falangUK

Just posted this earlier: Might have to revise my earlier take on Thais outside the tourism industry. Had a really strange late night encounter with what seemed to be a local definitely not in tourism. Honestly, I’ll take the rude, xenophobic types over that kind of behaviour any day.

Just wanted to get some thoughts or advice from others here. I’ve been running at the 700 Years Stadium in for a while now, usually quite late at night. Last night was no different I finished my run around 10.30pm, tired, sat down on a bench near Gate 2 with my bottle of water and a couple of croissants. Bike parked nearby, same as always. During my run, I actually passed a policeman cycling around the stadium. He was friendly, said hello, and I replied in Thai that I was out exercising. Said something like "yes, very hot running." He smiled and rode on. So I know there is some police presence there at night, which makes this next bit even more confusing. Not long after, this Thai guy possibly Chinese Thai parked his own bike a bit further down the track, away from the main area. Then he walked straight up to me, sat uncomfortably close, and before I could react, suddenly hugged me. Full on, no words, just wrapped his arms around me. Completely out of nowhere. Instinctively I shoved him off. He got the message, went back to his bike, and rode off. I’ve seen all sorts of characters around that area, but never had something this strange happen before. I wasn’t shocked as much as just disgusted. I thought briefly about following him, but didn’t. No idea what he was on possibly drugs, not acting normal at all. Now I’m wondering what I should do. Should I have reported it to the police? Or to whoever manages the 700 Years Stadium area? Is it even worth reporting something like this? It’s hard to know whose responsibility it is. Would be genuinely helpful to hear from anyone who’s had a similar experience or has practical advice on how to deal with something like this. Ideally, something structured like: Is it worth informing the police even if the guy's long gone? There a security office at the stadium entrance, is it worth reporting? Are there better lit or safer times to run there? I usually run late because of the heat and it’s been fine up to now, but this really threw me off. Just trying to process it and figure out what to do next.

Precisely! But that would have been a disservice to the blunt pencil.

Spot on. Just yesterday I got talking to a chap in a coffee shop not the type I usually engage with, but he had a dog and looked presentable, so I gave it a go. He started the conversation, actually. Turns out he used to be in the tourism game, arranging tours or something like that, but it didn’t work out and he shut shop. Now he’s sniffing around for “investment opportunities” 🙄 Anyway, he went off on a rant about how foreigners are a huge problem in Thailand, especially the ones without much money. Said the free visa policy is the biggest issue the country faces. The irony? He’s never even left Thailand himself, despite being in the tourism industry. Made for one of the most depressing, brain cell killing conversations I’ve had in a while. He insisted Thailand should only accept ultra rich foreigners. I nearly asked him if his past clients were ultra rich or just your average mid range holidaymakers, but I bit my tongue. Pretty sure he made his living off the very same type he now slags off. There’s definitely some simmering resentment, mostly fuelled by ignorance in my opinion. But the locals not tangled up in the tourist economy just regular folks tend to be absolutely lovely. Same pattern I’ve seen in other places, like rural Indonesia. Shame I haven’t had the chance to explore rural Thailand properly, even after nearly 15 years here. But yes, your observation is bang on.

Thank you, this was really useful and effective. Appreciate it again.

Got my new UK passport in 18 days. About 14 working days from submission to collection in Chiang Mai. Very grateful. Lessons learned: 1. No need to take it too seriously. Another guy came with only his passport, black and white photocopies, and a wrong-sized photo. Staff just told him to get colour copies and a bill from a Thai mobile provider to prove address. Next time I’ll use a mobile bill too. It’s in English and shows the address clearly. 2. It took a couple of days for the application to reach the UK. Sent directly from Chiang Mai VFS to the UK by DHL. But the return was slower. HM Passport Office gave it to Royal Mail. Then Royal Mail handed it to DHL. Not sure why DHL can’t collect it directly from the passport office.

Dr Paradee at Sriphat used to be the one everyone recommended. Is Dr Preeyanuch Khunsongkiet actually better? Looks like she only graduated about five years ago, so I’m wondering if she might be a bit inexperienced. I’ve got an appointment with Dr Paradee early tomorrow and now I’m not sure what to do.

Thank you very much 🙂

Where are they held? Is it invite only? I used to attend a few meetups years ago but haven’t been in a while. Would be good to check it out again.

There were women too!??? Confronting the waiting woman, she hesitated then bolted for the door. Mr Ghayal chased after her, but the accomplice tried distracting him, claiming he might have misplaced his money. both women escaped in a waiting vehicle.

Ah the good old Triple Talaq 🤣

The whole thing really is a waste of time and money. In other countries like Indonesia, you can just apply for visa extensions online. No need to spend hours queuing at immigration. I remember it used to be a bit silly there too. You had to go in person, fill out forms using the correct colour pen, I think it was black, or they’d make you redo the whole thing. And you had to show proof of an outbound flight. So in that sense, Thailand is not the worst, but still, it would be much easier if extensions could be done properly online. I think they do offer an online option now, but it costs 500 baht extra, which makes you wonder if they are deliberately making the normal process as inconvenient as possible to push people into paying more. It really does feel like inconvenience is part of the business model here.

Yes, that’s the one. I used to shop there regularly whenever I was in Bangkok. Haven’t been to the CentralWorld branch in a couple of months though, so not sure what the current state is. But according to the staff I spoke to in Chiang Mai, they’re shutting down across the whole country. From what I understood, they’re still hoping someone might take over the franchise. Would be great if someone stepped in and kept it going.

That’s actually another good point. I think I came across it before but never really took it in properly. Makes sense though. If your appearance has changed significantly, like major weight loss or gain, then a new passport is probably in order. Still, it is strange how closely they are checking now compared to how relaxed they used to be. Something definitely seems to have shifted recently.

That’s actually a VERY good point! My passport photo’s about five years old, so if they're checking against that, the whole system’s a bit flawed, isn’t it? Can’t believe I hadn’t thought of that before, cheers for pointing it out. Now I’m even more baffled about why they’re doing these close checks, not to mention the strange “evidence style” photo holding the passport and receipt 😅