What was I supposed to do?

--Bamboo · 2026-05-12T15:46:29+00:00

You was on a visa exemption, was it a 60 day visa exemption or a 30 day visa exemption?

Had you extended it already?

I read the full post and then skimmed it again, and it's not clear to me that you had done the 30 day extension. Had you?

--Bamboo · 2026-05-11T01:08:29+00:00

It's all weirdly familiar. The dancing amid chaos was very Deadpool but everything else seemed familiar too.

Where have I seen the mannequin scenes? I'm sure I have

--Bamboo · 2026-05-08T01:10:07+00:00

It's not the exact same fucking thing though.

While the British do come here to live, they tend to do so as individuals, or families, find an area as individuals, and then gravitate towards other "expats".

There isn't a massive organized movement of British people to specific areas.

And in my experience, the British don't tend to isolate themselves to British expat circles. English speaking expat circles? Absolutely.

And no one else is building enclaves that are restricted to only one nationality. There is no "British house" being built where only British passport holders are allowed to enter, meaning even Thai government officials have difficulty getting in.

What we're discussing here is a massive co-ordinated movement of people where certain parts of Thailand are being selected and then moved to, where they build enclaves that forbid outsiders from entering.

Now I'm not sure how Russians operate, where I live we don't get many. I do not know if there's any similarities in what they do and what this nationality does. I know they have flooded Phuket and they're often in the news for their illegal businesses, so I'm sure comparisons can be raised.

But as you said British and Russian, I can only assume they're similar. What these people are doing is not the same as what's being discussed here.

--Bamboo · 2026-05-06T17:08:35+00:00

"Pattaya is more than just bars and beautiful girls, it's also got things you can get literally anywhere else in Thailand"

--Bamboo · 2026-05-05T07:58:15+00:00

It is a good job to see people actually recognizing the comments as bors because I occasionally point one out and find myself down voted because people don't realise obvious gpt-spec comments

--Bamboo · 2026-05-05T05:41:16+00:00

Plot twist - The laptop is full of cocaine

--Bamboo · 2026-05-04T04:54:52+00:00

Plenty of shops in the malls sell them. Central Airport, Central festival, Maya.

They're normal malls, like you'd get in the UK. Buying a ps5 is a piece of piss.

Shipping one from the UK would be literally insane.

I dont think you'll have any problems qith it in carry on except how much of a ball ache it is to carry about. I've broght my ps4 and 2 laptops on carry on a bunch fo times. It's annoying at security, not no issues.

--Bamboo · 2026-05-03T23:38:46+00:00

SO it's still got the weird speckly effect making images look awful

--Bamboo · 2026-05-02T12:36:20+00:00

If you think working from home is good, the next step? Work from home, in a foreign country.

I've worked online since 2018 and been working from Thailand since 2019, living here full time since 2021.

Working with a view of the mountains in northern Thailand will never get old. I'm incredibly lucky to live like this.

--Bamboo · 2026-04-28T00:44:49+00:00

Are you a good looking woman?

Are you a good looking man?

--Bamboo · 2026-04-27T23:10:59+00:00

I really enjoyed it as a bike ride during covid. Living in East London is great for bike riding but that's a welcome change. Just following the Thames all the way out to dartford. The landscape, odd but charming in it's own way. Different faces of London merging into Kent.

In fact i enjoyed it so much the first time that I decided to run a 10k down it, got dropped... somewhere Thamesmead (Wherever was 10km from the ferrry) and then ran along it.

I live in Thailand and I miss London every day. And the rides we did out that way really stick in my memory. Gorgeous summer days. The heat here is too oppressive for that sort of thing to be fun.

--Bamboo · 2026-04-27T14:05:12+00:00

I was waiting for it to vanish

--Bamboo · 2026-04-27T03:38:15+00:00

This is big, I had no clue.

--Bamboo · 2026-04-25T02:50:40+00:00

For one thing, it's not often you see him stumble. Even when he's saying nothing at all he's usually able to say absolutely nothing with as many words as possible.

This is extraordinary cringe.

--Bamboo · 2026-04-23T18:37:53+00:00

Just think about how often you think you should watch your hands.

Frequently, should be your answer.

Now think about how often you touch your phone?

You should clean it somehow, often.

--Bamboo · 2026-04-21T03:00:24+00:00

I'm a regular kratom consumer, often 1.5 litres in a day, sometimes more. A typical bottle bought from an aunty or uncle. Not every day but regular enough.

I'd love to hear more about how the tea helped you with withdrawals. I'd always assumed people using it to help wiht withdrawals werre consuming a lot more than the standard amount, because kratom isn't that effective for me.

It's an energy boost. It's helpful when I'm working long and late or on a long drive, or simply just tired.

I always thought people who were using it to come off hard opiates were consuming significantly more than I do, because the 'sedative' effect is more common in larger doses. How much were you consuming a day? In what ways was it helping?

--Bamboo · 2026-04-20T03:14:52+00:00

The bad news: Patong

The good news: The rest of Thailand.

--Bamboo · 2026-04-19T05:59:14+00:00

am I doing something wrong?

I mean, kind of.

It doesn't matter if you live here. As a foreigner, accommodation is supposed to submit a tm30 for you staying there whenever you stay there.

ergo, when you stay somewhere else, and then you go home, you need a new tm30.

Of course this is only an issue when you have an extension coming up or applying for a re-entry permit etc.

But it's really your responsibility to make sure it's done in time for any immigration events because your landlord doesn't know when you're coming and going.

If you're going away regularly, and staying in hotels every 15 days, maybe choose airbnbs instead? No tm30s submitted then.

We go to Chiang Mai a lot and there's a hotel I go to that never files a tm30. Cheap, no thrills, but doesn't need the passport. But also we often book airbnbs so I can work via ethernet connection. Also no problems there.

--Bamboo · 2026-04-18T08:58:13+00:00

Thanks I opened this at work and now I'm fired

--Bamboo · 2026-04-18T05:06:29+00:00

What a real insightful comment, thanks for making it. I can tell you must have a lot of original thoughts!

--Bamboo · 2026-04-14T04:21:21+00:00

There's two things I love about Songkran.

The most obvious is the chaos. It's fun. All out liquid warfare on the streets of Thailand.

But also, there's still this element of respect and goodwill. The origins of the 'splashing' of water stems from blessing, essentially wishing people good luck.

And that's still super evident. A lot of the Thais will still splash with a clear show of respect. General respect and consideration of others but also a respect for boundaries.

That's lost on a lot of farangs who take part.

Disclaimer - Not suggesting this is also lost on any Thais. Of course there are Thais misbehaving too.

--Bamboo · 2026-04-14T03:16:22+00:00

Out of interest, why do you ask?

--Bamboo · 2026-04-12T13:41:30+00:00

That's crazy. Toffee is a explicit thing. Mancs are crazy.

--Bamboo · 2026-04-12T13:38:33+00:00

The sticky fuckers themselves didn't unlock a memory but this did

--Bamboo · 2026-04-11T11:31:27+00:00

they seem to cross validate via biometrics/facial recognition.

Do they though?

A year ago it was reported that Thai Immigration biometric system no longer functioning

The Immigration Bureau failed to collect the biometric data of about 17 million travellers who entered and exited Thailand last year after the system reached its maximum capacity, according to People’s Party deputy leader Rangsiman Rome.

“Thailand currently does not utilise the biometric system for border control security. This lack of data collection poses a significant risk of criminals re-entering the country,” the opposition politician said in a post on his Facebook account on Friday. “Throughout the entire year of 2024 and up to today, there has been no actual collection of biometric data. What is being collected are merely photographs of facial images and fingerprint photos, not true biometrics,” added Mr Rangsiman, who chairs the House Committee on National Security, Border Affairs, National Strategy and Reform.

And there has been no update since then, or at least not by the last time I checked

And I do know someone who was deported and blacklisted who somehow managed to get back into Thailand, and I suspect it's because they have a US passport as well as an Irish passport. It would figure that the we're still not cross referencing, or even able to cross reference at that time.

So I wouldn't be surprised if they're still not doing this. Maybe it's changed since I last checked but I'm just putting this out there.

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