I first arrived in Bangkok with the free 30-day visit stamp issued upon arrival to most visitors from Western countries. Unfortunately, 30 days goes by damn fast.

When my first 30 days was up, I headed for the nearest border, Poipet, Cambodia, only four hours from Bangkok. Unfortunately, a Cambodian visa costs $25. That, coupled with the bus ticket makes Cambodia an expensive proposition for a 30 pass.

So, I decided when the second 30 days was up, I had to find a cheaper solution. After some research, I bought a ticket to Vientiane, Laos, 12 hours away. There, I should be able to obtain a 60-day tourist visa, extendable by 30 days, allowing me to stay in-country for three months.

Even though I've wanted to visit Vientiane for awhile, I don't like being forced to. I am also still in my too much travel-induced funk. And the constant rain isn't helping my mood.

Upon arrival, my first stop was the dreaded Thai embassy, a.k.a., hell on earth, to submit my passport. The queue was huge, so I paid the dodgy guys outside 400 baht to go straight to the front. Even then, I still had to wait inside a small, crowded, chaotic room for about two hours. But I successfully submitted my passport and paid the 300 baht fee.

I can't pick up my passport until Monday, so I have a weekend to kill. If it ever stops raining, I might walk around town, which is amazingly small for a capital city. Smaller than Phnom Penh. It's also a bit of a disappointment for me, since it's the first socialist country I've visited, but there are no hammers and sickles, red stars, or green-uniformed soldiers beating student demonstrators. In fact, it just seems like a poor version of very capitalist Thailand.

So, due to my lack of enthusiasm for being here, I've just been sitting around in cafes reading and eating baguettes.

I look forward to getting back to Bangkok, since I submitted an offer on an internet cafe before I left, which the owner accepted. This business is very profitable for its cost, if the owner's numbers are accurate. When I get back I will begin the due diligence process of verifying the revenue.

The one problem with this business is the location: a 30 minute bus or taxi ride from the On Nut terminal of the Skytrain, on the opposite side of town from me. Since it takes an hour to get there, finding a new place will become a priority. The upshot is that the clientele are Thai students from a nearby university. Thai students will not stay home because they are afraid of SARS or terrorists, unlike fickle tourists.