Looks like I might have a little extra time on my hands to do some blog updating as today I found out that the processing of my reentry permit back to India has been delayed for an indefinite amount of time. Although I'd prefer knowing with absolute certainty the day I'll be able to leave, I suppose if your gonna get stuck anywhere "indefinitely" that the "land of smiles" in Thailand isn't a bad place for that. I can't say the predicament I find myself in right now comes by surprise though as I was fully aware of India's reentry law prior to my departure; a law passed last year in an attempt to strengthen their national security in response to what I believe was a terror plot in the country. Basically, the law makes it to where any tourist will need to get special permission from the Indian embassy if they want to reenter India on a date that is earlier than 60 days of when they left the country. I could be upset with the embassy official I spoke with about the reentry process since he told me it was a simple formality that would only take a day for processing and here I am one day after applying with no permit in hand , but in fairness to him, I'm the one that waited until the last minute to do this and so I can really only blame myself. No better time to adopt the Thai's popular phrase of "mai pen rai," which in English means "don't worry about it" and this is quite easy to do right now when taking into consideration the recent events in Japan as I watch them unfolding on tv.
Last blog, I believe I last wrote about my first day spent in Phuket and so today, I'll continue from there. Our 2nd and last day in Phuket was spent going on a boat tour that consisted of us going to James Bond island, sea canoeing in some caves in the sea, visiting a fishing village in the middle of the Andaman Sea, and playing around on a beach. If I would have written about this tour on the day it occurred or closer to when the events unfolded, I would be able to provide a much better picture for everyone, but since I didn't, suffice it to say with respect to the tour, that I ended up checking the "very good" box in every category on the survey and leaving a big "THANK YOU" in the additional comments section. On our last night in Phuket, Doan and I hit the town again, but when it was all said and done and the morning came around, it felt like the town did more of the hitting on us then we did on it. Nothing against Phuket, but after going to some of the other places we did in Thailand, I'd rank it as my least favorite, but with us only spending two days there, saying that is just as unfair as it would be for me to say I didn't like someone just because they're a Duke fan. Perhaps Phuket and I will have to have another "sit down" in the future to where we can better acquaint ourselves, but with so many other places in the world to see, I'm not sure if we'll get that opportunity.
In the morning, Doan and I hopped on a ferry to go to the Phi Phi Islands, which is an area that felt the worst of the 2005 tsunami, but is known to be one of the most beautiful areas of the world. In my next writing, I will try and cover the 2 days we spent there.
Until next time and don't underestimate an #11 seed in the tournament this year.
Last blog, I believe I last wrote about my first day spent in Phuket and so today, I'll continue from there. Our 2nd and last day in Phuket was spent going on a boat tour that consisted of us going to James Bond island, sea canoeing in some caves in the sea, visiting a fishing village in the middle of the Andaman Sea, and playing around on a beach. If I would have written about this tour on the day it occurred or closer to when the events unfolded, I would be able to provide a much better picture for everyone, but since I didn't, suffice it to say with respect to the tour, that I ended up checking the "very good" box in every category on the survey and leaving a big "THANK YOU" in the additional comments section. On our last night in Phuket, Doan and I hit the town again, but when it was all said and done and the morning came around, it felt like the town did more of the hitting on us then we did on it. Nothing against Phuket, but after going to some of the other places we did in Thailand, I'd rank it as my least favorite, but with us only spending two days there, saying that is just as unfair as it would be for me to say I didn't like someone just because they're a Duke fan. Perhaps Phuket and I will have to have another "sit down" in the future to where we can better acquaint ourselves, but with so many other places in the world to see, I'm not sure if we'll get that opportunity.
In the morning, Doan and I hopped on a ferry to go to the Phi Phi Islands, which is an area that felt the worst of the 2005 tsunami, but is known to be one of the most beautiful areas of the world. In my next writing, I will try and cover the 2 days we spent there.
Until next time and don't underestimate an #11 seed in the tournament this year.
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