diseq

On January 4th, I gave him 10$ and the Burmese officer said very sternly "Thai money! 500 baht!" I asked why, is this not good?( the 10$ bill). He barked back "only thai money".

That guy looked like he hadn't smiled since his 10th birthday, so I gave him his tea money.

Went there on Jan' 14th and offered $10, accepted no problem as has always been the case with me.

Just like that? Sounds a bit strange, he didn't ask for 500 baht, just accepted the 10$?

Maybe the passport might help, perhaps if you're from the U.S.

I paid $10 in both Mae Sot and Mae Sai.

Don't show any Thai money in your wallet, play dumb and keep offering the $10.

Don't speak or understand anything they say in any language, just hold out the $10.

In the end they give in and take it.

Yep, that sounds more likely.

However , I wouldn't try that "no hablo espanol" trick unless you're from a country that would bail you out in case you're stuck there, such as USA or UK.

Can 25 year olds and 65 year olds not live near to each other? Mai kow jai

Of course they can - my neighbour is 67 and we get along great. But this is a statistical thread and - statistically speaking- age is a good indicator of which lifestyle you prefer.

If I like a place and then I find out the area is populated mostly by 18-year-olds, I might regret the decision. Sure maybe they're a quiet bunch or permanently on Ritalin or adventist - but I don't have time to find out so I have to use age profiling when making a quick choice about where I buy or rent for the next 3 years.

Wouldn't it be nice to know what lifestyle you can expect in certain areas of the city before you actually move in?

All we got right now is MoonMuang+Nimman+CMU=party and HangDong+Doi Saket+Mae ___ = relax.

Everything else is a blur.

I'm sure that there are a lot of other areas where you can have a comfortable lifestyle without being in the middle of nowhere - and enjoying a mix of both worlds.

Is it possible to add a section querying age ranges?(e.g. 20-35, 35-50, over 50).

I'd be more interested to see where people who are likely to look for a similar lifestyle choose to live.

If you're 25 and recently moved to Chiang Mai looking for a place to stay, the results showing 50% of people living in Hang Dong and Mae Farang will not be informative.

Similarly if you're 65, most of the replies coming from 20-year-olds will have very little relevance when searching for a (new) place.

This sounds like you have bought a "stolen" bike.

Sounds to me like the friend didn't do due diligence and transfer the registration when he bought it.

Yes, that's what happened; the guy I bought it from - my neighbor, incidentally - admitted to never having transferred the bike on his name.

Obviously it's not stolen, I have the greenbook and the thai lady's signed id card copy.

.My advise to the OP will be to try to track down the original owner and hope to do the proper transfer.Good Luck !

Thank you for the advice, but I don't see how that would help. Please remember that I do have her signed id copy, so only the signature on the transfer form is necessary - to the best of my knowledge.

Even if I could somehow track her down(how? go to the police? Try to go to the address mentioned on her id from several years ago?), I risk a communication problem, or worse she might get some friendly advice to say that I stole the bike, so she can keep it - and I get in trouble ;/

I'm sure there is some way some paper wallah/DLT dude can sort all this out for you. With appropriate "gifts" to the appropriate people, of course.

Ehm, why would that be necessary... Essentially they would be doing the same thing, putting some fake signature on the application form...

Thank you all for the responses. Yet I still don't have an answer to my original question

"What are the total costs involved? Including the mandatory motorbike checkup".

I could not find that information online.

After getting the thai driving license(s), I decided to go legit and transfer the motorbike I had purchsed a year ago on my name.

The guy that I bought it from insisted that it's easy to transfer as soon as I change to a Non-Imm visa.

I had signed copies of his passport, a signed copy of the original thai owner's id and a signed document attesting the sale.

When I arrived at the Registration office near the Holiday Inn (across the Ping river), they looked into the documents I had and told me that the Green book is still on the thai lady's name(first owner), and thus I need her signature and 2 witnesses' signatures on the application form.

Thus I see two choices - either I get a thai girl to sign those applications forms , or I do nothing and just pass it on in a similar manner when I sell it(money <->greenbook+bike)

1. If I choose the first option, what are the total costs involved? Including the mandatory motorbike checkup. Will they require some other document from the first owner besides the signed copy of her id? Any other risks involved?

2. If I do nothing, is it easy to pass it on to the next buyer, whether thai or farang?

The residence certificate will expire in 2 days, so I have to make a choice one way or another until then.

Thanks for any advice or informed oppinions.

I like this post..... OP'er I think you have a good shot of making it doing stand up

Thanks G, it's always nice to have fans.

.

You dis the place for a good size page with neg after neg, ....... then you see a guy who you think in the owner, but you don't ask if he is....... could it be that he was 6'-5" tall and heavily built....... you don't say a word to him, but you come on here and ask us to quiz the owner.....55555

He was there for 30 sec and looked none too happy about the inquiries of the thai lady with the papers. I figured that was not the best time to start a conversation.

I'm sure however that you would have had no problem introducing yourself and complaining about the fries.

Yes, indeed I have sinned by "dissing the place for a good size page with neg after neg."

Please excuse me saying that

"The beef patty was good quality"

"I heard good things about the lemonade"

"The second round was completely different"

"The Polish sausage looked great with the toppings and tasted reasonably good as well"

"The small portion of fries( 2nd round) was huge"

For what its worth, it is my opinion that The Dukes is one of the 3 best places to eat in CM. Good Food, Good Value and very fair price for what you get...... The place is new. Give it a chance to settle in and in the mean time do yourself a favor and try one of the other locations..... I don't think you will be disappointed....

Awesome, that's what I like to read! - And in fact it was exactly such glowing, unsubstantiated reviews that got me interested in looking around for this place.

I will however try the main branch of the Duke's to see the difference. Maybe I'll try the ribs.

Welcome to the forum

G

Thanks again, G. I've been here for a while but a welcome is always nice.

Review

So today I decided to give the new Duke’s a try, since I skipped breakfast and had a craving for burgers.

As I couldn’t find the address on the 1^st or last 2 pages of this thread, I decided to drive by MoonMuang. I drove until soi 9 and still couldn’t see it, then I remembered that I had read that it’s supposed to be across the street from Mike’s .

That’s the only way to find it, actually. It’s a small place at the intersection of MoonMuang and Rajawithi streets. The sign for Duke’s Burger is obscured by a much bigger, vertical purple sign which says “Dental”.

I asked for the Cajun burger with fries, however the girl was doing a sale pitch for their promotional offer of ¼ pounder bacon cheese +fries+drink for 150 baht.

I had read that the lemonade is good , so I said ok, I’ll have the special offer with the lemonade, which also mentioned “Refill”.

“No have lemonade today”.

I had read not so nice things about the ice tea (which turned out to be accurate), but I decided to try it anyways.

I waited outside for about 15 min until the food arrived.

There was no cutlery on the table, so when they brought the food I was wondering whether I’m supposed to eat it with the hands or not? Either way I decided to go inside and ask for a fork.

The fries were only a handful and looked and tasted like leftovers from the previous day.

Burned at the edges, orange-brown, oily and crunchy like old bread.

But I was hungry so I ate them anyway…

The beef patty seemed to be good quality, tasted ok.

The ice tea was worse than any McDonalds drink I had, I could only have a few sips.

At this point I was a bit pissed off, but still somewhat hungry so I decided to try some other stuff from the menu…

I asked for the “Homemade potato chips” at 45 baht.

The girl says that they don’t really have it yet, but eventually they will.( why is it on the menu then? ).

I ask instead for the Polish Sausage for 95 baht, which surprisingly they do have.

The girl asks me about fries, at which I first say no, thank you. But then I see there are some fries next to the grill which look nicer and golden, so I decide to try my luck again.

The second round was completely different.

The Polish sausage looks really nice with its grilled peppers and onion topping; it tastes reasonably good as well.

The small portion of fries was actually huge this time – I thought they might have brought the 80 baht large portion – it came in a half full basket , about 3 times bigger than on the first order.

While they looked better, they were still not very tasty, probably from yesterday as well, but not quite as burned as the first round .

Total cost – 290 baht. The fries were priced as a small portion.

So, in order to avoid another similar experience next time…

1. Most food threads I see are not that positive, however this place had mostly good reviews. Why?

I was expecting a western style service/ quality, considering the price and reviews. Instead I was treated to a bad thai experience at western prices.

Woody’s was better the only time I tried them, and Mike’s was worse for the burgers but better for the fries. The steak place at the corner of Moonmuang soi 9 had decent size steaks, burgers and fries for a lower price.

What makes this place worth the money?(serious question, not trying to bash the place).

2. Is there any time of the day when I’d have better chances for the fries to be fresh and the lemonade available? I was there at 3.30pm

3.While waiting for the second round, two Thais and a farang show up, with some papers and discussing the layout of the building. They asked to see the restrooms at which point the man showed them inside.

The foreigner was a very large man, probably American judging from the accent. About 195cm/ 6’5’’ tall , heavy build, light brown hair, wearing a baseball cap and sporting big mutton chops.

Was he the owner? In case someone knows him in person, does the owner care about improving the food quality /service ?

I’ve never been to the other Duke’s, but most people seem to have favorable impressions, e.g. all the ThaiVisa threads about burgers and ribs.

so since i need my visa before next month.....i guess my options are Pro Language or Walen? what's the best choice, least hassle and i acutally want semi decent classes?

Here's the review I wrote earlier this year; the situation is unchanged, to the best of my knowledge.

http://www.thaivisa....ost__p__4527452

And the follow-up:

http://www.thaivisa....ost__p__4529602

Short story based on your question: Walen - less hassle. ProLanguage - good classes. That's my opinion based on research and personal experience.

Hope it helps.

Thanks to everyone for the useful information shared.

I got the car license today and I am scheduled tomorrow for the motorcycle license test.

I'll share some extra (not so obvious) tips regarding the experience so far.

The letter from DLT that was mentioned in the original post (please check the link) is not needed in CM for the residency certificate.

However you do have to pay 500 baht ,unlike Bangkok ,so it's a trade-off I guess...

The medical certificate can be obtained from any roadside thai clinic, no need to go to the big hospitals where you wait in line and pay 200 baht.

It took 5 min and cost me the outstanding amount of 30 baht

For the residency permit, there is no application form to fill out, just submit the documents at the counter.

Edit update: I just saw the poster above mentioning that he did fill an application form(!?).

They told me that I only need to give them the documents, so maybe they filled a form for me backstage? As with many other things in Thailand, your experience may vary...

You have to come in the morning, as they start around 8.30am and by 9am they were telling other people "solly, finish today, come tomollow".

Again I see in the previous post that at 13.45 it was still available, but when I went yesterday at 13.20 they told me "no have, finish today" - so it's better to be on the safe side and come in the morning.

However, you don't need to write your name on the list or take a queue number.; just submit the documents at the info counter The queue no. is only for visa extensions, re-entry permits etc. This was not specified anywhere as far as I could see, so I could have slept a little longer if I knew :|

At the Department of Land Transportation, you can go directly to the 2nd floor. There the girl at the info counter will tell you everything else.

She was very bossy, almost military style, barking commands at me; I'm not so used to this attitude in Thailand, however she was very effective and precise.

They accepted my driving license for the car after having 3 different people look at it; for the motorbike test I am scheduled tomorrow morning, like I said.

@Zziffle, thx for the info regarding the motorbike registration, I hope I'll be luckier and won't need another residence certificate

I'll try to update the thread once I have the moto license.

Thx again to the people who helped!

I am planning to get a Thai driving license this week

So far, I have been driving a Yamaha Nouvo which I purchased in March.

I have a valid EU driving license from Cyprus , valid until 2049. It has photo page and it's both in English and Greek.

However, the license is only valid for cars. I have tried to obtain an IDP this summer but gave up due to the bureaucracy and the costs involved.

In another topic http://www.thaivisa....license-report/ the following documents are mentioned

For proof of residency at immigration:

-One signed copy of my passport photo page.

-One signed copy of my current visa page.

-One signed copy of my departure card and arrival stamp in my passport.

-A letter from the department of land transportation (which they just gave to me in an envelope and told me to take to immigration after I asked about it).

-A form filled out by my landlord as proof of residency.

For the license at the department of land transportation:

-One signed copy of my passport photo page.

-One signed copy of my passport visa page.

-One signed copy of my passport arrival stamp.

-One signed copy of my California driver's license, front and back.

-One signed copy of my international driving permit.

-One medical certificate.

-Returned letter from immigration and whatever amendments they made to it.

-Eye test.

-250 baht.

So, I have the following uncertainties:

1) I understand that there are 2 separate TDL for motorbike and car, requiring 2 residency certificates. Is this correct?

2) In CM, do I need the a letter from the department of land transportation in order to obtain a residency certificate? Will they ask for an IDP? If so, how to get around it?

3) Can I go to any of the Offices for Land transportation? ( I live on Thanon Thippanet, T. Haiya - close to Suan Prung gate). Which one is the most farang-friendly?

4) Can I download or find online anywhere the form required to be filled by the landlord, for the residence certificate?

5) Do I need to take a practical driving test for the car license as well as for the motorbike? Will I need my own car?

6) Is the process easier if I go with a Thai friend ,or there's no significant advantage?

Thanks for your help!

Regarding some of the other statements. We are the most popular and busiest school in CM, nobody has more students than Walen. After one year of learning at the other school come to us and compare yourself with our students in a lesson and you will see that it is not as you say. Nobody teaches Thai faster than Walen, about every minute we teach a new word.

Alright, thank you for your reply.

Before you write that teachers are chosen based on looks and not teaching ability please check it first, otherwise it is an insult. Come and observe a few lessons. They teach great. I train them myself. The issue was with one student not enjoying some of the jokes so much but certainly not with teaching. The are the finest bunch of teachers in Chiangmai.

Also if you knew our teachers you would not make such assumptions. You speak of things you don't know about. That is not fair.

I have visited the school in Chiang Mai twice. I met 3 of the teachers and stayed for 1 hour and a half during a class with intermediate level students and during the recess afterwards.

First time I enquired about the visa, price and process. As a beginner level course was taking place( 2months since start ), I was able to talk to the students during the recess.

Second time, I attended an intermediate level course.

After one year of learning at the other school come to us and compare yourself with our students in a lesson and you will see that it is not as you say. Nobody teaches Thai faster than Walen, about every minute we teach a new word.

I have learned to read Thai on my own. The intermediate level students were reading faster than me and were able to respond to the questions of the course, with some help. The teacher was correcting their tones, so that part was good.

But they there not able to order food, ask for directions or conduct small banter, so in that respect I was already having more practical knowledge . The students themselves were complaining about this aspect.

Also teachers don't have to be old or ugly to be able to teach Thai well. Teachers can be young and beautiful and still be excellent at what they do.

True, and from a business perspective I can understand it. Most students are men, interested more in the Ed visa and unlikely to ask too many nosy questions when they could be flirting instead.

But the problem for me was the inexperience of the teachers. The school in Chiang Mai is new and they might not have had enough time to adapt. I thought one of the teachers had good potential.

I don't expect excellence in Thailand, but I have seen 2 other schools where I thought the level was significantly better.

If these issues would be fixed( including the 1200 baht extra cost for the course material, I would rather know the total price from the beginning), I would consider the Walen school for next year.

I'm sure that the business will expand, given how little knowledge the competition has about what westerners are looking for in a school and customer care.

Good luck.

Sorry to stay on topic you guys, I'm sure you'll have fun with all the "I wish to complain about your complaint" for another 34 pages, so don't mind me...:jap:

Mac, you asked for complaints, I will try to put a review instead.

Based on the initial research online, I was ready to sign up for a one year course, but after talking to current and past students and attending the demo course with intermediate level students + briefly reviewing the 3 books, I decided against it.

Pros:

1. The ed visa handling is clear and efficient. Employees are aware of the options ( unlike another major school where they had no idea of the existence of a multiple entry ed visa).

2. The owner can be contacted directly and is readily available ( such as this thread and others suggest). That's a major difference compared to other schools where complaints and issues are dealt with by incompetent staff, with no access to the management.

3. The building is clean, well organized and in a very convenient location across Kad Suan Kaew.

Cons:

1.The teachers seem to be chosen based on their looks rather than teaching skills. They are unable to deviate from the rigid course material and seem phased by students asking for practical examples of using the new words, or comparisons with English usage. This might be due to inexperience as well.

2.The study books costs another 400 baht per course, thus 1200 baht for the 3 courses(beginner->advanced). That's a hidden cost and not the case with other schools which include the teaching materials in their fee.

3.There is little difference in the approach from the beginner course to the advanced course, only extra vocabulary. The focus is on reading practice, not speaking.

The intermediate students are able to read Thai, but are unable to put together even simple phrases in the marketplace, with the landlord, meeting thai people, small banter etc.

The students are aware of this as well, but feel that they invested too much time and money already to try another school or approach.

4.The dropout rate is high, boredom sets in after 2-3 months and there is nothing done to prevent it.

5. When asked if they would be willing to conduct a few classes in a practical situation( like at a marketplace, ordering food together) the teachers were reluctant saying they have to stick to the lesson plan.

Thus, I decided to choose another school based on the teachers' skills and flexibility of both the method and the relationship with the students. Even though the front desk staff for this other school were blissfully incompetent.

At the end of the course, I want to speak fluent thai in everyday situations. That was not the case with the majority of the Walen students, even the ones who studied a lot on their own.

Looking forward to read your opinion.

Immigration has nothing to do with the issuance of a visa, that is the business of the Thai embassies and consulates.

In the region you normally will not get a multiple ED-visa. if you really want a multiple ED-visa, you might want to fly to Australia. The consulate in Antwerp has a good reputation and I suspect they will issue a multiple without a problem if you tell them you have to travel a lot.

A multiple Ed-visa is valid for 1 year, starting from the day it was issued. Apply as late as you can.

Thank you for your reply.

I am aware that the embassies in SE Asia don't issue multiple ED-visa. I will be in Europe from July 14th to October 15th and I plan to get the multiple ED-visa in Belgium. In fact I was planning to apply in Brussels not Antwerp.

There has been a thread recently which I can't seem to find about a guy who applied for a multiple ED-visa but got turned down, because apparently in the application letters from the school only a single entry was mentioned.

That is my question: Is it the school's responsibility to specify the type of visa requested or the documents are the same, regardless of the type of visa I apply for?

Thank you.

Do i have to show onward travel documents back to my homecountry at the consulate in Vientiane?

No, they don't require proof of travel. I got my visa in Vientiane on March 30.

In fact when I submitted the application I had a copy of an airplane ticket but the lady there returned it to me without looking at it. She kept only the passport and visa stamp photocopies.

I just signed up for a 1 year (180 hrs) Thai course at Pro Language in Chiang Mai.

I chose them over other similar schools due to their method and good teachers.

Before attending the demo class, I told them a few times that I need a multiple entry visa, not a single. They seemed to understand and said "no problem".

However, after I paid and we went through all the papers and forms, it seems that they had no idea what a multiple entry Ed visa is!

There were only aware of the procedure for single entry which is useless to me as I travel often and I don't want the hassles of re-entry permits.

I went back to my condo and brought them a photo example of a multiple entry Ed visa ( with M instead of S; they usually give S for people who want to stay in Thailand without leaving the country during their studies ).

They promised to check with immigration tomorrow about the procedures, but as they seem so clueless I'm not sure that will help much.

1) Is there any mention in the letters that the school sends about the type of visa requested? Or it's the same regardless and it's my responsibility to ask at the embassy for a multiple not single.

I plan to get the visa in Belgium.

2) Another less severe issue is the validity period. They said that the documents they give me with which I apply at the embassy have a validity of only one month. That means I need to apply in Europe within one month and then enter Thailand within the next 3 months after applying!

The alternative they offered was for them to send me the documents to Belgium through DHL in September. In this way I'll pay 1500 baht extra but gain 3-4 months on the validity period of the visa( which is one year after applying at the embassy, as far as understood).

Any experiences or informed advice is appreciated

Where London is concerned I've lived there for most of my life, there are things to do but the cost of living and value for money is not good, amongst other things. There are good and bad points for me personally I want out.

That's one thing that Chiang Mai definitely has, value for money.

I have stayed in the Tha Pae gate - moat area for about a month. I liked some things there, like the entertainment options, laid-back atmosphere, markets/food, central location. But it is not real Chiang Mai, it is more like a backpacker zoo, especially in the tourist season.

Moving out of that area into a more thai neighborhood (albeit still close to the center) was the best choice I made.

You mentioned that you are not used to riding scooters, but you will have to rent or buy a motorbike and learn how to drive slowly/carefully.

Otherwise you are severely limited discovering the city and surroundings. Or a car, if you can afford it.

The traffic seems wild at first, but after a few days of careful driving you'll get the hang of it.

Oh - and when I first came here last year I had a similar impression - "what is all the fuss about this place?"

But I've been here for a few months and the more I discover Chiang Mai, the more I like it.

Good luck

I even know of schools which offer the ED visa and then you attend 'class' via Skype on the internet!

Could you please give details of which schools allow the online class option?

While I would be interested to improve my Thai and learn proper reading/writing, going back to a school schedule is not my cup of tea.

For the O.P., the negative downside of the ED visa is that in most cases you are tied down to a weekly schedule and thus also to the city where the school is located.

In my case this is unacceptable as I travel often outside of Thailand.

If indeed there are accredited language school which allow a "virtual classroom" option, this problem would be solved.

You can get a non-O from Hull in England based on "visiting friends".

They take applications by mail within EU.

http://www.thaiconsul-uk.com/

Thank you very much for the info, I checked their application forms; it seems surprisingly easy to get the "O" visa with a letter from a Thai friend.

I have friends in Thailand, Thai and farangs, but I am not married /gf.

A few further questions

1.Do they call the person? If so, what kind of questions do they typically ask?

2.Do they check in any way if I am actually staying at the address I provide ( my friend's address)?

3.Do I have to show proof upon re-entry after 90 days that I am indeed staying at the initially mentioned address?

4.There is a mention there about 8 gbp charge for return mail, valid only for UK and North Ireland.

Does this mean that if I the address is in Belgium I don't need to pay the 8gbp(thus include only 100 gbp for the application processing) ?

5.Can this visa be extended in any way in Asia, or would I have to go back to Europe after one year?

6.Any info about submitting the same to Brussels instead of Hull? Are they known to reject applications?

Whew That's already a lot of questions. I would appreciate if at least some could be answered.

Thanks,

D.

Hi guys,

I am currently in Thailand on a double entry tourist visa.

I would like to stay in Thailand for a longer time without the grievances and uncertainty of renewing tourist visas at the embassies in SE Asia.

From what I have read, in my case this is possible with a Business or Education visa, both of which require supporting documentation from thai businesses/ universities.

As I don't plan to work/study, this would be inconvenient.

The other option would be to apply using supporting documentation provided by one of the Thai legal adviser companies.

The one I researched so far is "Siam Legal".

What is your experience with this company? Do they deliver on their 100% visa guarantee?

( not sure if displaying this name is allowed , if not could the mods please delete the reference)

I am 31 years old, holding a Romanian passport and I have Belgian residency ( I have gotten 3 tourist visas from the Brussels embassy without problems in the previous years).

I would be grateful for any practical information regarding applying in Brussels for the 1 year non- immigrant visa, with or without the aid of the agency mentioned above.