I applied for my Myanmar visa in Bangkok. This is a fairly straightforward procedure, and visa-seekers can pick up and fill in the requisite two-sided form while standing in line. Easy, right? Not when your pen runs out of ink less than halfway through the form. I’ve been carrying three ballpoint pens with me since the end of November, managing to not lose any of them, had only one on me at the time, and it decided to run out of ink right then. Not when when I’m scribbling down notes in my journal or keeping tabs on daily expenses, but when I’m in the Myanmar Embassy applying for a visa. I asked the guy next to me if I could borrow his pen, and he did loan it to me, not without an eyeball roll, which I did sort of deserve. Turns out you can buy a pen  in the waiting room for 10 baht, from the staffer who mans the copy machine. I guess a number of people must show up without one at all, which is absolutely more deserving of an eyeball roll than one running out of ink at an inconvenient time. Despite my form being completed in what was ultimately three completely different pens and inks, I did receive my visa. It’s off to Yangon on Wednesday. Until then, I’m spending a few days in Bangkok sitting in front of a fan, and getting some reading done. 

market cat: guarding greens, keeping cool