On entry to Thailand by an overland route, you are only issued a 15day visa. If you apply in advance at any Thai embassy before arriving, you can get a 60 day visa for free. There just happens to be on in Penang, Malaysia. Unfortunately we didn't realise until the day after we had left Penang, when we arrived in Langkawi in Malaysia. So it was that on our 14th day in Thailand we set off on a visa run. All you need to do is cross a border and you are issued another 15 day visa on re-entry to Thailand, for free. So why you have to perform this whole charade we don't know, but we had to, so off we went.

Bob was supposed to be picking us up at 4.50. At 6.00, we started to worry. Standing on crutches in the rain wasn't fun at the best of times, but we were also worrying about how else we were going to sort it out... Luckily he arrive about 6.20, just in time to get the 7am ferry. Dodgy alarm he says. Many Chang last night we say.... In all seriousness he was our absolute saviour that day. How else we would have done the whole thing, at all let alone in such comfort and all in one day we don't know.

Bob's car was very comfortable and Laura was able to keep her foot elevated on the back seat, just like the doctor ordered. We drove through torrential rain to get to Ranong, on the West coast of Thailand. There is nothing obviously in Ranong apart from a nauseating smell and the boat dock. From there we had to stamp out, at a very dubious immigration booth, which wasn't completely obvious and wasn't stopping many people on the way into Thailand either. Very slowly hobbled into a long tail boat and were off to Burma, pardon, the People's Republic of Myanmar. Stopping at a couple of dodgy jetties on the way to be checked, though the officials didn't look too interested in checking much at all. Then to Myanmar. Bob and I jumped out, and took all three passports to the immigration office. Or, more accurately, one geezer's living room. They took a photo of us, and a picture of Laura's passport, and we were back in the boat to Thailand. And that was it. All the hassle and excitement for a few stamps and a long commute.

We raced back, now a bit behind schedule, to get back in time for the last ferry. We arrived back to our hotel (after a very painful trip to the hospital for the daily torture, I mean cleaning) very late around9pm. A long old day. But another exotic stamp in the passport and another adventure on the list.