...and this was trying to LEAVE the country.
Couple of weeks ago I got a 10day extension to my 30day stamp. The officer at Patong Immigration made some sort of mistake when doing it and TIPPEXED over it in my passport, then stamped OVER the tippex and completed my 10day extension with his signature and stamping the expiry date with his red ink stamp. I took it that this was ok and he knew what he was doing and didn't think anything of it.
This afternoon I'm going through immigration at the airport heading for KL. The officer takes my passport into the office then tells me to go in the office. The officer in there points at the stamp and says "cancel" several times. I try explaining to him that I got the extension in Patong and I'd paid 1900baht. They ask me for the receipt. Who the hell keeps receipts! I don't and said I didn't have it and had thrown it away.
Then he calls in another officer and there's lots of conflab and looking at me. Clearly they are thinking that I've doctored it myself and having looked at it I could sort of see why because it does look a mess in my passport. So I said I'd complained to the officer in Patong what he'd done in my passport but that he'd said it would be ok and why couldn't they call Patong to confirm it or look it up on a computer. Of course it's sunday and Patong office isn't open and they said they didn't have access to a computer!
Then they call in 2 Air Asia reps and there's more talk and pointing at the stamp. Meanwhile the flight is being called. Then yet another officer comes in and there's more talk and showing him the stamp. While all this is going on I'm thinking what the hell are they going to do if they convince themselves the stamp is fake. Fine me 10 days overstay?...bang me up for overstaying?...not let me leave to go get another visa? I'm in with them almost 1/2 an hour before one of them makes a call on a mobile to someone and finally I get told, ok I can go.
Anyway I made it to KL but now I'm worried am I going to go through all this again tomorrow when the Thai Embassy here see that mess in my passport and any other immigration officer in the future
...and the moral I guess is to keep the receipt for the stamp in your passport until the stamp expires.
So I'm staying in one of the budget hotels near Sentral...it's monsooning down. Anyone tried any of the "massage" places round here. There's some dodgy looking geezers at the entrances, can't see the girls, and not sure I want to venture in!! Is it safe to????
