Wednesday, September 23, 2026
Preparing for a Fourteenth Winter in Chiang Mai, Thailand
Time before my fourteenth winter in Chiang Mai is eroding away quickly with just seven weeks until I leave. I’m in the final preparations phase, making sure everything is in order, reviewing my packing list, etc.
Packing for Thailand presents a challenge. The very hot and humid climate in Thailand is unlike what we experience in Southern California. There have been some recent hot and humid days in southern California, but I know from experience it is just not the same as being in Thailand. So, as I do every year, I’m finding it difficult to really remember just how hot and humid it will be in Thailand. And that affects my packing. I do remember getting out of the airport in Bangkok, the hot air hitting me like a wall, and thinking, “It is so unbelievably hot and humid…what am I doing here!” But soon the frenetic energy of Bangkok pulled me forward. The heat and humidity stopped being an obstacle and became part of the experience itself, part of the backdrop to the temples, the street vendors, and the good food.
The Calm Ocean
The relatively recent very hot and humid days in southern California were a side-effect of a hurricane that came along the Mexican west coast and then as it made its way north, turned to the northwest more towards Hawaii. Southern California was spared the high winds and rain and were left with a week of unseasonable and rather difficult hot and humid weather. Along with that hurricane came very high surf and waves along the coast, more so in Orange County and Los Angeles County than here in San Diego. The storm has passed, the high surf has diminished, and temperatures are close to normal.
I was out for a bike ride along the coast and was so struck at how smooth and calm the ocean was that I felt compelled to take a photo. A striking contrast to the very high waves a little over a week ago. This calm, smooth ocean is not so good for the surfers. But there’s something quietly beautiful about watching the sea in this mood. It’s the Pacific Ocean living up to its name: pacific, from the Latin for peaceful. Some days, the ocean makes its own argument for the label.
Tourist Visa Approval
I have reached a very important milestone in my preparation for what will be my longest visit to Thailand. Since I plan on being in the Kingdom of Thailand for 90 days this winter, I need to start with a 60-day Tourist Visa.
Royal Thai Consulate General, Los Angeles
Before the pandemic, extending my stay in Thailand beyond 30 days meant a trip to the Royal Thai Consulate General in the Larchmont area of Los Angeles. I’d bring copies of the required documents, a $40 money order, and my passport. After a staff member verified everything, I’d speak with the agent at the window—and the process really began.
After the agent verified everything again, they enter my passport information into their system which revealed my past visits to the Kingdom. I was given a receipt and instructions to return the next day after 3 PM. When I returned, they handed me my passport with the visa: a full-page sticker that looked like the photo on the left. The photo on the right shows my arrival and departure stamps. According to the records, I arrived December 28, 2017 on Korean Air flight 657 and must leave by February 25, 2017. The triangle departure stamp shows that I left on January 26, 2017.
This tourist visa was marked as “Used” when I entered the Kingdom on December 28, 2016.
Modern Visa Process
Since the pandemic, obtaining a 60-day tourist visa has become an online process. I used that process in 2022 and 2023. Then in 2024, the Thai government changed the 30-day visa exemption to 60 days, so there was no need for a 60-day tourist visa. With the 60-day tourist visa and then the 60-day visa exemption, the stay in Thailand could be extended by 30 more days at the discretion of Thai Immigration.
In 2024 and 2025, I got a 60-day visa exemption and then extended that by 30 more days. Here is an example of my passport from last winter. On the far right is the arrival stamp, indicating that I arrived on November 14, 2025 and must leave by January 12, 2026. At the bottom, the stamp shows that on December 16, I applied for and was granted a 30-day extension and must depart the Kingdom by February 11, 2026. At the top on the left is the circular departure stamp showing that I departed on February 11, 2026.
[I pushed the limit of my allowed stay in the Kingdom. I got the departure stamp at 10:30 PM on February 11, about 90 minutes from the end of my allowed time in the Kingdom. The flight from Chiang Mai to Seoul, S.Korea left at 12:30 AM on the 12th of February.]
Changes in 2026
After two years allowing a 60-day visa exemption and collecting data, the 60-day visa exemption was returned to 30 days. It seems that 95% or more of tourists stay less than 15–20 days and only a very small number stay longer than 30 days. And this reduces the abuse that was taking place where people were essentially living in Thailand using the tourist visa process. They would enter with the 60-day visa exemption get the 30-day extension, then fly somewhere close and inexpensive like Vietnam, Cambodia, or Malaysia, then return to Thailand again on the 60-day visa exemption. The Thai government wants people living in the Kingdom to get the proper long-stay visa. So not only was the 60-day visa exemption reduced back to 30-days, it may only be used two times per year.
This change affects me, but not much. I am going back to the process I used before: apply for a 60-day tourist visa from the Royal Thai Consulate General, Los Angeles, then extend that by 30 days after I arrive in the Kingdom.
I had read that the process might take 10–15 working days, or 2 to 3 weeks. I started the process on a Wednesday night. I had all the documents ready and the website was very clear and easy to negotiate. I uplosded the documents, paid the $40 fee, and submitted my request.
On Thursday, I got an e-mail saying I had a message on the Thai e-Visa official website. I signed in and the message said they needed a better document proving my location. There are two reasons for this. First, application for a tourist visa must be made outside Thailand, specifically in your home country. Second, the location determines which Thai Consulate is to process the application. I uploaded a photo of my driver’s license. I suspected this message had come in their initial document verification, and the actual approval (or denial) would come in a week or more–there’s no rush, I do not leave until November 12.
On Friday late morning, I an e-mail from the Thai E-Visa Ministry of Foreign Affairs official e-mail indicating that my 60-day tourist visa was approved. Two days! Below is a copy of the document. I will take with me a printed copy to show the immigration officer if they do not already know about it after they scan my passport.
Next: Packing, packing, packing
