When we got back into Malaysia from Singapore the guy at imigration very nicely put his big stamp on one of the blank pages I was saving for my Indonesia visa. I’d heard that sometimes the Indonesian Embassy like you to have a number of blank pages and I now had only one left. Because of this we thought it was best to go and get our Indo Visa early incase of problems, so headed back to KL.

We got to the Embassy early the next morning and queued up to find out if I’d have problems with my passport. Sure enough they wanted more blank pages than I had and told me I’d need a new passport. So out of the Indo Embassy, into a taxi and onto the British Embassy. The British Embassy was more secure than Fort Knox and after getting through the layers of security I had in my possession a Passport application form and price for a new passport (120quid and it’ll take 2 weeks). Off I went to the nearest fast food restaurant to grab a table so I could fill out the application form.

My first worry was that I was going to be stuck in KL for two weeks, having lived in China for 8 months I was quite used to not being able to go anywhere without my passport. The next was where to find someone to counter-sign my application. You need someone you’ve known for at least 2 years who isn’t family, I meant to pack one before I left the UK but in the rush I just forgot.

Back to the Embassy with application form in hand and a week’s worth of travel money. Turned out I can travel around Malaysia without a passport, just need a photocopy of my photo page and entry stamp page just in case. As for the counter-signature it took a while to convince the girl that I didn’t know any doctors, lawyers, accountants or judges in Malaysia. Then I remembered my “Foreign Expert’s Certificate” (work permit) from China and asked if that’ll do to prove I am who I say I am. I got a maybe, handed over the forms and money and was told to come back in two weeks (two days before we fly to Borneo). She added “if the application is delayed because you don’t have a counter signature it’s not our fault”. Lovely.

No point sweating over it, tomorrow we go to Ipoh and I’ll try not to worry about the passport until we return to KL in two weeks.