khunPer

I have a feeling that it might be the road to Nakhon Nowhere...

That is nature, i.e. high tide and monsoon season, not greediness; you are posting pictures from the rainy monsoon period - which is October till mid January on Samui - and a closed entertainment venue, closed for long time like all entertainment venues in Thailand, which make it look more dystopian. Chaweng is a great set at the moment for another dystopian Hollywood thriller... So how are Phuket's beaches during the rainy monsoon period over there, and especially Patong's beach - it's a different period from Samui, as Phuket is mainly hit by the west monsoon, where samui is hit by the east monsoon. I forund a few pictures on Google from monsoon period over there... Caption says "Patong Beach 9th June". Caption says "Pathong Beach". Caption says "Rainy season view from room 7319 - Picture of Amari Phuket". And then there are a number of Google-pictures og garbage washed up on the beach, which happens everywhere after stormy weather, and of course also on Samui. All the years I've been living on Samui the wide beaches become narrow during monsoon season, with water all way up to the palm lines, and sand washed up or away. Some places it's changing with the season and direction of the waves, the same sand being pushed forth and back. It's not greed, it's nature, and it's probably been like that long time before the German backpackers commuted to the island with the coconut boat, and thereafter wrote an article in a travel magazine about "paradise". When tourism began, luckily some started to build corrosion protections by sandbags and cement to protect part of the coast line, without those protections nature might have moved even more sand, and damaged the palm trees. Some beaches are hardly walk-able during the monsoon season in November (top) compared to dry season February 2(bottom); images are from this year, 2021... And massive of sand can be moved during the year, it's the same every year; here with western current from July and up to October (left image is from October 2021. you cannot walk there), and then in November the eastern current moves the sand back, ready for next high season from Xmas to April (right image is from April 2021)... But Samui of course don't have a beach promenade as Phuket and Pattaya, and if that's what you want, you shall not chose Samui for vacation - luckily we are all different - some like to live on the beaches, other prefers to live further back and take a walk on a nice promenade; however, Samui has a bit like it in a smaller scale by Fisherman Village in front of The Wharf...????

Almost everything on Chaweng's beach road have closed apart from very few places and Central Festival shopping mall. I haven't heard anything about any re-openings; probably unlikely before some turists come, and tourists might not come before some more re-opens. I passed the beach road only two days ago, where I saw a few - what looked like tourists - walking, and a few shops were open, but not much had changed since the still-mages here from 9th October...

If you change you visa exempt entry to a 90-days non-immigrant O-visa, which should be easy to do by yourself at an immigration office when already having funds in a bank account, and thereafter apply for a one year extension of stay due to retirement, there is no mandatory health insurance claim - healt insurance claim is for the so-called "retirement visa", which is a non-immigrant O-A type that you can only apply for in a specific number of home countries - however, it's always wise to have some level of health cover either by insurance or a relative high amount set aside for self-insurance. It might be wise to opt for a health insurance and keep it going, in case that would be a demand later. I presume even a cheap insurance can be upgraded to a higher coverage at later date, if you are already in the system, whilst it can be difficult to obtain a new insurance when passing a certain age...????

Poor child.

Samui 13th to 15th December, Pfizer vaccination at Central Festival in Chaweng Application from 1st to 9th December Limited to 1,200 unvaccinated residents above 12 years old Documents for a registration: ID or passport House book or proof of work on Samui (Source: kosamuilife.com)

2nd December Samui +21 new cases Phangan +13 new cases Koh Tao, no data Source: Kohmui.com Koh Samui: Bophut 15, Maenam 4, Maret 1, Lipa Noi 1.

I didn't know that Udon Thani is a tourist destination - I learn something new about Thailand every thanks to reading ASEAN NOW...????????

To my knowledge this is the latest for domestic travel... Your can read more about traveling to the island in the pinned tread HERE...????

1st December Samui +27 new cases Phangan +10 new cases Koh Tao, no data Source: Kohmui.com Koh Samui: Bophut 16, Maenam 5, Maret 3, Taling Ngam 2, Ang Thong 1

The maximum is depending of your card, some banks have a 20k baht limit per withdrawal, others have 25k baht limit. Also the daily maximum is depending of the card, it can for example be 100k baht, i.e. 4 or 5 maximum withdrawals. You can visit your bank branch to get help to get the maximum changed in your ATM-card...????

If you can afford a second hand Mercedes that is not completely worn out and rusted apart - second hand cars are relative expensive in Thailand - then buy a new small Toyota with full warranty instead, then you don't need to worry about knowledge of cars when buying second hand; a brand new Toyota sedan costs around 600k baht...????

There are lots of things I don't understand, for example that planting Mangrove trees in coastal areas will reduce PM 2.5 airborne particles from seasonal burning in northern Thailand...????

I noticed the word "expected", let's hope the statement is more correct than the expected 5 million tourists that tourism and sports minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn predicted...????

30th November Samui +36 new cases Phangan +23 new cases Koh Tao, no new cases Source: Kosamuilife.com and Kohmui.com

Updated "Vaccine Green Zone" restaurant list...

I use to hear the salary is around 35,000 baht a month.

Normal procedure is that seller pays taxes - as it's part of seller's taxable profit - and buyer pays stamps and transfer fee; however it can be agreed different in the sales contract. If you know the appraised value from the land office, and status of the property - i.e. how long time the previous owner owned the property, house book and if it was used as private home, or business - then it fairly easy to make a calculation. You can find a tax and transfer fee calculator HERE...????

It really depends of the quality of your household items, and if they are fit for your future life-style, and the price of similar items, if you buy them in Thailand. A major exception is items of sentimental value that cannot be converted to money. I moved to Thailand from Denmark, which is about same distance or little longer than from Australia, and I had a 20 feet container with household items moved to Thailand, the total cost was around $10,000 (US), including custom clearance and little duty plus v.a.t. So for a start - if the household is not including items of sentimental value, which cannot be moved in luggage or by the allowed one air shipment box - you can figure out how much new can be bought for about 350,000 baht, and how much extra you will "pay" for omitting the hassle of packing stuff, writing detailed packing lists, heading to Bangkok with your passport for custom clearance, and having the container moved to final destination in Thailand, the latter easily another 10,000 baht. When moving household stuff I was advised by my shipping agent to opt for a container, even I couldn't fill it up - they will use air balloons to keep the stuff in place, if the container is not full - as it's both cheaper and more safe than surface shipping boxes or parcels. Furthermore I was advised to make a total loss insurance only - it does happen that containers are lost - whilst a damage insurance was said to be expensive, and no guaranitie for payment in case of damage, but rather discussions if the insurance covered it or it was the transporter's responsibility. The reason I decided to move a 20-feet was due to some sentimental stuff and my collections of books and some rather heavy musical instruments, which I would like to keep. I didn't bring more than very few furniture of special interest, the majority I bought instead new in Thailand...????

29th November Samui +23 new cases Phangan +18 new cases Koh Tao, no new cases Source: Kosamuilife.com and Kohmui.com

The image is contemporary from Koh Samui that some says long has been destroyed by greed - things might depend of from which angle you look at it...

The positive tests from people already in quarantine should not be a reason to worry, it's rather the Test & Go tests that should be of concern, and compared with the benefits from some tourists arrivals against the risk of a new outbreak, and the costs of another nationwide lock down...????

In my modest opinion, the gain from a relative small number of tourist arrivals, with too easy entry and mingling in nightlife, might be an extremely high price to pay if another nationwide lock down becomes necessary; even that we would love things to be back to normal, we will hate a new round of hard restrictions...

We should be surprised, because now it's quality tourists coming...????

That is correct...????