cardholder

In the photo ,If you discard the uniform(or not) they look like drinking buddies after a hard night on the piss...amazing...

Spot on.

Swap the clothes and you wouldn't see much difference.

Thailand has some of the easiest immigration laws. At least the OP is allowed here, how many Thais are refused visas to the US etc.

Often for good reason.

A better overall job offer!

Ahh!

A soldier of fortune.

2 pages of wasted advice -- the OP never came back

Would you? After reading the above advice. She is going to be raped, smiled at by a grinning assassin, thrown off a balcony, ripped off at every turn, Sun bathe on filthy beaches, get killed in a car, taxi, coach or bike or probably all four at the same time. Clapton it is then

CLACTON might be better.

No jet ski scams there...............

Immigration Act B.E. 2522

5. If the alien stays in the Kingdom longer than ninety days, such alien must notify the competent official at the Immigration Division , in writing , concerning his place of stay , as soon as possible upon expiration of ninety days. The alien is required to do so every ninety days. Where there is an Immigration Office , the alien may notify a competent Immigration Official of that office... In making notification under this Section , the alien may make notification in person or send a letter of notification to the competent official , in accordance with the regulations prescribed by the Director General

You start to change the law you may get the changes you want and maybe changes you don't want.

It wouldn't be so bad if that law (and maybe others) was applied consistently.

Notably, I am referring to reporting by post - not acceptable in some offices. Yet the 'law' is 100% clear.

For me it was finally meeting the right girl after making sooooo many bad mistakes (yes, I too threw money away in a bar venture in Pattaya!) I had the opportunity to visit the family in a small village 45 mins drive east of Korat (Nakorn Ratchasima).

I was just thinking about that time when I was a ‘Village Virgin’ and some of the experiences that occurred for the ‘First Time’……hope these will not only make you smile but will inspire others to add to the list J

1. The first fishing trip…Confused during the journey with no rods on the bike and when you arrive having to strip to boxers and wade out into a paddy field to pull in some netting and look pleased with the days catch of a 2” tiddler
2. The first local spontaneous drinking event where you find yourself on a men only table drinking some clear liquid from a dark brown bottle with a blue label, they offer you a drink, at first you refuse politely but after encouragement you partake. The smell of it tells you to down it and after you find out it’s the only way you can stomach this local whisky.
3. The first time you take the motorbike out into the village where the locals look at you as if you were sat on backwards, they smile and wave and you receive the ‘Farang’ chant wherever you go
4. The first time you acknowledge you are hungry and the next thing you see is your g/f’s brother picking up the catapult as you realize one of the families relaxed skinny chickens is just about to become lunch
5. The first time you agree to try your g/f’s mums lunch to then spend the next 30 mins trying to remove the intense fire from your mouth….your eyes were watering when you got to close to those chilli’s being pummelled so you should have know!
6. The first time you take your washing to an Aunty in the village only to collect it the next day and realize that it went in the machine in one batch….yes there was a new red vest top in with my best white shirts….pink it is then!
7. The first time you try to speak a little Thai to impress the family and they all look at you as if you were from the planet Zog…..hmmmm, yes pronunciation and tones are key!
8. The first time you see a motorbike trundle by your door with a trailer attached and 2 pigs on board followed by an elephant in a open truck
9. The first time you hear what you believe to be cow’s moo’ing after a rainstorm only to find out they are frogs!
10. The first time you drive a farm tuk-tuk and realize how spoiled you have been with power steering and syncro gearbox’s

He's in love - simple as that.

A house and a pool in a village 45 mins east of Korat - I wonder how much that ran to ?

As someone who has already left Thailand... I think I can answer this one...

Unfortunately I had to leave because my kidney failed and my health deteriorated and I don't think I would rather be anywhere else than home in the UK around my family so they can support me etc.

Thailand is quite a lonely place, even if you have lots of friends around you. You're in a foreign place and you're a foreigner on their grounds, therefore I never quite felt like I fitted in completely.

It's probably much different for other people but that's how it was for me and I missed that feeling of fitting in comfortably and being part of something rather than an outsider.

I think health issues - particularly serious one would change one's perspective.

Good luck with your recovery.

Ah diddums...

I'm assuming you want sources?

http://www.arbeslaw.com/how-parole-works.html

No - I'm just continually amazed that anyone expects the law to be the same in a foreign land as it is in their own. How easy do you think it would for your average Thai male to live legally in the USA?

Here, noooooooooooo farang gets handouts, not a single baht. We only put in. Different story for foreigners who go to farangland.

Don't you think taking care of a Thai national and perhaps family, providing a house and schooling for the kids with farang money is enough. ?

Apparently not.

Hoop jumping is also required.

Anyone seen the OP ?

Anywhere ?

No ?

Hull don't reply to emails.

Phone them if you want to discuss your specific case.

They may sound a bit crusty - that is because they are from Yorkshire. They are more helpful in the flesh but helpful enough on the phone.

I got my Non-Imm O on 5th July based on an over 50 with monthly income of over GBP 1,200.

Since August Hull cannot issue Non-Imm O's, they have to go to London. Apply to Hull but don't expect the normal same day turnround.

Different people visit or live in Thailand for different reasons. Can you be a little clearer on why you want to visit Thailand? Sightseeing, the beaches, other? And how long will your trip be?

Certainly you need some ideas of your own as to what are yor expectations are from this pland trip.

Help useful or "otherwise" is alway on hand here but as Thailand is such a diverse country with many things on offer some idea of what you enjoy and what you dont enjoy would be of great help here.

If you get it right and match what you are looking for you will have the time of your life here. Get it wrong and you will have your worse nightmare come true. So please advise and you just may get some helpfull tips.

As far as speaking English, many Thais can speak a little, but most have limited vocabulary and limited conversational ability. Thais in major tourist areas and hotels catering to foreigners will tend to have better English language ability. But with a little patience, necessary communication always seems to get done. Patience, staying calm, and a smile gets you a long way here.

100% true if you exspect to come here barking english at the top of your voice and exspect thai ppl to respond when this is not the place for you.

I would suggest that you stay away from Pattaya and Phuket. They both are big tourist centers with a large number of go-go bars and other "girly bars". Both places tend to attract the worst people. The worst Thai people and the worst foreign people.

Again so so true and the two places above are not my idea of a good time. However they are great fun places to be if this is what you are looking for and you are very careful in this sort of environment.

Good luck with your trip and if you want information and ideas the please try to exspand on what you are looking for.

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Bit of an assumption there.

The OP may be interseted in sex tourism and simply wants to tread the same path as his/her mongering friends.

I would suggest that as the OP hasn't bothered to come back since 10.30 pm yesterday, with more information, they are either a troll or a Thai setting up the bait for some Thai bashers.

When did you ever say you were a Thai prior to this ?

Post #17 in this thread, gave it away.

As i said to you in PM, will repeat again-Saying that most of your relatives live in the shack does not automatically translate into being Thai, especially when you claim most living in the shacks are Burmese.

Dude, you argue about anything even when you are obviously wrong. What's your problem?

Do you know any foreigners that have relatives here living in shacks?

Don't believe what you hear on your Pattaya barstool.

Yes.

Plenty of 'in laws' and the like. That is how I read it and would not have guessed the poster was Thai - especially with his disguised avator.

Good to "out" him though

Thx Dan..

1 last thing..I'm seeing an address near lumpini and ramkunpang 39(spelling) which is current? Thx

Hvae a look at e-visas as well. $28 but saves a lot of hassle.

Be aware which border points accept e-visa entries.

http://www.mfaic.gov.kh/evisa/

re

If Thailand happened to erupt into civil war,

if ? ... errr emmm errr

dave2 .. already sorted and almost no

more hoops

To have a civil war you would need two sides who were passionately and fundamentally opposed to each other/each othesr beliefs. Not soldiers/voters of fortune who are swayed by a few hundred Baht.

The bulk of Thais are Thai first , political opponents second.

You obviously haven't been out in the red heartlands to often. Those people will fight.

I wonder which area that is. Also PTP won the election in most of the provinces in the Northeast but we do have people who voted against Yingluck and they are still part of the village life and no red shirts fight them. Their maybe some hardcore red shorts that want to fight but the yellow shirts surely want to fight too.

If you pick any north eastern or northern reasonably sized village, I would say the balance of support is 70:30 red to yellow.

So maybe the yellows fight but it won't be much of a scrap. I believe that the reds would attack the army should they take to the streets for a coup up country.

It must seem like the sky is falling down in some parts of Isaan.

For the OP, the Hull Consulate and any other for that matter, are not duty bound to inform anyone PERSONALLY of the new regulations. They have posted the changes on their website and word of mouth spreads via this and similar forums. Thai Immigration rules are always in a state of flux and the onus is on the applicant to inquire and ask which once again, the OP failed to do regarding the single-entry visa.

The person in post #5 called ahead and verified what the new regulations entailed.

NB. On arrival, the OP needs to check the validity of the stamp that has just been placed in his passport by the Immigration Officer BEFORE he leaves the baggage claim area.

Just want to re-enforce this message. I now check religiously, before leaving the immigration booth area, as I know of two friends who had the wrong date stamped in the passport. Usually, it is a case of the IO not seeing the visa and stamping you in for 30 days.

Also, I was very lucky with Hull. I was on a months holiday to the UK and made an appointment to get my new Non-Imm O on 5th July.

If the applicant is not Thai national, the applicant must hold a valid Non-Immigrant Visa (tourists can not apply).

http://driving.information.in.th/driving-licence.html

Thanks for the info.....

So how can a normal 2 week tourist be a legal driver on Thai roads ?

Surely all tourist comming to Thailand wanting to drive a car or a motorbike are not applying for a

valid Non-Immigrant Visa and expected to carry a Thai drivers licence correct?

Hmmm I have in the past been stopped on a motor bike (red light in Pattaya) and used my valid home country license was accepted by the police officer but if in a more serious (insurance) situation may be a diferant story....TIT Thailand I'm afraid...

I believe that you need an International Drivers Permit, issued by the likes of RAC/AA in the UK.

ANYTHING else and you will be liable to a penalty from the BiB.

Bought one once, in my early days, and it was worth the 7 Quid just to see the officers face drop, as he waved me on, when I produced it,

i am already making plans to leave, after two hard years trying to start business here it has become an expensive joke, not to mention how expensive it is for work permit, it feels like trying to work with handcuffs on

A WP in Thailand is not expensive in the least... ....you should see the cost of getting WP's and administrative hassles in some of the other countries I have worked in over the years..

The WP process here is pretty straight forward

then i must have killed a chinaman and broken a mirror, i got conned by a bangkok visa company, they got me the 3 months initial work permit, to get the balance of the twelve moths they tried to con me out of another 96,000 baht, then tried an accountant inpattaya by recommendation, they stiffed me for 5000 bht, went to a lawyer by recommendation again, they stuffed the paperwork and wanted me to wait in laos until they fixed it all, at that point i gave up. The expense also includes what you have to pay the government every month for ghosts in the least, even then it costs you over 100,000 bht per year for the privilege of working here and and spending your money here. Cambodia may be a developing country and corrupt but it only costs a pittance for a work visa and renewals and you dont have to employ nationals, visa from what a understand so far takes only a few days same as tourist visa there

Cambodia business visa $280.

First you need a one month visa ($30) and then extend.

i am already making plans to leave, after two hard years trying to start business here it has become an expensive joke, not to mention how expensive it is for work permit, it feels like trying to work with handcuffs on

Never good to hear of someone throwing the towel in.

However, after two years, no one can say you haven't given it a fair crack of the whip. I don't agree about the WP but I can see many other areas of frustration. I would hate to run a 'serious' business in this country but I have (and only ever will) run 'hobby' or lifestyle businesses.

chooka - by the time today is over you will know more about Tony Jaa thank you thought possible:-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Jaa

Well done Tony, you are brilliant !

Brilliant???, What has he ever done? I have never heard of the guy.

Your ignorance of his success in Thailand does not make him any less 'brilliant'.

He is such a well known figure (and a decent actor in my view) it just makes you look stupid by posting - TWICE, at that !.

Get out more and watch some Thai films - Tony Jaa is not a soap actor..

Actually there isn't a big call for thai movies in Australian cinemas and personally sitting through up to 2 hours of screaming tantrum throwing Thai women on screen would be like sitting in hell. No disputing the fact he may be well known in the local market. Yingluk is well known in Thailand also but probably not known outside political circles in the rest of the world.

I Actually said "good luck to him" which is also a way of saying I wish him luck and not putting him down.

chooka - this a Thai forum, about Thailand.

I know bugger all about Malaysian pit vipers but I wouldn't post "I have never heard of them" on the snake/pets forum.

Try and grab a dvd on one ofthe Ong Bak films. They are quite good and you will see why people rate Tony Jaa.

Ok I have my own car I was going to drive south of bangkok and use a ' less busy' boarder crossing, get my visa on arrival then turn around and come back? Does that sound viable?

Going south I think the nearest would be Ranong.

I think you want to go east to Cambodia. There is a crossing south of Aran/Poipet that is less busy but can't remember the name.

Probably Hat Lek in the south eastern corner.

When is your extension running out?

Since you have enough time left before your planned trip to get a new passport. I suggest getting new passport before getting extension if you have enough time to do it.

I wouldn't take the chance of immigration refusing to do it because of a lack of space in passport.

I agree, Get the renewal sent off to Hong Kong asap, there is sufficient time before the UK visit in October.

Just as an after thought... has someone been going round stamping your passport pages without you knowing ?

I would never leave it until the last page before getting a renewal. No problem in this case but I would like to think I would have planned for it a few months ago.

Ok I have my own car I was going to drive south of bangkok and use a ' less busy' boarder crossing, get my visa on arrival then turn around and come back? Does that sound viable?

Bear in mind that the visa officials see their position as a "business" and may seek to charge more than the official rate of $20.

At my nearest border point I understand that the going rate is circa 1,200 Baht for such 'visa run'.