AirAsia Gives 100,000 or 500,000 Free Flights?

See AirAsia.com or Yahoo news.

Update: I was just on the AirAsia website and saw that it might be 500,000 free seats… I cut/pasted a blurb from the site below.

Absolute Free Seats (No Fuel Surcharge)

With 500,000 free seats, there’s no reason not to go for a holiday!
Booking Period: 12 Nov 2008 - 16 Nov 2008
Travel Period: 22 Jun 2009 - 24 Oct 2009

Thailand FAQ

I’ve been meaning to do a Thailand FAQ for a long time. There are many questions visitors and expats alike have about Thailand and most visitors I’m sure end up using a TH FAQ before coming to LOS. I wanted to make one that’s useful and that combines not only my knowledge but other resources as well.

Thailand FAQ is a pool of information from a number of sites - and I’ll be adding to it over today and tomorrow as well. There are many subjects that deserve a whole FAQ for themselves. The Full Moon Party was one of them.

If you have written a FAQ about some part of Thailand - the culture, attractions, anything really - shoot me a link and let me see if it will fit with this Thailand FAQ collection.

30 Day Visa Runs now just 15 Days? What?

A Thailand focused website was reporting that the 30 day visa run has been changed to just 15 days from now forward. This affects those that are coming across land and that do not already have a visa.

The purpose of this was stated to: limit the amount of foreigners using “back-to-back” border runs to extend their stay.

Effective immediately, visitors without a visa will receive a visa good for 15 days of stay if they are arriving over a land border checkpoint from a neighboring country.

What a great way to limit the number of days tourists stay in Thailand - especially after the protest shut down the Bangkok airports for a week.

Here’s what I was able to pull off the official site…

Requirements for foreigners applying for a visa:

* Nationals of countries specified by the Ministry and approved by the cabinet. The nationality must be the same as the country issuing the passport
* Entering Thailand as tourists for 15 days
* 1 passport picture 4×6 cm, not more than 6 months old
* No blacklisted person (persona non grata) according to the immigration laws
* Confirmed onward or return ticket within 15 days
* Indication of actual address of residence in Thailand
* Cash of at least 10,000.- Baht (US$ 250.-) per person or 20,000.- Baht (US$ 500.- per family)
* Valid passport with validity of at least 6 months

Thai Immigration is at this web site, it’s in English but is a bit hard to follow. No, it’s damn impossible to follow. Better to weed through the mass of unrelated posts at ThaiVisa forum to figure out what this means for you.

If your visa expired during the protest at the Bangkok airports you just need to show immigration officials your expired plane ticket with correct departure date and they’ll take care of your visa overstay without incident.

Is Thailand Safe to Visit Now?

I have a friend working with TAT, you may know him - he’s a well known expat and writer. He’s been working with them to try to dispel the myth that Thailand is unsafe at the present time for visitors because of the political situation. He’s helping to create videos for them and marketing to Europeans, Japanese and everyone else that Thailand is safe for visitors as we start the regular visitor high season.

I’m a member of a few travel boards where people regularly ask questions about whether it’s safe to go here or there. Lately everyone is asking the same question - is Thailand safe to visit now?

Is Thailand safe for visitors now?

Here are a few reasons I think it’s safe enough for visitors:

1. I’m completely unaffected by anything happening in Bangkok. If people are dying in clashes there with police - that doesn’t have a trickle down effect causing the rest of the country to be unsafe. In fact, I’d say only if you’re taking part in the demonstration in Bangkok, are you at risk of injury or death. If you’re coming here to visit you’ll be OK. If you’re coming to revolt against the government and incite Thais to rioting on a mass scale, you might be in danger.

2. The entire country - outside of Bangkok is unaffected by anything happening in Bangkok. The rest of the country will continue to remain safe - even though Bangkok might get tense.

3. This is a Thai political problem. Thais have nothing against foreigners. They love you. They want you to come. They don’t want you to have problems once you get here. You will not be accosted to confess your political beliefs about the current system, Taksin, or anything else. You’re not involved in any way. This has nothing to do with the terrorists in the south.

4. Even at the height of the airport protests in the few major airports there really wasn’t a problem with violence at all. Airports were blocked. So, you extend a few days. That’s the extent of the issue in areas outside Bangkok. Nobody is going to throw a brick at your head if you go near the Phuket Airport during a demonstration. Thais are afraid of the police and military. As a group they very rarely get violent first, they have quite peaceful demonstrations.

Is Thailand safe to visit during this political instability?

Yes. That’s the right answer with a few qualifiers…

Don’t take part in demonstrations.

Don’t spend your vacation in Bangkok - get out and see the rest of the country which is infinitely more enjoyable than Bangkok’s crowded streets anyway.

Stay away from the deep south. Krabi, Lanta, Trang are all fine. Thais say that even down into Songkla is fine. I wouldn’t say that, but down to Trang is perfectly fine.

Recently 10 countries issued fresh warnings about traveling to Thailand during this time including UK, Sweden, Germany, Canada and others. (Not USA). I think you’re fine to come, AND bring your family. Mai pen rai the whole thing - it’s not affecting the country as a whole. If it does- then delay your trip. Right now - business as usual everywhere outside Bangkok.

Vacationing in Thailand? Try Krabi!

Krabi is an amazing Thailand destination and probably the best place overall to visit if you only have a few short days in Thailand and want to make the most of your vacation.

Krabi has something for everyone including new additions in the shopping realm. Big C, Tesco Lotus, Makro, and an International Outlet store with Nike, Reebox, Adidas and other brand names are now open in Krabi Town.
 

 

If it’s familiar food you crave there is a McDonald’s and Burger King in Ao Nang Beach and KFC, Dairy Queen, Starbucks, Black Canyon Coffee and others in the Krabi area.

If you want to try something adventurous you can climb Wat Tum Sua’s 1,237 steps to the top of a small limestone mountain at sunset and get awesome photos. You could go to Huay Toh Waterfall just 19km up a country road from I-4 highway where it runs through Krabi Town. There are two hikes that are highly recommended, one being at “Khao Phanom Bencha National Park” on the other side of the mountain as where Huay Toh waterfall is. The other being in Tub Kaak, and is called, “Phi Phi Islands National Park” but it’s part of the mainland. That one is a steady climb to 500+ meters and 360 degree views for tens of kilometers. Amazing!

If you want to drink at the bars then there are plenty at Ao Nang Beach and some in Town on Chao Fa Road, Uttarakit near the pier, and some naughty nightlife places scattered all over town.

If you want to relax - there is Noppharat Thara Beach, Railay Beach, Phi Phi Islands, and many other islands that are easily reachable by longtail boat.

Krabi has an outstanding selection of things to do and if you know where to look for it - you’ll find exactly what you crave.

Driving a Motorbike in Thailand (Video)

I found this video on YouTube. It’s designed to show the dangers of driving a motorbike in Thailand.

So many tourists who’ve never ridden more than a bicycle hop right on a 115-125cc motorbike here and drive all over heavy traffic tourist areas like Phuket, Pattaya, Ao Nang and Chiang Mai. Over four years I’ve seen some horrible accidents involving motorbikes. Really, the most extreme accidents you could imagine. I’ve seen brains on the highway coming out of a girls head. I’ve seen many people dead in the road as a result of motorcycle accidents here.

I’ve even had a friend crash one night and end up needing a couple brain surgeries to take pieces of his cranium out of his brain. This happened in Ubon Ratchathani. There were cats walking around the patients in intensive care. While in the hospital that first night I saw a few people die… including a young child.

They say during this movie that in Phuket, Thailand an average of one person per day dies in a motor-vehicle accident. I’d say that’s about right. It’s wrong, but it’s accurate if you know what I’m saying.

Anyway, here’s the video:

Driving Motorbikes safely in Thailand