Kerryd

It is NOT "Thai culture". If you think it is then you have NO idea what "Thai culture" really is. The endless water fights have evolved from the traditional Thai Songkran celebration. Originally, it was a celebration of the end of the "dry season" and a time when wandering Buddhist monks would find a temple to settle down at during the coming rainy season (from back in the times before paved roads and trains and cars and such. When cart paths would turned into muddy quagmires for months at a time) In the old days, monks would often leave their temple at the start of the dry season and walk to - somewhere else. You still see that to this day. I often pass lone monks or small groups of them walking along a road somewhere in the middle of nowhere, on their way to a new temple or somewhere that needed more monks. Thais would celebrate by washing the feet of their parents/grandparents/elders and thanking them for all they've done. It is also a time when people would wash/clean Buddha statues in temples. (Basically like a big "spring cleaning".) People would dab a bit of powder on other people's faces and use their fingers to sprinkle a little bit of water on the heads of others (symbolically "washing" them). It was never a "endless water fight from dusk 'till dawn". It was also a ONE day event, which would start in the Northwest (Mae Hong Son/Chiang Mai area), then the next day would move to provinces a bit South and East and the next day it would be in other provinces further South and further East and so on. (Songkran dates back to the days when most people had to walk or ride in carts pulled by water buffalo. And of course, no phones or mail or even telegraph back then. Hence why it would start in one place and slowly work it's way across the country.) Took about a week. 1 day each in different areas of the country. It's still like that in some places though now they too have "water fights". Couple years ago I was in a small village in Sa Kaeo during Songkran and basically the entire "festival" was held at a local temple. People did the feet washing and thanking their elders in their homes before going to the temple to wash the statues and clean their family "chedis". In the afternoon there was party and "water fight" in a grassy area that quickly turned into a mud pit. The kids and young adults played and the older folks sat at tables around the "fight" eating and drinking while music blared from huge speakers. And that was it. No one was throwing water outside the temple grounds or in the village. And the next day, things were back to normal. And then the tourists came along and basically ruined it because they thought it would be more fun to throw water at other people than to "lightly sprinkle" some on people's heads (as was the custom before). And that led to Songkran turning into a massive water fight, mainly in touristy areas (which tells you it is NOT about "Thai culture"). And then it expanded to being 3 days in some places. I remember that in Pattaya when they started "playing water" the day before the "official" day up to the day after. (And that made people a bit "salty" even then !) Then it expanded to starting the same day in Pattaya as it traditionally started in the Northwest. And it went for a week. Now it's nearly 10 days ! People started throwing water on Soi 7 a few days ago and the "official" day is the 19th. 3 days - OK. 10 days - no thanks. (Many of my Thai friends went back to their home villages for a week to celebrate in the Traditional way and get away from the city.)

So the guy goes missing on 18 March and NO ONE reports it ? Not even his girlfriend ? What happened to her ? Why didn't this make the news - until nearly a month later ? And in a UK "media site" of course. Funny, the Mirror article says she "posted several tributes online to her partner." Must be on a private platform or on a different profile. No public posts on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. Same for Theo. Of the nearly 20 "Theo Bailey" Facebook profiles I looked at - none are this guy. I find it really hard to believe that he'd be out drinking with his girlfriend of 10 years, go missing, be found dead the next morning - and she makes NO mention of it ? Until it appears in the Mirror a month later ? (Keep in mind that media sites like the Mirror and Sun "buy" people's "horror travel stories" and "buff" them before publishing them. One advertisement I saw proclaimed they'd "pay for your holiday" if you had a good(horror) story to tell.) And no - there's no way "they" could cover this up for a month. (I just found a Twitter post about this from a lawyer in the UK dated 30 March - with no links or references to where he heard it from. I responded to his tweet and asked where he got his information from.) Funny, literally no information about "Theo Bailey" other than he's 31. But we know she's a teaching assistant from Chelmsford and who she's working for and where (Welwyn Garden City, Hertsfordshire). No mention of where he came from, or his job, or even if his parents were notified or what happened to his body. And the article says: "The authorities said that the case "was still open", however, no arrests have been made at this time." "Thai police said they are waiting for the post-mortem results." Riiiight. I looked and no "GoFundMe" - kind of hard to start asking for money a month after the event happened. Lots of unanswered questions.

Likely drunk, passed out, hit his head on the sidewalk. Bled for a bit, sat up, taxi guy sees him and calls for help. I remember back in the late 90s when bars had to close by 6am but were allowed to open again at 10 (which just meant they turned off the lights and music and put the customer's "bin cups" below the counter and continued serving them). I used to jog from my hotel down to Walking Street then around the far end and up to the Big Buddha and back to the hotel. One morning I jogged past the bar I'd been drinking in a few hours earlier and there was a drunk passed out on the side of that little path across from the Marine Bar (that goes past where the Blues Factory used to be and comes out behind the Marine Hotel). He was off to the side of the path with his head in the little rain gutter, people sitting on bar stools behind him. Staff in the bars looking bored (or sleeping) and no one paying any attention to the guy. Just another morning in Pattaya. Probably happens somewhere in the city literally every night.

That was exactly why they said they stopped requiring them at the airports a couple years ago. Seems all those forms were going into boxes when then went into warehouses where they've been stacked and stored ever since they first started making those forms. I thought they'd stopped using them everywhere though and was a bit surprised when I came into Thailand from Cambodia (at Aranyaprathet) last Nov and had to fill one out. And many forms at Immigration still ask for your "TM.6" number - which people who arrive by air can't give because - no TM.6. So if people arriving by Air don't have to enter a TM.6 number - why expect anyone else to do it ? Especially as most arrivals are by air. Makes the whole "TM.6" requirement pretty redundant. And the information on them was pretty much useless for the most part. Age and nationality was probably the only useful data. You can bet most people lied about their income level and had no clue what their address in Thailand was going to be.

Remember - in Thailand they ONLY count the deaths that happen at the scene. If they load people in pick-ups or those "local volunteer" rescue vans and they die on the way to the hospital - or at the hospital - they aren't counted towards the total "road accident deaths". But yeah, pre-Covid Thailand was always in the top 1-2 spots in the entire world for number of road accidents (per capita) and number of deaths (per capita). In the entire world. (Though to be fair a lot of countries either don't report their statistics or drastically downplay them. Primarily 3rd world and "least developed" nations. So Thailand is probably only "top 10" which is still crazy when you look at the size of the country and population.) And note - 86% of the accidents involved motorcycles.

I'm guessing he shi-ite himself and didn't want to walk around with it dripping down his legs. Hence the security guard hosing him down. Though they would have been better served by escorting him to (any) nearby bathroom where there'd have been more privacy.

A Swedish friend of mine wanted to go to Vietnam (on motorcycles) a couple months ago. I checked online and there wasn't a lot of information. We'd gone to Cambodia in November and that was a learning experience. Found out he could get a "45 day" stamp at the border - but I (Canadian) needed a visa. Very little information about taking motorcycles in/out of Vietnam though. And the only thing I could get online (even in dedicated Motorcycle forums) was "you need to hire a guide" and "you need to pay an agent". Buddy decided to try it anyways by himself. After spending 4 hours at the Vietnam border and getting no where, he said to hell with it and came back to Thailand. You always need to check requirements before you travel to any foreign country. ALWAYS. Too many people "assume" that everything should be "just like back home" or that they have some kind of special privilege because of their nationality. And then get a rude awakening when they find out different.

Yeah, when I'm out with my Thai friends at a bar or restaurant, the staff usually automatically hand the bill to one of the women who then goes through it line by line, pays it and then tells the rest of us how much we owe her (even splits - even for the "foreigner"). And NO - bars don't charge "ladydrink prices" if some foreigner comes in with a woman - unless she works at that bar ! Then they will usually check with the woman to make sure her companion will be OK with that. (Yes - I have seen that many, many times.) And the fact that the "wife" apparently did NOT dispute the bill - or jump in on the side of her husband - is telling. Almost like maybe she was "more than familiar" with that place perhaps ? 6 beer at 130 each is 780 bath by itself. If she had 2 beer herself in the time it took him to drink 6, that would bring the bill to 1,040 baht. (And being he is German, one might assume he wasn't drinking the cheapest, crappiest beer they had. Not sure what the "best" beer is or what most Germans would prefer but I doubt it's "a small glass of your warmest and cheapest draft "lite" beer".)

Could be where he met his "wife". All foreigners like to pretend that their wives were working "in a bank" or "at the DLT" or "at a high end car dealership" when they met them but the truth is, a lot of them met them at the first (or 2nd) beer bar they ever went in to. I've seen loads of girls who like to drag their latest "catch" to their old bar to show off how generous their new ATM is. And he usually doesn't have a clue but likes all the attention he (and his ladyfriend) get from the staff. Pumps up the ego you know. Lol - when I was working on a camp outside of Kabul in the early 00's, we had a firefighter that could have been a Chippendale's posterboy. The kind of guy who would suntan on a berm and there'd be a gaggle of girls trying to sneak peeks (seriously - the women's tents were on the other side of the road and from our office tent we could see them clustering around the edge of a tent to peek at buddy). He went to Phuket on his first holiday. Fell in love with the 2nd girl he met in a bar. Came back to work and when his next holiday came up, cleared out his belongings and flew back to marry her. Seems he thought he'd just be able to take a PADI course or two and then open his own dive shop and start making money hand over fist. When that didn't work out and the money ran out - she divorced him and went back to the bar ! (As he'd left without giving notice so he could screw the company out of a paycheque - he couldn't come back to work either.)

As most of these problems seem to be happening in Phuket, maybe the easiest solution would be to demolish the bridge and push the island further out into the sea and then pretend it doesn't really exist. Really no different than pretending that prostitution doesn't exist in Pattaya or that corruption doesn't exist in the police and gov't. All they have to do is say "Phuket no longer exists" and everyone will (apparently) just believe it and carry on and then the officials won't have to deal with problem !

Note the taxi-guy admitted he was making a U-Turn, probably without using any signals to warn people behind him of his intentions. After all, why let people know you are about to stop in the middle of a busy road so you can cut in front of other people going the other way ? I had a wipe-out in Sisaket about 10 years ago from the same thing. Old couple on a scooter in the far left "shoulder" lane. I'm in the left "traffic" lane. Scooter suddenly moves into the lane in front of me. Road is clear (no traffice/obstructions) so I move into the right lane. Scooter suddenly crosses into the right lane as well and then turns crosswise and stops right in front of me. I'd been watching and the old guy never once checked his mirrors or tried to signal and his brake light was probably burnt out as it never came on either. I'd moved to the far right of the right lane when he suddenly turned barely 5 meters ahead of me. I tried to swerve to the right (into the oncoming lane which was clear) and ended up clipping his front tire. His scooter was knocked over and I went for a tumble, skidding down the road and shedding bike parts for 50 meters. In the end, I had to pay a 400 baht fine for "being involved in a motorcycle accident" and so did the old guy. Seems he had no insurance, no registration, no license and no helmet (and no signal or brake lights) - but I had Class 1 Insurance so that made everything my fault. And you want to bet they don't check the taxi-driver to see if he was drunk - or stoned ? Had an accident about 3 years ago in Rayong. Guy ran a stop sign right in front of me and I ended up slamming into the rear of his truck at about 60 km/h. Thought for sure I was a dead man. At the hospital they took blood to check if I'd been drinking (I hadn't had a drink in a week actually). NEVER checked him because HE never went to the hospital and the police never checked where he'd been or what he'd been doing. (I suspect he'd been at lunch and probably had a few beer which is why he ran the stop sign. His dash cam showed him not even slowing down at the intersection and then his truck went for a spin when I hit him.) In the end I had to pay all my bills (medical and repair) and he paid for his own repairs and that was it. Even though his own video showed him running the stop sign. I was told that because "I hit him" it wasn't his fault ! And that if I'd been 1 second faster and "he hit me" - then it would have been his fault ! I pointed out that would have still meant he ran the stop sign and if he'd hit me, I probably would have died. Didn't matter, the report was already written and approved and nothing was going to change it.

I've transferred "stamps" from one passport to another many times and it is simple. There is a form "Transfer Stamp to New Passport" you can download (https://www.immigration.go.th/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/22.Transfer-Stamp-to-New-Passport-Form.pdf) Fill that out, take it to Immigration with both passports. At Jomtien they told me to come back the next day, which I did and got my passports back with no problems at all. Did NOT need any letter from the Embassy. Or a TM.30. Or anything else for that matter and if I recall, it was free as well. (Can't remember if I needed photocopies of my old passport and stamps but it wouldn't hurt to have them just in case.) NOTE: Different Immigration Offices may have different requirements. Be prepared to have to provide additional information/photocopies.

Yes. Generally, if all your destinations are on the same ticket with the same airline, your luggage will be transferred normally. IF you are flying to different destinations on different tickets and/or airlines, then yes, you will need to "arrive" in the country to go get your luggage and then check-in for your next flight. So if you fly to Bangkok on BA (for example) and then have a ticket on Air Asia to go to Vientiane, you'd have to go through Immigration in Bangkok, collect your bags, exit Customs and then go to the Departure area to check in for your next flight. But, if your were (for example) on a China Eastern flight from Amsterdam to Vientianne with a stop-over in Shanghai, then your bags should be automatically transferred so long as it is all on one ticket. (If it's Amsterdam to Shanghai on one ticket and then Shanghai to Vientiane on a different ticket, even with the same airline, you will no doubt have to go through Immigration to get your bags and check in for the next flight.) Another option is - travel light. If you really need some items, arrange to have them shipped/couried. That way even if you have different tickets on different airlines, you wouldn't have to leave the Departure Area. Especially if you've checked in online. Just go to the Transfer Desk to find out which Departure gate to go to and be gone.

Generally it takes me about 4-5 minutes with the IO and I'm done. I have all my paperwork filled out and signed ahead of time and the 1,900 baht in my pocket. I like to get in early for a couple reasons. One is, if you are the 1st-3rd person at Desk 8, the IO is probably still in a good mood. Also, if they spring a new requirement on you, you've got time to go home and get (whatever) done and return. (Like the last time I tried to do my 90 Day report and suddenly I had to fill out a new TM.47 and a new TM.30 because I'd gone to Cambodia for 3 days a couple months earlier. Travelling out of the country hadn't been a problem in the last 7 years or so - until last February. I noticed that almost everyone in the "90 Day" line was having to hand in paperwork instead of just their passport. Took me FIVE hours to get all the paperwork, get a queue number to go through the "report residence" line, get a new queue number for the 90 Day desk, then wait an hour before getting my passport back. They told me "next time" will be quicker because of the extra piece of paper I now have stapled in my passport.) The queue system is hit and miss. I've tried using the Que app only to sit there and not have it call my number anyways. With the recent expansion at Jomtien though I think the process is a little more smooth. Last time I just went to the counter and got my "queue" number directly (they already had a stack of them printed out and ready). I've had the TM.7 on my computer for years (along with various other forms) and never had a problem. Each year I set up a new folder, open last year's application, change the dates (and my age), print and save it in the new folder. Then print the scans of my passport and driver's license and sign them. Then print new copies of those "extra" forms Jomtien likes you to sign (the one acknowleding the penalties of overstay and the other one acknowledging the terms and conditions of temporary stay). Add a passport photo to the stack and then wait until the day before I want to go to Jomtien to get my "bank letter" and update my passbook. I also work my 90 day reports by going 90-93 days apart so that when I go back to Immigration the next day to get my passport, I can do the 90 Day report at the same time. That way, my next 90 day is also the day I have to go back for the "bank book check" anyways. Once you have everything set up, it's really not that hard. Takes about what, 10 minutes to update and print the various forms and scans, sign all the photocopies (and forms), attach a photo, stick it all in a file folder. Oh and 100 baht at the bank to get the "Bank Letter". So a total of 2,000 baht to do the extension. Which is apparently too much for some people so they'll pay 20,000+ to have someone else do it for them.

There is the option to chose how many days you want your Extension to last, though I've never heard of anyone doing it before and you'd have to make it clear to the IO that you are requesting "less than a full year" on your Extension application (and then give him a plausible reason if he - or she - asks). Being a seasonal traveller would be a justifiable reason - though that could depend on the IO and any particular quirks of that particular Immigration Office of course. This is from my Extension application: At Jomtien I think they allow you to apply up to a month before your current extension expires but they will not change the dates of your Extension. So even though I apply in early April, my new Extension date will still be in early May of next year.