Tuesday, February 28, 2006

Chapter 51 - The Bangkok Hilston

Having returned to Bangkok the lads met up with some more Canadians (is that country empty?) who had been on Koh Pha Ngan and spent the last two days on the sauce with them (with a totally innocent trip to Patpong thrown in for Gimli (yeah right they're going to believe that - ed)).

Of course Thailand could not let them go without one final drama and that would come at immigration. At the counter his usual breezy "Good Afternoon" (with the plum quotient turned up to the max) was met with an even stonier silence than normal. The surly official spent several minutes agonising over his passport before calling in his superiors and he had to head off to be quizzed by a couple of chaps with far too much gold braid for his liking.

Of course he maintained a cool British exterior (whilst shitting himself inside) and following some frenzied discussions between the gold braid merchants it became apparent that they were unhappy with the water damage to his passport (in particular the Thai visa) which had occured on the boat trip to Koh Pha Ngan. Although for the record it appeared that it was water damage per se that was the issue not its timing.

After a brief discussion, during which the prospect of a trip to jail faded with sufficient alacrity for comfort, he persuaded them to let him through having completed a fresh departure card.

We fear he will be PNG'd from Thailand for many a year to come.

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