- "Tao rai ka?"
- "Consultation fee"
Surely, I think his service would be too much, being a farang lawyer. Plus, we were clearly in the wrong place. So we left and went back to the Embassy, stating our claim again to the security guards who spoke almost no English. We were finally able to convey the message that we needed to talk to someone. The security guard used an outdoor phone to phone someone who spoke English (I don't think "affadavit" translates well in Thai) and was able to tell the guard where to send us.
He sent us across the street to passport services (but we really didn't need passport services, either). It happens that the building across the street from the Embassy is for consular services.
We went through, checked in my camera for security, and had my purse thoroughly inspected. There were a lot of people there for visas. Then there was another area for other consular services. We figure that would be us. We got to the door only to find that they were closed from 11am to 1pm, and we got there at 11:10am (damn the Embassy giving us the runaround!!!). We weren't even there long enough for the guy who checked in my camera to give it to the guy who returns them.
And so we left to find something to eat. We found an office/mall cafeteria called City Mart in the All Seasons building on Wireless Road. I'm sure more expensive than street food, but we didn't feel like trying our luck just yet. Plus, it was freakin' hot and humid outside and could use a break in the A/C.
The food was great. Cafeteria style -- you bought coupons first. There were various vendors selling noodle dishes, curries, and other Thai dishes. We both had a spicy glass noodle soup with pork in it. Very flavorful. And for 35 baht each ($1), can't complain!
After lunch, we still had plenty of time till the consular services opened back up. We walked around the mall to discover how Westernized it was -- Burger King, Bebe, and a few more high end fashion shops that we could find back home.
Still with more time to kill, we passed the consulate to discover a nice above-ground bike and walk path. We explored a bit, walked over the expressway, then went back to the consulate with time to spare.
We re-checked in again, and the guy recognized us. Then we headed down to the consular services building. It was already jam packed with people waiting for them to open at 1pm. 1pm came around, the ticket number dispenser started up, and people were like vultures. Sean sent me in for the kill -- we got #09.
I must say that going to the consulate in Bangkok is quite an entertaining experience. There were a few couples there -- old men with their young Thai girlfriends, old men with their not so young Thai girlfriends, young men with their young Thai girlfriends (hey, like me and Sean..lol!), expats, and people getting extra pages in their passport.
They finally called our number and gave us some forms to fill out. Funny thing is that the form says, "You are eligible to marry a Thai citizen" catering to those certain men out there. They had to cross out Thai on our forms and put US -- to everyone's surprise that I was a US citizen and not some young Thai girl working the bars/streets, looking for a western husband.
We filled out our forms, paid the cashier $30 each, brought it back to the side window, and waited for them to call our names. In that span of time, a few more marriage affadavits came up -- an old American men with their Thai girlfriends. Funny thing is that the Thai girlfriends seemed to know the process pretty well.
The way you can tell that it is a 'Thai girlfriend' (a girl picked up by a farang guy who then gets married) is that they still look like they're hooking. Thai women in general are pretty modest overall. So you can really tell who is hooking and who is not. I already pass for Sean's 'Thai girlfriend' even in my frumpy backpacker clothes -- we get looks all the time. Just think if I were to buy an outfit (think stripper clothes) from a street vendor on Sukhumvit Road..then we'd really fit into the description!
They called our names, we signed the papers. Next stop was to go to a translation service. We went to the cheapest one, recommended by the consulate, and located up the street a bit. It cost 350 Baht each ($10 each) for the translation. The boss man (the guy who does all the translations) was really nice and seemed used to the service. After all, while we were waiting, a couple came in that we had seen at the consulate!
Our next stop would be to have the document recognized by the Thai government, which meant a trip to the north of town to the Thai Ministry of Foregin Affairs department. The translator also did that service, but he said it would take 3 business days for 800 Baht each, and we would be in Chiang Mai by then. So we decided to pass on the services and would figure it out ourselves.
No one ever said getting married would be easy..now throw in another country where you don't speak the language...
We dropped by Bumrumgrad Hospital -- the Horizon International Cancer Center -- where my dad works. We were just going to drop by to say hello, and have my dad help with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (call them, ask the hours and how to get there). But then he took us on the hospital tour -- to the doctor's lounge to eat a snack and meet everyone, to the mezzanine where there was a Starbucks and McDonalds, to the staff recreation center where there were exercise machines, 2 karaoke booths, and a ping pong table. We played ping pong for a bit -- dad took it easy on us since he seems to be a ping pong hustler.
After the tour, we headed back to dad's office. It was about dinnertime after all was said and done. Dad wanted to take the shuttle bus from Bumrungrad to the Nana BTS station because it was free. But the shuttle was full, so we walked it (dad says he's lazy to walk, but it's really not that far). He doesn't eat out much or know much about Bangkok, so he didn't know where to go. We snuck into a Thai seafood restaurant called Soi 5 on Sukhumvit Road and pigged out on foods that I have not eaten in years. It was so yummy!
We said our goodbyes for the evening, then Sean and I headed back to the Atlanta for a quick rest. And then we were on the go again, off to the airport to pick up Sarah, arriving from Austin via Narita.
We caught a taxi from the Atlanta, which ended up costing 300 Baht including tolls. We waited in the arrivals lobby for her. Also waiting for a passenter was a lady all made up and dressed up in tight white see-through pants and high heels. We wondered if she was waiting for her western husband or boyfriend to come -- maybe an Internet arrangement?
Sarah was one of the early people off the plane, so we didn't get to see who the lady was waiting for. We caught a taxi from the first floor. Our taxi driver was crazy. He was talking about all the touristy things to do and making fun of backpackers on Khao San Road. He also poked fun at the tuk tuk drivers who charge a lot to go 1-3 km, and he kept saying, "Fuck you tuk tuk, fuck you!" He took a shortcut throught the city and showed us some hookers and pointed out some ladyboy (kathoey) hookers as well.
When I originally asked for the taxi at the airport, I told them where we needed to go, and he said, "I know, I know". So assuming that, we drove past the Ambassador Hotel (which is across the street from Suk 11), made a few more turns, and ended up at Sukhumvit Soi 3. Then I showed him the map, and he's like, why didn't you show me before, this no good! All of a sudden, our fun loving, crazy taxi driver became silent, breaking really hard, and weaving in and out of traffic -- he went from fun to completely psycho!
We finally got back to Suk 11, and dropped Sarah off, then walked back to the Atlanta. The Suk looks like a really cool place with a lot of character. Already booked out till March 26th.
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