Visa Run Based On Expiring Business Visa

[crashman]

Hey Everyone,

I'm in a bit of a unique situation...

I came to Thailand a couple months ago with a single entry 90-day business visa. I arranged the papers online, then got everything sorted at the consulate in the Philippines before I arrived (where I was living at the time - I'm orig. from Aust).

My question is, what's the best visa setup for me to get, and how do I do it?

I'm currently living in Chiang Mai.

My business visa is due to expire on Jan 15, but I want to be able stay in Thailand for the next 6-12 months, mostly in Chiang Mai. The ideal situation will be to be able to leave and return whenever I need to, but if I need to stay put without leaving the country, that's ok too.

I've read through many threads on here on visas, but none of them I've found deal with this specific problem - how to go from an expiring business visa to a tourist visa (or something similar).

My options, AFAIK, are:

1 - Fly out, fly in, and get a 30-day tourist VOA. Then using visa runs, extend it up to 6 months.

2 - Do a border run from Chiang Mai to Mai Sai. But what next? A 15-day visa?

3 - Use contacts to get a Edu visa (I'm learning Thai, just not in an actual school)

4 - Somehow get another business visa, but since I'm not running a business in Thailand, this feels a little sketchy.

Anyone have any ideas on what to do here? I love living here and don't want to leave.

[Lite Beer]

Visit the Thai Consulate in Vientienne and apply for a 2 entry Tourist Visa.

This will give 6 months with extensions and a border run in the middle.