Lemsta69

A visa run is when you leave Thailand and travel to an Embassy or consulate, apply for an actual visa and then wait a couple of days or so until the visa application is processed. A border hop aka border bounce aka in/out aka out/in is when you head to the nearest land border, cross over into the other country, get stamped in by that country, then turn around and re-enter Thailand. Well that's what I was taught by the old hands when I first started travelling. I'm not sure if "border bounce" includes doing an out/in by air, we couldn't afford to do that when I was coming up through the ranks 😂 Some people expand the definition of visa run to include doing a border bounce to activate the 2nd or subsequent leg of a multiple-entry visa. Why do those companies advertise a border bounce as a visa run? Dunno, probably to cater to the masses who think that entering visa exempt is a "visa on arrival" and get upset when you point out the difference. Semantics they cry, yet dare to call football "soccer" and see how worked up they get 🤣

Your friend is getting ripped off LOL. I use Maneerat on Soi Post Office and it's 12.5K for an extension only and has been for some years now. The only recent changes are an extra 1,600 baht if your BBL account is "not in PTY branch" and it's now 100 baht a pop for TM47 (includes cost of return via EMS). Sorry but I never got around to asking my agent exactly what they mean by "PTY branch". Not sure if they mean Chonburi province or Pattaya City or Muang Pattaya, or Nongprue or...😂 Unfortunately you won't get a deal like that unless you travel to wonderful Pattaya. The further away you get from Soi Post Office the more expensive it becomes. And that's just the start of the 'cons' of using an agent that's not in your local area (I live in Bangkok).

Agreed. Was out on Th. Rambuttri the other night (as opposed to Soi Rambuttri) and it was horrible. I was an on-and-off tourist during the noughties (now a resident) so only went there a handful of times but I remember one year we rocked up after a long absence and noticed the vibe you mentioned. All gone now. Same with Soi Rambuttri, it's been overrun and has lost all its charm. I think the rot set in sometime in 1998 when some teenage Aussie flashpackers turned up at the crappy old Mango guesthouse and asked the girl behind the bar to play their Kylie Minogue tape! 😱

That's no good. Any idea why that might be the case? One of those countries where all the good stuff gets sold off to the highest bidder and the genpop get the dregs?

All the Moroccan recipes I've seen call for heaps of spices so why do you say it is spice free?

I know that, but does he? The post he quoted was referring to annual extensions, not the initial "15 month retirement visa" which is of course twice the cost because it provides twice the service.

Don't need more then 10 words. Anything beyond "beer Singh yen yen crap" is a waste of brainpower.

Why would you say that he's lucky? You've been a BM long enough to have seen multiple threads about the cost of using agents. 12.5K has been the price at a well-known and trusted agent in Pattaya for some time now. It's only recently that they've started to add an extra charge if your BBL account is not "from PTY" as my friend's agent likes to say. Also, I'm not really sure what you mean about "the first year is more expensive". The first extension is the same price as subsequent extensions. Seems like you don't know too much about agents and the services they provide. Perhaps read over some of the old threads so you can get up to speed.

You've been around long enough to know the score.

What's wrong with being a racist? It's human nature, baked deep into the DNA.

Except for the Poipet bit. Scuttlebutt in here is that the Aranyaprathet-Poipet border crossing is too be avoided at all costs.

Did you tell them it's because Thailand is a sleazy, corrupt country with grossly unequal wealth distribution and therefore attracts lowlifes from all around the world? That would have tested their whole "we're more peaceful than you" facade right quick 🤣

Pretty sure you know the answer to that question, I reckon you're just stirring.

My friend pays only 12,500.

No. They have to wait until sunset/when the beardy man tells them when they can start eating and drinking again.

Went would you want to be friends with people who adhere to an ideology that wants to enslave you?

4 year old thread, pointless response. Try harder or just give the f..k up.

this is the same mob that you were crying about in another post because they won't give you permanent residence because you said so 🤣🤣🤣

Of course I know what yaba is, was the Fred and Wilma comment not enough to show that I was poking fun at the serial Thai basher?

I'm simply presenting the facts, no more no less.

I think you need to take a cold shower mate.

The initial Non-Immigrant O Visa is for 90 days, not 3 months. After that you get a 12 month extension of your permission to stay and can protect this with a single re-entry permit (฿1k) or multiple re-entry permit (฿4k). It is NOT a "12 month multi-entry visa". Re-entry permit is not required if you have no intention of leaving the country before the end of your permission to stay. I hope you're aware of all the pitfalls of using an agent to dodgy you up a "retirement visa". If not then best DYOR before diving in. The pros and cons have been discussed at length here on AN.

Ignorant people who leave their shopping carts in the middle of the aisle? Probably never 🤣

2/10

That's a strong accusation to level against the Thai university lecturer! 😱