The Visa Trip: Thailand Take 2, January 2007

In late 2006, we began planning for our move to Bangalore. We gave our Chennai landlord notice of termination of our rental agreement and fixed the end of January 2007 as the end of the lease. At the same time, questions were rising about the ability of expatriates working with my organization to obtain business visas from the Indian embassy in Washington DC. These questions were of moderate concern to us in late 2006, as we realized that our visas expired on 4th February 2007. Still, time was on our side, and we didn't give the issue much thought. But as 2006 rolled into 2007, and as there was still no resolution to the visa problem back in DC, we were quickly forced to give the issue some real thought. Applying for new visas at the Embassy in DC or directly in Delhi did not seem like options likely to succeed. We knew that our organization had had some success in September obtaining six month renewals in Bangkok at the Indian Embassy there. On balance, this seemed like the best option.

During the last week of January 2007 (yes, it takes a full week), movers came to our house to pack us up and put our things in storage pending additional directions from us as to where to send our things. At this point, we hoped we would be giving directions to a home in Bangalore, but realized it was entirely possible that we would not be allowed back in the country for an indefinite period of time. We prayed, our organization prayed, and we wondered what God was doing. It was both unsettling and exciting, depending on the day you talked to us.

Of course, it was also unsettling to see our things boxed up again, after having unloaded these same things in Chennai only five months earlier. Moving is a drag no matter where you live. But I will say that it is exponentially better when you have movers and packers.

On 29th January 2007, the packing and loading and all other things transitional were completed in Chennai, and we boarded the midnight flight to Bangkok via Thai Airways. We arrived in Bangkok at 5:00 am that morning, 29th January, a Monday. After checking into and promptly back out of a gross service flat, we finally settled into the Siam City Hotel -- where we had stayed back in November. This is a nice hotel for the price with a pleasant pool, good restaurants on site and fantastic access to the Sky Train.

After settling in, we all took a cab to the Indian Embassy. We made it to the Embassy just under the deadline for getting our visa applications processed by the end of the week. Had we arrived about thirty minutes later, we would have been delayed until the following week. Lacy and I hurriedly completed all six applications by hand while sitting on the ground outside the Embassy. The kids meanwhile watched a movie on my laptop. After helping me finish the applications, Lacy took the kids back to the hotel to sleep. I waited in line at the Embassy with the rest of the minions seeking Indian visas. Once the applications were submitted, there was nothing left for us to do on the visa front for the next five days, except to pray, wonder and wait.

Lacy was committed to having the children finish school by the time of our planned return to the US in April. As a result, a few hours of each day were spent on school work before heading out to explore Bangkok. I was in the middle of office budget planning for 2007, so I spent most of this time crunching numbers and making long distance international calls.

Bangkok is far from perfect, but it was a great family getaway for us, after weeks of transition chaos. We ate great food, went to the IMAX, watched a traditional Thai puppet show, marched all over grungy Bangkok markets, shopped endlessly in the delightfully shiny Bangkok malls, rode the Sky Train all over the city, swam in the pool and took in lots of sights.

On Friday, 2 February, we received our visas in a very unremarkable trip to the Indian Embassy. For a brief moment, the Embassy could not locate Houston's approved visa and I wondered whether this would keep us out of India. But the visa was soon found and we were "homeward" bound (aka Bangalore) on the following day. Apparently, this relative lack of theatre required an infusion of additional drama into our lives. . .we had discovered only days earlier that October 2007 would bring our fifth child.