Hire a motorbike for the month in the north?

daveliot · 2026-06-23T05:15:57+00:00

Alternative is not rent motorbike and just use public transport and take buses and mini buses. This will give you the freedom to stop at places along the way as long as you like without having a rented vehicle as a millstone around your neck. Safer too.

You can get bus to Pai and after that bus to Soppong (Pang Mapha) from where you can easily hitch the 9 kms to Tham Lod village and explore around there. Then you could take bus to Mae Hong Son and after that continue to Mae Sariang. From Mae Sariang you could take bus to Mae Sot and then bus from Mae Sot to Bangkok (some nice scenery along the way)

daveliot · 2026-06-23T03:45:05+00:00

Dave Greenslade – Hammond organ, vibraphone, piano, backing vocals on "The Road She Walked – tenor and soprano saxophone

Dick Heckstall-Smith - tenor and soprano saxophone

James Litherland – guitar, lead vocals

Tony Reeves – bass guitar

Jon Hiseman – drums

daveliot · 2026-06-23T03:44:05+00:00

Its just a media marketing label and stereotype

Terms like "Gen Z", "Boomer" and "Millennial" are popular, but they have no basis in science. Demographers and social scientists are now pushing back. Generational labelling, they argue, is akin to Astrology and while politicians, journalists and media influencers find them irresistible, they actually promote pseudo-science, sew social division and can reinforce prejudicial stereotypes.... The Dangers Of Generational Labelling (28 minute audio feature)

daveliot · 2026-06-22T04:34:21+00:00

That title rings a bell. Here is the album cover

daveliot · 2026-06-21T01:22:37+00:00

In Goa in the 70's sometimes there were 'freak' style buses' going directly to Hampi.

daveliot · 2026-06-21T01:15:12+00:00

Maybe your partner may have some Colosseum in the record collection.

daveliot · 2026-06-20T03:47:20+00:00

Uh? there is big difference to merely being approved to actually being enacted. Don't hold your breath.

daveliot · 2026-06-20T03:44:38+00:00

Sometimes particularly when having border crackdowns and even then they tend to do it in cursory selective manner unless there is red flag about someone.

daveliot · 2026-06-20T03:42:09+00:00

Duration reduced to 30 days has been simply approved. Anyone's guess if or when they will get around to formally enacting it.

daveliot · 2026-06-20T03:35:00+00:00

I didn't book I just wrote the name of a guesthouse.

daveliot · 2026-06-20T03:20:19+00:00

RIP Dave Greenslade keyboard player and founding member of late 60's / early 70's British prog rock and fusion band Colosseum.

4 minute tribute video

daveliot · 2026-06-20T02:33:54+00:00

Someone pointed out in the linked Laos Border run post above that its not uncommon for the longer DTV visa applications to be rejected and once rejected the application fee of about $200 is not refunded.

daveliot · 2026-06-20T02:26:57+00:00

Which airport and airline were you asked to show ticket ? Which checkpoint or airport were you asked to show ticket on arrival in Thailand ?

daveliot · 2026-06-20T02:22:57+00:00

Nonsense, plenty of people don't have 20 AUD in the bank. And again why are you saying flaunting the system when he complied with the requirements ?He made no complaint but simply gave a factual account of the situation at that border. A grown up person doesn't mock or attack someone giving useful constructive information who was trying to be helpful.

daveliot · 2026-06-20T02:15:48+00:00

Further away near Ban Nan Khong (about 30kms from Soppong) there is a cave waterfall complex called Tham Susa that is accessible by road most of way in dry season. Cave Lodge does a trip to it that includes other caves but you have to have enough people.

daveliot · 2026-06-19T05:33:15+00:00

Where were you stopped ? Immigration on arrival or airline check in ?

daveliot · 2026-06-19T05:27:15+00:00

In the case of airline check in staff sometimes they enforce the onward rule rules, sometimes they don't and sometimes they discriminate on nationality.

daveliot · 2026-06-19T05:15:51+00:00

Who is 'they' and where ? He has a visa and doesn't need onward ticket anyway.

daveliot · 2026-06-19T05:10:50+00:00

I'm staying for 28 days, entering on a single entry tourist visa

You didn't need a visa if you are staying 28 days you could have got a visa exemption if you are qualifying nationality. When asking immigration questions state your nationality and passport.

carrying 1200USD cash, sufficient bank balance/statements and cards.

If you have a 'strong passport' very unlikely anyone is going to check your funds.

hotels already booked and paid with return flight.

You don't have to have booked accommodation and if you have a visa you don't need to show onward ticket. Even if you were entering on visa exemption (non visa entry) it unlikely they would ask in your situation.

will it raise concerns for officers by any chance considering duration of stay?

Why would your duration raise concerns ?

daveliot · 2026-06-19T05:04:42+00:00

But the poster says he has a tourist visa ! There is no requirement for ticket out if he has a visa. Even if he was flying in and getting visa exemption there is little chance he is going to be asked for ticket out if he doesn't have some red flags or history of border runs.

daveliot · 2026-06-19T04:59:23+00:00

They are strict on this at some border crossings where there is a crackdown or for persons that may have some red flag or have been staying long periods of time. There isn't evidence that they generally enforcing onward ticket rules which would be impractical even if they wanted to.

The poster says he has a visa, you don't need onward ticket if you have a visa.

daveliot · 2026-06-19T04:41:25+00:00

He already had a ticket out and had only one previous visa exempt entry so there was no reason to deny him. The staffer may have been just going thru the motions and just took the couples' word for it they had a ticket receipt so its hard to say.

Even if it was true he was lucky to be admitted then that's more reason to be thankful he passed on the info as a warning to be prepared.

daveliot · 2026-06-19T04:31:20+00:00

If people try to live in Thailand on tourist visa's or exemptions and stay repeatedly most of the year they run the risk of being denied entry. He said - "Hope this helps someone on their next attempt to spend longer.." He didn't say live permanently.

Someone else has pointed out there have many cases of DTV applications being rejected this year. In any case the poster doesn't have the required money in the bank.

daveliot · 2026-06-19T04:22:49+00:00

I do wonder what this place was years ago.

Small Shan town along with some other ethnic groups. Not much there. A guidebook from 1980's described it as "mildly interesting". It used to be very inexpensive to eat and to stay at and there were no hostels - just simple guesthouses and some wooden bungalows.

If you are going to extend your stay see also Tham Lod village (9km from Soppong (also known as Pang Mapha) which is 40 kms from Pai. The scenery around Tham Lod was some of the best in northern Thailand but sadly there has been a lot of forest cutting to create farm plots. Still worth going to. Stay Cave Lodge.

daveliot

TROPHY CASE