champken

I live in the Jomtien area and if i go into Pattaya these days then there is a good chance of being pulled over in one of the ever increasing and seemingly farang targeted checkpoints, in fact despite being totally legal with everything, i now try to choose my route to avoid being scammed for a newly made up offense. Most tourists i assume will be had on this license issue and the Thai Police love it.

1. That border has been like that for years and years. The only way it will ever be stopped is for people to quite literally boycott all Cambodian borders, but unfortunately that will never happen. The gravy train on this scam goes very nearly to the top so there is no interest in stopping it, they would make those prices for visas official if they thought they could get away with it but $50 for a visa to Cambodia might put a few off so they charge it unofficially when you are trapped and already exited Thailand so the thieves win.  Imagine getting in or being accused any sort of real trouble in Cambodia and being at the mercy of those c..ts in uniform

The guy has been involved with bad company and received bad advice from foreigners he believed were ' connected within the Thai legal system and in the know ' He has been tricked and conned out of money and is at the end of his tether. The man is on the verge of a serious breakdown.

Most of these charges against him are regards Thailand's infamous ' libel laws ' and have been instigated by the very people who have cheated him out of money.

The alleged injured parties who brought these charges have themselves also skipped Thailand and it is without a doubt that they will NOT return as they are on multiple charges of theft and dishonesty and have jumped bail conditions and there are warrants out for their arrests.

Moving now to his overstay, what he should be doing is reporting to Immigration and then an appointed officer goes to Pattaya court and clears his stay with the court otherwise he is technically on overstay { in their eyes and their rules } He does not have to pay any fees for these extensions as he is here by order of the court and cannot leave. However, foreigners are never told this important piece of information and are just expected to know it by themselves which in itself, is a disgrace.

He does look a totally broken man and its sorry to see. what you write is pretty much how I see what's happened and its a pity that this forum is full of idiots that cant give this guy some slack and see how and why he has ended up as he is.

Its absolutely tragic what's happened to Andy, if anyone knew this guy say 7-8 years ago you would never have dreamt that he would end up like this, and he's probably one of the last people you would think could have been suckered in by a con man which in reality was the start of his problems.

I read some people saying that they wouldn't invest or do business with anyone here so it couldn't happen to them, but this sort of thing can or could happen in the most unexpected way, you could be blamed for or accused of anything here which could escalate further than you could ever imagine

I don't know Andy particularly well, in fact I haven't even seen him for at least a couple of years but several years ago he used to socialise in some of the same places I did and I found him to be a thoroughly "good guy" and not in any way like some of the posters on here would have you believe.

Being swindled out of everything you own cant be much fun and with the frustrations of trying to get anything done about it seem to have pushed Andy into losing the plot and to where he is now.

I'm quite sure I will be corrected if I'm wrong but I think I have read or heard somewhere that if you sell a condo for profit in under 4 years of ownership that you are liable for some form of tax, is that right?

I own (freehold) a ground floor condo that is used as a shop/business

So you have Thai Citizenship?

Not a really useful answer to the OP's question.

Why is Thai citizenship relevant? No I am not a Thai national but as stated I own the condo.

Why is my answer not useful to the OPs question? It might be useful in that it gives him information as to a way he can own a freehold shop.

I own (freehold) a ground floor condo that is used as a shop/business

I recently did a similar trip to the one you are planning and in my opinion you would be better off staying the night in Ubon (Ratchatani hotel, 490 a night is good value) and then getting an early (say 6 am) bus from Ubon to Mukdahan bus station and then hop on the Laos bus to Savanakhet bus station where it is a 10 minute walk to the Thai consulate or if at that point you are tight for time you could use a Tuk Tuk to take you straight to the consulate where you will need to be before 11am if you want to be able to collect your passport the next day.

Taxis in Ubon are dirt cheap, 50-60baht will get you almost anywhere within Ubon, oh and i dont think you would get a bus that late at night from Ubon to Mukdahan so i think you will have to spend the night in Ubon. Have a good trip

PATTAYA INTERNATIONAL HOSPITAL DR. Waraporn Klanwarin, She is excellent and has been around for years.

Consultation appointment 300 Baht.

I am curious to know how you managed to get a consultation with Dr Waraporn at PIH for 300 baht?

Well guys, i have just come back from PIH and was quoted an initial 1000 baht consultation fee by a receptionist at the hospital which I think is pretty much the standard price you will pay at this hospital.

I then went up to floor 9 which is where the dermatology department is to see if I could get an idea of the cost for treatment of this smallish basal cell cancer that I am convinced i have on my ear and was told that including a biopsy that I would be looking at between 8-10,000 baht which was quite a bit more than I was expecting, so I said I would go away and think about it.

At the end of the day if it is going to cost me 10,000 to get treated then so be it but before I commit to anywhere then I may go up to BPH to see if I can get an idea of cost there and may even consider going to Queen Sirikit too.

If any of you can suggest any other options then please I'm all ears.

I would just visit Dr Ann at BPH , she is the best dermatologist in Pattaya, if not Thailand. no hidden costs there as long as you avoid the "extra service" by making a direct appointment with her. Maybe 10000 baht in your case but it's worth it.

Sorry balo I'm not quite with you when you say avoid the extra service and make a direct appointment with Dr Anna?

Well guys, i have just come back from PIH and was quoted an initial 1000 baht consultation fee by a receptionist at the hospital which I think is pretty much the standard price you will pay at this hospital.

I then went up to floor 9 which is where the dermatology department is to see if I could get an idea of the cost for treatment of this smallish basal cell cancer that I am convinced i have on my ear and was told that including a biopsy that I would be looking at between 8-10,000 baht which was quite a bit more than I was expecting, so I said I would go away and think about it.

At the end of the day if it is going to cost me 10,000 to get treated then so be it but before I commit to anywhere then I may go up to BPH to see if I can get an idea of cost there and may even consider going to Queen Sirikit too.

If any of you can suggest any other options then please I'm all ears.

Champken.

I dont tip unless i get my nuts felt.

Well,in answer to a previous post about cheap Charlies.You are one.You wouldn't last long in any bar.You would be labeled as a CC and pretty soon,the girls wouldn't come near you.

I bet you don't buy many lady drinks do you?

To be honest with you Dave, I rarely go in bars these days and when I do, you're right, I hardly ever buy a lady drink and certainly don't leave 40 baht tips after drinking 1 beer so if that makes me a cheap Charlie then so be it.

Your last sentence had a bit of nastiness about it, I don't mind having a debate and do respect your opinion.

This debate is over.

What I meant was that if you are not happy with the price of water in the bar, buy it in 7-11 (or Tesco, where it's even cheaper) and drink it in a public space

If you don't want to pay for the services of the bar, then don't. But don't expect to avail yourself of their services for the same or similar price as a convenience store or supermarket.

SC

No you didn't mean that at all. What you meant to do was try to belittle possum1931 just as you tried to with me.

People like you with your wild tipping have contributed to the worsening of atmospheres and service in bars. <deleted> you are already paying a premium say 80b for a beer in a bar so you should rightly expect something in return for that. Make them earn a tip, don't throw it at them regardless otherwise you will and are killing the fun that once was in Pattaya bars

PATTAYA INTERNATIONAL HOSPITAL DR. Waraporn Klanwarin, She is excellent and has been around for years.

Consultation appointment 300 Baht.

A big plus one on the doc. I see her every 6 months for a check up. She is great , very professional & helpful. Has cut a fair amount of stuff off me & no complaints from me what so ever. Actually find the whole of the dermatology dept there very good.

Thanks for the recommendation guys. I have what looks like a basal cell cancer on my ear which I am hoping to get treated. I have enquired at several clinics but none of them seemed to really know what they were talking about so I had almost decided to go and see Dr Anna at BPH but have been reluctant to step foot inside that hospital for fear of being made bankrupt by the time they finished extracting every last baht out of me.

So I will go and pay my 300 baht to see this Dr Waraporn and see what she has got to say

The <deleted!> idiots that tip these ridiculous amounts have helped ruin Pattaya in my opinion. I only tip if ive had my nuts felt and that's a fact

I don't think 40 baht is a ridiculous amount - even for one beer.

I'm not sure which has done more damage, the tuk-tuks, the jet ski scams or over-tippers, but so far the police have patently failed to even pretend to take action against the over-tippers.

SC

Really? Well you certainly seem to fit the description of the type I was referring to in my previous comment.

The <deleted!> idiots that tip these ridiculous amounts have helped ruin Pattaya in my opinion. I only tip if ive had my nuts felt and that's a fact

I have read somewhere that as a foreigner you cant own any condo up to and including the 4th floor. For a definitive answer maybe it would be best to check with the land registry office.

Can you remember where you read that?

In plain English, I own a ground floor condominium that is in my name (I have the chanote in my name) which by the way was transferred at the land registry office so does that answer the question?

I own a ground floor condo from which my wife runs a successful business from and although we don't, if we chose to then we certainly could live in it.

Find one in a popular well located complex and I think they are the ones to buy. Easy to let, sell or run a business from.

Is it true that whatever you owned before marriage is yours and cannot be included in any divorce settlement? The reason for the question is that although I am happily married now, you just never know what's around the corner and in my case I bought another condo in my name literally days before I got married?

Buy a ground floor condo unit in a popular and well located condo (in your name) that can then be used to set up a little business.

Its in your name, little overheads, easily rented out if your business plan is not a success and also should be easier to sell than a normal condo if need be. The big plus would be if you could find one that is also big enough to live in as well

I said on another thread that you should show no politeness to others when doing the crossings or you will miss getting back on the bus and either have to wait an hour for another one going to Mukdahan or be forced to use a tuk tuk going into Savannakhet.

Sit as near to the front of the bus as possible, failing that then stand near to the front ready to be one of the first off, gently nudge anybody smaller (most Asians) out of your way, have all your paperwork filled in ready and coming back to Mukdahan, buy your bus ticket and get on the bus at Savannakhet bus station, its a ten minute walk from the consulate so no need to use a tuk tuk which if you do then you still have to wait for the bus and purchase a ticket at the border.

I gave up 4 years ago after 37 years of smoking and believe me it can be a long hard road ahead if you have smoked for a long time.

In time your body may show up certain problems that smoking somehow masks, don't forget if you have smoked for half a lifetime your whole body needs time to sort itself out and get used to being without all the chemicals and shit that you have inflicted on it.

800 pounds a month is more then enough. i spend less that and i'm not on a budget.

I'm the same and i have a kid in a Thai private school to pay for. It amazes me how much some people say they need to live on here.

The one possible spanner in the works for me would be a sudden accident or illness which in my case because I self insure could prove quite costly.

Try buying chicken breasts, skin on and then trimming them up yourself, i usually buy about 5 for around 20 baht each. You can then throw them in a pot with veg of your choice, add a small tin of prego cooking sauce(about 45b) simmer for an hour or so and then serve with potatoes or rice. Total cost would be around 200 baht for 5 tasty, healthy meals