Another Astonishing Lesson
There’s a lot I didn’t know about northern Malaysia, but I did know one thing — I was getting out of Phnom Penh and going there. I had a ticket that said I was.
My ticket got me checked in, got my bag tagged and sent rolling away, got me through Security and right up to Boarding when the Malaysia Airlines Customer Service lady appeared and said my valid US Passport actually is Valid but Not Valid Enough and so I couldn’t get on the plane.
Her statement and the unmistakable certainty it conveyed caused such a sudden and unexpected mental reorientation it was all I could do to follow any details. I was able to suppress my normal show of emotion, conditioned by now to be quiet and submissive to authority in airports. Plenty of soldiers with weapons are all around to remind me in case I forget.
I had been in Cambodia exactly thirty days, with a thirty-day Visa, on this extended visit. I am working informally with an arts organization here and things are going well.
I have an apartment near Cambodian Living Arts where I have stayed for weeks at a time over several years.
