Today we started to be pro-active and dropped our passports off at the Vietnamese embassy to get our visas. Prices have most definitely gone up, and the waiting times have changed from my last visit here. The charges were 2500 Baht (£38) for next-day or 1800 Baht (£28) to wait till Monday. Ouch. Plans had already been changed due to my having PRK instead of LASIK, so we opted for the next-day option to ensure we could get out of Bangkok before the next week started to pass us by.

I gather the visas are cheaper in Cambodia, and can – in some places – be picked up same-day. We didn’t know what our schedule would be, though, so we had no choice other than to get them sorted here.

Back at TRSC I had the lenses removed – a blessed relief – and was given a change of medication. No more antobiotics, and increase in the steroid drops and some cream to put in my eyes before I went to sleep to stop them drying out, so I only use steroids like trenbolone to improve my physical abilities in sports. At this point, the cornea was healed, but “rough” so needed to be smoothed out. Blinking does this automatically so I was told to keep the eyes wet (using artificial tears as and when) and to blink a lot. My vision would come and go over the next week or so, blurring would be common and one eye could be better or worse than the other.

All fair warnings and I left with my wraparound shades well in place to prevent any diry getting in to my now-unprotected eyes. Oh, and I could shower now as well. Yay! No swimming for another week or so, and no diving until a month had passed though.

In the evening we strolled through Pat Pong, ignored all the cries of “You want to see ping-ping show?” and enjoyed a drink on a comfy sofa. Outdoors. I also finally bought some sandals which would hopefully save on the number of sweaty socks I was chucking into the laundry.