Thai visa extension in hua hin. Getting a Thai visa in Malaysia, Penang for Russians and Ukrainians Departure time from Hua Hin

Allow me to make some contribution to this topic, namely: to briefly talk about the railway version of the border run from Hua Hin to Malaysia.
It seems to me that this method may be relevant for those who live near the stations of the Southern Line of Thai railways on the section from Cha Am to Chumpon. In other scenarios, either traveling by bus, or generally traveling to other border crossings, becomes more attractive.
The main advantage of a train over a bus (and even more so compared to a minibus) is freedom for the body. Those who have had to travel long distances, crouched in the back seat of a minibus, will probably think about the train. In addition, the train provides a theoretical opportunity to sleep in a normal - horizontal - position, at the same time somehow approaching the goal. In our case, to the city of Hat Yai. At the same time, you can have an unlimited number of times to eat food sold here on the train, use the toilet at any convenient time, if you wish, wash or even take a shower.
The main disadvantage of Thai trains is constant (and often significant) delays. It is even possible that these are not so much delays caused by some random circumstances, but rather an incorrectly drawn up schedule: I got the impression that the real time of arrival at station N of each train is always approximately the same, and N residents have this secret information. I want to note that in Thai trains the lights are not turned off at night, and this must be borne in mind. In addition, as far as I remember, the conductor used to lock the car at night, but last time this did not happen to the delight of the sellers of all sorts of things, thanks to which you can learn the names of the simplest Thai dishes well. (Oddly enough, the company ... Qatar Airways helped me, or rather their gift: earplugs and an eye mask. I recommend stocking up).
In order not to sell cheap compared to the bus, we must strive to stay within the second class. I would not recommend the 2nd class with seats: in my opinion, it is completely uncomfortable there, and there is little chance of sleeping normally, although the seats fold out almost to a horizontal position, but noise, light (no Qatars help!), wind, bursting in through open windows is not too conducive to sweet dreams. If you nevertheless decide to use this option, or for economic reasons (or perhaps due to the lack of tickets) you find yourself in the 3rd class, warm up! A jumper or a blanket will not interfere. The same people who decide to use first class will probably enjoy the trip very much, and their train will probably run on schedule. But there are few such trains, and passengers too. And we, therefore, chose the Second Sleeper Class, which is found mainly in the compositions of a more "proletarian" level. Ticket price from Hua Hin to Hai Yaya in this case will be about 500 baht (the lower shelves are 10 percent more expensive than the upper ones), which is approximately equal to the price of bus tickets. At the same time, special curtains (why are there no such curtains in our reserved seat?!) and comfortable sleeping places will create a certain comfort and coziness.
The next step is to choose a train. Five night trains run through Hua Hin to Hat Yai. Train number 35, passing through Hua Hin at 18:42, stands apart in this row: it goes to the very border in Padang Besar and even further to Malaysia, but there are no cars of the desired class there. There are no such cars in another Special Express - No. 37, departing from XX at 19:10 (arrival at 07:20). There is also Special Express No. 85 at 11:33 pm, but it should not arrive in XY until 12:34 pm, which is perhaps a bit late. (I can't guarantee, by the way, that this train has 2nd class sleeping cars). These trains, I think, have air-conditioned second-class carriages. As a result, we have little choice: Rapid No. 171 and Ordinary No. 169. Both of these trains are old and battered by life (I’m not sure about the 169th - I haven’t ridden it for two years, they suddenly updated it). They start to be late even in the city of Bangkok, and in XX they arrive an hour and a half later than the time indicated in the schedule - respectively 17:14 and 20:07. Arrival times in HY are 05:52 and 09:15. Adding 2-2.5-3 hours we get the time close to the real one. And so it would be tempting: having arrived on the 171st train, jump to the 35th train to Hat Yai - Padang Besar and at 07:55 be at the border.
Buying a ticket at Hua Hin station is easy: cashiers, unlike many other places, speak English, and you can explain to them. The main thing is to take care of tickets in advance - at least a day in advance - otherwise there may not be tickets. It is important to clearly explain which class of ticket is required. Otherwise, you can easily end up in a sitting position instead of lying down. It would not be impudent to ask for a seat in the middle of the car: it is much quieter there, and the smells of the toilet are not felt. If you had to take 3rd class tickets, then you definitely need to buy tickets with SEATS (you must answer “No!” to the phrase “Only tickets without seats! O'K?”, believe me), otherwise you will have to stand all the way on one leg and curse everything in the world! Chances to sit down will not, most likely. And so - Hua Hin - a good station. Even announcements over the speakerphone are duplicated on English language. Also at the station there is a board, which reflects the order of arrival of trains and the delay time for each. And this means that you don’t have to guess whether the train has arrived, and worry about this topic.
It is unlikely to pass your station (if the class of the car is higher than 3): the conductor will remind you, and the neighbors will follow the unreasonable, from their point of view, farang. Therefore, waking up a couple of hours later than the expected arrival, you should not panic: the train is slightly late, and there is still time to wash (and there are three washbasins, and they are not in the toilet, so there is no queue) and have breakfast. In addition, most of the passengers get off at Hat Yai.
Once in Hat Yai, do not repeat my mistake: I, along with local population rode a tiny songteo to the Bus Station (“Thirty baht, Sir! Same Thai people!” - I feel like I’m lying, although it started at fifty). The fact is that the minibuses going to Sadao or Padang Besar depart from some points in Hat Yai, located near the railway station, and only then they call at the Bus station, and at the same time they can be almost full. So, in principle, many minibuses are made in this city. The cost does not depend on the place of landing. The main thing is to get rid of the help at the station and the station territory, and then ask the locals - they will show and help.
Thai railway sites.

The idea to go to Hua Hin arose from a simple reluctance to change at Bangkok airport. I managed to fly to Phuket last time in this way. Either I didn’t have a completely correct perception of the surrounding reality after a night flight, or the Bangkok airport is really so huge and stupid, but we ran there with a suitcase pretty much in search of our flight or at least a person who could explain the way in understandable English.

Yes, there are overland routes from Bangkok to Koh Chang. If you wish, you can get to Koh Samui (independent travelers praise a very economical option: a bus to Chumpon, from there by ferry). But this is how you have to not love yourself, so that after a nine-hour night flight it takes another five or six hours to get to the hotel. No. We take Bangkok, draw a circle around it with a radius of about two hours of transfer and do not go beyond this circle. The idea to go to the Russian "pearl by the sea" Pattaya disappeared immediately. Well, I do not like this city with crowds of compatriots, on whose faces it is written "the people are ready for debauchery." Turning, as they wrote before, my gaze in the opposite direction, I found two coastal towns at about the same distance from the capital as Pattaya: Hua Hin and Cha Am. Here, that's where we're going.

If you plan a route in my footsteps, please note: we have taken root in three spellings of the name of the resort: Hua Hin, Hua Hin, and Hua Hin. In English it is written in two separate words. I will stick with the first option, but remember that the other two are also ours.

Gold in muddy water

The terrain here, unlike the islands, is more flat, but not at all bald, there is a lot of greenery. There are fields and salt marshes where useful salt is mined. The Regent Chalet Regent Beach hotel between Hua Hin and Cha Am was chosen purely out of dislike for large buildings. The whole hotel is a small group of bungalows surrounded by well-groomed tropical vegetation.

A wide sandy beach begins immediately outside the territory. There are no sunbeds and umbrellas in this area on the beach, but there are really two steps to hotel sunbeds. The sunbeds are of course free. The beaches here are absolutely classic: endless, sandy, not crowded. The buildings seen along them are mostly not hotels, but condominiums where residents rent apartments. different countries. Complaints about the muddy sea in Hua Hin, I met even before the trip. In the first two days the sea was a little stormy. Then the storm subsided. What to say? There is no crystal clear water. Some haziness is always present. But it's not dirt. In the rays of the sun you can see how golden sand grains dance in the water. You can swim, which we always did. But there are few swimmers on the beach. There are also a few annoying merchants.

Walking along the beaches, you can find a couple of eateries, as well as masseuses offering Thai massage here under a canopy. Everything is clean, tidy, prices are very reasonable. 200 baht for a full massage. In other places I disdain beach massage, but here I enjoyed it with pleasure.

The only drawback of the hotel was, according to the reviews, the lack of tourism infrastructure, that is, restaurants where you can dine, shops, ATMs. Well there is no way. On the first evening we had dinner at the hotel. To be honest, I wasn't impressed. Too expensive and poor by Thai standards. On the second day we decided to go to Hua Hin for dinner. Mini-bass from the reception runs according to the schedule. Please register in advance.

Kings and Bazaars of Hua Hin

On the road to the left - the main attraction of Hua Hin - the Summer Royal Palace of the current reigning Rama IX. But you will not see the palace itself. From the road you can see the park behind a wrought-iron fence. If there are yellow flags on the gate, then the king is here. But even if the king is in Bangkok, the palace is still closed to visitors.

The central transport hub of Hua Hin is a small square on which stands a clock tower. The place is called: Clock Tower. The carved Buddhist temple overlooking this square is Wat Ampharam, main temple city ​​and part-time Buddhist monastery. If you face it, then the street, going a little to the right sideways, will lead to the sea and to pretty coastal restaurants. There is no beach suitable for swimming. But it is quite possible to sit on the beach with a plate of fried fish.

Walking for half an hour along the main street (or driving a few minutes in a taxi) you will find the largest shopping center town of Market Village. If you are planning to stay in Bangkok later, there is not much to do there. And if not, then the range and prices are very worthy.

If it's in the evening, walking a little back from the Clock Tower along the road you came along, you will see a very busy and brightly lit street on the left. This will be the Night Market. Rows of stalls with food and souvenirs stretch for several blocks. Wonderful entertainment. All of Thailand on one street. Mountains of elephants, T-shirts, sundresses, jewelry and other tourist joys. Fish is fried here, roti pancakes are baked, and juices are squeezed out of various fruits. The prices are very moderate. If you are a fan of Thai street food, you will enjoy a huge baht for a hundred in total. If you want to party and get two hundred, you can hardly eat. Unlike similar places, for example, in Bangkok, everything is much cleaner and more decent. No sewer smells, no ladyboys, no questionable establishments. You can walk with children. At the end of this street there is a railway station with the Royal Pavilion, but at night it is not visible in the dark.

Excursions in Russian in Hua Hin are offered by only one company. Contacts do not give, because not advertising. If you got here, then you know how to use search engines. I contacted them in advance, there are no representatives in the hotel and no Russian-speaking staff. All excursions are conducted individually. Sightseeing tour Hua Hin takes half a day and starts from the Royal Pavilion at the station, built in the form of a charming carved box.

The next object is Mount Khao Takiab. Keep your bags secure and leave valuables in the car. Because as soon as you get out of the car, you will be surrounded by a flock of monkeys. There are hundreds of them here. They do not climb the mountain itself, but they simply teem below.

The ascent to the temple of Wat Khao Lad, located at the top, is quite steep, but easily transferred. Probably, the local higher powers help. Above, besides the temple, viewpoint With beautiful view around Hua Hin. The last item on the program is temple complex Wat Huay Mongkol with a picturesque park and a huge statue of an ascetic monk. The huge black head is especially spectacular against the backdrop of sunset.

On the way we stopped at a floating market. With a lack of time, this item can be safely thrown out of the program. New for tourists. Canals, bridges, souvenir shops. Pretty cute, so AH!, so no.

Pechaburi - the city of temples

A very curious and little known place for our tourists is located half an hour from Hua Hin. This is a cave temple and a royal palace in the town of Pechaburi. It has the largest number of Buddhist temples per unit area in the country. Three green hills rise above the city. On one monastery, you can’t go there. On the second - a stupa. In principle, you can, but you don't want to. On the third - the Summer residence of King Rama IV. (In Thailand, who does not know, all the kings are called Rama, adding a serial number to this name). You can take the funicular up to the palace. The palace itself was somewhat damaged due to features local climate, but retained the elegance of architectural forms. You cannot shoot inside. From the interiors, one can understand that pompous luxury was deeply alien to Rama IV. Everything is simple to asceticism. The most valuable is the collection of Chinese porcelain, which includes a significant section of chamber pots.

Below, not far from the palace, is the cave temple of Khao Luang. In a huge cave locals brought images of the Buddha during one of their wars with the Burmese. In it was built giant statue reclining Buddha. Beams of daylight break through the openings in the upper part, giving the cave a fantastic view. The area is also full of monkeys.

Cha Am and bikers

Another place in the vicinity of the hotel, where we made a sortie, is the resort town of Cha Am. It takes about 15 minutes to go there by taxi. A long sandy beach, along which food stalls stretch for any request, from restaurants with aquariums where the future main dishes of your dinner swim, to carts of macaroons and flimsy tables on the beach, where the most relish is to take off your shoes and sit, dipping your feet in the soft sand. There are many European youth in Cha Am. All around there are signs offering inexpensive guesthouses. Lots of bikers of different nationalities. Russians are not seen or heard.

Why You Shouldn't Trust Reviews

Having learned from the Internet that there was nothing around our hotel, at first we did not make attacks. But the spirit of the explorer still won. Going to the right of the gate, we found literally 200 meters away several shops, an ATM, an atelier and food carts. Even further - a few condominiums, which have nice restaurants with courtyards and very good Thai food. Encouraged by the success of the first expedition, the next day we went to the left. We passed the main building of the Regent Beach Hotel. Behind him, literally a five-minute walk, was a whole street of restaurants one better than the other and shops with various beach and souvenir rubbish. Conclusion: You can't always trust the internet.

Now about where we did not get. Literally half an hour walk from our hotel was the Marukhataiwan Summer Royal Palace, built in the early 20th century for King Rama VI. There is now a museum. But then we had other plans, then the palace was closed. So, unfortunately, this palace of original architecture made of gilded teak wood on the seashore was left without our attention. Maybe you'll have better luck.

I have it already detailed instructions, in immigration. All processes are identical regardless of the city, the difference can only be in what the queue will be, and that depends on the season. Nevertheless, I decided to write a short post about my personal experience visa extension in Hua Hin. I remind you that I have already written.

I arrived at 10.50 in the morning, at 11:30 I left with a visa. Everything is very fast! But they say there are queues. Although there were a lot of people during my visit, all the seats inside and outside the office were occupied. Perhaps, thanks to the streamlined procedure for receiving documents, now everything happens much faster than before.

There is a photocopier near the entrance, where I made a copy of the passport of the main page and a spread with a visa (3 baht / 1 sheet). You could take a picture for 100 baht, but I already had a photo. After that, I went inside and took a ticket for the electronic queue. Without a copy of the passport and photo, they did not want to give me a coupon. Then I began to fill out the questionnaire, although there was a Thai girl sitting at a table on the street, who fills out the questionnaires for free for everyone, but she was already busy with someone and I did not disturb her. While I was filling out the questionnaire, my turn came up, I barely had time to fill out the questionnaire. Therefore, I think you should not rush and take a ticket ahead of time.

The immigration officer looked at my address in Bangkok on the form and asked where I was staying in Hua Hin. Since I was passing through and didn’t even intend to spend the night, I didn’t stop anywhere in Hua Hin (I lived in Bangkok then). In order not to create a freelance situation (suddenly, if you are passing by, then go to your friend’s place in Bangkok), he named the first hotel that I remembered in Hua Hin, since I stayed there and even did it.

Already 5 minutes after the conversation with the officer, I was given a ready-made passport with an extension stamp.

Park opposite

Opposite the immigration there is a small park with a playground, fitness equipment, a minimum of trees and an entrance to the sea.

Documents for renewal

From the docks you only need:

- International passport
— Any photo 3x4 or 4x6
— A copy of the main page of the passport, a spread with a visa, and an immigration card
– A completed application form (there is a sample in the immigration how to fill it out)
- Warning of responsibility for not notifying the authorities about the change of place of residence (it is filled in on the spot and, as I understand it, this is a formality)

I was afraid that they would ask for a housing contract, but it was not needed! They didn't ask anything at all.

Opening hours and cost

From Monday to Friday from 8:30 to 16:30. Break from 12:00 to 13:00.

The cost of extending a single-entry visa for another 30 days or a 30-day stamp for 7 days is 1900 baht.

Location map of Immigration

On blogs I met some confusing explanations that the immigration office had moved. I don’t know, maybe this is already his new place, but the correct point is marked even on Google Maps, which is usually late with the display.

Another immigration office has also appeared in the Blueport shopping center on the ground floor. There is almost no one there now, because apparently not everyone knows about it yet. So it's better to go there, without a queue they will do everything. Moreover, even no documents other than a passport are needed, they themselves will do everything there.

At a distance of 25 kilometers from the place called Cha Am is the resort of Hua Hin. It is famous for its five-kilometer white sand beach and countless golf courses. There are several hotels built in the English style, full of elegance, which are in perfect harmony with the splendor of the nature of the resort. You should definitely choose a holiday in Hua Hin, Thailand.

This resort can be classified as one of the oldest resorts in the country. A hundred years ago, the construction of a palace began here, which later became the summer residence of the king of the country. This palace is still one of the favorite vacation spots of the royal family. In Hua Hin, all hotels are upscale. Basically they all have 4 or 5 stars. We can say that tourists rest here, preferring a comfortable relaxing holiday secluded from the bustle of the city. The absence of noisy parties at night attracts couples with children to these places.

It is very easy to get to this place from Bangkok. The road by car usually takes about 3.5 hours. You can also take the train or bus. Both modes of transport are usually equipped with air conditioning. The journey takes the same 3.5 hours, and the ticket will cost you 250 baht.

Hua Hin bus station has flights to many cities in the country. You can go to Phetchaburi, Cha-Am, Chumphon, Phuket and other cities. In addition, several regular buses pass through the resort at night, heading from Bagkok to Koh Samui or Phuket. If funds allow, you can book a private jet.

Where is the best place to stay?

More than 400 hotels, inns and guest houses have been built on the city territory for the services of vacationers for a variety of tastes. Hilton hotels are among the most famous and most popular. Hua Hin Resort & Spa, located in the central part of the city, Devasom Hua Hin Resort, which is located on the territory of a private beach, Hyatt Regency Hua Hin, more suitable for families and children's recreation and Centara Grand Beach Resort& Villas Hua Hin, which is also located in the central part of the resort. The price of a room in these comfortable hotels ranges from 3,000 baht to 5,000 baht per day.

There are budget hotels in the city with air conditioning and hot water. Rooms in such hotels will cost you from 300 baht per day. The cost of living in guesthouses for two starts from 700 baht per day.

The tropical climate influences how much a holiday in Hua Hin costs. Therefore, the rainy season is divided here, cool and hot. best weather for recreation stands in this place from the beginning of winter until the beginning of April. But you must understand that holidays in the high season will cost you a lot here. Therefore, do not refuse to rest in Hua Hin during the rainy season. The rains at this time of the year are short and come only at night.

What to bring?

Baggage collection for holidays abroad is a very responsible matter. The most important thing is to prepare everything Required documents, as well as several copies of photocopies. It is best to arrange copies in different places, but so that they are always at hand. Other mandatory documents include health insurance. It is better not to save on its cost. Anything can happen on a trip. Do the same with air tickets. They need to be printed out and several copies made, placing them in different parts of the luggage.

Be sure to collect a first aid kit. Stock up on medicines to reduce body temperature and drugs that relieve food poisoning. Don't forget to bring your camera, flash drive, charger, batteries, etc.

What to watch?

The first thing a tourist should visit in Hau Hin is the palace of the Klai Kwong royal family, as well as a religious temple called Wat Neranchararama. This temple is famous for having the largest statue depicting the Buddha with six arms.

Among the natural attractions and interesting places include waterfalls and national parks and the city of Phetburi, where excursions depart with a tour of temples, palaces and the Khao Luang cave, where there are almost two hundred Buddha statues.

If you prefer leisure, then on the beaches you will be offered to ride a yacht or a water scooter, go windsurfing or take a horseback ride. Golf is actively developing in this region. There are several golf clubs, many golf courses, training courses on this game are organized.

Other activities include ecological tours, fishing, elephant riding, kiteboarding, a variety of resort water activities, go-karting, and more.

Those who like to relax and spend time in the spa will also like it here. The question of how much this entertainment costs should not worry vacationers. Spa prices are very affordable here. At the same time, you will be offered both a regular Thai massage and more modern procedures, detox courses, alternative medicine, skin cleansing procedures. There is also a special international hotel Chiva-Som International Health Resort in Hua Hin, where the main direction is fitness. Here everything is subordinated to health - fitness, spa, food, various procedures, and yoga.

Beaches

The entire beach area of ​​this resort can be divided into three different zones. Tourists with families and small children prefer to relax in the northern and southern parts of the beach. It is calm and peaceful here. But in the central part, mostly young people and party-goers gather.

Hua Hin City Beach originates from the attraction called " stone head and stretches for several kilometers. Here you can buy souvenirs at an inexpensive price. Always on this beach is crowded, you can find entertainment for every taste.

At Mount Khao Takiab, the southern zone of the beach begins. This beach is very narrow. In many places you can enter the water directly from the steps. Therefore, there are few people in this part, and when the rainy time begins, it is completely empty. Khao Takiab beach is always clean, as the beach area is cleaned every weekend. Here you can cheaply rent a sun lounger and go water skiing.

The continuation of Khao Takiab can be called Suan Son Beach. Entrance to its territory is paid and costs 10 baht. This is a very picturesque place with dense thickets of shady vegetation.

In the northern part is Sai Noi Beach. You can get to it by public transport. This beach is recognized by tourists as one of the best. There is no special infrastructure, shops and tents.

A wide, but sparsely populated Tao beach begins at the mountain of the same name. This beach is suitable for children and those who have not learned how to swim well. Its feature is shallow water. On Mount Tao, there is an observation deck of the famous Turtle Temple.

To the north of Hua Hin, near Mount Cha Am, the beach of the same name originates. It is very inexpensive to rent accommodation here, which attracts a large number of tourists. For this reason, there are always a lot of people on the beach. In addition, a highway ribbon passes near the beach, which attracts a huge number of tourists to this beach.