its not about the 8baht, I just dont like being played the fool. I have friends who come here for 2 weeks, and they were haggling over 50 baht on a 2100 fake watch. its the same principle.

this is prob true also

Yep. The best thing to do is take his number and Id. File a report at the local police station and then get the report translated and notarized by a lawyer. This serves two purposes. Firstly you can claim the 8Baht back from your travel insurance and secondly when the case gets to court you can be sure the police report was filed correctly as per the event.

Next file a complaint with the local M.P who will in turn investigate said motorcye stand and the bike rider in question and get his side of the story etc.

Should only cost about 4000B-6000B to get all sorted.

you're suppose to haggle on merchandise there...but you're not suppose to cry about 26 cents...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhybHLrWUMY

cool guess i should pay 50%+ mark up every time I get into a taxi or motobike taxi, and not be upset that ive been taken advantage of because 12p in my home country is not alot of money, so ill happily let these guys rip me off.

oh my mistake...I thought this only happened just the one time and you're crying about it....

lol PE, reporting your local motosai dudes over 8 baht is just really not that smart.

Best you can do is have a chat to him next time u see him. Just make sure you don't get angry tho. Happy thoughts lad

and we are back on the busto pride levelling again. yawn...

For people on ED visas:

Is Cambodia an option for getting the visa done or are you restricted to making the trek to Laos for 9 hours each way. I'm hearing conflicting things. 7,000 for these agencies to take you there and back just seems absurd.

Cambodia is fine. You can get public pus to poipet for about 190 baht each way and use poipet agent if u r desperate to save some cash. Or just fly to phnom penh

I just got some 2K flights to hcm and got mine there which was easy (no queues at that embassy) and fairly cheap.

were you get the flights from AA?


im looking to fly to India, then my return flight to Burma, anyone know a site were you can do this, or should I just buy two single way tickets, thanks

Just to be clear, I can transfer a tourist visa to an ED visa in Poipet? I'm not really looking for the cheapest possible option (although I don't want to spend more than I need to), but rather the quickest and most convenient option from Bangkok. I need to get back here asap after I leave for the visa run, which is why a 3+ day trip to Laos is not what I want to do.

got all the extra paperwork for the ED visa yet?

my school runs a trip for more like 5k and that includes the 1k laos on arrival visa, the 2k for the ED visa, the hotel you'll stay in while you wait overnight for the visa to be processed, and food. seems reasonable to pay that to get people to do everything for you

if u looking for speed poipet prob isn't the best cos its a 2 or sometimes 3 night wait. (they have to send a dude to poipet while you wait)

you can do HCM overnight if you get the airasia flight which arrives at 0915, head straight to embassy, then get flight out at 1755 next day.

I used to do same day tourist visas in penang malaysia but no idea what the deal is with them lately.

jspills option sounds good if it's overnight and prob less stressful than rushing about yourself. Visa runs aren't generally overpriced when you factor everything in

You're right about the price being fair. I'm more frustrated about the fact that I even need to take the trip to begin with. I'm working for a language school whose Thai HR manager keeps insisting that I need to switch from a tourist visa to an ED visa during probation then to a Non Immigrant B visa with a work permit. Her reasoning is that it's illegal to work on a tourist visa. I'm having a hard time explaining to her that it's also illegal to work on an ED visa (or any visa in the absence of a work permit). I have a feeling she's making me do this visa run twice on my own dime just because it's "the way we do it" (as she told me the other day). I'm just annoyed that I've got to waste the 2nd entry I already bought in the US for my tourist visa and do this Laos trip twice even though I'm on full-time.

Oh well. I'll look around more and see if I can find a group that will get me to Laos for around 5K. Thanks for the reply, Jspill.

You can get the ED visa at any consulate, from BKK it's probably easiest to fly to Kuala Lumpur or Penang. I'm going to Penang to get my Ed Visa tomorrow, will write a report.

you gonna do that trip ever

^ i did it myself, 700 baht overnight sleeper train each way, can buy valium over the counter in Laos and just sleep through it on way back

stayed in 'soutchai travel' guesthouse, best rooms, cheap, lots of free computer terminals, helpful staff

yeah that sounds shady. i've taught temporarily on a tourist visa before, for schools and agencies, they said it's fine as they can just say they're 'in the process' of getting your work permit sorted, if they're ever even questioned

They wouldn't be questioned. Even if they were, all the part time teachers there (most of the teachers on staff) are on ED visas, so they'd be completely screwed if Thai immigration came in, but they're not going to. They just cant seem to grasp the fact that there's no difference (legally) between working on a tourist visa and working on an ED visa. Both are illegal in the absence of a work permit.

They are in the process of getting my work permit prepared, but I've got to go through probation until about November before they'll give it to me. I like the school a lot and it's a good and very easy job (no lesson planning whatsoever) and pays well at about 47K per month. It's owned by some British guys who are very nice and competent, but they're relying on advice from this Thai woman in HR who keeps telling them it HAS to be done this way. It doesn't have to be done this way, but she won't budge and now I'm gonna have to pay for 2 visa runs plus the salary I'll be docked for days I'm missing for travel time. I want to strangle this tw@t. So frustrating.

vientiane was pretty worry free trip too. did it in april and few of my friends have done it since then. never heard anyone saying anything good about KL so would rather do vientiane again if i need to. cheap and relaxed there

Penang is a much better place than KL to do it imo, just because you can take your stuff into one of the visa agents on Chulia street and get them to do it for you. In KL you have to wait in line at the consulate yourself.

Vientiane isn't really an option from Samui, it's either KL or Penang.

I hope you've done your research on Burma mate, especially as far as what money you need to take in, otherwise you will be up **** creek, there are no ATMs there etc.

so what do you do for money in burma? just spend what you bring in? any other options?

They want US dollars but they have to be in mint condition, and I really mean A1 mint condition or they just won't take them. No creases, no tears, no markings or writing on them. They have got to be kept flat and not folded when your there as creases are not acceptable.

If you don't take enough in that condition you're stuffed as there are no ATMs and nowhere apart from a couple of top end hotels will take credit cards.