Mae Sai Visa Trip

[folium]

Need to head up to Chiang Rai from CM later on this month, thought I would kill 2 birds with 1 stone and get another 90 days on family's multiple entry visas at Mae Sai.

Read the most recent posts and have 4 questions of anybody who has been up there recently:

1. Is it still a case of clean $10 bills or 500baht?

2. Am I right in thinking kids go free, if so what age cut off is a "kid"?

3. is it just a case of walk across bridge, leave $10 plus passport, take receipt, buy some cheapo DVDs, pick up passport, head back to LOS, get new stamp from Thai immigration? Is there anywhere decent for lunch, can you get any cheap wine in Tachilek?

4. Where's the best place to park a car?

Thanks for any advice, keen to make it as painless and hopefully rewarding as possible.

[bangkokcitylimits]

10 USD no problem.

park car: just before the end of the road u-turn and right there go inside the street next to the hotel, go straight and you end up on a good parking lot.

nice noodles: pass the 'sir you want lady?' guys, go right follow the big road for 50 metres theres the army monument (a needle with 4 points) that terrace they have macaroni simple but nice.

exit on the backside, go right follow that road with market stalls, after 100m on the left the liquor store used to be the best one to get cheap booze.

[el jefe]

There's a pinned thread on the Chiang Rai forum that's updated with any new news.

[realthaideal]

I was there in late Jan and they certainly were not taking any $10 bills. Mine were crisp, beautiful, and I said hello and please in Burmese. I pass thru every 90 days and think I stand out in a good way, but it was a no-go and I had to pay the 500B. Never had a refusal except for one time about 3 yrs back when the bill had a black ink smudge on it. The no-acceptance policy may have changed back, but I think the diminishing dollar has alot to do with their stance when I was last there.

[IanForbes]

I was there in late Jan and they certainly were not taking any $10 bills. Mine were crisp, beautiful, and I said hello and please in Burmese. I pass thru every 90 days and think I stand out in a good way, but it was a no-go and I had to pay the 500B. Never had a refusal except for one time about 3 yrs back when the bill had a black ink smudge on it. The no-acceptance policy may have changed back, but I think the diminishing dollar has alot to do with their stance when I was last there.

I was through a week ago and it was as realthaideal said... they didn't accept a clean new American $10 bill. They wanted the 500 baht. I saw them refuse the 3 guys ahead of me. I'm quite sure it's because of the devalued American dollar. There were FAR less tourists than there were over the Christmas holidays when I last went through.

One warning... don't buy any electronics, cel phones etc.. They are all fake, cheap Chinese junk that breaks within a short while. .

[mystwoodcol]

Been to Maisai a couple of times recently on the Visa run bus prices vary on that also from 600 to 750 bt for the return trip..

500bt is the way to go now and not even entering burma is a better idea for less hassles for the family from the beggar boys etc. Just tell them you are going straight back when you hand over your 500bt and they will stamp your passport and just turn around and walk back across the bridge and do your paper work and your back. Careful buying wine and sprits at the duty free on the bridge as some of it is not genuine its so cheap and only come in BIG bottles so they get one big bite of you. Parking & food I agree with the OP just drive up the side road on the left near the border crossing ,good parking and a good clean food there.

[JRA]

Folim...

Make sure the $10 is crisp...don't take pictures of guys with guns...

I wasn't forced to buy anything but as you cross bridge there is a little market to the right...I walked through, didnt buy anything...took a few pics of the locals and ate a local place after i walked market, turned North and once a main street head west and i came across this local food joint...then keep going west and a bit south and back to cross the bridge...all this is east of bridge looking N and you can do a counterclock wise loop from the market back to bridge...I did this in like a hour or 1.5 hrs.