Visa Day

This morning I was off to the train by 8am and in line at the embassy by 8:45, the first one. I was joined within minutes by another person, and by 9am, the line stretched halfway down the block. I was very glad I was early because it lessened the stress a lot knowing that I would be first to talk to them. I got to the window and handed over my paperwork. The lady asked me if I was getting paid in Thailand and I said no, then she asked how long I’d be there and I said for a year. She replied “Without getting paid?!” I was like “Yep.” She took my paperwork in the back, returned, told me to sit in some waiting chairs and that someone would come talk to me. I sat there for about 45 minutes, and she called me back to the window to tell me it was approved and asked for money. I can come pick up the visa tomorrow.

While I was waiting, I was chatting with a guy from England and he was there with his buddy who lives in Thailand and is a Muy Thai instructor. His wife and son are in Thailand right now but he had to come get a visa for some reason. He has been married to a Thai woman for 7 years, so I would think by now he’d have citizenship, but I guess not. Anyway, he was stressed cause he had all his paperwork in order and then he got to the front of the line and they said he had to show that he had $2000 in Singapore money in an accessible bank account. I hope he got his stuff all sorted because he has been away for a couple months I think and is anxious to get back to his family.

After the visa thing was sorted, I jumped on a bus to the Singapore Botanical Gardens, which are beautiful! I wandered the gardens for a few hours and saw all kinds of plants and sculptures and even some swans. It’s a huge plot of land—155 acres! There’s a 6 acre rainforest right in the middle too, as well as several ponds and food areas. 

I started to get overwhelmed by the humidity and headed back to the train station for some lunch. I jumped on the train back to the house and plan to relax for the rest of the day. I was going to hike down to the beach for a swim, but I think I’ll save that for tomorrow.

Instead I ended up napping, watching TV, reading and generally just being a layabout for a couple of hours! I ended up helping Pak Kheng go grocery shopping after supper, for which she was very happy. I thought it was the absolute least I could do to repay her kindness and generosity. Post shopping, I was overjoyed to discover that they get Castle in Singapore!!! I love that show, in all its cheesy glory!