Visa run to Burma wins prize for the most forms of transportation in one day!

http://picasaweb.google.com/briswann/VisaRunToBurmaDec07

Ok, I have some blogging to catch up on! I'm going to post two entries today, but separately, about the visa run and then about the Christmas celebration. Last Friday I went for my much-dreaded visa run to Burma. It's not that I was worried about my safety; I feel really safe in Thailand, and Paul had just made the same trip about a month ago. I was more worried simply about traveling by myself in Thailand, not knowing the language- getting lost somewhere or stranded in the heat and not being able to communicate where I needed to get to, or getting motion sick on a bus or boat. In fact, I had a stomachache for two days before I left. On Friday I went to stay with some of Paul's friends in Kuraburi, on the way to Ranong. They are a wonderful Australian family. They picked me up because they had dinner in Khao Lak that evening. We drove through the hills, along windy roads and beautiful landscape, but it was mostly dark, so I didn't see it much until the morning. (I was sitting in the front seat, so I was fine). There are really tall mountains where they live! And their house was so nice! I took a bunch of pictures. I haven't been in a spacious, Western-style house with a large kitchen in 3 months, so I was surprised to realize that I've missed some things... like couches! They just don't really have couches here. They usually sit on the concrete floor, sometimes on little mats, or sometimes there are plastic chairs. Step Ahead has wooden chairs, but couches or comfortable reclining chairs are pretty much non-existent! Their house was all decorated so nicely for Christmas, too. I had a cozy little room to sleep in, complete with a library of John Piper and other great books. I went to bed early and slept better there than I've slept in 3 months, I think.

I was awakened early in the morning (5:00!), though, by the call to prayer at the mosque just down the street. I took that opportunity to pray for the people there. In the morning, we had a nice breakfast and read from Luke, and then I was off for my 2 hour bus ride to Ranong. I took a Dramamine, which helped me not feel quite so nauseous on the windy, mountain roads, but it also made me so drowsy and SO out of it; I might as well have had 5 or 6 beers! The bus let me out in Ranong, where I caught a ride on a motorcycle to the immigration station. There I picked up a departure form and caught another motorcycle to the port, which smelled strongly of fish (gross). There were a bunch of men with small fishing boats, and I thought, "is this official?" But this is actually how you do a visa run, so ok, I went along with it. I was in my own boat with a captain and a two little boys. We stopped at about 5 check points altogether, at one of which the little boy ran my passport up, and then I got off at the Burmese immigration station, where I paid 100 baht for some guy to walk with me from the boat over the bridge, just a few hundred yards or so (ha! I could've easily found my way alone). Not only that, I was sure that Paul didn't get fooled like that when he did his visa run (I asked him later; he didn't!). Anyhow, I got my little stamp (my passport is filling up with stamps quickly), walked back over the bridge and returned to Thailand. The Thai port of entry is really cool looking, with a big golden statue. The police searched my backpack there and eyed my tin of ginger mints suspiciously, and then we headed back to the port. The boat ride was actually quite nice; it was beautiful and relaxing. I was afraid I might get seasick, but actually it was not any different from going out on the lake with my parents.

From the port, I caught a song taow (sp?) back to the Thai immigration station. I just love the variation in prices for things, too; I was charged 100B to take a motorcycle from immigration to the port, and then 12B on the song taow the same distance- back to immigration! What?! Anyway. While standing in the (long) line with other farangs to get my re-entry stamp, I asked around to find out if there was any space available on one of the shuttle buses to Khao Lak (they go directly there, so you save lots of time). I met a nice English guy who said he didn't think there was room on the shuttle he'd taken, but fortunately for me, there was one space available! Unfortunately, in the very back seat though, so I took another Dramamine before we left. Again, I was pretty loopy from the Dramamine, so the good thing was that I wasn't aware enough of my surroundings to be nervous about the crazy driving which is the norm in Thailand. Apparently, when I called Paul, who was traveling back from Hat Yai the same day, he said I sounded really out of it- deadpan and talking really slowly. We laughed about it later; I asked him if I made any sense. Whew! And this is what all farangs who live in Thailand for longer than 3 months have to do- every 3 months! I left at 9.30 in the morning and returned at 6 p.m., worn out but happy for God's protection and blessings along the way, even though it was a trip I'd rather not have taken. I counted up 6 different forms of transportation in a 24-hour- period: car, bus, motorcycle, boat, song taow, shuttle bus.