin and Heera on the bus ministry to the street kids.  I also caught up with some of the medical students I met in Kampong Chum.  It has been such hot days lately with over 40 degrees heat and high humidity.  That evening on route to the bus it rained.  In fact there were reports of hailstones! This is a very strange phenomena here in Cambodia.  The guys were soaked when I met them having ridden their bike from the university.  They were interested in the activities with the street children and stayed awhile to watch and interact with the children.  We then walked around the walls of the palace which was adjacent the Mekong River.  It was beautifully lit up. I spoke with Phalla who was the interpreting doctor praying for the woman who received her hearing after being prayed for to confirm whether she had partial or full healing.  He said before praying she couldn’t hear at all but after praying she could hear them speaking clearly.  So a correction to my previous blog ‘Healing’ it was not a partial but full hearing that the Lord restored to her.

Thursday morning tracking showed the package was still in Bangkok, by 2pm the package had finally arrived in PP.  I rang FedEx to see if they could give me a time it might arrive at HisChild office, but they didn’t even know it was in Cambodia!  I then called HisChild office and asked if they could please let me know as soon as it arrived. I left Rosewood restaurant for a quick bit of lunch at home before making more calls.  I called FedEx and was informed my package had been delivered.  I called HisChild again but it wasn’t there yet.  Called back to dispatch and they said it had been delivered to them and was now being delivered to HisChild.  To cut a long story short the package finally arrived around 4:15pm and I had till 5pm to get the papers into the Embassy.  On the verge of tears when Eunah handed me the envelope, with motorbike helmet in hand, we raced off to find a motorbike to take me into PP.  Just around the corner from the house we found Utah chatting to Yu Jin and Heera who were on their way to the team meeting at 5 pm.  I think they were all surprised to see me so flustered.  Utah offered to drive me in, of which I was truly grateful.  There was no one in the office at the Embassy when I arrived, all three counters were empty!  It wasn’t yet 5pm!  I was getting a bit concerned and Utah needed to return to the team meeting.  It was then I open the express envelope.  I couldn’t believe my eyes!  There in my hand were the papers, but not the originals I had expected but photo copies just like the ones I had previously brought in and had been told I needed originals! Oh no! what was I going to do?  Utah saw the horror on my face and was also shocked when I explained what had happened.  The only thing that was original was the blue seal from the foundation!  Was this going to be enough?  Again I choked back tears of frustration and disappointment and prayed, it is all in your hands Lord.  I can’t do anything more.  Utah needed to go.  Should I stay or go with him?  Well I certainly wasn’t going anywhere till I’d seen someone.   After all the effort I’ve made thus far I was determined to wait.  Surly someone would return to the counter soon.   Utah left with instructions to the security guard to order a motorbike to take me back when I was finished.   I waited with dogged determination.

Eventually someone arrived.  Looked at me and said I needed to bring my papers in tomorrow as afternoons were for pick up only.  I explained that I had spoken to the consulate on Monday and he had said I could come in today and that my papers have only just arrived by courier.  My papers and passport where reluctantly taken and 15mins later (I prayed, bound the enemy and reminded him he was a defeated foe crushing him under my heal as I sang a victory song to the Lord) the attendant returned. He asked me for $80US.  Did this mean it was granted?  I could hardly believe my ears and stammered oh yes, eighty dollars.  He took my US notes but looked at the $50 very carefully as it had a slight tear that had been sticky taped together.  I hadn’t noticed it before.  Any slight tear, corner missing or even scribbles on the US dollar could and usually meant they were rejected or accepted but for less value.  Sure enough it was passed back to me.  I was not going to give in.  I told him I didn’t have any more.  Thank God it was accepted as so it should!  Their own currency on the other hand is often filthy, torn, extremely faded and ragged from over use but always accepted.

I was given a receipt with a number on it and told to come back on Monday.  Monday!  I was leaving on Saturday! He made an adjustment on my receipt and said come tomorrow at 4pm.  Hardly able to contain my joy I think I must have floated out of the embassy.

I joined the team members and after the meeting shared my victory and apologised for hassling everyone in my stress.  I could now relax.

Thursday night was a nightmare!  Just after I had jumped into bed the electricity went off and stayed off all night, no fan, which meant I tossed and turned in a sweat all night.  It remained off till sometime during the afternoon.  I tried to pack in the morning and did some hand washing then went out to see if Rosewood had power. No.  I came home and sat outside where it was a bit cooler on the balcony.  I had just decided I’d try somewhere else for wifi when Sothea, our Khmer teacher, was leaving Pai Lan’s place.   He offered to take me to his place so I could get some work done as they had electricity.  After recharging my laptop and phone which had been totally flat I walked home checking if power had resumed.  No.  I tried working at home but when Yu Jin said she was going to sit in the burger shop above Lucky supermarket to cool off, I said I would join her.

At 1pm, my tuk tuk driver arrived to take me into PP this time to visit Mother’s Heart.  On the way I was a bit concerned with his motorbike it kept stalling but I presumed it was the heat.

Mothers Heart was founded in 2010 by Katrina Gliddon (an Aussie) and a small-dedicated team to respond to the lack of choice for women in Cambodia facing unplanned pregnancies. Research showed that abortion was a main form of contraception, sometimes resulting in maternal death. Cambodia did not have crisis pregnancy consulting services and there was no existing services providing women with viable alternatives to abortion.

Built on a solid foundation of 25 years of Mother’s Choice in Hong Kong, Mother’s Heart was born, adapted to the unique Cambodian challenges and culture.  Mothers Heart provides pregnant woman’s services, counselling, accommodation, health care, preparing for birth, long term support after the birth of their baby if they choose to keep their baby, education, fostering and adoption options according to government policies.

I received a grand tour and saw their power point presentation and a short video of the plight of one mother.  I was very impressed.

Then off again with the tuk tuk coughing and spluttering all the way to the embassy.  A short wait and there it was, in the palm of my hot sweaty hand, my passport stamped with a 3 month visa!  Hallelujah!  Joyously I headed home.

This time my concern was for the tuk tuk. Would we reach home and more importantly will it be ok to take me to that airport tomorrow at 5am?  The driver asked me for an extra $3 to get the engine looked at before tomorrow.  Hmmmmm not my policy to give money before I get my goods!  But what the heck!  He knew I’d given his name to Yu Jin who wanted a tuk tuk driver for Wednesday so I gave him the only note I had, $5 and told him I’d call him at 4:30am.

Praise God the power was back on.  I showered and changed my drenched clothes and washed them so I could pack them later that night.  Made sure everything was ready for the early start and went to bed later than I hoped.  I couldn’t sleep well as expected when you are waiting for the alarm to go off.  At 4:15am I dragged myself out of bed, exercised, repacked, and rang tuk tuk driver who said he had been waiting outside since 4am!  Fortunately Yu Jin woke up to say good bye as I had forgotten to ask her for the key for the main gate which gets locked at night.  She helped carry my bags down stairs, said our good byes and I was off.  It was a lovely cool morning and thank God no engine problems.  At the airport I was so early I had to wait till the counter was open before I could book in.

Flying into Thailand the landscape was totally different to Cambodia which is so hot and dry whereas Thailand looked lush and green in comparison.  No dramas getting to Bangkok’s Don Muang Airport.  I was collected by an AirAsia staff and taken to the domestic airport where I went through immigration but not customs as my baggage was going straight to Chiang Mai.  I was so looking forward to buying a coffee with my Thai Baht which I had kept from my previous visit nearly twenty years ago.  I ordered a cappuccino, only 40Bt ($1.60Aus) and handed over my 1,000Bt note.  The attendant said I’m sorry we don’t take foreign money here.  I told her, no this is Thai currency (she must have been in her early 20’s so hadn’t see the older notes).  Looking at it again, she asked a colleague it they could accept the note.  No.  I tried again at another store but again it was rejected and being Saturday the bank wasn’t open to exchange it either.  Oh well there goes my coffee and nowhere to fill up my water container!  Thank God I had packed my pre-prepared muesli, banana, milk and yogurt.

On arriving at Chiang Mai, at 12:50pm, I followed the crowd till I saw a sign saying international passengers.  I headed away from the pack but was redirected by ground staff.  I tried to explain I was an international traveller and needed to pick up my bag but the guy was determined I should follow the crowd, so I presumed my baggage would be taken off with the rest.  It wasn’t!  I waited for my suitcase but it didn’t arrive so I asked to see one of the AirAsia attendants and explained why.  I was directed towards the international airport and had to struggle through crowds for passengers and friends milling around the terminals.  Finally finding my way to the international arrivals gate I asked to enter, once again explained my situation.  I was directed towards the AirAsia attendant who called to find out where my bag was.  It was eventually found, picked up and I was off back through the crowds to the domestic terminal to try and find Calvin who said he would wait at gate #2.

I was now nearly half an hour late and as I stood just outside gate 2 I started wondering if Calvin had come and gone!  I waited a further 15mins then I borrowed someone’s mobile phone and called.  He was on his way and later told me he had planned to pick me up at 2pm which he did.  I was exhausted having had no lunch, no coffee, and no water since the tuk tuk leaving Takhmao!

Calvin drove us to one of the many shopping centres in Chiang Mai where I rehydrated with a fresh coconut and my favourite Chiang Mai soup Kaw Soi which is a bit like Luksa.  The rest if the day was a bit of a blur.  That night was a nightmare.  I didn’t sleep well as there was quite a bit of noise and light flooding my room till I did some rearranging.  I tossed and turned one minute hot the next cold.  I started questioning my ability to stay here.  Then next day more rearranging’s, found a top sheet and a light blanket.  I was on the top floor of a three story building and it was stifling hot.  I opened up the front & back windows for a cross breeze which seemed to help as well as the fan.  Sunday night was much better.  I could handle this.

Sunday I joined Calvin at church which was mostly Thai with 30% non-Thai for various countries.  It was conducted in Thai and Eng both the worship and the preaching as the pastor is from Nagaland and his wife a local Thai woman.  After church Calvin needed to do a few things so took me to another large shopping complex where I browsed around then bought some Thai deserts which I love.  I didn’t have lunch as I intended to have durian instead which was one of the things we planned to do on route home.  I was taken to all sorts of shopping malls looking at things Calvin needed.  I also bought a pair of sport shorts and a singlet top to go jogging, a total of $8.65Aus.  The durian was so cheap I couldn’t resist but only one piece of the 4 packets we bought was as good as I hoped.  At 6pm  I mentioned to Calvin I had never had a Thai massage even having I lived in Thailand for 3 ½ yrs, so he took me to a place he knew where we both had a 2hr Thai massage for around $25.  Boy did she work those tight muscles!  When we arrived back at the house at 10pm, I was exhausted!

Monday, after my good night’s sleep I was up early and out the door by 6am for my first jog since leaving Perth on the 25^th February.  It felt good to be back pounding the pavement and the weather was surprisingly cool unlike Cambodia.  I’m so grateful for the cooler weather.  On my return to the house I stopped off at the Muay Thai across the road from where I’m staying and asked if I could use their boxing bag and proceeded to have another 15mins work out.   I hope they weren’t laughing at my rusty technique.  😉

When Calvin woke we rearranged the house so that he could move his office to the ground floor where it would not only be cooler but more convenient.  He has a heap for things here from various missions and medical teams.  Calvin is a travel coordinator and has been in Chiang Mai over nine years.  It took us all morning to sort things through and tidy up.  During this time I finished off my durian and Thai savoury snack, Mieng Kham, I’d forgotten how delicious it was.  Mieng Kham is a whole lot of little ingredients including onion, lime, ginger, peanuts, dried shrimp, chili, roasted desiccated coconut and a sticky sweet paste all wrapped up in a betel nut leaf.   Very refreshing.

While waiting for Calvin, to take us out for lunch, I caught up with correspondence and other matters which I was able to do as we are on wifi here.  Calvin had promised he would get me a SIM today.  He had kept forgetting when we were previously out to change one of his spare SIM cards as I needed a mini for my iPhone.  Unbeknown to me Calvin had fallen asleep so it was nearly 5pm before I finally received my SIM.  My CM friends were getting concerned as they had not heard from me and were wondering if I had arrived safely.

Pictures:   1. Bodhi Tree Flower    2. Black grandfather Takhmao    3. Bus ministry    4. Medical student friends at Kings Monument 5. King’s Palace    6. Mothers Heart Ministry   7.  Thai Visa    8. Flying into Chiang Mai   9. Kanom Thai    10. Orchids at massage parlour   11. Mieng Kham  12. Montong!

Prayer & Praise Points:

Please pray for those affected by the earthquake in Nepal.

Praise the Lord for His mighty hand in the provision of my 3 month visa.

I praise the Lord for safe flight and entry into Thailand and for Calvin who has welcomed me in and shown me around.

Please pray for ongoing good health and that my body will adjust to my new environment and again safety on the roads as I travel up country this coming week.

Pray also for me to hear the Lord’s leading while I’m here in Thailand.  That I will know where He would like me to minister and also that I will be able to return after my 3 months expires.

Praise the Lord for watching over my Mum, and her ongoing health.   Thank you all for keeping her in your prayers, please continue to pray she will remain in good health.

Thank you all for standing with me in prayer as I continue on my adventure.