limirl

Thanks guys I had no idea if I had I would have just stuck to the G7 passport.

I crossed into Thailand yesterday at the Phu Nam Ron crossing from Myanmar as I have 2 passports one Irish and one US. Entering and leaving Myanmar I used my sparkling new Irish passport as I wanted to get the first stamp in it and because my US passport pages are filling up quickly. When I entered Thailand yesterday I attempted to use my US passport as G7 countries get 30 days at land border crossings, the immigration officer looked for my exit stamp from Myanmar so I had to explain I used my irish passport there. He insisted I had to use my Irish passport which would only give me 15 days, I politely argued that it was irrelevant which passport I use in myanmar as having dual citizenship entitled me to switch between both. He became quite pissed off and at one stage queried what I was up to, I told him many people have dual citizenship and can use either freely. You can guess who won the argument or shall I say discussion, he actually lectured me that I am not a kid any more and should have known I could not do this, previously a few years ago I did this travelling in south america and was not aware of a potential problem.

Now I have to do a border run in 2 weeks, in order to get 30 days do I have to fly back in to thailand in order to get that 30 days?

Does anyone have any experience living in Laos? Been all over SE asia but never to Laos. I've encountered several Lao women in Patts who were very fine looking & similar to their Isaan brethren.

I am trying to help a friend get verification of her daughters status from the local authority here in isaan. Her daughter gets benefits thru the Swiss embassy and the embassy sends a marital status and residence certificate that needs to be verified by the local municipality. She went once before and since the local administrator couldn't read the English document she wouldn't sign or stamp it for her. Since then every year she has to trek all the way to the embassy in Bangkok with her young daughter to prove she still exists.

All she needs is someone to affirm her daughter is alive and that she resides at her current isaan address and have it notarized or stamped.

Any ideas on how she get this done without having to visit the embassy in person.

Beggars in tourist areas that target farangs are mostly professionals taking advantage of tourists. Most are not even Thai, they are Cambodians that come here because they can make more money begging than working in factory at home.

Poor disabled Thais usually try to do something marginally useful rather than straight up beg. Sell lottery tickets or some sort of snack or knick knack. People don't necessarily want these things but will buy in order to help out. There is a mentally disabled man near me that sells brooms for instance. I have a lot of brooms. But I never give to anyone in tourist areas.

Yeah...right on.

Some go to such extremes as to have all their fingers removed to fake leprosy. Some actually catch leprosy just for the donations. Then there are those that had their limbs intentionally removed just to wrench a farangs heart out of 20 Baht. Howabout the guys that crawl around on their bellies with no legs?

All to get out of working for a living.

You are seriously ignorant & delusional if you believe that beggars chop off their limbs for 20 baht and that they intentionally catch leprosy. Have you actual proof of this or are you just being an idiot ?