After reading this thread I thought I would throw in my 2 baht´s worth. I first went to Thailand in 1989 and have been more than 30 times. I no longer keep track. Before losing money in the Nasdaq crash I used to spend half the year in Costa Rica and half in Thailand. Still visit as often as I can, always to Pattaya where all my buddies live, those I´ve known 20 years and those I introduced to Thailand who moved over there. So hopefully I can provide some helpful info.
As for passports/visas, I urge anyone to stay up to date. When I first lived there it was a 100 baht per day of overstay fine and no big deal. In the last 5 years or so they are getting more serious about enforcing the law. As stated by others it is now much more of a fine. More importantly you run the risk of being asked to leave or nevr come back.
From Pattaya there is a visa run service from the Sportsman´s Lodge on Soi 13 that is inexpensive and excellent, to Cambodia. Only need to cross the border, be stamped and return. Leave in the morning and be back by happy hour. See several current movies on the way in their mini-van. There are similar services from Bangkok.
The key is to extend your visa BEFORE it expires. If not, go to immigration and the problem can be solved. Do NOT wait and get caught. That is where the trouble lies.
As for being asked for your passport, in all my time there I have never been asked for it while walking down the street or in any bar. It is possible but unlikely. But as others have said, an accident or disturbance that brings the police could happen.
You need to show your passport to check into any hotel. They send that info to immigration. Not sure if they report overstays. Would hope they don´t as they could lose a paying guest.
I did have an unexpected dealing with the police once however. Took the wrong girl out of a bar. Have taken hundreds without a problem but this time there was one. In the middle of the night she wakes me up and starts yelling she has been robbed. Goes straight to the front door of my hotel room and surprise it is cracked open just a bit. I know I closed and locked it before we went to bed.
She calls reception who call the police. They arrive rather quickly and interview her and me. I am not sure to this day if she was claiming I robbed her or someone came into our room and robber her but the odd thing was my money and valuables were not missing. I did by the way take some precautions in that regard, but that is subject of another post. The point is the police took my passport, copied it at reception, had me sign a statement, etc. Luckily I had not overstayed my visa.
The point is you never know what can happen. By the way, they never pressed charges and didn´t believe the girl.
You have to renew sometime or another. Waiting never makes it better.
A last thought. If you plan on staying more than 30 days and don´t want to make a visa run out of the country, you can pay around $30 and get a 2 month visa at the Thai consulate closest to you in the U.S. I used the one in Los Angeles. It requires coming back the next day however. They don´t process it the same day.
If you plan on living in Thailand and are over 50 use Viejo´s suggestion and get the 1 year visa. In any event, you will have a great time, especially those who have never been before. It is like a kid´s first trip to Disneyland!
As for passports/visas, I urge anyone to stay up to date. When I first lived there it was a 100 baht per day of overstay fine and no big deal. In the last 5 years or so they are getting more serious about enforcing the law. As stated by others it is now much more of a fine. More importantly you run the risk of being asked to leave or nevr come back.
From Pattaya there is a visa run service from the Sportsman´s Lodge on Soi 13 that is inexpensive and excellent, to Cambodia. Only need to cross the border, be stamped and return. Leave in the morning and be back by happy hour. See several current movies on the way in their mini-van. There are similar services from Bangkok.
The key is to extend your visa BEFORE it expires. If not, go to immigration and the problem can be solved. Do NOT wait and get caught. That is where the trouble lies.
As for being asked for your passport, in all my time there I have never been asked for it while walking down the street or in any bar. It is possible but unlikely. But as others have said, an accident or disturbance that brings the police could happen.
You need to show your passport to check into any hotel. They send that info to immigration. Not sure if they report overstays. Would hope they don´t as they could lose a paying guest.
I did have an unexpected dealing with the police once however. Took the wrong girl out of a bar. Have taken hundreds without a problem but this time there was one. In the middle of the night she wakes me up and starts yelling she has been robbed. Goes straight to the front door of my hotel room and surprise it is cracked open just a bit. I know I closed and locked it before we went to bed.
She calls reception who call the police. They arrive rather quickly and interview her and me. I am not sure to this day if she was claiming I robbed her or someone came into our room and robber her but the odd thing was my money and valuables were not missing. I did by the way take some precautions in that regard, but that is subject of another post. The point is the police took my passport, copied it at reception, had me sign a statement, etc. Luckily I had not overstayed my visa.
The point is you never know what can happen. By the way, they never pressed charges and didn´t believe the girl.
You have to renew sometime or another. Waiting never makes it better.
A last thought. If you plan on staying more than 30 days and don´t want to make a visa run out of the country, you can pay around $30 and get a 2 month visa at the Thai consulate closest to you in the U.S. I used the one in Los Angeles. It requires coming back the next day however. They don´t process it the same day.
If you plan on living in Thailand and are over 50 use Viejo´s suggestion and get the 1 year visa. In any event, you will have a great time, especially those who have never been before. It is like a kid´s first trip to Disneyland!
I'll answer this one since I've been to all 3.
Singapore-
Singapore's weather is a lot like southern Thailand since they are not that far apart. It's warm and humid and has a rainy season but generally doesn't rain all day.
Prostitution is legal in Singapore. They have a district called the Geylang District where interspersed between businesses and restaurants are houses of prostitution. Each one has a particular sign to let men know it's a house of prostitutes. I don't remember what the sign is though.
There is also Orchard Towers. It is an office building by day, disco area at night. There are maybe a dozen bars that open at night that are hooker bars. This building is 4 stories and is called "4 floors of whores" and that name is accurate. If you are going to go whoring in Singapore I would suggest going here for the easiest time of it.
Singapore doesn't have a whole lot of tourist attractions other than the new casino and Sentosa Island. It's worth a day to stay there to see the city and its history. It's the 2nd most crowded country in the world (Monaco is the most crowded) so keep that in mind.
Indonesia-
I've only gone to one place in Indonesia, Batam Island. Batam is ridiculously cheap. The Indonesian rupiah is 11,000 to 1 US dollar. I usually just drop the thousands and divide by 10 when I want the US equivalent.
In Batam you have the discos at night. These are not all in one place so you have to take a taxi to get to each one. Taxi rides are around 50,000 rupiah which is about $5.
There are also the hooker places. These are in the fish bowl variety where a couple dozen women sit behind glass and watch tv while you decide which one you want. These also are not in one place so a taxi ride is in order. Don't choose the first one you see as there are many in Batam Center, the main city on Batam Island.
The good part is that you can take your date back to your hotel for roughly 300,000 - 400,000 for all night. That's roughly $30 -$40 for all night! She will shower you and fuck you as many times as you want. You will have to buy her a room service meal and you can go at it again. After she spends the night she will fuck you in the morning before going back. Make sure to give her a tip and taxi fare.
The problem with Batam is that the women speak only basic English. But then again, you're not there to talk are you?
All depends on your lifestyle. I know guys who live there on social security and others on 5000 per month.
If you want to play golf 3 times a week and take 3 girls a week plan on 3000 a month.
Rent is about 500 month. Food is cheap if you stay away from American food. Taxis cheap. Golf about 50 per day or more and girls about the same depending. Drinks generally cheap except in Go-Go bars if you don´t learn to say no to the girls asking for "Lady Drinks".
Internet, electric, water, cable add up to about 100-150 depending on your use of A/C.
If you want to play golf 3 times a week and take 3 girls a week plan on 3000 a month.
Rent is about 500 month. Food is cheap if you stay away from American food. Taxis cheap. Golf about 50 per day or more and girls about the same depending. Drinks generally cheap except in Go-Go bars if you don´t learn to say no to the girls asking for "Lady Drinks".
Internet, electric, water, cable add up to about 100-150 depending on your use of A/C.
Phuket pronunciation...
Endless schoolboyish giggles surround the pronunciation of Phuket, and indeed Phi Phi, while everyone is mystified by the new Bangkok Airport - Suvarnabhumi.
Phuket is my home, so I get a bit annoyed sometimes by people saying Fookit or FooKet or anything else with an F sound. There is no F in Phuket, but the transliteration of Thai words is sometimes nearly impossible. You can see signs in Phuket to the same places with slightly different spellings. The "Ph" in Phuket is a hard P sound, but not as hard as a normal "P", slightly softer with undertones of "B"...The island was once called Bukit, which is Malay for "hill".
No F'ing please (although I guess that could apply if talking about Nadi Phuket), the correct pronunciation of Phuket is "Poo-ket", though as I say, the P is softened slightly, the K can sound more like a G and indeed the final T is not a hard T either. Easy, huh.
Oh, and Phi Phi is "Pee Pee", which could be funny if you are 6 years old, like Phuket there is no F in Phi Phi. Oh, and Phi does not mean ghost.
What of the airport - Suvarnabhumi, Suwanapoom is how you pronounce it. The V is a W, the R is silent and the BH is a P. With 4 M's and a silent Q.
Another funny thing about Thai names is that some of them have the word "porn" in the name. My girlfriend's maiden name starts with "savana" so when I try to purposely mistakenly pronounce her maiden name I inevitably pronounce it "savannah porn". She always hits me when I say it that way.
@)
hno:
Hey VD, thanks and I sure hope to be there soon to do some toasting with you guys.
There is a chance it could be soon IF I can get some help for a financial project from the owner of The Haven. You know how moody he can be so nothing is certain.
Meanwhile, have fun on the golf courses. The rainy season is starting early here though still no bad conditions.
Paulie, myself and others did leave VDS with only the approach shot left on the 18th hole in last week´s tournament. Lightning was nearby and they actually sounded the horn calling in all golfers. Many guys finished but we split ASAP after recalling your recent experience with lightning on a golf course. Dave gave us a DNF but rather not finish a golf tournament than the rest of our lives! Luckily no injuries or close calls.
There is a chance it could be soon IF I can get some help for a financial project from the owner of The Haven. You know how moody he can be so nothing is certain.
Meanwhile, have fun on the golf courses. The rainy season is starting early here though still no bad conditions.
Paulie, myself and others did leave VDS with only the approach shot left on the 18th hole in last week´s tournament. Lightning was nearby and they actually sounded the horn calling in all golfers. Many guys finished but we split ASAP after recalling your recent experience with lightning on a golf course. Dave gave us a DNF but rather not finish a golf tournament than the rest of our lives! Luckily no injuries or close calls.
