Lemsta69

The gee-gees are back at Royal Bangkok Sports Club but there's no crowds of spectators. I wonder why that would be?

Like I said, had it once and it wasn't that special. However your second point might explain why all the YouTubers seem to go gaga over it.

Easy tiger! I was just having a bit of a dig at the now universal concept that "spicy" equates to dumping chillies into everything because you're addicted to the endorphin rush and that everyone else must follow suit.

Thais don't know what spices are, all they know are chillies and ironically it was the dirty foreigner who introduced them to it 😂

You're still blaming the wrong people. Not everyone in the world is obsessed with eating chillies and for many it completely spoils the dining experience. Eating a chilli-laden dish is a nightmare for a lot of people, both at the restaurant and back at the hotel a few hours later. Tourists come here to experience the "local flavour" but for many it's too hot to handle. So rather than miss out they simply ask for the dish to be "not spicy". If you go to that same restaurant and tell them in fluent Thai that you want it made Thai style, and they don't comply, then that's on them and not the tourist or the poor person like me who can't tolerate even one spoonful of a chilli destroyed dish.

Correction ... there are levels of chilli. OP needs to change to title to replace "spicy" with "chilli". It's not the only spice in the world you know 😉

If the dish tastes like crap because there's no chillies in it then the cook is either not very good, or the recipe is crap to begin with. Me, I can't eat even one spoonful of a dish that contains chillies, the guts just won't have it. The solution for me is to simply not eat Thai food anymore. I did all that years ago when I was here as a backpacker and was still CS by the place. Even then I ate mostly Chinese food anyway, noodle soups etc. However, if I was forced to go to a Thai restaurant I'd probably try and order something that is usually "spicy" but can be made without chillies. That rules out a lot of dishes because the base seems to be pre-made. So if worse came to worst I'd probably have to order pad krapow sans chillies. If that ruins your dinner then I'm sorry but that's on the Thais, not me. If you go into a Thai restaurant and tell them in fluent Thai not to "water down" the dish, but they still do, then it's probably not a restaurant you'd be wanting to eat at anyway. PS. what's this obsession with pad krapow anyway? Had it once in 1998 and it was OK but not so special that I ever went back for it let alone rave about it on YouTube like all the newbies seem to.

If the extension is denied they'll give you a further 7 days to leave the country.

Nah, my 7-Eleven is only open between 11am-2pm and 5pm-midnight 😉

He's not farang dude, look at the picture again.

Why should you need anything more than a passport for a 30-day extension? Also where are the actual requirements published? Chonburi Immigration website is a dog's breakfast and the main Immigration website ain't much better.

Bogs has loadsamoney that he throws around like confetti at a wedding. Loadsamoney! That's when he's not making all the ladies go weak at the knees when he flashes his Rolex.

You've obviously been in the tropics too long and haven't heard of microsleeps. Here, I'll let Dr Karl explain it for you... https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MdOhcmkI0dw

I was responding to oldcpu's question about what would happen if you flew in visa exempt and an IO asked for an onward ticket and you didn't have one. I'm guessing he means as a normal flyer, not a "visa abuser". As you know, the conventional wisdom is that it is unlikely to happen so we don't see too many reports about what transpires. Or if there have been then I can't recall. Perhaps your memory is better than mine. PS. I'll post what I want if it's not in violation of forum rules. You're not a mod so there's nothing you can do about that! 😹

I don't know as it's never happened to me and I can't dredge up any memories of old posts on the subject. Maybe they'll let you book a ticket out on your phone and accept it without a physical printout. Or maybe they don't like the look of you and it's off to the back room for the third degree. No onward ticket, no proof of funds and it's a day or so in lockup until you get sent back where you came from, or wherever you can negotiate a ticket to.

I've already mentioned that that doesn't faze me. I won't get refused service at the pub because of it, so it's no skin off my nose.

I'm simply telling you my experiences. I've never had a Thai motorcycist almost crash into me because he was looking back to talk with his mate whilst coming around a corner at speed. Thankfully he corrected at the last second. He was able to look back and give me a "what?" look when I shouted at him so maybe he is really a good rider after all. I've never had a Thai motorcycist almost barrel into me because he's squeezed himself into a narrow gap between a stopped songthaew and an adjacent building then gunned it as soon as he squeezed through. Right past the door to the 7-Eleven that I was just coming out of. I've never had a Thai motorcycist almost clip me with his wing mirrors because he was hugging the left side of the lane in Soi Buakhao and not slowing or deviating off his line like the Thais do. For the most part, Thai riders and drivers in those over-trafficked Sois don't faze me and I rarely feel threatened. Notable exceptions are SUVs with Bangkok plates. But when I see a foreigner coming towards me on a motorcycle then I start praying to the old Gods and the new that I'll survive the encounter. You can call that "anti-farang" or irritational or whatever you want, it doesn't really worry me. I'm quite happy with my blanket disdain for foreign motorists 😅

So doe's you're speling 😹

Well it's not just young folk, a lot of older fellas are just as bad. That's OK if they would just stick to their football hooligan bars so you can avoid them, it's when they get out and about on their donor cycles that it becomes a problem. Unfortunately there's little you can do about it except keep your eyes peeled when walking about the place, and your "jai yen yen" turned all the way up to 11. There's no point tangling with those hoodlums unless you have connections in City Hall and very deep pockets 🤣

Many reports on here of people being asked for onward ticket/proof funds. Replace "never" with "unlikely" and you might be closer to the mark.

Bro, there's a new thread about this every other week. It's a subject that's been done to death. The airline is required to check that you meet the requirements to enter the destination country. If they don't, and you get denied entry then they are responsible for repatriating you and they can cop a fine of up to $10,000. In practice it depends on the airport and the individual check-in staff. You might get asked, you might not. YMMV as the Americans say. Are we clear now?

Well I'm not an alpha male, nor do I want to be one. But calling posturing heteo motorcyclists gay is just childish. Oh, and an insult to gay bikers 😅

Thais mentally disintegrate at the drop of a hat. Just tell them that you won't pay their BS prices and watch them melt like the wicked witch of the west.

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

We're talking about Pattaya Richard, not greater Thailand. I love the place but one of its many shortcomings is the concentration of aggressive foreigners on motorbikes. When I walk down Soi Buakhao and other busy narrow streets I don't pick up bad vibes from Thai drivers/riders. It's the foreigners, especially farang, that are a problem. If you've never been there and experienced it yourself then there's no point continuing the discussion. If you've been there, experienced it for yourself but think there's nothing untoward about it, then there's also no point continuing the discussion.