You should check the website for the thai consulate in penang. I've done a visa there. Usually you deliver docs in the morning of the first day and return for the visa on the afternoon of the second day. If you can avoid Bangkok Immigration, that's a good thing. It's a headache and a half.

Imagine thinking that your skin color and appearance don't matter in other countries...

Having a car on Koh Samui is difficult, because the roads are quite narrow. The best option is to use a motorbike...however, that's fraught with danger, as this is one of the worst countries in the world for traffic deaths.

I live on Koh Samui and I love it...it really is a tropical paradise.

Note, if you have health issues, that Chiang Mai sometimes has the worst air quality in the WORLD...farmers burning crops and so on. Do some research on this before making a decision, as it can be a real problem.

@Brandon ***********

Thank you for this insight. It's a small difference, but quite important...

Thank you.

@Tod ********

Thank you.

I opened my account in BKK, but I got a bank statement last month here in Samui...so it's possible.

I figured it out. The website is so easy now...you just enter your passport number and the country, then hit search to fill out the form with your information. Except it was using my old "entry valid until" date...but now that I have an under consideration stamp, that date has changed. So I resubmitted my 90-day report with the date from my under consideration stamp, and it was approved.

The police did not visit me in Bangkok, but after I moved to Samui, they've visited twice in two years, so it really depends on your province...and I suspect they just don't have the time to do this for everyone in BKK.

Very few of the brand name medicines in the US are sold in Thailand. If you're searching for availability, you need to search for the generic name of the drug, as

@Stuart ********

suggests.