Hi guys,
I need to do a visa run from Hua Hin to Rangong either tomorrow, Thursday or Friday. By any chance have any of you already planned a visa run on these days and want to share the expense, or is there anyone who can bring their visa run forward to go by this friday?
thanks
Dawebo
Visa run Thursday or Friday
If you have no offers, maybe consider the train to Chumphon the night before you need to cross the border. I think there's one at around 5pm and you'll be in Chuphon at around 9pm. Check into The Chumphon Palace Hotel (450 a night I think) get down to the Farang Bar, have a few beers and some great pub grub.
Sleep. Up at whenever and it's a two hour minibus journey to Ranong.
I've done it a few times that way and have never been disappointed with the journey.
It'll take about 7 hours to get back though. Chumphon just breaks the journey up nicely.
Sleep. Up at whenever and it's a two hour minibus journey to Ranong.
I've done it a few times that way and have never been disappointed with the journey.
It'll take about 7 hours to get back though. Chumphon just breaks the journey up nicely.
Visa run and how it happened
I had to do a visa run this week. I went into several agencies who advertised the run but none of them actually did one (even though they advertised it in the window). They said they did not have enought people wanting to go.
Anyway, on the advice of another forum member I just did the run myself.
I caught the 5pm train on Thursday evening(which actually left at 6.30pm) south to Chomphon and stayed there over night. I was adivised to go to the Chomphon Palace hotel. When I got there it was full. I went around the corner to Suri Wong hotel and that was full. I again went around another corner to Sri Chumpong hotel and this had a room for 310 baht. A bus for Rangong leaves the next morning from 7am beside the bar "farang bar". It's just a walk from the hotels (as is the station). A ticket costs 120 bath to Rangong and it takes 2 hours in a minubus.
When you get to the bus station in Rangong you will be met by several motorcycle taxi's. I agreed on 80 bath to take me to the immigration office (which is now on the pier). It's about a 4km ride from the station to the pier. He stopped at a guy halfway trying to sell me a boat ride to Burma. I refused and said i would arrange it at the pier. In fairness he was only asking for 400 bath which seems to be the going rate. At the pier immigration office you hand in your passport to get stamped out of thailand. You need to have a photocopy of your passport. If you don't have one you can get one for 5 baht in an office right beside the immigration office. You will also need to have a new crisp USD$10 note when you get to the burmese side. They can sell you one in the office beside the Thai immigration if you don't have one. You then negotiate a price with the many guys there to take you across the water to Burma. I think 400 bath is the top price you should pay. If there are more than one of you in the boat it should be less.
You will make 2 stops on the way to the Burmese side. Each stop are "checkpoints". When you get to the pier you will be met by several young guys who will try to befriend you and sell you stuff. Just walk off the pier and into the first room on the left which is the Burma immigration office and give them your passport along with the USD$10. I was in and out of Burma in 5 minutes. I did not stay. The guys who met me off the pier and tried to befriend me asked for 100 baht which I polietly declined. On the way back you will again have to stop at a Burma "checkpoint" and give them your passport to look at. I did tip the guy who jumped off the boat with my passport a 20 bath tip. When I was stopped at this checkpoint on the way back there was another boat full of Asians and one or two of the guys were trying to talk me into something. I think they were asking if I would take a boat load of people back with me to Thailand. Again I pretended not to understand (which I didn't really) and I politely refused. 40 minutes later and your back at the Thai side. Go back to immigration and sign back in.
I then went straight back to the bus station. I got there at 11.15am. Unfortunately the next bus for Hua Hin was not leaving until 1.30pm. They told me that this bus would bypass HH on the way to Bangkok and therefore I planned to get out in Pranburi. When we got near to Pranburi I asked the driver again and he told me that they actually would stop in HH. With this info, I don't see any need to look for an organised visa run.
All the best.
Dawebo
Anyway, on the advice of another forum member I just did the run myself.
I caught the 5pm train on Thursday evening(which actually left at 6.30pm) south to Chomphon and stayed there over night. I was adivised to go to the Chomphon Palace hotel. When I got there it was full. I went around the corner to Suri Wong hotel and that was full. I again went around another corner to Sri Chumpong hotel and this had a room for 310 baht. A bus for Rangong leaves the next morning from 7am beside the bar "farang bar". It's just a walk from the hotels (as is the station). A ticket costs 120 bath to Rangong and it takes 2 hours in a minubus.
When you get to the bus station in Rangong you will be met by several motorcycle taxi's. I agreed on 80 bath to take me to the immigration office (which is now on the pier). It's about a 4km ride from the station to the pier. He stopped at a guy halfway trying to sell me a boat ride to Burma. I refused and said i would arrange it at the pier. In fairness he was only asking for 400 bath which seems to be the going rate. At the pier immigration office you hand in your passport to get stamped out of thailand. You need to have a photocopy of your passport. If you don't have one you can get one for 5 baht in an office right beside the immigration office. You will also need to have a new crisp USD$10 note when you get to the burmese side. They can sell you one in the office beside the Thai immigration if you don't have one. You then negotiate a price with the many guys there to take you across the water to Burma. I think 400 bath is the top price you should pay. If there are more than one of you in the boat it should be less.
You will make 2 stops on the way to the Burmese side. Each stop are "checkpoints". When you get to the pier you will be met by several young guys who will try to befriend you and sell you stuff. Just walk off the pier and into the first room on the left which is the Burma immigration office and give them your passport along with the USD$10. I was in and out of Burma in 5 minutes. I did not stay. The guys who met me off the pier and tried to befriend me asked for 100 baht which I polietly declined. On the way back you will again have to stop at a Burma "checkpoint" and give them your passport to look at. I did tip the guy who jumped off the boat with my passport a 20 bath tip. When I was stopped at this checkpoint on the way back there was another boat full of Asians and one or two of the guys were trying to talk me into something. I think they were asking if I would take a boat load of people back with me to Thailand. Again I pretended not to understand (which I didn't really) and I politely refused. 40 minutes later and your back at the Thai side. Go back to immigration and sign back in.
I then went straight back to the bus station. I got there at 11.15am. Unfortunately the next bus for Hua Hin was not leaving until 1.30pm. They told me that this bus would bypass HH on the way to Bangkok and therefore I planned to get out in Pranburi. When we got near to Pranburi I asked the driver again and he told me that they actually would stop in HH. With this info, I don't see any need to look for an organised visa run.
All the best.
Dawebo
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sandman67
- Rock Star
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heres my sums:
Boat across the bay:400bht
10 Dollars: 355bht
taxi bike: 80bht
Total = 835bht
involves a ride in a leaky dugout and hopping about to get in at each end, dealing with the stinky sweaty Burmese immigration lot, the touts, and takes forever
alternately, use the air con ferry at the Andaman Club, walk on and off in comfort, they do the paperwork, its safer, and theres no touts or ugly immigration queues.... and it takes the same time but you get to have a coffee while you wait for the return....
costs 15 baht more.
Boat across the bay:400bht
10 Dollars: 355bht
taxi bike: 80bht
Total = 835bht
involves a ride in a leaky dugout and hopping about to get in at each end, dealing with the stinky sweaty Burmese immigration lot, the touts, and takes forever
alternately, use the air con ferry at the Andaman Club, walk on and off in comfort, they do the paperwork, its safer, and theres no touts or ugly immigration queues.... and it takes the same time but you get to have a coffee while you wait for the return....
costs 15 baht more.
"Science flew men to the moon. Religion flew men into buildings."
"To sin by silence makes cowards of men."
"To sin by silence makes cowards of men."
Dawebo,
Sorry to hear that The Chumphon Palace Hotel was full. I've stayed there on a number of occasions and I've been about the only guest. Maybe the occupancy rate had something to do with Songkran (different provinces have "different dates") or there was some convention going on? The hotel is set up to cater for those.
SM, I always loved those battered up old long tail boats that would break down half way through the estuary and take 20 minutes to restart as you were at the mercy of a big swell. Wet, bedraggled and scared are understatements for me on a few occasions.
The Andaman Cub always used to charge an extra 700 Baht odd if you were using the service on a 30 day border run (now only 15 days). That's why I only used it once. Cheap Charlie.
Does anyone know if this is still the case? There was a printed sign up at the Thai hotel reception. The additional charge only applied to those doing visa exempt runs, not those who were activating another entry on a "proper" visa.
Sorry to hear that The Chumphon Palace Hotel was full. I've stayed there on a number of occasions and I've been about the only guest. Maybe the occupancy rate had something to do with Songkran (different provinces have "different dates") or there was some convention going on? The hotel is set up to cater for those.
SM, I always loved those battered up old long tail boats that would break down half way through the estuary and take 20 minutes to restart as you were at the mercy of a big swell. Wet, bedraggled and scared are understatements for me on a few occasions.
The Andaman Cub always used to charge an extra 700 Baht odd if you were using the service on a 30 day border run (now only 15 days). That's why I only used it once. Cheap Charlie.
Does anyone know if this is still the case? There was a printed sign up at the Thai hotel reception. The additional charge only applied to those doing visa exempt runs, not those who were activating another entry on a "proper" visa.
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Bamboo Grove
- Moderator
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- Location: Macau, China
Lomu, that´s news to me. I´ve been to the Andaman on 30, 60 and 90 days visas and never been charged a different fare. What´s this all about, I wonder?The Andaman Cub always used to charge an extra 700 Baht odd if you were using the service on a 30 day border run (now only 15 days).
Back in Bamboo Grove
http://bamboogrovestories.blogspot.com/
http://bamboogrovestories.blogspot.com/
BG,
That was about 8 years ago, hence asking the question about up-to-date information. That was the only time I used the Andaman service as I was on 30 day visa exempt stamps all the time.
I'd come up from Khao Lak and was on a 2 day overstay. The estuary was closed off by Thai and Burmese gunboats. Normally that didn't affect farangs, but this time it did and I knew in advance.
The Andaman Club couldn't sort out my overstay fine so I had to go back to the old office and return. There it was, the notice saying that the fee was ..... Baht for those who held visas - tourist, Non O or Non B. However, for visa exempt runners, there was an extra 700 Baht tariff for the service.
Up until maybe 2 years ago I've heard the same thing from others.
That was about 8 years ago, hence asking the question about up-to-date information. That was the only time I used the Andaman service as I was on 30 day visa exempt stamps all the time.
I'd come up from Khao Lak and was on a 2 day overstay. The estuary was closed off by Thai and Burmese gunboats. Normally that didn't affect farangs, but this time it did and I knew in advance.
The Andaman Club couldn't sort out my overstay fine so I had to go back to the old office and return. There it was, the notice saying that the fee was ..... Baht for those who held visas - tourist, Non O or Non B. However, for visa exempt runners, there was an extra 700 Baht tariff for the service.
Up until maybe 2 years ago I've heard the same thing from others.