So, last weekend has
been probably one of the most testing ones since I've been in
Malaysia. And I owe that all to the beautiful Immigration Office in
Malaysia! A glorious institution, whose officers do not know their
own rules and that made me fly all the way to Sabah, only to be
stopped by immigration, sleep in the airport and then go back to KL
the next day.
To start in the
beginning – my visa was expiring the 5th February. SOLS
(my organisation here) had applied for an extension 3 weeks in
advance. I had planned to go to Sabah and climb on Mount Kinabalu on
those dates (with a friend that could only make it on those dates).
So I asked whether extensions are generally problematic. I received
the “no, it always goes smoothly with extensions” answer. So I
went and planned away – was supposed to fly to Sabah on the 4th
in the afternoon, climb on 5th and 6th and come
back on the 9th to KL.
Obviously, the
extension had not come through by last Monday. So I called SOLS and
they said not to worry! There is a pass you can get for a 2 week visa
pass while they are processing my extension request. And that this
can be obtained one day before my visa expires, hence 4th
February. Needless to say that at 8am on Thursday I was at the
Immigration Office in Putrajaya. After the appropriate waiting Where
a nice lady explained to me that my extension was actually approved
in the system, just that the stamp on my passport will be done next
week. But that I can definitely travel to Sabah – that it counts as
a visa run, so I would anyways get a 90day tourist visa when I come
back to KL. To my amazed question of “But it's the same country!
How it can be?”, the lady went on a “Yes, but there's different
regulations for East Malaysia. No worry. They anyways can see in the
system that your visa extension was approved”.
So there I was,
fairly relieved on my way to Sabah. The flight was smooth and I was
super excited to arrive when...they stopped me at Immigration.
Apparently they did not agree with the KL people...I could only stay
in Sabah only until 5th February, when my visa was
expiring. My desperate “but it's in the system” thing met with
“we have a different system, we cannot see that”. And with a
complete refusal to let me in more than one day.
Now, I will spare
you my anger, frustration and also desperation! I don't generally
panic easily but I really kind of lost it then. It all came together
and collapsed at that moment! The fact that their own people
completely misinformed me and let me fly all the way to Sabah just to
go back! The fact that I did not know what to do – to go on visa
runs from Sabah was super expensive (it's not really a world wide
flying hub!!), and to go to KL seemed pointless and a complete waste
of my holiday time! I literally just wallowed in that airport for
about 2 hours until I finally could pull myself together and think
constructively of what to do. I ended up with the latter option since
it was the most money efficient one, and I booked myself on the first
flight back to KL in the morning.
I had not spent a
night in an airport in a long time so this was like a blast from the
past...the cold (in super hot countries the aircon in places such as
the airport is turned on to an insane level!), the sleep or lack
thereof, the lack of any decent food, the stares that go with it.
But I had my sleeping bag and two books so all in all, it all went by
in a fairly reasonable manner.
So here I am the
next day, back in KL and going straight to the Immigration Office,
where a guy from SOLS was waiting for me. And where again, the
unbelievable happened. Another lady told me that still my visa was
approved but that the stamp in my office will come only a week later.
Until then, I need to carry around a letter of approval (which she
gave to me), in case I want to travel or there's random police
checks. To my “but why didn't the lady yesterday tell me this?”
and “what is the procedure to file complaints here?”, the lady
just stared at me blankly and could not understand why I was so
amazed (and annoyed at the situation). The SOLS person then proceeded
to tell me confidentially that I should file my complaint only after
I get the visa!!!!!!!
I am generally of
the opinion that things happen for a reason. And despite all of the
above, I did end up spending a lovely weekend in rather different
circumstances (more of this to follow). But I still cannot yet grasp
the full logic of why I could not climb that mountain! Ah well...I
will get to it at some other point I guess!