Highlandman

Thailand is relatively safe for solo female travelers, but I seriously doubt the number 9 safest country ranking for several reasons. Firstly, we have to distinguish between busy urban areas such as Bangkok and Chiang Mai, which are indeed quite safe for your average female local or traveler as these cities are always so busy, it would be difficult for anyone to get away with committing a crime against a female traveler. Most busy tourist precincts are generally safe as well, such as Bangla road in Phuket. However, murders of tourists and expats are sadly not uncommon on Koh Phangan and Koh Tao and often the murderers are fellow foreigners. Just the other day, a Moroccan killed an Austrian on Koh Phangan while a few weeks back, an Israeli attempted to kill an Englishman by glassing his neck with a broken bottle. The Israeli bribed the police and escaped to Singapore, while the Brit was hassled by the local police just to do their job. During Covid, a Thai man raped and murdered a Swiss woman about 25 years older than him at a Phuket waterfall. There are many more such incidents as well. Overall, single female travelers shouldn't be out alone late at night in Thailand as its not as safe as many make it out to be. The same precautions as you would take back home, should apply to Thailand as well. Walk only in well lit areas with lots of people around and for God's sake, drive, take public transportation or a taxi if your destination is more than 500m away. It's what locals do. We should follow their lead. Walking everywhere is a stupid idea, particularly after dark.

Well thanks to all the unwanted "refugees" and "immigrants" in our countries, rapes and assaults have gone through the roof. While Thailand is better than Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Libya, Egypt, Morocco, Sudan etc for single women travelers, and Thai men aren't as bad as men from the aforementioned countries, a sub-section of Thai working class males are perverts and can't be trusted to be alone with a woman that isn't a family member.

How can a Buddhist country hope to eclipse fellow Muslim neighbors in terms of Halal food production? Does Thailand intend on converting most of its population to Islam? If yes, this plan might make some sense. If not, then this is another pie in the sky "hub" nonsense. Thailand, stick with being the "hub" of mask wearing, you seem to shine at that but leave halal food production to Malaysia, Indonesia and other Muslim countries.

Yeah I rarely eat from Street vendors except in tourist zones. For example, Ao Nang Krabi, Siem Reap, Cambodia, Luang Prabang, Laos, Pham Ngu Lao lane, Saigon, Vietnam. These sorts of places. I would never sit down to a street vendor meal in Bangkok, as it's too hot, dirty and uncomfortable sitting outside. Better to eat inside an air-conditioned mall or an independent restaurant, which also has AC, comfortable seating and much higher hygiene standards.

Eating raw beef and raw fish is amusing even to Thais and certainly to me especially at a wedding. It's "Baan nok" behavior so unless one wants to die of food poisoning or develop a serious case of parasites/bowel cancer, should be avoided at all costs. My question is, what kind of village hicks do you live amongst? Let me guess, do they eat dung beetles too? Ewww!!

Are Thais still afraid of catching "Covid" from dirty glasses and dishes? Is this why they still wear their masks while seated at restaurants, refusing to take them off until the food arrives? I certainly agree that what this restaurant is doing is unhygienic but man, move on from this Covid nonsense already. The entire world has forgotten about it and has more pressing concerns to worry about.

Come back by land.

I've seen both. Some airlines have a sign saying "lavatory", others "toilet".

Good. A very easy and cheap route. 5.5-6 hours by bus to Phnom Penh from Saigon. There are something like 30 daily services across 6-8 different companies. Should take around 5 hours by bus from Phnom Penh to Koh Kong (since the highway from Sre Ambel to Koh Kong is under construction) then its a 10-15 min or 10km ride from the bus station to the border crossing. From the Thai side, plenty of minivans to Trat/Chanthaburi/Bangkok etc. or transfer at Trat or Chanthaburi bus station for buses or vans to Chonburi/Pattaya/Bangkok.

If you're going to Saigon then go back to Thailand via Cambodia. Forget about Aranyaprathet-Poipet. From Ho Chi Minh, first get yourself to Phnom Penh and from there perhaps Koh Kong, which isn't too far away and can be reached by bus if you're on a budget. Half of the journey there is via the newish Sihanoukville expressway. Then cross from Koh Kong into Hat Lek. Doesn't take too long and is way shorter than traveling via Laos.

Land is always easier than air entry.

As of 2019 just a passport. A tourist visa is fine. Not sure if it's changed but I'm planning on going there soon to update my bank card, which is nearing expiration, among other errands. Any bank branch of the major Burmese banks in Yangon should be OK.

Not in my experience. Only small trucks use it, which is what I've noticed every time I go that way. Last time was late afternoon/evening back in December. There were no trucks using the road, other than one or two small 6 wheelers.

You're making things unnecessarily complicated. Get yourself to Laos somehow (there should now even be direct Danang-Vientiane flights) if a bus or private transfer doesn’t suit. Then possibly secure a visa to Thailand or enter visa free but do so by LAND. Stop obsessing over airports, Thailand isn't an island and land border entry points, especially from Laos, are easy. Many people, including me have given you many options. Chances are you will be allowed back in by land, certainly once at least and that will give you at least 30 days, possibly 60 if you extend this at an immigration office to sort yourself out and collect your gear.

It's a relatively short journey so I would probably go with the bus but an alternative is a transfer by car via AVIS Laos. They used to charge US$115 (payable in Kip, Baht or other currencies as well) but probably more expensive now. Another option is the train, which will soon start from the new Khamsavath station, but that's not until April. In the meantime you have a twice daily cross border train service with dedicated immigration beginning from Thanaleng Station. You'd then need to switch to a different, Bangkok bound train (the connecting time is minimal) and get off at Udon Thani. Once the new Vientiane-Bangkok service starts, the same train from Vientiane will bring you to Udon Thani with immigration procedures apparently taking place just once (presumably this means both Thai and Lao immigration will be performed side by side at the same location, similar to how its done at some Lao-Vietnamese and Cambodian-Vietnamese border crossings). This will be a first for any border crossing in Thailand. Up until now its always been checking out of Thailand then traveling a short distance to the neighboring country to check in there. The final option is a taxi to the border, catch a bus across the bridge and then a van from the Thai side to Udon Thani.

Looks like the old road between the two towns. Why on Earth didn't you take the new road? Large trucks aren't allowed to use it and its way safer.

Well he can fly through Ho Chi Minh. Or take a bus to Savannakhet, Laos and proceed from there to Mukdahan. Easy peasy. Perhaps the second option would be even easier than the first. I believe there's a Danang-Siem Reap turboprop flight as well but might be easier to take the bus to Laos as the schedule for the direct flight may be erratic. Roads are relatively OK as well along that route and doesn't take very long.

My post above may have startled at least one person, who has clearly never traveled by land within this region. Another option for the OP to save some time is fly Ho Chi Minh to Siem Reap on Vietnam Airlines. Then proceed by land from there to Pattaya avoiding Poipet/ Aranyaprathet. Simple as can be.

It's not horrible at all, unless you're 80 and/or have mobility problems and can't stand sitting on a bus for longer than an hour. The OP being a little over 50 will have no problems at all with this journey. You can also break up the trip. Almost everyone traveling between Saigon and Thailand by land spends at least a night in Phnom Penh before continuing their journey. It's not realistic to do it in one day but I easily managed Ho Chi Minh to Koh Kong on the Thai border the same day by car (Vietnamese friend brought me to the Cambodian border then I drove my car, which I parked at the Vietnamese border the rest of the way). This was in the days before the Sihanoukville expressway opened. Now it's way faster. Obviously Ho Chi Minh to Bangkok or Pattaya in one day isn't realistic though almost possible if you're a masochist and take private taxis the whole way and leave Saigon around 4 or 5am. Totally unnecessary though. As the OP is a tourist or is something else but isn't working in Thailand he has no excuse for needing to rush back into Thailand. He can spend 1 night in Phnom Penh, another night in Siem Reap then travel via Chong Chom or Pong Nam Ron into Thailand (the latter makes more sense for Pattaya). Siem Reap to Pattaya in one day via Pong Nam Ron (Ban Pakkard) isn't a particularly stressful or lengthy trip either. Catch a cab from Siem Reap to the border. Cross on foot (the two borders are right next to one another) then catch a cab or bus to either Chanthaburi or direct to Pattaya. Siem Reap to Pattaya can be accomplished in roughly 7 hours this way. For what this guy needs to do, it's worth it.

Yes, they will be scrutinized too. I'm not sure on this, but can imagine that it's one 90 day visa waiver entry for them and then they have to leave and re-enter by air at a later date, after some time away to get another 90 days. They're unlikely to be granted consecutive 90 day entries. Same as Koreans for example.

I don't think it's Thais in general that think this way. Many Thais believe all sorts of unrealistic things about westerners such as that we get paid by the government just like that or that our trees produce money. It's Thai immigration that has an antiquated way of thinking. Thai people think way differently.

You might be able to get in by land. Get yourself to Laos, enter through any international border shared with Thailand (there are 10, though those not coming by car will only be using one of about 5 of them due to the public transportation links they have). Basically use any of the 4 bridges or the Chong Mek crossing. An alternative is via Cambodia except Aranyaprathet, which is as bad as the airports.

Why would anyone leave their cash and credit cards at home when they travel abroad? I ALWAYS bring my wallet containing ALL my cards and whatever cash I need on my trips. Only cash that remains at home is small amounts of foreign currency that isn't relevant to my particular trip (for example, if I'm going to Cambodia I'm not going to bring the $20 worth of Myanmar Kyat or 50 Euros I have stored at home with me). Even if I don't intend to use my credit/debits cards I bring them because you know what? S*** happens. If I run out of money, I'll need to charge my way and/or withdraw money from an ATM.

It doesn't. The autogates are new for foreigners though. Previously, only Thais, permanent residents who've registered to use them and Singapore/HK nationals could use them. However, prior to December, I don't think many Sin/HK nationals knew this.

I understand he behaved himself on the flight. He only became enraged afterwards and proceeded to post his complaint (he needed to vent) after the flight.