Bangkok Reports

[QUOTE=The Pro; 1165974]Same goes for Thailand, its accepted as with Japan they view foreigners are not knowing and also uncaring anti-social ignorants.

However THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NOTIHNG WRONG WITH GIVING A WAI TO ANYONE who has given a wai to you first. In fact you will be considered a good farang by Thai's, better than the ones who do not wai.

[/QUOTE]Completely and utterly incorrect. Most Thais do not perceive us as "good farangs" no matter how much we wai or do not wai.

Many just look at us as sex tourists, which is why you almost never see a white skinned Bangkok girl from a proper family and good upbringing with a farang. Don't believe me? Read this: [url]http://www.stickmanbangkok.com/Reader/reader1844.htm[/url]

[QUOTE=Syzygies;1166269]I for one, am working on improving my politeness in Thailand, but still have lapses caused by being angry.[/QUOTE]Maybe you should work on the anger before the politeness.

[QUOTE=GregLondon; 1166042]I'm thinking of bringing a Filipina GF with me to Thailand. One option is to fly with her from the Phils another for her to fly by herself. She has got a newly minted passport with no previous travel.

My understanding is that as a member of ASEAN she can get a 30 day visa waiver. Under scenairio B where she flies alone my understanding os that she will need:

1 A confirmed RETURN ticket.

2 Confirmed hotel booking or similar proof of accommodation.

3 A letter from me guaranteeing that I will cover her expenses during the trip.

Is this correct? Does the letter 3 need to be authorized in some way if so how?

If we got for option A where I travel with her I presume that 2 and 3 are no longer necessary as I can just waive my credit cars and say I will pay for everything is this right?

Is a RETURN ticket still necessary? Ideally we would like to get 1 way then maybe travel overland to other places.

We are thinking of a 45 day stay. One option is a 30 dayvisa waiver then a visa run to the border getting another 15 days. Another option would be a 60 day visa can on eobtain these on arrival or is itnecessary to buy that in advance?

Any feedback and info appreciated. [/QUOTE]Thanks for the feedback to date.

I know it's going to be tough if she is travelling alone. Another Phil ex GF of mine was recently refused passage on her flight to Singapore (where she was due to meet her American BF and then fly on to Bali for what was supposed to be a celebration of their engagement. She was taken away fro a heavy interrogation and they concluded that she didn't have enough money (she had 6000P in cash only) to support herself with no verified letter of support from her BF) She was devastated as had been looking forward to her first ever foreign trip for months and they later split up.

I doubt we have time to get the 60 day visa as she is not in manila and plan to travel ina few days. Someone said she can get an additional 30 days in an overland visa run, have the rules for all foreighn ers changed or is this a ASEAN thing?

[QUOTE=NicFrenchy; 1166228]One should NEVER Wai the Following People:

- Taxi Drivers.

- Cashiers.

- Shop Attendants.

- Cleaning Staff.

- Waitresses.

- Kids or Anyone Younger than you.

A nod and a smile are more than enough. [/QUOTE]That's not a bad list; I think mostly I smile and nod at these people, because usually it's just a commercial transaction with them anyway, there is no connection being made. However, if for example I spill something on the floor, I might wai at the cleaning lady who rushes to clean it up. I don't give a fuck if it's considered stupid by traditional thai people who might consider a cleaning lady low-status. I don't.

I wouldn't stone to death an unveiled woman if I were living among the talibans either. There is a line where "do as locals do" must stop. I understand if one has to be guarded in a business context, where face might win or lose a deal and you can't know what kind of prejudices the client has. But in your daily life, I don't believe this is stuff one should worry about. In my experience, truly Hi-so, well-educated folks feel the same way. The ones who worry too much about class usually don't have much of it to begin with.

[QUOTE=NicFrenchy;1166228]What makes me laugh is all these ignorant Farangs who thing Wai-ing is going to get you brownie points in the eyes of the Thais. What a crack of shit...[/QUOTE]I think I agree with everything you said, Nic, but pray tell: what is "a crack of shit"? :)

[QUOTE=GregLondon; 1166300]I know it's going to be tough if she is travelling alone. Another Phil ex GF of mine was recently refused passage on her flight to Singapore (where she was due to meet her American BF and then fly on to Bali for what was supposed to be a celebration of their engagement. She was taken away fro a heavy interrogation and they concluded that she didn't have enough money (she had 6000P in cash only) to support herself with no verified letter of support from her BF)

I doubt we have time to get the 60 day visa as she is not in manila and plan to travel ina few days. Someone said she can get an additional 30 days in an overland visa run, have the rules for all foreighn ers changed or is this a ASEAN thing?[/QUOTE]Hi Greg, there are many Filipinas who stay in KL. They do visa runs to Thailand all the time. Its quite normal and as long as you get her into BKK you sohuld be able to do a Malaysia visa run. It works equally well in reverse.

A filipina friend of mine is waiting to get her passport (see Manila report from last weekend) and I'm wondering where I will take her first, whether to BKK, Singapore or HK. I've taken many Filipinas, and Indonesians to Singapore in past and never had problem yet, but we all know the rules and how the game is played can change from time to time. Certainly the return ticket is a manadatory one.

[QUOTE=Daddy07;1166336]I think I agree with everything you said, Nic, but pray tell: what is "a crack of shit"? :)[/QUOTE]That's when you really have to go to a Thai toilet and there's no butt gun, or paper! Of course, then the bucket of water must do.

Of course, the French language is a little different, so it may have another meaning. ;)

[QUOTE=GregLondon; 1166300]Thanks for the feedback to date.

I know it's going to be tough if she is travelling alone. Another Phil ex GF of mine was recently refused passage on her flight to Singapore (where she was due to meet her American BF and then fly on to Bali for what was supposed to be a celebration of their engagement. She was taken away fro a heavy interrogation and they concluded that she didn't have enough money (she had 6000P in cash only) to support herself with no verified letter of support from her BF) She was devastated as had been looking forward to her first ever foreign trip for months and they later split up. [/quote]I'm amazed by hearing that because anywhere over the world is the country where you travel to that can impose this kind of restrictions, not the one that you leave. What about the millions of Philippino that leave the country to seek work and do not have a work permit intially. Seriously, I would check the legality of this with a lawyer and possibly have him accompany her to the airport.

[quote]I doubt we have time to get the 60 day visa as she is not in manila and plan to travel ina few days.[/quote]Visa are normally issued the day following the application.

[quote]Someone said she can get an additional 30 days in an overland visa run, have the rules for all foreighn ers changed or is this a ASEAN thing?[/QUOTE]The visa exemption rules are the same for any country the visa exemption applies to. Once out of the country, one can try to re-entry for 30 days more, even if refused can always go the consulate and get the Visa. This if course only practicable when traveling by land.

GL,

Also remember that overstay is fined 500 Baht a day, so in some cases it can be more convenient to just pay up.

From what I've heard, previous overstays do not make a reason for being denied a visa or visa exemption.

[QUOTE=Syzygies; 1166269]Barely enough! If what you claim were true, the "Wai back" would not exist at all in Thailand. So Nic only Wais his superiors / elders and they never Wai back? :confused:

When Thai kids and younger people Wai their elders, do they get a Wai back? Of course they do (usually).

Its vaguely like if a Thai were in a western country, we put out our hand to shake his or her hand, and the Thai refuses to shake hands, thinking that its not necessary (and the hand may well be very dirty).

In general Farangs are in far more danger of being rude or ignorant of Thai customs than of being over polite (as Chill Out points out). I for one, am working on improving my politeness in Thailand, but still have lapses caused by being angry.

Look I partially agree, but the NEVER was too strong. I give a taxi driver, or bar waitress a tip, and get a quick little Wai from them, I probably wouldn't bother to Wai back in this case. Yes just a nod would be okay But when two people have some regular or close relationship (not a sexual one) or in formal circumstances, and one Wais the other, then probably should get a Wai back.[/QUOTE]Well said!

Some people only know about Thailand what they read from others who do not know, leading to many who do not actually know the ins and outs of it all.

Hey guys,

Just wanted to let you know that I'm having no trouble finding freelancers to take 500 baht for ST. Sure they'll quote 1000 or 1500 if I ask, but many are accepting 500.

It's interesting that many of the posts I've seen lately are quoting much higher rates.

[QUOTE=New Old Guy; 1166366]I'm amazed by hearing that because anywhere over the world is the country where you travel to that can impose this kind of restrictions, not the one that you leave. What about the millions of Philippino that leave the country to seek work and do not have a work permit intially. Seriously, I would check the legality of this with a lawyer and possibly have him accompany her to the airport.

Visa are normally issued the day following the application.

The visa exemption rules are the same for any country the visa exemption applies to. Once out of the country, one can try to re-entry for 30 days more, even if refused can always go the consulate and get the Visa. This if course only practicable when traveling by land. [/QUOTE]Yes you would have thought that wouldn't you but I'm afraid having spoken to quite afew people its fairly common for Philippines airlines and immigartion people to cause all sorts of hassles. The issue for them is that given the wage differentials its pretty attractive for penniless phil girls to try to hop on a plane to Singapore or BKK in the hope of earning enough there to pay for their flight. They therefore try to enforce the standard visa regulations to the absolute letter in order to deter as many as possible. This includes insisting on Return tickets, booked accommodation and proof of financial status, things which they just ignore if you area western traveller. If the girl can actually get on the plane she will generaly be OK at Thai Sing immigration, getting on the plane is the hurdle.

If you check with the Thai Embassy on line it states that Filipinos qualify fro a 30 day visa waiver. We tried to book a ticket at aCebu travel agent today and they insisted that they could not sell a ticklte unless you had a 14 day return ticket.

I need to hear from guys who have actually had experience of taking Phil girls into Thailand to find out what the situation in reality is.

GregLondon:

Overland Visas are only 15 days now I believe. Only flying into Thailand gets you 30 days.

[QUOTE=Cwomd; 1166413]GregLondon:

Overland Visas are only 15 days now I believe. Only flying into Thailand gets you 30 days. [/QUOTE]That is right. I stand corrected.

[QUOTE=New Old Guy;1166186]Wow, one thing is not being allowed in, another not being allowed out, with a valid passport."Legality of travel" really seems a communist country concept. What a fukced up country it must be.[/QUOTE]It is not really a fucked up rules and regulations. According to my friends in Phi who advised me not to take the girls out of the country is few years ago any and all of the Phi people could travel anywhere. It was not the problem of Phi immigration if for whatever reason the specific country did not allow them in. It seems lots of people travelled with fake documents like job offer and financial support documents etc. Even the countries in question allowed them in on those papers.

Next thing is whoever brought them in could not find jobs for them and abandoned them. Only thing these people could do is go to the Phi embassy and ask for help. Phi embassy had to pay for their ticket back home with no hope of ever getting re-imbursed.

After countless cases like this Phi government started checking the papers and the legality at the source. When the immigration stops the people from boarding the persons loose their air-ticket unless they have a refundable fare. Since most of the fares are non.refundable these days there is no way to get the money back not counting how much money the person invested in transportation from home, other logistics etc.

Unfortunately the law is not selective towards tourism travel. All Phi people irrespective are scrutinized.

Befor I wanted to take my GF from Leyte to China but my friends told me it is better to take her local tourism and enjoy. It was a big dissappointment for her.

Even in Hong Kong I have personally seen many single girls escorted by police back on the plant I was travelling obviously were refused entry. The police stayed till the doors were closed.

Irrespective of Visa free rules immigration people can block entry.

If anybody has a thirld world poor country passport, they become targets for questioning and discrimination irrespective of laws.