Lifer

Last Monday was the worst I have seen it at Chiangmai Immigration in over 60 trips there for service. Last week it was for 90 day report which took 20 minutes in the after lunch queue to get a number and approx 2 hours to get to the desk. There is not enough space in the building for the people standing around and stepping all over each other. Seems to be getting worse each year.

Ask the clerks doing the 90 day stamps about the bar code. They said they weren't sure, maybe it would be for sometime in the future.

Can remember the day when you walked in the other buiding with no queue numbers and walked out 5 - 10 minutes later. If it works, change it! They need a much larger building and waiting area for Chiangmai becuse it serves a very large crown of people. One thing for sure is that they do a good job serving the volume of people they get. Anybody out there want their job at Thai Gov Civil Service wages?

Word is also out that songkran ain't fun no more.Just a load of loutish behaviour that appeals to amindless few.

Tat oughta rein it in before it destroys April's tourist trade.

Just reading the posters comments indicates they don't have a clue what Songkran is really about. Many are disrespectful of Thai culture. Try staying home and getting drunk in your own cities.

How dare they. CM should have stayed your own private fifedom. What a stup[id remark. It is absolutely true that CM was a much nicer place for expats around 20 years back than it is now. Maybe it has a lot to do with the ones that can only stay here with massive visa runs across the border to be legal trying to live like there still in their homeland, or not appreciating the great Lanna culture.

The younger ones in Chiangmai have no idea how beautiful and nice this place was. Having said that, it's a free country and everyone is free to make Chiangmai whatever it will be in the future.

Could try ear plugs.

What a joke. These teachers don't need to go abroad to brush up on their English. I know of casses where highly qualified academic native English teachers have been ired to teach University Thai instructors English. When the classes are held, the Thai instructors and teachers find every excuse in the book to keep from attending class or doing any work to help themselves.

There has to be a desire on their part to learn, and then use the language to gain proficiency. Sending them abroad is wasting money and giving them a holiday. Make it mandatory for their job and they will all of a sudden find the desire to learn.

I guess you all have to complain and moan and bitch about something. Should be thankful the world has airpanes to take you around the world instead of sailing ships and covered wagons.

Think your all worked up about nothing. Legally married Thais who bought a place to live and is registered in the Thai spouses name should have nothing to worry about. I believe they are looking at those foreigners who are using Thais to buy large pieces of land to run a business etc. That should be easy for them to find.

Think of it as another grandious hub, the hub of illegal land purchases. None of the other hubs have happened. This topic came up some time ago with no results. Relax.

Crime in Chiang Mai?

Well, I noticed a few teenagers driving their motorcycles without wearing helmets, does this count?

Not just a few! Majority with no helmet or no chin strap fastened. Probably doesn't count in this post.

You might fail the test if you have Elephantiasis, one of the blocks to check on the ridiculous form, but it's doubtful the Doctors would recognize it! Of course there's the STD's which have absolutely nothing to do with your ability to teach in a classroom.

It is precisely that entry, visa exempt, that requires onward ticket show. There is no requirement for onward flights if you have a visa. Below is IATA information airline should be using for travel to Thailand (US passport)

http://www.delta.com...ation/index.jsp

Visitors who are visa exempt are required to hold documents

for their next destination.

Lopburi3, the above link is a great reference. Thanks for posting it.

Saturdy and Sunday morning TOT 6M working just fine in Chiangmai.

Can not speak for Bangkok Bank, but SCB is definitely not a preferred rate to use a debit card inside the bank. I use it all the time. The rate is not the best, but not the worst either, but very convenient. My CU charges 1% plus a flat $5.00 for a transaction. SCB charges nothing.

Isn't it amazing that so many comments already criticise Thai standards.

If you don't like it, here's an idea: go home.

Have some sense and compassion.

Absolutely agree. The country will be a better place.

now they might realize why those pesky farangs have such strict fire codes in their high rises.

Give it a rest. Is there no occasion when pointless racism can be left out of a thread.

they'll blame it on the parts of the building plan they took from farang ideas.

Why wait for something to criticize? Just make stuff up! Saves time and any contact with reality.

No end to stupidity.

I have mailed US tax returns for 14 years to US by sending Thai Post air mail registered mail without a problem. Takes a number days longer, but locked up at each point along the way. If you don't pay for mailed return delivery notice, you have to wait a period of time to have them followup. I always go online to IRS, after a few weeks, and fill out the online form to find out when my refund, etc. is going to be paid. Works well. If no refund, must pay for delivery notification or use courier.

http://www.irs.gov/individuals/article/0,,id=96596,00.html

If you want extra security, pay more money and send by courier.

Testing Panda. S far, is working well, takes up less computer space and is fast. Have tried all the others, but they slow down computer and use a lot of space.

So many people think you cannot work on a Non-O Retirement visa but this is just not true

Your giving out bogus information!! You are bnot qualified to get a WP or work inThailand if you are here on a retirement extension. If on a married extension, no problem getting a WP. What Thailand are you in?

Think Tank?? Thinking outside the box??? Not in a million years. Young persons consuming alcohol 9X the world ave? Good luck Thailand.

Ignorance is common here! They have no clue about right or wrong here. How many have seen some of the nastiest filth printed on the tee shirts the girls, as well as guys will wear without even understanding the wording.

You will never stamp out racism in the world (let alone Thailand). You can only make a difference by educating the younger kids to understand what it means to glorify people like Hitler, and other dispickable people like him.

Another thing I beleive will happen is that once you get a boarding pass as standby, they will notify the gate agents that there is a standby and that you are working your way down to the gate. Good luck!

There is a really good program and website where I look for download programs. Go to File Hippo website and up in the right corner they have a free download program that will go and check your system and list all the current updates for the programs you have on your computer. Then just click on the ones you want to update.

No malware or spyware in their programs or website. I have used the website for a long time. They also have one to check drivers I believe. Have downloaded update drivers without any problem. Good luck and hope this helps you.

http://www.filehippo.com/

Have used Firefox since their first release. Up to 11 + on their beta channel. No problems whatsoever. The only thing I have noticed is that it sometimes shuts down an add on, but the next revision or two makes it work again. Hate Internet explorer for many years, and tried Chrome and dislike it too.

One thing I found is to make sure your other programs are up to date with the latest versions. We are in a high tech, fast moving world where everything is not going to work all the time. Good luck solving your current problems with your software.

The poster and all the newbies will get over their infatuation with Chiangmai when the honeymoon is over and reality sets in. Enough people coming to Chiangmai already.

Affirmation to Marry from the Consulate in CM, this needs to be translated into Thai (checking spelling of your names), then taken to the MFA for certification, (I think the MFA is also in CM, if not then BKK), then you can get legally married.

Her ID card and Tambien baan

What is the MFA and is there one in Chiang Mai and if so where is it located

DK

There wasn't years earlier. Fourteen years ago I had to make a trip to Embassy in Bangkok and then get translations done, then out near some stadium to the MFA to get documents. We had not translated the papers when we got out there because we didn't know about it. They sent us down the street a block to have it done during the lunch hour. Had to pay extra for quick service because we had air tickets to return to Chiangmai in the late afternoon. Go prepared because they will require all the right forms and documents before recording the docs.

This is one of the uglest incidents I've heard of in the kingdom. I wouldn't be surprised if there was some vigilante reprisals. I would guess there'll be a lot of katoey passengers on the outbound buses today.

The incident can be used as the basis for a master's thesis in psych.

Abnormal psychotic psychology! A lot of very sick people here in this culture.