To eVoA or not to eVoA
Thailand’s evisa-on-arrival gets a thumbs up from me. The VoA procedure itself is a bit of a fish market at Bangkok (or maybe I’ve just arrived at the wrong times). There is an express counter for the privilege of skipping the queues, but you pay extra for that.
The process is particularly confusing if your port of disembarkation is Bangkok and you have a domestic connecting flight. In that case you’re faced with two arrows that point in different directions. For the record, you must do the visa first, and then walk half a kilometre back where you came from. Think of it as an extra treat!
So the eVoA, then. Well, it made the immigration process a breeze. There was zero waiting in line; in fact the only wait was when the immigration officer was more interested in chatting with his colleague while his stamp stood poised over my passport for a good five minutes.
The eVoA costs the same as the VoA, which is nothing (for some travellers, and up to 31 October 2019). I just had to pay the THB 600 to VFS for the processing. Everything happened without my having to get out of bed, and I had the visa in my inbox in approximately 12 hours, on a Saturday.
Where am I?
Museflower Retreat and Spa, where I will be spending the next eight or so days, is a green and open space, with a lake, salt crystal pool, spa centre, rooms and plenty of space for relaxation, meditation and their own programmes.
What will I do here?
A wellness-infused writing retreat for the first 6 days, then a 3-day yoga retreat. With plenty of time to write, relax, eat their lacto-ovo-vegetarian meals, and drink tea and fresh fruit smoothies.
Watch this space for more.
~PD