4evermaat

Can @BurgerGung or others elaborate on the type/category of visa obtained, whether an agent was used, etc?

Great for the kitesurfers, until things get "too windy".   Looks like the eye of the storm will run through Chumphon.

Thoughts?

On 12/15/2018 at 6:53 PM, yellowboat said:

However, the martial law that was declared after the coup in May 2014 is currently still in place. It grants the military the right “to inspect [any] message, letter, telegraph, package, parcel or other things transmitting within the area under the Martial Law.”

 

Would not be interested in storing any information in Thailand if the above is true. 

Technically, any country can do this.  Whether in secret (without notification) or not.

The big difference is whether or not consumers have a right to encrypt their data/communications.  China is one of the few that [attempt to] ban encryption on basic forms of communication and documents.   But how do enterprises protect their trade secrets?

27 minutes ago, mok199 said:

I clearly remember the case this year when the officer walked out on the ledge with a camera crew ,to save a suicidal teen...absolute grandstanding by the officer .The event then ended up all over social media...which made him a hero while the teen suffered the recoil of his showboating actions...disgracefull

Anyone have a link for this article?

1 hour ago, stevenl said:

Where did Lazada come from in this thread? Clearly from some people who have some frustrations with Lazada, but the thread is not related to Lazada at all.

COD and who uses it.  Lazada is a large company of vendors that has COD as an option for payment 95% of the time. 

@smedly Who you buy from on Lazada could a big difference of what quality you get.  I consider price vs brand vs likelihood of a fake.  For example, microSD cards. A lot of people selling those.  But when i compared the cost of what trusted vendors like Tesco, JIB, advice were selling it for, i opted to buy Samsung Evo 64GB from LazMall (Samsung official store). They had the best price anyway. 

Same with iPhone.  Especially Apple products, an official store is the only way to go. 

Also, you can ask a question on the listing or in chat.  Ask them if it is genuine or a copy.  

1 hour ago, racket said:

COD (Cash on delivery) is actually a preferred option for a LOT of people. Why pre-pay when you can simply pay once your parcel has arrived? I don’t see the point in which someone can get scammed with COD since you always get your package upon arrival and sign the consigned paper as well. Are they missing something here? 

COD you don't open the package before paying. You sign for the package and the driver collects the fee.   If you don't trust the package, you can refuse it (return to sender).    So it is more of a guard against non-shipment.  I use it almost all the time with "ships from overseas" vendors.  Local vendors it depends.  Sometimes I'll pay up front with lazada wallet; sometimes cash on delivery.   It's definitely a good option especially for "overseas" vendors vs using alibaba or aliexpress; and some packages have arrived in as little as 5-6 days...not bad for int'l shipping.  Never longer than 2.5 weeks.

Had a problem with a vendor that decided to ship late (like over a week later, when the package was due).  I got it, but I'll let the review take care of my opinion about listing something that isn't in stock.

5 minutes ago, Gimino said:

Had a terrible experience with Lazada. They sent an item other than that ordered. Took three

months to resolve the issue with them bobbing and weaving, straight arming me every step of

the way. Acknowledging my determination, they finally gave in. I vowed never to do business with

them again. I know of others who have had similar experiences with them.

I've had to return a couple of items without any issue.  The "easy return" process is indeed easy:  7-eleven, post office, or Kerry.   Sometimes the seller can choose to just credit the cost of the item.  But you must speak up within the return period time.

A friend did say she had one issue a while back. She had ordered 2 clocks but only received one.  And spend a lot of time on the phone and email trying to get assistance.   But it was unclear whether she had initiated the claim before or after the return period.

4 minutes ago, NE1 said:

I too think Lazada is very good , however some of the delivery agents they use leave a lot to be desired.

Unfortunately, they do not let the buyer pick or at least list their preferred shipper.  DHL seems to be very slow.  Kerry, CJ Logistics, and ThaiPost seem to be fast.

I recommend cramming in some Thai text in the address line to describe where you stay.   "3 KM from Wat [whatever]" Although the Kerry drivers have gotten better at calling ahead of a COD delivery.

I have a few invites for 1password.com families membership good for 1 year.  I figured I would share it with some of the TVF family.

1password.com is a password keeper that stores password, credit cards, or any sensitive information in an encrypted format.  You can auto-fill browser or program forms, and keeps your passwords encrypted.   You just have to keep track of "1 password" and then you can reference any information that you choose to store in the vault.   There are Windows, Mac OS, Linux, iOS, Android, and Chrome OS versions.  

- Only for 1password 7 Not good for older versions of 1password (that do not support 1password.com membership licenses)

- New memberships only.  (existing memberships may have to use a new email and export/import keychain vault).

- Family memberships cover up to 5 persons per membership; unlimited devices per person.  

** Send a PM with the invitation request **

Last day for invites is Nov 30th, 2018 or when they all run out.  The invite will still be valid for 3-4 weeks from the date of issue; I doubt anyone will wait that long.

Any non-invitation questions can be asked here.

Happy [belated] Thanksgiving.

This would have probably gotten more responses in the Thai visas forum. 

Are you doing an out/in visa exempt entry, or getting a new visa?  If so, which type of visa will you get? 

If you are going to get a new visa, you can still leave via land border. Minibus from hat yai to Penang, 

Miibus from hat yai to Sadao/danok; minibus from danok (7-eleven near border, Thai side) to Penang. 

Minubus from hat yai to Padang Besar; train to Butterworth (ferry to Penang).  

Only metered taxis (no motorbike taxis); never tried grabtaxi/grabbike/grabcar.  If you go to a visa agent like Jim, you save a bit as you go as a group of 4-5 people.  Includes 2 trips.  One to the consulate.  One the next day for pickup. They wait for you at the consulate both times. 

There are several air con buses to the Penang airport. 102, 401E, AT

Take about 45-60 min to georgetown. All go through Kontar; AT goes up Chulia St. 

More comprehensive guide here:  

A little bit old but most of it is still useful. 

So what is the total fee of the van?  I think from Penang it was RM40 booked directly from Newsia Komtar as of last year.  45RM if you book from an agent. Used to be 35RM a couple of years ago and then 30RM before that.  Inflation + insurance??

For the mobile version of the site (mobile chrome browser): The on screen popup that new replies to a thread have arrived is partially off-screen on the mobile version.  So i cannot press view new replies at all. 

Also you can see the "back to top" button also overlaps this, which doesnt help either.  No way to delete or swipe the always on top button. 

On 11/16/2018 at 5:18 PM, JimmyJ said:

"The food is at least 50% more than it was in Thailand..."

What city is this?

How are rents in Cambodia and the general attitude towards foreigners? Safety/crime?

Most of the people I knew who moved to Cambo from Thailand did so because they were too young or could not qualify for a long stay Thai visa.  It certainly wasnt a first choice. 

I guess if the goal is to live "off the grid", you'll be in the right place.   Infrastructure-wise it is indeed a night/day difference.  But the prices are either the same or higher for rent, food, etc.  Especially when they see a farang. You should attempt 4-8 weeks scouting there and talk to a few expats on the ground before you decide to "switch". 

The locals are nice but have little to lose snaging your ฿100k camera lens et al.   Crimes of opportunity are common there, especially if they see the expensive item unattended.  Begging is creative, but exhausting after a while. 

All those people who are so exhausted with Thailand; I'm curious as to how they will make it in Cambodia.   It's not a fair comparison IMO;  not the same economic weight class. 

On 11/16/2018 at 6:11 PM, alex8912 said:

..... maybe 4 areas at most for sex tourism ,.... 

Is that per District, per province, or the entire country? 

If you have a phone, you can show the officer photos of your Thai family (spouse or kids).   I agree with @BritManToo that just mention that you went to Laos for a holiday.

q:  did you see other people get a similar grilling before you got to the counter?  

How did they get to pass through Mexico?  Its odd that Mexico doesn't do anything....seeing that it also affects them. 

9 hours ago, no deal said:

anything on lazada is suspicious  I just cancel a 33000tb order,one phone one watch,very good deal but fake!

Was is fulfilled by lazada, LazMall, or a private seller? 

Certain things like MicroSD cards and certain Apple phones you must be very careful of the vendor in which you buy.  Best to buy from the "official" store, LazMall shop. Or by from "Lazada" as seller.  Or a private vendor that you trust. 

These tire that are ฿4k/piece or ฿9k/piece, how many KM are they rated for?

What happens to all the confiscated drugs?  At least the "official" version. 

No long thread about the caught rapist. 

Boy scouts for boys.

Girl scouts for girls.

Trans scouts for others.

What's wrong with having [private] clubs where gender is a requirement for admission?

It's quite orwellian how much power Facebook, Google, et al have over a significant portion of world communications.  Damn.  

At certain borders that are primarily for border runs, they (thai side) wont stamp you out if you are not eligible. Mainly certain borders into Myanmar. So that you are not stuck in no-mans land.

Other borders like Sadao/dannok you usually need to spend at least a night out.

You should be fine.


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The last time i was there in Penang for ME non-o visiting Thai child, it was similar paperwork.  I had the original birth certificate, but not the original bankbook.  But he still accepted it after an initial grilling.    The tourist visas got strict there also, although not impossible. Should still be easier for SETV than Kuala Lumpur. 

Good to know that it was smooth. 

Q: is Jim doing any agent services  himself?  Or is everyone with Jim going to the consulate and presenting theur applications personally? 

Also, how long was the wait at consulate? 

On 10/29/2018 at 4:42 AM, webfact said:

The decision to subdue the suspect with metal rods was made after the earlier use of five tear gas canisters proved fruitless, as he resisted the police by waving a knife to threaten the officers. 

Tear gas is pretty effective in an enclosed area.  In a bus, just one canister should have been plenty to at least disorient the persons inside.  5 canisters did nothing?

isn't Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, etc all "One China"???  The mainland ruling party seems to think so.  They will go to great lengths to limit western influence in these regions.

As long as they are crispy and/or very new looking with NO writing, tears, or major creases, they should accept the 2nd latest generation bills. The latest generation bills should be within about 2-6 weeks after they are issued.

I agree that ultimately the location staff is the only one that can make a final determination.  Or shoot them an email / facebook / line message.

On 8/23/2018 at 2:08 PM, Crossy said:

And, the Android version has English ?

 

Will be testing later.

 

EDIT Even the help is in English !

Initially it is in Thai to register the phone number (thai ID + mobile phone + email) .  But after you confirm the number, you are brought to the main app page. Then you have option to change the language in the upper right corner. 

But to report an outage, i find their english is pretty good for the PEA call center 1129.  And after the first time, they record your address/location info and attaches it to your phone #. The call center seems to use caller id, so they confirm the info they already have stored for that number.  It's pretty efficient