As we drove towards the Thai embassy, I flipped through my document folder to make sure I had everything. Visa application with photo... check. $80 USD application fee... check. Letter of invitation from Thai spouse... check. Copy of marriage license and the official English translation of said license... check. Copy of Thai spouse's passport and national ID card... check. Bank statement showing proof of funds to stay in Thailand... check. I think that's everything...
I was a little bit early and a little bit anxious about the upcoming visa application process. I had never had to apply for a visa like this before, and I was worried that I would forget or miss a document and be forced to start the whole application process over. The Thai government is notoriously bureaucratic and inflexible, and I get a little stressed every time I have to deal with visa stuff. I decided to pass the time by taking a walk around the embassy area, and stopped in for an iced mocha at a tiny coffee shop on the street.
I needn't have worried. When I got to the embassy, I was handed queue ticket number 3, and I was in and out in a matter of minutes. In fact, the embassy staff didn't even look at me as she took my passport and packet of documents and checked that everything was in order. She handed me a ticket telling me to return on Thursday, and I was on my way.
It was around 9am, and the weather was unseasonably cool. I decided to walk the 3km back to my hotel and enjoy exploring a bit of the city on foot. Parts of Cambodia remind me a lot of Thailand. It's not surprising, I suppose. Both countries are neighbors and share a deeply connected history.
On my walk, I passed the Cambodian Independence Monument. This 37 meter tall structure was built in 1958 to commemorate Cambodia's independence from France just five years earlier. It is built in a modernized style of a traditional Khmer temple, with the upper parts of the stupa designed to be reminiscent of a lotus flower. The monument sits in the middle of a busy traffic circle at the heart of the city.
My walk took me along the banks of the Tonle Sap River. Today, Riverside Park and the 3km long Sisowath Quay provide ample public space along the wide banks of the slow-moving Tonle Sap for locals to enjoy. It's especially popular in the evening after people get home from work. Flags of all nations fly alongside the river - a symbol of welcome and unity to people from all around the world.
One of the most important sites along the river is the Preah Ang Dorngkeu Shrine, which sits on the riverside at the confluence of the Tonle Sap and Mekhong rivers.
The shrine is very small, but popular. People come from all around the city to bring offerings of incense, candles, and lotus blossoms. I had a hard time finding more information about the shrine, but it was very interesting to walk past.
I visited the Cambodian National Museum in the afternoon. I had actually been there twice before, but it's just outside my hotel and I always enjoy visiting museums. It was especially interesting to visit this time after my studies and training at the Bangkok National Museum. The collection of Khmer art and artifacts is unparalleled.
Unfortunately, there were several schools visiting the museum on field trips, so it was a little too crowded with students to really appreciate all of the exhibits.
I had some work to do in the afternoon, but I went back out again in early evening to take a walk and find something for dinner.
My walk took me through the Quayside once more, where now dozens of people were out and about enjoying the cool evening air.
Families walked along the riverside and groups of children played ball games on the riverside lawn. Expats and tourists sipped cool beer served by vendors from styrofoam coolers, and riverboats slowly ploughed the muddy river.
There was such a nice atmosphere out along the riverside. It reminded me of Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi or the riverside in Vientiane, Laos. I wish we had something like this in Bangkok, but life in the Big Mango seems to move a little too fast.
Whenever I'm traveling with my wife, we usually eat really, really well. She has a great habit for leading me to amazing restaurants, markets, and street food shops that I wouldn't be brave or adventurous enough to try on my own.
This time, though she couldn't join me in Cambodia, I decided to venture out on my own to search for some good local dinner, and to where else should I turn but the Phnom Penh Night Market?
This is somewhere I had never been before, and the first new travel experience thus far on my visa run! The Night Market was small but lively. While the majority of the market was filled with stalls selling watches, sunglasses, shoes, clothes, jewelry, etc., there was an entire food area set up near the back, and that's where I headed.
Not quite sure how the process worked, I approached one of the food stalls. The owner handed me a laminated bilingual menu complete with pictures so that I could know exactly what I wanted to order. I asked for some vegetable noodles with a fried egg, and the owner gestured for me to sit down on the ground nearby where several mats were placed under tarps.
You have to take off your shoes before you sit down on the mats. They are thin, but not uncomfortable. In fact, mats like this are very common for picnicking in Thailand. I even have one myself which I take when I go camping.
Eating like this encourages a very fun community atmosphere, and there were lots of people - Cambodian and tourist alike - sitting around eating together, talking, and enjoying the evening.
My food was good, and for just $2 you can't beat the price!
I returned to my hotel after dinner for an early night. I was tired after a very early morning.
Now, I just have to wait until Thursday for news regarding my visa.
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