And now? Visa or no visa, that is the question

Today on 16.10.2018, I have been traveling for almost 2 months. I have already been to 6 countries: South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Nepal, Hong Kong, and Macao!!! Amazing.

And now? Where should I go next?

My original plan was to travel directly to Indonesia and explore at least a few of its more than 17,000 islands, leisurely for 2.5 months. Indonesia is the largest archipelagic country in the world and during my summer vacation, I could visit a maximum of 2 islands. Maximum! Especially since there is only flight or ferry service to certain islands on specific weekdays. So, it would be the perfect opportunity to travel from Sumatra, through Java to Bali, making a detour to the beautiful but harder to reach beaches of Kalimantan, and then continuing to Lombok, the Gilis, and Sulawesi, etc. However, the revised visa policy of Indonesia has hampered my plans. There are different types of visas and one should carefully consider which makes the most sense. As a European, for example, I can enter once with a "visa-free entry" for 30 days. I don't have to pay anything, but this "visa" is NOT extendable. If one wants to keep this option open, they should choose the Visa On Arrival upon arrival, which costs 35 dollars but can be extended once for an additional 30 days. My research has revealed the disadvantage that this extension takes at least 7 working days at the immigration office, as one has to appear in person 3 times to submit documents, have fingerprints taken, etcetera pepe. I have absolutely no desire to stay in one place for at least 7 days out of 30, especially if it were one of the not so beautiful capitals like Java or Denpasar. That doesn't match my travel taste. Additionally, I cannot impose this on Melanie at all. She is coming in mid-December and will travel with me through Bali for 2 weeks before continuing to New Zealand. If she wants to spend 2 weeks of vacation on Bali with me, I definitely don't want to waste 7 days of this precious time on a stupid visa. It's not waiting for Christmas!

So, I would need a Visit Visa. It is directly valid for 60 days and can be extended up to 3 times for an additional 60 days each. That sounds perfect! Unfortunately, one has to apply for this visa BEFORE entering the country, at an Indonesian embassy abroad. Unfortunately, this cannot be done online, but one has to appear in person and leave the passport. Mmmmmh! I could do this well in Kathmandu, as I will spend a few days there anyway before continuing my journey. That was my first idea. The investigation reveals that Nepal shares the embassy with Bangladesh, and it is located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Okay, then I could do it well in Hong Kong. After all, it is a mega city. There must surely be an Indonesian embassy there, right? That's true. From the embassy's website, it is not really clear whether they issue Visit Visas or not. So, I write an email and ask. After some correspondence, the situation is clear: they issue the visa, but only to Hong Kong passport holders, not to me. Further research reveals the well-founded hope that I could get a visa for Indonesia in Bangkok. I do not receive an answer to my request to the embassy itself, nor does anyone in the round-the-world travel group satisfactorily answer my Facebook question, but I am pretty sure. So, Thailand! That feels good. After all, I am free and can do what I want. Free! And as nice as it is to experience so much, I should make sure I also rest. So, I could fly to Bangkok, apply for the visa, do a little sightseeing in the meantime, and then head to the beach! Beaaaaach! Thailand has wonderful beaches. Yeah!

But the more I think about it, the more I want to fly directly to the beach. I really need a vacation from traveling. Sounds strange, but it's true! Constantly reading up on the next city while still in another is a balancing act. Deciding and organizing the transportation there, searching for accommodations, making inquiries and bookings, it's work. More than one might think at first. It adds up to several hours in front of the computer, and sure, it's fun, but it's also tiring and work. The faster and more often I change a location and do sightseeing, the more exciting and exhausting the journey is. Traveling and vacation are not the same.

If I listen to myself, I want to calmly sort through and edit my Hong Kong photos, lie on the beach and swim, write the missing blog articles, lie on the beach and read, have a cocktail while listening to the waves, lie on the beach and sunbathe, sleep in, lie on the beach and dream, just do nothing, and - lie on the beach. It would be much smarter to visit Bangkok at the end, when I have the energy for capitals again, and go to the embassy when I know exactly when I actually want to continue flying. Great plan! That's it.

My subconscious speaks up that Britta raved about the Coco Palm Beach Resort on Koh Samui and the great time on Koh Pha-Ngan. That's exactly what I want now. So - zack - booked a flight to Koh Samui and fixed the accommodation. Beach, here I come! 😍