JensenZ

I'm not typing about anything (I copied and pasted it - a quote), but the note by the Visa run company is NOT refering to multiple visa-free entry stamps at the airport, but at the land borders. Quote: "however people using OUT/IN method to extend their stay might be questioned after few visa exempt entries. The "OUT/IN method" they are referring to is the land border bounce. Very few people would fly out and back every 30 days. That's a bit extreme. It's a visa run company specializing on van trips to borders. This is not off-topic and is general information - nothing specifically related to Russians.

That was signed in 2005. Are you sure there have been no amendments in the past 18 years?

There didn't seem to be any problems for 2 years, so I suppose 3 years is quite possible, BUT, you need to start the whole process from the beginning for each year. The maximum extension on each Non-O visa is 1 year. That's one year total, not 15 months.

And here's the problem in a nutshell (from the link you provided): ---------------------------------------------------------------- Same old RULES: Travellers, under visa exemption scheme, arriving via an international airport will be given a 30 day visa exempt stamp, however people using OUT/IN method to extend their stay might be questioned after few visa exempt entries. There is no specific period given and there is no rule on how many visa exempt will be issued for one person. An old rule “90 days in a 180 days period” has been cancelled many years ago. As of 31st December 2016 Thailand limit visa exempt entries at land border to TWO per calendar year. The day you arrive is counted as first day. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ You never know for sure.

So much messing around. Why not get an Ed visa? The best school in Pattaya (that I know of) will get you one year for 51k (including classes). It might sound expensive, but a lot better than the uncertainty of border hopping etc. At least you know you're going to get a full year, and then you can get a re-entry permit if you want to travel out of Thailand.

There's no need for scare-mongering. Getting back to back visas is not fraud. Fraud is a ciminal offense and if convicted, you'll serve time in prison, then deported. It's only fraud if you're caught using fraudulent documents to obtain a visa. How long you can stay and now many stamps/visas you can get is determined by immigration policy, which constantly changes and is enforced differently depending on which way the wind blows on any given day and which consulates/immigrant offices and border entry points you use. The worst that can happen is they refuse the visa, extension or entry.

I would bet you'll find many investement bankers and politicians with tattoos. They are easy enough to hide in a suit. As for King Charles (where have you been), he's not successful. He inherited the crown.

What are you then? A self righteous bigot? I see very successful people with tattoos, and the list is long.

There is an odd exception though. A lot of successful and famous people are heavily tattooed. Here's just a few examples, but the list is long. These people are role models and will keep the tattoo industry alive. Dwayne Johnson is currently the most highly paid actor in the world, so he's definitly no mug. thug or low-life.

If you know the person well, you should try to talk them out of it by explaining they will regret the tattoos when they are older, or even in just a few short years. For example, my wife's two sisters had some tattoos that they regretted not long after. They actually get depressed over them and feel like cutting them off. The lady in the photos you posted obviously had no friends, because she'll probably want to kill herself sometime in the future when her skin will look like a huge blue stain. If she found herself single, she'd have serious limitations on potential partners.

Yeah, and everywhere else too. I was referring specifically to females who usually are more concerned about skin and their appearance than most men. You might want to study up on how much females spend on skincare, makeup and surgery. Instead of asking questions, figure out the answers for yourself.

Yeah, and 2 deaths, unrelated to cannabis. They didn't give a thought to the deaths related to alcohol consumption and smoking cigarettes. That would be a huge number to consider, so ban everything.

It's a personal choice with not much thought given. I know or have met many girls who regret their tattoos years later. The best thing to say to a person thinking of getting a tattoo is ask them if they would wear the same dress/shirt for the rest of their lives. They fade, the skin sags and gets wrinkled, and all they are left with is a stain.

It's a bit of a stupid question as you didn't mention anything about your current physical appearance or sexual ability, which varies significantly with age. Even if you can satisfy her, I found a barrier can be created if you're significanly older than her father. The only possible interest you can be to her is financial. Old wrinkly skin is not attractive. Just look in the mirror and stop pretending. 40+ year old Thai women usually have nice tight skin. I experienced that recently with younger lady. She thought I might be only early 50s, but when she discovered I was over 10 years older than her father, I could see the change in her attitude, immediately. I wasn't interested in anything sexual, but she didn't know that. I was just there for a massage, and a very good non-sexual one it was too LOL.

Sure. Could you explain what I don't realise? The reason for my explanation is that people who drink often feel that non-drinkers are judgemental (puritanical). I don't give a flying f*** how much people drink or what other drugs they may use.

I thought I should clear this up as there are more than one type of non-drinkers. Suggesting a non-drinker must be abstaining is a narrow assessment. Some non-drinkers might be abstaining as they used to be heavy drinkers or they are alcoholics and they hopped on the wagon. I've never drunk alcohol and don't like it. It's that simple. I prefer other beverages. I have been drunk and hate the feeling afterwards. I occasionally partake in a glass of wine. I'm not a non-drinker for health reasons. There's no judging others who drink, and often I go out with friends who drink. I would suggest people take better care of their livers though, as they are hard to replace and one of the most important organs in the body.

I would take a guess and suggest MANY tourists, when they first arrive are surprised at the cost of drinks and services in gogo bars. Pattaya as a tourist resort offers exceptional value, until you hit the red lights.

A very interesting event! He wasn't much of a mate to take off and leave you sleeping among the wolves. From the bar's point of view - why not try it? I would say most customers just pay up without making too much fuss. Occassionally they will meet resistance and they know the cops are on their side, so it's a perfect scam. They can't admit they scammed you while you were sleeping, so they have no choice but to call the cops.

Understood, but mine was not as many here had been discussing at length the general padding of bills.

Yes, I think it is you who might be confused. There is no 35 year rule to qualify for the OAP. The qualification period is 10 years. The 35 years is necessary to get full OAP. If you have spent less time in Australia than 35 years (from age 16 to qualification age), then you get a percentage of the OAP based on how many years you have resided in Australia. Example: I have lived in Australia for 20 years so I get 20/35 = 57% of the full OAP. Now I read about a proviso that if you have not lived in Australia after 1 July 2014, the full qualification period becomes 25 years. Specifially, in my case I have lived 20 years in Australia before 1 July 2014, so my full qualification period is now 25 years and not 35 years. As I have only 3 years left to retirement qualification age of 67, I cannot reach the required 25 years for the full OAP. An extra rule here is that if you come or came back to live in Australia after 1 July 2014, but leave again before qualifying age, the minimum age for full OAP reverts back to 35 years. https://agepensionguide.com.au/what-are-the-age-pension-residency-requirements/ If you’ve checked off the Australian residency requirement, you must also meet at least one of the following criteria to qualify for the Age Pension: you have been an Australian resident for at least ten years — at least five of those years must have been consecutive. ---------------------------------------------------- You will still receive the Age Pension if you leave Australia for more than 26 weeks, but the amount you’ll receive will depend on a calculation based on how long you were an Australian resident between the ages of 16 and the date you reached your pension age. The amount generally won’t change if you were an Australian resident for 35 years or more. If you were an Australian resident for a shorter period, your pension payment would be proportionally reduced. For example, if you were an Australian resident for 20 years, your amount will be calculated as 20/35ths (57%) of the amount you would normally receive. 35 years is the qualifying length of time needed to receive the full amount. 20 years is 57% of the time required, so you would receive 57% of your usual pension amount. For anyone who has lived outside Australia since 1 July 2014, the residency requirement is 25 years rather than 35. However, if you were to return to Australia for more than 26 weeks, the 35 years would apply if you were to leave Australia again.

This conversation has become more general in nature. Even so, 2000 baht could be a big bill for some, especially if they didn't order many drinks.

That's a very long story to basically say you don't believe that bars rip people off. Let's be clear here, the average Joe who sits quietly with his beer looking at the ladies won't get ripped off. It's the party boys with lots of lady drinks with a full wad of drink receipts in his little cup that cop the "special" treatment. In fact, even you, totally sober, would find it hard to keep track. My "stories" are first hand, from me.

Yeah, the only problem with that theory is that these are tourists mainly, and don't expect that Walking Street can, under some circumstances, be a health risk. Most drunk tourists don't take a physical beating and at worst, end the night with empty wallets.

If you were very drunk, you might not have been so lucky. If you don't drink much, it's easy to keep tabs because you're not drinking much and your bill is small. I've been in a gogo with some Aussie friends (only 2) who ended up with a 10,000+ tab in a few hours and to be honest, I had no way to check it as drinks were coming in at a rapid rate.

So a good lesson here - don't live in highrise building if you tend to get very drunk. The railings are quite low in most buildings.