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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yeah Krua Dok Mai Kao is solid but if you're up for a detour, try Som Tum Nua near Siam Square. their som tam pu pla ra is insane if you like the fermented fish sauce kick. way more pungent than the On Nut spot, just less grilled chicken options

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