Caldera

I really can't fault Grab. I use Grab all the time and mostly without any issues. One time a driver was dumb enough to overcharge me for toll fees. I reported him and got a refund and an apology without fuss. Help them kick out the bad apples and that's what they'll do!

What's your history like? Your plan in itself looks fine, you only need to worry if you've spent a lot of time in Thailand as a tourist previously.

Could be anything, maybe just a typo in your name or passport number. The important point there is though, online is fine (in Bangkok).

They really love their stamped TM30 slips at the Jomtien office. And I guess that's the only "explanation" there is. It certainly isn't normal, and here in Bangkok for example, I use an online TM30 printout for all my dealings with immigration - never a problem!

I can imagine that it was mayhem, nobody could tell who's a monkey and who's a cop.

The worst time (of the year, that is) seems to be when the snowbirds are in town and have stayed long enough to be in need of an extension. I'm not surprised that people aren't reporting long queues right now, but reported mayhem back in February. The worst time of the day now is probably still much better than the best time of the day in February.

The lame duck strikes. Amazing.

Applying for a tourist visa at a nearby consulate such as Savannakhet is pretty much nonsensical right now, as you can get the same time (60 days) visa exempt just turning around at the border. That in itself should make those queues quite a bit shorter.

Excellent news for all those who like to party on the beach at night.

Because so many of their customers are mugs who don't seem to mind marrying a prostitute. I've experienced the situation you've described myself - in many cases it's painfully obvious what the wife's "background" is. Sometimes her bar girl English gives it away immediately, in other cases the truth comes out once she's drunk or throws a fit. Embarrassing.

That's fine, the current version of the form doesn't have most of those fields to fill in anymore. Except for the TM6 number, which is still being asked for but not a required field any longer (as foreigners entering at airports and some busy land borders currently don't need to fill in arrival cards).

They need to establish if they have a FATCA reporting responsibility. Nothing really new, but maybe they make more of an effort to cover their behinds.

I'm sure many Thais are feeling much happier already, since the day his government left office that is.

I think he just wants to take credit for what's happening between now and his inauguration. He probably thinks it would be unfair if the outgoing Biden administration were to be given credit for the booming market since his election. I wouldn't read too much into this, just the usual "look how great I am and how great I'm making America (again)".

Which part of "mass tourism" did you fail to understand? Do you think rich Chinese and Indians want to holiday alongside their less affluent compatriots? Think again! Nothing to do with race.

Well you could ask the same question about trying to attract mass tourism from the likes of China and India. The more successful Thailand is with attracting those tourists, the less desirable it will be as a destination for "quality tourists". You're not wrong. The more gay tourists Thailand attracts, the less desirable it will become for a devout Muslim to come here to holiday with his family. You can't have them all, but that's exactly what Thailand seems to be trying.

And for that reason alone, every single employee of every single hospital should be thanking you and other tourists and expats like you to this day. On their knees.

As said, nowadays you can get a certificate of residence in Bangkok as a tourist without problems, as long as you have a TM30 receipt for an address IN Bangkok (OP wrote "near Bangkok", which is ambiguous) and can receive mail at that address, as the certificate of residence will be mailed to the address they confirm without exception.

I've been reading this kind of story, and that Russia is running out of tanks, since more than two years. Still waiting for it to happen.

So people are enjoying themselves, partying on the beach at night. I think that's great, maybe the police farce needs to prioritize going after real criminals.

I don't find these statements particularly reassuring, but I guess we'll see if anything happens.

That's a bit too "black and white" to my liking. Israel is a democratic country, as is often pointed out. Which means that Israelis must accept some responsibility for the actions of their elected government. Israel's government - which is responsible for committing war crimes and decades of repression. Israelis are part of the problem as long as they fail to get rid of "Bibi", their warmonger in chief.

Amazing Thailand, where holiday spending outranks the loss of productivity...

It will make me a lot of money. Everything else remains to be seen.

You can't transfer the visa itself. If it's a classic sticker visa (Vientiane and Savannakhet don't issue eVisas yet), you'll need to carry both your then canceled passport with the visa and your new passport for as long as the visa will remain valid to re-enter Thailand on that visa. You might want to consider getting your new passport before applying for a 5-year visa.