i have no tips except that going through a travel agent is going to be cheaper than booking your own fair online, at least in my experience.

also when you get here pm me if you want to get a drink or something

Travel agents usually just add a fee for something you can do yourself. Thai Airways has flights there with a stopover at bkk, so just book online.

Bill,

I have a feeling you're ****ed, but try asia air.

Planning on travelling to SE Asia in the next few months, and definitely want to spend time in Thailand.

What are some reallly awesome beaches to swim and snorkel and all that jazz at? Scuba diving somewhere reputable sounds cool too. I'm from Australia, so maybe an Australian could give advice because we have really amazing beaches here, so would want to see similar quality or better!

Any suggestions about a cooking school? Love cooking, and here in Aus, Thai is like the most common cuisine anywhere.



haha, well put.

Yeah, it seems rather YUGH.

Blue elephant bangkok
elite cooking classes

true for train tickets yes (like 100 baht commission at the most) but for flights i'm not so sure. i saved ~4k baht booking with a travel agent vs. the price i would have had to pay online for my flights to siem reap and back.

For diving and snorkelling, check out Ko Tao. It's a small, prertty island that is a haven for divers coming to Thailand

just to reiterate, anyone who comes to chiang mai feel free to pm me for drinks, food, whatever

my girlfriend lives here but she works a lot and i've done practically all the touristy **** around here, so right now i'm not doing much.

I've posted about diving and snorkeling in this thread (or the other Thai thread) as have others; worth searching.

Koh Tao, the Similans and up into Burma are some amazing dives. Go on a liveaboard, even if you think you can't afford it. You can't afford to miss it.

Snorkeling can be good to excellent, depending on where you go. I know of some great places around Phuket, but Koh Adang and Lipe are also AMAZING for just putting on a mask and going out (but can be harder to get to). Don't waste your time on snorkel trips to Phi Phi. Go if you're there, but the boat trips specifically for it (you'll see ads for them all over, the 10 in 1 daytrips; you know, snorkel, lunch, ride elephant, see monkey show etc etc, rush rush rush) are horrible and terrible, as you probably already expect.

If you have time, I'd really recommend the Perhentians in NE Malaysia. The snorkeling was top notch there. Sharks, turtles, eels, etc etc, all right off the beach. Easy to get there from south Thailand, if you don't mind bomby railway stations...

As far as cooking schools, all the hotels and some restaurants offer them. However, Chotechitr (also spelled Chote Chitr) which is in the Banglamphu area and is Bangkok's new culinary superstar thanks to a review in the NYTimes, does cooking classes. The woman who runs it brings small groups of people on market excursions and then teaches some of her dishes once a week.

Sadly, the website is down (possibly due to so much traffic) so I can't provide any more info. However, there is a PHENOMENAL food blog run by a Bangkok expat: RealThai. He lists info on how to get there here http://austinbushphotography.com/200...non-tanao.html

I also think the owner speaks English, so it may be worth calling to ask. That would be my recommendation instead of spending a **** load on how to make fried rice and spring rolls at the Oriental or something. I think that cooking classes in Chiang Mai are pretty good, if you look around and happen to be up there.

Also, the Blue Elephant, it may be worth mentioning that it is a chain of restaurants, cooking schools and supermarket ready sauces etc that started out of London, not Bangkok. In case you're into authenticity. Not sure how the food is, I never ate there. But their business model seems to be working.

Well, I did it. Just booked a one way flight for June 29th. Quitting my job in NYC and moving out there. Is it hard to find a job? I play fairly low stakes online and don't really want to support myself that way. Don't have any of the teaching certificates either. I am in contact with a resort/spa company that is based out of BKK so at least I have somewhere to look.

I was in Thailand for a month in '06 and needed to get away from the US for a little while. Is it difficult to obtain a work visa? When I was there before, most of the expats would do border runs every 30 days or so to keep their visas current. I heard they changed this recently but not sure. I'll post again when I'm out there and maybe someone will want to meet up for a drink or 2. I'll either live in BKK or Phuket.

Regarding the work thing.
Is very easy to become a English conversation teacher. I'm from Denmark and my high school degree was more then enough to get me a job, I ended up saying no to a job. But it's very easy to get, even easier when you are a native English speaker.
You will not get a visa by teaching. It doesn't make much sense, since you work 'illigaly', employed by the government in the public school system. "This is Thailand" is the way the job agency explained it
The job pays just about $1000 a mouth, depending on experience.

I still got the number for the agency if you want it.

OTL, you could probably live decently in Laos from playing $10NL or just your rakeback from $25NL+

I want to go so bad

So I've decided to move to Thailand with my gf in the beginning of August. It will be a one way ticket. We're unsure about which visa to get though. The 90 day nonmigrant visa seems to require you have a specific purpose for moving (work/missionary/research/etc) and I'm not sure how we'd fill it out. Should we just get the 30 days and do border runs? Is there ever any possibilities of problems getting it renewed?

EDIT: Also, we both have computer science degrees from a major university in the states if this might influence what sort of visas we should go for?

Best Option:
1 year Non immigrant O visa

2nd Option:
double entry 60+30 Tourist Visa (total 180 days)

3rd Option:
single entry 60+30 TOurist Visa (total 90 days)

Worst Option:
Visa on arrival stamp (30 days)
Only 3 of these may obtained within any rolling 180 day period

contact you local Thai embassy and ask them about their requirements for the Non Imm O. If they are too stringent then jst go for either a double or single entry Tourist visa which should be easy to obtain.

gg Thailand. 5 hours until I fly home...

Are you able to constantly live in Thailand on these? I heard they changed the rules, so you could only live there for 3 months, at which time you'd have to leave Thailand for 3 months before returning.

I thought you were a permanent Thai-grinder.

Any plans on coming back?

newteabag, is it possible to get the non-im O @ laos?

Thanks for the info.

When I go to the consulate to apply for the visa, what sort of questioning should I expect? I'm not sure what I'd say my reason for visiting is, or profession. If I just say tourism is that likely to reduce my chances of getting the type O? Or am I overcomplicating this all? Can I just go in, request the type 0 yearly and be more or less set after filling out a form and paying some cash?

I doubt it, they wouldn't even give him the double visa.

I'm arriving around the end of this month. Staying about a month. I figure I will rent a sweet apartment somewhere. I was looking on that 9apartment.com but I'm not sure what area I should aim for. Any recommendations of areas to look for/avoid?

This site should help you out a bit

http://www.bangkok-and-apartment-gui...hborhoods.html

to anybody who wants a type O non immigrant visa just call around every embassy in your respective country and you should find somebody to give you one.

If you are from the UK just apply through the Hull embassy, they don't give a ****.

I am looking for a house to rent in Phuket and Bangkok for 5 people for a month only the person that finds me a few options, and is very specific on why this will be a good choice I will ship them 20 bucks.