It's the end of the day. Stoicism says I should write something every evening, so here goes. I've got Ponlou for the night and he's threatening he's staying until Sunday. Right now I've got him playing with Lego so it's keeping him quiet for a while. During the summer I visited friend Norma in Calgary. For years she'd gone around garage sales looking for things that would entertain her grandchildren. She ended up with a ton of Lego and grandchildren too old to play with it. Norma offered her collection to me and I brought it to Cambodia. I normally travel with only one suitcase but for this trip I filled one suitcase with a Lego table and all the bits and pieces.
I had lunch today with Polycarpe and Mick. Vuth and Soubert joined us. Soubert has a grand title; he's the High Privy Counsellor to his Majesty the King of Cambodia. Soubert's father used to be a Prime Minister in Cambodia when he put together a coalition after the Pol Pot years. As a young man he travelled everywhere with his father and he often tells stories of meeting Mao Tse Tung and other world leaders and being at the Paris Peace Accord which brought peace to Cambodia. He teaches the history of art at a local university, founded a home for children and is a leading member of the opposition. Sadly, most of his friends in the opposition have escaped to other countries because of the political situation in Cambodia.
Polycarpe scrutinised the menu closely and finally ended up having fries and a fried egg, along with some beef. He looked quite happy. We got together again in the evening so the visitors could meet some young friends and once again he headed for the beef. I'd like to be a fly on the wall when he gets to his new home tomorrow as he'll be eating food cooked on the street.
A friend wrote from India and asked if other people were getting the blog. He said it should just be for him, and personal. I don't think he understands how it works. As usual, he asked when I was going to India. I haven't been for a few years and I really should go but going through the visa process here is so painful. One year I filled in all the forms, which even ask if I have Pakistani grandparents, and took them to the Embassy with my British passport. I was shocked to find out the price and the officer said, "The British are charging Indians more so we charge you more." He said I should come back with my Canadian passport as a visa was much cheaper for Canadians. I took it and was happy to pay about $40 less. A few days later I was looking for my Canadian passport as I was going to Vietnam and my visa was in that passport. I realised it was at the embassy.
I was leaving on the day I was to get my passport back with the Indian visa so I went to the embassy. It was in the morning and they would not give me my passport back until the afternoon. I pleaded with them and they said I could have it back if I wrote a letter of apology. I wrote a "Dear Sir, I'm very sorry I made a mistake etc". Because they hadn't put the Indian visa into the passport they said I had to forfeit the fee and go back again, after my trip to Vietnam, with more money. The only way to feel good about the whole affair was to keep telling myself that paying twice for a visa using a Canadian passport was still cheaper than using my British passport.
I think I'll go to Thailand where I don't need a visa!
