Restoring My Identity

MALAYSIA BOLEH!

Never been robbed and never been living with a photocopy or temporally identity. After I was robbed all I have was a laminated photocopy of my passport. :-( That was what i used to identify myself. I arrived in Kuala Lumpur International Airport showing my Emergency Certificate to the Immigration officer, he smile and nodded. I was quite used to repeating the story of me being robbed by now. He was surprised that I went travelling for 10 months alone and shocked to find out I lost so many things and stunned that I have to pay RM6000 to come back to Malaysia, maybe he felt sympathized with what happen to me and asked me if I needed the passport urgently. I responded with an unbelievable look and asked is that possible? Then he asked his colleague to prepare for me a letter to be submitted by hand. He told me if they send that thru the office courier, it will take a month, if I go personally to the Head Office it will be faster. I was so thankful for his help. :-) With that I cut short 1 month.

After recovering from jet lag 3 days later, the first thing I did was to get a pair of spectacles. I need my clear vision back. ;-) Then I went to make my Malaysian ID, with my birth certificate and the police report and being first offense, I was charged only RM10 for a replacement but I need to wait for 3 weeks.


Then I went to the Immigration Head Office to submit the letter which was sealed in an envelope. I was sent to the Head Office which only handle Lost of Passport overseas. That make it sound a bit special at least, my case is handled differently from those loosing passport in Malaysia. :-)


The Immigration officer was very humble and nice, he scheduled an appointment for interview one week later and pass me a form to fill up. I have to bring photocopy of my birth certificate, photocopy of Malaysian ID, photocopy of Singapore ID, Police report, 2 passport size photos, and a declaration form to be certified by the commission of oath. Actually I have all those with me but they can't give me an interview straight away.


A week later, the same humble and nice guy interviewed me, he asked me lot's of questions, he asked me what do I do, where do I live, where I have been, when did I leave the country, am I residence of any country, why do I travel, when did I get robbed, how did I get robbed, what did I loose, why do I need my passport back,  when do I need my passport back, etc... The only question interest me was the last one. I told him ASAP please! :-) Surprisingly he told me in 5 working days normally I will receive an answer. Before it used to be a month. Wow! I almost jump from the chair. I also took this opportunity to find out about the penalties of loosing passport, he told me if one loose their passport overseas for the first time, normally he/she will get back a new 5 years validity passport. if one loose their passport overseas for the 2nd time, he/she will only get back a new 2 years validity passport, if one exceeded their stay in foreign country, he/she will not get a passport for 3 years after return!


What happen if one loose a passport at a country where there is no embassy? If there is no embassy, check if there is a high commissions, permanent representative to UN and ASEAN or a consulate office. If it is a Commonwealth country, there shouldn't be a problem. One can get assistance from the embassy of other Commonwealth country. If it is not, last resort is go to the local embassy for assistance.

Meanwhile, I wrote to PADI to get a replacement DM card (AU$25), I just need to send them my photo and pay. Even thought it is "Put Another Dollar In" at least you get good service!  Don't think I will get my IANTD Nitrox card replaced so soon.


Winnie and Dylan came to visit me in Kuala Lumpur, she brought me my new Citibank Credit Card but she forgot my SIM card, so I still can't make any transaction online.


3 working days later I received a call from the Immigration Office telling me that my passport replacement request has been approved! I swear I would hug the officer and gave her a big kiss if she is in front of me. :-) I was jumping with joy. It was much faster then expected.


I return to KL and Adelyn my niece has been driving me around for all my errants. We went to the Immigration office 7:30am in the morning when the door open, there was no one at the counter. We waited till 8am and finally someone came, I pass him the letter and he asked us to go for coffee. As expected, they take their own sweet time and need their breakfast time as well. Eventually I got my new Passport (RM300) at 10:30am. Woohoo! We went straight to LCCT airport so I could catch the next available flight to Singapore.

Arrived in Singapore at 2pm, at the airport they check me in with no issue. I head straight to the ICA office to get my Re-entry permit and Singapore IC replacement. For the first time offense, I was charged S$60 instead of S$100 and it takes a month to process. 


Then I went to M1 to sort out my outstanding bill of over S$200, the thief managed to use my phone to make some calls in BA before I cancel the line, they told me they could only waive S$50 off my bill. That was the best they can do. I was not happy with the offer, I tried to speak to the officer in charge to ask for more but they said they can't do much. :-( The last thing I did was to get my POSB card replaced and a new Internet banking dongle.


The following day, I went to get my driving license replaced, it also required 1 month to process and cost me S$25. Pay! Pay! Pay! What else? I got my Travellers cheque (Free) replaced , Yellow Fever Card replaced (S$11), new camera housing (S$340), and new hand phone (S$0 with 2 years contract). 


One month later, I will be ready to go again. :-)

Travel Tips - What I have learnt

I am back to Malaysia after an unexpected event. At the moment, I am still in the process of getting a replacement passport. I was scheduled for an interview for further investigation. You must be wandering why is it so difficult to get a replacement Malaysian passport? According to some people, Malaysian passport can fetch more than 20k in the black market. In Central America and South America, I only need visa for Panama and Bolivia. Not bad isn't it? Of course I want my passport, it is precious!

Here I would like to share with all travelers some travel tips that I find useful. At the beginning of the trip, I had hard time packing and putting everything I want (not I need) in my 60L backpack. Along the way I find things that are useful and things that I never ever use them and things I wish I have them. So here is the packing list which I think is necessary.




Things to pack/have (Important) - You need them to travel

1. Passport - Make photocopy of your passport and laminate it, used for purchasing bus ticket and hostel registration. Scan copy of your passport and email it to your email.
2. Credit Cards - Best to have 2 Credit Cards, 1 VISA and 1 MASTER, store the 2 credit cards in different backpack
3. Debit cards - For withdrawal of local cash, I used Citibank which has branches in many countries, withdrawal at their branches are service charge FREE! Another bank I would suggest is HSBC Bank or Santander Bank. Average service charge fees are US$4-5, it can end up to be a lot if you withdraw weekly.
4. IDs, Driving License, student card, dive certification (if available) make scan copies of all and email it to your email
5. Flight ticket (if available) make scan copies of all and email it to your email
6. Travelers cheque - in case all else failed with your cards, e.g in Cuba. You can at least cash your travelers cheque, make note of your travelers cheque number
7. Vaccination Certification/Yellow Fever Card - make scan copies of all and email it to your email
8. Travel Insurance card (if available) make scan copies of all and email it to your email
9. Travel pouch/money belt - to store all the above
10. Pen and a small notebook - to write or make note
11. An open mind, sense of humor and common sense

Cloths :- 

** Remember! No matter it is 3 days or 3 months or 1 year, you can survive with this list **

1. 3+ shirts/blouse
2. 3+ trousers/shorts
3. 3+ pair of socks
4. 3+ sets or undergarments
5. swimsuit
6. sweater, depends on the weather if it is cold country then a set of cold wear which include a gloves, winter hat, wool jacket, a set of long john
7. wind breaker or raincoat
8. bandana or scarf or hat- for windy day, cold day, dusty day, hot day, etc
9. a pair of jeans
10. a long sleeve shirt and long pants 
11. lightweight towel
12. a pair of trekking boots and walking shoes
13. Flip-flops or sandle - you need to rest your feet after a long walking day in your boots or shoes

Toiletries :-

1. Soap and Shampoo
2. Toothbrush and toothpaste
3. Razor/blades
4. Deodorant
5. Lotion
6. Lip balm
7. Insect repellent
8. Sunblock
9. Toilet paper

Medical kit :-

1. Medicines for malaria, diarrhea, fever, headache, couch and flu
2. Water Purifying tablets
3. Cream for insects bites
4. Bandages or plasters
5. Vitamins or necessary medications

Things to pack (Moderate) -things that you can buy along the way but good to have them when you travel

1. Padlock - to lock your luggage or locker in the hostel 
2. Universal adapter - to charge your electrical devices in different countries
3. Mobile device or laptop or any devices that has WIFI features - most of the hostel has Internet facility, some has computer to share but you will have to queue for it.
4. Battery charger for the above
5. Flash drive
6. Alarm clock - it can be in your watch or mobile but it really helps when you need to catch a 5am bus
7. Head lamp or torch
8. Multipurpose tool/ Swiss Army knife
9. Nail clipper
10. Travel pillow and ear plug - for long bus ride and noise disturbance
11. Zip lock bag - to store all your cloths or none wet proof stuff in your backpack
12. Small backpack - for day trip
13. Container/Tupperware - to store food, coffee, tea or sugar
14. MP3 Player - during a long bus journey or boring raining day or anti social day :-)
15. Sleeping sheet - to avoid sleeping on some dirty bed or to avoid bed bugs
16. Passport photos - for visa applications
17. Skype account with dialing value - to make calls overseas e.g for hostel booking, ticket reservation, emergency
18. Guidebook - to know where you are or where you want to go
19. Foreign Language Phrase book - to communicate
20. Needle, treads,safety pin and duct tape - after travelling for a while there is always wear and tear, to fix a broken bag or shirt
21. Cable tie - can do wanders
22. Sleeping bag - only if you are planning to camp or travelling to cold weather country (sometime you might end up sleeping at bus terminal or airport) 
23. Sunglasses
24. Carabiner (useful to hang your boots or stuff on your backpack)
25. Cloth lines or shoe string
26. Lighter/matches

Camera equipment :-

1. Camera and lens
2. Camera pouch
3. Battery charger
4. Extra memory cards
5. Extra batteries
6. External hark disk to backup your photos

What ever that you are packing, make sure you can travel/walked with what you have for at least 30 minutes. At times, you need to search for an accommodation, walk up a hill or even rush for a bus.

My big backpack was 13kg and the small backpack of 5kg at the time of departure. Don't forget to leave some space for souvenirs. :-)