hookemlaw

When you go in for an extension of stay, immirgation will check your file. Seeing that you where studying at CMU and seeing the date you left or changed schools they will now if you are/were on overstay or not.

You can stay and find another school maybe in two weeks time, but when you go to immigration for your next extension of stay they can see that you should have left the country.

Well, the case I'm concerned with isn't going to get an extension (that would seem suicidal). I am concerned about the period between October 1 and the natural expiration date. Right now my plan is to leave when feasible/non-disruptive, but earlier than I had planned.

The situations I'd like to avoid is being at risk for arrest/detention/deportation if I somehow have an encounter with the police or not finding out that I have an overstay problem until I'm at BKK trying to board a plane to the US.

If you are on an extension of stay and don't leave the country on the 30th, you are on overstay and will be fined 500 baht a day with a maximum of 20,000 baht.

As has been suggested, getting a double entry tourist visa in Vientiane will give you time to sort things out. Immigration can only give you a 7 day extension of stay.

Do you have a source for this?

I read all of this thread (before your post) and didn't really trust the sub 20 post count people to be reliable visa information, but your post concerns me.

FWIW, my 90 day check-in was today. I went to do the check-in first, and then inquired with the guy who works the queue-dispenser about the CMU situation. He said that they were aware of the class cancellations, and there would be no renewals/extensions granted. But that if you had a persmission to stay date the only way it would be cancelled is in person with a) letter from CMU and b.) your passport. To be as sure as possible, I told him that classes were over tomorrow, and I wanted to know whether I should leave the country. He said he could take my passport and check to be sure. He came back five minutes later and said I was fine until my visa expiration (< 90 days).

I asked about the future ED visas, and he said that if you wanted to go to a different school you should bring your CMU cancellation letter and documentation from new school at same time, or else you'd need to leave and come back on a different visa and apply for a ED from another institution.

I have a hard time seeing any sinister motives from Immigration, and also with the number of people affected I have a hard time thinking they don't have an official position.

Your post makes me worry though, so if you have any more detailed information I'd like to know so I can get out if I need to.

Edit: he said to tell 'my friends' because many students from CMU coming to ask same question at immigration. However, I obviously wouldn't trust my anonymous info for your own case. I'm just slightly paranoid about immigration status.

The pharmacy gave me Tramadol (codeine afaik), but I tried too places and couldn't find anything similar to anbesol.

My first thought for a hospital was Maharaj since I had a good experience there, but I don't know anything about their dental services.

My friend has never left the US before and has only been here two days. Are they likely to have English speaking staff? With the adrenaline rush today I think the scarier part of the experience today was the crowd of Thais gathering around pointing out how much damage he did and trying to talk to him in a language where he only knows how to say "Thank you."

Thanks for the help!

My friend ran his motorbike into the back of a parked van about an hour ago. Amazingly he's pretty OK except for some chipped teeth.

They're hurting pretty bad, and we assume it's just going to get worse.

Does anyone have recommendations on a dentist (or dental group/hospital) to see?

With the red flags displayed around town, there seems to be a large following, but the flags seem to be on vehicles whose drivers are employed and making a living. I figure the deadbeats are down south collecting what they can, as I noted before the purse snatching, etc seem to have decreased (as far as news reports) since the call to Bangkok. Just hope CM stays this way, even the police are noticed, by their absence on the moat (helmet, papers checks)

If you have such a low opinion of Thais, there are planes that leave CM everyday that could take you back to your home country. Just think, you wouldn't have to gripe about visa runs or impolite immigration anymore. We'd be happy also.

Red Shirts = Thais (presumably)

All Thais != Red Shirts

It is easily possible to have a low opinion of the estimated 5-10,000 remaining red shirts in the BKK protest area yet still be fond of a country with many million citizens.

Did you misread the post?

They were on Nimanhayman (sp) road earlier and then I think at provincial hall .... It is quiet right now from their base behind Wat Pra Sing

On Nimman supposedly : http://twitpic.com/1o89aw

(not my pic)

If anyone wants to check out some of the floats: http://tiny.cc/cmff2010

Unfortunately, I missed the parade so they're all parked.

Thanks OP for the schedule!!

If the sea wasn't rising, it might be feasible to pump back water into the underground aquifers......though a monumental task.

Does the 'might' indicate you don't know? My understanding is that once aquifers compress they can't be expanded back to their original size; i.e., they are inelastic porous rock rather than sponges. But it's been a long time since that class and I don't know for sure either so...

I've been in town for almost two weeks, and for the most part everything has gone amazingly well. However, I had a small motorbike accident right across the bridge from the Holiday Inn and scraped up my arm.

I tried to clean it out at my friend's house, but it's in a really awkward spot so I just went to the hospital. They were really nice, and it was inexpensive, but the nurse basically just rubbed iodine/betadine on it and bandaged it up. I tried to point and tell him there was a lot of dirt in the wound, but he didn't understand and I figured I just man up and clean it out myself after I got back to the guest house.

I tried my best to clean it and thought I did a good job, but it's two days later and I think someone needs to look at it.

Can anyone recommend a good option? I don't think I need any extensive care, just some level of medical professional who is able to clean a wound and give me instructions that I can follow on keeping it in good shape.

Thai professionals are fine, but I've only learned enough Thai to be pleasant and need to be able to communicate with someone about the state of things and what I need to do.

Thanks in advance.

I will be moving to Chiang Mai in less than a month. I've looked at houses to rent, but I will just be staying at a hotel, b&b, or short term rental while looking for something long term.

Can anyone tell me the internet options in Chiang Mai and a very brief review of them? I understand that it varies by location, but I just want to have a general idea of what is good when I am looking at a place and find out it has x, y, and/or z as internet options.

Also, has anyone had success in having two or more connections to switch between when one is down/slow?

I'm a bit of an internet addict. I understand that it can be in a challenge in Chiang Mai, but hoping to minimize the shock at least.

I've already received way too much help from people on the forum after finding it while googling for answers, but just now stumbled on the intro thread.

I'm Steven. I currently live in Las Vegas, NV, US, but should be in Chiang Mai in less than a month. A friend will be joining me within a month or so of me arriving.

I'm a bit of a nomad both in location and career terms. I'm 30 and I've lived in 5 US States (with multiple moves between two of them) and have had several mini-careers. I'm a lawyer and have a CS degree, but have managed to only use those directly for around 4 years total lol. I have yet to leave the continental US so I figured it was about time when the timing worked out.

Apparently moving to a foreign country isn't quite as simple as packing up and moving has been for me previously. So far the biggest challenges have been finding an acceptable solution for my dog (she is going to stay with a friend it turns out) and selling my truck (which I just bought this year ) for a decent price, but there's obviously more than that.

I would love to hear from others in Chiang Mai.

Seriously, you should go search teen relationship advice websites for this kind of question. Because that's when most people first encounter things like this. There's no Thai cultural thing going on here. 4 dates means nothing. Most people don't date just 4 times and then tell all their friends they're together. They wait until it's clearer.

Best answer by far. I read the OP and thought "What in the world does this have to do with her being Thai?!?!" I'm almost certain that there's more "young" and possibly "insecure" going on with you than "Thai" going on with her here.

I made the mistake of worrying about relationship status more times than I should have. If you're serious about not being worried about it, then don't let your curiosity make you harbor on it. Because if you spend as much time thinking about it as you must have to make this post and replies then you either are worried or you will be worried soon enough. And that's not attractive to girls of any culture that I know of. I've only dated Vietnamese/Mexican/American girls, but I highly doubt Thai girls find it attractive either.

Renting a house is no problem. The landlord will usually ask for a larger deposit, but most are willing as they usually do not have very nice furniture or fittings ... ha.

Unfortunately a couple of the places I'm looking like have nice furniture. Is there a good way to find out in advance? I haven't found emailing CM businesses to be very helpful so far. On the other hand, I don't want to sign up for something in advance as that seems like a good way for an ignorant newbie to get screwed. I'd rather come and camp out in a hotel until I find the right place.

"soi dogs"... those are strays?

As far as my dog, she is the least intimidating/annoying dog ever. She hides behind my legs if someone new walks up, and only barks if they try to walk up to her. The only time she barks at the house is when someone knocks or the doorbell rings. There are three or four dogs on adjoining properties here that bark every time she goes outside and she runs/walks around like they don't exist even if I leave her out in the back yard for an hour or two by herself.

I checked out ComeOn Place before after seeing it in another thread. The new rooms looked good! I guess I'll have to make do with the old ones though. I emailed a few other places asking about dogs but haven't heard back yet.

Thanks for the responses so far!

I am moving to Chiang Mai in late September, early October for 6-12 months and would really like to have my dog with me there. I posted in the sticky about transport/exportation so that's not my concern for this thread.

I would like to hear about the general feasibility of having a dog in Chiang Mai after we're there. I have found what looks to be a good place for boarding when I'm out of town (Lucky Dogs), but I'm more concerned with day to day issues.

1) Will I have problems getting a hotel/bed & breakfast place to stay initially? I read about lots of problems in BKK with dogs, but didn't see much about Chiang Mai.

2) Will I have problems renting a house with a dog? Also, is this something to state up front while looking or more of a don't ask, don't tell thing?

3) Is there anything I need to know about the general disposition of locals, especially in Chiang Mai, towards dogs? i.e., will I have problems having work done on house, maid service, etc if they either know I have a dog or encounter her while they are at my house.

4) Any other general information: dog friendly activities away from home? dogs allowed at most places/not allowed? etc

Thanks in advance for your help.

Steven

Believe it or not I have read all the posts here, but I'm posting to make sure there are not new developments I'm missing and I'm confused about the import certificate.

Travel Plans: I will be flying from Los Angeles to Chiang Mai through TaiPei on China Airlines in late September or early October.

Dog Information: 40lbs, sheltie mixed (I think) rescue. 3 years old. Quite healthy. Very shy around strangers.

We are going to the vet on Friday to get shots updated as necessary and either get certificates or at least have everything ready to get them when necessary.

Questions:

(1) Is there any TaiPei layover issues to worry about? I read about problems with Korean layovers, but didn't see any TPE issues.

(2) Is the Import Certificate (Form 1/1) necessary? This is the most confusing part to me. My current understanding is that I shouldn't do it, and just be prepared to deal with having to get it at CNX if necessary.

(3) Which certificate do I need from the US? a USDA certificate or the international certificate? either?

(4) Has anyone had a quarantine hassle in Chiang Mai or heard of one? I didn't see any in the thread.

(5) Any China Airlines specific experience or info would be great. I've contacted them and read what's on their website, but any personal experience or knowledge would be appreciated.

There is no requirement for a return ticket if you hold a visa, such as a Tourist visa.

Airlines may want to see a return ticket if you do NOT have a visa

and intend to use the 30 days visa exemption scheme.

So if I already have a visa I don't need return/onward ticket, but do I need a return to get the visa in the first place? And will a ticket out of Thailand to anywhere count if so?

This is where I'm getting it from:

Tourist Visa (Not required for a stay up to 30 days)

Submit your valid, signed, U.S. Passport

1 Visa Application Form, completed and signed

2 Passport-type photographs required

Completed Cover Page and Credit Card Authorization forms (print from browser)

Copy of round trip airline tickets or paid itinerary, or letter of confirmation from travel agent

A copy of recent bank statement or evidence of adequate finance ($500 per person and $1,000 per family)

Nationality: US

Age: 30

I will be applying for a multiple entry tourist visa to Thailand. I plan to stay (besides visa runs) in Thailand 6-12 months.

I have been told that the round trip ticket requirement can be satisfied by just having a ticket to fly you from Thailand to a neighboring country. However, I cannot find anything to verify this. It would save me quite a bit of money since I don't plan on flying back to the US until the end of my Thai stay barring some family or personal emergency.

Can anyone help?

Also, if I can just have an exit ticket. Where should I fly to if ease of trip and price are the only considerations? I will be staying in Chiang Mai.

Thanks for your help.