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Who wants to get crazy in bangkok next week and by get crazy I mean get whiskey at some bar downtown and by whiskey I mean whiskey. I don't really drink though so it can be any activity Shammypants fucked around with this message at 21:26 on Nov 9, 2015 |
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Nov 9, 2015 20:27
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navyjack posted:So, I'm guessing this is going to get me some flak, but My friend and I want to go to the full moon party at the end of our China/Vietnam/Thailand trip next year. I'm guessing that the common wisdom is "don't go" but it's kind of a bucket list thing, so what can you do? I'm sure there are a million posts about it, but it's a 1000 page thread, can anyone link me to the best advice? Sheep-goats, help a fellow bar slave out? Yeah, Sheep-Goat's advice is good. Absolutely don't buy drugs from anyone on the beach, ever. You won't end up in prison in all likelihood, you'll just get shaken down for everything you have. There are plenty of discreet places to buy drugs beforehand if you must have them. I had a decent time when I went a few years back, we just got drunk and danced all night. The young Aussie guys are the loving worst though, they're like caricatures of some sort of teen movie meathead.
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Nov 9, 2015 22:00
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Hey guys, I'm leaving for Thai this Thursday. Have the first half of my trip all booked / hotels ready. The last few days (16 to 22ish) I plan to go down to phi phi and see some of the islands around it. Should I be ok getting there and getting a room? or should I look to booking ahead? or possibly look at other islands?
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Nov 9, 2015 22:02
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Migz posted:Hey guys, I'm leaving for Thai this Thursday. Have the first half of my trip all booked / hotels ready. The last few days (16 to 22ish) I plan to go down to phi phi and see some of the islands around it. Should I be ok getting there and getting a room? or should I look to booking ahead? or possibly look at other islands? Yeah, you should be fine just turning up and getting a room on phi phi. Honestly, though, the island is tiny, expensive, and crazy overcrowded. It really depends on what you're looking for. The idyllic ideal of phi phi as some sort of little lost paradise is long, long gone, but the snorkelling is still pretty good, you can take cool longtail boat trips, and the nightlife is fun. You can also get drunk and have a muay thai fight with a stranger for a free bucket. If you want to just laze around on the beach and have quiet, chilled evenings with a few beers, I'd look somewhere else.
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Nov 9, 2015 22:10
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I have never actually found this mystical Lighthouse place, and I have tried looking for it on at least two different occasions before giving up and getting something in Haad Rin
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Nov 10, 2015 05:19
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Cheesemaster200 posted:I have never actually found this mystical Lighthouse place, and I have tried looking for it on at least two different occasions before giving up and getting something in Haad Rin http://lighthousebungalows.com/ When I went, I called them. It's also on the Lonely Planet guidebook. The Haad Rin storeowners/restauranteurs all know where it is, too.
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Nov 10, 2015 05:26
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Wear protective foot wear. There's going to be a lot of vomit and broken glass by the beach. Honestly it's just a large group of white people being dumb by the beach. Not much different from seeing frat boys back home
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Nov 10, 2015 05:58
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caberham posted:Wear protective foot wear. There's going to be a lot of vomit and broken glass by the beach. Honestly it's just a large group of white people being dumb by the beach. Not much different from seeing frat boys back home Hmm I've heard it's that as well as Israeli dudes who just finished military service. I have my hedonistic tendencies as well, though there's no way in hell I'd go near the full moon party. Just sounds like a perfectly nice beach gets puke, piss, poo poo, and cum all over it
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Nov 10, 2015 07:23
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And AIDS. Hey Chief when are you coming to HKG again? Im going to Europe next Week, be back early December.
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Nov 10, 2015 07:56
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Cheesemaster200 posted:I have never actually found this mystical Lighthouse place, and I have tried looking for it on at least two different occasions before giving up and getting something in Haad Rin Go to Had Rin and then call them and they'll send a dufus on a motorbike to take you there the first time.
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Nov 10, 2015 10:09
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caberham posted:Wear protective foot wear. There's going to be a lot of vomit and broken glass by the beach. Honestly it's just a large group of white people being dumb by the beach. Not much different from seeing frat boys back home Thanks for the info, y'all. Maybe I need to rethink this...
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Nov 10, 2015 10:57
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navyjack posted:Thanks for the info, y'all. Maybe I need to rethink this... Go to say you went. It's just one night where you can cut loose and go a bit crazy, and if you hate it Phangan has plenty of other places to go. Unless you go looking for trouble, it's just a pretty wild beach party. There are a disproportionate number of douchebags there, sure, but you won't even notice them if you're wasted on Sang Som and flailing your limbs around to dubstep. Please make sure you take everyone's advice and don't stay on Had Rin itself though, it's a bit of a hole. Bardeh fucked around with this message at 11:46 on Nov 10, 2015 |
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Nov 10, 2015 11:40
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Got my flights, arriving in Chiang Mai next month. What's the story with the boats that go to Laos, my friend lives in Chiang Rai and wants to try it but it sounds like one of those things that might be fun for an hour and then it's just a noisy uncomfortable smelly river ride.
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Nov 10, 2015 18:36
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navyjack posted:Thanks for the info, y'all. Maybe I need to rethink this... Like I said it's not that bad. I would feel okay walking around barefoot. Not 100% safe and I wouldn't go into the bars themselves but I've gone in sandals and it was fine. I had fun 2 out of the 2 times I went and I don't generally go in for that sort of thing and was back to reading Ulysses on my deck looking at Koh Samui the next day.
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Nov 11, 2015 00:17
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Yeah I had fun the two times I went as well (three times if you count the time I arrived sober at 9:30am to witness the aftermath - that was fun as well but a different kind of fun) and I normally am not that kind of dude. It's all about who you go with. If you're not going with a crew, it helps to arrive 3-4 days earlier to gather up a crew - there are lots of preparties happening and lots of people are looking for a crew to roll with.
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Nov 11, 2015 00:25
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Sheep-Goats posted:Go to Had Rin and then call them and they'll send a dufus on a motorbike to take you there the first time. For new arrivals, this is how literally everything works here. Someone calls someone, someone else helps out with something, something gets done. You can always just ask someone to call someone else to get things done - it works considerably better than shoving a map at someone or trying to explain an address (landmarks are best here). Just get phone numbers for everywhere and give them to everyone you need to get you to somewhere, heh. ReindeerF fucked around with this message at 06:28 on Nov 11, 2015 |
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Nov 11, 2015 06:26
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Especially on an island, where everybody's gonna know where everything is and who runs it.
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Nov 11, 2015 07:07
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Also, make sure to get the names of several migrant workers to blame in case you are accused of a crime. It saves the local police the time and effort trying to find a stooge and they will appreciate that.
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Nov 11, 2015 07:29
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I tried the Mark Wiens' recommendation that was mentioned earlier, Soei. The food was overwhelming. Each bite the flavors would roll over you like crushing waves. Impossible to keep a straight face. Very spicy and sour. It caused bad stomachs in two out of two diners. I would still recommend it though.
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Nov 11, 2015 10:55
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Glad to hear you went and enjoyed at least the eating part of it! Do you think the stomach issues are because you're not used to Thai spicy or did you actually get sick? My pipes always take a week or so to adjust to having Thai style spicy thrown at them 24/7 but once I'm through it, I'm good. I think I had a century egg today  It's on the left. It was in a curry so I didn't notice anything obnoxious about its flavour, it was creamy and good! The weirdest thing I've had so far is just straight up deep fried chicken - mostly bones. I assume the Thais chow down on them, but I couldn't enjoy it, I ate as much of the meat as I could and crunched through the smaller bones but there was spinal column in there which was too hard to eat without worrying about choking. It was served with deep fried kaifer leaves and julienned ginger with a really hot and tasty sauce. Anyone know what it's called so I don't order it again? I just asked for the most popular dish and that's what they have me, I can't speak sufficient Thai and they couldn't speak any English.  Posting from phone, forgive me! Ted Ed Fred fucked around with this message at 13:14 on Nov 11, 2015 |
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Nov 11, 2015 13:05
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I don't think you'll find many Thais crunching down on chicken bones, they just eat around them. It's just that in most places, they'll hack the chicken up willy nilly with a big cleaver so there are bones all over the place. I'm not sure what you'd call that dish there - 'Gai tort gap king' maybe? That's 'fried chicken with ginger'.
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Nov 11, 2015 13:28
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Thai people like to deep fry the husk of the chicken that's left over when you take all the regular parts off -- the stuff we make stock out of. The most common use I've seen for it is chopping it up and feeding it to dogs ("Thai dog not like farang dog, can eat anything") however Thai people sometimes gnaw on it after that kind of prep as well. Don't know why. I guess it's cheap.
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Nov 11, 2015 13:30
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Ted Ed Fred posted:Glad to hear you went and enjoyed at least the eating part of it! Do you think the stomach issues are because you're not used to Thai spicy or did you actually get sick? My pipes always take a week or so to adjust to having Thai style spicy thrown at them 24/7 but once I'm through it, I'm good. Nah, I didn't get sick. I can't remember having a stomach issue with Thai spicy before - it was just the sourness that did us in, I think. Note that the other person was borned and raised in Southern Thailand. Great food though, and it's fascinating how they got the flavors so intense w/ no hokus-pokus ingredients.
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Nov 11, 2015 13:51
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Has anyone been to Nakhon Sawon? I think I'm going to head there tomorrow to break up the journey back to BKK. I went past it and it looked good from the train station for a one night layover that's not lopburi or ayutthaya as I've been to both already. Hotel tips in the 200-800 baht range would be awesome, wiki travel has two but they're a bit old.
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Nov 11, 2015 15:27
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I think the first move out of BKK on a weekend in early December will in fact be down to the island of Ko Bulon Le: http://www.travelfish.org/location/thailand/southern_thailand/satun/ko_bulon_lae Maybe I'm helpless, but I think a nice week of semi-quietude will do me a world of good. If it's too boring or whatever, I'll just go back up the coast to like Ko Lanta or Krabi something. I might do that anyway in fact. Anybody ever hit up Bulon Leh? Looks like it's $45 one way BKK to Hat Yai. I think I can swing that.
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Nov 13, 2015 01:31
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No mains electricity but has 3g, lol. Bring a power pack If you go to Krabi, Ao Nang or Lanta are both nice and have tourist facilities, you will see a tonne of white people there. Ao Nang is more backpacker geared with beach bars and McDonalds, Lanta more laid back resorts and European families.
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Nov 13, 2015 04:10
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Thanks again for all the Thailand tips! Next up is Cambodia: I land in Phnom Penh on 21 November then leave Siem Reap on 2 December. I'm thinking no more than 2 nights for each city, and I'd like to spend the rest of the time just relaxing on a beach, so where should I be looking at going?
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Nov 13, 2015 07:19
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If you want actual nice beaches, go to one of the islands off Sihanoukville (Koh Rong Saloem/Koh Rong are the most popular ones). If you just want somewhere nice to relax and eat good food, head to Kep/Kampot. Keep in mind that 24th to 26th is a pretty major public holiday here (and a lot of people will take off the 23rd and 27th too), so places may be busier than usual.
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Nov 13, 2015 10:56
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Tytan posted:If you want actual nice beaches, go to one of the islands off Sihanoukville (Koh Rong Saloem/Koh Rong are the most popular ones). If you just want somewhere nice to relax and eat good food, head to Kep/Kampot. Kep vs Sihanoukville was the exact dilemma I had. Sihanoukville wins out since I'd rather not backtrack through Phnom Penh and I can just fly to Siem Reap instead. I talked to another friend who really liked Otres Beach, and I think Koh Rong only has electricity at night, right?
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Nov 13, 2015 12:22
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Thailand has better beaches  Kep is cool because there's also Kampot and Booker hill station nearby. Snookyville is like Phuket but with bigger cheapskates of sex tourists. The buses from PP and elsewhere in Cambodia are pretty fast, and cheap because it brings you from city centre to city centre
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Nov 13, 2015 18:09
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I'll be a voice of dissent here: the Full Moon Party is loving horrible. The music is poo poo. There are a dozen stages along the beach with DJ's playing the same lovely electronic music, but they're trying to compete with the stages 20 metres to either side so it's loud as gently caress and the beach ends up just being an enormous wall of loud, lovely, incomprehensible music. The people are poo poo. It's like they get to this beach and forget all social norms and suddenly think it's OK - or even encouraged - to act like a complete oval office. Broken glass is suddenly cool, so is puke. making GBS threads in the ocean only metres from thousands of people is OK, and so is loving in the ocean only a few feet from somebody making GBS threads. Ocean is generous. It's more a slurry of piss, poo poo, vomit, and semen. Violence, for no particular reason, is acceptable, and you haven't lived unless you've been scammed or robbed at a full moon party. Or arrested. The place is filthy. There's broken glass, turds, puke, and litter everywhere. Good luck if you choose to eat any of the food in such a filthy environment - you'll probably add to the collection of puke or poo poo. It's dangerous. People do stupid poo poo and get hurt. Speedboats deliver people to the beach, but aren't always successful at dodging the crowds of people making GBS threads, pissing, puking, and loving in the ocean. Railings at bars fail and people who were leaning against it end up in a big pile of broken limbs. People stand at the bottom of slides and get taken out by people sliding - more injuries. Strangely, some people love it. My friends say I'm just a grumpy old man but I'm utterly amazed that so many people enjoy it at all.
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Nov 14, 2015 00:54
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caberham posted:Thailand has better beaches I ended up in Phuket since I read the weather here is better compared to the Samui/Tao/Phangan trio during November and either way, isn't Cambodia still known for being a beach destination? I haven't gone to Patong at all and I'm enjoying Phuket. And like I said, I'm willing to pay to fly over taking the time backtracking through PP.
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Nov 14, 2015 01:39
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Finch! posted:I'll be a voice of dissent here: the Full Moon Party is loving horrible. Oh, I'm not saying it's not. It is the absolute worst. But it's possible to have a good time there basically if you get a good group and ignore all the music, lovely music, lovely people, lovely drugs.
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Nov 14, 2015 01:43
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It gives lovely Australian TV networks material for the next season of What Really Happens in Thailand, a show which is basically an advertisement for Australians being terrible
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Nov 14, 2015 08:40
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air- posted:Kep vs Sihanoukville was the exact dilemma I had. Sihanoukville wins out since I'd rather not backtrack through Phnom Penh and I can just fly to Siem Reap instead. I talked to another friend who really liked Otres Beach, and I think Koh Rong only has electricity at night, right? The main reason I suggest the islands is that Sihanoukville town itself always feels a bit sleazy to me. That said, the beaches are fine if you can put up with the occasional person trying to sell you stuff (Otres Beach is a bit quieter if I recall). Yeah I think electricity may be an issue on Koh Rong, since they rely on generators there. air- posted:isn't Cambodia still known for being a beach destination? caberham posted:Thailand has better beaches Pretty much this, but that's not to say Cambodian beaches are bad at all.
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Nov 14, 2015 09:58
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And if you think it's safer to swim at a pool near a full moon party, think again.
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Nov 14, 2015 11:48
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Tytan posted:The main reason I suggest the islands is that Sihanoukville town itself always feels a bit sleazy to me. That said, the beaches are fine if you can put up with the occasional person trying to sell you stuff (Otres Beach is a bit quieter if I recall). First time I went to Sihanoukville, I hadn't even crossed the beach to the water yet and saw a fat old Kraut with a hairy back getting a handy under his towel from a teenage girl.
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Nov 14, 2015 16:25
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Admittedly a bit of a moron, but I can't figure out in my exact situation whether or not I should apply for a visa. Coming from the US, I'd be visa exempt in Thailand. So 30 days visa exempt. But then I'd have to leave the country. Could I do that as a border run, and just go right back in at some later time? Currently, my flight's a round trip arriving BKK in December 2015 and departing BKK May 2016. I have no intention of being only in Thailand that whole time. My plans are roughly to be in Thailand for about 30-40 days, then head to Cambodia/Laos for an undetermined amount of time (at least 3-5 weeks total I imagine), then either Vietnam or Bali for ~2 wks, then definitely Vietnam for a solid month or so, then back through Thailand before departing in May. I guess the questions are thus: 1) If I just ride on the visa-exempt stamps for a while, will the immigration people at the airport get lovely when they see I'm not scheduled to depart officially until 6 months later? 2) Is it possible to get a second/third visa exempt stamp if I leave the country and then come back through at a later date? And how long? Pretty niche question but throwing it out there if someone has an answer. 3) Would just applying for a 60-day tourist visa up front and then later getting the exempt stamps upon re-entry to the country be my best bet? 4) Don't worry and just bribe everybody everywhere?
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Nov 14, 2015 22:18
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I did something similar: Bangkok to get the ball rolling on getting my passport renewed, went to Vietnam for about a month, flew back to Thailand, no questions asked. Your travel plans sound like you aren't gonna have back to back visa exempt stamps and you'll enter Thailand twice, correct? It's the back to back stamps that does piss off Thai immigration from what I understand... and hell even that is super subjective/a grey area. e: also ... having proof of onward travel would be a very smart idea in your case, though the only people who've asked are the airline checkin counters when I flew into Thailand. What type of travel are you planning? Land/air does matter. Tytan posted:The main reason I suggest the islands is that Sihanoukville town itself always feels a bit sleazy to me. That said, the beaches are fine if you can put up with the occasional person trying to sell you stuff (Otres Beach is a bit quieter if I recall). Yeah I think electricity may be an issue on Koh Rong, since they rely on generators there. Awesome! Any suggestions on where to stay? I'm eyeballing Wish You Were Here... looking for a social spot and I'm even ok with a party hostel since this is the last hostel I'll stay in for my entire trip. air- fucked around with this message at 07:11 on Nov 15, 2015 |
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Nov 15, 2015 06:54
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You can get your 30 day visa exemption extended at immigration for 1900 baht, or yeah get a 60 day visa at a Thai embassy before you arrive to cover that first long stretch. As for coming back, as long as you aren't exiting and reentering same day you will be fine.
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Nov 15, 2015 09:11
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