wump

Mhh? This has nothing to do with the 7 days and is actually not possible if the IO sees your visa. You cannot choose not to use your visa.

This sums it up pretty nice. You can usually trust ubonjoe.

There has been a thread about them from some guy regularly using them as he usually stays a couple of days longer than the original stamp. I think it might have been some sort of fly-in-fly-out thing. Probably like 2-3 months ago. Just use the search function.

Edit: I have done these ones twice while already on an extension so I can guarantee first hand that they are possible. The last one I did was around New Years.

The 7-day-extension is actually a "denial of extension" to give you time to leave Thailand. They still do these in all immigration offices. They essentially work like a normal extension though. 

You can get these if you are already on an extension. Just be aware that you have to go to get them on your last day of your permission to stay as the 7 days count from the day you apply for the extension.

You can stay 97 days on a tourist visa with 2 extensions (30/7 days) if you don't want to lose any days out of your three months. There is a new immigration building about 25 minutes from Lamai on the quite picturesque route through the jungle towards Maenam where you can do your extensions. An extra week is plenty to find a room.

Your best bet is to book a hotel on booking.com or Agoda for 3 days, rent a bike, check out the main area (the "one-way" road) on the first days to get a feel for the place and on the second and third day have a look at some apartments. It's not that many so you won't be overwhelmed by the choice.

But but but I'm only 32 and hate Chaweng but love Lamai. Lots of young people there. Most around 30, but of course the longstayers are much older than that on average. In Chaweng you wouldn't find the old farts in bars as they are mostly packed with obnoxious 18-20 year olds just looking to get totally wasted. And no offence, but you can tell miles away who of them is American.

I wouldn't stay in Chaweng Noi as there is nothing to do there expect for swimming and you'd need to ride your bike quite far to get anywhere decent for eating/drinking/shopping.

There is boxing gym in Lamai, just check on Google Maps. It's on the same soi as the biggest bar area there. The biggest bar area is actually not the one next to the Saturday Night boxing ring with the bars around but the one that's got the Billabong bar.

Overall, with Soi Reggae Pub in Chaweng being nearly deserted and the (very few) bars in Soi Green Mango in Chaweng being mostly either boring or a ripoff, you'd have a better selection of girls and laid-back bars in Lamai.

Chaweng would only win for its discos if that is your thing.

2 minutes ago, notmyself said:

 

True enough but be hard pushed to get a hotel for 7k a month these days. See one of the major reasons Lamai has a village feel is that it was unable to expand due to the hills at the rear of it.

I paid 14k a month for a bungalow incl electric for short term rent. I spoke to quite a few (mostly German) guys and renting under 10k, especially if for 3 months, is definitely possible.

Regarding your last sentence: If find this is quite not the case. The area behind Lamai and the hills is huuuuge (like a 10-15 minute drive to the hills) and there is lots of room for expansion. It's just not that developed.

I agree, check both places. Chaweng was just too touristy for me and almost looks like Pattaya, except for the beach which was okay. I found Crystal Bay in Lamai still nicer though.

Then you'd always have to always cross the highway which at times can be a bit of a pain. To stay closer to the action is not that much more expensive... so probably better to stay somewhere in between the arrow and the dental clinic in the map.

In Lamai there is a long soi right next to the creek with cheap hotels and cheap restaurant food (40-50 Baht). Rent a bike and you'll be at the beach in 1 minute, at the Family Mart in 1 minute, at the best cocktail bar (50 Baht a Chang, 80 Baht a cocktail) in 1 minute, at the Thai food market in 3 minutes, at the Tesco Lotus Center in 4 Minutes and at the nightlife area with the boxing ring and food night market near the McDonald's in under 2 minutes. 

But you could really stay anywhere in Lamai... the main arean in between the one-way road and the highway is just about 1 square kilometer.

Stayed in both places. Give me Lamai any time of the day. Chaweng is an overpriced, loud, dirty, overcrowded backpacker ghetto. Okay for a night out once a month or so but definitely no place to live.

A man died and you guys bicker about spelling and origin of liquor?!

I agree you would have a hard time killing yourself with just one bottle. Maybe if downing it with 30-60 minutes. Go watch some videos on Youtube about what happens when you chug a bottle.

There is also a real possibility to kill yourself with alcohol and preexisting sleep apnea or if having Valium (or similar) in your system (where it can stay 100 hours+).

I saw a young man totally passed out on the dance stage in the middle of a bar the other day. Lying on his back, the Thais were feeding him Heineken while unconscious. At some point he started gagging and throwing up which you obviously can't when lying on your back. So quite an easy way to die, really. Of course I turned the poor guy to his side so he could throw up in his pillow... all others were just giggling at the scene... <deleted>.

I think this thread is not about the driver taking a break (which is good) but about the need to stop for petrol during the 90 minute journey from Bangkok to Pattaya.

Now thinking about it, I think I got the most likely reason: Thinking about Pattaya, there is only petrol stations on Sukhumvit and to go from any van stops to the petrol station in between journeys would easily take another 30 minutes. I guess the same is the case for most places. These vans never go empty (without passengers), so there you have it.

Changing provinces is no big deal. You could use an agent to do it.

2 minutes ago, NoBrainer said:

They do have a gasoline tank as well, but that costs about 5 times as much to run on.

 

 

Really? LPG is like 13 (?) Baht a litre while petrol is about 26-27 Baht a litre. Additionally, you use about 20-25% more per litre on LPG as its energy density is smaller. So please, get your facts straight before posting... it's about 60% more expensive.

8 minutes ago, Foexie said:

[...]

Secondly the faster the gas is being used the faster the regulator freezes up and the engine will just stop. So i guess this is the main reason. They stop so the regulator can de-ice again so they will not stall in the middle of the road. It can sound strange but in warm countries you get more condenced water what can freeze faster.

This is utter rubbish. We have LPG in two cars in Germany and even in minus 20 degrees there is no freezing, no matter how far you go. Mind you, these cars switch back to petrol if doing more than 170 kph but I have never seen a minivan doing more than 130-140 kph in Thailand so shouldn't be an issue. Additionally, it's boiling hot over here so tell me, how would anything start freezing?!

47 minutes ago, Svante said:

They fill up with the meter ticking, meaning they make money while filling up! Buses and vans are most likely getting paid by the station to bring customers for their shops.

Might be true in tourist trap stops but not when they fill up at PTT megastations where there is just chain restaurants, a 7-11 and free toilets. I guess it comes down to poor planning, the driver needing a break/smoke or penny-pinching for using the very cheapest LPG station (waited a full hour at the station on the way from Rayong to Pattaya). The gas tank shouldn't be too much of a factor as they easily hold 50-60 liters, enough for 400-500 kms.

Regarding your first sentence: Drivers are typically paid by the distance traveled, not by the hour. Why else would they drive like lunatics?

I too have 48-page passport completely covered in blue and green stickers. I never had trouble even though they always take their time to examine my passport at the border and eventually do stamp me, but they don't exactly smile at that . I guess the key is to not spent more than 9 months a year over here if not on a proper visa?

Sorry to hijack the topic: So me coming in exempt (30+30+7+2 days) last November, coming back after 1 month with a TR visa (60+30 days) I should be okay to just do another border run to gain another 30+30? Can't really be bothered to get another TR visa as I only need another 1 month, 2 maximum.

I recommended this in another thread: Go to the travel agent right next to Paddy Rice Irish Pub adjacent to St 136. 5$ if you have documents/proof, 10$ if you don't. Easiest solution. Don't bother going to the embassy. Takes about 2-3 days depending of the time of the day.

I hate clothes shopping over here. Go to Central Festival into a 40 sqm store and you'll have 5 people hovering around you. Mega-annoying. I wish there was something like Amazon over here :/