paulsingle

7 minutes ago, juice777 said:

Can't you just get a METV in the UK? Then you won't have to go to PP

Or 1 visa in the UK then 2 border crossing which you extended for 30 days each which will give you 7 months in total

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I thought about METV last year but it was about 4 times the price of TV and seemed to require more paperwork. I thought one still is restricted to the same length of stay on the METV so still need to leave the country?

I liked PP but would probably want to see other parts of the region on future trips.

1 minute ago, BritTim said:

When flying from home country, you will almost certainly not have a problem flying into Bangkok (Phuket could be a different story). However, if you have been living continuously in Thailand for years on tourist visas, and have only been back in the UK for a few days, it will depend a bit on the individual immigration official. Obviously, the visa would make no difference if you were blacklisted.

Thanks BritTim. On that basis, as things currently stand, I should be able to come out from UK, spend 3 months and then visit Phnom Penh for another visa then back to UK for 6 months and repeat indefinitely. May to September in UK every year and the rest of each year in Thailand  (with one regional trip for a new visa).

Just now, juice777 said:

You just said you are new to getting visas but now you are saying back to back in the past year

I am out of this Thread

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I said I'm relatively new to getting visas to come to Thailand because I've been coming for holidays at least once a year for the past 15 years but in September last year I got my first visa and I've been here since then. I've made 2 trips to Phnom Penh so I'm on my 3rd visa. Going back to UK next month but planning more visa visits. 3 visas makes me a complete newbie compared to most on this forum and I don't understand what rights are conferred on the bearer of a visa.

I'm relatively new to to process of getting visas to come to Thailand. I may take a beating from some of the digital bruisers that lurk around these forums but I'm going to ask this question anyway.

What does a visa confer upon the bearer? If I am given a visa by the Thai consulate in Hull, UK to enter Thailand is it true that I could be taking a gamble by flying from London to Bangkok, hoping to be allowed to enter? 

Studies have repeatedly shown that the most effective repellents are DEET and picaridin. DEET, in particular, has been shown to be very effective. Picaridin is pretty good too. Both products have shown to be effective in local field-based tests.

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/cameronwebb.wordpress.com/2013/07/22/busting-the-five-myths-of-mosquito-repellents/amp/

I find the bites on the legs don't itch anywhere near as much as those on the ankles and feet. The next most sensitive area seems to be the softer parts of the arms.

A major relief for me was when my reactions to bites decreased. After about 3 months the bites only itched for about 20 minutes instead of over 2 days and the reaction has lessened a bit more in the month since then.

If you suffer like I did, 15% or 20% Deet is a godsend. They do not bite any skin that had been sprayed and it lasts a few hours.

I don't bother with the repellant very often now. I can tolerate the bites without spoiling my evening.

I'm in Phuket so shorts or swimwear is pretty much all I wear.

I will put on trousers in Bangkok but only in the evening.

Allacrossthesand thanks for this info. I'm going in a fortnight and hoping to get a back to back SETV from Phnom Penh. 

This will be my 3rd consecutive SETV. First one from London was extended in Phuket but the second one is not being extended.

Last time I gave my passport and a photo to the hotel reception along with $20.

I will take my Thai Bank book with proof of funds but hoping not to need it.

Did the agents look at your visa history before asking for documents or are they now wanting these as a matter of course? 

1 minute ago, chrisandsu said:

Why would it be odd ? If 13.8 k is the median then there must also be many making above 10k . 

I think this figure is quoted as the average.

In the UK the average salary is over £26k but the median and average are different. More than half the salary earners earn less than 26k and a large number of salaries are under 18k. A significant number are earning the minimum wage which would be around 15k.

I think the point here is that many people in Thailand are earning less than 10k a month.

Many factual posts (including my own) evidence the fact that many staff in the catering trade are paid 10k or less.

Odd posts about staff salaries in expensive hotels or restaurants in Bangkok bear no relation whatsoever to average or median salaries. 

With an average of 13.8k there must be many below 10k

http://www.tradingeconomics.com/thailand/wages

My girlfriend works in a small hotel in Rawai, Phuket. She cleans rooms and does some cooking and serving meals.

6 days a week, 9am to 6pm with an hour break for lunch.

10,000 baht plus tips if she's lucky.

Previous job here was similar but only 9,000 baht per month.

1 hour ago, farang1979 said:

Just been to pick it up. There are forms there in case you can't print out a form. A very easy process, took about 10 minutes in total, that said I was the only person there. Paid £20.00.


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I printed my form out in advance and had all filled out. However, it seems I used the form for the London office and it's very slightly different to the Hull office. That's why I was a few minutes longer but still only about 15 minutes. 

In Phuket I'm getting through over 50k baht per month. 18k for house rental including tv and broadband, 1500 for electricity. This is for 2 of us. I don't go to bars often and we mostly eat (quite well) at home.

No matter how carefully I budget, actual expenditure is always higher than budgeted.

I can afford it so it's not a disaster but I had hoped to be living on under 40k per month. 

Clearly people do live happily on 30k or even less. I have enough to maintain a lifestyle that I am happy with but this would fall way short of some other people's lifestyle expectations. 

I'm thinking of trying life in Chiang Mai or possibly Khon Kaen and I'm sure I can live in those areas for less than I'm spending in Phuket. 

On 05/01/2017 at 10:33 AM, geriatrickid said:

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Some may describe your attitude as elitist or some other synonym such as "arrogant, condescending, egotistic, haughty, high-and-mighty, high-flown, high-hat, ostentatious, overbearing, patronizing, persnickety, pompous, pretentious, putting on airs, remote, sniffy, snippy, snobby, snooty, snotty, supercilious, superior, swanky, tony, uppity" synonyms courtesy of thesaurus.com

I drove to Hull from  Basingstoke in August last year. £35 and they did it while I waited.  There was someone leaving as I arrived but no one else so no queue and no wait. An elderly and very pleasant British man did it for me. I can't remember if I got a receipt. I just wanted a visa and didn't care about a receipt. I think I was in and out within 15 minutes. 

A month later, my friend applied to London by post and got his back in just over a week I believe. I would have done the same if I hadn't been on my way to visit Aberdeen. It's expensive to travel in the UK. 

On 03/01/2017 at 6:47 PM, josephsullens said:

Hotel was queenswood on street 136. Horrible street but nice hotel, $15 for air con and cable tv!

One man's meat as the saying goes. I quite liked Street 136. It seems a lot of hotels will arrange a visa through an agent. I love the fact that I just hand over my passport with a photo and it comes back with the visa in it.

17 hours ago, Doiger said:

Good info, what hotel was it and what was the turn around time

I stayed at Golden House International Hotel. Gave them my passport Monday morning and got it back on Thursday. 

"And, for the "Thaier than thou" Somchai apologist crowd, I am NOT saying that all Thais are scammers--I'm just talking right now about the ones that are."

That made me smile. It's true that debates here do seem to promulgate competition to show who is more familiar with and integrated into life in Thailand. 

Dual pricing seems to be in decline. As others have said, many places don't operate this way.

Where prices are negotiable, I don't have a problem with a vendor making a little more on a deal but don't like to see vulnerable people being heavily exploited.

I find that sometimes my girlfriend does get a better price if I'm out of sight but it's usually not that much and I can always walk away if I don't want to pay a little premium.

Shop around and learn. You won't pay too heavy a price if you're sensible. 

My situation and experience was the same. $20 dollars was the handling fee. That was 13th December. I'm planning to go for a second one there to take advantage of the fee waiver and save 1900 baht by not extending my current visa, going around 10th February. 

I was worried there may be some difficulties with a back to back but sounds like it should be fine. 

This thread has predictably turned into a critique of "bar girls". I have a feeling that some of the critics have very little experience with "bar girls".

For 2 years now I have not availed myself of the services of these girls but over 14 years of annual fortnight holidays I have spent varying amounts of time  (and money) with quite a number of them. Every year I would find a companion for the larger part of my stay in Phuket. There were also the nights in Bangkok on the way in and on the way out of Thailand. 

With only 2 exceptions out of dozens of girls they were all respectful. I found them all to be good company and the affection from some of them was undeniable.

All chose of their own free will to do what they were doing but some had more financial pressure to do it than others.  I think very few of them would have taken this path without the financial incentive it offered. 

The 2 exceptions were a freelance girl who robbed me and a bar girl who got a better offer after I had paid her bar fine.

I respect the girls and they have reciprocated that respect. 

21 hours ago, Suradit69 said:

You lose (or the popular but erroneous "loose")

That made me smile. I'm one of those people who is fussy about grammar and spelling but I didn't dare point it out. Especially when the authors concerned are of such high stature in this forum and always very helpful. 

In the last 12 months I've had:

February - 15 days visa exempt

September - 60 day visa from UK extended to 90 days in Phuket

December - 60 day visa from Phnom Penh 

I want to stay in Thailand until 28th April 2017. I liked Phnom Penh and would like to go again. Instead of extending my current visa I would like to take advantage of the free visa and go to Phnom Penh again around 10th February, coming back around 15th February. Then an extension would see me through until I leave Thailand 28th April.

Prior to this year I've never had a visa before. Only visa exempt entries. 3 in 2015.

Getting my current visa was easy. I gave my passport and a photo to the hotel in Phnom Penh along with $20 for 3 day turnaround. No form filling, nothing to sign and no other documents at all. I made sure I had 20,000 baht with me when I came back through DMK but it was not required and there were no questions.

Could anyone advise me on the likelihood of success with a back to back visa from Phnom Penh given my circumstances?
 

I think jealousy is almost inevitable in open relationships. Whether she disrespected you or not I think you should move on.

Either find someone that you want a committed relationship with or stick to one night stands.

That's my tuppence worth.

I'm keen to know whether the 180 day limit applies to a calendar year or any consecutive 12 months ("rolling 12 month petood"). I imagine it's the latter.