As I crossed the overland border from Laos to Cambodia, i met officials demanding for "stamp and overtime fees" again. I told myself that I would not tolerate such crap anymore because it is not officially stated that we must pay. i was already pretty sick and tired of the money sucking antics of some locals and officials by then that i decided enough was enough. It is a literal act of extortion as they withheld my passport which they had absolute no right to.
while the rest of the foreigners paid up obligatorily, i decided to take a little risk and stand firm while insisting that i had no cash with me. gotta admit there was much adrenaline rushing in me after all they were the ones in possession of my passport and they could had been capable of anything. i told they officers very firmly and tried an intimidate-the-shit-outta-you form of eye contact. i would like to think that raising my voice did contribute to the cause. i told them that they better not f*** around with my passport because this is a critical piece of property. What?! you mean i have to be politically correct and angry at the same time?? hahaha:D
in the end i managed to go through all customs without paying a dime, all possessions and body parts in place, while the other falangs were cursin and complaining about the fees they "had" to pay. Guys if you ever find yourself in such a situation, please do not do what i just did because i don't think it pays off all the time. instead just remain firm, use appropriate language and ask for a receipt and identify the officers' name and shout it out loud and let him know that you will recommend him to the ministry for putting in a "good day's work"!
____________________________________________________________________________________
other than such unpleasantries, Laos has been wonderful! from the roller coaster bus rides to the overwhelmingly warm locals to the beautiful Hmong girls;p Although you may meet some unscrupuluos once in a while who are more interested in transactions than interactions, there are more who are very friendly and mostly curious about you. as you meet such happy and friendly people on the road, naturally you will be more positive towards others and the environment around you even when it's unfavourable. Overall it's very safe to travel in Laos and you will feel the same way even as a lone traveller.
No comments:
Post a Comment