Tod Daniels

I love a bit of nguu nguu plaa plaa action...

Literally it translates as snake snake fish fish... but it is baby talk like poo poo or tum tum...

Thanks for that explanation, and this is one of the confusing things about the Thai language, meanings can change depending on different situations I find.

I had nguu nguu plaa plaa explained to me by a Thai, and he said it is meant to describe someone who tries his hand at everything but isn't very good at anything.

Sorry to burst both your bubbles there 'Thaddeus" and "Daewoo", but actually if the truth were to be told (and it is because I'm telling you now), the phrase 'snake, snake, fish, fish' (งู ๆ ปลา ๆ); spell it in engrish how ever you want to do in karaoke engrish, is a VERY common thai idiom. It means; not proficiently, or not to a high level of competence. It is most often used when referring to a thais ability to speak engrish, or a foreigners ability in speaking thai, but can be used to denote anything which someone isn't very proficient in. It is neither baby talk, nor denotes a "jack of all trades master of none".

Interestingly enough the phrase 'banana, banana' (กล้วย ๆ); again, use what ever karaoke engrish that floats your boat, means; something which is done effortlessly, or without thinking, kind of like the idiom 'a piece of cake'.

And now back to the ever informative and meaningful thread of what NOT to do while living here in and amongst the thais. ..

I think once 'saraburioz' (which I guess means the auzzie in Saraburi Province) gets done with this series we will all be better for it. Perhaps he can compile all the common "fox-pawz" <sic> (faux pas) foreigners can fall into here and come up with a nifty handbook called "What NOT to do in Thailand". By the sheer views on his topics he seems to have a ready made market of avid fans.

FWIW: doubling adjectives or descriptive terms in the thai language is so common as to be a non-issue for anyone who even knows a smattering of thai. It's actually called mother language interference; when language rules of your mother tongue are used in speaking a dissimilar language. Thais use it when speaking about possessive's too, 'mother me', 'sister me', 'friend me' because in thai the possessive word comes AFTER the noun not before it like engrish.

Native engrish speakers also suffer from this affliction when constructing sentences in thai using engrish sentence word order, as the words are outta sequence when translated directly into thai. A normal thai hearing a foreigner speak this way would hear it as just plain gibberish with no meaning.

IMHO; about the only thing worse than foreigners who use word doubling, are ones who speak either baby-talk thai-engrish to their significant others or the ones who speak two words in thai, then a word or two in engrish, then switch back to thai; due to either a lack of thai vocab or too much time spent in questionable areas of bangkok.

And now back to this thread already in progress. ..

Another option although admittedly off the O/P’s topic is to take a train from Hua Lamphong (the train station located at the last stop of the MRT (subway).

IMO it's a far nicer ride out there via train than by bus, and just as cheap if not cheaper.

On the weekends it can sometimes be tough to get a third class (the cheapest) ticket as it's a MAJOR destination for thais to go on a day trip.

In my re-con of the various and sundry private thai language schools scattered around Bangkok, I've toured more than one school which uses the original Union School’s Methodology. In fact, most schools which use this method only change the cover of the text book to denote it's their school. I've got three or four module one text books from various schools which use this methodology, and they are word for word, page by page exactly the same. Unless I'm greatly mistaken; this is an OLD method originally designed to teach missionaries who were comin' here to the glorious "Land 'O Thais" to convert the thais to christianity.

Most if not all the Union based schools are owned by original group of Union teachers; who were at the time of its inception young, but are now not so young. This group of original core teachers all broke off to open their own schools.

I have seen that most also run the same promotion/program, either 60 hours for 6,000baht, or 80 hours for 7,000baht. They go thru a module in like 20 days. This means they are very FAST paced classes. Little if any time is spent on review of the previous days vocab, and it is up to the student to retain, and remember the material covered in a previous lesson.

The text books are only in english and karaoke thai, (phonemic transcription; representing thai words/sounds using the english alphabet, a mixture of backward written english vowels, along with some squirrelly superscript characters to denote toning). As the sentences and vocab are not written in thai (until Module Three I believe); practice outside the classroom with any 'run-of-the-mill' thai is difficult at best. Most thais I've come across (and I've come across a fair few) can't read karaoke thai unless they’re already familiar with teaching this method. The teachers in the classes ONLY write in karaoke thai on the white boards too, so until you go thru a few modules you're not even exposed to anything written in actual thai.

When I first washed up upon these shores, I took one of those crash courses at an unnamed Union based school. The class was filled with foreign missionaries, Korean and Japanese housewives whose husbands worked here. It was far too fast, taught far too few high value thai words. It spent way too little time on review or proper sentence constructs in the thai language, making any vocab you did learn worthless as far as using them in another sentence other than the one we were taught

It is my humble opinion that these 'crash courses' actually provide very little measurable 'bang-4-the-baht'. in terms of either retention of vocab or anything more than a very rudimentary grasp of thai sentence constructs. After Module One, a student is unlikely to come out of there being able to do more than parrot out more than the tourist phrases found in the Lonely Planet or Rough Guide.

I think it is much more advisable to under take the module(s) like the poster known as ‘SoftWater’ mentioned in the previous post. Spread it out over a longer time period in a one-on-one teaching scenario. Allow ample time to review previous vocab and give yourself plenty of time to practice this vocab outside the classroom as an adjunct to your lessons.

I stand by my original assertion that before ANYONE who is contemplating attending a private thai language school hands over a single satang, to sit a free lesson or three to see if their methodology ‘clicks’ with your way of learning. What I think sucks, you may think is the cat’s meow, and vice versa.

WARNING: Please remember these are my opinions ONLY. Despite my somewhat critical observations, they are neither for nor against any particular school or any particular school’s methodology. You mileage may and in all likelihood probably will differ from mine.

There are quite a number of pretty good pet shops up near Jatujak.

If you take the MRT (subway) to the Kampaeng Phet exit and go out on the exit labeled "Farmers Co-op". Behind the GIANT Farmers Co-op fresh market there is a soi filled with pet shops.

They sell all manner of pet supplies, pet foods, medications, grooming stuff and pet accessories etc. While I didn't specifically see leather leads up there this weekend, they do have various lengths of nylon ones.

The big chain Manoon's is up there too. Most have free delivery if you make a minimum purchase as well.

FWIW: Several years ago I was enrolled in a private thai language school for the standard 180 hours (lessons, or what ever you wanna call 'em) per year. I attended class religiously for the stated Ministry of Educations minimum of 4 hours per week.

Now doing even rudimentary math a person can see that at 4 hours a week the lessons/hours run out after 45 weeks, leaving a short fall of 7 MORE weeks until the full year is up. However going to immigrations I still got my extension of stay for the full 90 days even though my classes had actually ended the week before.

Have your friend contact the school he's attending. They'll most likely give him the supporting documentation from both the school and the Ministry of Education to continue his visa until the years up.

So yes, he should get another 90 days. Although this being thailand, and you not saying where in thailand he's actually attending school nor named the school; your friends mileage may indeed vary.

However that is my experience. ..

It is my experience that 90 day reporting, AND flyin' either in or outta the country are "whores of a different color", errr (SORRY to the Modz, please don’t ban me!!) I meant; "horses of a different color" .

At Suvarnabhumi there is NO 90 day reporting desk, nor do they care if you have EVER reported in thailand, as that is NOT their job. Immigrations at Suvarnabhumi either stamps you in or out of the country (and IF you have an OVERSTAY), nothing MORE nothing less.

As an aside; maybe you should take the 90 day report slip outta your passport. Just in case it is now different.

Personally I have never seen, nor heard of a single person 'flagged' at Suvarnabhumi flyin' outta here who either did or didn't report EVER!

They are two different entities entirely, although BOTH are run under the "thai immigrations" banner.

Then again my experiences may run counter to yours, please take care when following my advice.

When you get off the sky train at Mo Chit, (on the Jatujak side) there are a TON of grey/silver mini vans going to a plethora of destinations parked on the side of the road. Sadly their signage is ONLY in thai .. .

You want one that is going to the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs. That's the building where thai nationals go to get their passports. It's just slightly down Changwattana Road from the soi Thai Immigrations (for foreigners) is located on, which is Soi 7. It's 25 baht for the minivan ride out there.

They'll drop you off at the mouth of Soi 7 no problem. Some of the mini-van drivers don't know it, (no thai ever hasta go there, because it's only for foreigners ), but if you just say Changwattana Soi 7 they'll stop and let you out.

FWIW: there is supposed to be a free shuttle bus at the left side of the mouth of Soi 7 that takes you to the entrance of the government complex building where thai immigrations is located. I've never actually seen it with my own eyes, so can't comment. Maybe I was there when it wasn't, but I've always hadta walk it, and it is a LONG walk down that soi .

Going back to Mo Chit you hafta take the cross over and get to the other side of Changwattana Road, but still the mini-vans will take you back for another 25 baht.

As has been mentioned by a previous poster; the merits (or shortcomings) of the Walen Method to learn the thai language has been done to death here. Also, as they are a forum sponsor you're unlikely to find overly critical posts about them on here .

When Mac first opened the thai language section of his school over 3 years ago, I attended for a year. I was between 'visas'. My non-O Multi was running out and I was too young to 'retire'.

Now I could already read some thai going in, so wasn't just 'dead in the water' like so many new students I observed in that year. It did increase my recognition of written thai words, but it did NOT teach me any valuable tools to speak thai better. In fact, it doesn’t appear to concentrate on spoken thai at all other than parroting the answers to the question the teacher asks out of the book. Currently there are A4 posters in the class rooms which say something like 'stick to the method', 'teach according to the book', 'never use phonetics to spell a thai word', 'save questions for break time', blah-blah-blah. Not the most student friendly class enviroment, lol.

I have said it before, I possibly know HUNDREDS of former and current Walen students as well as most of their teachers. As I live directly behind the Times Square Building, I’ve walked past the school every day several times a day for over 3 years now, as its located right where the crossover to the BTS is. I also routinely eat lunch with current students, and former teachers.

I’ve NEVER EVER in all that time seen someone come into that school ‘cold’ (knowing neither how to speak or read thai) and come out after a year with anything resembling even a modicum of proficiency in either skill.

Did the students become accomplished at parroting the answers from the text book? YES they did! (In fact, they are some of the best trained 'parrots' I've ever come across, yet often when pressed had abso-tively posi-lutely NO frickin' clue what they'd just said)

Were any students able to read even the most basic thai signage, or info outside the class? Not unless they stood there looking at it for quite a while to decipher it .

Were any that I’ve met able to take the vocabulary learned and use it to construct simple thai sentences? Nope, I’ve never yet met a single student who could do that.

In fact most students I know who actually progressed in their spoken thai skills either took private lessons from another teacher not affiliated with the school, or engaged in some supplemental study program outside the 4 hours of class they attended per week.

Yes, it is disconcerting to show up for the first day in class only to be on page 50 of a book some of the students had already gone thru 10 times. You do have the option to wait until the book gets back to page one and start at that time though, if you ask.

I agree they DO need an orientation, and broached this subject with Mac Walen all too many times during the year I attended and several times after that. However, nothing ever came of it.

I'd say, there is NO shortage of private thai language schools in the greater Bangkok Metro Area. Most are offering the same tuition/hours, etc structure; currently about 25K baht for a year's study of between 180 and 200 hours). Some schools include text books, some places you buy them.

BEFORE you pay A single satang to ANY school go and sit their free class. After sales customer satisfaction or customer service and/or refunds are some things nearly unheard of here in the glorious "Land 'O Thais". The last thing you want is 200 hours of class time in a school which ultimately sucks as far as learning thai.

Good Luck, read the reviews in the pinned topic of "Best Thai Language Schools" at the top of this forum. You'll get more than enough information to make up your mind about where you want to go.

As an aside to klons; funny video, sadly NOT Walen's school, but still funny in it's own right.

Moral of that video; 'thai teachers don't let thai students play video games via mobiles in class'.

Good luck.

If you live full-time (or even part time) here in the glorious "Land 'O Thais" and have a thai (in)significant other; you must always ask them the question, which is in this song from the band KISS.

It is an ‘oldie but a goodie’ entitled: "Do You Love Me?"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1m0fXVMt7g

Sorry. .. (in real thai it would be kinda-sorta like this; เธารักฉันไหม??)!!

No, they changed their policy a few months ago.

Sadly; Chamchuri Square is now ONLY for foreigners who are with a registered BOI company, and they will NOT take 90 day reporting slips, from anyone else!! Even if you reported there before .

Then again, I could be wrong (but I don't think so, as I tried to report there before, although at that time I had 5 passports, plus mine, in tow! )

But thanx for the heads up on the bookstores and dictionaries. I'll scope them out

U guyz (and gurlz) are a great resource!!

Tod

Thanx to all for the good info posted!! I'd never figured it out. ..

As a more than slightly off topic aside;

While I’m sure if I took the time to do a forum search I could get the answers, I’ll ask here anyway;

What thai-english, english-thai dictionary has the thai pronunciation after a thai word like this (สวัสดิ์; สะ-หฺวัด, สวัสดี; สะ-หฺวัด-ดี) which is found on Glenn Slayden's site if you activate the RID tab in the settings?

I have a coupla different dictionaries Se-Ed's, etc, yet none of them have a pronunciation guide like that for the thai words. I looked at Asia Books but none of theirs have it either.

While I'm getting pretty proficient in looking up thai words in a thai dictionary, I still would prefer to know how a specific word is pronounced in thai rather than just the english meaning. I'd also like one which had both english-thai and thai-english if possible.

Also if you recommend a dictionary, where would I be likely to purchase it? Kinokuniya, Chula, online, etc? (Oh yeah, I’m in Bangkok near Suk/Asok BTS)

Thanx again.

Much to my chagrin , I am currently teaching some thais conversational english in trade for them teaching me conversational thai. They cannot read english at a high enough level and I have resorted to using a book written in thai called "เรียนง่าย...เป็นเร็ว สนทนาภาษาอังกฤษ".

It has situational conversations, vocab, etc, and the sentence written in english, thai and then thai writing which when read sounds like a close approximation of the english words.

FWIW: The thais seem to be able to read this quite well, and once they read the thai meaning, then the thai version which 'speaks' the engrish sentence they know most of the words right off the bat. Their conversational level of english isn't bad, plus they have a very good spoken/understood english vocabulary too, they just can't read english very well. They also lack confidence in their sentence constructs (something which I told them I lack too when I speak thai, lol, much to their amazement given my demeanor .).

My question is; what is the character called which looks like a little dot and (at least in this book) is under sooo many of the thai words spelling out the english word sounds? It's the character on a thai keyboard which is accessed via 'shift' and the สระอิ key. (It only took me 5 minutes of intent scrutiny of my p/c's keyboard to locate , as I've never used it, nor even knew it existed before).

Not only what is it called but what does it do, as I can't remember ever seeing it used in a thai word before.

Here's are two examples of it being used;

What kind of food do you like?

คุณชอบอาหารประเภทไหน

วอท ไตนดฺ ออฟ ฟูด ดู ยู ไลคฺ

Good morning. May I help you?

สวัสดีครับ มิอะไรให้ผมช่วยไหมครับ

กุด มอร์นิง เมย์ ไอ เฮลพฺ ยู

(Sorry they don't display all that well, but if you look they are under the words 'kind', 'like' and 'help' when written in thai phonetics.)

The only thing I can think of is that it means to aspirate the ending sound, instead of having it 'bitten back'.

Dunno really but any help would be appreciated, as even the thais I'm teaching don't know what to call that symbol nor what it does really.

Thanx in advance for any answers.

Yesterday I was on the Sky Train comin' from Mor Chit to Asok. Now it was chok-a-blok with people, I mean we were packed in worse than sardines in a can of mustard sauce .

Anyway, at Siam Station a uni-gurl obviously from Chula got on. Now judging from the length (or lack there of ) of her black skirt she was either working on her masters degree, or was on the "10 year plan" for graduation.

It is my experience that the longer a thai gurl goes to a university, the shorter her skirt will become , until at some point, possibly working on her PhD, she can no longer even sit down, and just props herself in the corner of the classroom. At that point in time, her skirt is too short to allow anything but standing. Sitting, bending, crouching down to retrieve dropped objects are all OUT!

When she got on the train, there was another bunch of young-ish thais crowded around the door, and I swear she said, "เถิบน้อยซิค่ะ". Now when she said it, everyone of those kids scooched over a tiny bit and made room. However, I cannot find the meaning of the word เถิบ. One thai I questioned last nite said it is a shortened version of กระเถิบ and carries the same meaning as ขยับ or เขยิบ (BUT not to be confused with the word ขมิบ, which I utter all to often, when I mix up my words, lol). ...

When I asked if เถิบ could be used to make people move a little bit, they said as long as you used น้อย with it, and ended in the polite particle ครับ it was okay. Even when using the imperative ซิ, which I always thought meant it more as a command than a polite request.

Anyone else heard this before? Just checking, as small frozen hi-value phrases are something I keep on hand to use without having to think about what I'm saying.

Tod, based on our visit on Wednesday...

Sorry man, got my lefts and rights mixed up. I stand humbly 'erected' eerrr corrected. ..

PS to Tod - Did you read the recent post by member Gubeman -- I'm assuming you can be bought for cheaper than that...and probably do a better job as well...

That was one of the craziest posts I've read in the visa sub-forum, I mean, it is just mind wobbling someone would actually cough up that kinda money for something that is pretty much straight forward (as far as things go here in thailand) . While I can't really be 'bought' , I can certainly do something like that far cheaper!

Christ, we must have all walked past one another . I had a stack of 6 passports that needed 90 day reporting, (sadly none of them were mine, so hafta slog back out again for myself in a few more weeks! ).

The counter where you queue is very important as every area out there is clearly marked by different letters, and the queue tickets all have the area letter on the top. FWIW: I think yearly extensions of stay are processed in area L, the first area to the right, just after you get the queue tickets, ED visas are in the next section over, re-entry permits are on the opposite side of the room, and 90 day reporting is in its own tiny room by itself on the same side of the area as re-entry permits.

Even though I go out there 4 or 5 times a month (if not more) and the counter staff knows me by sight, they’re still reticent to give me multiple queue numbers. Usually if I have an 'acquaintance' getting an extension of stay, I'll excuse myself once I see their paperwork will fly, go back and get another queue number for their re-entry permit or their 90 day reporting.

Personally, even though it's quite a bit further for me to travel; I'd prefer to make the slog out to Changwattana ANY DAY than go back to that hel_l-hole that was Suan Plu. Only down side is; I don’t do moto-cy taxis, so that walk from where the bus drops you off at the mouth of Changwattana Soi 7 all the way down the soi is a LONG one for me .

Funny, this was the third time I ran into the same thai guy who is the 'runner' for Bumrungrad Hospital in the 90 day reporting room. He had almost 30 passports. He recognized me from before, and when I chatted to him, he said he runs out there every day. Even though I didn't ask him at all, he graciously switched queue numbers with me (he was one number ahead of me, lol), so it cut my time down waiting.

I guess Bumrungrad is doing a bang up business charging anyone who wants to walk thru the door, their 500 baht fee for 90 day 'we-report-4-u service' that they offer.

I think the O/P would do well to peruse the Thai Visa sub-forum entitled appropriately Thai Language, and read the pinned topic called Best Thai Language Schools

Note to Mods, perhaps this thread would garner a higher quality of response if it was moved to the Thai Language Forum, rather than the all b/s things about Bangkok one its in now. ..

I too have to agree that I dont know how my posts or any posts on this thread can be perceived as having ANY pointless negativity in them.

I was just mentioning facts, both that Ive witnessed, and that Ive watched, read, etc, as far as bang-4-the-baht in terms of learning the thai language. Opinions which I freely admit are totally my own take on things. That those opinions run counter to anyone elses neither negates mine nor theirs. Overall, I've found opinions are like bowel movements, almost every one has one once a day or so (if youre semi-regular ).

Maybe I need to start every post I make with Warning!! Pointless negativity may follow! T/V users are advised to use extreme caution when reading the following post…

Im certainly NOT bashing the guy, his workshop or his competence in languages by any stretch of the imagination.

And Rikker, FWIW: at least where I came from, the term "circle jerks" is a euphemism for a game young(ish) boys play while standing in a circle with their flys open 'jerking' the person next to them . I think you meant "knee jerk"; as in a knee jerk reaction, or a reaction without proper thought usually with a negative connotation . Now I could have my euphemisms mixed up . Then again, re-reading your post, maybe not and you really did mean circle jerks..

BTW: I sent an email to Stuarts email provided on the link 'desi' gave in her opening post, and let him know about lively, but 'pointlessly negative' discussion going on, lol…

Now whether he has the time or the inclination to answer, well, thats for him to decide.

I also found the O/P's post quite strange.

Especially seeing as last week I was at Changwattana with someone who had overstayed his yearly extension of stay by 3 MONTHS!! Yet when I turned in his 90 day reporting paperwork, (while he waited back in the queue at the other area for his visa); other than the 2000baht fine he was charged for late reporting, the stamp on the receipt indicated his next report date was in another 90 days. This guy was technically visa-less when he reported, yet they took the 90 day report paper w/no problem.

Strange really, but maybe Chiang Mai does things a bit differently.

Maybe the O/P of this post (who has far more 'street-cred' than I ever will ) would drop Stuart Jay Raj an email and let him know about the 'lively' discussion about his upcoming event here.

Let's see if he'll weigh in on this post.

FWIW: he used to post quite a bit, but I haven't seen him around in a while. Plus due to a spotty internet connection today I can't find his user name using the search function either .

Actually I amazed I even got this to post!!

Hey, I didn't mean to piss on anyone's parade .

I was just pointing out a few things (cost included) about how events like this can and often do pan out. In my former life, I was compelled to attend far more workshops, seminars, and team building events by well known international speakers than I even care to contemplate. Had I not be forced to go, had the cost picked up by my company, and getting paid to attend too, I probably wouldn't have gone to a single one.

That Stu is sharing how he learns a language is good in an anecdotal way, and given his personality, he certainly can speak to a crowd in an engaging manner.

Last time I saw him was at an FCCT event where he was the translator for Veera Musikapong one of the red shirt leaders. I spoke to him briefly after the event, mostly to talk more to Veera. (However I did want to ask Stu; what’s up with that 70’s ‘vest’ thing you got goin’ on there man? Stuck in a time warp, like me with my KISS shirts? )

Sadly, we all can't have a grandfather who tapped out Morse code on the dinner table as we were growing up. (do you think I don't research stuff before I post?) Nor does knowing how he (a person who obviously has some innate grasp of languages) learns help someone else learn too, unless he gives tools which can be used by everyone in their daily language learning process.

I'm far from an introvert, but man, that price is a buzz-kill . He's been marketing himself way too much to the corporate world. His price point would lead me to believe he’s totally outta touch with what it costs to learn thai in thailand or any country for that matter, even if you studied at a 'real uni'.

There is no doubt he's a very savvy, money making, marketing machine.

I'd really like to hear the opinions of other people who've attended Stu's 'workshop' and see what they thought of it. Not that I’m discounting yours Kat, only I’d like to hear a few more ‘un-paid testimonials’ before I make up my own mind.

Not to be overly critical; Did they come out with any tools to improve their spoken thai, or their reading? Or did they just kill a coupla days in a conference room with a bunch of other wanna-b-thai speakers, standing around singing Kumbayah and patting each other on the back because after 16 hours they can finally differentiate the 5 tones in the 'mai' words?.

As I said before, my hats off to Stu Jay Raj; I won't dispute the fact that he is most definitely an exceedingly "cunning-linguist' .

FWIW: his free pod casts about cracking the thai fundamentals are pretty good as is most of the stuff on You Tube about him.

BTW: did you think it'd be me to post a negative response?

(come on, you can tell )

Wavering wouldn't be quite the correct term I'd use .

"Mind wobbling' might fit, dunno. ..

I know this guy is way up there in terms of languages, but at frickin' $349US (10,470BAHT at the 30/1 rate) for the 'early bird rate' he'd better "walk on goddamned water"!!

That's almost SIX months tuition at ANY private thai language school in Bangkok (throw a dart at the list of 'em, they're all about the same price).

I certainly hope for that much money that he provides a good 'bang-4-the-baht'. For 16 hours (not counting time off for lunch) that's 650baht PER HOUR!!

&lt;deleted&gt;? I know the guy is a polyglot, he can speak a million and one languages, and has contracts with HUGE international firms around the world, but come on now; how much value can a person get outta 16 frickin' hours of studying thai? Especially in room filled with people who have varying levels of thai, coming from various countries, with various accents? I am just sincerely questioning the value in something like this, not downin' either the guys ability or him personally.

My hat is off to the guy, and he certainly is cashing in on his language ability in a big way. I've watched about everything about him on You Tube, read his website but still. .. ...

That's just a little too rich for my tastes.

Sorry,

I should have said, EARLY IN THE MORNING, it can be quite the hassle to cross the border, especially right when it opens. All the visa run companies are there with their clients, and there's a plethora of tourists crossing then too.

Later in the day, I dunno and would most likely heed the advice from the poster known as "Colabamumbai".

You don’t even need to pre-purchase your Lao visa in Khon Kaen if you don’t wanna, as they sell ‘em at the Lao border when you enter from Nong Khai.

Although having a Lao visa in your passport can speed your trip into Lao because sometimes that border crossing is a total cluster-fu_ck with people tryin to get in.

With the amount of foreigners crossing that border you’d think it was Disney Land or something, instead of what it really is; a communist third world country.

As has been pointed out, you don’t need to stay in Lao for any length of time, just stamp outta thailand, cross the border into Lao, stamp in, stamp out, and you can re-enter thailand getting another 90 day stamp on your non-O visa.

I might add that my withdrawal of full support for CMU has been due to the effect non or iregularly attending students have on courses which has been at least condoned by the administration despite the quality of the teachers.. If this is a sign of more stringent application of study demands to its potential stucents I would look on this change possitively.

While this is slightly off topic I still feel it is of merit;

I completely concur, that lack of attendance on the part of thai language students is a chronic problem (especially in the private thai language school sector). I also believe it should be looked at in a much more critical manner by Thai Immigrations. I went so far as to have a meeting with the ‘Captain’ in the ED visa section at Changwattana to discuss this very topic.

Currently the minimum required hours of study are 16 hours a MONTH to continue in-country extensions of stay. Even if a student studied 4 hours a day for 4 days, they’d still qualify for an extension of stay, as the hours are specified by the month NOT the week.

However, in all the time I’ve assisted many, many ‘acquaintances’ in extending their ED visas at Changwattana; not a single time has the school provided a time sheet, or anything which shows the number of hours said student is actually studying the thai language.

I routinely make scans of all the paperwork which my ‘acquaintances’ have from various private thai language schools (more out of curiosity, than need). In reviewing a few of them just now; they only state the student has paid their tuition and is currently enrolled in the school. (There is only some vague language that the student meets the minimum criteria, and it's ambigious in its wording at best)

That someone would go the ED visa route, and then not have the wherewithal to spend the pathetically low 4 hours a week to study thai, is beyond belief to me.

BACK ON TOPIC

It's a shame this happened at CMU, as they do have a quality thai language program, and at least before had a really dedicated teaching staff which knew how to impart the thai language to foreigners in an efficient and interesting manner. They also have some killer material as far as learning thai too. I hope they get sorted out as they provided quite a good 'bang-4-the-baht' in terms of quality thai language instruction