briley

I pay 28 baht for 10 for the largest size in the front of the market on the corner of Suthep and anal road.

Incidentally for the best eggs I go to the place that sells the most and buy the most popular size. The shop sells the most of these and sells out quickly - so they are fresh.

On the other hand the nice boxed brown, organic, free range eggs sell slowly, so they are always 'old' eggs.

Just my theory and explains why I buy the Tesco/Asda etc own brand at 15 for GBP1 eggs in the UK!

I would strongly recomend streambox from

http://www.afterdawn.com/software/video_so...x_vcr_suite.cfm

Note NOT from the streambox web site, they had to stop distribution after action by real audio people.

This program will download the file from the server and save it as a Real file (or MP3 if you want it converted, but that mean the file grows) You can use it by just draging the link to the streaming media and droping it onto streambox.

If, like some BBC programs, you cannot get the real player link directly then using project URL Snooper you can get the URL and automatically drop it into streambox.

Available from

http://www.donationcoder.com/Software/Mouser/urlsnooper/

You have to register to get rid of the nag screen but you don't have to pay.

Thanks, but that is via satalite, not internet.

To answer my own question it appears that the BBC stops all internet feeds when the radio station is carrying live football, formula 1 and some other sports. This effects Radio 5 live, radio 5 sports extra and the world service as well as local radio stations.

If you are only 31 then the current debate in the UK to make UK pension dependent on 10 - or 20 years residence in the UK instead of NI contributions is interesting. Believe this is the New Zealand approach.

Do wonder where that will leave those with voluntary contributions but not resident. Assume the UK government will just keep the money.

Has anyone had any recent success in listening to the BBC Radio 5 Live during a live sports event?

The streaming audio is only available in the UK - as shown by your IP address - during live sports events, especially football. I used to put in a UK proxy (as from proxy4free) into the IE connection box and it used to work. But just recently either the proxy's are not working or the BBC has got wise to the trick and learnt how to defeat it.

As the BBC world service has now got the same block during saturday sport we are back using the steam radio - modern technology!

OK, Lop.

I admit it. I was point scoring. Admit it, so were you. But he DID say BETWEEN 12 Oct and 12 Nov. So it was the truth. He was technically correct.

C'mon Briley support me, you knew the permission to remain expired on 11 Nov didn't you.

12 Jan?? I tried to correct my typo and made another.

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No - but I did only aproximate all the dates assuming 12 Nov to 12 Feb inclusive was 90 days - it isn't as it is actually 91 days. God how I hate this day counting lark, I lose count at 50 almost every time.

I believe that Thailand insists on an international licence - but if it has a photo and is in English then I suspect the bobby on the beat will accept it, unless it is too near the end of the month and they are broke.

The main problem is always if you have an accident then the insurance company can claim you are uninsure and make you pay for the other parties imported jag and the millions for the injuries to the other people. Personally I don't drive a car here, just my little dream ......................

For the OP watch the dates.

You must be in Thailand sometime in the 30 days before your retirement visa needs to be renewed. And as was said before the retirement visa is from the date you entered the country not the date you applied.

So if you entered on the 12th November and applyfor the retirement visa between the 12 January and 12 February (not more than 30 days before your 90 days visa runs out) your retirement visa will have to be renewed between 12 October and 12 November every year.

If like me you are just escaping the winter weather then some years you might like to return to Thailand a little later, say in December but you can't do that and keep your retirement visa.

So use your multiple re-entry, slip up to the border in February and re-enter the county. Apply for your retirement visa in April and it will be backdated to February, now that is your renewal date - and at a time of year when no sane person is in Europe.

I believe that the licence you show from your own country must have a photo - or else you must have an international licence then you can avoid doing the driving test parts (steps 2 to 4??). Note that the international licence is **Very** hard to photocopy, black pen on dark grey background!

As an aside I always thought that the renewal after the first one year licence can be for 5 years, but someone said only 3 years the other day. Just about to do my first renewal so wonder which is correct?

Hi Briley. Thanks for the useful info. Can you explain what you mean when you say they don't check the documented info? Do they require you take any proof along? If  so, what kind?

Thanks again!   

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I took the statement from my rental agent giving the rent paid - that seemed to be enough. Nobody phoned up the agent to check or anything else. I did supply 4 months of statements, all of which said exactly the same thing, £x of rent received for that month.

I would add that appearance probably helps. An obviously 50+ year old with neat shirt, trousers and hair will find it easier than some of the people who's dress - well don't get me started there!

Incidentally do accept the comment from those not in Thailand who cannot phone up - I do get anoyed with people who aks questions like "is Tesco cheaper than Carrefour for eggs" type question when it is quicker to ask the shop concerned.

Incidentally for those in the UK you can call Thailand for 4p per minute (plus 3p connection charge) using call18866 - that is the same price as an 0845 call and half the price of an 0870 call.

Thanks Lop (again!) and Redwood. Do any UK members have knowledge of how receptive the British Embassy is to authorising a declaration about non-pension income from the UK?

I don't expect my monthly income (from UK investment/savings & rental of UK property) to be enough to quite meet the 65,000 baht per month threshold - but it would be useful to reduce significantly the 800,000 balance otherwise required at the time of O-A renewal.

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Not being rude but I often wonder why people don't phone the consulate/embassy. The lady in the Chiang Mai consulate is very helpful, very nice and speaks excellent English, better than mine!

British Embassy and consulates (at least Chiang Mai) issue the letter and do not require the income to be pension, nor do they check the documented proof that you present - only proviso AFAIK is that it must be income in the UK and be in GBP.

The letter they produce, like the US embassy according to a previous reply, states you have shown proof of income of X baht.

You get the letter the first time you apply for a retirement visa and you keep the original to use again next year.

Cost is about GBP25? - more than the cost of the retirement visa - and I had to go back next day to collect - but I live near the CM consulate so no problems .

>>>From recent experience of paying 10k per person for ONE night in hospital in Koh Samui following a bike accident; I gotta say contact BUPA Thailand and pay the premium.

Doesn't the motorbike insurance cover up to --- was it 10K or 100K automatically?

Briley,  surely they do an emmission test for the MOT.

I have been out of UK for ten years so I am out of date but that was always part of a MOT.

Do you mean MOT or another test for registration ?

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I was told to do an MOT and submit it with the vehicle registration.

Yes the MOT includes an emmission test but the UK standard is stricter than South Africa, so my car failed. However if you have a letter from the manufacturer or like saying that the car meets the standards of the country you are importing from - and you have the figures so they can check the car still meets those standards - then you can get an MOT.

Is this a new vehicle you are importing? If not you don't pay tax if you have personally owned the vehicle for over 12 months - well at least I didn't when importing a car from South Africa.

Disadvantages - all insurances have policies on import cars, although these are being relaxed. Look at Norwich Union Direct web site for a list of import cars they will not insure without special terms (do an online quote to get to the point). Some companies (Churchill for example) will not insure an import car.

Is the model in Thailand exactly like that in the UK - otherwise spares can be very expensive if they have to be imported.

If you do import one you have to pass an MOT to get it registered. The major problem is in emmission control, Thailand's standard might be lower than the UK standard. However if you have a letter from the manufacturers saying that the vehcle meets Thailand emmission control standards then they will give you an MOT, provided you can find a garage prepared to find that line in the regulations.

All this is from my experience and might (easily!) be wrong.

Thanks Crossy - windizupdate is better and finally gives a reason for FireFox. I happen to have a few niggles about firefox that has left me using IE.

But, downloaded my updates - and firefox collapsed! Still all the files are in C:\WUtemp so no problems installing them on both machines without having to bother downloading again.

Much better than the sound of downloader

Just an added note, the multiple renetry - unlimited entries for 12 months from date of issue - used to be only a bit more than a double entry, ie the same price as a triple entry. It is more flexible if you want to go in and out of Thailand for any reason and costs nothing more.

Those with the Pantip version of Windows XP might like to look at

http://www.autopatcher.com/

It seems to solve the problems that MS have lately thrown up over updating - provided you have ADSL as the lite version is nearly 80Meg.

As I'm only on Dial up can someone take a look and let us all know if it is an alternative to MS update?

Bangkok Bank in SUthep Road CHiang Mai told me the same - must have a work visa. They say that all applications with other types of visa for internet banking are returned by Bangkok.

This thread is getting complex and covering a large number of areas,

To answer some of the points raised.

Current payment to get a years Class 3 national insurance is about £380 - you can pay back for 6 years, the last two years at the original rate for that year and the other 4 at the current, increased, rate.

You can also pay for the years 1996-2001 until about 2008 due to a computer glitch.

You must have paid 25% of your working life to get any pension, ie 25% of the pension. Working life is, as someone else said, a total of 45 years payment with one year off for good behaviour. If you are not working and resident in the UK you get 5 years free of charge for the years from age 59 to 64. Age 65 you get your pension and no payment is due.

As a married person you get a full single pension plus 60% of a single pension for your wife. She gets a full single pension when you die.

If you are not resident in the UK (or some other countries) you do not get any pension increase.

As this last rule is, IMHO, so blatently unfair I feel there is good reason to claim to live in the UK. So long as you have a UK address they can write to then your payments automatically go into your UK bank account and you get the pension increase.

Getting a UK pension does not get you access to the NHS, you have to be resident in the UK. This is checked when they ask who your NHS doctor is. If you haven't got one then you have to prove you are resident.

My personal opinion is that the UK pension scheme is worth making voluntary contributions to get a full pension. For current payment of £380 per year you get a pension of £135 or so a week (married pension). So ignoring increases (both contributions and pensions increase) you pay in about £15,000 over your lifetime and get back £7,000 a year, 2 years to pay back!

I would be interested in the class 2 payments that I believe you can pay instead of class 3, but believe you have to actual be self employed and earning something from some sort of job. If you can get Class 2 it is much cheaper than class 3 payments.

Don't forget a UK passport cost less in the UK than in BKK

Central Department store in Central Plaza (3rd floor) has very good selection of pots and pans better than Robinsons in Airport plaza. But I always check both ................

Downstairs - think also outside - Big C has an 'Export' shop with very big sizes.

Regarding the UK pension a few points:

The pension goes up to the full rate the minute you enter the UK - but unless you stay over 6 months it drops back to the same rate as before on departure.

But the UK pension authorities have no access to your dates of entering and leaving the UK.

If you return to the UK and get an address (any, relative etc is fine so long as they will pass on the mail) then you get full pension paid straight into your UK bank account.

Then return to Thailand and enjoy life. On the odd occasions that the pensions agancy contact you you have weeks to reply, and even if you are a little late just say you were on holiday. Old people make mistakes :-) Just make sure all letter to the pensions agency are posted in the UK.

The UK pension rules are so unfair this is the one case I approve of breaking the rules - after all at 71 they might not send you to prision!

To answer the OP when I took my letter to Chaing Mai immigration they pointedly gave me the original back and said give them a copy as I will need the original next year.

Take it that is not the big AIA office on the right from the airport just before the moat. Went there and couldn't find anywhere to park my Dream - then they told me that they only do Life Insurance in that office. I'll try looking again.

Mind Royal & Sun Alliance quoted 3,000 baht (minimum premium) for 1.5 Million of building and 250,000 of contents cover so 7K sounds high?

But then the cover can be better .......................