Remember the olden days in Thailand?

[swissie]

Recent Visitors/long term Expats may not know this. There was a time in Thailand where a "long-term" visa consisted of a monthly "border-run" to Cambodia. To be repeated endlessly, having fun on the monthly run, a change of pace. That was the "long-term-visa" for everybody.

 

The only persons that asked you "where you come from and how long you stay" where the bar-ladies. Immigration was not interested in such trivial things. One could have rented a car with a drivers licence of eastern Timbuktu. The word "feminism" was known, but interpreted as "a female must look as female as possible". Hotel clerks mostly unfamiliar with the western ABC.  Everyone welcome with some kind of stamp on some strange paper. That was a long time ago.

And today? A strict visa concept. Farangs having to pay taxes. Tel-Phone SIM Cards readable by "authorities". Hurdles to even open a bank account? While at the same time "property -rights" for Farangs have not been "liberalised". For example.

Boy, those were the days, when the only worrie a Farang had, was to miss the monthly mini-bus to the Cambodian border. Days gone by.

 

[Harrisfan]

17 minutes ago, swissie said:

Recent Visitors/long term Expats may not know this. There was a time in Thailand where a "long-term" visa consisted of a monthly "border-run" to Cambodia. To be repeated endlessly, having fun on the monthly run, a change of pace. That was the "long-term-visa" for everybody.

 

The only persons that asked you "where you come from and how long you stay" where the bar-ladies. Immigration was not interested in such trivial things. One could have rented a car with a drivers licence of eastern Timbuktu. The word "feminism" was known, but interpreted as "a female must look as female as possible". Hotel clerks mostly unfamiliar with the western ABC.  Everyone welcome with some kind of stamp on some strange paper. That was a long time ago.

And today? A strict visa concept. Farangs having to pay taxes. Tel-Phone SIM Cards readable by "authorities". Hurdles to even open a bank account? While at the same time "property -rights" for Farangs have not been "liberalised". For example.

Boy, those were the days, when the only worrie a Farang had, was to miss the monthly mini-bus to the Cambodian border. Days gone by.

 

30 days visa free

60 days visa free

 

Actually better now. Twice as good.

[swissie]

2 minutes ago, Harrisfan said:

30 days visa free

60 days visa free

 

Actually better now. Twice as good.

Plus "extensions", I know. Still liked the monthly visa runs to Cambobia better. Immigraton guys at the border diden't speak any English, so they were not able to ask any questions. Days gone by. As I said, this was the equivalent of a "long term visa".

[Nick Carter icp]

32 minutes ago, swissie said:

Boy, those were the days, when the only worrie a Farang had, was to miss the monthly mini-bus to the Cambodian border. Days gone by.

 

   Wasn't you also able to just give your passport to the driver and he would take your PP to the border and they  stamped out and back into Thailand ?

   You didn't even have to leave the beach .

This was before photo technology 

[Lacessit]

I can remember turning up at a Bangkok Bank branch in Chiang Mai, armed only with my passport and 10,000 baht in cash.

 

Took about 20 minutes of signing forms, and I was good to go.

 

I can also remember renting a scooter without having to produce any form of driving licence.

[Harrisfan]

5 minutes ago, Nick Carter icp said:

 

   Wasn't you also able to just give your passport to the driver and he would take your PP to the border and they  stamped out and back into Thailand ?

   You didn't even have to leave the beach .

This was before photo technology 

What if they lose it?

[Harrisfan]

Just now, Lacessit said:

I can remember turning up at a Bangkok Bank branch in Chiang Mai, armed only with my passport and 10,000 baht in cash.

 

Took about 20 minutes of signing forms, and I was good to go.

 

I can also remember renting a scooter without having to produce any form of driving licence.

Scooter rentals dont want licence, they want passport or copy. Never been asked for license.

[Nick Carter icp]

1 minute ago, Harrisfan said:

What if they lose it?

 

   You would have to go to your Embassy to get a new one 

[Harrisfan]

Just now, Nick Carter icp said:

 

   You would have to go to your Embassy to get a new one 

I wouldnt trust a bus driver.

[swissie]

3 minutes ago, Nick Carter icp said:

 

   Wasn't you also able to just give your passport to the driver and he would take your PP to the border and they  stamped out and back into Thailand ?

   You didn't even have to leave the beach .

This was before photo technology 

Never liked to give my original passport to any stranger. Besides, I liked the monthly "change of pace". Of course, today I would have other options.

[Bill97]

The olden days were when Cambodia was not open for visitors and the visa run was to Malaysia. 
 

Cambodia runners are newbees.

[swissie]

6 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

I can remember turning up at a Bangkok Bank branch in Chiang Mai, armed only with my passport and 10,000 baht in cash.

 

Took about 20 minutes of signing forms, and I was good to go.

 

I can also remember renting a scooter without having to produce any form of driving licence.

Just curious: When did you open this Bank Account? Recently or years ago? This is of importance, considering recent requirements for Farangs.

[Lacessit]

Just now, swissie said:

Just curious: When did you open this Bank Account? Recently or years ago? This is of importance, considering recent requirements for Farangs.

About 15 years ago. IIRC I only had a tourist visa.

[frank83628]

6 minutes ago, Harrisfan said:

I wouldnt trust a bus driver.

I wasnt just any old bus driver, it was a tied to a visa run agent, you could still do the run if you wanted, but long termers couldn't be arsed, so for a extra few BT you stayed put and they took the passport for you.

 

[Harrisfan]

1 minute ago, frank83628 said:

I wasnt just any old bus driver, it was a tied to a visa run agent, you could still do the run if you wanted, but long termers couldn't be arsed, so for a extra few BT you stayed put and they took the passport for you.

 

I would go over the border for 3 days. Have an adventure.

[Hummin]

500 baht or so, the visa guy came and collected the passports in the morning at the beach bar, and came back in the evening with new visa stamp. That was the good old days

[save the frogs]

no i dont remember the good ol' days because i wasnt there.

but i'd be surprised if there weren't more foreign criminals back then with all the loose rules. 

[swissie]

2 minutes ago, Bill97 said:

The olden days were when Cambodia was not open for visitors and the visa run was to Malaysia. 

That was before the "Khmer Rouge" were defeated, after that no problem. Cambobia was closest, simply no burocracy from the Thai/Cambodian side. Everybody got their little "cut". Everybody happy for a small price to pay.

[Nick Carter icp]

Just now, save the frogs said:

no i dont remember the good ol' days because i wasnt there.

but i'd be surprised if there weren't more foreign criminals back then with all the loose rules. 

 

   Spain was where all the UK villans went to back then . 

[Nick Carter icp]

1 minute ago, swissie said:

That was before the "Khmer Rouge" were defeated, after that no problem. Cambobia was closest, simply no burocracy from the Thai/Cambodian side. Everybody got their little "cut". Everybody happy for a small price to pay.

 

   I do seem to recall that Cambodia opened to tourists in about 1998 , before that you couldnt go there 

[frank83628]

Just now, Harrisfan said:

I would go over the border for 3 days. Have an adventure.

Was not an option in Burma at the time.

One of the last times I went on a run I asked 1 of the touts at the  Burma pier if we could travel around he said from this port  you can only stay 2 weeks, and cannot leave the local area, this was about 10yrs ago

[lamyai3]

I miss the days when you could apply by post for a one year Non O on the basis of visiting friends and family from any consulate in your home country, with zero supporting documentation. Rinse and repeat year after year. 

[swissie]

1 minute ago, Nick Carter icp said:

 

   I do seem to recall that Cambodia opened to tourists in about 1998 , before that you couldnt go there 

My first "border-run" to Cambodia was April 1999. The few Cambodian border guys were thrilled as they could supply their families with food and shelter, as opposed to the rest of the Cambodians. Passport "irregularities" were ignored.

 

At that time, I have seen Cambodian women crossing the border with their 3 children, without any Thai-Papers. They had to pay their way into Thailand by offering their charms to Thai Border Officials. That was in the early days, a long time ago, in 1999. After this ordeal, those women ending up in Pattaya, were better off in Pattaya than in their home country. As so many women originating from the "poorhouse of Thailand" , that we call "the Isan".

 

 

[Nick Carter icp]

3 minutes ago, swissie said:

My first "border-run" to Cambodia was April 1999. The few Cambodian border guys were thrilled as they could supply their families with food and shelter, as opposed to the rest of the Cambodians. Passport "irregularities" were ignored.

 

At that time, I have seen Cambodian women crossing the border with their 3 children, without any Thai-Papers. They had to pay their way into Thailand by offering their charms to Thai Border Officials. That was in the early days, a long time ago, in 1999. After this ordeal, those women ending up in Pattaya, were better off in Pattaya than in their home country. As so many women originating from the "poorhouse of Thailand" , that we call "the Isan".

 

 

 

   TBH. I don't really want to hear about Cambodian prostitutes going to Pattaya to work 

[Harrisfan]

1 minute ago, Nick Carter icp said:

 

   TBH. I don't really want to hear about Cambodian prostitutes going to Pattaya to work 

I do its more interesting.

[carlyai]

1 hour ago, Nick Carter icp said:

 

   Wasn't you also able to just give your passport to the driver and he would take your PP to the border and they  stamped out and back into Thailand ?

   You didn't even have to leave the beach .

This was before photo technology 

Some people got passport stamps made near China Town which did cause a small problem. 

[brfsa2]

oh man, how awesome was Bangkok and most of Thailand before Thaksin. 

I don't know exactly what really changed in Thailand but I can tell 30 years ago was amazing, then things changed a lot in early 2000's ,

After his the war on drugs, it seems the crimes increased and there is just so much artificial cheap drugs just everywhere, it's insane how bad it is now.

Pubs are no where are as nice and relaxed as in the 90s here. I remember telephone pub, quite famous, then route66 opened. damn, good old days!

and at least Silom was not the trash it is today!

 

[Mr Meeseeks]

Bangkok was incredible in the late 90's and early 00's. Phnom Penh was the best kept secret in South East Asia in the early 00's.

 

The Wall Bar in Silom or Vinnie the Visa were the go to for your visas back in the day, no need to leave the country.

 

There was another guy on Sukhumvit 23 that used to do the dodgy Thai Visas, wonder what happened to him? 😉

[blaze master]

37 minutes ago, brfsa2 said:

oh man, how awesome was Bangkok and most of Thailand before Thaksin. 

I don't know exactly what really changed in Thailand but I can tell 30 years ago was amazing, then things changed a lot in early 2000's ,

After his the war on drugs, it seems the crimes increased and there is just so much artificial cheap drugs just everywhere, it's insane how bad it is now.

Pubs are no where are as nice and relaxed as in the 90s here. I remember telephone pub, quite famous, then route66 opened. damn, good old days!

and at least Silom was not the trash it is today!

 

 

I can tell you what changed. Tourism went from few million a year to top out at 40mn. The greed of thai is insatiable. 

 

Mass tourism is a plague on this planet now. 

[Confuscious]

2 hours ago, swissie said:

My first "border-run" to Cambodia was April 1999. The few Cambodian border guys were thrilled as they could supply their families with food and shelter, as opposed to the rest of the Cambodians. Passport "irregularities" were ignored.

 

At that time, I have seen Cambodian women crossing the border with their 3 children, without any Thai-Papers. They had to pay their way into Thailand by offering their charms to Thai Border Officials. That was in the early days, a long time ago, in 1999. After this ordeal, those women ending up in Pattaya, were better off in Pattaya than in their home country. As so many women originating from the "poorhouse of Thailand" , that we call "the Isan".

 

 

And you had to pay in US Dollars with new bills.
No bending allowed.