http://time.com/3955081/thailand-koh...burma-myanmar/

This **** happens all over Thailand. It's just more apparent in places like Samui and Koh Tao because locals and tourists go to the same bars. You're right about one thing though, there's really no reason to go to Koh Tao unless you're really into SCUBA diving.

The best place to do visa run from Chiang Mai is not Laos, it's Malaysia (surprising, I know, but I did some calculations):

Round trip CM - Kuala Lumpur (after january 7), is 3k bahts, there is no visa on arrival fee (for canadians, and other country from G7)

Round trip Chiang Mai - Laos is at best 7k bahts. If you take bus I think it's around 900 bahts to go and 1.2k to get back, + the visa on arrival of around 1.5k, total: 3.6k, and bus is very long.

I just checked for Bangkok: Round trip to Vientiane is same price as Kuala Lumpur, but you don't pay the 1.5k bahts visa on arrival in KL. Flights in Malaysia seem to be not expensive (if someone know why plz tell me!). Went you reach KL, you might have to go Penang for your visa, since it's hassle free, well, flight KL - Penang cost... 400 bahts!

Anyways, been a idiot, I have to leave Thailand before January 2 for visa run, I evalued all options and came with a great plan. Plane ticket to go Malaysia end december / beginning january is crazy expensive, so I did some calculations and there my plan (I already book my ticket).

Chiang Mai - BKK by Bus (600 bahts).
BKK - Hat Yai by plane (1k bahts).
Hat Yai - Padang Besar by bus (44 bahts), border.

Then, I have 2 options, take note that I am doing that visa run with my thai girlfriend (and we plan to stay Malaysia for about 1 week).

Option #1: Padang Besar to Butterworth by Train (240 bahts), then it's like 10 bahts ferry to Penang (take 15 min), then I just stay Penang like 4-5 days (can only do visa monday january 4), and then I take bus to KL (300 bahts or 450 bahts flight), stay there 3 days, and flight KL - CM around January 10 (1s).5k baht

Option #2: Padang Besar to Kangar by bus (40 bahts, about 1 hour), then I can either spend the night there or stay couple of hours then go to Alor Setar by bus again (same about 1 hour, 40 bahts), then I sleep there. The day after I go Penang by bus again (50 bahts), then I will stay 3-4 days, then go KL by bus (300 baht or 450 bahts flight) stay there 3 days, and flight KL-CM around january 10.

So, basically, i'm torn between going straight from Padang Besar to Penang by train, or doing a bus trip stopping at Kangar and Alor Setar, I know nothing about these two cities, is it worth stopping for a day or not?

Also, is there cities I should stop between Penang and KL? If anyone here have done Penang visa run before (especially crossing Penang Besar border), feel free to tell me what not to miss!

p.s: The reason why i'm doing my visa in Penang is that I heard that KL is a hassle to get your 60 days thai visa. Everything I read about Penang tell me it take 30 min and they don't ask questions.

Well the crowd hate is not because I hate crowds, just I've been living in Bangkok for awhile and just want a break from all of that. I've been to Phuket so just wanted to try something else.

Great tip, thanks.

Hmm I feel a little turned off of Ko Phi Phi and a lot by Ko Tao now..

But perhaps most islands will be more crowded this time of year

p.s: Bus in Laos is also way more expensive then Malaysia, but I think it's because it's very long to get from like... Luang Prabang to Vientiane. For some reason, transportation in Malaysia is almost free, make for a fun trip around many cities.

Must be fun to live south thailand, very cheap visa run to malaysia, or border run to Padang Besar, no visa on arrival, etc.

p.s: Can't go to Mae Sai (Burma border) to get out, and come back for 14 days by land, no longer available. It suck, my plan was to do that, and then fly mid-january CM - Malaysia for 3k bahts round trip =/

I guess this trip with my GF will be more fun, except the fact that we will spend new year eve in a bus =/

I don't think it happens everywhere at the same frequency. The UK foreign office safety warnings focus mainly on the Samui archipelago. And Thais I speak to say the South is rougher, there are phrases for it e.g. 'if you don't have rice in the North, someone will give you some, in the South you'll go hungry'. That Times article just about sums it up IMO.

People are calmer and higher educated on average in e.g. Bangkok and Chiang Mai and I feel super safe there. For beaches I don't see the need to go anywhere but Krabi, Hua Hin, Jomtien, and the nicer parts of Phuket.

You won't have any fun in Penang, it's the most boring place on Earth.

If you are looking for a fun place to apply for a new single entry tourist visa then I recommend Phnom Penh.

Phuket and Pattaya are no better than Samui. How safe you "feel" is utterly irrelevant. Those 2 British backpackers evidently felt safe enough to go drinking on the beach at night when they were raped and murdered. The truth is if all you know is what you have read then you don't really have much idea.

Phuket and Pattaya have much larger populations.

Besides the fact that there is a casino and a few miserable cheap hookers, PP is rather boring too, absolutly nothing to do daytime.
Penang isnt crazy fun either, but there is beaches and few things to see. Went there with thai gf and we both enjoyed. The fact that there is no visa fee is quite enjoyable also, it pisses me off to pay $30 to be allowed in a shathole like Vientiane.

The international bus all the way from vientiene down to udon thani was a whopping $2 USD, it was the cheapest bus ever

The beach in Penang (Batu Ferrenghi) is dead set awful and has a serious rip. You'd be better off in a hotel with a pool, which in Phnom Penh you can have for $30 a night. I get what you are saying about having to pay $30 to enter the country, but in all seriousness you'd make all of that back in 1 night of drinking since that's what you'll pay for 6 beers in Penang, whereas beer in Phnom Penh is basically free.

I would say there's a fair bit more to see in Phnom Penh in the daytime too. Tonle Sap river, killing fields, Russian Markets etc. About the only interesting thing in Penang are the Chinese Hawker markets. And Phnom Penh has plenty to do at nighttime, unlike Penang where the bars don't even open on weekdays.

hahha Brits drive on the same wrong side of the road as Thailand. Makes it super safe for us.

I don't drink =/

I like Vientiane more than Phnom Penh.

Maybe I just like boring

I disagree with Spiv. I always have a good time in Penang if i go for 2 nights. I enjoy some of the Indian food places and i know a few local people down there so we usually get pissed in the mini strip and dance to 15 year old hip-hop music in slippery's. (no wigger)

Also a good pool bar outside of GT that is fun, good tunes and nice chicks about. (no p4p tho)

There is also much more to Penang than just George Town which is mostly white dude's mopping around waiting for their visa to get down.

There are some very interesting heritage sites to visit and a chocolate museum.

However i imagine living there as a retired expat would get pretty boring pretty quickly.

So whats the place to be in Penang, if not Georgetown?

And whats up with visas? Easy or not? Agent or not?

On a totally unrelated note, how do I find a bisexual girl (no P4P) for some 3way fun? I cant find those filters on the dating sites. Is there a special place in Bangkok where lot of lesbians hangout?

GT is the best place to stay because it is where the cheapest hotels are and most localized bar areas. It is also the best place to find a visa agent. Google "Ravi Sharma Geroge Town Peneng".

I have always had a top notch service from this small travel agent. He has been in the same office and working with the thai consulate for over 12 years.

You think walking is hard... Every day on my scooter I pull out of my condo and into the wrong lane. I think a scooter is probably harder than a car, as at least in a car you're sitting in the right hand seat while driving.

^^^^ this guys 2p2 name and profile picture, so many wierdos in TL it makes me feel normal

k2d's thailand fact of the day gaining popularity i see

Yo everybody !
So i'm finally moving soon to thailand ! (thanks again for all the help )
I'm gonna stay only 2 weeks but obv want to game a bit to pass time and have fun
I guess girls on the street don't speak english so kinda dead for spu ?...
then i'm probably gonna go for online to get some dates with cute and interesting thai girls, what do you recomend as dating sites ? my criteria is basically having girls that lives in chiang mai, speaking english, and preferably a free site ("language/cultural exchange" cover bull**** is fine as well obv, but only if people have pictures not only names)

Oh and where would i get the least ****ed up on monney change ? atm or some cash vs bath exchange shop or something might be cheaper ?

Also if some people here are living in chiang mai and want to meet up i'm ****ing down

ThaiFriendly is the most commonly used site.

Yeah it's not so easy finding cute non-working girls here who speak English. For a 2 week holiday I suggest grinding the p4p scene and/or easing up on the "cute and interesting" requirement and grind TF.

Super Rich money exchange in the old city

just follow k2d's style and tell every girl you walk by "sawatdii krap, pom cheuu nai seua puying, khun glap baan gap pom dai mai"

Hahaha I actually managed to meet my ex-girlfriend at Spicy nightclub in Chiang Mai, believe it or not. Better than average looking and going to uni to study English. Super nice girl who f*cked like a champ. Spoke good enough English. I was on two month holiday so I thought what the heck, why not get date some girl who can show me around. Great times for sure.

Somehow I got roped into the long-distance thing when I went home...she cheated on me within a week (her idiot friend posting pics on Facebook of her in some dude's bed). So of course I broke up with her. She loves the white tourist c*ck for sure. I was being naive to think a girl I met in Spicy wouldn't cheat. Master at the innocence card. Oh well, I got over it pretty fast. Sluts, I tell ya...