4evermaat

You need to visit a Thai embassy, and you will be restricted on back to back applications I think

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I'm looking for permanent solution and since i'm only 30, it's a long time till i'm 50...

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Multiple entry non-immigrant visas are the way to go, but a bit harder to qualify for. Your best bet is the ED category if you can get an invitation letter from school (language, diving, monestary, university, etc), or the O category if you have a Thai spouse/child. A "B" visa if you can get an invitation from a business.

What country is your passport from? multiple entry visas can be difficult to get from neighboring SE Asia countries and may require that you apply from your home Thai [honorary] consulate or a further away Thai embassy/consulate, like this example.

Wow every 15 days a border run that's nuts. Can u extend that for 30 days longer like tourist visa or no? I can't imagine every foreigner is doing this?

And can u apply for a new tourist visa on any of the borders? Meaning, not fly home and come back?

It depends on what passport you have. There are about 5 Latin American passports that can get 90 day visa exempt stamps at the airport, not sure about land border. Russia gets 30 days land border, not sure about air.

Most Western countries like USA, UK, AU get 30 days by air, 15 days by land.

I have met people who do several back-to-back 15 day land border runs. It is more conenient to aim for a double-entry tourist visa, or if you can qualify, multiple entry non-immigrant [whatever category].

All good advice and taken onboard. I will also have Thai witnesses with me when the guy comes, one is a government official still working as a teacher and the other will be my very old close friend who has retired as a government official and is head of the local Rotary organization. They both know the full story, so when this guy asks and I say "No" for the money. They will be there to back me up if he gets angry about this. Just waiting for the appointment date now so I will keep you informed as this moves along. Again, thanks for all your feedbacks and advice. Hopefully, this will all work out nicely for me and my wife and we can relax and enjoy life.

You have got some good answers here, but something all the "experts" have forgotten to take into consideration, is the your wifes role in this little game. As most Thais she is probably krengjai, when it comes to interacting with government officials. So she will agree with you verbally and then meet the houseinspector at the gate, paying him the bribe out of her own money, without telling you. Everyone happy: You because, you didn't pay (fought corruption and won!), The inspector, who got "his" money. And your wife, who once again proved that she understands the way things are working here.

The above scenario is more common here, than most people think!

I hate to say it but you are exactly correct. It is all about saving face, and you raised a very good point. "See Na" I think is the correct pronounciation.

When one foreigner builds one house for one Thai women all the women with foreign boyfriends demand the same. When so and so can go and finance a new SUV for over $40,000

,"The neighbors are going to think that you are not taking care of me Alex, that you are low class and cannot afford to drive a new car." " Why should I have to work, my Thai girlfriends that have foreign boyfriends do not have to work?"

"I know you gave me 12,000 Baht last night, but I need a 1,000 now." I'm getting off topic.

It's kind of on topic, if the point is the same point that some of the earlier posters mentioned: Avoid starting down the bribery / spoiling road in the first place.

If the wife does payoff privately, and keeps this knowledge to herself, then that's her choice. The OP is only limited to standing his own ground.

Trading financial markets, like stocks, futures, forex, etc. You only need a stable internet connection and a laptop.

Freelance work that does not require any large physical location, such as:

Software development, almost any field.

building websites.

Translation work (met a few people who did it successfully, not necessarily Thai language)

There is also a way to attend school online, and then have your room and board in a foreign country. This works out really well if you have scholarship and/or other financing like GI Bill, student loans, etc. You'd be amazed at what young people will do to stay in the LoS.

The key is to take advantage of your skill and reduce your overhead as much as possible. Certain places allow you to do this.

take the $1k and walk away, see how far you get.

My guest took the 1000 baht, said thank you, and walked back to the guesthouse 1000 baht better off.

I wonder what the ratio is? the amount of bills you give out vs the amount of successful heists.

"The second best time to plant a tree is today" sent from TV android app (Galaxy Cooper).

probably more efficient to go to bangkok., then take either nok air flight (1 hr?). Then minibus to the town (1 hr) ... i think you can save on the minibus by booking early.

or take a bus/taxi to South bus station. swannatee tour is 410 baht vip...., or 370 for 1st class (air cond/assigned seating). takes you right in the chumphon town about 800 meters from the train station / ocean mall / fame tour et al. chok-eah-nan tour is a bit more..but brings you to a different location in chumphon town....same proximity.

swannatee allows advanced booking via bus terminal, phone (7-eleven pay) and maybe internet. thairoute.com but you cannot book on the day of travel, except in person. 7 hrs via bus.

or take bus/taxi to hua lamphong train station bangkok. then 2nd class air to chumphon. You can book up to 2 hours in advance via internet. 6-10 hours via train. 660 baht for 2nd class air sleeper booked online; always go for the lower bunk when available. The earlier you book, the more options you have. Last minute in-person booking is based largely on luck and what class you want to travel

Phuket you may have to take minibus to bus terminal and then take bus to chumphon. Good luck with that; as i'm sure the local taxi mafia will give you fair pricing.

"The second best time to plant a tree is today" sent from TV android app (Galaxy Cooper).

Sorry but your hopes have been well and truly dashed . . . some years ago, in fact.

Thai youth can't get enough of it.

"empire state of mind" (alica keys, jay-z) was particularly in season when i was in patong. most of the malls i go to where they are having a promotion will be playing a mix of current thai or current hip hop.

snoop dogg has his niche in the rap game. you dont have to like it, but "don't hate da player, hate da game"

"The second best time to plant a tree is today" sent from TV android app (Galaxy Cooper).

i remember one time months ago the aeon @ bottom floor siam paragon didnt work. put card in and everything looked good until you request the funds. after 30-45 seconds, you get message that transaction failed...contact your bank. no funds were removed.

in pattaya, i would go for the tesco location.

the aeon atm limit is 40,000 baht per withdrawal, and exchange rate is on par with the best TT rate that day from any Thai bank.

"The second best time to plant a tree is today" sent from TV android app (Galaxy Cooper).

You probably could of gotten the same visa by flying to Australia and making the application at one of the honorary Thai consulates there. Perhaps about the same cost or a little more without the worry of a lost passport.

This sounds like a good idea actually. Vet the consulate(s) that you will use ahead of time, stay at a motel or other budget hotel (1000 baht/night?). They should offer next day turnaround if not the same day. If you buy the ticket online ahead of time roundtrip, (1 month how much is that? Quick pricing at AirAsia shows 10,000 baht promo each way if I were to do it in February 2013 leave monday and come back on a thursday to Sydney with one stop in KL, malaysia. Maybe other airlines have a cheaper ticket price or i could use an offline consolidator that could cut that down even more? Lets assume the cheapest round trip ticket is 17000 baht. and two days for a budget hotel + bus and visa fee 9000 baht. 26000 baht. Not bad for a little extra peace of mind, and it would be quicker.

Au has it good. A one-way ticket can be as much as $900 from USA..

If I were in your situation I wouldn't mess with your system that has worked well for you. Penang is a mellow spot to hang. I never change something that works

My method is cheaper, and there are things to do in Penang for cheap. But I can understand the nervousness of having your documents change hands too often. UbonJoe has a point, but it relies on a professional Aussie thai consulate and buying the plane ticket far enough in advance and/or with an agent that can give you a good price on the ticket. Maybe New Zealand might be a better Western location?

There are actually some visa agents that you could use in the USA...but they want like $250-1000 for next day turnaround + fedex postage (retail rate) + visa fee. Do it yourself method with a regular mail forwarder or friend is more cost effective.

You probably could of gotten the same visa by flying to Australia and making the application at one of the honorary Thai consulates there. Perhaps about the same cost or a little more without the worry of a lost passport.

This sounds like a good idea actually. Vet the consulate(s) that you will use ahead of time, stay at a motel or other budget hotel (1000 baht/night?). They should offer next day turnaround if not the same day. If you buy the ticket online ahead of time roundtrip, (1 month how much is that? Quick pricing at AirAsia shows 10,000 baht promo each way if I were to do it in February 2013 leave monday and come back on a thursday to Sydney with one stop in KL, malaysia. Maybe other airlines have a cheaper ticket price or i could use an offline consolidator that could cut that down even more? Lets assume the cheapest round trip ticket is 17000 baht. and two days for a budget hotel + bus and visa fee 9000 baht. 26000 baht. Not bad for a little extra peace of mind, and it would be quicker.

Au has it good. A one-way ticket can be as much as $900 from USA..

no one has mentioned something that wouldn't be tied down into thailand specifically (portable), like freelancing or even better trading futures/forex. I think it would be a better use of your funds, and the risks would be much more transparent. You could still have a thailand residence, bank account, etc and it would open up some doors for you in terms of where and how you could invest. PM for some more detail.

As far as owning physical property, either guesthouse or ....it should be something that you and your thai partner want 100%. You should be willing to walk away from it the next day knowing that it was a risk anyway. The best way to look at it is somewhere where you live, and then the shop/guesthouse is just 'extra' income. Don't look at it as a standalone cash cow initially. If it fruitates into something, fine. I find that Thais tend to want to walk away from something quickly and painlessly the second it is not working out for them; unless they finished high school / university, the chances that they will have a work ethic worth anything is difficult. Good luck with the employee thing, especially your thai partner. With any real estate-based adventure, again, be prepared to walk away from it as if the deal never happened. And the rent should be such that you would live on site anyways and can weather the monthly payments until business picks up.

It seems much easier to make your money or have customers from outside and bring it into thailand.

Interesting replys....i guess in a land where being cute is nothing too extraordinary, I suppose there wouldn't be any big money in it. I suppose a lot of locals would wait around all day for 800 baht. We'll continue asking around. I did think with modeling they are looking for the 'right' fit for their brand.

macbook you can uncheck a certain setting that will disable the touchpad when the mouse is present.

Couldn't find this one under either trackpad or mouse settings.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3608

or

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gj9cGZAlh30

I think it is under "Universal Access", not the mouse/trackpad options. I know, weird.

Whoa, ok so let's run down this sequence of events: 15 months ago you go to KL so you can send your USA passport to the US Consulate - wait I mean friend who then sent it to the consulate who sent it back to friend who sent it back to you in KL. It arrived in 3 weeks so around 20 hotel nights give or take. This time you streamlined and went to the closer city of Penang. Last time it was a multi-ED 1 year visa. Did you actually go to school? Wait dont have to answer that. So this time you went for a retirement O Multi? Or marriage? ok so you got it back much faster this time with fed ex. Only thing I'm wondering is whether there are local consulates where you could have gotten these visas without the passport sending

Last time it took a little longer mainly because EMS delay. Usd fedex the rest of the way, but got caught on another weekend and saturday delivery was not requested. With same-day turnaround, it was supposed to be 8-10 calendar days max, which was the case this time around. Penang both times. 250-300 baht/night for private room, although you can go cheaper if you look around and/or are willing to do the bunk thing; I prefer the quieter guesthouses. And an extra 100-200 baht if you want air con and/or private bath. Including the visa costs and the postage, budget 16500-24000 baht ($550-800) depending on your eating habits and whether or not air con is essential. 60-150 baht you can have a plate full of food with leftovers and a nice fresh fruit juice. Komtar shopping mall and public air con bus system can take you just about anywhere you need to go for under 30 baht each way; motorbike rental is not essential (I rented motorbike last time 180 baht/day for a manual with 1 week rental.)

Previously the last 2 times the Non-ED multiple was with diving shops, each with a very flexible course schedule.

The most recent was a non-O multiple based on visiting family (Thai child); english copy of birth certificate was sufficient proof in my case although Your Consulate May Vary (YCMV). I vetted the different regional consulates neighboring Thailand and unless you are retired or married to a thai national (KL, or Savanakhet, Laos), it is difficult to obtain a non-[any category] multiple.visa. Again, YCMV, but I prefer to bet on sure things. My process is legit and straightforward.

I was talking with one guy who has a travel business here and he works with a company that charges 70,000 baht or so to get a legit Non-B multiple visa, I think you still have to leave the country etc, but I forgot which consulate he goes to. I can get the full details, but when I raised an eyebrow at the price I do remember him saying that they 'take care of all the paperwork' and he's been doing it for several years and it was hassle-free so

macbook you can uncheck a certain setting that will disable the touchpad when the mouse is present.

For windows, you can try updating the software that the touchpad uses. Or make the touch less sensitive in the touchpad settings.

I am confused....I topped up 100b recently and it is valid till dec 2013......so whats the deal.

You have done well, according the ais e-service I have had my number for 5yrs-8 mths, my average top up per month is usually 4000b. mine is valid till july 2013.

If you are using such a large amount of credit each month I suggest you get on to AIS and ask about the service that allows you free calls to any AIS mobile (AIS being the most popular in Thalland). You can decide the time zone you want either 5am to 5pm or 5pm to 5am. Initially to have this service it is 250B and there after it is 200B per month. You get a text message a couple of days before expiry of the service to remind you to make sure you have the 200B on your phone for them to deduct and continue the service.

"local" calls would make up less than 1% of my usage.

I would suggest using a VOIP provider like callcentric to curb the call bill. You must have some very important calls.

.......

The air card, a 7.2 Mbps AIS model cost me approx 1500 baht, I notice though that it is now on sale at Family Marts for 990 baht.

I buy 1 GB data useage at a time, cost I think 350 baht, vaildity a month, there are various packages including monthly.

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I would future-proof yourself and get an aircard or mifi device with at least 14.4 Mbps down capability, preferably 21 Mbps or higher. I have achieved as high as 18 Mbps on MyCat, but the avg is 9-12 Mbps now when you are within the 4GB fair use limit. But this is in Chumphon Town; not sure about the speeds in Issan. But if your tower isn't loaded with users, don't be surprised if you are not getting good speeds. Until they offer larger plans, you may have to have 2 My sims with 2 myClick plans.

I was showing my newborn to my aunt on skype and she made a comment about how he looks like a poster child.

We already said he looked like a black Mamy Poko. But then I started to think maybe my aunt was onto something. How does one break into the modeling industry, either an extras or main focus of commercials, underwear, product labels, etc in Thailand? What kind of money do they make and is it more freelance or do they do exclusive deals with agency or direct with company? I'm kind of new at this aspect of actually participating in it. I did a marketing tour in the US a while back where agencies were used to hire model staff to take orders or stand by stations. The pay wasn't terrible, but you sometimes had to wait up to 3 months to get paid. So any related suggestions for this type of 'career' appreciated.

Baby is 3.5 months old, 9 kg. People regularly comment that he already looks like he is 6-9 months old body size, but is cute and he constantly smiles. Can ready a photo if needed, although I would prefer to keep it private.

Thailand!!!!!!!!!!!! Have you ever known a country to be so full of its own self importance. <deleted>.....

The United States of America?

3G or not, mobile internet being overloaded in Thailand, I never had a decent speed except sometimes aroud 4-5 AM... Bangkok in the afternoon, I never could load a basic (i.e. google) page... I use AIS 1-2Call...

Here in Cambodia, with Metfone, even in lost towns in provinces I can mesure up to 7Mb download.

I've been happy with My by Cat, where now you can get speeds 10-18Mbps down . Not sure if that would be true in congested areas of Bangkok during peak times.

Mod: Shouldn't this be in the mobile devices section?

Paiboon thai dict for android speaks of rare when it comes to cooking (red meat, like steaks):

กึ่งสุก gùng-sùk

ไม่สุกมาก mâi-sùk-mâak

I'm not so sure if these phrases literally speak about the meat being cooked 'rare' (lots of blood inside, only searing the outside edges) or just a generic term for 'dont cook it too much' And what about all levels of cooking?

Rare

Medium-rare

Medium

Medium-well

Well done

The thai and appx latin pronounciation please. Thanks.

"The second best time to plant a tree is today" sent from TV android app (Galaxy Cooper).

Never really looked for any guesthouses/hotel in this area, so curious to know what's out there and what kind of rates I can expect. Don't need anything fancy or expensive; trying to stay under 1000 baht/night

It kind of goes back to the cost of living and cultural attitude towards the idea of being handicapped. Wheel-chaired people make up a significant minority of the total population. If someone is elderly or handicapped, another person who is more able-bodied would be requested in the family or friend to do heavy lifting or assist that person in getting on the bus, shopping, etc. I am not suggesting that an honest effort cannot be made to make ramps on the next renovation of a curb/block or install an elevator in public transit stations, but it just makes more sense to cater to the overwhelming majority (capable of walking with 2 legs). Part of the reason also for discouraging ramps might be to prevent motorbike access. Some of those drivers will mistaken the sidewalk as a motorbike-only lane.

In USA, expensive statutory provisions were made to ensure that there is equal access to all. It may not cost too much to install a ramp for a new building, but retrofitting an older building for proper wheelchair/elevator, etc. access can be expensive. I was talking with a guy who said he knew someone who walked around looking for places like restaurants that did not have proper disability access and would then threaten the owner with a lawsuit for not complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act and tried to work out a settlement. As they say, "Only in America."

I was focusing on the non-bar, non go-go pubs. Those seem to be plenty and clearly labeled. But what about just dance clubs or other lounges/pubs that do not require alcohol purchase to still be able to walk inside and vet a Thai lady? Like in Patong Beach (phuket), you had Tiger or Hollywood and when you walked in, there were a ton of women dancing/waiting for suitors. It was difficult to see these readily, plus Pattaya is much bigger.

So I'm looking for names and locations of these clubs/lounges if you know. If there are any entry fees, advise also. Some help on the sois or nearby pubs/landmarks to identify these clubs are appreciated.

I think you're right. Most of the users up here were using CAT CDMA and have been forced to change to 3G CAT. I had to make the change too and now have a post paid My CAT 3G. It is quite a bit slower than the Truemove-H here, I think for that reason. Since My CAT offers a better deal Truemove-H is likely to remain faster in this area because of fewer users. I'll probably keep the 899 baht pre paid Truemove-H for another month to see if My CAT slows down more.

True H and My Cat are the same network, only True resells Cat and it seems like only True H has the prepaid plans. My Cat I found was actually a bit faster than True H, especially with the Fair use limit. Not sure if True H has adjusted their fair use cap, but it got as low as 64kbps, and when I used it at that point, it was worse than edge.