1st Timer Needs Advice Please

[utapaortnab]

Howdy,

I am an American who has made 35 trips to Thailand to date. I also briefly retired there in 95-96 and spent a whole year there when assigned to U-Tapao RTNAB and Sriracha Army Microwave Commo Site in 71-72.

Since this is your first trip to Thailand, perhaps you'd be well advised to visit my homepage: http://homepage.mac.com/mgnewman/Ken/Lat

and then page down the left hand subheadings to subheadings Asia, Bangkok, Books, Hotels, Pattaya, Thailand, Travel, Weather and any other topic heading of interest to you and then click on all the URL's within each topic heading. That should fully prepare you for getting maximum enjoyment during your stay. Another topic heading I'd recommend to you is titled Forums.

There is one particular one I'd suggest and that one is Thailand - UK

http://www.thailand-uk.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi

Be sure and register for this and any other Forum of interest to you B4 you can read all the postings etc.

Other favorite forums I'd suggest beyond the Thai Visa Forum (which is among my favorites) are Nana Pong Forum, Thorntree Lonely Planet, Pattaya Expats Club, Pattaya City Expats Club, Mistys a GoGo, Freelancer Bar (Now Pattaya Pages/FlB), ThaiBarGirls. If you jon/bookmark all these, you will be able to read just about everything about expat life in Thailand and also get proper answers to any/all questions you have from many different forums enabling you to sort out the good info from any bogus info.

Being an American, I feel unable to answer your visa question on how many days you will be allowed to stay on each of the double entry but my thought is that you might as well get maximum enjoyment out of this once in a lifetime travel experience (yes, you may end up making multiple trips to Thailand and all of SE Asia in your lifetime, but there will ONLY be one first trip), since Cambodia and Malaysia border crossing trips are now somewhat less dependable than B4, why not spend a few Pounds/EU dollars extra and make your visa trip to Singapore. It is much safer, cleaner, and a very rewarding travel destination. You will be able to get lots of good info from the Forums I mentioned espacially Thorntree Lonely Planet on where to visit and what to do in Singapore on the cheap.

Hope I have been of some help,

Kenneth R. Bower

San Antonio Texas

Visiting Thailand since 1971

[JimGant]

Guess my justification was that I wanted to go

Works for me. Another endorsement for honorary consulates.

[udon]

Hi Ken. I got this when clicking yr url :

We're sorry, but we can't find the HomePage you've requested. It's possible that....

Cheers,

udon

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Has Ken missed a payment ?

[udon]

Oooh, you are cruel ......

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Now I have brimming tears

[utapaortnab]

Sorry guys,

The addy for my homepage should be:

http://homepage.mac.com/mgnewman/KenLat/

When you are 68+, you sometimes lose a step in the walk of life.

I'm sure this one works.

Ken Bower

San Antonio Texas

Older than dirt and only half as smart

[udon]

Older than dirt and only half as smart

Welcome to the club!

[bkkbound04]

thanks for all the info peeps

i'm gonna check your site out now ken

thanks again peeps