Bobsuruncle

Is that a second watch band behind his watch?

I'm getting close to moving back down to near the ocean from up here in Nakhon Nowhere.

I want to spend more time out on the ocean and I like the idea of the Tandem island where it can be paddled, pedaled or sailed. I thought that there was a distributor just south of Pattaya called Blue Seas Marina but when I contacted them, they said that they no longer carry them. Does anyone here know where to buy one of these here in Thailand?

8 hours ago, Stargrazer9889 said:

Hey Bobsuruncle, I do not understand your question.  Getting vaccinated with any vaccine will not

prevent you from being infected by COVID.  All vaccines are to prevent you from dying, if you do get 

infected. 

I'm no doctor or virologist so I can't state for sure how vaccines work but I do tend to lean towards your statement that they only prevent you from dying, but little protection from being infected. Maybe they lessen the symptoms, I'm not sure?

My previous point was that the Thai government is counting on at least 70% of the population being vaccinated as their requirement to open up all of Thailand to tourists. They feel that this will be effective for controlling the virus. Phuket, in my mind, seems to have been used as the guinea pig to test their theory. So if Phuket was their 70% test, what have they learned? People are still getting infected by the virus (over 200 a day) and people are dying from the virus. Do they have any statistics to share with us on which vaccines were used and did these vaccines live up to their expectations. Did the vaccines lessen the symptoms for those that were infected. Were any of the people who died previously vaccinated and if so which vaccines worked the best and which ones failed?

There seem to be several studies around the world done on the efficacies of vaccines but here right in our own backyard, we have the Phuket sandbox study that could give us answers.

With Phuket having more than 70% of the population vaccinated, I'm curious if there are any details yet as to how many infected people were previously vaccinated and how many were not vaccinated. And if there were cases of vaccinated people being infected, which vaccines were they previously given.

Well, I went ahead and purchased one of these units from Pure Aqua and the process was quite painless. The unit was fully padded inside a cardboard box which was shipped inside a plywood crate, so it was really protected from any damage.

I'm not the brightest tool in the box when it comes to reading and understanding instruction manuals, but I was able to set it up myself and with an extra phone call to the seller everything is up and running and producing drinkable water.

When my Thai wife first heard me say that I was going to buy a machine that produces water from the air she thought I was getting early dementia. But now that she has had her first glass of water from the machine, she's looking at me as though I am Einstein.

The machine puts off a bit of heat and has noise comparable to our air conditioner so I won't be keeping it in our bedroom. But I'm pretty satisfied with it. And the taste of the water is better than I thought it would be.

Thanks to those (rwill and Carlos Primeros) who posted the link and phone number of this company.

Cheers

14 hours ago, sirineou said:

If you are going to do all that to water you extract from humid air with an expensive machine, , why not simply do that to water that is available everywhere? Water that is sold in those large green bottles is very inexpensive, If you are concerned about it, why not run that water through those filters that are readily available at any DIY store?

As long as there is cheap water available everywhere, you're absolutey right.

On 4/15/2021 at 5:10 PM, Carlos Primeros said:

I think this is not the same guy. Because before there was a company in Phuket "Generation Water" who sold those things. I contacted them various times more than one year ago. But they never replied. And now it seems they are out of business.

My friend is very happy with his machine. He bought it end of last year. The only problem is, that it makes a bit of a noise when operating, same as a dehumidifier. So maybe not to put in the bedroom????????

The phone number you quoted in your first post is the number I called and that guy is located in Hua Hin and I think it's called Pure Aqua. I don't know about "Generation Water".

On 4/15/2021 at 11:26 AM, 1FinickyOne said:

depend on it? 

 

Did your local 7/11 go out of business? 

 

Depending and practical don't seem to rhyme here.. 

1FinickyOne.

I'm not sure we're talking about the same thing. My quote was about not being able to depend on water catchment for your drinking water. It's great during the rainy season, but you'd need a huge catchment tank to get you all the way through the dry season up in the northeast here.

12 hours ago, ross163103 said:

I contacted the Thai distributor--a farang,  of this product several years ago, he responded once but never got back to me after the initial correspondence. He said something about his chinese suppliers not fulfilling their obligations. Sounded like a good product just no way to buy it.

ross163103, I guess I was lucky, as he has one unit left and will get his next order in May. He has been very good about responding back to me, sometimes within an hour or two. So if you're still interested I'll keep you posted as to how the whole purchasing process goes and how the machine actually works and the taste of the water.

13 hours ago, Carlos Primeros said:

You mean something like that?

There is a guy in Hua Hin selling these machines. A friend of mine bought a machine like this and gave me  the tel number 086 539 0003. I hope the number is still correct.

Good luck.

Yes Carlos, you and "rwill" have the same guy. I contacted him yesterday and have ordered the HR-88c from him. I'm getting his last unit until his next delivery in May. I'll be sure to leave my feed back on it as soon as I get it plugged in.

2 hours ago, rwill said:

Pure Aqua Thailand (pure-aqua-thailand.com)

Thanks rwill

I lived on water catchment for 17 years in Hawaii and it was no problem as there was never a month without rain. It's definitely a good idea but here in Thailand there is a lot less rain so not as practical if you need to depend on it.

Apparently Tipco Foods company in collaberation with Watergen brought in one of the commercial sized AWG (atmospheric water generator) and installed it up near Chiang Rai to help the elderly obtain safe drinking water. But the video is short and doesn't give much detail: 

6 minutes ago, Pilotman said:

That's how a de humidifier works? Whether you would be wise to drink the water it collects is another matter.  

The companies say that the water is filtered through 3 filters and then run through/past a UV light to make sure that the water is purified to drink. They also add Ca and Mg to mineralize the water. I'm no expert on the process. I was hoping that someone here has had experience with one of these.

I'm starting to look into the possibility of creating my own drinking water from the humidity in the air.

I'm hoping to find a company or distributer here in Thailand that has a decent reputation that sells these devices.

So far I've only come across three companies that make them. Source hydropanels, Aquaboy, and Genny by Watergen. But I haven't recieved any responses back from them as to their avaiability here in Thailand.

At least two of the companies say that their units can run off of solar power and/or the photovoltaic panels are built right into the units.

Has anyone here had any experience with companies that sell these devices? 

I recently applied for my first extension of stay based on marriage to a Thai. I applied (on 20 Oct) 30 days prior to my 90 day Non Immigrant O visa expiration date of 18 Nov 2020. Two immigration officers came to the house two days later on the 22nd and at that time told us that they will make their decision on 18 Dec. I said "you mean 18 Nov right?" And they said "no, we are giving you an extra 30 days past your 18 Nov expiration date and will give you our decision on your extension of stay on 18 Dec." Also told us to bring our updated bank book in Dec. So that's almost 60 days from time of application to time of decision. Has anyone else been told to wait 60 days?

It then ocurred to me to ask if I needed to do a 90-day report on 18 Nov or just wait until 18 Dec. Their response was report for 90 day on 18 Nov and report again on 18 Dec for their decision. Is this a new policy now? 60 days?

11 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

Yes as fishtank correctly points out, normally zero issue. Even clerk's at passport control have them to hand to anyone that has misplaced it.

You will need it for 90 day reports etc.

Just wait until you attend immigration and  attend to it.

Thanks DrJack54 and Fishtank. It sounds like a non-issue, so I'll take it off the worry list.

Cheers.

2 minutes ago, fishtank said:

Don't worry.

You can get another one when you depart.

Still not really a problem. Happens all the time.

Thanks for your reply fishtank.

After going through all the recent hurdles just to get back into Thailand, I don't plan to leave for a long time to come, so I won't be getting a new TM 6 card by departing/arriving. 

I am wondering how immigration will view it since there always seems to be some form that asks for the TM 6 number. I can't remember off hand which forms those were, but over the last 12 years, I do remember being asked on more than one occasion for my TM 6 number.

I just recently arrived back in Thailand after completing all the requirements necessary to return including the ASQ and will need to report to Immigration to let them know that I'm back living in Isaan.

After looking through my passport, I noticed that the TM6 departure card that I had filled out and handed over to the IO at the airport was not in there. I double checked and then triple checked, but the only paper that is stapled in the passport is an old report of a change of address from 3 years ago.

Is this going to be a problem, not having a TM 6 card?

If so, what should I do about it?

I came in on a Non Immigrant O visa and will like to get a one year extension of stay with Thai wife once the time is right (ie 30 to 45 days before my 90 days is up). But I'm now a bit concerned about this missing TM 6 card. I haven't taken anything out of my Passport so, does this mean that the TM 6 card is no longer being used and that the IO never stapled it in, or did I some how lose it? There was so much going on when I arrived late at night with so many different people taking temperature and asking questions and having me switching chairs and wearing my ASQ tag that it's all kind of a blurr. I didn't look at my passport close enough to discover the card was missing until today.

Any input on this subject is most welcome.

Thanks ahead of time.

14 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

I assume you will be arriving on a repatriation flight and then will going into the 14 day quarantine.

You can apply for the extension up to 30 days early or 45 days at some offices.

Be sure you have the 400k baht in the bank for 2 months on the day you apply unless you are using the 40k baht income option.

Thank you ubonjoe, 

Yes I'm coming in on a repatriation flight and going into the 14 day quarantine.

I have the 400k in my Bangkok bank account now so will apply 30 to 45 days early depending on the IO policy in Nakhon Phanom.

Thanks again for your help.

ubonjoe, I'll be coming back to Thailand on a Non Immigrant O visa based on marriage to a Thai with single entry. They wouldn't let me apply for the multiple entry. The previous 12 years I was on a O-A retirement visa.

So my question is, will I be able to switch over to an extension of stay based on Marriage to a Thai from my single entry? My flight arrives on the 21st of this month, so 90 days will be somewhere around the 19th or 20th of November. At what point should I apply for the extension of stay based on marriage?

Thanks in advance for your reply.

I tried yesterday (23 June 2020) here in the US, to apply for a visa as a spouse to a Thai national at the Thai consulate in Los Angeles. The doors were locked but the man in charge was coming out the door to mail something and he told me that they weren't open due to Covid-19 and when I asked him about a visa for a spouse, he said "we are not giving visas to any foreigners who want to go to Thailand. We are only helping Thai nationals who want to return home." He told me to watch their website for future information. Or better yet to follow them on facebook. 

Apparently either he hasn't gotten the memo yet or things haven't been all ironed out as to how to approach this many foreigners wanting to come in.

I just returned from a two week holiday in Bali and didn't need to fill out this form on arrival on 21 April. But the following day was a bit interesting. Whenever the wife and I go somewhere and then return back to Isaan we have to go report that a foreigner is staying in her house. (My house as well as I paid for it but I don't count). If she doesn't report that I'm staying in the house and immigration finds out about it, she's been threatened with an 800 baht per day fine which we had to pay once. So we've made it a point to show up at our local immigration office the same day or the next business day after arrival to report that this damn foreigner is back again. Even though I already reported to immigration upon entering Thailand at the airport that I was going back home to this address, she's still required to report me back. (I suppose like all hotels do).

Now comes the interesting part. During these reports of the house guest there's really not much to it and we're usually in and out in 5 minutes. But on the 22nd as I was waiting for the wife to finish the paper work, she had an extra set of paper work and it was in Thai and she kept turning to me and asking questions. She had already filled out a good portion of it with our address, my full name, passport number etc. but then she was asking about the license plate numbers of our car and motorbike and color which she knew, and which friends I wanted to list and where I liked to go on the internet and what my bank account number was and what was the name of restaurant and bar and on and on. These questions were never part of the report a foreigner form before.

This was Nakhon Phanom Immigration. I wasn't prepared with all the numbers so a lot was left blank and it seemed to be OK with the officer so we left. In 2 weeks time though, I will be needing to renew my extension based on retirement and will find out then if the rest needs to be completed or if what we filled out is enough. When I saw this article I read most of your responses but this form that I saw wasn't given to me, it was given to my wife and it was all in Thai, no English. So maybe let your Thai wife or girlfriend know what your intentions are before she goes in with you if you're not comfortable with her giving out this information.

Just saying....

Yes Pib you warned me about the above previously and as of yet I haven't set up a "bill pay" from another account. I have a "push/pull" from another bank into PenFed but you also warned me about that not being the same as the "bill pay".

I guess I've just been lazy about setting this up but will get on it now.

In the mean time I covered my butt by calling PenFed as soon as they open (the evening in Thailand of the transaction) and telling them that I want to pay off my cash advance that was initiated that morning. (I make sure not to do the cash advance before noon in Thailand and have recently gone to waiting until 1:30 pm just to be on the safe side. This way the transaction shows up the same day as opposed to late at night the night before. All previous cash advances had to be with ATM machines (as I hadn't found a Thai bank yet that could do the over the counter transaction until yesterday) and I got burned one time with interest when I pulled money out at 11:55 am Thai time which PenFed then posted as 11:55 pm the night before so the payment was one day later. Small interest but I learned that timing is important.

As I'm on the phone talking to the rep and logged in to my account, I can see immediately when they credit my account as the numbers change on both my visa and my access america account which I pay from.

The bill pay sounds like a much better way to take care of the payment especially if I'm travelling and don't want to take a chance of logging on to my PenFed account in a hotel where the internet security isn't the best. I could do a bill pay ahead of time when I'm in a secure location and not worry about it later. I also wouldn't be concerned about what time of day I'm doing the transaction if bill pay had already set money in my account.

Thanks again,

Cheers,

Richard

Pib,

Just a quick note to say thank you again for all your good information.

Yesterday I went to the main branch of Bangkok Bank in Nakhon Phanom which is about 55 kms from where I live but was able to find a clerk there that knew how to do the over the counter credit card cash advance. I used my PenFed Defender Visa and only took out 30,000 baht to test the process. It went very smoothly on the second try of the card reader. (the first try said it was declined, but I asked her to try it again). Not sure why it was originally declined but it was great to see the paper printing out of the card reader saying that the card was good after all.

There was no fee, just like you had said. All the smaller bank branches that I have been to in the surrounding area wanted to charge me a 3% fee.

I then went home and paid off the 30,000 baht @ $828.42 which actually turned out to be 9 points better than the TT exchange rate of the day. (36.21 as opposed to 36.12 baht) You had said that it depends on the day, sometimes the TT rate is better and sometimes the Visa rate is better. I had checked both rates in the morning before going to Nakhon Phanom and was hoping that the rates would hold at the higher Visa rates and they did.

So I'm one happy camper at the moment. I was able to pull money from my account in America at no cost at all! No fees from my bank there and no fees from the Thai bank ------- $0.

So thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!!!!!

Cheers,

Richard