Two steps beyond. . . .

So, back in Phnom Penh. It’s hot as hell, and I have a feeling I may melt.

The Embassy issue dire warnings that they are closed on Friday for the Royal Wedding. If that delays the arrival of my passport I am going to write to William & Kate. . . .

And I have lost all my passport photos for getting visas. So I need to take a trip to the photo studio again. This time, I am pleased to see that I look less like a gnome (or Ferengi).

But good news! My passport is ready. A quick trip to the embassy, and I’m clutching a brand new passport. With pictures of birds on the pages. Why birds?

OK, let’s recap.

I lost my passport and credit card on 20th March. I had to wait until 30th March to get that credit card so I could start on the passport trail – but meanwhile I managed to get the police report filled in.

Step 1 – Get to Phnom Penh & apply for new passport. Visit embassy, pay fee for new passport and courier fee ($254).

Step 2 – wait for passport to return from Hong Kong – total time, 23 days

Step 3 – Return to Phnom Penh. Collect passport from Embassy

Step 4 – Take moto out to airport ($10) to apply to immigration for an exit visa at a cost of $40 (they nearly fined me for staying in the country longer than 30 days). Expected time – 3 working days

Step 4 – Visit Vietnam embassy for Vietnam visa. Expected time – 1 day.

Total expected delay in Cambodia – 3 weeks. Which means I need to really rework the rest of my trip… things might get cancelled/rearranged as I have

• Vietnam
• HongKong
• China
• Tibet
• Nepal
• India

still to go and around 80 days to do it in!! Better get zippy!

 

Coda: having phoned immigration today at 4:30, I was advised that for ‘an expediting fee’ I could get my exit visa today rather than next Tuesday. Possibly the best 20 bucks I have ever spent. So, after organising another ‘expediting fee’ for my Vietnam visa… I could be on the way on Saturday…. (the expediting fee could not under any circumstance be called a ‘bribe’. But it wasn’t going to get written on a receipt, no sir)

Advertisement