10 August 2010 - 7 December 2012
When I first set off from Scotland with my shiny new passport, I was irritated that I didn't get any stamps in Italy, and then none in Greece either. How was I supposed to show people where I'd been without them? By writing overly detailed blogs with disconcerting regularity forever?
But then I left the Eurozone and my comfort zone behind and those pages quickly started gathering ink, especially in the last six months when I finally got round to visiting the countries I'd been lazily putting off precisely because of their visa requirements, which gobbled up entire pages with relish.
When a Myanmar visa left a single blank page remaining, I knew our time together was growing short. I spent the next month lying low in Thailand and debating whether to make the final trip to Malaysia or Japan, so I'd have a comfortable 90 days to wait for a replacement passport to arrive after sending the lame, old, useless creature back to its home country to be laid to rest. Then I impulse-booked a flight to Sydney instead.
So, as a celebration of those trips we took together - and because I don't have a passport right now, so don't have much else to do - here's a typically thorough gallery of all the passport stamps and visas I accumulated since October 2010. Farewell, dear companion; I shall not look upon thy like again. I plumped for a 48-pager for next time, that ought to see me through the next six months at least.
Dave's old passport
(potentially fraud-encouraging details removed)
Page 4
Exit Malaysia 1 (2 Jul 2011)
Enter Malaysia 1 (5 Apr 2011)
Enter Singapore 1 (2 Jul 2011)
Enter Malaysia 2 (27 Sep 2011)
Exit Singapore 1 (1 Aug 2011)
Exit Malaysia 2 (27 Sep 2011)
Page 5
Enter Thailand 1 (21 Feb 2011)
Exit Thailand 1 (22 Mar 2011)
Enter Thailand 2 (22 Mar 2011)
Exit Thailand 2 (5 Apr 2011)
Exit Brunei 1 (31 Oct 2011)
Enter Brunei 1 (31 Oct 2011)
Enter Taiwan (10 Dec 2010)
Exit Taiwan (21 Feb 2011)
Page 6
Exit Singapore 2 (26 Sep 2011)
Enter Singapore 2 (26 Aug 2011)
Enter Singapore 3 (6 Nov 2011)
Exit Singapore 3 (8 Nov 2011)
Enter Indonesia (26 Aug 2011)
Indonesia visa (1 Aug 2011)
Page 7
Exit Philippines (18 Oct 2011)
Enter Philippines (27 Sep 2011)
Exit Malaysia 3 (31 Oct 2011)
Enter Malaysia 3 (18 Oct 2011)
Enter Malaysia 4 (31 Oct 2011)
Page 8
Enter Malaysia 5 (31 Oct 2011)
Exit Malaysia 4 (31 Oct 2011)
Enter Malaysia 6 (31 Oct 2011)
Exit Malaysia 6 (6 Nov 2011)
Exit Malaysia 5 (31 Oct 2011)
Enter Brunei 2 (31 Oct 2011)
Exit Brunei 2 (31 Oct 2011)
Page 9
Exit Thailand 3 (20 Nov 2011)
Enter Thailand 3 (8 Nov 2011)
Enter South Korea 1 (10 Dec 2011)
Enter South Korea 2 (5 Mar 2012)
Enter Malaysia 8 (24 Mar 2012)
Enter Malaysia 8 (24 Mar 2012)
Notes: For an explanation of why I went in and out of Malaysia so many times on 31 October 2011, see this.
Page 10
Enter Cambodia 2 (20 Nov 2011)
Enter Cambodia 3 (23 Nov 2011)
Exit Thailand 4 (7 Dec 2011)
Enter Thailand 4 (23 Nov 2011)
Exit Thailand 7 (30 Jun 2012)
Enter Thailand 7 (23 Jun 2012)
Page 11
Cambodia visa 2 (20 Nov 2011)
Page 12
Enter Japan 2 (15 May 2012)
Exit Japan 2 (2 Jun 2012)
Enter Hong Kong (30 Jun 2012)
Exit Hong Kong (9 Jul 2012)
Page 13
Enter Japan 1 (5 Mar 2012)
Exit Japan 1 (9 Mar 2012)
Exit Thailand 6 (15 May 2012)
Enter Thailand 6 (28 Apr 2012)
Enter South Korea 3 (2 Jun 2012)
Exit South Korea 3 (21 Jun 2012)
Page 14
Exit Thailand 8 (19 Aug 2012)
Enter Thailand 8 (31 Jul 2012)
Exit Laos (28 Aug 2012)
Enter Laos (19 Aug 2012)
Exit Thailand 9 (11 Sep 2012)
Enter Thailand 9 (28 Aug 2012)
Page 15
Laos visa (19 Aug 2012)
Page 16
Enter Myanmar 1 (11 Sep 2012)
Exit Myanmar 1 (11 Sep 2012)
Enter Thailand 10 (11 Sep 2012)
Exit Thailand 10 (25 Sep 2012)
Page 17
Enter Sri Lanka (30 Mar 2012)
Exit Sri Lanka (28 Apr 2012)
Enter Thailand 12 (10 Nov 2012)
Exit Thailand 12 (30 Nov 2012)
Page 18
Enter Vietnam (25 Sep 2012)
Exit Vietnam (6 Oct 2012)
Enter Thailand 11 (6 Oct 2012)
Exit Thailand 11 (30 Oct 2012)
Exit Malaysia 11 (30 Nov 2012)
Enter Malaysia 11 (30 Nov 2012)
Page 19
Vietnam visa (25 Sep 2012)
Page 20
Blank (but for how long? It was only holding me back)
Page 21
Enter Macau (18 Jul 2012)
Exit China (18 Jul 2012)
Exit Macau (31 Jul 2012)
Page 22
China visa (5 Jul 2012)
Page 23
Exit Malaysia 9 (15 May 2012)
Enter Malaysia 9 (15 May 2012)
Exit Malaysia 10 (21 Jun 2012)
Exit Malaysia 10 (21 Jun 2012)
Enter China (9 Jul 2012)
Page 24
Cambodia visa 1 (22 Mar 2011)
Page 25
Enter Cambodia 1 (22 Mar 2011)
Exit Cambodia 1 (22 Mar 2011)
Exit Malaysia 7 (10 Dec 2011)
Enter Malaysia 7 (7 Dec 2011)
Exit South Korea 2 (24 Mar 2012)
Page 26
Egypt visa (4 Nov 2010)
Enter Egypt (4 Nov 2010)
Exit Egypt (9 Dec 2010)
Enter Australia (1 Dec 2012)
Page 27
Exit Israel (4 Nov 2010)
Enter Israel (19 Oct 2010)
Enter Myanmar 2 (30 Oct 2012)
Enter South Korea 2 (9 Mar 2012)
Enter Thailand 5 (24 Mar 2012)
Exit Thailand 5 (30 Mar 2012)
Notes: My first and last passport stamps. At least I've ditched the Israel stamps so I'm free to go to those anti-Israel countries now. There's no rush.
Page 28
Myanmar visa (18 Oct 2012)
(potentially fraud-encouraging details removed)
Page 4
Exit Malaysia 1 (2 Jul 2011)
Enter Malaysia 1 (5 Apr 2011)
Enter Singapore 1 (2 Jul 2011)
Enter Malaysia 2 (27 Sep 2011)
Exit Singapore 1 (1 Aug 2011)
Exit Malaysia 2 (27 Sep 2011)
Page 5
Enter Thailand 1 (21 Feb 2011)
Exit Thailand 1 (22 Mar 2011)
Enter Thailand 2 (22 Mar 2011)
Exit Thailand 2 (5 Apr 2011)
Exit Brunei 1 (31 Oct 2011)
Enter Brunei 1 (31 Oct 2011)
Enter Taiwan (10 Dec 2010)
Exit Taiwan (21 Feb 2011)
Page 6
Exit Singapore 2 (26 Sep 2011)
Enter Singapore 2 (26 Aug 2011)
Enter Singapore 3 (6 Nov 2011)
Exit Singapore 3 (8 Nov 2011)
Enter Indonesia (26 Aug 2011)
Indonesia visa (1 Aug 2011)
Page 7
Exit Philippines (18 Oct 2011)
Enter Philippines (27 Sep 2011)
Exit Malaysia 3 (31 Oct 2011)
Enter Malaysia 3 (18 Oct 2011)
Enter Malaysia 4 (31 Oct 2011)
Page 8
Enter Malaysia 5 (31 Oct 2011)
Exit Malaysia 4 (31 Oct 2011)
Enter Malaysia 6 (31 Oct 2011)
Exit Malaysia 6 (6 Nov 2011)
Exit Malaysia 5 (31 Oct 2011)
Enter Brunei 2 (31 Oct 2011)
Exit Brunei 2 (31 Oct 2011)
Page 9
Exit Thailand 3 (20 Nov 2011)
Enter Thailand 3 (8 Nov 2011)
Enter South Korea 1 (10 Dec 2011)
Enter South Korea 2 (5 Mar 2012)
Enter Malaysia 8 (24 Mar 2012)
Enter Malaysia 8 (24 Mar 2012)
Notes: For an explanation of why I went in and out of Malaysia so many times on 31 October 2011, see this.
Page 10
Enter Cambodia 2 (20 Nov 2011)
Enter Cambodia 3 (23 Nov 2011)
Exit Thailand 4 (7 Dec 2011)
Enter Thailand 4 (23 Nov 2011)
Exit Thailand 7 (30 Jun 2012)
Enter Thailand 7 (23 Jun 2012)
Page 11
Cambodia visa 2 (20 Nov 2011)
Page 12
Enter Japan 2 (15 May 2012)
Exit Japan 2 (2 Jun 2012)
Enter Hong Kong (30 Jun 2012)
Exit Hong Kong (9 Jul 2012)
Page 13
Enter Japan 1 (5 Mar 2012)
Exit Japan 1 (9 Mar 2012)
Exit Thailand 6 (15 May 2012)
Enter Thailand 6 (28 Apr 2012)
Enter South Korea 3 (2 Jun 2012)
Exit South Korea 3 (21 Jun 2012)
Page 14
Exit Thailand 8 (19 Aug 2012)
Enter Thailand 8 (31 Jul 2012)
Exit Laos (28 Aug 2012)
Enter Laos (19 Aug 2012)
Exit Thailand 9 (11 Sep 2012)
Enter Thailand 9 (28 Aug 2012)
Page 15
Laos visa (19 Aug 2012)
Page 16
Enter Myanmar 1 (11 Sep 2012)
Exit Myanmar 1 (11 Sep 2012)
Enter Thailand 10 (11 Sep 2012)
Exit Thailand 10 (25 Sep 2012)
Page 17
Enter Sri Lanka (30 Mar 2012)
Exit Sri Lanka (28 Apr 2012)
Enter Thailand 12 (10 Nov 2012)
Exit Thailand 12 (30 Nov 2012)
Page 18
Enter Vietnam (25 Sep 2012)
Exit Vietnam (6 Oct 2012)
Enter Thailand 11 (6 Oct 2012)
Exit Thailand 11 (30 Oct 2012)
Exit Malaysia 11 (30 Nov 2012)
Enter Malaysia 11 (30 Nov 2012)
Page 19
Vietnam visa (25 Sep 2012)
Page 20
Blank (but for how long? It was only holding me back)
Page 21
Enter Macau (18 Jul 2012)
Exit China (18 Jul 2012)
Exit Macau (31 Jul 2012)
Page 22
China visa (5 Jul 2012)
Page 23
Exit Malaysia 9 (15 May 2012)
Enter Malaysia 9 (15 May 2012)
Exit Malaysia 10 (21 Jun 2012)
Exit Malaysia 10 (21 Jun 2012)
Enter China (9 Jul 2012)
Page 24
Cambodia visa 1 (22 Mar 2011)
Page 25
Enter Cambodia 1 (22 Mar 2011)
Exit Cambodia 1 (22 Mar 2011)
Exit Malaysia 7 (10 Dec 2011)
Enter Malaysia 7 (7 Dec 2011)
Exit South Korea 2 (24 Mar 2012)
Page 26
Egypt visa (4 Nov 2010)
Enter Egypt (4 Nov 2010)
Exit Egypt (9 Dec 2010)
Enter Australia (1 Dec 2012)
Page 27
Exit Israel (4 Nov 2010)
Enter Israel (19 Oct 2010)
Enter Myanmar 2 (30 Oct 2012)
Enter South Korea 2 (9 Mar 2012)
Enter Thailand 5 (24 Mar 2012)
Exit Thailand 5 (30 Mar 2012)
Notes: My first and last passport stamps. At least I've ditched the Israel stamps so I'm free to go to those anti-Israel countries now. There's no rush.
Page 28
Myanmar visa (18 Oct 2012)
Exit Myanmar 2 (10 Nov 2012)
More time-wasting stats
Number of countries visited: 20 (unless you're counting differently)
Country visited the most times: Thailand (12 entries)
Country I spent the most time in: Thailand (190 days)
Country I spent the least time in: Brunei (about 90 minutes on a bus, despite entering and exiting twice)
Most expensive visa: China (HKD 900)
Best looking visa: Egypt, innit?
