thecyclist

STOP THE STEAL! MAGA MAMA (Make America Moronic again)

No mask requirement on the Vietnam - Bangkok-Vietnam AirAsia flights. About half of the passengers were wearing masks, the other half not.

Gyms in Pattaya are expensive,at least by regional standards and for day pass . Sun gym at 120 Baht for a day pass is probably one of the better deals in Pattaya. I think it's 900 Baht a month, which is reasonable. The last time I was at Sun was 3 weeks ago late afternoon /evening. It was busy, but not too busy. Decent equipment and air-conditioning was in working order. That place used to be Tony, a fellow keen on selling life time membership, and then all of a sudden closing down all his establishments. Did he do a runner?

Wow, what a really newsworthy feat, arresting a woman on a 19 day (not month, not year) overstay. Only 4 officers and BMW needed to catch this dangerous felon. This will make LOS a much safer place.

I don't think it is because of staff problems. I regularly fly the Vietnam Bangkok route, and check in is fast with plenty of ground staff. Vietjet has at least 3 flights a day just to HCMC. 2 of them just over an hour apart in the late afternoon (one by Vietjet Thai, the other Vietjet Vietnam), about 50% occupied the times I took them. On a bad day occupancy is probably down to only 30%. Cancel one and pack passenger on the other flight would suggest itself as a cost cutting measure.

I live in Vietnam now, and have been in and out of the country 3 times since August. There are no requirements regarding Covid anymore. Entering on a 15 day visa exemption requires proof of an outbound flight booking, which I assume you, being on a visa run, have. Vietnamese immigration often does not ask for it, but at Suvarnabhumi they asked me for it. I pointed out to the Vietjet lady that I, having a visa, didn't need it, and after consulting with a superior it was okay. At Don Mueang last week nobody asked for anything, but long lines (never seen them that long) at HCMC airport. In Bangkok I was through immigration in 2 minutes.

I don't see how they can deny you leaving the country. If you haven't broken any laws, they will have to let you out, All they can do is to tell that you won't be allowed back in. Even then, you could try another border crossing. There are lots of Cambodian - Thai crossings, some on the Isan side where they probably won't scrutinize your history as closely. I did something like this ages ago when we still needed a tax clearance to leave the country (after more than 180 days aggregate or in a calendar year). I tried to exit at the Pedang Besar border without a tax clearance, and was refused. He told me to go back to Hadyai to get one. I pleaded with him that it was the weekend and by Monday I would be in overstay. To no avail. Took a bus to Saturn,where I was stamped out without anybody mentioning the required tax clearance.

Makes a nice change from the constant staring at screens, which is really hard on the eyes.

Where are they still selling the Bangkok post in Pattaya?

25 flights an hour, most likely.

Yes, I agree. Never say never. Never happened to me or friends of mine though . They probably sometimes ask when you raise a red flag for other reasons, like years in the country on visa exemptions and TVs.

Immigration never asks. Airlines usually /often do. Flew with AirAsia into DMK from Saigon last week, and they wanted to see an outbound flight booking. Ditto 2 months ago with Vietjet. Don't know what they would have done if I hadn't had a booking.Maybe if you sign a waiver that you are willing to pay for any expenses incurred by being refused entry, would be enough. Probably not.

Actually I did get processed in about 45 sec at Don Mueang a couple of days ago. Only 2 people ahead of me, so breezed through immigration in a couple of minutes. Even faster in August at suvarnabhumi A far cry from the long lines in Pre-Covid , when IOs were also scrutinizing your passports for minutes.

Not necessarily :if it's still the surly old guy on the Cambodian side that would Pre-Covid give you the evil eye when you hand him 30 bucks (instead of the 35 $ that he demands, because that's the new rate and has been the new rate for years, according to him), then just show him your old Cambodian stickers, and point out to him that they all say 30, and that if it says 35 this time you would be willing to pay an extra 5.You will have your sticker in a few minutes(for 30) and, as a bonus leave with the knowledge that the surliness level of this venal misanthrope has gone up a notch or two.

Yes, it should be the other way around. I guess it's. because there is a motorcycle rental on every Soi, competition keeps prices in check. Bicycle shops are far and few between.

I have asked this question before, but I need some updated information on this. With tourism rebounding rapidly post Covid there might be new shops opening up. Where can I rent a bicycle in the Pattaya area?

Even worse :They don't give you the option to write a review about some of the electronic junk they are selling. Stuff from China that breaks down after only a week. You can't warn potential customers that this item is not worth a single Baht. You might as well flush your money down the toilet. I understand that Lazada can't test all their merchandise, but let customers review not only the quality stuff they are selling and but also the junk.

Yes, out of a given number of applications, that a low level Cambodian clerk had approved, the Thai superior had to (at random or not) pick a few and override the approval to show who was in charge. That's the Thai way. The Thai embassy in PP hasn't been a friendly one since the anti-Thai riots when rioters set the embassy on fire, and the Thai staff had to climb over the wall to take refuge in the Japanese embassy. Before that it was a no questions asked repeated TVs possible. After that lots of questions asked.My only ever denial of a TV visa I got when they were housed in that temporary shed(while regular embassy was being renovated), after waiting for hours in the hot sun. A Thai guy came out to briefly join me in the hot sun. He had listed all my previous entries(2 from Laos, 3 from PP). When I tried to appeal, he warned me off by telling me that I could still get a visa exemption at the border or go to Laos, but any further arguing would result in a red stamp, which would make the alternatives more difficult.

Was in Phnom Penh a couple of weeks ago. Although I moved to Vietnam a few years ago and don't need Thai Visas anymore, I did have a chat with the agent I used for 15 years for Thai visas. He told me that he has never seen it as difficult as it is now. 60 % of visa applications are rejected by the Thai embassy. One would think that coming out of the Covid Pandemic,Thailand would do everything in it's power to bring back foreign tourists, but that seems not to be the case.

There might be a much more "innocent/mundane reason for all these questions, like : 1)She was relieving her boredom with a little bit of small talk. 2)she was practicing her English 3) She was showing off her language skills.

Instead of bickering about the relevance of the post, it would be more fruitful to discuss whether the arrival/departure card shouldn't be scrapped altogether in this digitalizied age. The current suspension shows that it can be done, and that it speeds things up. Vietnam, ruled by control freaks, scrapped it ages ago. They have all the information they need by scanning your passport, plus your finger prints. The arrival card is a relic from the pre-digital era, serves no purpose anymore. I hope someone in the current administration realizes that. Not holding my breath though. There is so much unnecessary red tape in LOS, which an enlightened government like Anand administration would get rid of in no time.

555 I did use my imagination, and 2000 is way too much for what my imagination suggested. 200 maybe.

What was the 2000 Baht for?

Not always. Finasteride sometimes can regrow hair to varying degrees. In my case it did, after a few months of taking it the bald spot on the top strarted shrinking.

Thais are not readers of books, never have been. In the eighties you got on bus with a book or a newspaper, chances are you were the only one reading. The Thais would sleep, doze if they were by themselves, talk if they were in company, rarely read. Snacking was another favorite national past time,pursued on intercity buses and trains.