Overview of Thailand Visas

[Zablive]

Forbes - despite someone at Thai Visa insulted you - their Visa section has up to the minute accurate information.
You're never too old to learn something new - stops you from "getting set in your ways" 555!

 

[PeteGill]

Pattaya has priced itself way above rest of Thailand [Phuket not far behind] due to the greed of expats with businesses and real estate ventures. Patts holds no appeal to me whatsoever, Kamala/Surin beat it hands down on liveabilty and beaches, no doubt Samui as well. I'm sure Samuians are thankful their island isn't overrun with Euro trash.

Still way cheaper than Bangkok in almost every respect. and I was there just over two months ago. In both.

 

[Quarky]

Not even ST/Lt prices?
If not your standards have really slipped 555!

No... I've not noticed a change in anything in ten years... hotel prices are the same, girls the same... food the same...

I don't do GoGos so prices may have changed there...

 

[Moo Uaon]

overnight in Vientiane and return with another TV.

that's the simple answer,IMO. take in udon thani and nong khai while there.
flights to udon from CM are cheap and abundant.
Vientiane is a nice little joint to check out too.

 

[kaptainrob]

Still way cheaper than Bangkok in almost every respect. and I was there just over two months ago. In both.

I'm talking about living there, not visiting.

 

[PeteGill]

I'm talking about living there, not visiting.

Well say so then 555

Though I talked quite extensively with VG when I was there, and he gave me a breakdown of his expenses over the hill in Jotmien. And I visited his little condo for a look see.
The costs he was telling me about were not that high and there were plenty of cheap places to eat close at hand...

But I should imagine that like most places it can be as cheap or expensive as you make it.

 

[Ian Forbes]

You obviously are out of date old boy.
Canada is a G7 country - you get 30days at any border crossing - land or airport.
This is extendable at CM Immi for a further 30 days for 1900 baht.
Mai Sai is difficult for everybody now - go to Chiang Khong - even by bus.

Why stay in Cambodia fr a month? Lew gave you another alternative - overnight in Vientiane and return with another TV.

Thanks for the information. Chiang Khong sounds like a better option for me from Chiang Mai, and I can visit Pui along the way coming and going. I'm not to old to learn, but the contrary stuff I heard on thaivisa when I used to check that site was too much even for me... and I've got thick skin. When I get screwed for nothing I did wrong then my memory doesn't forget.

 

[Cippy]

C'mon Forbes.
You delight in telling us about your travels all over Thailand and splashing the cash on all these Thais you are supporting.
Simply make one of those trips to Chiang Khong from CM, cross the border, come back 5 minutes later and get a free extra 30 days.
Rinse and repeat.
Or extend for an extra 30 days at CM Immi for 1900 baht.

Chiang Mai to Chiang Khong border hop/visa exemption - Thai visas, residency and work permits - Thailand Forum

Last time I tried to just cross the boarder and come back, just after Prayuth took power, I was almost refused access into the country.

I was in a very remote friendship bridge in Tha-Li with nothing for 100s of kms beyond it. Luang Prabang was the closest city, 400 Kms away. No public transport, not even a town on the other side. They didn't really care. If I didn't have a wife and an infant waiting and maybe the fact that the customs agent had his young daughter right there, I would have been screwed. I just made the trek to Vientiane after that, not worth the risk.

 

[Ian Forbes]

Well say so then 555

Though I talked quite extensively with VG when I was there, and he gave me a breakdown of his expenses over the hill in Jotmien. And I visited his little condo for a look see.
The costs he was telling me about were not that high and there were plenty of cheap places to eat close at hand...

But I should imagine that like most places it can be as cheap or expensive as you make it.

That is the funny thing about Thailand... accommodation prices can be all over the map... even though hotels might be almost side by side. I never could (or can) figure it out. And, I'm talking about rooms that are almost identical in size and style. For the most part, I do almost all my eating elsewhere. No need to cook a meal when I can buy one just as cheap in a nearby Thai café. No need for aircon when the temperature is a pleasant 20 degrees at night. I see no need to pay 2000 baht for a meal in a fancy restaurant when I can get the same thing in a café for 50 baht.

When I travel by motorbike in Thailand, and have to stay over night some place, I refer to my GPS for accommodation. Then I check out the various places and what they offer. I've gotten pretty good at guessing where NOT to stay. They LOOK fancy and have a big, flashy entrance, but that doesn't mean their rooms are any better than some place else at one quarter the cost. For 400 to 600 baht I can get a pretty nice room in an average hotel... but it might not be along side the river or on the ocean front. Occasionally, I'll be fooled and have to go somewhere else, but most of the time my instincts are correct. Passing through Chiang Rai last Spring with my son, I stopped at a less than imposing hotel and asked the price for one night... 2000 baht for a simple room. I said thanks but no thanks, I'll ride back to Chiang Mai in the dark before paying that... and we did. Paying by the month long term, I get my room in Chiang Mai for 170 baht a night. I know the profit margins at hotels.

 

[Ian Forbes]

that's the simple answer,IMO. take in udon thani and nong khai while there.
flights to udon from CM are cheap and abundant.
Vientiane is a nice little joint to check out too.

That might be my only option. I have a good friend who lives in Udon Thani and he is always asking me to visit him and his wife. The few times that I've taken the ride to see him he has shown me around and up to the border at Nong kai. I like my own freedom when I travel and hate to be locked into some place I don't enjoy, and not be able to explore a bit. That is why I rode my bike to see Ziggy instead of flying. They live way out in the country and away from the city of Udon. I get bored sitting around too long.

The Friendship bridge

It is a lot more expensive going into Laos than it is Myanmar at Mai Sai, but if it solves the problem then it's worth to extra cost.

 

[RakThai]

That is the funny thing about Thailand... accommodation prices can be all over the map... even though hotels might be almost side by side. I never could (or can) figure it out. And, I'm talking about rooms that are almost identical in size and style. For the most part, I do almost all my eating elsewhere. No need to cook a meal when I can buy one just as cheap in a nearby Thai café. No need for aircon when the temperature is a pleasant 20 degrees at night. I see no need to pay 2000 baht for a meal in a fancy restaurant when I can get the same thing in a café for 50 baht.

When I travel by motorbike in Thailand, and have to stay over night some place, I refer to my GPS for accommodation. Then I check out the various places and what they offer. I've gotten pretty good at guessing where NOT to stay. They LOOK fancy and have a big, flashy entrance, but that doesn't mean their rooms are any better than some place else at one quarter the cost. For 400 to 600 baht I can get a pretty nice room in an average hotel... but it might not be along side the river or on the ocean front. Occasionally, I'll be fooled and have to go somewhere else, but most of the time my instincts are correct. Passing through Chiang Rai last Spring with my son, I stopped at a less than imposing hotel and asked the price for one night... 2000 baht for a simple room. I said thanks but no thanks, I'll ride back to Chiang Mai in the dark before paying that... and we did. Paying by the month long term, I get my room in Chiang Mai for 170 baht a night. I know the profit margins at hotels.

May I say something "ad hominem"? 555

(sorry I not await the answer, I think you can have it..)

First thing I notice is that your posts the last month, compared to the 6 months before that, are so much more negative... Happy about Thailand while there, but negative about it while in Canada?
Remembers me about the time I was living in Holland and working in the UK... It was not about Holland or the UK at all, my feeling was about not knowing where I belonged at that moment... Don't know if the same applies to you, but maybe something to consider..?

Second thing is this talk about money... You seem to have enough for yourself and the way you want to live your life! That's good..
And you even have more, enough to support poor Thai people, which is good too !
But end of the day, what's the point in bitching over prices? You are in the stage of your life where you can enjoy the rest of your days in comfort (that will or has changed for the younger ones on here, who are now paying for your privileges..55).
So maybe when prices go up you will not be able to help as many others than before...

So what? If we all do what we can, if everyone would do what he or she could... This would be a better world..

 

[Ian Forbes]

Good point, Rak, but I am on a fixed income that is not going up with inflation. I live a very simple life and drive a 17 year old truck that needs more maintenance than it once did. I can't afford a new one without sacrificing my trips to Thailand. I can live within my budget imposed upon myself and I am happy with that. I just hate to see waste when it should not be necessary. That is why my comments are on this topic and not something else.

I may complain about our stupid Canadian and provincial government, and their excess waste and decisions in everything, but for myself I really don't have too much to complain about. I am reasonably healthy for my age and can do pretty much what I want, when I want. I just HATE waste... in anything.

When I was in Thailand recently I thought some things were improving. I got a 2 year drivers license instead of having to renew it every year... which takes almost a full week if you are a foreigner. I had HEARD that there were changes in the visa process but I hadn't researched it at the time. I thought I could get a 90 day tourist visa and replace it with another 90 days when it expired. That is not the case. It is going to be a lot more involved with a lot more travel and unnecessary expense to get to the same point as before.

You are in the stage of your life where you can enjoy the rest of your days in comfort (that will or has changed for the younger ones on here, who are now paying for your privileges..55).

I have more than paid for my present income through taxation of my wages over 40 years paying in at an exorbitant amount. Had I invested the same amount with a standard investment firm I would be 5 times that amount ahead. The government used our pension contributions for their own schemes and gave us back a smaller portion.

 

[Moo Uaon]

It is going to be a lot more involved with a lot more travel and unnecessary expense to get to the same point as before.

flights to udon are cheap. often less than 2k baht return. a bus to the border minuscule.

which embassy were you getting the triple entry TV's from? surely they have the "new" multi entry TV's.
edit; the Vancouver consulate has it..

On 28 July 2015, the Thai Government launched the “Multiple Entry Tourist Visa (METV)” scheme. This new scheme, published in the Royal Gazette on 14 September 2015, is an addition to the already existing sixty (60) days tourist visa, and will be effective from 13 November 2015 onwards.
The METV is available to tourists of all nationalities. Applicants can apply for the METV at all Thai Embassies, Consulates-General as well as Honorary Consulates worldwide. The application fee is 200 CAD, with a visa validity of six (6) months and the duration of stay of up to sixty (60) days per visit.

Tourist Visa | Royal Thai Consulate-General, Vancouver

 

[Ian Forbes]

flights to udon are cheap. often less than 2k baht return. a bus to the border minuscule.

which embassy were you getting the triple entry TV's from? surely they have the "new" multi entry TV's.
edit; the Vancouver consulate has it..

On 28 July 2015, the Thai Government launched the “Multiple Entry Tourist Visa (METV)” scheme. This new scheme, published in the Royal Gazette on 14 September 2015, is an addition to the already existing sixty (60) days tourist visa, and will be effective from 13 November 2015 onwards.
The METV is available to tourists of all nationalities. Applicants can apply for the METV at all Thai Embassies, Consulates-General as well as Honorary Consulates worldwide. The application fee is 200 CAD, with a visa validity of six (6) months and the duration of stay of up to sixty (60) days per visit.

Tourist Visa | Royal Thai Consulate-General, Vancouver

Thank you for the effort in looking that up, Lew. That is a far different form than the one I looked at a month ago. (the one I was worried about). The one you posted would probably suit my purpose as I don't want to stay more than 5 months anyway, and probably a bit less than that. It gets a bit hot and smoky in Chiang Mai by mid March, and that is where I spend most of my time. I like to take a ride down to Kanchanaburi to see my kids at least once, and over to Udon to see my Iceland friend Ziggy. Depending on what route I take there is a lot to see on the way if I want to take my time.

 

[Hatari]

Some good info in these recent posts for a travel, tourism, visa thread
Pity it is locked away at our secure level and hidden inside an army thread...
Think the content would be of interest to more forum readers, if it was accessible?

 

[Ian Forbes]

Some good info in these recent posts for a travel, tourism, visa thread
Pity it is locked away at our secure level and hidden inside an army thread...
Think the content would be of interest to more forum readers, if it was accessible?

Shhhhhh. Quiet! Don't let the rabble rousers know. 5555

 

[Moo Uaon]

Depending on what route I take there is a lot to see on the way if I want to take my time.

you'd be mad if you didn't go through nakhon thai-dan sai-phu ruea to udon. plenty of places to stay along there too although i've done CM-Udon in 6 1/2 hours before.
besides being 80k's shorter than the main road the dan sai-phu ruea leg is one the prettiest and fav regions in all of LOS. the other being the phang nga bay area.

was no trouble to find the visa info...only took a few seconds

 

[Ian Forbes]

Thanks for the further info, Lew. I'll make a point of adding it to my must see places. I might even have traveled through that area a time or two. I just didn't take note of the route and rode by the seat of my pants... as I have a want to do occasionally.

 

[Moo Uaon]

Thanks for the further info, Lew. I'll make a point of adding it to my must see places. I might even have traveled through that area a time or two. I just didn't take note of the route and rode by the seat of my pants... as I have a want to do occasionally.

i have noted before that you have travelled the "main road" and made comment of the road works along it that had infuriated you at those times 55

 

[Ian Forbes]

i have noted before that you have travelled the "main road" and made comment of the road works along it that had infuriated you at those times 55

55555555555555555

It was the corners that always worried me. The main road would be fine until I came to a corner and then get stuck in one of the ruts or pot holes. I never trust ANY Thai highway anymore. I've had too many near misses. It is those long, deep grooves in the soft pavement that are made by trucks that always worry me. Going along at highway speed and then getting caught in a groove is a bit scary... and twice as bad on a corner.