Well, on the 28th day of being in the country, it was time to make a brief exit to meet the rather quaint Thai immigration requirements. Here in the Kingdom, you can stay for 30 days, after which you must leave - but you can come straight back again and stay another 30 days. 
From Bangkok, visa runs are offerd by several companies; and there is some difficulty in finding them on the Internet - although they do advertise in the local newspapers, apparently. And thats fine, if you are a “newspaper” person. Well, I am not, I’m a ‘net guy! Eventually, I found an obscure reference on a Thai / falang forum… ended up with 3 web site references. Emailed one, and 2 weeks on have yet to receive a response! The next had no phone number…
The 3rd had both phone and emails listed, so I tried calling in the morning but no answer - so I sent an email. Tried the number again after lunch, got “Claudio” on the line, and booked myself in for 7th June. Hell, I even got a response to my email that evening, confirming the booking etc. Now that’s what we like, right??? Works for me!
Booking the Bangkok Visa Run
Two pieces of advice;
- DO NOT leave the visa run until the last day!
- DO NOT forget to BOOK your visa run with the operator!
A nice young man from Singapore approached me on arrival at the Tesco Lotus food court at On Nut, enquiring if I was going on the visa run to Ban Laem. A “guy at work” had told him to turn up at 7:30am and look for a group of Caucasians (aka falangs). His relief was obvious, when I assured him that I was… because his visa expired that day! What was not quite so good though, was the mini-bus was fully booked, and he could not go with us!!! 
He was last seen, heading glumly towards the exit, his only option that day being a complicated series of public transport (bus) rides to Ban Laem, and negotiating the touts and “agents” all by himself if he ever actually made the border! An object lesson for all who follow! His other option was to book for the next day, and pay the 500Tbht fine.
Back to Claudio, proprietor of Sawasdee Transport Co Ltd, and his immaculately presented, shiny new Toyota mini-bus… he rapidly introduced himself to all arrivals, and very efficiently distributed the required paperwork to all participants;
- Thai Arrival / Departure card for the return from Cambodia
- Cambodia Visa application
- Cambodia Arrival / Departure card
You are required to turn up with your passport AND a 4×6cm passport photograph for the Cambodian visa application. The fee (as at 7th June 2006) was 1800 Tbht - approx US$45 and includes the 600 km round trip, visa fees, and lunch at the casino on the Cambodian side of the border. Lunch may either be buffet, or from the menu, depending on time of arrival.
Bus trip - leaves at 8am - and if you’re at all nervous, it would be best to request to watch a movie so you don’t get to see all the demented traffic hazards! 
Stopped for a 20 minute break approx 2.25 hours into the trip, arrived in Ban Laem just on midday.
First part of the process is the Thai Immigration OUT window… where they take your old Departure Card, check the dates and (hopefully) add the correct stamp!
Next, the Cambodian guys take your passport, visa application and Arrival / Departure card away for processing, and Claudio then escorts the group through the Duty Free hall and on to the Casino for lunch… Its fair to say that the transition point is not the most pristine corner of Paradise. There were numerous children clamouring for coins, a begger or three - complete with bowls…
Lunch was good - on this occasion it was from the modest menu, with plenty of nam yen or coke included. Nothing fancy, but tasty - what more could a man want? Takes about 45 minutes for the Cambodians to process the visas, and passports were being returned by the time lunch was completed. There was ample opportunity for a spot of duty free shopping for those interested. I was... hell, they don’t HAVE Jack Daniels at 7/11 or my Tesco Lotus Express!
Pleased to report it was genuine JD in the bottle too! And yes, I waited til I got home to Bangkok before checking!
Returning to Thailand was straightforward - go the the IN window, give the nice guy your passport and Thai Arrival / Departure card… it was duly stamped, and it’s back in the van and head back to Bangkok…
THAI VISA SERVICES RATING: 10 out of 10
Good service, well presented vehicle, smooth operation, all phases explained so everyone understood what happened next.
Would I go with Claudio again? Damn right!!!
Reservation: Phone 01-8154803; E-mail: visathai@gmail.com
Ben Kemp
aka The SEO Guy
Bangkok, Thailand
bjk@TheSeoGuy.co.nz
