A Day to Forget!

[PeteC]

Special attention to Wanderlust on this one....LOL.

Went out today to take an unofficial survey of Thai people and how they think the country is doing in terms of toursim, and what is going to happen on Wednesday. I'll explain further in another post.

As we have done for the past few years, we packed up the baby bag with diapers, formula, water, powder etc. Never any problems, not a one.

Since we were going down near the beach today, I decided to put my passport into a zipper pocket in the baby bag. Have done it before, no problems.

Got back home an hour ago and I have no passport. Yes, it is here in my hands but wetter than a baby's bum and every stamp in it, my visa and my photo page looks like something someone would forge in a bathroom somewhere... I have to laugh, I have no choice. Nothing is readable. If I showed this to a cop or immigration I would be arrested for forgery.

So, it's off to Bangkok on Monday to renew everything.

WL, words of warning......LOL. Pete

[nevets]

I am so sorry to here this ,its a persons night mare good Luke mate.

[Wanderlust]

Thanks for the warning! I know I shouldn't, but I never take my passport anywhere with me unless I have to, and don't even take a photocopy which I should at least. I am probably tempting fate, but I have never been stopped and asked for my passport by police, and the only times I have needed it I have had it with me, because I have been away from home so needed it to check in to a hotel or do a visa run etc.

It's not something I want to rely on, but if push came to shove my wife's uncle has quite a bit of clout as a senior police officer in Bangkok and I am told that a quick phone call by my wife to him would sort pretty much anything out. In fact he has offered to do various things for me, such as sorting out work permits or visa extensions without me needing to jump through the hoops, and has even asked if I know anyone who could use his 'service' so PM me if you are interested! I have not availed myself of this, as I can do it through the 'proper' channels and would rather do that as I would then be able to take advantage of any 'grandfathering' in the future, whereas any political change could see any police, however high up, shifted without warning if they found themselves on the wrong side.

Anyway, I will add 'Ziploc bag for passport' to my list of things to get...

[PeteC]

An update on this which is funny IMHO. US Embassy closed today as major USA holiday. I found this out yesterday when I called their emergency number, told them what happened and they said if the photo page, photo and hologram over the photo are still there and visible, the passport can remain valid, even if your dog has chewed on the rest of it. I then decided to dab all the pages with water once again, and then iron all the pages with low heat. It worked pretty well, except that all the stamps in it are still just as undreable, running and transposed on the pages opposite.

Anyway, decided to try it on with Thai immigration today at a very small office east of Pattaya. Got there about 1100 hours and only two officers there, and the one I got has a recent eye injury and a patch over it, and wearing glasses as well for the other eye. He looked at my passport and contents and looked up at me several times and said or asked nothing. I really think he thought the problem was his blurred vision...LOL. In the future I'll have to look for officers with pooked eyes. He did check everything on his computer so it looks as if the data in there is more important to them than what is in your passport. So, looks as if I can delay my passport renewal until someone here or abroad gives me problems.

One thing this office always does that I don't recall anyone else mentioning, is that if you go in before your 90 expires, they add the balance left onto your new 90 day extension. I now have a 90 day dated May 28 that is good until Sept 7. Pete