Visas! …And not the credit card type

At the end of August I made a quick day trip to Burma to renew my visa. With the visa I had, I was required to leave the country every 90 days. So, I took a bus to Mae Sai, the border town about 4 hours north of Chiang Mai. On the bus they gave me a water bottle, a snack, and an orange drink later on in the ride. They showed a Thai tv show that reminded me of I Love Lucy, only a little more promiscuous and a lot more Thai, and then played Thai music the rest of the way. In Mae Sai I met my friend Jay and we crossed the border, bought some movies, and came back to Thailand. I think I beat my old record of a 40 minute visit to Burma – we only stayed about 25 minutes, then drove back to Chiang Mai. Mission accomplished, and I was set for another 90 days.

… Or so I thought.

Three days later I got an email that my R-A (“religious alien”) visa had been processed and approved, and I needed to go to Laos to pick it up. [The R-A visa allows me to stay in the country for a whole year without having to leave every 90 days. Now I just have to check in at immigration instead.] Oh fun. So at the end of September I went to Laos (or Lao, as it is called in Lao and Thailand) with my friend Wor. I flew to Udon Thani via Bangkok and met Wor there. Wor is my good friend from Chiang Mai that I met the first time I came to Thailand, and have gotten to know more and more over the years.

She is now serving as the youth pastor of an international church in Udon, and doing a great job of it! She showed me around Udon that night, and early the next morning we took a bus, taxi, and bus again to Nong Khai and crossed the border into Vientiane, Lao. We had arranged for a man named Pon to help us with the paperwork aspect of everything, and it went more smoothly than I thought possible! Pon has friends at the border and at the Thai embassy, so we got to the front of the line and things went quickly. He dropped us off at a hotel and would pick us up the next day. Burma border runs are quick, but for the R-A visa, I had to spend the night outside of the country.

Wor and I had a day then to explore Vientiane. We went to the morning market, walked around the main drag, and climbed up Pratu Xay, a huge monument that was built with American money designated for an airport – Pratu Xay’s nickname is “The Vertical Runway.”

We had a relaxing afternoon and then went exploring around a night market and festival. The morning was more exploring, finding a delicious coffee shop and finishing up some shopping at the market. Pon picked us up and we went back to the embassy to pick up my visa, and then traveled back to Nong Khai and Udon Thani. I flew back to Bangkok and Chiang Mai, now “stamped in” to Thailand until September 28, 2010! Phew! Plus it was great to spend time with Wor and see her new life. Thank God for good friends.