It's all about who you know and how much money you have. We never have the money, and we rarely know somebody on the inside. Only occasionally we get lucky and find an insider directly via a phone call or by chatting with the security guards outside whatever place it is. In this case we made a phone call to the Ministry, and surprisingly we got an answer after 14 tries. The guy who answered the phone is now our inside man, and we communicate with him via Telegram now. So far we've only given a $10 tip, and he's assured everything is free.

There were two guys from mainland China that rented rooms in our old town. Both had Khmer wives, but had only been living here for a year or two, and both had the K-Visa at a price of $3,000 USD. We don't have that kind of money, but it showed what is possible when you've just arrived here, don't speak the language, and have only money to solve problems. I would've guessed the K-Visa costs at least $5,000 USD to get through "friends."

Sorry I haven't been commenting on your posts lately, but I have been reading. Life is just so hectic at the moment that I'm struggling just to post and keep the community going.