jdean

What is the best way to get from Suvarnabhumi Airport to Hua HIn (other than taxi)?

Just tell them you are living here in your own house. You are automatically NQ'd (not qualified for a presentation).

My school (Patong Language School) told me that you only need their letter if you go to Singapore, no MOE paper required. I do not know if this is true for all schools or not.

I just got my 3 month "ED" visa from Penang. There you must have the MOE paper for sure or they will not give it to you. I was told by my school (Patong Language School) that in Singapore you only need the school letter.

You do not need an agent to get your visa in PP as the embassy is within easy walking distance of most hotels (unlike Penang). You just get there in the morning, take a number from the guard booth on the right side of the entrance, wait in air con comfort until your number is called and then return in the afternoon of the 2nd day. Simple!

I know of a house in east Patong. PM if interested

Thanks everyone for confirming the validity of use of the viet nam visa website. I saw some information that it was a scam and am relieved to know that I can use it. Also for the good advice to take some dollars with you to make things easier

What is the best way to get a visa for Viet Nam without leaving Phuket? This is assuming the direct flights from here by Air Asia are not canceled as someone suggests.

Why do you think it is canceled? I bought a ticket for mid July and recently got an SMS from Air Asia to contact their customer service. I did so today and they wanted to tell me that flight times for both directions had changed but only 15 or 20 minutes. They confirmed this by email so a flight in mid July does not seem like a canceled service.

I am an experienced English teacher but only available for Patong locations.

Living in Patong, I use Dr. Wattana's Clinic when I am not sure what is going on. He fluent in English and has been practicing here for 20 years. If I cut my finger I use the ER at Patong Hospital.

Up until last year Vachira was also available for the government health scheme, has that changed?

Oh, I thought it was only Mission when the scheme started about 4 years ago (? my guess). I can only say that I would not recommend the Mission since the health care scheme started as the Mission is far far too busy and overstretched. IMHO.

You have a choice when you first get your Social Security card and then once every year after that. You can choose to go with the Government Hospitals, Patong and Vachira, or you can choose to go to Mission (the only non-government hospital). Living and working in Patong one usually chooses Patong Hospital.

Is it not possible to obtain an extension at the Patong Beach immigration office?

No, the Patong office is often not open and when they are they only accept report of address when staying 3 months.

It is more than a year ago that I stayed in Korat for a couple of nights. I stayed at the V-One Hotel. It was very nicem but it also seemed to me that the entire male staff were gay. In the evening they had a woman playing acoustic guitar and singing in the lobby bar. The clientele (as well as the singer) all seemed to be gay. It was a very pleasant evening. I think they had a pool table as well. Also the lobby lounge was right next to the swimming pool if you are a swimmer.

The only thing Patong Immigration Office will do now is allow you to report your address for the 90 day stay. Also it does not seem to be open consistently.

Lair Lay Tong is a Thai restaurant with a bar but the main emphasis is food. It is owned by a lesbian couple and both they and their restaurant have been around for many years. Time Bar is a bar in the gay Paradise complex that is owned by a Thai husband and wife (Dan and Jessica have 2 childrens). They both speak fluent English and are good fun but not a lesbian place at all. I've never heard of the other places but know of a lesbian owned hotel at the south end of Patong up on the hill called Baan Nern Sai.

Now Air Asia is offering direct flights from to Phuket to new international destinations, including Medan, starting in December (but you can book now). So is it possible to get a new visa in Medan?

Recently at Carrefore I have been able to buy cartons of eggs that advertise ingredients in them: the 3 choices that I've seen are 1) Omega 3 2) DHA 3) Selenium with Vitamin E. They come in plastic instead of cardboard and cost 10-20 Baht more than the regular cartons. Each individual egg even has a stamp on it in light pink ink. I've tried some and can detect no difference in taste. If the advertising is true, how do they do it? Or am I just wasting my money?

Jui Tui Temple has by far the largest number of participants in their morning parade. The final night of the Festival has no piercings but each temple parades their Gods through the streets of downtown. They are honored by massive numbers of firecrackers thrown at them and hung over them. If there is no wind that night, it is not a place for people with asthma, huge clouds of smoke everywhere. Once the parade is over and the people shed their white garments, it is Party Time!! (to make up for all those other abstentious days).

I just got a second tourist visa on Sept. 25. My first one was from Penang. Prior to that I had extension of stay for retirement, O visa and before that B Visas with work permit. I went to the embassy myself on Sept. 23 and they didn't ask me anything, just handed me a slip for pickup on 25. I did see people try to get next day pickup get turned down so allow for the 2 days. I saw other posts recommending use of an agent. I did ask several tour agencies and they all said that I had to do it myself and it was simple enough.

I have used International Law Office in Patong for many years. Originally Sam Fauma (fluent in Thai, German, English) worked there but now has moved to the branch they opened in Phuket Town. A most reputable and long existing law firm. Look in the Phuket Gazette on line yellow pages.

Flew out of Thailand to get a Tourist visa in Phnom Penh (successfully). I had read and found out that it is true you now have to take your shoes off, belt. everything in your pockets, and I still beeped. I got wanded and all clear. But then you have to put yourself back together again. Now some of us are not as agile as we used to be and need to sit down to put our shoes on. Not a chair in sight!

The cheapest, but taking the most time, is bus to Surathani Pun Phin station ( name close to that), train to Bangkok and the nest evening train to Nong Khai. In Nong Khai you can continue on the train into Laos where the line ends but can do immigration there. Continue by bus to Vientiane. Others will argue that Air Asia is almost as cost effective but this is surely the cheapest and most carbon friendly green footprint.

My puppy had parvo (as confirmed by a test at the vets). It is not just vomiting but forceful vomiting. The parvo virus basically eats the whole inside of the stomach lining and so there is lots of bright red blood in the stools. It is very painful for the dog. Our dog recovered but only because he stayed at the vet and got on IV therapy and then still thought we would loose him.

I just got back on Sept. 30 from Phnom Penh where i got my 2nd tourist visa. I have a long string of B visas (+work permits) followed by a year extension of stay for retirement. My money ran below 800,000 Baht so I got the Penang Toursit visa and then the 30 day extension. I saw the postings that Penang would not give me a second one so decided to try Phnom Penh. I asked several travel agents if they could do this for me and they all said I had to do it myself. The people hanging around outside the embassy all appeared to be motorcycle taxi and tuk tuk drivers, none put themselves forward as agents. My advice is to do it yourself. The small booth outside will give you your application and once you have it filled out they will give you a number for the waiting line, displayed on numbered signs over the windows. The lady I saw glanced through my passport and promptly gave me a number to return in the afternoon 2 days later. While I was waiting I observed the following:

One man wanted to get his passport back the next day on the grounds that he had a flight out then. When asked to produce the ticket he didn't have it so he left. Don't know if having the ticket would have worked or not. Another guy wanted a multiple entry, no way single entry visas only. He left in a huff. When I went back 2 days later they were to start giving the passports back at 3 PM but actually started at 2:45. This time there was no order to the process, just be first in line if you can. I can understand why they might want 2 days to process the passports. Just the number of international passports seemed to be about a yard wide and that didn't include the Cambodian ones which were in huge stacks!