I an traveling to LOS on 12-15-06 till 1-10-07. I would like to take a couple of side trips maybe to Cambodia, China, or Vietnam. Should I get visas befor leaving the US and will I have any problem getting back into LOS that many times? What would be the best cities for sight seeing and girls.
Can I leave out of Pattaya or do I need to go back to BKK? How much will I have to pay for air or package with medium priced hotel? If I go to China I would like to see the great wall.
I was also cosidering going into north LOS, Has any ever heard of the long neck tribe? And what is a good island in the south?
I will not be doing all of this but would like to weight my options.

You don't need a visa beforehand for Cambodia. I don't know about China. I think you can get a visa for Vietnam in Bangkok (when I went, I did get mine in advance while at home).

You do need to be careful about coming in and out of Bangkok, I think the new rules allow you to come in and out of Thailand 3 times in six months.

So if you come into Bangkok, have fun, but then leave, when you come back (to leave) that will be your second entrance in six months (even if it was within the same 30 day period).

So if you arrived in Bangkok, left for Cambodia, came back, left for Vietnam, came back, it will be the last time you are allowed in Bangkok for 6 months, unless you go to an embassy and get a six month visa.

I know just enough to be dangerous on this subject, you should get some good advice from someone else, but you need to be aware of it.

Those visa rules don't apply to hoppers who are using Bangkok as a base of operations to travel. It only applies to the serial renewers who stay 30 days and do the border runs, consecutively.

Visas are required for China and Vietnam, and can be obtained in Bangkok at their embassies or by hiring a local travel company to get it for you, which is what I did for my Vietname visa. I wouldn't get them in advance. Wait until you get there and see how things go before spending the money. If you buy both in advance in the states, you may not use both because you got preoccupied with other matters.

Please note that it will be very, very, very, very cold anywhere the Great Wall is located. You may want to consider a warmer time of year to visit. If you did go to the wall, you would need to pack both summer clothing for SEA and full winter gear for northern China.

Given all of your other questions, I highly recommend you purchase the Lonely Planet guide to Thailand. It will cover everything you possibly wanted to know about non-mongering travel in the country.

That's not quite four weeks of fun in SEA, Travelman69. I suggest focusing on one or two areas and I highly recommend Cambodia. It's cheap and fascinating. Go see the Great Wall? That's kinda like deciding to check out Chicago while you're in Miami. Vietnam? I haven't been there, but I can't imagine going over for a short trip as there doesn't seem to be much in the way of touristic attractions there. Now, Burma, on the other hand ...

Consider ten days in Thailand, a week in Cambodia (allow four days for the temples) and some more time in Thailand for the beach (Phuket is terrific by my standards and very easy to get to).

If you've a taste for adventure, go overland from Pattaya to Cambodia, but allow a lot of extra days.

Thank you for your advice. Do you know how much air far to Cambodia is? I checked Thai Air BKK to Cambodia was $322 US. Is there a better air line to check or will I get a better far over there? Is anyone going to be there during this time? I'll probably be in Pattaya most of the time.

Check out Bangkok Airways. Thai will always be one of the most expensive options. You can also sit down with a travel agent in Bangers once you get there, and they'll run through the options for you.

Check out:
AirAsia.com
3100-3500 Baht Round Trip including Taxes.

Bangkokair.com
5290 Baht Round trip

Thaiairways.com
10000 Baht Round trip

Air Asia is the "Southwest" of this market, and for an hour flight, if you are comfortable with the times can be less than a third of the cost of Thai airways.

Travelman69,

I think most of your questions were answered, and from what I see, Murasaki gave you the most accurate information all around. Visa on arrival for Cambodia, but visa in advance for Vietnam and China. I didn't get my visa for Vietnam in Bangkok, but have gotten several in China at the consulate on Ratchada. You can do it yourself if you have the form, the money and the picture, in one day. Just show up there at 9 am and you can pick it up in the afternoon.

As far as your Thai visa, you can enter more than 3 times in 6 months, but you just can't be in country using the 30 day visa waiver for tourists for more than 90 days out of 6 months. I got this from the immigration officer at Passport Control at the airport in Bangkok. I use Bangkok as a base of operations, so it's a damn good thing for me, although I'm in Thailand enough that I'm in the process of getting a non-immigrant visa.

And finally, I can vouch for the Great Wall being as cold as hell in winter. My first trip to see the Great Wall (at Badaling, outside Beijing) was in December. I nearly froze my ass off, partly because I just wasn't dressed for it. Realize they built the wall on TOP of the mountains, it follows the crests, not the valleys. On the other hand, when I was there, it wasn't crowded at all, and Badaling is probably the most touristy part of the wall. It's a long way to go from Bangkok, however, as it's a 4 hour nonstop flight on Thai Air, longer if you make a connection.