Lifer

I went to Sripat to see a hand specialist, he treated my like what are you doing here? you can afford to use the private hospitals (also had to wait sooo long), went to RAM the hand surgeon there was excellent and sorted everything and the price was very good, previous hospital in Bangkok made a mess of it and charged so much more, re break, microsurgery on ligaments and tendons, 4 days on stacks of morphine was only 65,000 baht.

Sripat is a private hospital. It is not cheap by any means. Suan Dok Maharaj is semi-privatized/semi-government.

Another example!

Get to another hospital for a 2nd opinion ASAP. Sripat at CMU would be an excellent choice. Not as fancy as RAM but there are many good docs there. Ask/demand to see a senior Professor of Neurology for a 2nd opinion.

Best of luck.

Sripat Hospital is not at CMU. It is down the street 1 to 1.5 block from Suan Dok Gate in front of the Government Hospital and Nursing College. Can't miss it. It is almost on the road and a number of stories high. It's a private hospital but shares specialists and some testing facilities with Suan Dok Hospital connect to it. Care is good and prices very reasonable compared to Ram.

Mr. Advanced member, your instructions would have someone looking for Sripat at CMU. Your winded correction was not needed, and had nothing to do with trying to help the poster find Sripat Hospital. You made a big thing out of trying to give a member a little more information on finding the hospital. Glad I never have to ask directions from you; however, your post was good for status.

Get to another hospital for a 2nd opinion ASAP. Sripat at CMU would be an excellent choice. Not as fancy as RAM but there are many good docs there. Ask/demand to see a senior Professor of Neurology for a 2nd opinion.

Best of luck.

Sripat Hospital is not at CMU. It is down the street 1 to 1.5 block from Suan Dok Gate in front of the Government Hospital and Nursing College. Can't miss it. It is almost on the road and a number of stories high. It's a private hospital but shares specialists and some testing facilities with Suan Dok Hospital connect to it. Care is good and prices very reasonable compared to Ram.

A freind just returned from Cambodia middle of April. Tried to get a double entry but was refused. He was told to use a visa service. He did, only to be given a single anyway. Check it out carefully if your going to Cambodia.

Good warning. As a matter of fact, none of the legitimate companies and email services will ask for personal information. No matter how official it looks add it to spam.

All over Chiangmai and Thailand! Go look!

Crackdowns and hubs. Is there more crackdowns or hubs? Anyone keeping track?

I have a friend on an old 'investment visa' which only requires 'proof' of 'investment' (i.e. no 800k tied up) so he shows he owns an expensive condo and that - as they say - is that

on a wider note getting rid of some of the 'less economically viable' expats would not be such a bad thing and as for the Yanks who only have to 'swear' they have the income well that's a farce

Why is it a farce, if you are caught out you could face some legal condequence and donot forget immigration can and has asked for proof of what one swears too. I know your just jealous

I agree. Only a fool would lie to an officer of the U.S. government. That is how they have taken down many, many of it's citizens including some high profile ones with the best lawyers money can buy; not the underlying crime or act, but lying about it to the government. Perjury is a serious crime and there are many prosecutions and convictions every year. And of course Immigration can ask as they please to prove up.

Furthermore, I had to prove more than most in order to get my O-A Visa that I extend each year; including proof that I'm not a criminal, proof of over a million THB (or whatever the requirement was 5 years ago) in investments or cash, medical certificate, etc., etc. So I don't see the farce at all. Indeed it is more jealousy than anything.

Mr. Udonguy seems to think us Yank are all liers and cheats, and that there are many falsifying the documents. Little does he really have a clue to the consequences if caught, or his random off the cuff evaluation of the Yanks. I can't begin to guess where he or she is from. Maybe where he is from they do things like that. So not a farce at all. I imagine many who now have to pay $50 for the 5 minute piece of paper at the Consulate (that's the farce) have now (guessing only) switched to getting the $5 - $6 piece of paper from the bank. I have because it's more convenient and will go back to the affidavit if I need to show more income.

The five minute affadavit single form will cost you $50. If you have another way that is cheaper, you might consider that way. Believe a work permit will also work. Good luck.

Nothing more productive to do than posters arguing over some guys porn picture?

OK, for the Thai bashers, it's 10th in it's class. Feel any better now?

I reckon Suvarnabhumi the second best airport in the world as is means I am so much closer closer to my chosen home. Top award goes to Udon International because it is a 10 minute drive from home and their brilliant airport security allows the incredibly young, stunningly beautiful and very talented Mrs NL to park right outside the door in the pax drop-off zone and leave the car totally unattended while she comes to meet me.

Now, I am off for breakfast.... where's my rose-tinted glasses?

PS. Another huge, HUGE bonus is that I can fly THAI three times a day between these two airports and leave the alternatives of Nok and AirAsia to the hopelessly impoverished, terminally challenged and those that would normally take a bus. Apart from the odd TEFL'er and Vientiane visa-runner, there's a much, MUCH better class of hoipoloi on THAI IMHO.

Like this posters comments!

No experience with leasing or renting, but I do know that for 14 years a married extension required a copy of the blue book including the pages your child is listed if you own the house you live in. Makes sense if you rent they want to see something verifying your place of residence.

People don't fight the requirements, just go prepared by taking more than you think they will ask for and have it all in order to give to them. You will have a problem free processing experience. Posters seem to fight everything they don't think they should provide. You will always lose the battle.

Be aware if you are taking early SS at 62, you cannot work full time if living and working overseas. If you do, you could lose benefits. Also there is a limit on the number of hours of part time work in a month you can work, and all details must go through SS.

Once you reach the full retirement age you may work again full time with no problem. The rules are different for one working and living oversea from someone taking early SS and working and living in US.

They should advise you of these conditions when they process your SS. If living here, your SS will be processed through SSA in Manila at the US Embassy. All copies of documents you need can be reproduced free of charge and certified by US Embassy in Bangkok or Chiangmai Consulate.

Social Security Administration

United States Embassy

1201 Roxas Blvd., Ermita

0930 Manila, Philippines

Phone: (63)(2) 301-2000 ext. 9

Fax: (63)(2) 708-9723 & (63)(2) 708-9714

E-mail: [email protected]

Contact them and they will assign someone handling your claim if you are living over in Thailand.

Good Luck

Also, if you have a child who is a US citizen by birth, you can apply at the same time for benefits paid to him based on your eligibility. It is paid until he is 18 and amounts to approx 75% of your benefits. Be sure to find out what docs and paperwork is needed to apply.

Couple of times I've been given too much change (once at a 7/11), as I know any shortfall in the till comes out of the poor saps pay, I give the extra back.

Quite right!

I think most posters would do the same.

All the honest customers anyway.

What were you buying in a 7/11 that would warrent you proffering a B1,000 Note?

And why does the 3x counting have any relevance!

The comment has nothing to do with the posters warning. He's not asking for your comments on how much he used at the store. Has nothing to do with the short changing.

Get a couple good guide books, do some research of your own on the internet. Go to the WHO travel advisories and/or the CIA country guides. So much information available, why ask a few TV posters for the information you want. Everyone will have their own stories (truths or exagerations) to tell.

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_1764.html

http://search.who.int/search?q=India&ie=utf8&site=default_collection&client=_en&proxystylesheet=_en&output=xml_no_dtd&oe=utf8

http://www.indiahotels.com/

Can tell you this time of year is super hot from my travels to Northern India and Kashmir. Be careful of the heat and heat exhaution, and food sanitation. Stay at International chain hotels if you can afford it. If not, check out the rooms before you stay.

Will plan a trip to Jaipur for the cooler season.

Got my Thai Niece a bank account with debit card to take to China for her intensive Chinese study porgram to use to withdraw money from ATM.

She is only 15. Absolutely no problem. Account in her name only. She took the card, I keep the passbook to deposit money.

Took about 15 minutes from start to finish once waited on by customer service.

There are some questions that deserve the time to be answered. You see the same questions ask over and over and over and over by posters. Many are from posters too lazy to spend any of their free or excess time to find their own answers. Many ask totally ridiculous questions like where can I get the best coffee. Whatever happened to the idea of going out and searching your own answers. Many wannabe Thailand expats want to be here, but when they are here they can't do for themselves.

Some questions are reasonable and require current information from posters. Others are just to get their counts up as posters.

Then you got the ones that come out and have to make ridiculous negative comments about every news article pertaining to anything Thai. On top of that they argue with others making ridiculous comments, and on it goes.

Low on substance, high on poster's count.

What a crock. Hope he's happy somewhere else.

Posters seem to ask many questions they could find out for themselves, or ask the same questions over and over and over instead of researching themselves. If bored, get out and find a place you like. It might take a few minutes, but coffee places everywhere! It's not the coffee shop you find, it's the journey.!

Regrding the marriage extension: My personal opinion ( sure nobody wants it, but giving it anyway) is that immigration officers take into account everything about your case, kind of like profiling for lack of a better word, by looking at the documents you present, how long you've been married, etc. etc. (including how your dressed) Then decide what they want to ask for within their scope of responsibility based on each couple. My wife and I have been doing it so long now and never have any of the problems posters talk about. Only in the firwst couple years when I wasn't preapred with the required docs did we have an adjustment period. Now I go with more than required just in case they ask.

I do know that when the top boss in the office changes, the new one may have the officers ask for additional information. We went many years without any map and pictures. Now they ask. We provide them. Only once about three years (out of 14) ago did she spotcheck for proof of affidavit amount. I had the proof ready for her. Next time I offered it, she said no, just need the affidavit.

If your above board and have everything ready no problems. If not, you will be ask for the missing items. Just get them and your finished. Read many posters on TV that get mad at immigration when things don't go their way. It's not their fault. Would you want their jobs at immigration and have to deal with hordes of customers day in, day out all needing some service. And please don't tell me they get paid mfor being there. There is not enough pay in the vault to entice me to work in that office.

hmm...when i got mine about 3 months ago, the officer tossed out the affidavit of income from the embassy and told me that i had wasted my money... and for the first time in 3 yrs, she asked for hard copies of my pension statements from CalPers...so i agree with above list, but suggest that the embassy statement is no longer being used... anyone else have similar recent experience?

Think that is an anomaly. Not a good idea to let TV married members think it that affidavit isn't accepted. Do not know which office you are referring to, but accepted for sure at Chiangmai office. Everyone should go prepared. If one doesn't want to pay the fee, transfer the required money into a bank account and get your bank letter and copies of book showing money in the bank.

Why the slur about Thailand? Rather than "BS," I suggest that the problem from time to time has to do with Immigration's apparently periodic concern with "marriages of convenience" and nothing to do with economic development, or whatever "development" Uptheos had in mind. Official Thai concern should be no surprise, certainly! And that concern might be increasing.

Although it doesn't address Uptheos' point exactly (Yes, I have read his post!), to find somewhat similar concern, one would only have to refer to America where immigration officials are quite sensitive to "marriages of convenience" and can be extremely rigorous in confirming the bona fides of a marriage. Granted that that has to do with initial approval of visa status, but, given a lack of rigor and the extraordinary tolerance of Thai Immigration in the past, it might just be that Thai officials need to do some "double checking." What about divorces or compliant girl friends, for example? Are you surprised ?!

On another point, having to do with asking for documentation of pensions, again I ask if are you

surprised !! The cheating of Americans, in particular, is common knowledge just as there is cheating more broadly concerning minimum Thai bank deposits to demonstrate personal financial capability to Immigration.

I hope they ask for it all, if it, means getting rid of the ones that try to slide by falsifying documents. If they are marrying for convenience I suggest that one day they will be getting divorced for the convenience of the Thai spouse.