Welsh John

Bangkok air goes from the same airport terminal as your incoming flight. However to go through Immigration and check in at the Bangkok Air desk then get to the flight. I think you are pushing it a bit.Suvarmabhumi Airport can mean a long walk to the departure gates. Unless you are being checked in all the way to Phuket from UK.

The Bangkok Air flight does go from Suvarnabhumi so no worries there and as I did book the flights together on Ebookers as a package, I was hoping that we would be checked in all the way through to Phuket and do the immigration there. I booked these flights because the price was very good compared to Thai air but totally forgot about the immigration situation.

I guess I will have to check with Eva at Heathrow and play it by ear.

Thanks for the replies.

We will be going to Phuket via Bangkok next month on Eva Air/Bankok Air for 28 days.

This is the first time we have not used Thai Air in years and have been used to being bussed from Bkk International to Domestic and then doing the visa in Phuket.

This time will we have to do the Visa in Bkk Airport & then go to Domestic ? Or will we be able to get the same service as Thai Air ?

We have got 1 1/2 hrs between flights and I'm keen to be organised as I will be taking my very old father with us this time.

Many Thanks

John

Here in Merthyr Tydfil we will be getting a larger Leisure Centre! 10 sheep instead of 5!

One of the councillors mentioned getting Llamas in for a change but this was discounted because we did'nt want to be accused of copying the English.

Look on the British Embassy Bangkok site. They have lawyers listed there.

The Mrs was discussing babies names the other day as she would like one in the next couple of years or so.

Being patriotic for my wife, I said that if it is a boy or girl it could be called Bangkok. Short name Bang for girl or Kok for boy.

Judging by the face she pulled, it seems it wasn't a good suggestion but anyway I said there was no point in thinking of names until the Bun is in the Oven. :-)

I would rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy!

Rick

Nope, not Rick, but Dorothy Parker.

Hi Sir Burr. Please explain who is Dorothy Parker?

Cheers Rick

The sentence "I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy" is a quote from Dorothy Parker, an American lady who was famous for her wit and quotable sayings (bit like Oscar Wilde). You never attributed the quote, or, used quotation marks, so I thought I'd let people know who's quote it was.

"Men don't make passes at women with glasses" is another Dorothy Parker quote.

Thanks for the clarification Sir Burr. I was under the impression that it was Mae West

Cheers Rick.

I think the correct quote from Dorothy Parker was:

"Men seldom make passes at girls who wear glasses"

Just my 2 baht worth!!

what happens when pilots get mixed up on which airport to land on.

Pilots follow the instructions of sky control. Aside that Pilots are not drunk when flying, neither are they stupid nor dumb.

Unless they work for Phuket Air !!

My Council Tax Inspector lives 2 doors away from me and as I will be bringing the Mrs back from Thailand on the 11th March.

I have put the questions to him about the 25% discount and he said he was not sure.

He did ponder the fact that as the Mrs would be on a 2 year settlement visa then she would not be classed as resident but if she had the ILR then she would. He also mentioned that if she were a property owner then she would liable.

He also said that all property is liable for Council Tax by Law and that it is not payable only in circumstances where the property is Registered Exempt for one reason or another.

It's confusing but anyway he's going to find out and give me some answers when we get back.

When I applied for my wife last month, I took with me Originals & Copies of all the Documents as well as a typed list of them all including Thai Land papers, Tabien Bahn etc. .The only translated document was the marriage certificate. The staff checked the originals with the copies & then gave the originals back except for the marriage certificate & her passport. He then marked the papers that he had seen the originals & gave them back.

(The photo copy of my passport was certified by my local sub post office in the uk for free ( I know them ) but I used to certify documents all the time for customers when I worked in a bank years ago for free.)

4 days later my wife had a phone call from the courier in Phuket saying we had an envelope to pick up. Nerves in tatters we took along the copy of the photo page of my wifes passport that Vac had given back to us with their stamp on it & the receipt clipped to it with the application number etc.

The envelope contained the Passport with the visa in it + the photocopies of documents + Marriage Certificate + the TB certificate.

I had paid the 300 Baht for the courier hoping that if my wife didn't need an interview we wouldn't need to spend a load of money on flights just to pick up the passport but if she had needed an interview the passport could still be sent to Phuket without waiting around in Bangkok.

Hope this helps & Good Luck

Hi All,

From looking at Life in Test site it seems there is a Second Edition Book now available and you would need to check that if you but it from a shop.

On a related note, my wife has just had her Settlement Visa Issued and it took only 3 days with no interview and we will be going to the UK together next month.

I would like to THANK all the people on this forum for posting their brilliant advice and experiences. I could never had this success without it.

As for the ILR well thats another headache for the future and I will be looking to glean more info from Thaivisa as time goes on.

( Ive yet to tell the Missus about the test etc )

Good Luck Marko

It's considerate of the governor to be concerned for people over a short period. What about the rest of the year?? Its usually a good time of the year for the Police to top up their salaries with fines & this is how they justify it. I guess they will be camped out at the end of my Soi all day & everyday. Same,same every year!!

I've only experienced the 1 stop at the scam shop & that was this year. I've been using the the airport Limos for 7 years & before this never had any problems.

My house is in Kathu so I only usually pay 450 Bt & after & long journey I just want to get home without any grief.

As a matter of interest, are the Metered Taxis allowed inside the terminal now?? They used to always have to park outside the terminal on the road.

Police !!! more than likely a "senior" police officer is running the Tuk Tuk 'Mafia'

I agree with PREM. I know a few heavy hitters in Phuket and you can be sure that going to the police would be a grave mistake. The police are not in any way concerned with you health or safety. As a matterof fact, I personally know of a few police that will kick the S&*T out of someone for wronging you if you pay them. Money is all that matters. Trust me. You report a Tuk Tuk to the police, they won't do a thing about it. Unless you offer to pay them. I would walk before I hired a Tuk Tuk, and I wouldn't urinate on Patong if it was engulfed in flames.

The Sign should read "L.O.S. - Land of Scams.... Tourists Beware!!!"

The police Captain that lives on the end of my soi owns a Tuk Tuk

The Phuket branch is just up the road from my house. Worth checking it out Thanks.

Drunken yob rips off driver, then assaults him. Driver fights back and gets charged.

What are you, judge and jury.?...Its a small world, and this is why i wish to comment...I just so happened to be working closely with Julien Bennett, the victim, in the months pior to him leaving for a 6 week trip to Thailand....Julien is much travelled in the region, and has been to Thailand several times over the years, and he is not what you call a naive person. He is also a pleasant and cheerful person who is easy to get on with and has a good sense of humour. he also came across as the sort of person not to want to take any nonsense.

I would lay my hat on it, that Julien knew what the fare should have been (100baht) as he had took the fare numerous times before, and maybe he was drunk, so what, he is on holiday, and the Thai nightlife in Patong is all about selling as much drink as possible for maximising profits....The scumbag tuk tuk driver saw this as his opportunity to double up on the 'naive unsuspecting dunk tourist' and Julien stood his ground....so what if its 100 baht, some people stand on the principle, and I bet that he did throw the 120 baht at the tuk tuk driver, and it was in fact the driver who instigated the fight...Julien is a big lad, maybe 6ft 1, and no doubt fought back in defense, but not to the extent where the driver couldnt return to his tuk tuk, get out a knife, unfold it, and stab him...

So, the question is, who started the altercation...answer, the tuk tuk driver for clearly overcharging.

I have been a victim of this scenario before and i watched as the driver exploded in a rage when he tried to double up on me one night, on a route that I use regularly....fortunately, i didnt get stabbed or attacked.

Hope you have a speedy recovery Jules if you get to read this

This is the most sensible balanced post on this thread.

I live over the hill in Kathu and NEVER use Tuk Tuks purely because of the VERY bad rip off reputation that they have towards tourists regardless of nationality. If people botherd to read the newspapers over the years they would learn that the Tuk Tuk drivers cause problems with tourists regardless Sober or Drunk. I wish this chap Julien well!!!

Just a thought but I wonder what will happen when the Tsunami Warning system kicks off again???

Does anybody know of any decent & cheap Translation Services ( with the relevant stamp ) in Phuket.

I've got to get the documents sorted for the wife's visa soon & I don't want to be messing around in Bangkok if I can help it.

i wonder if it now means that they can park on both sides of the road all day and night?!

in theory its a good idea. i hope it works. but surely it should be started before Jungceylon (bloody awful name by the way) opens?

Useless bit of info but Phuket used to be called Junk Seiylon before it was changed. This was the roughly the spelling I saw when reading about Phuket's history at the museum.

Regarding the "One Way System", anything that helps the mayhem would be good but things would improve a lot more if they did more revive the Baht Bus idea or even better impose it. ( I heard the Mayor has an involvement in the Tuk Tuks , hence the reason not to upset them.)

I pay the Electric & Land line on DD with Bangkok Bank. Worked OK for 2 years so far.

I had to open a new account with the Bank of Ayuthaya to pay the Water because thats the only one the water company dealt with at the time!!

But they don't read the meter every month, so for 3 or 4 months I pay the standing charge & then get a lump taken out when the meters been read.

Same thing happened to me when I came over in June. Went to the Airport Limo counter at the Airport & told them I wanted to go to my house in Kathu. Got in the car & away we went.

During the trip I read a Laminated Card from the pocket on the back of the passenger seat stating that the limo's will stop at a nominated Tour Shop so that they could HELP the Customer with any arrangements during their holiday Blah Blah!!

Just as I finished reading it the driver pulled over into the Tour Shop,got out & walked in without a word. A woman came out & asked me where I was staying.

I thrust the card with my address on it into her face & replied gruffly "AT MY HOUSE"

She walked away,the driver came back & took me home.

The Limo Company justify these stops in the literature they have in their cars thereby implying that you should expect the stop & its authorized by the authorities.

Taximeter from now on I think.

Aviador, How did you manage to get your Truck back ???? and as for your previous posts, I learnt a lot from them!!!!

I will be applying for a settlement visa for my wife to come to the UK at the end of the year.

Her new ID card has her name in English( New Type with a chip in it) but will I have to supply translations for the Chanotes (2 properties) & House Registration or just supply the Embassy with photocopies???

Saw an item on BBC Biz news. China & India are experiencing a lot of new found wealth & are sucking up all the gold. Also it said something about the Dollar being at a good rate!!

Gold was this price 22 years ago and they think demand now will continue & the prices will keep going up.

There you go !!

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