SunSeek01

I got stopped by the airline in the US in 2010. This was at the check-in counter, flight in 2 hours! I had to buy a refundable one way back ticket. I refunded it so no problem but it was a hassle and I really got caught off guard. A chap suggested buying an Asia Air ticket to Cambo or somewhere else close by, should be under $ 100 USD one way.

I'm no expert on TH, only been there 7 times for holiday and once for 10 months. My view is, what is your age and what is her age. How attractive are you and how good looking is she?

Lots of differences can be over come but if you are 50 and she is 25, good luck. If you are a 4 and she is an 8, not good. No offense, I'm not Brad Pitt! I think if you try to see from her eyes, really, try to get a sense. Many people get influenced by others, men, women, everyone.

Meeting her on the Net before meeting her for real is not good. So much easier to go to TH, and more fun!

Good luck, and remember there is no hurry to do anything on your end. Your heart may feel urgent but believe all the TVisa members here. Don't act out of urgency. Your the Boss! If you need 3 months off do it. I did it and came back to the same TGF.

I have inquired via email regarding a Non Imm O with the reason of exploring retirement. I don't know if I'll get any reply, it is a 6 hour drive to the Consulate in Miami.

Does anyone know, if this were to work out, do they give you the visa right then and there or do they mail it to you later. If they mail it, do you have leave your passport?

This assumes all the documentation and payments are good. Thanks all for the wealth of info! - Sunseek01

Thanks all for pointing out that the Non Imm O is not an automatic thing (as I thought it would be). I probably will apply for a Non Imm O and see what happens.

I am over 50 of course so maybe that will work in my favor and I can tell them I'm exploring retirement if it comes up. From all I've read here that would be the most favorable to me.

Great pictures Crocken! Thanks for putting them out there, easy to DL from SkyDrive.

I'm reading and re-reading all this. Thanks for the great info everyone. So what would be the advantage to me, if any, of getting a Non Imm O back here in the States ? I remember when I got the double entry tourist visa by going to Cambo (60 + 30 X 2) thinking I should have done the Non Imm O back home.

I guess the advantage is you start off straight away with 60 + 30 without having to depart Thailand? Thanks again - Sunseek01

Hi Thaivisa Members,

I am in the U.S. and will be coming over the TH sometime in the next few months. I've been there about 8 times but only once longer than 30 days. For that I got the 60 + 30 day X 2 Visa, and it was kind of a hassle going to Cambodia. I went on visa runs both trips and I would have liked to take a tour in Cambo but I was the visa run.

Anyway, my plan now is to apply for a Non Imm O here in the U.S. at the Thai Embassy. My question is, say if I get the visa on February 1, but I don't go to Thailand until say February 20, I assume the first 90 days starts when I arrive. I am pretty sure this must be the case so sorry for a dumb question.

Also, is the Non Imm O for a year a requirement or prerequisite for eventually getting a Non Imm O-A (retirement) visa ? I don't know where I got this idea that maybe you have to do the Non Imm O for a year first.

Ideally, I'll get the Non Imm O here in the U.S., show up in TH, and get to processing the O-A retirement visa while I am on the Non Imm O. I guess that's how most people do it ? I know about the money requirements.

Thanks guys, Thai Visa is great!

ChiangMaiThai - I wonder what has happened since this thread last June. I have TGF that I would like to bring over for a short holiday. I work in the mid-east as well. She does not have alot of documentation, does own some land, that' about it. Maybe one point in her favor is that she is 44 years old, I'm 54. Any info would be appreciated. I may be back in the US in late Dec. Thanks - Sunseek01

You can try my friend Ae, he has lived in Kathu/Patong for over 8 years. Very good service and nice car too - 08 5474 8892. - Sunseek

Do regular Iranians really have enough money to take a holiday? How about Kenyans, Nigerians, and

others from Sub Sahara Africa? Well I just looked it up -

Iran Average income - $ 12,800 (2008), ok but hardly enough to buy a $ 1000 plane ticket

Nigeria - $ 2300

Kenya - $ 1600

How the heck do they get a visa?

I was on a 30 day exemption. From Pattaya I took a Visa run to Cambodia and got a double entry visa which allows 60 days, then a 30 extension of that. I had to stay 2 nights in Cambo. After the 90 days I can do it again but only have to cross the border and come back. Cost for this run was 8900 baht - Inter Cambodia Pattaya. The 30 day extensions cost 1900 baht at Immigration. Just check around but do it quickly !! Do not let your current exemption expire if you can help it obviously. The Visa run guys handled everything, we just stayed in the hotel.

I am thinking of going to the Phillipines for a Visa run. I have a double entry visa that I got in Cambodia. The first 60 days is almost up so I'll be going to get the 30 day extension soon here in TH. After that 30 days I need to leave TH to make the second entry. I know I could just go to Cambo again and not have to stay over night but I may be going to PI with some friends.

I searched quite a bit for it but I did not come up with much info, especially recent info. If anyone has info on making a Visa run to PI, let me know. Also Vietnam is in the picture for a visa run too. Thanks - SS

I went to Poi Pet from Pattaya around Aug 20. Was only supposed to stay one night but had to stay two (at agency expense, not mine). Got the 2 entry. Service was great, ended up winning 3000 at the casino on the extra night. Total cost (not counting the 3000 I won) was 7500. Included 2 breakfasts and 2 dinners. Now on October 20 I can get the 30 day extension, then after the 30, back to CBDia (or more probably Vietnam) for the 2nd 60 days and then another 30 after that.

Anyone been able to get a BOA to Kasikorn bank transfer done ? I thought I was there but at the end, BOA wanted me to register for the SafePass dual factor authentication scheme, which requires them to SMS to a Stateside phone. It will not accept a Thai phone.

I'll call them tonight but as has been mentioned, it is very hard to get anything done with BOA usually.

Too many Condo possibilities to talk about but if you want a good temp home base Fawlty Towers is good. http://fawltytowerspattaya.com/

Very good price, real clean, and the Internet is great. There are lots of others. I'd recommend getting a good guesthouse first and checking out in person the longer term condos.

I've stayed at Secrets before, it was nice. But stay on Walking Street was not for me. Also the Secrets girls were very nice but too close to home !

Now staying at Fawlty Towers, 2nd Road and Soi 10. Very clean, really good Internet, and very good pricing. I've looked all around Soi Baukao and used to stay on Soi 8 (at 1600 per night) alot. This place is good.

3 minute walk to Central Place Mall, baht bus to WS easy and quick. Also, you can trust the staff and boss, no small thing especially if just using for a starting base. Also many places back to Soi Baukao withing 5 minutes walk, heres a map http://fawltytowerspattaya.com/

Tropo - I need to extend my Visa within 10 days. I thought, based on what people told me that I would need to go to VTE for a 60 day visa (single or double entry I guess). But if I can go Cambodia, that would be easier (and cheaper I think) as I am in Pattaya.

I've not seen any Visa runs to Poipet from here, if there is anyway you can point me in the right direction to find the agency, I'd appreciate it. Thanks

Edit - OK, found one now out of Patts - Joy Bri

Thanks for the help guys. So in order to get Non-Immigrant visa in Lao, is it necessary to fly there and back ? I think by land regardless you only get the 15 day extension?

Also, my visa (tourist exemption, that is) expires after Aug 24. Does it make any difference in getting the new one, as long as I am out by the 24th? I know you guys have probably talked about this many times, I looked pretty good for the info but can't find it.

Hello all - I came into Thailand on July 26 and just got the standard 30 day Tourist Visa Exemption, I believe that is what it is called. I am from the US and 51 years old.

I am thinking the easiest and cheapest way to get at least another 60 days when this runs out (Aug 24) will be to fly to Vietnam, and get a double entry visa to Thailand ? I want to go to VN for a short visit anyway and it looks like I can a ticket from AirAsia for about 6000 baht.

My main question is, do I just go to the Thai Embassy in Saigon and apply for it ? Thanks in advance, TV has helped me with alot of things. - SS

Stamm - I have been to TH 9 times. Jomtien, very close to Pattaya is nice, and Pattaya really is not as bad as they make out. I've never been to Hua Hin but I've heard good things, but it's quiet and more Thais than Pattaya. Phuket is a whole island, it has many different areas.

I'm planning on coming over for about 6 months very soon, I plan to hang in Jomtien for awhile if I can get a good place. Then I want to check out also Chang Mai. - Sun

I left a small bundle with about $ 1000 USD and about 7000 baht along with some papers at the Bangkok Air counter in Phuket. I talked to them in BKK, it was too late to find out right then.

I called them the next day, they found it, and sent it up on the next flight to BKK. I went up to pick it up. It was all there. I gave a small reward, I think 2000 baht, wish I would have given them more.

I did lose a new phone in a BKK taxi and tracked down the driver, but I am not 100% sure if had it or not, so I had to just forget it.

Google Sites is easy and simple if you just need a static site, no data collection or logins or e-commerce. I made this one in less than an hour with about another hour to finish the details and pics -

You need a Google account (free). I can do this for you if it's easy, maybe next week sometime after Monday - PM if needed. - SSeek

Imagine reading this if you have only been on holidays in Thailand, having almost nothing but fun ! I was lucky though that the first TG, that I fell hard for, took it easy on me and now we are good friends.

She has saved me many headaches over my 9 visits and now that I plan to be spending extended holidays in TH, I can't seem to imagine how all the little schemes come about. However in part thanks to TV, I know they will !

The Bank account sounds like the best thing. I did not know that it only requires 500 baht or I would have done it a long time ago. I'll be in Thailand more now so I planned to do it when I arrive again.

WU has a bad exchange rate. MoneyGram is better for the exchange rate, at least by a little, and also a bit cheaper fees.

I am hoping at retire in TH within the next year. The only news I heard about the riots from my friends was from an old gf and she lives on Soi 22 BKK. The others in Phuket, Korat, and Pattaya said nothing had happened regarding it all.

I do get worried sometimes that I am not understanding what all the life problems that I read about sometimes actually are. I've visited 8 times and it was great every time. Of course it's easy to have a good time on a 5000 bt a day holiday!

I think where ever one goes, learning at least some of the language goes a long way. It still makes me crazy when I'm sitting a meter away from a TG on her cell and I cannot in the least even get the drift of the conversation!

I am hoping to get by on 40-50K bt a month, about $ 1500 USD. I don't know how realistic that is but I aim to find out ! I'm enjoying this thread - SS