Visa Run in Aranyaprathet-Poipet Border, New Policy?

The other day, my passport visa stamp was going to expire so I needed to go to the Aranyaprathet-Poipet border in order to re-enter Thailand. Only, I was surprised by a policy shared to me at the immigration counter in Cambodia. They asked for 200 Baht since I was going to leave the country (Cambodia) on the same day.

I have a flight next week so the most logical thing to do was have a visa run to refresh the number of days for me to stay in Bangkok.

passport cambodia
passport stamps

From Hua Lamphong station, I hopped on the same ordinary train since this was the cheapest option available. I only paid 48 baht to get to the Aranyaprathet border. I didn’t sleep the night before so the 6-hour ride went by quickly. This is usually one of my techniques whenever I hop on long bus or train rides which makes 12 or 18-hour travels a breeze. Of course, just make sure your belongings are secure. I couldn’t tell how many passengers sat beside me cause whenever I’d open my eyes, I had a different seatmate every time. But then, I’d just doze off again because of not having enough rest the previous night.

train to aranyaprathet
train ride from Bangkok to Aranyaprathet – 48 Baht for 6 hours

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Hong Kong Trip: World Trade Center & Times Square in Causeway Bay, Wan Chai

September 3, 2010
Hong Kong Trip Day 2: World Trade Center and Times Square in Causeway Bay, Wan Chai

It rained on our second day in Hong Kong and it was declared as Storm Signal Number 1 which was such a bummer since we were raring to go out.

clive owen bvlgari
Designer Tram at Causeway Bay

Although we slept late in the morning, I woke up early to find some food for breakfast. From our hostel at the Tai San Guesthouse, I went to iSQUARE which is just a couple of blocks away. Initially, I thought iSQUARE was an office owned by Apple; later did I found that it is one of Hongkong’s skyrise malls.

I went there because I was looking for a supermarket to buy some grocery items: water bottles and chips; as well as some hair gel because we realized we weren’t in our best look when we saw our pictures the previous day. hehe.

marketplace by jasons
Marketplace by Jasons at iSquare mall

Places we visited:
iSquare Mall
World Trade Center and Times Square in Causeway Bay
Wan Chai Computer Center
The Spaghetti House

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Hongkong Trip: Tsim Sha Tsui and Mongkok Computer Center

September 2, 2010
Hongkong Trip Day 1: Tsim Sha Tsui and Mongkok Computer Center

It was a good thing Cindy, the ever-reliable researcher, read through a lot of information online especially on PinoyExchange.com (PEX). She told me that all the necessary details on what to do, where to go and how to get there is already laid out so there was no need for us to hire a travel agency to create an Itinerary for us.

busy hongkong streetshongkong night
shops and streets at 10pm!

I woke up and saw my friends, Cindy and Logan, still surfing the net with their laptops. I slept for a couple of hours at the Hong Kong International Airport which was a good thing as I had more energy to stroll around the place when we got to our hostel.

tickets train station octopus cards
Train Tickets to purchase Octopus cards

Unknown Object6am, at the airport; we went to the center where we could buy some Octopus cards for our MTR (Mass Transit Railway) fares. This proved to be a wise choice as it’s a very convenient way to travel and pay for your fare when going to different towns.

Octopus cards – check out wikipedia for more information about it: Wikipedia – Octopus Card

Places we visited:
Tsim Sha Tsui
Tai San Guesthouse
Avenue of the Stars
1881 Heritage
Mongkok Computer Center

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Hongkong Trip: From Cebu to Hong Kong

This will be a series of blog entries on how we got to Hong Kong from Cebu. Because of the information we got online was so helpful, this is my way of giving back to the community in sharing my experience for those people who might also need the information.

Hongkong Trip: Going From Cebu to Hong Kong
September 1-2, 2010

This was my first time to go abroad so I was apprehensive because I didn’t know how many issues we would be facing that would prevent us from setting foot onto foreign soil.

There were three of us (Cindy, Logan and I) and we were all first-timers so this was something we’ve looked forward to ever since we booked tickets about a year ago. We paid only 1200 Php each for the round-trip ticket from Cebu to Hong Kong using Cebu Pacific’s Piso Fare.

tsim sha tsui Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

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I haven’t packed for Hongkong

I have one more day left and I still haven’t packed my things! I’ll be leaving for Hongkong (yes, you heard it right) and no matter how hot the topic is for the place is right now, I don’t think any turning back will happen. But then I don’t want to speak too soon.

Anyway, I’ll be away for a week but I haven’t even sorted out the things I need to bring. So much for cramming.

  • clothes good for a week – maybe I’ll just bring around 3 sets of clothes and I’ll wash the rest when I get to the hostel/hotel.
  • toiletries – deodorants, soap, shampoo, toothbrush, paste – nuff said.
  • gadgets – I’m not sure if I should carry around my tripod but definitely I’ll bring my laptop and camera, I still need to blog since I can’t be away for a week without my HP540.
  • passport & ticket – My friend said that I should have copies of my passport and place them in my bag, wallet and another place for security just in case my real passport gets lost.
  • money – I should not forget this, can’t really move around if you don’t have cash.

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I got my Philippine passport!

I submitted my requirements such as my NSO birth certificate, a valid government ID, my company ID, certificate of employment, NBI clearance, the amount 1000 bucks (not rushed) and waited. I had my appearance after a week and waited again. After almost two months, I got it! I got my Philippine passport! I don’t really … Read more

on leave

I was on leave yesterday, I needed it. But I just stayed home and rested. I needed to update some records (government and not). Called the passport agency, tried to print some payslips, filled up some forms. Picked up the laundry, paid some bills, got some rest. Was pretty busy, actually. Got the ebay item … Read more

weekly update

I'm still waiting for my passport. I applied almost 2 months ago already through Jetsetters (an agency in Robinsons). I called them up and they explained that there were 3 holidays in August that's why it's a bit longer than I expected. I wish I could get my passport already. Not that I have booked … Read more

nbi clearance

I went home from work around 8am so I could run some errands since most of the stores I’ll be dropping by will be open by then. I dropped some dirty clothes at the laundry shop, went to the bank to pay the monthly charges for the camera that I bought and processed the renewal … Read more

I got my NSO Birth Certificate

I was told by a colleague that he had my birth certificate, the one I applied for last week. I didn’t know what to expect but I’m happy that I got it sooner than I thought. I just applied in the eCensus website at the comfort of our office and paid the 300 peso amount … Read more

NSO

I dropped by the eCensus website so I can apply for an NSO-certified birth certificate. I followed the steps, went to the nearest Banco de Oro bank and paid the fee (300 pesos), and I’m waiting this week to get it. By then, I’ll be a step closer to getting a passport. I don’t know … Read more