tchk

The current economic crisis, with people losing their jobs, losing their homes, living in poverty, has it perhaps been caused by Nigerians?

Are you all kidding?

Where is the scum, may I ask?

It's not the time of day, the arrival of jumbos or a lottery game. It's all in the hands of immigration. They know the exact numbers of arrivals and departures at any moment, and so there is no reason ever for queues of more than a handful of people. Civilized airports function this way.

Apparently not in Thailand. The chaos here seems to be intended. The only question is what's the purpose.

My first guess was: Immigration makes money selling fast track cards, and these will only sell if they bring a benefit to the buyer. But why is this game driven it to the point of making people miss their flights? And why do the airlines accept having their whole schedules screwed up?

Who has a better idea?

The rule is inane and would only guarantee that I wouldn't fly with them. Some of us travel a lot and the bookings are handled via agents and the company account - hence impossible to show the 'right' CC. And I aint about to charge any flights on my personal CC just to satisfy a low budget airline.

I agree with your reasoning, except that in my case it was the "high budget" airline, Thai Airways, that refused to fly me on a paid ticket unless I produce my credit card (and besides, I was a gold member for many years and still am silver now), while Air Asia never made a problem of this sort.

I bet you should be able to buy the fasttrack cards from Immigration officers because they are the ones in charge of holding up the regular queues.

Capitalist system at its best.

BKK airways ALWAYS ask for the CC used to purchase the ticket.

You have to be the holder of the card.

...

Thai Airways does exactly the same thing when you book online.

"IMPORTANT RULES:

For electronic ticket

- Credit card or debit card used for purchase of the electronic ticket and passport must always be presented at the check-in counter.

- Credit card or debit card holder must travel in the first flight segment. Payment card owner must travel in the first flight segment. The card owner's name and card number must be exactly identical to his/her passport, as well as, specified in the reservation."

Is that any different from

and others like that?

In Cambodia, any business visa of 6 months or more is automtically multiple entry.

When you enter the country, at an airport or land crossing, you first apply for a business visa. You do this by stating BUSINESS (instead of TOURISM) on the application form as the purpose of your trip. This visa will cost you $ 25 instead of $ 20, and you don't have to provide any further justification. This visa is single entry only and valid one month.

Before this visa expires, you apply for an extension of 6 or 12 months - a 3 months extension would be single entry only. You can do this at any travel agency at a cost of a little less than $ 150 or $ 300, respectively. You can also apply directly at the Immigration Office opposite to the Phnom Penh Airport which may save you som time and money.

That's it.

I don't believe this.

Thank you for your opinions. I travelled from Sihanoukville to Bangkok by bus in 12 hours, obtained a 30-day stamp at the border without a question, and saw no nasty Siam combattants or barber wire. By Air Asia I might have saved an hour or two.

I am planning to fly to BKK and return to Cambodia one week later by road because of possible excess baggage. I have a Swiss passport, a business visa for Cambodia and a ticket out of Thailand valid until next year, just in case. Will AirAsia refuse my boarding or will I have problems on arrival? Getting a tourist visa in PNH seems too complicated. Thanks.

not gprs...but 3G

http://www.qbmore.com/

3G is also available from Cellcard-Mobitel: http://www.cellcard.com.kh/cccust_3g.php

Not sure if it works outside of PNH.

So I take it Sihanoukville has wifi only right?

You can't get a connection at your apt and pay monthly

(I prefer desktop to notebook) like here in Thailand right?

Cheers,

Mel

You can get DSL in SHV from Online, http://www.online.com.kh/ if you have a phone line from Camintel.

From USD 39.00/mo with unlimited download 1900-0700h.

Wimax same thing if you have Wat Leu (the temple mountain) in sight.

Very slow compared to what you get elsewhere for this price.

hello,any update on internet quality,& whats available in cambodge.Can you get decent grps internet with a mobile & at what cost?

Are you restricted to certain areas for quality internet?

If i wanted to live in cambodia for 6 months or more with my laptop what are my best options for doing just abit of internet marketing?

thanks for any help

You can do GPRS with a SIM card from Hello. Not fast, but useful for email and image-free browsing at home or hotel without wifi.

The rate is 1c / 50kb.

http://www.hellogsm.com.kh/promotion.php?page=Prepaid

Am I right in thinking that the Cambodian business visa does not cost anywhere near USD 300 but that there is a scam in operation which charges that amount ? If so, how do you know your visa is real ?

Just a quick google will bring up figures ranging from $240 to $300 so what is the real price ? I can work out 12 * 25 = 300.

Another source just told me the real fee is USD 150 per year so why the high rip off mark up at almost 100% ?

As you probably know retail prices vary. I gave you an approximate figure to leave you the pleasure of getting a discount.

If you speak Khmer, have time to queue up at the Immigration Office which supposedly is across the road from the airport, and are friends with someone working there you may get it cheaper. But not faster.

Or try your "other source".

T.I.C. This is Cambodia

P.S. I also heard of scams that sell you fakes

Just finished wrking there,when you go across the border you get the normal tourist visa,when you get to Cambodia,go to a travel agent or visa office,I did mine in Siem Reap at the travel agent neat the centre of the city,you pay 300$ PP and you get a one year multi entry visa.You can work,live,open your own company anything

Wrong.

You have to apply for a business visa at the border. A tourist visa can only be extended once (by 1 month), and cannot upgraded to a business visa

TCHK: You make this sound really simple.. Is it true? I can fly there, check business, then get a 12 month visa for 300 USD? Could my business purpose be consulting or teaching English? With the multiple entry visa figured in, that is a great proposition. I am going to have to check into this some more, as I would like to work a bit rather than be limited to not doing so with a retirement visa. Thanks for the post, and any additional info you might provide.

T_Dog:

As I stated above I cannot answer you questions considering your work from my own experience. But if you follow my links you will probably find out that you have no problems whatsoever. Expat life in Cambodia is easier than in Thailand in other ways. For one thing, you don't have to report your address, except perhaps to the bank when opening an account. My Cambodian drivers licence, valid for one year, was obtained at the supermarket on the basis of my national and international licences, two pictures plus USD 40 in cash. It took 4 weeks to complete and has to be renewed after a year. A big P.O. Box cost me USD 40 for one year. One thing perhaps to remember is that you need to be in the country at the time of renewal of these documents/services or you may break the circle. This is especially important for the visa. Arriving with a multiple entry visa saves you a lot of time waiting in line at PNH.

Mind you, lots of things are much more basic in Cambodia than in Thailand, such as food, massage, but most importantly medical care, so do some research and think it over before making the switch.

Nothing easier than that. When you get to Cambodia (e.g. arriving at Phnom Penh airport) you ask for a business visa by filling in "business" as the purpose of the trip. This costs you USD 25 for one month. Don't forget to bring a passport picture. Later on you extend this visa at a travel agency or other barang-oriented business by another 6 or 12 months (ca USD 150/300) as many times as you want. Visas for 6 months or more are multiple entry.

I could be wrong but I seem to remember that consulates can only issue tourist visas, not business visas. These can only be extended once by 1 month, and usually the visa on arrival is cheaper anyway. Tourist visas, by the way, and not business visas, can also be obtained by email at an extra fee of USD 5.

Thanks for the infomation. I live very close to the land border at Poipet, Cambodia, Can one obtain the business visa at the land border also?

Ron:

It's all there in the Southeast Asia Forum already, e.g.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?sh...t&p=1574126

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?sh...t&p=1621477

Check also other travel forums such as http://www.khmer440.com, e.g.

http://www.khmer440.com/chat_forum/viewtopic.php?t=5590

The biz visa is also available at the land crossings, just beware of the various scams. Insist on paying in USD and not in THB, or you may pay a lot more. Also, some people report on being questioned about the type of business, just to extort some money I guess. On arrival PNH it's all routine and no questions asked.

Informations on visa obtained at the consulates are contradictory. Some people apparently ended up with a visa that was not renewable in-country. But maybe they can tell you in Sa Kaeo.

From what I read a working permit is not needed on a business visa. Not important for me as I am retired.

All this explains why so many former Thailand expats end up living in Cambodia.

Nothing easier than that. When you get to Cambodia (e.g. arriving at Phnom Penh airport) you ask for a business visa by filling in "business" as the purpose of the trip. This costs you USD 25 for one month. Don't forget to bring a passport picture. Later on you extend this visa at a travel agency or other barang-oriented business by another 6 or 12 months (ca USD 150/300) as many times as you want. Visas for 6 months or more are multiple entry.

I could be wrong but I seem to remember that consulates can only issue tourist visas, not business visas. These can only be extended once by 1 month, and usually the visa on arrival is cheaper anyway. Tourist visas, by the way, and not business visas, can also be obtained by email at an extra fee of USD 5.

Have you tried to climb the stairs of Angkor Wat?

took a flight in feb 07, miles set to expire dec 07. is there anyway to extend the life span of these miles? will taking another flight help?

thanks.

This is where you get all the answers: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=503

Thanks Maestro.

I have no problem with the children's seats, just the number of people. If I try to drive in, would they stop me at the border? Can the extra person just walk through it and be picked up 500 meters after the border?

matcube

You can even get stopped by police 501 m after the border

To re-activate this thread: What does it take for a Cambodian national to actually obtain a tourist visa to Thailand? Will an invitation by a non-imm O holder do? Additional guarantees? Any experiences?

Thanks in advance

Thais, I believe, assess whether someone is a backpacker more by their clothes and behaviour.

Interesting. I would have thought more by his clothes and behaviour. But then I am a non-native non-English non-speaker. Sorry about intruding thanks to a couple of Gin-Tonics. Will never happen again.

Does anyone know anything about the new bus schedules in ChiangMai. I have noticed a few new buses running in the CMU area. Is this for the flower festival only?

I know the number 13 is new. It runs from Arcade Bus Station past Thapae Gate, through the old city, to CMU, then out Chonlapratan to the flower show, then back. They run from 6am (leaving from the Bus Station) to 9pm. Nice to ride. 15 baht one way no matter your destination on the route.

I'm not sure which of the other routes are new. I think the 11, 12 and 13. You can pick up a bus map at Arcade Bus Station or on the bus.

Not sure if this is a permanent change but if enough people ride, hopefully it will be.

The whole Chiang Mai bus thing is a joke. Not a funny one, though, it almost makes me cry.

It started out so well about a year ago, with intervals of 15 minutes. Now they are about one hour; sometimes you have to wait longer, out in the heat of course. But just keep your eyes on the road and don't blink. Because the bus comes speeding by on the passing lane. Sometimes I managed to stop it by jumping in the air and waving both hands. The bus came to a stop after 2-300 m and I could get it by running. If the driver has a green light you are out of luck, of course. The other day I told the airport taxi driver about the Chiang Mai bus and he laughed so loud that I think there is a conspiracy against it. The buses are empty most of the time. No wonder since when you finallly get on board the conductor tries very hard to convince you that the bus is not going your way and you should take another one.

Chiang Mai bus RIP.

Oh, by the way, the map can be found here: http://buszone.chiangmaibus.com/

The cabin bag limits are listed here:

http://www.thaiairways.com/Travel_Destinat...eck_in_faqs.htm

It's 115 cm for the 3 dimensions and 7 kg weight.

I think this is universal.