how these homeless foreigner stay longer in thailand?

some of them have been here long enough to get a 60 day tourist visa from a neighboring country, or they do border runs to laos or cambodia. the overstay fine at immigration is just 500 baht per day up to 20k, so if they've got 20k saved they can stay a year without much risk. the ones on the street probably burned through their savings and now rely on asking for 20 baht here and there to eat and maybe chip away at that fine

thai authorities usually only act if someone gets reported or causes a scene at a mall or bts station. i've seen a few get picked up at khao san during a sweep, but it's not like they're patrolling every soi looking for farang with expired stamps. most just slip through until they hit the airport and either pay or get banned for a while

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yeah most of them are just existing cheap, like 300 baht a night in a hostel dorm or a fan room in a soi off ratchada. they eat at street stalls for 40 baht a meal and drink the cheap lao khao. the 30 day thing is easy to reset at a border, and the cops honestly dont want the paperwork for a broke farang who hasnt hurt anyone

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honestly a lot of them just work cash jobs, like teaching english under the table or bartending on koh san. 50 baht beers pour themselves if you know the right spots on soi rambuttri. immigration raids happen but mostly at big tourist spots, not so much at the cheap guesthouses on soi 1 where these guys crash for 200 baht a night. the real trick is getting a thai girlfriend who can open a tab at 7-eleven or cover the fine when it finally catches up. i seen one dude brag he'd been overstayed 8 months just bouncing between pattaya and bangkok, cops only care if you're dealing meth or fighting.

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Krua Dok Mai Kao is solid but I've always found their som tam a bit tame on the pla ra. If you want the real funky version, try the shophouse spots along Soi Udomsuk 26, near the night market end. They pound it fresh with fermented fish that'll clear your sinuses, and it's like 60 baht. Different style from the On Nut places, more Lao-leaning.

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for som tam specifically i'd say the Isaan spots in Chatuchak are underrated, weekdays only though since the weekend crowd ruins the vibe. there's a stall near gate 2 that does tam pa with fermented bamboo shoots, super sour and funky, not something you see much in On Nut. if you're already heading north for Or Tor Kor anyway its worth the detour.

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honestly the som tam at Krua Dok Mai Kao is good but what got me hooked is their nam prik pla raa dip with the raw veggies, that funk hits way harder than the papaya does. think most people sleep on it cuz they just order the som tam and gai yang. also pro tip, go before noon on weekdays, after that teh pla ra gets milder cuz they batch it for the lunch rush

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