pompeyabroad

I am returning to the UK very soon and would like to change around 25000 baht cash into Sterling. Can anybody tell me the best place in Phuket to do this please? I am based in Patong. Many thanks in advance!

I have a four 2+1 month Tourist Visas in my passport over a period of two years along with two extentions and a Ranong Border Bounce 15 day. However it has been interspersed with stay in Singapore and Malaysia for a couple of months each. Will I have a problem getting another 2+1 month in Penang? My Visa agent in Phuket says that there is a 95% chance I would be OK as I am currently on a 1 mth stamp as I flew in from Singapore. Any advice would be welcome as I don't want to pay 4000 Bht for the run only to be knocked back

NeverSure, on 27 Mar 2013 - 05:53, said:

Thailand has several competing chains. Tesco, which is UK based hasn't made ghost towns out of Thailand. I observe Thailand as have lots of private people with their own businesses, going head to head with Tesco, and of course on a smaller scale.

Have McDonalds or Burger King or KFC ruined the street vendors or the private restaurants? Where do the "rich" eat?

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Tesco, Makro Big C etc have definitely had a huge impact on the mom & pop retail sector here, are basically kept afloat due to the high cost of transport for very poor who buy day-to-day within walking distance of their home.

The western fast-food chains are completely unaffordable for most Thais, that is where the (younger) rich people eat, definitely a high-end rare special treat for most people supporting the street-food vendors.

Obviously the rich eat wherever they like, probably more in their own homes than everyone else since they have a large household staff doing the shopping cooking etc. and don't care that doing it that way is more expensive than eating out.

Not saying any of this is a bad thing, just pointing out your misconceptions.

Mcdonals meals are cheaper in Singapore and KL now!

Many thanks guys'

OK, txs for the reply. I notice you say 'should'. does this mean you are 80-90% sure or what please. I have a friend arriving Monday to do a non 'B' so he can guinee pig for my. He has a Slovenian passport and is coming from Thailand...so I guess i will find out that way!

Hi All, I am currently on holiday in Singapore and waiting for a company in Thailand to email me paperwork so as I may obtain a Non Immigrant 'B' visa from the Thai Embassy here in Singapore. I am British, have a British Passport and don't hold a Resident Permit or an "S" Work Pass for Singapore. Does anyone know if it is possible to obtain the visa here without being attached to Singapore in any way? I have tried calling the Embassy at designated times, but just answerphone. Any comments would be appreciated.

A while ago I printed out some small pieces of paper which I staple to my blank passport pages which say in thai "this page is reserved for visas from other countries". (Sometimes I'll even staple all the blank pages together with that note on the first one;

The thai wording looks like this;

หน้านี้จองไว้

สำหรับวีซ่า

ประเทศอื่น ๆ

Before I enter thailand, I also put a yellow post-it note which marks the page in my passport which has an empty spot for the thai entry stamp, with the words "put the entry stamp for thailand on this page".

The thai wording looks like this;

ให้แสตมป์เข้า

ประเทศไทยหน้านี้

FWIW: This tactic is usually enough to have the immigration official put the stamp where I want, instead of in the middle of an empty page like they want to do all too often. Also it often gets a chuckle from them, that a foreigner would have 'stamping instructions' written in thai in their passport.

Thanks Todd your a good man to have on TVF.

Hi Todd, wonder if you can help please? I am travelling to Phuket tomorrow (Monday) from Singapore on a UK pasport. However, there are no free pages available and is pretty much full up with other full page visas ( Thailand,Indonesia and Cambodia) and stamps. There are also a couple of 2 day Thai overstay stamps and a 7 extention stamp in the passport. There is space available for 30 day exit/entry stamps on a couple of the pages, Are immigration OK with this at Phuket? I've found that HK and Sigapore will stamp anywhere without question. RichSee has already said it would be OK but just want to double check as it's causing me some anxiety. Thanks in advance.

Sorry, 7 day extention stamp in Samui

A while ago I printed out some small pieces of paper which I staple to my blank passport pages which say in thai "this page is reserved for visas from other countries". (Sometimes I'll even staple all the blank pages together with that note on the first one;

The thai wording looks like this;

หน้านี้จองไว้

สำหรับวีซ่า

ประเทศอื่น ๆ

Before I enter thailand, I also put a yellow post-it note which marks the page in my passport which has an empty spot for the thai entry stamp, with the words "put the entry stamp for thailand on this page".

The thai wording looks like this;

ให้แสตมป์เข้า

ประเทศไทยหน้านี้

FWIW: This tactic is usually enough to have the immigration official put the stamp where I want, instead of in the middle of an empty page like they want to do all too often. Also it often gets a chuckle from them, that a foreigner would have 'stamping instructions' written in thai in their passport.

Thanks Todd your a good man to have on TVF.

Hi Todd, wonder if you can help please? I am travelling to Phuket tomorrow (Monday) from Singapore on a UK pasport. However, there are no free pages available and is pretty much full up with other full page visas ( Thailand,Indonesia and Cambodia) and stamps. There are also a couple of 2 day Thai overstay stamps and a 7 extention stamp in the passport. There is space available for 30 day exit/entry stamps on a couple of the pages, Are immigration OK with this at Phuket? I've found that HK and Sigapore will stamp anywhere without question. RichSee has already said it would be OK but just want to double check as it's causing me some anxiety. Thanks in advance.

Yes Lopburi3, I did mean the free 1 month tourist entry stamp. Sorry people, I did not mention I was in Singapore where I did try to get an 'International Banker's Draft' payable to HK consulate General. But Standard Chartered do not accept cash..you have to have an account with them, well in Singapore you do.. Thanks again and sorry for any misunderstanding!

Hi guys, Lopburi3. does your post still apply please? thinking about flying to thailand thailand on a mth tourist visa but have limited space (no free pages UK passport) but have space available for stamps on other pages. do you reckon i'd have a problem with thai immigration?

Many thanks in advance

Why not get a new one before you come, saves a lot of hassle.

Yes should have done moths ago. Singapore is an expensive place to wait for one though.

Hi guys, Lopburi3. does your post still apply please? thinking about flying to thailand thailand on a mth tourist visa but have limited space (no free pages UK passport) but have space available for stamps on other pages. do you reckon i'd have a problem with thai immigration?

Many thanks in advance