DrHoneydew

I'm open to staying somewhere new. What's the quickest way to do a land run from Patong area? Don't mind flying to another country and coming back through a land crossing either... like Laos, but I've done that a couple times in years past already.

I read on a website which offers ED visas, that you may apply if you are 49 or under. Does this imply you cannot get an ED visa after 49? I couldn't imagine why not, so thought I'd ask even though that website seems to clearly suggest this is the rule. I'm going top try to get a fight visa (BJJ), but a bit of a bummer if I couldn't continue studies in the next few years just because I hit 50 later this year. Even the first belt, a blue belt, in BJJ can take a couple/three years to earn.

Canada

Don't I need to apply for that in mt home country and wait for processing etc? I'm in Thailand now. Need to leave by Mar 6

They denied their reentry, but said they could 'fix it' for 1000 baht

I have stayed here for about 10 months or so I think at this point using border runs to Cambodia. You can buy a ticket at the visa office next to the Jomtien immigration office. They drive you and a few others to Cambodia and return in minutes, never a hassle. I have seen IO ask 2 guys for 1000BHT one trip though, stating their next visa run should have been by air as they already used up their land crossing for the year. One of those guys was not actually in that situation though, but 'fined' none the less. My intent now is to stay for another full year. I would like to get some medical work done that needs to happen in multiple sessions every 6-8 weeks. By the sounds of it, no only might I have some difficulty this time but doing this for another full year will likely fail? I'd hate to buy personal items, such as an expensive bike if one day I might get denied return and never be able to recover it, lose condo deposit etc.

Title says it all: Flying out and back to get a fresh no-visa arrival stamp. Not sure what that's formally called. I haven't done this before as when I fly out, I usually return several months or a year later. How long do I need to stay out of country before coming back to get a new 45 day stamp? Would like to do this a couple times in 2023. Thanks

Done! Thanks.

Thanks all. I've been staying in a hotel for a month. Not sure if they would have reported my stay or not. (small hotel run by someone who just turned 20).. how should I proceed at immigration when they ask for residence paperwork? The month I paid for at the hotel ends tomorrow. I want to go to another town on Phuket after immigration and find a new place. What are they going to expect from me paperwork wise aside from passport/copies/photos?

First time here. Need to extend soon. I know the process from doing it many time in other cities. Any tips for Patong? Where. to get photocopies, pictures, where is the office, tips for the local office (ie: Jomtien is VERY busy, so pointless to go unless there before it opens) etc.

How's the mobile internet speeds and reliability on Samui?

Phi Phi is near Krabi, correct? Would I be better off staying in Krabi and taking a boat for some RnR? How about snorkeling in Krabi itself?

Agreed & aware. I'm lightly curious if its even a possibility or if I should just forget the idea completely. I have had more than a couple Thai folks tell me about their new condo they just bought and are renting on AirBnB etc, talking about what a great deal it will be once they sell. The latest, after asking for some intel on a condo I just rented for a couple weeks, is the owner expects to rent it out for 15K/m during high season and maybe 12K in low. She's paying teh bank 20K/m in mortgage and all the other costs that go along with condos on top. It's a negative cash flow gamble that she'll be able to sell one day. I asked her about those expectations and she was excited to tell me the building was 80% sold after just 4 years!! (oof). My view is that it should have been sold out well before now if she ever expects to sell for a profit. Why buy hers for a premium when they can pick up a new unit for the regular price, or perhaps even discounted because of all the unsold inventory. Unless ALL the pool view sell out and the only units left are parking lot view & low level. I shake my head at just about every deal I hear about. My thoughts were it may be something to consider if someday I stumble across a cash flow positive unit in an area that I could expect it to regularly rent. Probably a unicorn, but I'm not particularly spending time looking either. Would pick one up if the situation was right.

Considering coming to Samui for a month. Any suggestions of the best areas to live? Ideally walking distance to good snorkeling & beach. Newer condo. Gym. Supermarkets etc. Does that exist? Cheers

Any recommended groups?

Ah, to clarify I guess I meant 'seller' financing. ie: You give the seller a small or no down payment and they then finance the balance personally. This may sound crazy to some, but not that unusual in America, so wondering what sort of creative financing options could be done in Thailand. Looking to make investments, not for personal use. Putting your personal money into investments is not ideal for how I wish to go about it.

I spent a year or two in Chiang Mai already, a couple years in Pattaya. Want to explore somewhere else early Jan for a couple months. Looking for ideas. I like the cheap resort style living in Jomtien. 15-20K BHT for new luxury one bedroom condo on a resort with pirate ships, slides, etc. I do NOT like the water in the Pattaya region though. Ideally the new place would have similar condos for rent & nice waters to snorkel in. Looking for picturesque living. Any cities/regions come to mind that fit the bill?

Just curious... not sure buying a condo here would be the smartest thing to do, but curious... If a foreigner wants to buy a condo with as little personal money in the game as possible, how can that happen? Is a foreigner able to get a mortgage here, if so, how? Is owner financing a thing here? Is the foreigner legally allowed to rent it out? If so, how does that work? Cheers

I'm just an enthusiast and want to build a good bike. Prices actually seem to be close enough for me between here and Canada. Riding in other countries is kinda cool. I won't stay more than a few months in Canada anyways before finding a new country to ride in. Don't plan on touring.. Will use it as a daily driver around town, go shopping with etc. Maybe hit some trails if I can find them.

I picked up a medium quality carbon frame 29er in Pattaya and kind of want to upgrade it with high end components. I also want to travel around Thailand and it's neighboring countries, maybe a month or two in Cambodia, Vietnam and other places. Perhaps in Thailand too. Maybe Pattaya to Chiang Mai or Phuket or Krabi. - Then at some point, back to Canada. I'm not 100% sold on upgrading and taking the bike with me or not. I'm not sure about the cost and logistics of traveling with a bike. Anyone know the best/smartest thing to do? Is it safe to ride an expensive bike around and be seen regularly for a couple months in Cambodia or Vietnam? I have no idea and know very little about either country, but I'm not sure I'd do the same in some areas of Mexico. Had a used bike down there that was cheap but looked nice. Lots of people eye balling it and the security guards actually tried to steal it from a very large hotel I had facility access to. I know a few people who have had multiple bikes stolen.... so I'm weary and don't want to be mugged for the bike at a red light while out for a ride. What about the costs of shipping and things to be aware of etc? Cheers

3 staff members showed up at my door at 7:30am and drove me to immigration. One of them stayed by my side the entire time. Owner was fined 1700BHT I was not fined After we finished the boss offered me a banana and a bottle of water before driving me back home. Gave me a 1000BHT refund through AirBnb a couple days later Was a good outcome. Can say that I've been using AirBnb and renting through other websites for 12 years in many countries and have never had problems. Thanks all for the intel!

Fun Update #2 THEY ended up getting fined 1700BHT. I got no fines. I was not looking into a lawyer to get anything out of the owner, but rather ask about the situation where my incorrect address and arrival dates were already reported. Obviously I'm not going to go along with that, so I was unsure and concerned about what might happen if I write down a different address during the extension than what the TM30 shows. This is my 3rd time here. about 2.5 years total over the past 7. I've done the border run to extend a few times, mixed with METV. Have been using AirBnb, hotels, and a real-estate agent. Have never not been given at least the required paperwork to do it myself. Maybe I've been lucky.

Where is ban laem? Google says it's a seaside district without any country borders See here

Fun update. Spoke with someone different from the company on the phone today wo speaks good English. Had a good conversation and got a better feeling that I had the upper hand in this situation. He is going to have someone take me to immigration tomorrow to make sure everything is ok. He explained that they did indeed use another address because this one is not registered.. or something along those lines. When speaking with him, I reiterated that it is his responsibility to report within 24 hours or they could get slapped with an 800 baht fine. I told him about me potentially having an overstay on my record. I told him my lawyer recommended I find a new place and ask for my money back. I told him I we go that route than we are going to end up turning this into a much bigger deal than either of us wants. Funny... there is also 3 people here right now to fix the hot water and they brought a pile of amenities I didn't ask for. iron, microwave, toaster etc. Thank you all for the insights. Made me feel a little better about 'standing up' for myself.

I like living on condo resorts, and airbnb is a LOT cheaper for longer stays, plus you get much more. For example, you can find a 2 bedroom condo/penthouse with a jacuzzi overlooking the ocean for a month, about what you'd pay for 1 week in a hotel and have more freedoms and (most importantly) space. I once had a 200sq meter penthouse on the 32nd floor overlooking the ocean in Jomtien for 40K/m. You can find smaller new condos on resorts with massive pools and slides etc for about 10-15K/m. I just find that you simply can't find that quality of living in any hotel. I go through airbnb instead of something like a facebook marketplace for anything less than a year because the large property management companies usually only offer long term stays.