Mai Krap

As long as you stay on first and second road or just go to the Carre Four from there the baht buses are ok, Beyond that its insane. God forbid you have any desire to go anywhere besides Ekimai in Bangkok if you have to rely on public transpertation.

I dont see the Taxi thing happeing anytime soon, My choice is to just avoid Pattaya as much as possible which includes passing up the meeting of old friends who refuse to meet up anywhere else. Once every year or two is about all I can handle at this stage in my life.

The cracks are part of the innovative drainage system.

I wonder how this will play into the reopening of Don Muang? It has always sounded as if they F'd up the runway since those reports of cracks large enough for people to fall into a couple years ago, Man did that story ever get shut up.

In the days after the Tsunami began what I named the Koh Chang Stampede. The arrivals doubled or even trippled over the next month as every airplane and bus heading towards the island was suddenly booked and the mad house was opened up. These tourists were of a flavor never seen before on the island as maybe half were loaded down with suitcases and baggage, not the usual light travelers.

At the time and to this very day there are no services to accomidate such people just arriving without advanced warning to have a gaurenteed seat on one of the handfull of authorized vans who pick up at the airport. So these upperscale taxi passengers were handed over to the island truck mafia to sort out their own transpertaion, a nasty bunch of sychopaths for the most part. They are a well known bunch of criminals on the island and almost anytime some kind of low budget activity is going on they are somehow linked to it, drinkdriving, outrageous dangerous driving, gambling, beating up tourist, attacking each other and intimidation in general.

A few incidents will always remind me of why the island will remain a lowbudget destination for years to come. In one a friend stopped his new Toyota truck to give a ride to a couple beutiful European girls who waved him down which is the obligation of any western man, only to have some truck mafia loser try to block his truck then jump out and start taking pictures of the friend, his truck, and its license. The reason behind this was to turn him into the local police for working with no permit and try to get him booted off the island. It could have also been in order to get the boys to ruff him up since these girls were obligated to pay to ride in the back of a old wore out truck like farm animals instead of shaking thier butts a little to ride in the front of a new truck. The truck mafia have no idea how the world works but I do believe my friend ended up paying for the girls drink bills a couple nights and had a very nice time with them for a few days, A bonus on the island.

The second and most disturbing is just the raw number off accidents that happen with truckloads of people forced over the mountain in speeding old trucks driven by guys with no defensive driving skills. It is a testiment of their nature to observe the trucks themselves and view the condition of them, many having sustained multiple accidents or in some cases it is clear they have had the entire front cap replaced from damage in a high speed crack up. I will never forget the day I arrived minutes after a head on high speed accident in klongson to see westerners layed out in the road and ditches because they bounced out of the truck on impact. Two speeding pickup taxis crashed head on in the center of town and every person involved was hauled off to the hospital with 7 or more having to be evacuated to the Bangkok hospital on the mainland. One young U.K. woman of 23 or so recieved multiple broken bones and a broken hip for her upperscale holiday which would last months in a rehabilitaion center.

The best example of the relationship between upperscale suitcase tourist and the man on the ground waiting to meet them can be summed up quite nicely by a scene I quietly watched one day. During the madness of the Koh Chang Stampede the local truck mafia was infused with money and vigor that had not been seen since the days before the big gambling raid that ran them out of Dan Khao for a time. It seems they raised the price everyday and just became shitty with about every person who wanted to get somewhere and the more bags one had the bigger hassle they recieved on arrival. In one case a small argument broke out between a tourist trying to get to the beach without being ripped off and the driver of a truck standing on the ground. His exspensive looking suitcase had already been handed up to a man on the top of the truck and stacked with many others and when the argument ended his luggage was thrown off the top of the truck and onto the ashphalt in such a way as to do the most possible dammage to it . You always suspect that the guys at the airport toss luggage around and are basicly careless about their handling of others things and jokes are often made about the subject but this was so over the top that I will never forget it nor will I ever place myself into the hands of the scumbag drivers around Koh Sumui, Phuket, or Koh Chang.

I highly doubt any of the people who arrived during the Stampede will be repeat costumers to the island but you can always count on the same core group of light travelers who come back year after year who are willing to put up with some bullshit and risk some danger in order to spend some qaulity time at a cheep and one time Amazing Thailand destination.

Hand carry is the way to go, You might consider flying to Hong Kong one morning and catching the afternoon flight home or just buy there online and again get a hand carry. Even when you buy at the big shops in Bangkok many of the cameras have never had the tax paid because guess what? They are hand carried purchases from Hong Kong. The camera market here is completely over the top.

Please note rule 3 of this forum:

"3) Religious or racial slurs, rude and degrading comments towards women, or extremely negative views of Thailand will not be tolerated.

"

Posts have been removed and holidays are available for those who don't wish to follow the rules.

Thank You Endure, This was turning into trollfest 2007! How bizarre to read on one thread of 15 arrests and see a mere dozen responses and then click here and read page after page of nonsense just because some Aussie paper has gotten the story all wrong in order to sell fish wrappings.

Another very unfortunate accident. From the wording it sounds like they might have drowned if the bus crashed into water, anyone know about that? I cant imagine some kind of speedy hellicopter rescue as mentioned, "Rushed". Ambulances and First Aid/Responder in general here is just horrible, there are some great docters and hospitals if you can live long enough to get there, this plays a major role in the high death counts on highway accidents.

Im completely over riding buses here and have been for some time, At least the trains are somwhat limeted to slower speeds and fewer high impact collisions by the shaky old tracks and small numbers of them on the rails.

The trains are by far the safest and most reliable ground transpertation in Thailand. Look at the accident records for bus transpertation and see how many get killed on them in a week. Its a damm shame they have not upgraded or for that matter just cleaned up the trains in Thailand as the last time I rode the train in Malaysia it was beutifully cleaned and a great experience. The last time I rode first class in Thailand the compartment was filthy and some drunk VIP was smoking, drinking, and yelling on the phone all night.

In some ways Im glad they never upgraded the tracks as this is somewhat of a throttle control, I just cant see the current team turned loose with some kind of bullet train setup. Having made many trips overland by train here including Singapore to Nong Khai I find it to be a much better deal for me than the bus system when I chose not to drive myself which is rare these days as the trains seem to get a little dirtier every year.

Does anyone have the accident statistics or other information about trains here in Thailand? I cant remember any farang death from accidents but I dont dwell on the subject much.

SEAT 61, The best train site on the web

I have to partly disagree, I've taken a train from Sungai Koluk on the Thai Border to Chumpon and I found the train journey was a grim experience. Too many stops, loads of overcrowding and a lot of low-life thais drinking themselves stupid on Loh Koh and Sangsom. Bus journeys are far more reliable and friendly. (Although the loud TV often pisses me off )

You got that right about the loud TVs, The horrible choices of movies adds to the mix, Ive seen vampire ghosts attack with quiet scenes that let you doze off and to be awaken by blaring screams that knock you out of your seat, along with hard core action movies with many explosions, not the kind of thing that helps you relax.

The short trips can be horrible, nothing like third class either with the deisel smoke plumeting into the windows. I made the mistake of taking a third class from Nong Khai to Khon Kaen and arrived covered in blackface, another time recieved a free dog and was forced to ride third class on by bus and train from Loie to Koh Chang, That was one horrid trip. By the way dogs are bad luck on buses so you must pay an extra 300 baht, A fat ignorant hillbillie woman went around and told all the bus drivers to not let me on the bus and started a huge drama which I eventualy got sorted, I would still love to give her a swift kick in the backside but luckily I just remained calm and smiled. The dog is doing quite well and is back home in Isaarn with us laying on the porch as I type.

My experiance has been mainly the overnight between Bangkok and Isaarn along with a couple trips to Singapore. In a few months I will get to experiance the Vietnamese trains and hopefully China too. I guess living by the tracks as a kid watching the trains go by and listining to all the country and folk music about trains has given me a longtime love affair with them

The trains are by far the safest and most reliable ground transpertation in Thailand. Look at the accident records for bus transpertation and see how many get killed on them in a week. Its a damm shame they have not upgraded or for that matter just cleaned up the trains in Thailand as the last time I rode the train in Malaysia it was beutifully cleaned and a great experience. The last time I rode first class in Thailand the compartment was filthy and some drunk VIP was smoking, drinking, and yelling on the phone all night.

In some ways Im glad they never upgraded the tracks as this is somewhat of a throttle control, I just cant see the current team turned loose with some kind of bullet train setup. Having made many trips overland by train here including Singapore to Nong Khai I find it to be a much better deal for me than the bus system when I chose not to drive myself which is rare these days as the trains seem to get a little dirtier every year.

Does anyone have the accident statistics or other information about trains here in Thailand? I cant remember any farang death from accidents but I dont dwell on the subject much.

No disrespect intended to Denmark as I wrote Sweden and should have said "Nordic Countries" or something since they both have the same news anyway.

I wonder if these folks are part of the actual Hasselblad Family, They could be some of those VIP tourists Thailand has been seeking out and now someone has gotten a big whiff of Kroner. I have plenty of ideas on this situation I wont bother with in print but I will say this.

Thailand had plenty of horrible news coverage in the Swedish Media during the Tsunami, The way this is being handled here now is sure to be bigtime news in Sweden. He is a teenage boy and not an adult, Every tidbit of information indicates it was a horrible accident and that alone. My red flag has gone up, This could get very interesting?

Over a century and a half ago, in 1841, in the port city of Gothenburg in western Sweden, the Hasselblad family established its first trading company, F.W. Hasselblad & Co. The location, Gothenburg, with its proximity to the European continent and its historic trade connections with Britain, Holland, Denmark, Germany, and a host of other countries, was ideal for an international import-export firm. F.W. Hasselblad & Co soon became one of Sweden’s most prosperous commerce houses. They also began importing supplies and products for the newly burgeoning field of photography.

When Arvid Viktor Hasselblad, son of the company’s founder and an avid amateur photographer, established a photographic division within the company he is reported to comment, “I certainly don’t think that we will earn much money on this, but at least it will allow us to take pictures for free.”

Arvid Viktor was soon proved wrong about the area’s potential profitability, and the photographic department became a major part of F.W. Hasselblad & Co. Little could he know where his first tentative steps into camera and film import would eventually lead.

http://thaivisa-news.blogspot.com/

Thanks George, I guessed it was to do with ongoing problems but it could have just aas easily been a local issue.

You just never know what will happen next over here but I know somebody from the forum will be there and most likely have digital images up within and hour. There is no need for white jacketed escorts or anything close but the link to the Blogspot is most welcomed, Thanks for putting up with my sarcasim over the years.

Earlier this evening I could not get Thai Visa online. It could have been for any number of reasons but I find that since September everytime I try to logon and cannot I tend to go completely paranoid that something big and scary has happened in Bangkok. I instantly start surfing the big news agencies for Thai news and calling people in the city without raising their suspecions because Im possibley a little off the deep end. While I realize that this is all so unhealthy I guess it may be a hangover or even post tramatic stress disorder from the absolute intolerable and ignorant news of the Tsunami.

While I was on the otherside of Thailand on Ko Chang I remember being informed within minutes as our favorite breakfest and lunch place is located next to a large diveshop which has instructors going back and forth to Phuket. One of them had called from Phuket to basicly set up a database to find out who was and was not working in Phuket and this started the chain reaction of fear that spread through our comminty about the loss of friends and even family on that day. This was compounded by knowing that I had just had dinner with friends from Sweden and their children who left on the morning flight to transfer down to Phuket and knowing the first stop for the kids would be the beach.

After a couple hours we were finally contacted from Sweden with the news they were fine. In the wait I had logged onto Thai Visa and was watching the news more or less as it happened as pictures were uploaded by members of the forum. I as many watched Thai Visa for the real news as it was typed up by members on the ground there along with the many personal phone calls I would recieve on the matter from around Thailand. It was the only subject for me and the guys I know for months while Ko Chang saw numbers of visitors it may never see again by those who were arriving by the hour looking for rooms, It was a boom season for Ko Chang. My point being that as we all knew how desperate the situation was from the Tsunami we also know how deprived of real information the average Thai citizen was when it came to the reality that was the Boxing Day Tsunami.

I had just moved and was waiting for a new connection when the Coup went off in 2006. I just happened by a cafe to check my e-mail for the first time in days and as I checked the forum again the news broke right before my eyes and I as many sat waiting for the internet to go blank like the News Channels but it never happend. Anyone who reads the forum knows it is about the best source of information on the net concerning Thailand and breaking news. No other place can boast of having so many people on the ground with both Internet connections and digital cameras to pass on news, Its basicly a tabloid version of of the Agencie France Press or Agencie Farang Press if you like.

While I have seen some members get the story all wrong there is always some person around to correct it or offer a completely oppisite veiw on the matter. With the chaos thats going on here (Thailand) currently and rumors on top of rumors concerning bombs and coups I find myself checking the news more often here than ever. Call it a sickness or addiction or even just desperation to understand my situation on a hour by hour basis but here I am for better or worse. Whatever the future holds for the country, Its citizens, and its Farang It will end up being posted about here first in real time. Thats why I feel like Fred G. Sanford every time I try to log on and get the cannot connect message, "This is this the big one, Im coming home!"

There are trying times ahead and I was just wondering how many of the forum members feel a since of gloom or even paranoia when they try to log on and get the message of no connection or is it me alone with those feelings because I finally stepped one to many footsteps off into the jungle and can no longer see the view from the road.

This is all real simple, They have spoken out of turn and then began back peddleing as soon as anyone started asking questions with a typical , yes, yes, yes, keep everybody happy by agreeing with everbody only now its so screwed up nobody including the writers of the new laws know what in the helll any of its about. All this boils down to people will not spend money when there is nothing protecting their investment or historical evidence that the laws they create a business under will remain in tact. It becomes a simple issue of stability and that is all.

I cant believe this thread is still going, the OP was over the top on the first post and anyone that calls someone FLIPS should be sent packing, Its intolerable here and is about as derogitory as dropping the N-Bomb on people of color.

There are lots of Fillipina workers here and well beyond just simple school teachers. The reality is there arnt enough of any kind of school teacher here to be choosy. Basicly if they're (Any non Thai teacher) not a pedophile and arnt to drunk to show up for class on monday morning they're valued staff. My wife was bored a few years ago and started teaching a few classes at a local Tech, My wife speaks fluent English and has a Thai Bussiness degree and by all accounts is a great teacher, She was replaced by a young pretty single girl who spoke no English as she was a Mia Noi to someone connected to the school.

So if Fillipinas can get hired its a good thing, anyone who knows the system knows the schools themselves are whats behind the illeagle visa scemes, Its not like they came here to rip off kids and evidently English is being taught on a pretty high level since every person I dealt with from there can hold conversation where degreed Thais often cannot. The current problems have much more to do with lazy students and bad administration than with bad Fillipina teachers.

"10% farang versus 90% Thais" <--- Hey, Mai Krap, that's a nice little stats you got there. I wonder where you got it from. You've done a thorough study on the subject or something? Or you just made it up out of thin air to suit your pathetic argument? Yes, Thais are responsible for what's going on in their sex industry. No one in the right mind or with half a brain can deny that. But the pathetic, desperate-for-sex farangs have helped it thrive too. And it's the truth. I never said that Thais weren't also responsible. I just said the cockroaches indeed have helped it thrive. (Sorry JingThing I couldn't resist.) Pattaya, Patpong, parts of Sukhumwit wouldn't have become what they are, had there not been sex tourists. These places were created solely to cater to the needs of you-know-what.

As for who's responsible more. Frankly I don't know. And I'm not gonna be stupid enough to make up the numbers without any bases. The truth of the matter is that, the sooner Thailand can rid herself of these hedious farangs, the better off she will be. And yes, thailand will be all right without them. We have mouch more going on than just sex industry (as Prakanong probably has already figured out by having educauetd himself a bit with CIA factbook.)

I wonder if your even Thai at all, It seems on your first post you declared yourself 100% Thai and started all the fuss that you now carry onto this thread which is supposed to be about Thai Bussiness Law. I briefly looked at a few of your posts and all the information you have posted could have come from a trade journal and I did notice you mentioned your not even in Thailand which was a wild guess on my part. Im just wondering exactly where you are? Maybe you could tell us or the Admin could do a IP check and let everyone know? I do think it would be funny if your sitting in the United States telling me all about Thailand.

Where do I get the numbers? Well I have been around, While Im a very conservative guy it does not take a rocket scientest to come to the conclusion that I have came to. Anyone who has ever been out on the town with the local VIPs knows exactly what the helll goes on here as its not hidden. There was a big stir in my on family recently because a distant cousin was found to have been tricking, kidnapping, or whatever you want to call it, young village girls and selling them to Malaysia and or Singapore. His business partner was his evil wife and guess what, they cant type even one word of English. I could go on and on and on about this matter but it is off topic, Maybe you could start a new thread like, Farang Tok Mun, Bai Lao Lao! (If you even know what that is?)

Well, Dupont, as a Thai, I'm not that thrilled to see any pompous hypocritical farang sex addicts to come and settle in Thailand (mainly) because of golf and sex anyway. My country would be way way better off than what it is nowadays without you and your buddies. And I seriously doubt that the lack of pompous farang sex addicts coming and settling in my country would spell its doom. (Like I've pointed out, Thailand has a lot more going for it than just golf and sex industry.)

Like it or not, you and you buddies who have come to Thailand for golf and sex have caused more problems here than help. You and your buddies have helped the Thai sex industry thrive and become what it is. Isn't it funny how these same pompous farang sex addicts are mocking Thailand on this? I hope you are not getting a heartattack on this, but the fact of the matter is that the sooner Thailand could rid herself of pompous farang sex maniacs, the better she will be. We don't need more cockroaches in our country.

As for bkkandrew, no I wasn't making an assertion that tungsten and tin industry would propel Thailand into the world domination, I was just trying to point out to a pompous foreign cockroach that we have something else going on too. I have no clue where you got that idea from. I guess it must have been due to my poor Thaiglish that confused a well mannered and well educated Westerner like you.

Finally, prakanong, yes Thailand still falls short in several areas. But tell me which country doesn't? Even a superduper country like USA still shares several problems with Thailand. Are you telling me that corruption is not rampant among US politicians? Or that the US education system is not a mess? Do you know where American kids ranked with the rest of the world in math and science?

I'm not saying that Thailand is the best. I'm just saying it's not as bad as some foreign cockroaches have made it out to be (especially on this forum). I'm sorry if I have offended any decent farangs. There are plenty of you whose opinions of my country I value. My comment was only aimed at certain individuals. I was just tired of reading biased negative views of Thailand on here. And really really sick of holier-than-thou attitude shown by what I can only call, pompous foreign cockroahces.

You are one helll of a hypocrite, I would just think you are being sarcastic but I know your type. First thing is Im guessing youre not even living in Thailand but it doesnt matter. You are pointing the finger at about what maybe 10 percent of the guys going to whore houses in this country(10% farang versus 90% Thais) and making statements like westerners invented prostitution in Thailand or some crazy thing. You write like drunk Thai men are incapeable of having sleazy and paid for sex with hookers, evidently you dont know much about your own country so please get off your high horse bitchingg about westerners with bad habits when Thais have just as many if not more.

This is just the kind of thing that has me not bother posting on the forum much, totaly ignorant attitudes about in your face problems. I have traveled the world and seen many things and the first thing I look at is the health of a cultures animals namely domestic animals. When the local dogs are in piss poor health that speaks volumes about the people. The worst thing that ever happend in Thailand is Karaoke, You can blame the Japanese for that, Loud Speakers and PA systems run a close second. Turning down the volume, cleaning up the dogs, killing off some rats, and allowing people to walk on sidewalks would be a great start on making this a much better place to live for everyone.

The latest on the new laws, I think my first post on the subject was about right.

Thai about-turn on foreign ownership laws

Finance minister says telecom firms will be exempt from new laws

Straits Times

Thursday, January 11, 2007

By Leslie Lopez

Thailand reversed course on new rules governing foreign ownership in the country yesterday, just two weeks after another major policy reversal.

A day after accepting proposed limits on foreign ownership of Thai companies, the country's finance minister said yesterday that many sectors of the economy, including telecommunications companies currently operating in the country, would be exempt from the regulations.

The announcement confounded analysts, who had earlier assumed that telecommunications companies -- particularly Shin Corp -- were the actual target of the new rules.

Yesterday, Finance Minister Pridiyathorn Devakula, in a reversal from comments made on Tuesday, was quoted by wire agencies as saying that existing telecommunications companies would still be allowed to operate under foreign control, although new entrants would be subject to the proposed restrictions. He admitted that he had mistakenly included telecommunications companies the previous day.

He also said authorities would be flexible in applying the planned law, which still needs parliamentary approval.

The reversal yesterday was the second major turnaround in Thai policy in just over two weeks.

Late last month, the country imposed new capital controls requiring foreigners to deposit 30per cent of all the money they invest in the country in a non-interest bearing account at the central bank.

But the very next day, investments destined for the stock market were exempted after the stock market plunged by 14per cent.

The announcement on Tuesday of the plans to restrict foreign ownership of local companies sent Thai stocks to their lowest close in two years.

Under amendments to the country's Foreign Business Act, the government said overseas investors operating in Thailand would be given one year to disclose their exact holdings in their local operations and another two years to reduce their holdings to less than 50per cent.

Foreign companies which have voting rights exceeding 50per cent in their Thai operations would also have to surrender control of those privileges to their local partners.

The new rules have been widely perceived as a reaction to the controversial Shin Corp deal in January last year, in which then-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's family sold a majority stake in the telecommunications company to Temasek.

The sale drew widespread protests in Thailand because it placed strategic assets, including communications satellites, in the hands of foreigners, and because the deal was structured so that Mr Thaksin's family did not have to pay capital gains taxes on it.

Bangkok-based analysts said earlier that they saw the new amendments as being aimed at diluting Temasek's dominant position in Shin Corp.

Temasek and its Thai partners own a combined 96per cent of the conglomerate, which in turn controls Advanced Info Service, Thailand's biggest mobile phone company.

But the impact of yesterday's reversal on Shin Corp is unclear.

Temasek, which has repeatedly denied violating any Thai law in the purchase of Shin Corp, said yesterday that it was still awaiting details of the new amendments.

"We await details and we'll then consult our legal counsel on the implications of the recent changes," Temasek managing director for corporate affairs Myrna Thomas said in a brief telephone interview.

Earlier yesterday, before the apparent reversal, Thai policymakers scrambled to calm investors spooked by the new ownership rules.

The stock market recovered slightly as Mr Pridiyathorn stressed to investors that the new rules were not as sweeping as previously feared.

"There are altogether 2,428 foreign businesses (in Thailand). Of these, only 1,337 businesses will be affected," he said.

But investors were not soothed.

"In a situation like this, we need confidence-building news. This will erode the confidence further," Mr Peter Van Haren, chairman of the foreign chamber of commerce, said of the new rules.

He told the Associated Press that he did not find the minister's speech reassuring.

"Our stance is the same as before, that the amendment will make it more difficult for existing companies and future foreign investors in Thailand," he told AP.

Mr Van Haren said that, although there will be a grace period, the retroactive nature of the law makes it appear that "the playing rules are changed after the game has started".

"If you are going to change the ability to do business by changing business laws, that's fine. But if it's done arbitrarily, it increases the risk of doing business there," he said.

Date Posted: 1/11/2007

Yes its going to open and the tuk tuk mafia have been given the concession for all transpertation back and forth between airports. You fly in from Chaing Mai and are forced to pay 1000 baht to tuk tuk to the International Airport

Cambodia has a dark side for sure, I have been there many times and had both positive and negative trips. For sure its improved a great deal and dose every year but its not everyones cup of tea. The big change is coming soon and that will be when the bridges are complete and you have normal people driving overland from Changwat Trat to Saigon through Cambodia. When that happens it will be as dramatic a change as when the last Marine left the Embassy and Pnom Phen was emptied only in reverse. Anyone who has seen the new and very big bus terminal in Trat can see there is a huge plan underway for busses into Cambodia with both direct routes to Angkor Wat and Sihanoukville.

The hospitals are horrid and I dont see much hope for them anytime soon but if your brave and have good health you could make it there. The bottem line is you need to go and see for yourself if it fits your style.

Cambodia and Laos are both changing dramaticaly, The 2 new American Embassies are about the worst of it. They are by far the most out of place architectual structures in Southeast Asia. They both look like Frank Loyd Wright designed them on a horribly paranoid LSD trip. I fully understand the security issues involved in design but my god when the Soviet era Russian Embassy looks like it has class and style and the American Embassy looks like a giant nazi concrete pillbox and sits among some of the most well preserved French Colonial Architecture left in the world its a very sad day for my tired eyes. They could of at least took a lesson from the Thais and made a concrete structure and then fancied it up a little with a false front, Its just terribly done, well theres my rant for the week anyway.

I checked the opening hours of the Thai embassy in KL before I went. It has changed compared to what I read in this forum. The opning hours are:

Apply for visa 09.30 to 11.30

Pick up visa 11.30 to 12.30

I had read the embassy was open for applications till 12 and thought I had plenty of time when I arrived. I barely made it in as the last one at 11.28. I was number 126 that day, according to my ticket. 46 people were in front of me in line.

Another correction to what I have read here earlier: they only want one passport photo. I gave them two and one was returned right away as not needed.

The lady behind the counter asked me where in Thailand I would stay. I said Bangkok and she wrote BKK on my application. This was the only question she had.

My application was for a 60 day tourist visa, single entry. I wrote "holiday" as reason for going to Thailand. I had four 30-day entry stamps in my passport since the 1st of October, making me a back to back visa exemption on arrival person, but this didn't seem to matter. Nor did it matter that I had just arrived in Malaysia from Thailand on an obvious visa run.

I went to the embassy the next day. The security guards at the gate hand out the results so the visa officers don't have to face the music when someone is denied. I noticed Western passport holders were in a stack marked "A". Malaysians, Indians, Africans et al were "B", a much bigger stack.

They gave me my 60 day tourist visa, single entry.

Was there any talk of them limiting themselves to 100 customers per day? I was told this by someone I know who was there in December and did not get a visa renewed because of it.

The visa confusion is the Thai way of preparing you for a stay in their country.

LMFAO