Hal65

deleted

5 hours ago, DJ54 said:

If they are in the US and your business had any of your information 

SSN etc. eventually the system will go to your employer and force 

employer to take a portion of your pay that would go to who is owed. 

Employer is in the US, yes. The way I have read it works is the creditor gets a judgement against me and then requests a debtor exam to have me appear and give information about my assets. This will be hard because my US information is all old, which creates a problem for them during process service.

The IRS has my new information (in Thailand). I don't believe creditors can directly access IRS information though.

Even if the creditor is able to track down my employer and do a wage garnishment of reasonable proportion, it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. What I really needed to avoid was a bank levy, as that could wipe out all my cash assets and put me on the street.

I have setup transferwise. They have a borderless account that gives you a bank account number and routing number for direct deposits. Those deposits can then be transfered to your own Thai account. TW gives you the actual mid market exchange rate too. Basically exactly what I was looking for!

I know the usual way to do this is have the employer direct deposit to US account and then do a transfer. But before i moved to Thailand I was going through debtor hell from a failed business, the end result being judgments against me and the risk of bank levies on my US bank accounts. 

As a freelancer this was not a problem as I was paid through Paypal, but my new employer doesn't do that, just paycheck or direct deposit. 

Is there any way to have my employer direct deposit to a Thai Bank account? If not I will go with paychecks instead, although it will take longer (to send from the US to Thailand) and maybe incur more fees as well.

There were 2 good companies mentioned in this thread but both website links appear broken: 

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Does anyone know some good companies for shipping around 300 lbs of stuff via sea that won't cost half a cargo container ($2,000+)?

Posted on the DIY forum about a 8,400 thb 12,000 BTU AC, people said it was good. If I can find a local installer at a decent price I'll save a lot compared to paying 17,000 at Big C or Powerbuy.

Does anyone know a good installer? I'm near S Pattaya Rd on Soi Buakao.

I'm also open to an AC shop with good prices for the AC + install.

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/air-mitsui-chofu-12000btu-r32-mu-13ec-i250802632-s387102660.html?spm=a2o4m.searchlist.list.1.481c5ff0hQ1AjX&search=1

8,400 thb for a 12,000 BTU unit. In Big C it cost 17,000 for a unit of that power. A little higher at power buy.

They include free install at those local stores. I imagine I could pay someone 500 thb, maybe 1000 at most to get it done. 

Is Mitsui Chofu a low quality brand? Anything else to be wary of?

I also dislike this rule as it's just more cash to potentially lose (or taking an exchange rate hit by withdrawing in Laos).

Say immigration formally denies you. Can you run to an ATM and run back to the line? If not, what is the waiting period before a second attempt?

I was turned down for a new account by an otherwise friendly SCB teller for this reason. She said to try other banks. I was able to get an account at Kungsri but I want an SCB account due to them being popular near my area.

Is SCB regularly turning language school ED visa holders (not university ED visaholders) or is this spottily enforced?

On my next visa run to Laos I want to try taking Nok Air's DMK to Udon flight which arrives at 7am if not late. Normally I come mid day and take the "limo" service (a minivan) to the border. Will that be an option at 7 to 7:30am or do I need a taxi?

Good advice by all. I have condensed it into the following options:

1. Leaving the Thai consulate at 4pm, I tuk to the border while checking in on my phone (or even earlier), get through Laos immigration, then taxi through the Thai immigration car lane straight to Udon Airport for 1,000. 

2. Forget this whole thing and take the 5pm Vientiane bus to the bus station and then tuk to the airport for a 9:30 pm flight. Kills another 2-3 hours sitting around in the heat/long immigration lines, but the time windows are spacious

3. Direct flight from VTE to BKK and hope that immigration lets me through (officer tried to catch me this last time with language tests. I got lucky this time as I was on a beginner level Chinese ED visa. This never happens at the border, only BKK)

I think I'll try #1, you guys have given me good ammunition to make it work ????

How much time would you guys allot for a Nong Khai border to Udon Airport ride?

In the other direction I believe it is about 1 hour, right?

Does Udon ever get congested on that route, especially around 5 to 7pm?

Is this a comfortable travel window or too risky? I am assuming leaving the consulate at 4pm (I go late), taxi to border, immigration line, then another taxi to udon airport.

The Air Asia flight leaves at 6:55pm which is a little under 3 hours, but of course you need to board earlier.

7 hours ago, MonkeyLoo said:

Bus across the bridge 20baht.

Minibus from near 7-11 for 50 baht to central or 200 baht to airport.

Private car from near 7-11 between 200-400 baht central or airport depending on passenger numbers.

Sounds like a good deal for both the car and minibus. Is that 7-11 easy to see, entering past the border into Nong Khai? Or do you have to round a corner to see it?

How much time should I expect these buses to take to get to the Airport? Do they take the same route and about the same length of time?

I happen to stay right in between the 2 stations (Pattaya Nua, and the Foodmart in Jomtien) and will take whichever is most convenient.

I like to exchange THB to Laos Kip in Vientiane because you lose another 10-20% if paying in THB to the local places. However on my last trip I arrived at 7:30pm and the currency exchangers and banks near the Mekong were closed.

Next year I plan to arrive around the same time. Does anyone know of a currency exchanger who is open late, until say 9pm?

I once read an Indian guy complaining about so many indians shitting near his home that the shit would dry, turn to dust, and the "shit dust" would go airborne and coat the outside of his home ????

People like the indians are what add spice to life. Sure, Thailand could roll the red carpet for the Japanese and grow wealthier, but what fun would that be?

It'll be a good thing if Indian group negotiations become the new norm. Suddenly 1,000 baht for a shag that doesn't involve anal, video, and other guys nearby seems strong again 

I would like to avoid the Vientiane to Udon Thani bus on my next trip. Getting to the border on a tuk tuk sounds straightfoward. I need to figure out the rest

1. Is there a bus specifically for crossing the bridge as there is in the other direction? (this bus is okay with me)

2. Are there private cars waiting to take people from the border (Nong Khai side) into Udon Thani? What is a fair price to pay? I may go direct to the airport, or to Central Center first, depending on the timing of everything.

14 minutes ago, PatOngo said:

How much luggage are you carrying?

Just my backpack, I'm traveling light

5 minutes ago, ChristianBlessing said:

I haven't walked it but rode my bicycle out of the airport into town. It was quite easy and quick.

Do you remember if there was a checkpoint with guards? When I walked to Udon Thani, the guards called the TSA equivalent people inside and they frisked me fairly hard and in a unfriendly way. They clearly don't get much walk traffic

How walkable is the airport entrance? I learned not to do this at Udon Thani. But if VTE has entrance sidewalks then I'll enjoy a nice long walk there.

Just got back after arriving at 10:40 am. I'm around number #400. In and out took under 40 minutes waiting in 2 lines, well under the 2.5 hours it usually takes me. I'm a latecomer convert now.

I think tomorrow I will time my walk to arrive at around 3pm (1.5 hours / around 240 numbers processed) just to be safe.

8 hours ago, sanemax said:

They serve everyone who is inside before 11.30 .

The later that you get there , the later that you will get your PP back the next day

Could be as late as 3.30 PM

I assume 3:30PM is also not a cutoff time and if you have a number, you will also be served?

Asking because I think I may have waited longer than that before. I think they call about 90 numbers per hour if memory serves me correctly.

Following up on a few posts in another thread about the best time to go to the consulate:

On 1/30/2017 at 1:54 PM, ubonjoe said:

You should have enough time to get to the consular section in Vientiane. They close the gates at 11:30.

Others have done it with later flights than you.

On 1/30/2017 at 4:01 PM, LandOfWiles said:

I recently arrived at the Vientiane visa office at 11am and the place was almost empty. I was in an out within five minutes. I was application number 250 and I had to wait about 90 minutes for that number to be called the following day. I would not go there too soon for pickup if you have a similarly high number. 

Sounds like a good plan and confirms my experience that the line seems to shrink a lot after 10:30am. At 8:30am there is usually a huge line and 2 hour wait.

So I'm tempted to go around 10:30 to 11am now.

But I can see a scenario where I happen to go on a day where it's quite busy even going late in the window (10:30 to 11). In that case, do they continue to serve all the people in line or must you come back the next day (this would cause me to miss my plane and have to rebuy another ticket)

By personal amount I mean you're not smuggling a bunch of porn DVDs or something else that could be considered commercial.