…Why wouldn’t you want to drive 10+ hours to this country!?!?

Okay…so it’s that time.  Time for me to hit a Visa Run.  Tonight at 9pm I am going to be picked up by one of the visa run-companies that organize these turn-around trips.

I’ll sit in a 12 seat passenger van (hopefully not with 11 other people) for 10+ hours…(sounds fun…right?!).

Tomorrow morning we will get into Penang and head straight to the Thai consulate.  Dropping off our passports—we have the afternoon/night in Malaysia….before picking up our passports (with a new visa)…and heading back to Thailand.  Egh….I’ve gotta do the trip all by myself…so I hope some super hot Russian Bikini model has to do a visa run too :P  (JK)

You can get visas for Thailand at the consulate (there is no Thai embassy in Penang).

Since I know a lot of my readers are planning trips to Thailand…I’ll include some useful information that you may want to take note of:
The address of the Thai Consulate:
Royal Thai Consulate-General
No. 1, Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman, 10350 Penang, Malaysia

If you apply your visa on Friday…they will only give it to you on Monday.

Application is only in the morning from 9 am to noon.
Passport pick up time is either at 2.00 pm or at 3.30 pm to 4.00 pm.
Visa fee has been waived till next year 2011.

You need to photocopy your passport. If you forgot to do so, don’t worry there is an enterprising person there to copy it for you (see video). The cost of service is 2 Ringgit only for the first page. 1 RM for the second page and 0.7 RM for the fifth page onward.

You also need to bring 2 passport size photo. If you forgot to bring it, you can take a picture with the same enterprising young man there. He will give you 8 photos per set for RM 22 (CD included). The consulate will only accept your pictures that was taken not more than 6 months ago.