The VISA hits the fan

August 18, 2026 — 9:00pmWhen the well-travelled Graham Cochrane (C8) made mention of an unwelcome S.H.I.T. stamp, Granny must confess to feeling rather unworldly, but then Steve Castieau of Bexley came along to explain: “In the 1970s, long-haired overland travellers entering Malaysia from Thailand often had their visas marked S.H.I.T (Suspected Hippy In Transit) accompanied by a stern warning to travel directly to Singapore. Entry into Singapore usually required the inevitable haircut.”“In 1977, when I was considered to be a long-haired uni layabout by some, I travelled to New Zealand for a camping trip,” says Tim Ingall of Scottsdale Arizona, USA. “It took an hour to clear customs as a suspicious, older customs agent went through my gear looking for drugs including probing each aluminium