Further to your original post thebeargirl, the elevations in Thailand are very modest compared to anything in Yunnan. The highest mountain in Thailand is only as high as the western hills surrounding Kunming, so you won't need anything more than a light sweater.

The weather in Thailand in the dry season, covering all of northern, north eastern and central Thailand is superb. The chance of rain is almost nil, the visibility is superb and temperatures average around 28 degrees C in Chiang Mai, 31 in Bangkok and minimums are around 17 in Chiang Mai and 21 in Bangkok, although 25/33 even in December or January is not unknown in Bangkok. Basically, it's hot, sunny and less humid and cooler than other times of the year but that's it.

I doubt that the water quality in Thailand could be any worse than China. I would never drink tap water in China because that would make one very sick, and I would advise the same in Thailand. If you have a weak stomach, brush your teeth with bottled water only.

Thailand is generally safe, but as a freer country than China with less police control and far more tourists and expats, you'll find things a bit different especially in nightlife areas. While by and large safe, don't attract the wrong people or you could get in trouble.

As soon as you arrive in Bangkok, you'll see people from India, Europe, Africa and other places, whereas in Kunming you might see 3 foreigners roaming downtown, in Bangkok half of all people in the central shopping areas will be foreigners. The difference between Kunming and Bangkok in this respect is like night and day.

Finally, never ever lose your cool in Thailand. Nobody will help you or talk to you again if you do. Getting visibly angry might work in China, but it gets you nowhere in Thailand. You'll almost never see Thais get visibly angry, so I would advise you to heed this crucial piece of advice.

@the beargirl, you originally posted this thread on Oct 29th, but said you will be in Thailand on Oct 5. Unless you can go back in time, did you actually mean Nov 5?

Anyway, what will you be doing in Thailand? 5 months is a long time and there are no 5 month visas. You can stay for 60 days on a tourist visa, then get a 30 day extension. After that you'd need to leave the country and come back to gain a new permission of stay but you can't keep doing that as you'd start to arouse permission on the other hand if you don't stay more than 5 months you should be OK. If you have some sort of non-immigrant visa to come as an exchange student, you'd probably get a 90 day visa that can be extended up to 5 months. Make sure you have the right visa in your passport before leaving though otherwise you won't get on the plane.

Don't worry about Chinese pills, they are weird and what you'll find in Thailand is much the same as in the west, predictable and safe. Before every trip to China I stock up on medicine like anti-diahrrea charcoal pills (which for some bizarre reason are unavailable in Kunming, can anyone confirm?) in Thailand because I know that I don't want to try to find these things in China. In terms of doctors, they all speak good English and I'd much rather trust a Thai doctor than a doctor in Kunming. In fact, if I ever got sick in Kunming, I'd take the first flight out to Bangkok (I have travel insurance anyway) to seek treatment there.

I have never attempted to exchange Yuan into a foreign currency in Kunming, always thought it was too difficult to find a place willing to do it so I never even bothered (although I hear the BOC can help). Save your energy and get a better exchange rate for Yuan even at Bangkok or Chiang Mai airports. Alternatively you can try the moneychanger at Kunming's new Changshui airport, although their rates could be a bit better.

If you don't smoke, take drugs or even drink much, Thailand is heaven when it comes to partying. Much more fun than Kunming, 100x more choice and smoking is not allowed in nightclubs and this is largely enforced and adhered to. Smoking was banned in nightclubs back in 2007 and before then I always wondered why Thailand was so behind compared to say, Australia which banned smoking in nightclubs about 10 years earlier, depending on the state. However, now that Thailand has caught up that only leaves China, especially Yunnan.

@toto4, yes absolutely and as you can read from the other responses including mine, you would be well advised to let your wife know she should apply for a Malaysian visa before departing China.

Hi, I have been told that there are restrictions on pickup trucks entering the city of Kunming and that they aren't allowed in the center of town. This seems a bit odd to me, as in most other countries, pickup trucks or utility vehicles are simply considered to be a type of car that can carry a load at the back and are treated the same as sedans, SUVs etc. Does anybody know if this is true?

On another note, does anybody know the procedure for a Lao registered car to be driven to Kunming and stay there long-term? The car would from time to time also be driven back to Laos, Thailand and other regional countries hence the reason for being Lao registered. I have read somewhere the car would need to have license (number) plates from Yunnan, likely Xishuangbanna plates obtained from Mengla or Jinghong, but haven't been able to confirm this. I know that Lao registered vehicles are commonly seen throughout Xishuangbanna and that they don't require any Chinese plates, but then they are restricted from travelling north of Jinghong without special permission. My company's case is different because the car would also need to be driven around Kunming and other parts of Yunnan.

Thanks for all the info.

The latets information is that Hanoi does process visa applications for non-residents but Ho Chi Minh City does not at this time. This is a policy reversal from what I stated previously, so the OP should be OK. In any case, processing a Z visa if the paperwork mentions a specific city should be OK regardless. The info I was referring to is mainly for tourist and business visa applicants.