Fantasia Lagoon Water Park Bangkok

Posted on December 28, 2013 by Happy

Fantasia Lagoon is one of Bangkok’s lesser known water parks, randomly situated on the top of a mall in the outskirts of the city. The few expats and tourists who do ever get to hear about Fantasia Lagoon and pay a visit, end up hailing it as one of Bangkok’s best water parks.

A Rooftop Water Park In Bangkok

Fantasia Lagoon Water Park is ideal if you’re looking for a fun attraction off the beaten track in Bangkok. Mainly popular with locals, it’s mall-top location offers numerous other entertainment amenities to keep you entertained for the whole day. It’s a perfect place to take children or as a fun family day out in Bangkok.

On the top floor of the mall, you can spend your time playing arcade machines at the amusement park, shopping the indie boutique shops of the ‘City Walk’ section, watching a movie in the cinema, or enjoying Thai snacks in the food court. There are numerous restaurant chains to choose from too, including Thai, sushi and ramen restaurants.

Best Water Park In Bangkok

Fantasia Lagoon Water Park costs just 100 baht entry per person. The admission ticket system is rather complicated though – you’ll need to rent a mandatory hair cap for 20 baht, plus an option locker for 50 baht locker and towel for 20 baht. On top of this, you’ll need to pay an extra 100 baht deposit for the locker key and an extra 50 baht deposit for each towel and cap that you rent. So it’s best to bring extra cash and take care of the bazillion different tickets they give you!

The park itself is not actually that big. Fantasia Lagoon Water Park is best for families with younger kids than for older kids or couples. It consists of a total of 3 water chutes for older children and adults, and 3 smaller play areas and pools for smaller children. The adult chutes are rather dull, however the kid’s smaller play areas are seriously AMAZEBALLS. I would have been all over that shit when I was a little kid. This is why Fantasia Lagoon is best for families with small children.

Fantasia Lagoon also has a 1.6 metre deep swimming pool (all the other areas of the water park are much shallower because many Thai people can’t swim) which many locals seem to visit and use for exercise. It also has a ‘lazy river’ which travels around the water park with a gentle current. The lazy river is quite pleasant to float around on one of the rubber rings for hire.

Living up to it’s reputation as the best water park in Bangkok, Fantasia Lagoon is well maintained and clean, with great views over Bangkok city. It also has a fun, creative design and theme throughout – pirate ships, treasure caverns, mushroom jungles and all sorts. However, the life guard staff are very serious and a bit jobsworth-y… especially for Thailand! They were quite strict in not letting me wear a T-shirt over my bikini (also surprising for Thailand) and making people wear hair caps. It also has seriously annoying music… the same crappy song repeated playing over and over again! Damn!

Best Amusement Park Arcade In Bangkok

What impressed me the most about my visit to Fantasia Lagoon, was the amusement park. The amusement park at Bang Khae Mall is amazing – the best arcade in Bangkok! Located on the top floor of the mall, the arcade area has a uniquely lit up ceiling to look like an evening sky and give the feel of an old amusement park outdoors during the night. It’s one of the biggest arcades I’ve seen in Bangkok and has numerous rides, a train, and a whole load of arcade machines.

How to get to Fantasia Lagoon

Fantasia Lagoon is located at the top of Bang Khae mall in Bangkok. Currently, the nearest BTS station to this is Talat Phlu or Wongwian Yai. You can take the BTS to either one of these station and then ask a taxi to take you to ‘The Mall Bang Khae’. Most drivers should know it instantly. Depending on traffic, this should cost about 100 baht. Just make your way up the escalators to the 4th floor once inside the mall.

SD Bar BQ Buffet Bangkok

Posted on June 30, 2013 by Happy

For an authentic, Thai buffet dining experience, SD Bar BQ in Ekkamai Bangkok is cheap, cheerful and highly popular with the locals. The SD Bar BQ premises are simple and open-style with just a roof to protect customers from the rain. It gets very busy and lively, crammed with about fifty long, wooden bench tables and decorated with fairy lights along the roadside front.

There is no air con and the Bangkok buffet is the popular Thai type of do-it-yourself bar bq with your very own grill on each table – in case you hadn’t guessed, this makes eating at SD Bar BQ buffet very, very hot.

Food prices are simple at SD Bar BQ Bangkok with serve-yourself buffets costing either 129 baht or 250 baht per person. For 129 baht, you can eat your fill of bar bq meats, salads, vegetables, curries, dim sum, sushi, Thai snacks such as spring rolls, som tam, fruit and Thai desserts.

For 250 baht, you can have your pick of all of the above but with a choice of shell fish for the bar bq too. The SD Bar BQ staff will set up your very own grill for you to get started cooking the raw meats. There are plenty of cooked meats to eat if the do-it-yourself cooking approach doesn’t appeal to you though.

Overall, for only 129 baht all you can eat Thai buffet, the food at SD Bar BQ is very tasty. Beer towers are also very popular at SD Bar BQ costing only around 500 baht for 2.5 L of beer. The atmosphere at SD Bar BQ Bangkok buffet is very laid back, local and casual. It’s popularity with the locals is a good sign but also, when I went, I was the only foreigner there – I think this makes for ideal off the beaten track, authentic and local Thai dining.

How to get to SD Bar BQ Bangkok buffet

SD Bar BQ Bangkok is located on the main Sukhumvit 71 road near Ekkamai soi 29.

Volunteer In Thailand

Posted on June 20, 2013 by Happy

Volunteer In Thailand For Free

Surprisingly enough, there are a lot of charities in Thailand and volunteering agencies around that charge volunteers who want to volunteer for them. Understandably charities in Thailand desperately need donations and have to get funding however they can, but I just can’t help but feel a little mugged off at the thought of forking out extortionate amounts of money to lend a helping hand volunteering in Thailand. Some people really don’t have excess money to make substantial charity donations – all they have to offer is their time to volunteer.

If you look hard enough though, there are plenty of amazing charities that genuinely need people for free volunteering in Bangkok, without expecting donations in return.

No Cost Volunteering In Bangkok

Teaching English. GoodWill charity in Bangkok help disadvantaged women, usually from hilltribes, learn valuable skills to increase their work opportunities and avoid life in the sex industry. They often need people to volunteer in Bangkok to teach english or IT skills a couple of hours a week. Hill Tribe Education Projects charity helps support and educate children in hill tribes in Thailand, who have few rights and little support from the government.

Or check out Bangkok Volunteer Teaching on Facebook for an interesting mixture of teaching volunteer work in Bangkok on offer, such as teaching guitar, for various charities.

Mercy Centre, an orphanage and centre for disadvantaged children in Bangkok, often have volunteer openings for art, music and language teachers or general fundraising and office work.

General volunteer work. In Search Of Sanuk & Foundation for Slum Children help support poor families from the Bangkok slums by educating on parenting and taking care of the children. Thai Craft help support village artisans and their Thai crafts, volunteer work for them varies greatly from simple ‘checkout bagger’ positions, to skilled photography position.

Meetup Bangkok Volunteers is a simple community group of expats and Thai locals who meetup and take part in volunteer work in Bangkok. It’s quite an informal group so it’s especially useful for people who want to volunteer in Bangkok without making a commitment. You can sign up for a range of volunteer days with Meetup including making books for school children or road tripping on jungle trips to help provide medical care for Thai hill tribes.

Where to volunteer in Thailand

Active Aid International is a very useful, free directory of grassroots organisations and community projects. It is a very useful website to search for honest charities to volunteer in Thailand for free with.

Clark Hatch Thaniya – A Review

Posted on March 4, 2013 by Happy

Before coming to Thailand we did a little research online regarding good gyms in Bangkok, most of what we found was actually quite off-putting however since coming to Thailand we’ve found a few good gyms so do not be put off if you are having trouble research online before moving.

Back in January 2013 we posted an article listing gym locations and prices in Bangkok as a guide to help people find a gym in Bangkok that best suited their requirement, be it weight training, getting fit, fitness classes and so forth. At the time we had not yet joined a gym, since writing that post we have joined Clark Hatch Thaniya, which is in Sala Daeng, Bangkok and here is our review of the place.

The Gym Equipment at Clark Hatch Thaniya

The equipment in Clark Hatch is all pretty good. There are plenty of treadmills, bikes and cross trainers, assisted weight machines as well as a generous free weight section that is home to two large racks of dumb bells ranging from 5lb through to 70lb. There is also a smaller rack of dumb bells ranging from 1kg to 10 kg.

The weights room also has every bar you will ever need, long bar, short bar, Z bar … you will also find some great frames to help you deadlift, squat and chest press.

Benches; also lots, I’ve never had to weight for a bench to become free. That being said, there are no good angled benches – They do have a type of bench that angles however its not flexible enough – I struggle to get a good angle for dumb bell chest presses without moving more of the weight than I would like to my shoulders.

Only downside to the gym area is that there is no air conditioning, just fans. For weight training, the fans seem to be just about right though for cardio the lack of air conditioning really makes it harder. Clark Hatch is not the cheapest gym in Bangkok, air con doesn’t seem much to ask.

The Swimming Pool at Clark Hatch Thaniya

This is a real bonus. Clark Hatch have a restaurant on the pool side and sitting by the pool at the end of my work out, drinking a protein shake makes training at Clark Hatch a really enjoyable experience.

The swimming pool is big enough to exercise and has a pleasant decking area for snoozing. I’ve never really seen the pool with more than 1, maximum 2 people in, which is great.

The restaurant has a range of Thai dishes for a reasonable price. Protein shakes will cost you 100 Baht, which may seem a little high however protein in Thailand still seems like a sellers market. Also, back in England I’ve never had a protein shake anywhere near as tasty as these’s bad boys at Clark Hatch.

Does it Get Busy as Clark Hatch Thaniya?

We tend to go in the week and weekends anywhere between 12:00 and 16:00 and it’s never really busy. I believe it gets a little busier in the evenings as most gyms do.

The Boxing Gym and Clark Hatch Thaniya

On the floor below the main gym is Clark Hatch boxing gym. It spans the whole of the gym area and has bags, pads and other gear. You are free to use the boxing gym alone when classes are not happening or you can join the Thai Boxing class at Clark Hatch for free. In fact, there are a heap of classes at Clark Hatch such as Yoga, Fitball and so forth. They are all free for members.

The Facilities at Clark Hatch Thaniya

The changing rooms and showers are good. Enough room, spacious lockers (bring your own pad lock) and the showers kept clean and offer complimentary shampoo and shower gel.

There is also a Steam Room. The steam room in the male changing room is in serious need of restoration. Big gaps under the door mean it gets cold quickly and when the steam clears, you can see the walls are cracked and stained yellow. The lights do not work that well if at all. Either because the mold and rust has won or the bulbs are gone, either way – The steam room seriously needs attention. That being said, I use the steam room around three times a week, I’m just not that fussy.

Free Gym Clothes!

Now this is a really nice plus. I’ve never seen a gym do this before. Each time you come you are offered optional free gym clothes.. shorts, shirt or vest and shocks (Towel as well, of course). At first I thought this was a bit of an odd concept, but not having to carry dirty clothes around with you is great. You can come to the gym with nothing but your member ship card, work out, have a steam, have a shower and walk out in fresh clothes. Cool. (Some of their gym clothes could be chucked out now though I think, some are super new and others are super old).

Friendly, Helpful Staff

The staff here are very friendly and welcoming and will help without hesitation if you need it. Many of the staff can provide personal training too, though I’ve not taken this up so I’m unable to pass comment.

How Much does Clark Hatch Thaniya Cost?

You can pay daily (500 bath), monthly (3500 baht), every 6 months (12,500 baht) or annually (21,600 baht). We did not haggle but I bet you could trim a little off, if you were that way inclined.

Click here to see our post on prices of other Gyms in Bangkok.

Pros

Loads of gear, not overly busy, friendly staff and customers, great roof top swimming pool.

Cons

No air con in the gym, steam room is gross.

The Verdict

I love this place and am going to seriously miss it when I leave Thailand. I look forward to going to the gym thanks to this place, which is half of the battle.

From Suvarnabhumi Airport To Bangkok

Posted on January 9, 2013 by Happy

How to get to Suvarnabhumi Airport from Bangkok?

There are ~~two~~ three types of airport link train from Suvarnabhumi airport to Bangkok – two different express trains which only take 15 minutes, and a city link train which takes just under 30 minutes. The first express train from Suvarnabhumi airport makes no stops and goes straight to the Bangkok Makkasan Station and back again. The second express train goes from Phayathai to Suvarnabhumi airport and back again. Phayathai is the most convenient stop for interchanging with the Bangkok city skytrain (BTS).

Either express airport link train to Suvarnabhumi airport costs 90 baht, while the Bangkok City train costs 45 Baht. The City train from Suvarnabhumi airport Bangkok takes longer as it makes a few stops. These stops are Lat Krabang, Ban Thup Chang, Hua Mak, Ratchaprarop, Phaya Thai and of course Makkasan.

Both of these airport link trains run every day between 6AM and midnight. They are clean and air conditioned and really take the hassle out of getting to and from Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok, especially at high traffic times. The downside is, you have to carry your luggage slightly further if you have a lot of luggage with you. That being said, there are plenty of people on the airport link trains from Suvarnabhumi airport with their luggage, so you won’t feel out of place.

Does the BTS Skytrain go all the way to Suvarnabhumi Airport?

No. However, if you are staying in Bangkok near a BTS stop then you can get to the Suvarnabhumi airport link very easily. Catch the airport link train at the BTS Phayathai station to get from Bangkok to Suvarnabhumi airport – just follow signs to the airport link from there. It’s only a couple of minutes walk and much cheaper and reliable than catching a taxi.

If you’re travelling to Bangkok alone or in just a small group, taking the Express airport link trains or City train to Suvarnabhumi airport will save you hundreds of baht and time sitting in traffic.

Click here if you need to know how to get from Don Muang Airport to Bangkok instead of Suvarnabhumi airport.

Language Express Bangkok – A Review

Posted on January 6, 2013 by Happy

A Review of Language Express School Bangkok

In an earlier post I wrote about joining a language school whilst you stay in Thailand and mention that myself and my girlfriend joined Language Express and warned of a pending review, well here it is.

We’ve been at the school at the time of writing this for two months, so I may update this post at later date if my opinion changes.

How many Stars out of five?

I wanted to add a star rating for Language Express but as I’ve only ever studied with one Thai language school this seems a little unfair, so I have decided to skip the star rating as I have nothing to compare it to, except for the education system in England where I spent my school and college days.

First Impressions

Language Express have Education Consultant’s to assist you in the enrolling process and ED VISA process (where applicable), in essence, they are sales-people and there main aim seems to be to get you signed up. They are not the slippery, suited, snake-oil sales-people we have in England, it’s nothing like buying a car – they seem to be friendly, helpful, polite and not at all pushy.

Their spoken English is good and although you probably pay for the privilege, they are a useful contact. They are always around to answer your questions pre-enrollment and seem to be available to help with things after you enroll, if you do.

The main part of the Language Express building is nice, clean and air conditioned. The class rooms too. The place is literally right on the steps of the BTS in Phloen Chit, a pleasant and busy part of town, walking distance from Siam. Language Express have their own small cafe, which is very affordable and a good place to sit around chatting or making the most of the free wifi.

Welcome Pack

When you enroll you get a Language Express bag with your school books (included in the price) and some vouchers to give to friends for a free week and a coffee card allowing you to have five free coffee’s in their cafe. You also get access to the school’s wifi.

On the Language Express website, as well as on the marketing information we were shown prior to joining there were some other goodies promised, such as a Language Express Notebook, a 100 Baht BTS voucher and some other little things I forget now. We never got this. Not a big deal as their value are questionable, even with that in mind, you do feel a little let down when you miss out on something you are previously promised. No doubt we could ask for the missing items and be given them, we chose to write about it online instead because the pen is mightier than the sword (we’re too lazy to ask).

You also get a study ID that you can use to log in to their online booking system to book your Thai lessons, this is actually quite a neat feature of Language Express.

How much does Language Express Cost?

We both signed up for a Thai course consisting of 200 lessons within a year. This includes help and paperwork to get an ED VISA. There are cheaper schools, there are more expensive too – In my experience this is one of the mid-high range prices, but we’re happy paying it for a clean, friendly and helpful place to learn.

They have shorter courses too which are cheaper however do not cover a ED VISA. They also offer various other things such as teaching qualifications and private tuition.

How Busy are the Classes?

We generally go in the day time on a week, I’m on level one and the classes usually consist of 3-7 people. Plenty of room. My girlfriend is on level two and classes there at this time are usually 1-3 people.

From speaking to other people, evening classes tend to get much busier, seeing 12 or more people in a class. Apparently these classes are much more interactive yet harder to get personalised teaching. Preference I guess.

Is the Course Material and Structure Good?

The material is O.K. There are better books to learn from on the market I believe. The books have quite a few errors ~~apparently, not that I have spotted any myself~~ since writing this review I’ve started to notice these mistakes more and more. In fact, I have become a little disheartened by the written material, every page is the same – Different words of course, but other than that, every page is the same and it gets a little tiresome.

The source structure is a tricky one. Because the school doesn’t run strict terms, you may be joining a class where people have been studying for months – The first handful of lessons I sat there confused at what was going on, I could have used an “introduction to Thai” of some kind and even more useful would of been an introduction to how the classes are taught. I went home and tried to work a few things out that confused me and then settled in nicely. Now I’ve been there a while I see the same puzzled look on almost everyone that starts, for at least a few weeks.

This is especially true with the writing classes. My first few lessons we opened book one half way through and starting drawing letters. I could draw a letter a million times, but if no one explains why I’m doing it or what it means, it’s useless. I had to do quite a lot of study on writing at home to catch up and understand. You can buy some pretty decent flash cards in any of the bigger book stores for a couple hundred baht that really help with this.

This is actually quite a problem and I think without studying outside of the class, you may really struggle to learn Thai well here. I guess you should be studying outside of school anyway?

Are the Teachers Good?

Yes, awesome. I’ve had three different teachers so far and think they were all good, very friendly and if you had questions, they are happy to answer.

Teaching styles and the personalities of each teacher are obviously difference, so explore as many teachers as you can and try and follow their schedule.

Taking Tests to Track your Progress

Apparently you can take a test every 8 weeks to track your progress and see if you need to move up a class. This has never been explained to me, and most other students I have spoken to who have been going to the school for months are in the same situation – all confused or entirely ignorant of any tests. When you feel you are ready, you need to go and arrange the test for yourself, no one will approach you about it (unless you get an awesome teacher that really thinks you should go up a class and takes you to reception to book a test – I’ve seen this happen, that’s cool.

Some people really do not like tests, so maybe Language Express’s approach explained above is actually genius, maybe not – It’s down to preference again I guess. I’m happy with how it works, but then I’l do everything I can to avoid any type of test.

Summary of learning Thai with Language Express in Bangkok

PROS

Friendly staff, nice building, good atmosphere, online booking system for classes.

CONS

Hard as a beginner to settle in to classes as the rest of the class may be somewhat ahead, course literature not the best.

This school seems much more focus on learning English rather than Thai. They hold activity days every Friday, where games are played or workshops are held. Some times I see a cooking class or something, which is a nice idea but I’ve not attended any, they really seem geared the English learners so I’ve never felt that welcome to attend.

Overall, I’m happy enrolling at Language Express and would recommend it – But only to people who are happy putting some effort it themselves to get moving in Thai.

Try It Out, Let Us Know

They offer free trail lessons so try one out to see what you think for yourself and if you have comments on Language Express or any other Thai language school in Thailand, post your experiences below or contact me to write a full post on here about it!

Cheers,

Happy

How to Use The BTS & Rabbit Cards Explained

Posted on December 8, 2012 by Happy

How To Use The BTS Skytrain in Bangkok?

We’ve been in Bangkok for a few weeks now and used the BTS Skytrain almost every day. The BTS Skytrain is a really useful mode of transport when staying in Bangkok. You can catch the BTS train to take a ferry to Khaosan Road or Wat Arun, to the central malls of Bangkok and to all the main, big markets. Traffic in Bangkok is pretty mental during the day, so it pays to stay in a hotel in walking distance to a BTS Skytrain station – You can check out all the best places to stay in convenient locations near the BTS stations in my Bangkok area guide here.

I see a lot of non-Thai’s in the BTS Skytrain station trying to make sense of the posters and purchase the correct ticket. It’s actually quite simple; In the smaller stations, to purchase your tickets visit a panel on a wall, usually in some sort of pillar or podium in the middle of the turn styles. You will see 8 buttons all with numbers on such, something like this:

15 20

25 30

35 40

45 50

Each number, or button, is a fare, in Baht. Put your coins in, press a button and it will print your ticket. To know which fare you need, look at one of the maps of the BTS Skytrain system, usually mounted on the wall next to the machine. You will see a series of BTS station names, with a circled number. That number is the fare in Baht. That is the button you press.

In bigger stations there is a touch screen machine you use where you select the station you want to go to and how many tickets (passengers) you want, then enter your money, it will tell you onscreen how much you need to pay – and collect your printed ticket.

For both of the above systems, take your printed ticket to the gates and offer it to the slot on the right hand side of the gate post, it will suck in your ticket, open the gate and spit your ticket back out the top. Make sure you take the ticket as you have to put your ticket into the gate when you leave too, though when you leave you will not get the ticket back. If you have to change trains at all, then you don’t need to use your ticket at every station as you will arrive in the BTS station on the skytrain beyond the gates.

What is the Rabbit Card and can I get one as a foreigner?

You can. I’ve seen a few posts online where people complain that foreigners are not allowed BTS Carrot cards in Bangkok, however this is not true. Not only is a lot of the BTS Rabbit Card information in English, but when you register you card online you have an option to select if you’re not Thai and are asked for your international passport number. BTS Carrot cards are extremely useful to save time wasted queuing when travelling around Bangkok.

To buy a Rabbit card just visit the manned booth in any station. At the time of writing this they cost 200 Baht which includes a 50 fare. You can top up the card by taking it to any manned both and handing over cash with it.

Every time you go to a station you need to place your Rabbit card on the round pad on the top of the turn style/gate.. make sure you do the same when you leave so that you are charged correctly. If you manage to slip through an open gate on your way out the station then you are likely to be charged the most expensive fare for the day, automatically.

Visit one of those big orange Rabbit card machines in the station and you can print some vouchers. Also print out the instructions on how to register your Rabbit card online just in case you lose it. Additionally benefit to registering is that you can get reward points every time you use it which can be exchanged for things such as money off, coupons, limited edition Rabbit cards and even holidays.

You can check your Rabbit balance at any Rabbit machine or online and each time you place your Rabbit card on a gate the screen will tell you the remaining balance.

Can I use my Rabbit Card on the MRT In Bangkok?

No, not yet. But apparently it’s going to be an option in mid-late 2013.

Joining a Thai Language School

Posted on November 28, 2012 by Happy

If you are planning on staying in Thailand for a while then it’s a good idea to make an effort to learn to speak Thai. Yes you can get by without speaking it, the old western favorite of talking loud, pointing and getting money out generally does the trick. But we are better than that, are we not? Not to mention feeling at home; it’s hard to feel at home in a country when you do not speak the language. If you are planning on staying a while, learn a little Thai – You might enjoy yourself.

Not to mention other benefits learning Thai brings. Such as paying a better price for goods or being allowed to stay in Thailand on an ED visa, providing you study a certain amount of lessons in a year. I will write another post on this topic alone at some point.

Hows does joining a language school in Thailand work?

It’s simple.. Rock up at some schools and say Hello, do you have any information on learning Thai please? If they do not understand you, probably not a good school for you. You can call or email schools before visiting but actually seeing the inside of the school and how the staff act first hand is the best way to tell if the school is right for you.

How do I find a good language school in Thailand?

I like Googlin’ and that’s my preference. Most good schools should have an online presence. It’s always good to go looking for reviews or pictures of Thai language schools online.

Another great source of schools can just be keeping your eye’s open as you walk around. Especially in Bangkok, most of the major streets such as Silon Road and the big shopping centers like Siam Paragon will have companies offering language courses in Thai. If you spot on, you could just go home and hope you find it on Google or walk straight in and see what they have.

How much does a Thai language course cost?

The prices really range depending on what you want. If you want a few lessons a week and to pay as you you go, you could pay only a few dollars a lesson, if you want a full course from a well established school that will help you with an ED visa you could spend any where between a few hundred dollars to a thousand. I believe some universities offer great long term, full time courses.. I’ve not looked into this much, but these generally cost a few thousand USD from what I remember.

My girlfriend and I joined a school called Language Express located in central Bangkok. It was the most expensive we found. It’s for 200 lessons within 1 year, all books included and they help you get an ED visa.

We found cheaper courses offering the same package, but the location of this one is great and their building facilities a great, so we decided a positive environment justifies the cost. It cost us 34,000 Baht in November 2012, which is around £700 or $1100 U.S dollars. I wrote a review of Language Express Bangkok, you can read it here.

Have you attended a language school or Thai course in Thailand? If so, we’ve love to hear your thoughts on what you experienced. Either add a comment to this post or drop us an email if you want to write a full post on here, with full credit of course.

Cheers,
Happy

I have no Exit Stamp from Thailand

Posted on October 29, 2012 by Happy

If you ever managed to leave Thailand on for whatever reason did not get your passport stamped at the border, this post may be of interest to you.

Earlier on in the year, I took part in a charity tuk tuk race from Bangkok, across the Malaysian border, over to Sumatra and ended up in the capital of Indonesia, Jakarta. Thanks to a combination of exhausting, confusing and a healthy dose of nonchalance, I managed to leave Thailand without getting my passport stamped. The Malaysian border officials gave me my Malaysian stamp and on we went.

It wasn’t until I wanted to return to Thailand to live for a year that I thought I should get this sorted before landing in Bangkok. Not having an exit stamp from Thailand could result in any of the below…

Being fined in Baht, per day from the date my visa ran out to the day I landed back in Thailand.
Being incarcerated until I can pay said fine.
Being deported from Thailand.
Being permanently banned from entering Thailand.
All of the above.

None of those are particulally appealing to me so I decided to call the Thai Consulate in the U.K to get this sorted before flying. Luckily I have an entry stamp to Malaysia long before my Thai tourist visa expires, I also have an exist stamp from Malaysia before my Thai tourist visa expires. On top of that, I even have an entry and exit stamp from Indonesia within the Thai tourist visa limit.

So I call the consulate, who are confused by the situation. I explain several times that I left Thailand via land, through Sadao and I do not have an exit stamp. After some worried groans, the Thai Consulate offers to call the Thai Embassy to see what we can do. I wait for two days and get a call back, and to summarise: good luck.

What the Consulate actually said was that there is nothing they, nor the Embassy could do. I would have to board my plane, rock up in Thailand and except to visit the immigration office in the airport, where I would have to explain why I do not have an exit stamp. The Consulate thinks it should be fine, because its obvious I’ve just landed and I clearly have stamps for the other countries. That being said, I should take any additional proof I have that I left the country such as train or plane tickets and be prepared to pay a fine. I guess if your moving to Thailand you should probably get used to it. Don’t be put off, what are often long complicated processes in England can often be solved in Thailand with a minor fine. It’s a good thing, to an extent.

Oh, one more thing – The Thai Consulate gave me the number of immigration at the airport so that I could call them before I fly in, and do my best to explain my situation. The Consulate was not sure if this would help or not, mearly suggested it is worth a try.

So, quite an open answer from the Thai Embassy. It’s certainly an exiting start to my year long stay in Thailand. I’l be sure to update this post as soon as I speak to immigration on the phone and once again once I fly in.

UPDATE: Got in fine. Zero happened at the airport. Cool.

Adios,

Happy