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I've had some reasonably pleasant visits to the Immigration Office in Phuket Town in the past year. The volunteers are always helpful and generally pleasant (though the information they give is sometimes inconsistent). Today, though, I'd have to say was disappointing, at the very least. The volunteers were great, I had all my paperwork done and checked ready to get a letter of "proof of address".  There is  (or at least, there used to be) a big sign upstairs outlining service charges and this service is free... "600B", the officer said. "It is free" I replied. "Do you want 2" he asked me? Now, doubt naturally creeps into the mind here, maybe it is charged for now. Even if it isn't, do I want to make trouble for myself? Mmnn, better play safe and hand over the money, see if I get a receipt. Well, of course there was no receipt. What added to my annoyance was that the bloke who went before me asked me, outside,  if I had to pay, "yes" I said, he replied that he refused and had no problem.

I thought long and hard about making a complaint, or at least talking to the volunteers about it but I couldn't see any positives coming from it.

So just a heads-up for anyone planning on going down there for the address letters. Just say no when asked for money - and stand your ground.

That is one more straw on my back.

I'm thinking of putting a small hobby system in my garden. There are a lot of help videos on Youtube and the likes but is there anyone in the north of Phuket with first hand knowledge who can give me some insights to the finer points, by any chance?

Thanks.

LP

Tried the marinas and both were fails for the paper.... Found one at Heroine's in a Thai paper and magazine shop just where the BangTao road joins the circle. I think Villa is the best bet for bread, though. Shame I'll have to do the U-turn business.

Hi,

anyone know the closest place to Paklok where I can get a Bangkok Post? Also how about a bakery with decent bread?

Thanks!

LP

Paws it is. On my way between houses. I'll see what they can use.

Thanks.

LP

Hi,

my two dogs sadly passed away over the last two weeks and I have a few things which might be of use to a dog charity:

A big bag of obesity management food,

A few medecines, some unused.

Hair driers and special shampoo.

Also some clean, though old, bedding.

Anyone know if there is somewhere any of this would be of use? Chalong or Thalang areas preferred due to transport.

Thanks,

LP

I am moving soon and have been doing a clear out. I have a few things I really don't want to put in the bin and may actually be useful to someone.

Any suggestions for proper disposal or donation?

Desktop PC with faulty motherboard and no hard drive - otherwise it is fine (power supply, dvd, etc). Anyone collect these for parts or repair for charity?

PC UPS's, battery disposal place?

Voltage regulator - lots of copper?

AA, AAA type batteries.

Cheers.

Well, Phuket to Chumphon via the older 405 route was about 5 hours and Chumphon to Hua Hin was about the same. Had about an hour and a half of drink and pit stops over the two legs. I was a little surprised at how light traffic was actually. No real hold-ups other than on the longer stretches of road upgrades. Traffic heading south seemed a little heavier.

I don't understand how trucks in Thailand struggle up slight inclines at 20 km /hr...... Are the trucks under-powered or just hugely overloaded?

Sounds bad!

Cheers.

Hi, I need to travel up to Hua Hin from Phuket in the morning. I have to take my dog to the Veterinary hospital there.

The vet here says that it could take me about 10 hours due to road conditions north of Chumphon.

I plan on leaving Phuket at about 4am so should be near Chumhpon around 9am.

Is 3 hours fro Chumphon to Hua Hin realistic?

I don't drive over 110km/hr normally! Often much slower.

It is a few years since I made this trip.

Cheers for any input.

LP

Why is it that the owners of these places think it is fine to build over a huge area and leave totally inadequate parking on site, meaning that the staff and tour buses have to park on the road. I went by this place last Sunday and there were about 30 buses parked 3 deep, taking up more than 2 lanes. The road between Prince Of Sonkhla Uni and Honda Chao Fah is the same.

Ought to be a law......

I'm moving back to Paklok in April and will need internet.

Does anyone have experience of the different providers in the area, please?

Currently using True down in Chalong but it can be very bad at times..

Cheers.

Krabi Road, not Thalang Road.

Cheers, I'll have a look at the link train, otherwise go bus and BTS.

A friend who had his original application rejected had a reply with some guidance information, of which this was a part:

Bearing in mind the higher passenger numbers, vehicles at arrivals and departures, etc, etc could anyone advise the best method of getting from the airport to Nana after arriving at about 07:30 on a weekday (Thursday).

I read that the taxi queues are very long and of course the roads will be chock a block with rush hour traffic.

I had thought of either a taxi or the A1 bus to Chatuchak and then taking the BTS to Nana and walking to my destination. Would a taxi direct be much the better option?

Taxi, bus, train???????

OK, I found out via the Honorary Consul in Phuket and a lady called Sarah at the Embassy itself that the British Embassy will do a certified (notarized) copy of your passport.

However, if you require an "Apostille" stamp then you have to apply to a department located in Milton Keynes, UK, applying by internet and paying by card.

https://www.gov.uk/get-document-legalised

For an ITIN you need the Apostille stamp

I did try calling their helpnline a little while ago. I was put on the queue and informed the wait would be around 12 hours. As it was international I didn't wait!

No, I have a UK passport. The ITIN process can take up to 3 months if I send the original to The US, hence need to send a certified copy. Exactly what constitutes an accepted certified copy is what I'm trying to make sure of. never easy, is it?

Hi, does anyone have experience of applying for the US Gov ITIN?

It used to be possible to have a passport copy certified at the IRS desk in the US Embassy but that is no longer the case.

I know you can use a service in your home country, but of course that involves sending them your passport. Is it possible for a Consul to do this here in Thailand, does anyone know?

Yes, just before The Blue Elephant junction. He is on the left and has a large sign at the entrance. Treatment is around 700B which gets some hands on from him, ultrasound, heat packs with electrical stimulus pads, and traction if needed. Usually takes about an hour and a half. Generally no need to make an appointment, just walk in. Very nice bloke with very good English.

Dr Chang in Krabi Road. In where the old Siriraj Hospital was on the last bit of the one way close to the Gov's mansion.

Xylophone, I think you will have to assume Expatbrit is, indeed, a baiter. No one could be THAT naive (or stupid).

Well, got the blood from Talang Animals Hospital on Wednesday afternoon. I think they are associated with the "dogsfundraser" on FB, mentioned above.

Dog was fine on Wednesday but was poorly on Thursday am. Operation on Thursday pm and they took out his spleen. It was double the normal size and had already started to bleed. I think he would have died that night but for the operation (Chalong Animal Hospital).

He was groggy on Thursday night, naturally, but almost back to his old self on Friday. I took him home on Saturday morning. He is a much happier little chappie. Having more tests done to see if it is an aggressive cancer or not. May require some chemo, but hopefully not.

He is about a kilo lighter and I'm about 25k worse off Worth it, though.

i think the other dog is a bit pissed off because she is no longer the center of attention.

In Phuket:

https://www.facebook.com/BloodBank4DogsFundraiser/

Further afield:

http://vet.ku.ac.th/vetenglish/index.php/others/blood-bank

http://www.sath.vet.chula.ac.th/english/blood-bank-unit.html

(I believe you could get the actual operation done at either of these places.)

Thanks AyG, looking into the Phuket option today.