chalawaan

This is why Thailand can't break out of the loop, the Army old boys keep their differences out of it. Divide and conquer.

Where are you? Thailand is a big place.

I was charged B1800 at the border last week, as in he specifically asked for baht, tho I was carrying USD as a back up, and on the day that B1800 = $52.75! I would have got the E visa, but wifey left it too late to agree on what day we could go! Seems he likely skimmed a few bucks off me, as I was also told $40 beforehand, but if that's happening regularly, then even more reason to get the visa online.

Agree about Jetstar. They're actually a "different" airline than the domestic version, Jetstar Asia even use a separate flight code. And the Dreamliner is a lovely kite!

Some helpful points: You don't need USD, everyone you encounter, including the officials, they take THB. You'll always get Kip in change, spend it if you can before you return, it's useless outside Laos. Take sun protection, umbrella is best, it's all outdoor until you hit the visa booth. Do all your paperwork before you get there, there's nowhere to fill it out at the C-G without losing your spot. Arrive early, ALL visas are processed the same way and there's many tourists it opens at 0900 (even tho they say 0830 on the site) and closes at 11am. You return at 2pm the next day, get your passport, and start heading home. Avoid Mondays if you can, it's crazy busy as the agents bus runs usually all go then. Fridays are a doddle, but you're stuck over there till Monday afternoon! The tuk tuks will offer to hold your place in line or even Q jump through the side gate, up to you if you do (for B300 YMMV) I saw many Chinese use the offer. I declined. The worst of it is the waiting, the line moves fast once the gates open anyway. Download the application form at home, write MULTIPLE ENTRY on the top Right title box and have B5000 cash ready, if they accept your form, you're practically guaranteed the visa. Your "guarantors" on the application form are: in Thailand, your wife, in Laos, your hotel. Remember you'll need a TM 6 card both ways at a land border, try and fill those out beforehand, saves time at the frontier. Remember to also bring B1800 or $50 if you apply for a Laos Visa on arrival, better to do it online if you have time (3 working days minimum) doing it on arrival means the border bridge bus (B50) will leave without you on the Laos side for the Laos bus station downtown. But no worries, a tuk-tuk or aircon minibus will deliver you direct to your hotel B100-200. On your return, go straight to Laos immigration, and get the bridge bus there, it's quicker than hanging around the bus depot then hanging around after clearing immigration on the Lao side all over again. Everything such as beer and food, is cheaper there, and the waterfront is nice at sunset, plenty going on. The tuk tuks END at 8pm! Plan your evening accordingly. If you take your wife, her visa is cheap as chips, but check if she needs a passport tho, I'm not sure and mine already has one. Back on the Thai side, they will often take Thais aside and process them faster, it's a win, as the overall line reduces. They do x-ray bags on re-entering Thailand, any booze will be confiscated. Finally, you can get another 90 days out of it near the end of the year by bouncing just before it expires, but do get back into Thailand before the visa itself expires, or it's void! And then you can get another 60 days on that INSIDE Thailand for B1900, but up to you. You DO NOT need to show any proof of funds (B400,000) at Savannakhet, go to the C-G website and provide ONLY what they ask for! They don't spring surprise last minute photocopies etc. like they do in Thailand but copy both sides of your decorative marriage certificate, you don't need any of the other Amphur marriage paperwork. (yay!) Good luck and bon voyage.

Who remembers the unsinkable Titanic? Not these dudes. You wouldn't get me on any glass floor in Thailand, or anywhere else, it's just tempting fate.

Good to see the Thai media maintain the rage on the air quality. The lot of them (ASEAN) need to wake up, quit their useless annual gabfests, and other useless and pointless national self-aggrandizement and buy some freaking modern farm equipment.

If you can, just renew, if it goes tits up on arrival, or even at check in, you'll be mighty inconvenienced, and still have to get a new passport anyway. If you do make it in, you can only get an extension a week before your original exemption expires, and you cannot do that without your passport! If I was in your position, I'd extend my current stay, or fly to a third country (home?) and apply from there, THEN enter Thailand, as it is, I can't see it working out without you running into an unintended overstay, and that's really bad news if you want to stick around or return frequently.

The cashier tripped and fell under the weight of all that cash and it all fell into a storm drain connected to a Singapore bank account?

I pooh-pooh the idea of paying to visit Phi-phi. Just sit on Jomtien beach and watch someone elses YouTube of it and you'll hardly notice the difference.

You smile, ???????? and just go along to get along here, no matter how illogical, or irrational, or invasive it seems. ????????

He better pipe down before he gets sued by the fish factory. Welcome to TiT.

Unfortunately, it seems your friend may have been turned away under a false assumption, but as you can see from my post, it's messy, and rules do change, check in staff usually operate with a minimal set of guidelines, sometimes the guidelines are out of date, if your freind had a valid NZ passport, that should have allowed them to fly, I'm a bit confused as to why they didn't use this to begin with! And I drew on my own experiences with the passports you mentioned. They may be able to claim a fare compensation, but it's likely to be a tiresome process. PS: Many here use an imaginary "friend" to seek help for themselves, I presumed you and the freind are the same, but if he is indeed only travelling under a UK passport, then, it's likely that 8 hour rule is unknown to the check in staff. They usually operate on the basis of no visa no boarding, no exceptions. Because if your friend is theoretically deported on arrival, they are legally obligated to return him to the port he flew from, and then try and get that fare back!

Your "friend" seems to rely on you quite a lot to seek advice and share his stories on here, we've noticed. ????

Did you have a single booking reference to get to NZ? If not, you should use your Kiwi passport. If you have two booking references, you MUST clear immigration on arrival, you cannot transit airside. In addition, you must depart Australia on the passport connected to your flight ticket booking. Which of course, obliges you to enter Australia landside. If you're Australian you must enter on that passport, however, you may leave on any passport connected to your departure booking. Flying in as a UK Citizen you must obtain an entry visa, or use your NZ passport, or get a single flight booking (official transit) all the way to your final destination. The US even oblige official transit Pax to get an ESTA, and it's likely Australia now has a similar rule. As someone else has said, check the Aussie Immigration website.

That solves the drug problem, how?

What do they need national service for anyway? Oh that's right, to keep on overthrowing their own democracy. Amazing Thailand.

Yes. Any sensible woman would leave it all behind. But many are broken humans long before they get on the bus headed south.

Yes, of course drug dealers give away free drugs to random tourists. 1. Meth is not able to be hidden in weed. 2. Lacing one drug with another in the hope of getting someone addicted is just unscientific, illogical and... monumentally idiotic as a business model! 3. I misunderstood the context of your reply, you're likely suggesting he's high on meth. Could be. However, meth psychosis usually doesn't appear unless he's been using for some time, months, years, that also could be. Then again, he could be unwell, and any mind altering substances, especially alcohol, could lead to this behaviour. ????

They lost me at "Santa for grown-ups" dishing out the right to obliterate each other's kids. How can a nation responsible for such incredible advances as the James Webb telescope be unable to get it's head out it's behind long enough to see what almost every other civilised nation on Earth knows is the obvious solution?

Thank you to all who responded. I have considered the downside to this request. Despite the risk, I am still waiting to hear of anyone donating to the policeman's benevolent fund and then experiencing police action in follow-up investigations. As for the recent extortion arrests? Political. Political. Political. Look whose ordering the corruption crackdowns! Khun General Borrowed-Watch! Thailand would shut down if they all went straight overnight. The income method needs to be more viable. However, I cannot restructure my affairs to accommodate this method. Thanks again to those who offered practical insights into how and where to find an agent. Alas, Pattaya stamps would create issues down the line and possibly lock me into that method forever, and this is not necessarily a manoeuvre I intend to repeat. So that's my main concern with this method, getting locked in!

I am leaning toward using an agent to get my third non-o retirement kicked off. Been and gone a few times, nothing beats LoS for all its faults! Wasn't the initial purpose of that B800,000 cash being deposited there solely to fund annual retirement life? At some point Big Joke and his mates took our hard earned, and quietly turned it into a lifelong ransom held by the bank! As a lad I was inspired by the Adventures of Robin Hood, and I feel that cash is better employed by being distributed among the poor in the everyday economy, so I'm looking for an agent who has helped like-minded retirees get squared away. Can anyone in CM recommend an agent who can address my specific requirement by DM or link here, thanks! Edited just now by chalawaan

Nobody remember how it eventually emerged the RTP let Sobraj the Serpent fly out to continue his killing to "protect Thailands image". If you still think all's well on that island, and that the two Burmese lads did in the Brit beach couple, I have a nice bridge on sale.

They don't need an excuse to hate. Anutin, a high profile bigot of note, shat the bed when a random westerner simply turned down a mask, that had been fingered by Anutin's sweaty, grubby mitts. Yet we were the "dirty ones"? Please, Minister...

Well, Flight Master site shows Chinas' total international aircraft movements, that's in AND out to Everywhere, let alone the flights to "flip-flop" Kalaland, are DOWN 91% on flight traffic the same day in 2019. Sorry but... no. The much anticipated buffet-demolishing hordes are not going to be descending on Swampy for a good while yet. Restoring mothballed aircraft to airworthiness, takes time, even in "get it done yesterday" China