Caldera

Having your history - and now that denial of entry on your record - you really need to make sure that you satisfy the official entry requirements when you re-attempt to enter Thailand. At a friendly point of entry, that should be sufficient in case you do get questioned. One of those requirements is cash. Not bank apps, not gold rings, but cash. You've actually posted a paper with those requirements yourself, so you know the exact amount you need to be able to show. You also know about the other requirements - a confirmed address (e.g. a hotel booking confirmation) and a ticket out within 30 days.

Chiang Mai by air or Laos by land. Definitely not one of the other options.

That's a ridiculous comparison. Driving on the wrong side of the road, you could get hit by oncoming traffic within seconds. It's just plain wrong and foolish right from the start. Not so with visa exempt entries. Surely a number of visa exempt entries is acceptable, whether you visit your girlfriend or not. Leaving aside that you need to meet her in the first place, maybe while holidaying in Thailand. When exactly you cross the line into "proper visa required" territory is the question, and there's no single right answer.

That depends on your nationality. Surprisingly, many "Western" countries including Australia and the US still don't get visa exempt entry, but a good number of European countries do.

Not really. You can't just walk into a random restaurant in Phnom Penh and expect to be able to pay with Thai baht. You CAN do that in Vientiane on the other hand. So I can see why some people don't bother to exchange money for a trip to Laos.

As always, you're providing no evidence for your sweeping claims, it's just the usual "get a proper visa" drivel. Without knowing all the facts of each individual case, it's best not to jump to any conclusions.

You're talking about "entry requirements", but Thailand currently has no hard limit on visa exempt entries by air, which they could impose if they wanted to (they did for land border visa exempt entries, which is strictly enforced). So whatever those "entry requirements" are is up to the individual IO. A traveler doesn't find out that he's "blatantly not complying" until it's too late to avoid the consequences. That's a real shame. All there is are mixed signals sent by different government departments. Some promote and wish to encourage long-term tourism, others see it as a threat.

Arriving at Udon Thani's airport, you can get on a minibus from there to the border directly, no need to take a taxi to CentralPlaza first.

Vietnam has rescinded the rule that tourists who enter visa exempt need to stay out of the country for 30 days before getting another visa exempt entry. So under normal circumstances that wouldn't be a problem, especially as you didn't max out your previous visa exempt stay in Vietnam. Vietnamese immigration could still deny you entry based on returning as an inadmissible person from Thailand, but that seems to be hit and miss, so at least you've got a chance to get in under the current rules. Best of luck, please report back how it goes after arriving in Vietnam.

What a joke. Even Thailand itself has 7 nicer destinations than Pattaya.

Yes, make it 90 days and get rid of these silly 30-day extension queues at immigration offices and the shoddy eVisa system for tourist visas. Tourists (unlike expats) shouldn't be subjected to having to deal with immigration at all while in country.

A disproportionate number of diners I see at those moo krata places are fatties, without fail, so I have no problem believing that.

Even the late polls are. There's only one "poll" that counts.

They had proposed this already last year, just before high season kicked off. But they implemented it only for Russians, for whatever reason. How difficult can it be?

That would be the same even at the more popular places, because they've been pushing e-Tickets. But otherwise, yes, definitely quite a visible decline at Major Ekkamai.

Nonsense. As you had just written in your previous post, each entry with a multi-entry tourist visa gives you 60 days. Fixing the wrong entry stamp doesn't change the validity / use-by date of the visa in any shape or form.

The use-by date is the last day you can enter Thailand using this visa. As always, once you've entered, how long you can stay is determined by the stamp you get from immigration upon arrival.

You are right, for what it's worth. The official fee for a Cambodian tourist visa on arrival is $30. Most officials at most land borders try to charge more, it is what it is.

Dishonest bar girls, in Bangkok of all places, what has the world become!

You probably won't be able to do that, unless the IO overlooks your visa. You CAN get a re-entry permit at the airport when you fly to Cambodia.

Heartwarming.

One way to spin it, but wasn't their goal more like 35 million?

I'm in the camp of those who happen to think that those old Elite packages were value for money for people who wished to stay in Thailand long-term, but didn't qualify for any other long-term visa/extension. But really, you're exaggerating here, how could it pay for itself "in a few months". That's just hyperbole. It's essentially a long-term tourist visa, and a regular tourist visa would cover "a few months" - at a much lower price.

Tempted to report this as spam, but on the off chance that you're trying to be funny, what would such a "short break" from Thailand to Costa Rica (of all places) cost you and how much time would you spend on a plane?

It's your responsibility to check the stamp you get upon arrival. That being said, if you go to immigration, chances are they'll fix it for you and make it 60 days.