mind on shuffle

All this for a 2 week visa… thoughts throughout the day

Waking Up: Get ready, grab a taxi to the sky train and the sky train to Udom Suk. From there another taxi to Bangsa Big C and from there hop on a bus heading for Cambodia. Can’t believe this randomness is normal. 

On the bus heading to Cambodia: This bus is full of old people and all them do this everyday to go gamble in Cambodia and then return at 5? That’s retirement in Thailand? 4 hours to get the border - 12:30PM

At the border: Thailand on the border feels like the circus, a market and dirt had a baby. Everybody is so eager to help me get through customs and thats with tonka truck full of sarcasm! “hey hey hey, chop your passport? Only 200 baht ok ok ok?!?!”

In between Thailand and Cambodia: This guy “chop chop” has followed me all the way from the bus, he’s not giving up. This guy has introduced me to a Cambodian police officer? He’s holding my passport? What is it about this police officer’s uniform that is so fake? (I then yelled at that dude, “Hey, give me that back.” and he just said, “Ok.” Like, oh well almost had ya) Can you believe the nerve of that guy?

Cambodian visa purchased: This place is so screwed up. Hearing the Cambodian custom guard scream my name was hilarious! “Robaaat? Dakata Robaaat?” Leaving the visa office I am making my way to the Cambodian border but I’m stopped by three guys sitting at a table. They grab my passport, shuffle with some papers in a folder. At first it felt legit but then I started to look at the whole picture. Again, there is something seriously fake about this uniform and this is a table set up in the middle of the sidewalk, there is nothing here! Then ya dude holding my passport says, “200 Baht to chop your passport.” I then tell that guy, “No, give me my passport back.” as I grab my passport and walk away. I literally laughed out loud this time, I couldn’t believe the audacity of these snakes. 

Standing in the Cambodian arrival line: There are some Vietnamese guys. I look at one standing beside me and say, “Chao Anh.” He was shocked and literally didn’t know what to say. So I then said, “Anh khoe ko?” and just cracked up laughing! I love shocking Vietnamese people like that when I am outside of Vietnam. They turned out to be some pretty cool dudes from Saigon and I’ll catch up with them when they come back to Bangkok. 

Coming back into Thailand: There is no one standing in customs to depart Cambodia. This little girl starts to follow me asking for money. I walk up to a restaurant, ask her if she’s hungry and she nods yes. I sit down, order food for her and myself. The server of the restaurant is aggravated by this so I motion to the girl to go get some friends. She comes back with like 15 of these street kids, everybody in the place is staring and just shocked. The server is pissed and starts shooing them off. I negotiate and he allow’s three kids to sit down but they have to take the food to go. I agree, the kids get their food and leave. I get my food, eat it and then paid for it all. Before the kids left with the food I told them to share and they said ok. As I was walking past the street kid group on the sidewalk I saw the little girl finishing off the box and the other kid sitting up in a tree like a Jaguar eating his box. They didn’t share a bit, haha! Then all the kids bum rush me asking for food but there was nothing I could do. The little girl runs up and shoos them all way at my defense. Maybe next time I’ll do some reconnaissance before buying the rice and just surprise the kids with a lot of rice as they’re chilling on the sidewalk?

Getting back into Thailand: The line is from the counter all the way outside the building and its not moving. Man its hot out here, why is Thailand so much cooler? 45 minutes go by and I’m still standing in line. American guy in front of me is so embarrassing! Finally I am getting my chop back into Thailand, why do I always pick the lines that go the slowest? The lady chops my passport and says, “Two weeks. Is that enough?” I smile and say, “No, I would like a year.” She just smiles at me.

Back in Thailand: Seriously, why is it cooler in Thailand? It’s 3PM and I am getting into a van heading back to Bangkok at 4PM. I get to ride shotgun and fall asleep, I am so lucky. 7PM back in Bangkok. Sky train to Thong Lo, buy some chicken rice and sea weed, hop on a taxi and head home. 

I have got to figure something out so I don’t have to do this every 2 weeks!