jimihendrix

Can you just come and go as you please? I'd like to be able to fly over to phuket or bkk on some weekends... Just wondering if I'll need to do any paper work or (can't remember proper name) visa exemptions? 

1 hour ago, thecyclist said:

Saigon today is like Bangkok 25 years ago. 

That sounds amazing! I would like to try other places but I got into hiring cycle way late. Saigon opportunity is the only one that is possibly still on table, though I've applied to about 100 others around SEASIA. Still open to staying in US for one year and getting another year experience an hitting the hiring season hard this November for next year. Thanks for your thoughts.

Thanks, as long as it's as comparable as I predict it sounds like it would be good for a few years stint while I improve CV and decide the next move. 

As title suggests. I lived in Thailand 2009-2017. Loved it but eventually returned to North America to try some other things. I'm a teacher with degree and have been completing my masters in teaching. 

I'm trying to get jobs in Thailand but I started looking too late into the hiring season. I've had more interest from Vietnam schools and recently had a good interview with on in HCM city.

I'm just looking for any thoughts on similarities or differences. Is it that different from Bangkok? 

Thanks for your help,

JH.

My introduction to Thailand was a hotel performing job in 2008. Jumping through all the work visa/permit hoops I managed to find work til 2017. There were a few years where larger parts were spent back home but most of it was there.  I went through the honeymoon -> love it -> normalized ->start taking it for granted -> get jaded cycle til I decided I needed to take care of some other things that Thailand couldn't offer. About 2 years into that and the Pandemic hit.  I was already starting to think about Thailand again but now I'm working towards upgrading credentials that will at least allow me a more permanent solution there, when this is all past.

So long story short I've been going to Thailand for 13 years.  And out of that time about 9 were fortunate to be there. How about you?

Feel free to ramble like me (I miss the expat banter and origin stories I used to get around Phuket) or just post your numbers!

Over here in North America I feel your pain in being too far away from Bangkok.  I'd say it's beyond inconvenient at this point!

the new foo fighters show where they record a new track each week in a different famous studio/city in the states has been DYNAMITE... most of the time its not about foo fighters at all but just the music scenes of the city... they did Chicago (blues) in wk 1 and Washington DC (punk/gogo) in wk 2... its called SONIC HIGHWAYS, an HBO series.

Also Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown just started season 4. Great mix of food/travel in interesting places. first episode ever was myanmar I liked that one alot. the chiangmai episode last year was great too.

I think this was the right move to stay consistent with rules for all beaches... but nai yang was where I spent my first 3 months, and countless days since. Some of these particular establishments are exactly what I fell in love with in Thailand. I have amazing memories at these places. I understand the need for the law to be black and white, but I always thought this beach in particular was keeping it as "thai style" as possible. It was way different than what happened to Surin and others. And while the whole process being deployed on the beaches has to be done the way its being done, I cant help but think there will be lots of first timers who are going to miss out on some of these experiences and never really get the whole picture. Im confident the owner of my favorite establishment will find a close by place and I'll continue to make new memories there. Hopefully these changes last and things are done proper this time.

This is the best place to run in phuket. The road wasn't bad before, but I appreciated when it was repaved. Although they re did areas that didnt need it and skipped the end which was short sighted. None the less this place is awesome and if you really want to enjoy a picnic go a little bit around theres tons of cool places right by the water that are far more scenic than the entrance way where the motorbike traffic parks.

http://www.phuketgazette.net/phuket-news/Mayor-denounces-reports-legal-Phuket-beach-club/30873#ad-image-0

To the people saying you cant bring a picnic to the beach here if you're a tourist... EVERY SINGLE THAI RESTAURANT IN THE WORLD DOES TAKEAWAY. The real icing on the cake would be a reasonable amount of trash cans (that arent used for illegal dumping overflowing creating a beaver dam of toxic waste) for said takeaway (alcohol/food) to be disposed of thus preserving newly recaptured beach

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Just goes to show you the Thai mentality towards laws; both officials and villagers.

Here we go with the snobbish comments about Thai mentality...

Is Thai mentality any different from that of your home country?

If anything, I'd say that overall Thai mentality is superior. Show me a tourist area

in any of your home countries that doesn't have shysters, chiselers and cheats.

Obviously you have never been to Canada.

Mother nature has the scam monopoly in sweet home vancouver with its 11 months of rain at the beach

All in all so far so good by the Junta. For the people complaining about non-surin places, give the dudes til high season. If they accomplished this much in a month (more than ive seen in 6 years here) I am happy to give the benefit of the doubt they'll get the whole thing right. Never thought Id see the day! Just the taxis alone would have been a pigs flying scenario a few months back.

Andaman club is worth every extra baht... quicker, closer, more comfortable... the difference last i went was about 300 between the two.

Best part of not having TV (cable), no reality tv... best reality of not having a tv... i watch everything i want to watch on my tv connected to my computer.

the one at the big chicken restaurant in kathu is really great (if you know what restaurant im talking about, if you dont... take the east/west road from Central to Patong, and look for the big chicken.... great grilled chicken there too.

The dried one is called "moo dat diaw" or something along those lines methinks

My only question after all these years reading the same story: how come the only facet of daily life here that's not connected to the laws of "face" is the taxi/police relationship. I know the answer is money... but I thought face meant more than money

Jimi from phuket here. Had plans to go to silverlake festival, but was cancelled. We still had the tickets for Krungthep this weekend but the news coverage is making it look like a potentially dangerous situation. Im sure they're overdoing it but whats the thoughts at the moment? Would it even be fun or are the protest areas scattered evenly throughout most places of interest?

Mainly planning on hitting pantip/pratunam, and some music at night. also had a first time bkk visitor who would like to see wat arun/grand palace though amongst other classic attractions.

Would we be best off trying to postpone or is the news over doing it?

Thanks for help.

In regards to the title of the thread: Read as many "newbie to thailand/phuket" threads as you can stomach. Then take everything everyone says with a grain of salt. Large demographic of posters here with different needs/wants/age/resources. Spend the first month trying out different locations and find whats best for you.

I guess my comment was more directed towards my own personal ongoing wonderment why patong is so gosh darn popular.

Alcohol available at 100% of the places I've been today. None in patong... maybe people should stop going to patong haha. Phuket Town's got the alcohol flowing.

dear weather gods, please kindly ignore OP