Ulic

How times have changed. A few years ago I transited through Thailand in my way to the Philippines. Of course, I had to go through customs, pick up my bags and re-check them. At immigration when I told the officer I was just in transit heading to the Philippines the tried like hell to get me to change plans and stay in Thailand instead. He even called over a supervisor to double team me. I would have much more fun in Thailand and the ladies were both beautiful and very, very, friendly. The problem from what I have read is DMK, not BKK so I really don't think you will have any issues. Best of luck.

The answer for him is of course simple. Return home for treatment. Return to Thailand when you are better. The reason you need insurance coverage is heart-attack and stroke. Car/motorcycle accidents as well. 

Soi 5 Immigration. Fill in the form and provide the photos. 300 baht last October. The only issue I can see for you is you will have to show that you have submitted your TM 30 (the hotel would have done that) and you will need a copy from them. I would wait until you move to your new condo. Just confirm with them that they will submit the TM30 within 24 hours of moving in. They will give you a copy, or you can do it as the housemaster with the lease agreement.

I have spent a lot of time over the past three decades in Chile both skiing and paragliding. Also some time in Argentina and a couple of trips to Brazil. Chile is lovely, safe but not that cheap. Brazil was also very nice but really didn't feel quite safe. Argentina would be my pick if you like wine and beef. Cheap as chips, lovely friendly people. I would never buy a property, as like sailboats property is easy to buy but hard to sell, especially in Argentina. 

Keep looking in your luggage. Most passports are misplaced not actually lost or stolen. Unless you are certain and remember leaving it behind somewhere I would recheck your luggage and computer bag.

I posted my experience from a visa company run February 3rd (4th-5th at the embassy) The visa run company handled everything from van ride, booking queue numbers, hotel, meals, and filling in forms. 6000 baht and 3 photos. (From Pattaya). The Thai embassy was totally disorganized on the first day. Perfectly organized the second day. Someone put a boot up a lot of asses overnight. A night and day difference between the two days.

While I agree that trash/farm burning should be stopped by enforcing the laws that are already on the books as the right thing to do I don't see a catastrophe that is imminent. The monsoons winds and rain will come both cleaning the air and pushing the particulate away and everyone will quickly forget until next year.

No, I have my Thai drivers license and photos of the appropriate passport photos on my phone. Also, photocopies of appropriate pages in my scooter.

Everything I have read lately says to only go the PP for a tourist visa on a clean (no other Thailand visas) passport. So if you plan on getting multiple back to back tourist visas, make PP your first stop. Just because a facilitator guarantees you a Thai tourist visa does not mean you will be able to use it. It can be "canceled without prejudice" on the spot with no application refund, and you can also be denied its use on return at Thai immigration. Several years ago, I did get a Thai TV in PP. I did use a facilitator, but it was also a new UK passport. I had no issues. They were quick and efficient. For some reason, things have changed in PP.    

2 hours ago, skatewash said:

Yes, but PA 1st Smart Plan (ages 6-65) does specifically cover motorcycles:

 

https://www.bangkokbank.com/en/Personal/My-Family-and-Me/Bancassurance/Non-Life-Insurance/PA-1st/PA-1st-Smart

 

This is the most worthless insurance I have ever seen. On a positive note, it is clear and concise in its worthlessness, and the footnote at the bottom excluding all coverage, if you are opperating or riding pillion on a motorcycle, makes this doubly worthless.

Not a problem. I am doing it now for the third time. I also do a single entry tourist visa run to a neighboring country so I can stay a year here. One year in Canada, one year in Thailand. 

JC International Airlines. Never even heard of them so very unlikely to even consider using them. 

Why not ask for both success and failure. People learn more from their failures than successes. Personally, I like to learn from other people, both success and failure, so I am less likely to make the same mistakes and also choose a successful path.

Book a fully refundable (expensive) one-way ticket out of Thailand. One note, do not have that ticket linked to the flight into Thailand. If it is, once you start the trip the airline ticket will not be refundable as the trip has started. I would recommend using a different airline than the one you fly in on if you choose to go this route. 

Call me anything you like, but don't call me late for dinner. 

The visa run (border bounce) service I used 6 weeks ago (Pattaya) used Baan Pak Kad. No issues. Not very busy. Fast and efficient.

The only time you don't need to file a TM 30 is if you are not going to need anything from immigration. No extension of stay, no residence certificate, nothing. You are of course legally required to file it but you will be in and out of the country without being caught. Kind of like speeding, until you are stopped by police, no worries. 

Like flying, takeoff optional, landing mandatory. Sometime after birth, death is a certain outcome. In Thailand as in many parts of the world, it is often premature but ultimately not preventable.

To be on the safe side yes.

Don't do it. Just give her a promissory note for a bracelet the next time you are in Thailand.

Either the Philippines or Vietnam. Both are inexpensive and friendly. Whether developments in Thailand sort themselves out or not you should check out both these countries as possible alternatives. Like Thailand, both countries offer strengths and weaknesses so it is really up to you. 

Vietnam -cheap, retirement friendly, friendly population, cleaner than Thailand.

Thailand- Nightlife, infrastructure including hospitals and western level shopping, an abundance of western level accommodation, pain in the ass hoop jumping for legal immigration status.

The Philippines- Poor infrastructure, including roads, hospitals, availability accommodation, on the positive side English is more widely spoken, cheap, good nightlife, easy immigration extensions.

No one country is perfect, it just depends on how you personally weight the positives and negatives.   

I don't use Facebook. I did sign up for it but I never posted a single thing. People kept friending me so I deactivated the account. Mr. Google already knows more about me than I know about myself, so it is not that I feel the need to keep everything from Big Brother. Just keeping people you know from knowing everything and I don't want to waste the time responding to questions and the like.

I have a METV and I have not done any additional TM30 reports when I do a border bounce. I was told in the past it was not necessary as I was at my same residence. I have made two separate trips to Soi 5 Immigration for Residence Certificates. and I haven't had any problems. I just show my receipt of notification.