Kyaw Kyaw needs a licence for his teashop and when he bought the teashop he bought it with a licence included. It was said that he only needed to chance the name to his name (normal, standard procedure here in Burma). So it seemed all very easy and straightforward. Until he actually wanted to chance it. Suddenly it wasn't possible and he could only get a new licence. The strange part is that the office that refused to chance the name because the licence wasn't correctly made up, was the office that made the licence in the first place! Anyways, so Kyaw Kyaw and Sandra decided that it was better to go for a new licence then to try and have the old one changed (which would probably be a loosing battle). It would take 2 weeks and did costs 20.000 ks (about $15). 2 weeks later, no licence. All kinds of reasons why not and suddenly the cost was 30.000. So Kyaw Kyaw paid up. The week after, again no licence. By now it was easily a month since he had started to have his licence-stuff arranged. The price went up to 45.000 ks. Sandra got a bit fustrated especially since they kept saying that the week after it would be arranged. But Kyaw Kyaw went again the week after and the week after that (several times) but still no licence. Then of course the trouble started here in Yangon and that delayed everything. We were of for a little while to Thailand (Kyaw Kyaw 2 weeks,Sandra in total about 4 thanks to visa-related issues) and during this time Kyaw Kyaw's dad kept visiting the administrative office. Then the new 'excuse' was that they needed photo's of the teashop. So Kyaw Kyaw made pictures of the teashop. Then they said these pictures wouldn't do they needed other ones. So Kyaw Kyaw made new ones. We're talking late october/early november by now. Sandra has on occasion climbed the roof out of fustration. They've even tried to offer 'tea money' to speed up the process but that wasn't accepted (strangely enough because bribes is what this administration runs on). Anyway, Kyaw Kyaw want to Bagan last week to sort out some papers he needs for the visa application and his dad took over the hunt for the licence again. It was promised that it would be arranged last week. Yeah right... He has an appointment this wednesday for the licence. Sandra is hoping that this time for real that licence will come through but she's very sceptical. After all, it is now 3 months instead of the 2 weeks they promised. It is even worse then when they were trying to get Kyaw Kyaw's passport. That took Kyaw Kyaw a full week of waiting in line and collecting signatures at probably every single administrative office in downtown Yangon. Then it would take a month to have his passport ready. After a month they said 'next week'. And again 'next week'. But when Kyaw Kyaw passed some 'tea money' the 3rd 'next week' turned out to be true....
What a country! I can imagine why Sandra is sometimes so fustrated.
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