gk10012001

yes sir. I totally agree. Getting there is often more enjoyable than the destination itself. I go to Thailand to experience things. As you say take a baht bus. take a air con bus. Look out the window and see things you might not have noticed otherwise. The BTS is fine and used to be even a bit better when one could actually sit down and see the city sights as they go by.

Great link post. Thank you

why just threaten to call the police. Call em. Isn't 555 the number?

well good luck. The US medicare system is pretty good, not perfect but is pretty good and if your income is reasonable its cost is reasonable. Current minimum A and Supp B and even with a no cost advantage plan i.e. or Supp D for drugs and dental is 186 USD a month. And there is no denial due to age

And if using Bell bus service they send a mini van to your hotel and pick you up and take you to the North Pattaya bus station and there you take their bus to the airport. Or of course just hop on a moto taxi . I only have one carry on that is very portable and the bus works fine for me. It is part of the experience even after 15 visits

You proceed from a false assumption. Many do not travel that way just to save a pittance. Many just ravel that way for many reasons. In my case, I only have a light carry on and I enjoy a bus ride and looking out the window. The bus from pattaya north station to Ekamai is fine with me and gets me to a BTS station. I am never in a hurry when on vacation. I rarely have a hotel in mind and in advance and would always want to see the exact room first before I pay. Also, often I am just wanting to get to or near a BTS station as I then poke around Bangkok. And since the rail links opened and I am in no hurry I am quite content to take the bus then to the BTS and the rail link to the BKK airport. I of course have taken a taxi a few times from my Pattaya hotel to the BKK airport if my flight is an early one or a late one and the busses are not running. But the last 7 trips I plan ahead and book flights that arrive and depart during the daytime when busses are running

well having been 15 times since 2004 I always thought I would retire to Thailand or at least certainly spend much of each year there. Now at age 67 I am more than able financially to retire there and still maintain some USA home ties for emergencies. I almost bought the Thai elite visa a few years back just for convenience. Then they raised the price, lowered the number of years it was in effect etc. Now this latest tax reporting scheme is the nail in the coffin. I won't be staying 180 days in any year. That's ok. I can work around that. I do recall two trips when I was finishing the trips. was on the bus from pattaya back to Bangkok. I got off the bus at the airport (Bell travel I was using) and as I walked into the airport, sat in the Magic food court and said screw this! Cancel/changed my departure and arranged a visa run to cambodia and extended my stays. My engineering contract jobs are reasonably fulfilling so I continue those for the time being. Looking now at one last gig in Texas (No state income tax).

So what do you do for health care? You mention California so I assume you are a US citizen. I have been to Thailand many times and am well aware of the decent health care available as pay as you go or even with some Thai health insurance plans, but what age are you? Are you over 65 and eligible for US Medicare? If you don't start it you incur a 10 % increase in premiums each year you don't sign up but sign up later. Health insurance for aged foreigners in Thailand is very expensive and in many cases not even available. And how do you plan really significant health issues, surgery, cancer, etc.? Are you insured?

yes. I agree. My first thailand visit was in 2004. been over a dozen times

Strong ties eh? How about spearheading an effort to re-instate the Retirement Visa Income letter affidavit process.

I am 67. First visit to Pattaya was in 2004. I loved the internet cafes. Very convenient. I don't do much online and it was all and still would be all I need. I almost bought an internet cafe. Boy that would have been sunk money. So hard to keep up with Windows software, would have had to replace computers with each windows or mac OS versions. I still think they have a place. Yes my MOTO smart phone has internet access and I can do much with it, the screen is still pretty small. Can't open multiple windows and view them easily. Got to connect to printers as necessary and if even possible depending on the local printer setup. A computer in a shop would already be setup with a printer. Security and private information going out on the cafe computer would probably be the bigger concern.

yes. Assuming they can tell the e visa details

Hmm. Well I guess in many countries it could be considered slander or defamation of character

Hmmm. That sounds promising. So then I would have the new Thai SIM. I would have previous contacts stored on the phone. I would then need to transfer the old SIM contacts to the new SIM.. or maybe transfer the current SIM data to the phone itself? I was imagining in my mind that I would prefer to have all contract and phone information on just a SIM and not have anything on the phone itself just for simplicity and security? Maybe I don't understand how this stuff works. Thanks for the response

Any usage of the word "legal" in Thailand needs to be taken with a sack of salt not a grain of salt. The constitution keeps getting thrown out, and re-written so often that the rule of law by any western standard is very subjective at best.

bored in Pattaya eh? The million Years stone park and crocodile farm. Nong Nooch. Well there are group tour bus that go there. Did that once but time at the park is too short to see everything. Getting a taxi or a bolt or whatever and go on own schedule. From the end of Jomtien it is not a long ride by moto taxi if you don't have your own bike. Can certainly schedule a return taxi before you leave Pattaya. I find Nong Nooch beautiful and relaxing and sitting at the top of some of the pagodas and meditating quite wonderful. Chinese pavilion near the top of Big Buddha hill is often overlooked. Kao keuw open zoo and rent a golf cart and drive around. Pattaya aquarium is worth a visit. Mini Siam is worth a walk around. Just off sukhumvit and Pattaya Klang How about getting a girl friend or something like that? Take in Tiffany or Alcazar for a change of pace. Worth doing once. Dinner at Ruen Thai restaurant. The dance and live music is pretty good for one night out especially if you are entertaining somebody that has not been in Thailand much before. Day trip to Ko Larn by ferry or speed boat preferably. At least the water is clean enough to go swimming. Weekend down to Ko Samet. Was there during the Tsunami as we had luckily changed our phuket reservations just the day before! Is Exzite place still open for live music? Thought it closed or burned down or something like that. Probably is something similar elsewhere. One of the first little bars on the right just as you enter walking street that did Issan live band and music. Not sure this is still open I haven't been to Pattaya since 2019.

Good luck to all those folks and sadly any other long term stayers in Thailand as the new proposed Taxation of foreign home country income rolls out. The process, the level of proof asked for, the paperwork, interpretations of dual tax treaties, exempt and tax exempt income, how tax exempt income in home country becomes taxable in Thailand, how any gain that can be offset by losses in home country are not offset by losses in Thailand's eye, etc.

Strolling down walking street and seeing all the Russian girls that work there, they certainly are not tourists!

We had none of that. I am talking 1970. Rhode Island. No STOP signs that pop out. No pop out windows. Was an exit at the back of the bus though. heck on the last day of Junior High school we all dared each of us to go out the back and I know I did

Siiiigh. If stored on SIM yes. I asked about numbers stored on the phone which is not the same as stored on the SIM

well take a stroll down Soi 7 and so many bars that used to be busy, a few had live bands etc. in the hey day. And over on SOI 8 Eastiny Place, Eastiny Travel which was so good now a pigeon roost. Pig And Whistle a long standing English Pub no more. Simons next door no more. Soi Made in Thailand sparse.

Hard to not use my first trip in 2004. Arrived 11 AM into what is now DMK from LAX. Suv airport not opened yet. Took a mini van down to Pattaya. Checked into Eastiny Place (now closed). Just so loved walking around soi 7 and soi 8 and the rest of Pattaya for my ten day trip. First soapy massage. So many beautiful ladies. The post office impressed me as it had seats, called out numbers, displayed ticket numbers. In palm Beach Florida my home at the time the old folks have to stand in line. Second trip was in December 2004. All the girls dressed in Red. Christmas eve buffet at Lek hotel on a warm comfortable night was great. Buddy and me and our girls miraculously changed our Phuket two day stay which was right on the Tsunami day to ko Samet instead. great gal, great beach front bbq, snorkel trip around the island. Got my first foot massage in Pattaya. My buddy had been many times before and clued me into a lot of things. Other memories: My first Moo Kata or Thai bbq with that killer sauce. My first visit to Non Nooch. My first visit to Nana. Loved riding around on the BTS when it actually had seats. It was like a Disney ride around Bangkok. Chinese Pavillion near top of Pattaya Big Buddha hill. Just arriving at BKK after leaving Vermont in the winter. First breath of warm humid air is so stimulating. FInding the Magic food court upon arrival to start my trip. Swimming at Karon Beach in Phuket and turning around and seeing the big white buddha up on top of the hill. So surreal. Eating at Tequila Reef Ribs on Soi 7 in Pattaya escaping a winter back in the USA. Just being in Thailand and doing whatever I want when I want any time of the day. no real decisions to make. Best getaway. Just being able to walk down the side streets of Pattaya at 2 am, 3 am and chatting and meeting up with a beauty. If restless could saunter down to Walking street and there were some late night places open. What a blast. Late night cheese burger and fries at those burger stands. Or Donner kabob. KISS restaurant all night long for easy affordable meal while some late night people watch. Swimming in Jomtien beach years ago when water was actually clean and swimmable and eating at the surf kitchen restaurant. Wandering up and down Walking street hitting various gogos. Little pork kabobs for 20 baht. Banana roti , mango and sticky rice with that coconut dressing. 15 trips and was going to semi retire there. Sadly recent tax regulations pose too much risk for me so I will only be staying 177 days a year or about two 90 day visits each year which is OK.

Inspecting is a fine idea, if the inspection process has the proper things checked. How about more than one way out of the bus than the front entrance door, i.e. side windows that can easily be opened, removed, smashed open etc.? How about roof hatches that can be opened in case of emergency, bus turned over or front door unable to be open.

A related question is, I have a moto G7 Power I want to keep using when I visit Thailand on my next trip. Assuming I get a Thailand SIM and a one time plan say for the two months I am there, can I transfer or will the phone numbers that are saved on my Phone still be available for me to use or must I somehow transfer them to the new Thailand SIM? I do know that some of my existing phone numbers are saved on the phone itself and some are saved on the current SIM. Thanks

Looks like that bus has one piece solid windows so no way to open them or push them out as many busses do. A death trap waiting to happen.... and it did.