briley

Kilt - if you have been with TOT long enough to have the 2Meg package they should have upgraded you to 6meg by now for no cost - I'm still paying 450 baht a month - think that is for auto speed up 2555 (the year).

Sent my 90 day on Monday 29th December - it was processed on the 30th and I received it back today 7th January. Normal post and not posted until some date in january 2558.

Personally I need bog standard reading glasses and both eyes are the same so, I buy at 35 Baht a pair from Robinson's or sometimes in the 20 Baht shop.

Maybe not very strong but then I keep about 5 pairs around so I have one wherever I am and do not worry when the grandchildren bend them or they get scratched. I also have stronger pairs for doing detailed work.

These shops also sell the distance glasses that my wife buys and find preferable to the more expensive ones as she can have lots of different pairs depending on whether she wants to look at something far away, read a book or use the computer.

But it is horses for courses. Some people need special prescriptions, some like to show off their expensive glasses so really the OP can take a choice from 20 Baht to 20,000 Baht depending on their own wishes.

Tywais,

I take it your old licence had expired by 1 day since you went one day after your birthday.

As it happens my wife's birthday is 34 days before mine and we would like to do the renewal together - if she goes in 35 days late (and I am 1 day late) can we do that? Or has her licence expired too long ago?

Suppose my basic question is how late can you still renew a 5 year licences, 1 month, 1 year or what?

 

"I have never managed to get a clear answer as to whether you can use a joint bank account with a non-Thai wife to show 800,000 baht or if it has to be in just your name."

When and where did you ask that question?

What answer(s) did you get?

Thanks

 

Different places including Thai visa and the bank, but normally people miss the point my wife is not Thai.

I have used cash in a joint account with an income letter to make the 800K Baht and Chiang Mai accepted that but I now have an account in just my name for the full 800K Baht.

But Mario2008 has given an answer that I believe to be correct. Thanks.

Thanks Tywais - yes that was it GPT partitioning.

I did not want to reformat the new drive as MBR (should have remembered that, it is my initials) since I lost the use of the special recovery button Lenovo portables have and an implied loss of the warranty.

But after a year of Win 8 I would not mind losing that OS.

But for Naam, I agree about XP - it was an excellent OS but after a bit with Win 7, some tweaks and some third party programs (especially Classic Shell) I like the benefits of 7 and now find XP rather clunky. For example if you rename or move a file in XP and there is a problem you just get a message and the rename is lost, in Win 7 you get a message and a retry option. (PS you can read my comments, I am not an expert.)

Edit - why does my paragraphing disappear? It has only recently started happening. Ah, it came back after the edit.

Another problem -

New hard drives are not NTFS or FAT and only windows 8 or later can load onto them. Forget what the term is.

You can reset (probably I mean re-format) the whole drive then load win 7 or XP but I wouldn't do that since it also wiped the recover data and voided the warranty.

Except I have found win 7 to be a satisfactory replacement for XP but do not like Win 8 at all.

If your wife gets her permission to stay as your dependent then she does not need any money.

If she gets her own permission to stay then yes she must have her own money.

I have never managed to get a clear answer as to whether you can use a joint bank account with a non-Thai wife to show 800,000 baht or if it has to be in just your name.

If you get an income certificate from your embassy it must be your income in your name.

As an extra you must have a marriage license - not just living together and it will have to be certified.

But the CM consulate is having an extended holiday to check their website.

Can't his wife just get a dependants visa based on his work permit?

I would guess she needs to enter Thailand with a non-immigrant O visa, or change her current visa to a Non-imm O but I don't know that bit.

OK, so from the responses all set top boxes are much of a muchness.

I think I'll go along with the SMART strong white simply because the USB port is V3, all the rest are V2.0

Thanks

PS for BigFarang I still like the SEX cinema in the Maya. I can not read it properly (or maybe I do???)

You get the certificate of life from the UK consulate and it is free (if for the UK government). But note that the consulate is having an extended closed period over the new year due to holidays.

The Consulate has stopped doing Proof of Life now. I tried.

I was in the consulate last month and they had a notice up saying they were giving certificates and they were free if for a UK government office. I can not find anything specifically saying this on the embassy website but their fees table says:

"Signing a declaration of existence (except if required by a department of British Government in the UK) £15"

Which I take to mean no fee if for British Government.

I've attached the fees table (I hope).

(no, it didn't attaches, maybe the link will work https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/352521/FeesTable_Customer_10_Sep.pdf)

OK, so I have my 690 Baht voucher but do not know which set top box to get. I watch very little live TV, don't actually have a TV, so not worth spending much on a box.

So some questions:

Can I use the boxes USB socket to connect to a computer to watch TV?

Or will I have to use an old analogue TV tuner I already have in my desktop computer?

Which of the many boxes available should I go for?

Is it worth adding a few hundred Baht for a better than the basic version?

thanks,

You get the certificate of life from the UK consulate and it is free (if for the UK government).

But note that the consulate is having an extended closed period over the new year due to holidays.

Giff-gaff

You never seem to lose your number even if not used and you can either put money in or buy 'goodie bags' that are very good value for short term visits. You get £5 credit when first used - as does anyone who refers you (PM me if you want a referral!). Cost of calls and texts very competative.

Disadvantage - it is posted to your UK address!

Anyone know what time wing 41 opens in the morning for an early arrival at immigration?

Just to echo, the land office in Chiang Mai refused to put my condo in joint names with my wife as her name was not on the FET form

UK does not automatically give you the letter - you have to ask for it.

And, unusually, it is free.

edit to remove this bit - where did it come from?? View New Content

Condo's in Chiang Mai charge roughly between 10 and 50 Baht /sq m/month

Older condos seem to charge less, the new ones much more. Doesn't really make much sense since the older condos have higher maintenance costs - surely something just built doesn't require any repairs in the first couple of years? My suspicion is that they use the condo fee (and making you pay two years in advance) to enable the finishing touches to be done to the building and are, in effect, part of the cost of buying a unit.

But the newer condos also seem to have very high costs on their 'outside' - lovely lobbies and lots of uniformed staff that gives them a very good first impression as you walk in. Suppose that helps them sell the units.

Big condos should be cheaper to run per sq m than small condos - almost regardless of size all condos would need one security person on duty at all times, one office staff and 1 or 2 cleaners. A big condo would employ their own technician that is cheaper then bringing in contractors for every job.

There is also the 'hidden' costs - some condos have a separate sinking fund or insurance that can be a few Baht a month extra. These can be found in older condos since increasing the condo fee can be very hard work (or even impossible), but increasing the sinking fund or insurance is much easier.

I had to get my marriage certificate certified by the UK consulate. It is quickly done and only needed for the first extension then a copy is OK.

Yok has dried cranberries, but they do not look all that dried!

OK - 42 postings complaining of parcels not getting through so:

I have sent about 5 parcels a fortnight to my grandchildren in the UK over the past 4 or 5 years - well over 200 parcels. All sent small package air mail either in a box or a padded envelope.

Everyone has been delivered. None have been charged duty. Never a complaint about any damage.

Often the delivery time is 5 days, after 10 days my wife is complaining bitterly!

Just to balance things up a bit.

Yes, you do not have to be in the UK to listen to the radio - but you can not download the android app whilst outside the UK - although it does continue to work in Thailand.

All the radio apps I looked at only gave live radio - not on demand. But yes, Tunein does give the on demand as well. I'll give it a go.

Thanks

Check for the 14500 batteries - I believe they are the same voltage but the size is a smigin different - but normally fit.

(A smigin is around 1mm for those not used to imperial measurement.)