khunPer

Planned service power cuts at Samui do not happen during peak hours as from 8pm till midnight. Unfortunately power cuts are common, especially at Maenam area, and often caused by to high power consumption compared to the size of transformers and wires - so it happens (quite often) that a transformer burns off. At Maenen we had two quite long power cuts Friday night and Saturday evening - but in a way you get used to it, because that is how it has "always" been at Maenam. A planned power cut means: Always be prepared for for a power cut. Seems like progess is going faster than the power supply can follow.

The problem with "farang over tipping from a good heart" may well be, that prices in general goes up. Try to follow national customs, if 10% or a 20-bath note is the right tips in Thailand, and then it is.

Compare the good hearted over tipping with your home country. If a days wage here is 200-300 bath and you tip 500 or 1,000 extra - 3 days extra pay - would you do that at home? A friend had a motorbike tie repaired and the repairman charged 80 bath. My friend paid 200 bath, because he thought he got a good instant service. I asked him: »Next time you have your car at serviced at home, will you pay 2½ times the price of the bill, because the service was good?«

When we farangs with a "big hearth" over tip, the Thais will think the price is too low and charge more next time. Soon we will be complaining about being overcharged in general or always being charged "farang prices".

When it comes to employment, fx a maid or housekeeper, we farangs shall always pay a reasonable salary for a good regular service. And perhaps more important, act polite and give some benefits - may be food, room, little bit extra here or then for outstanding performance and so on. It is like everywhere else, if you have a good employee you wish to keep, you give some benefits, a little over the minimum or average. There is an official governmental list over the salaries (may be minimum?) in the different provinces, which may be worth following and add the extra benefits for the outstanding performance – speaking some English may qualify some thousand baht extra a month - and/or long time employment.

Comparing salaries by converting them to you home currency – ie 300 bath/day equals 10 US$ - do not work. Livings costs – and especially taxes – are different. One way to compare is eggs: How many eggs can you but for you nett salary (after tax) in your home country? How many eggs can a Thai buy for the salary (they do not pay tax of the first 15,000 baht/m)? You may even deduct your home-costs (rent or mortgage) to make the comparison more equal. The egg method is often officially used to compare salaries. A 9-10,000 baht/m equals some 3,500 eggs in average – more up at Isaan, little less at expensive holiday islands like Koh Samui.

I do not believe you do any good by paying to much for service or products (overpay the national standard), as it may not only increase prices for us farangs, but in general - and make similar service too expensive for the locals (inflation). But of course we shall pay a fair price compared to the local costs.

And the beautiful girl who gives you company all evening/night at the bar and wants to go home with you - but you have leave behind – of course you shall tip her for her service. She could have spent the time with someone more potential…

BngkkB

To your first question.

Everything regarding to a plot of land has to made at the Land Department to be valid. The LD holds a semilar Chanote deed in their files, both deeds needs to be updated. You are actually talking about a land transfer from the previous owner to your GF, which needs registration at the LD. You will need to pay a (small) transfer fee and perhabs a (small) tax of the land value. The fees are normally each around 1% of land value/selling price.

The bank question in cannot answer completely, as I have never had a mortgage or loan in Thailand.

Try to ask in a/the bank, they will know the procedure. The bank will have their loan registered at the back of the land deed at LD, so they will need to unregister the loan at LD - actually transfer the land back to "the original owner" - if not, the bank is "the owner of the land".

Right of way to a plot, you can use a Servitute. That will be a document of Agreement with the owner of the land, giving you right to pass. The document need to be made in Thai (the only legal languange), but can be made in both English and Thai, but only the Thai words will have legal rights. Very often something is offered in return for a Servitute, can be money or may be to service or put concrete/tarmac on the road (mainly used, when the road service more than one plot). A Servitute can be registered at the LD on the back of the land deed, however the Agreement shall be valid without a registration, but you will need to go to Court, to claim your rights. You may need a lawyer to make a Sertute.

About 49% / 51%, the same law apply in Thailand. Nominees have often been used, but it is a question whether the setup is legal.

»Mr. Sanga said that, currently, Khao San Road sees the daily arrival of 8,000-10,000 tourists, 80 of whom are European and the remainder being Asian travelers.«

Presume it must be 80%?

Thanks Supashot, for finding this great (BBC?) TV-programme about Thailand and the Royal family. Very informative and so much better, than just reading the same in a history book - espcially the interview with his Majesty.

A must see, if you are staying - or planning to stay - in LoS.

To my knowledge, the registration (move the land to another name) at the Land Department can be made by proxy - we have done that, with land we have bought. There is an official Thai standard proxy form available in book stores. Need stamps, which normally can be bought at the Land Department.

If you wish you pay the bank loan, you can make it (the balance) as a new loan on the Chanote deed and have it registered at the Land Department, just like a bank. That should also be possible with proxies. Maximum legal interest rate on private loans is 15% p.a.

To my knowledge, an uncleared access to even a Chanote land, may block your land. However, if you have used (the same) acces way via another plot for more than ten years, then you have legal access right. Better - and cheaper - to clear with the owner, than take legal action.

Simon, what European countries especially looks for are:

For the first, that you can prove you have met each other - preferable more than once - fx. with local (flight or other) tickets for travelling together, photos etc. Also an explanation in the invitation letter about when and how you met each other.

Secondly, that your GF have stronger ties to her homeland than the European country she wish to visit, fx. like a job (employment) or business (selfemployed, which may be a stall on a market and do not require salary slips), bank account with some funds or savings, eventually property, family ties etc. Mentioning that she depends on fund from you and is unemployed, may not help at all - a lot better to state, that she can take care of herself (in her homeland) from her own income/business. It is when she's (a guest) in your country, that she needs the sponsor guarantie, as your country is more expencieve to stay in.

I wish you good luck.

Didn't know there was much ruby mining in Greenland.

Not much mining - the locals just collect them, when they find them. The ground cliff is some 3½ bio. years old and includes diamonds and red rubins.

@Soi41,

The Housebooks (blue or yellow) is not a prof of ownership. But it may help a housebuilder - together with other documentation - to be listed as master of the house (not meaning real ownership documentation). A foreigner can own a house, but not land (unless you have invested some 40+ mio. baht), however when you build the house, you cannot obtain owner documentation from the Landoffice - only when you buy a house.

This article is sooooo full of crap...

Not really - the guy came from Greeland (The big - Danish - island cloose to the North Pole). Red rubbies from Greenland are valued very high. It is legal for the local population to collect the rubbies, but commercial export is illegal. The Danish article also mentioned, that Johnny Frode Peter Bo Henriksen dated (engaged) a ladyboy (katoy) in Krabi.

Some official links about marriage between Laotian and foreigner:

http://thailand.nlambassade.org/binaries/content/assets/postenweb/t/thailand/nederlandse-ambassade-in-bangkok/import/producten_en_diensten/burgerzaken/trouwen_in_laos/decree-on-the-marriage-between-a-lao-citizen-and-a-foreigner

http://www.laos.embassy.gov.au/vtan/AEV001002.html

http://photos.state.gov/libraries/adana/19452/pdfs/marriagelaos2010.pdf

http://travel.state.gov/law/citizenship/citizenship_755.html

When you build a house, you will not have a clear registration of ownership. Only when buying a second hand house, you can have a registration made at the Land Office. If you obtain a yellow housebook (for foreigners), you may be listed as something like "master of the house" (make sure no one in the blue housebook for Thais is listed as the master/owner).

Therefore, when building a house, make sure your name is on the archietect drawings and your name is on the building permission and building constructor contract(s). Keep all reciepts, payments slips etc. as prof. If you take money in from abroad (min. 20,000 US$), ask your bank for a formular to be approved by the National Bank, that your money comes from abroad and are going to be used for protery. That form will allow you to bring the same amout out of Thailand later, if sell the house or...

A way to protect your investment may be, to have a loan - the value of the house - in your name declared on the back of the Chanute deed. Then the land cannot be sold or transferred, before the loan has been fully settled.

The wife is not the owner of the land, that might mean she leases the land. But any lease longer then 30 years must be registered at the land office. I don't think your wife did that, thus there is no lease and the house was build illegally on the property of the aunt.

Get a lawyer to look at the case and then decide what to do.

Any lease longer than 3 (three) years must be registered at the land office (to be binding and legal). Maximum lease period registered at land office cannot exceed 30 years.

(typo)

Bali and Koh Phangan/Koh Samui are the well known places in the Far East for "lonely women".

Had a baby with my GF here (six years ago, so prices may have increased a bit).

Monthly check at private clinic, including ultrasound scan and vitamins, around 500 baht.

Cesarian at publich hospital, including private VIP-room and everything, nearly 12.000 baht. Very good service. (We only paid all, as my GF was moving under the employer health care system, and we could claim payment back, when she got the new card, which we never did.)

Best thing is, to get down to Samui and try it out. Try fx a week at different spots, like Chaweng, Lamai, Bang Rak, Meanam and...

Choice of area is depending of what you want - quiert place, far away from nightlife or nightlife, close to bars etc. etc.

You can live fairly cheap or you can spent a fortune in no time - as a Thai will say it: »Up to you« - depending of your life style. Here is a bit more expencieve, as it is an island, but you can still find a long term bungalow (bed/bath+living+small kitchen+veranda) from around 6k/m and dine at locals for around 100b (excl. beer or...).

I have been resident here for seven years now and still find it as »living in Paradise«.

Very good idea to save up some cash for unforseen (I do the same myself). The tax-slip includes an insurance of nearly nothing, I believe it is 50,000 baht. Most PA's are limited to 50k or 100k for motorbike accident (driver or passenger), but some offers a higher margin for a little extra cost. Bangkok Bank sells such a PA, »PA 1st«, up to 1.5m in Gold Plan and including a higher amount for medical expences (they have an English translation at an A4 sheet). Prices from aprox 1500 bath to 8000 baht/year. Worth checking.

Your kid can legally own land or shares in a company. When etsablishing a company you can have preferred shared with fx. 10 votes a share, whilst ordinary shares have one vote - worth doing, just as an extra security of your 49% of the shares.

To OP:

It may be a good time now to buy/invest in the kind of house Westerners looks at. Price depends a lot on location - distance to beach, shopping and view - and you may even be able to find bargains for 3-bed (a lot) lower the 7 mio.

At the south of Samui you can find nice land, with beautiful views - and house - for a descent price, but it quite long away from shopping any everything else.

The bigger, more luxurios houses at good spots, have not been reduced in price, as that are the kind of houses Asians buys. Also property at prime spots, like beachfront, has gone up in price, over the last five years or so.

Regarding renting out, there are - as mentioned by other posters - a lot to take into consideration. You may need a management to take care of it, or if buying property in a devollpment project, they may offer you that kind of service, for a fee. Again, the place is important for what you may be able to get back in rent and how many customers you may have.

Forgive my ignorance, but can someone elighten me as to what a coyote dancer is.

I'm hoping ti's kind of like a gogo dance or stripper.

There is the distincty possibility, I may be going down this route at some point, but to a lesser extent.

Search fx. Google for: coyote dance thailand

At parties with stage+band+vocalists - as you see them at weddings or local markets - there will often be 4 to 6 girls dancing, some times, or later in the evening, sexy dance in hot pants and tank drops. You may see semilar in Thai music videos on TV and at Thai pop live-concerts.

Coyote dancers normally refers to the girls dancing on top of cars, equipped with huge sound systems.

Never.

Value of farm land, depending of area and deed (chanute), will now normally be between 40k to 100k a rai.

World War I?

Sorry for the typo, WWII of course.

Pattaya, no thanks heard of it and not really into places with girls of that sort.

So far two sensible suggestions, Hat Yai and Chiang Mai, thanks for those.

One hundred and forty odd silly replies, would one of the forum moderators care to delete all of those?

I met her at Starbucks.

Thai ID or not, as an American you can own a Thai company 100% through the Amity Treaty. A company can own land and lease it out to you. A foreigner can own a house, but not the land under the house.

Before you invest in company set-up, land and house, take a tour around Thailand and maybe try to live at attractive places for some month in a rented house, to see if you like the place. There are many options, especially as you seem to be financially Okay. If you are not for a big city like Bangkok or bars like at Pattaya, you may look at Chiang May and Hua Hin as suggested. Other options may be the Phuket area or Koh Samui/Koh Phangan.

A remark to all the advises about young Thai ladies. We hear a lot about the bad stories - they are true and there are many of them - but we hardly hear any of the success stories, as they do not sell headlines. Be careful and keep your feets solid on the ground, however a "practical" Thai relationship between an "older" man and a young girl may work very well, if you are aware of the conditions and can set your limits. I can tell you, from my own experience, that it can work out fine.

(typo)

Besides Haad Rin, any other places I should check out while at Koh PAngnan?

If you are looking for a good beach and the adventure of tropical fish, you may try Lomprayah to Koh Nanguan (northern tip of Koh Tao). Departs (Maenam) 8 am and returns about 4.30 pm. Trip include lunch buffet (excellent) and snorkling equipment. Lomparyah has a free pick-up/return bus service from/to your hotel/bungalow. Price between 1500 and 2000 baht, depending on special offers.

Is the ferry still running from Maenam to Thong Nai Pan?

Yes, just started again a few days ago.

250 baht to Had Rin, 350 all the way.

Departs fra Maenam daily at 12 noon.