Septic99

Quick Addition: I already have a booked return ticket to the US

Sorry if this question has been answered but I have have questions about what's best for my situation. US Passport: I arrived on a 60 day Visa Exempt and then applied for additional 30 day extension in Jomtien. I need another 3 weeks in Thailand and looking for the the least painful and most certain way of obtaining another 30 days. Previous Visas: 1. Non-Imm O Visa from August 2023 to November 2024. (Returned to US in August 2024, O Visa expired in Nov, and then returned to Thailand 3 months later on next visa) 2. 60 Visa Exempt: December 2024 (Departed in January 2025.) AIR: Given the border closures in Cambodia, a quick 2-3 day flight to Vietnam seems the easiest and least painful, but I'm reading conflicting reports here about whether this is the safest route. Given my previous 2 visas, I'm worried about getting rejected upon return to Thailand. Land: I'm staying in Pattaya, and from what I've read It seems the most secure method is to use a visa agent and take the 2 day bus trip to Nong Khai, cross the border and receive another 30 days upon re-entry. But 2 days on a bus is precisly the type of pain I want to avoid. Air/Land: To avoid the long bus ride, is it better to fly from U-tapao to Udon Thani and hire a Visa agent in Udon Thani to facilitate my new visa? Thanks for any suggestions.

I agree with pretty much all your points here. In general, most expats that I've met during my extensive time in Thailand embody the worst aspects of Western imperialism--they tend to be racist and complain non-stop about immigration and how the muslims or Mexicans or Turks are ruining their countries; they look down on Thais as stupid and lazy and speak as if they're experts on Thai life and culture without speaking any Thai and without doing any research beyond beer-bars and go-gos; have no problem manipulating Thai immigration laws or bypassing visa requirements to suit their own personal interests; and show little respect for or awareness of the basic social values that define Thai culture (such as เเกรงใจ, ความกตัญญู, ความไม่เห็นแก่ตัว, ทำบุญ, etc.,). But, it's not surprising to me why you're getting such vehement disagreement here and why people are becoming hostile towards you--and I seriously doubt it's because they're racist or because they can't see their own biases. Your rhetoric incites this reaction, and shows that you're really not interested in having an important and thoughtful discussion on all the topics you raise--but that you're really interested in attacking, demeaning, and inciting a brawl. It's not clear why you're so hostile in this piece and why you're swinging in all directions--because you never say what's motivating this polemic, or why you're so fired up about the loser expats in Thailand, or what the purpose of all this is about. So, yea, even though you're only speaking generally and don't accuse all Western expats of committing these paradoxical blunders, no one here gets this because of the way you frame your argument-- with an arrogant, elitist tone, and with no respect for the people on this forum who took the time to read what your wrote. I'm pretty sure you would've received vastly different responses if your argument was framed with a little more respect for your readers.