55Jay

1 minute ago, Justfine said:

Respond in Spanish and they will give up.

? 

Wife got full set of braces at a small but very busy private dentist office in Nakhon Ratchasima starting May 2015.   The Doc estimated about 60,000 and it would take more than 2 years at her age, condition of her teeth and existing dental repairs.   Sure it's easier and faster for a younger person.

20,000 - Initial deposit, 5k/month first 4 months.

30,000 - 30 months @ 1,000/month.

   1,200 - Reduced monthly fee April 2018 until complete @ 400/month. 

51,200  - Paid in so far. 

Doc says another 6 months, maybe a bit less, so it will wind up at or near the original estimate.  I don't know about Europe, but I thought 60,000 Baht spread over a few years, was very reasonable. 

Well, I certainly understand how political machinations, election rigamaroll, and then  new government upheavals, would be a major distraction to a coronation that should take precedence above all else.

Don't make this political he says, but this could certainly play as another cling to political power, this time invoking the unassailable higher institution. 

I don't suppose the Junta has any direct involvement in determining when the big event will be held.   I can imagine the PM saying, "We are not in charge of that, I don't know when it will be, so stop asking me about it!"  Wow, that's brilliant, he could milk this one for quite a while.

If you use Facebook, join Snakes of Pattaya group.  Fast, knowledgeable answers from Mods.  I'm on their Snakes of Issan group.

What part of Thailand?

Edit:  Your Avatar says Rayong.  That correct?

40 minutes ago, FaFaHead said:

After reading many posts on this subject I have to say it has raised some concerns about moving to Chiang Mai in November. I am retired and my wife is a pharmacist currently here in the states. She plans on teaching English at a private school after we settle in. I had no idea it was this treacherous of a process to open a bank account. I am fully aware of the Thai way, etc., but there seems to be an anti-faring undercurrent that doesn’t quite give us a warm and fuzzy feeling when it comes to living in Thailand. I know there are agencies I have come across online that are supposed to take care of these matters with you for a fee, but now I wonder about their efficacy. Seems like this could be an expensive process even using one of them to secure visas and bank accounts and all the rest that they advertise. The average fee for their services is around $500.00 but wonder now how much that will increase with this mounting resistance to Farangs. I’m starting to wonder if our dream of retiring in Thailand could turn into a nightmare after a while. This is very disappointing to say the least. 

The truth about most things typically lies in the middle, so I would guard against getting too carried away by cynicism and conflated theories on the internet.  Or, by the same token, bubbly opinions from the overly enthusiastic with the good old "rose tinted glasses".   And then the ever-present possibility of trolls feeding the anxiety monster from time to time.

Coming over in a retirement category is going to be more straight forward than a  37 year old wading into the Thai government system for the first time, and trying to get a bank account on a Tourist Visa - the latter is problematic from the get go.

Good for him though, he kept at it and got one anyway, with what sounds like a little Thai home town wink wink, and dangling the prospect of a big deposit in front of a bank employee.  That's the thing about Thailand's often silly, unprofessional dysfunction.  Sometimes it works in your favor!  ?

21 hours ago, pr9spk said:

My experiences today show that things have definitely changed here for farangs.

I know what you mean but in Thailand alternate reality, your experience sounds like situation normal.  End of the day, you got it done, and on an >SETV< no less.   The assertion about a govt conspiracy to block farang/Thai marriages was a bit OTT - but I get it, you're frustrated.  You'll figure it out.

FWIW, I came in on a SE Non-O based on marriage and both BKK Bank and later, Krungsi bank, tried to fob me off.  They got it done in the end though.

Pace yourself, you've got more fun times ahead.   Sometimes things go like clockwork.  Sometimes they don't.

The after-action hot wash session, plus Kim had to return their jet.  Would love to be a fly on the wall in THAT conference room. 

The Chinese have to be thinking to themselves that the long term plan is coming together rather nicely.

Interesting juxtaposed to recent threads on TVF about Thailand's acceptance of ladyboys.   Age discrimination is rife here as well, a few different dynamics going on with that.

Wife gets a free beverage from Amazon now and then.  If there's an auto repair/maintenance shop connected, that's a good point earner as well - oil changes, etc... 

Quote

Some economic migrants are using children as chits, but the problem is fixable — if Congress acts. The latest furor over Trump immigration policy involves the separation of children from parents at the border.

As usual, the outrage obscures more than it illuminates, so it’s worth walking through what’s happening here.

https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/05/illegal-immigration-enforcement-separating-kids-at-border/

"Up To You, Mate!"

~ Ancient Thai Proverb

?

I'm up to 32,415 

12 hours ago, happy chappie said:

Remember,don't drink and drive,smoke weed and fly.

And remember, kids, smoke BEFORE you get on the plane!  ?

Quote

Thursday, May 31, 2018

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KABC) --

A Southwest Airlines plane was forced to make an emergency landing shortly after takeoff on Wednesday because a passenger allegedly decided to smoke marijuana in the bathroom.

http://abc7.com/southwest-passenger-allegedly-smoking-pot-forces-emergency-landing/3544948/

7 hours ago, Laza 45 said:

....driving stoned is not any better.. how do they enforce that? 

Interesting, current read below from LA Times.  Other articles I saw indicate California now has "open bag" laws, similar to open container, so no more joy riding Cheech and Chong style.    I still chuckle when I think about two stoners having a fender bender in a parking lot.  After laughing their asses off, they apologize, give each other a hug, and then exchange insurance information and bags of Doritos. 

Quote

The man San Diego Police Officer John Perdue pulled over in the Hillcrest neighborhood late last year did not hesitate to admit the smell wafting from his car was marijuana.

After the driver said he not only smoked pot recently but did it on a regular basis, Perdue ran him through several field sobriety tests. The man passed them all without a stumble.

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-marijuana-dui-20180322-story.html

6 hours ago, NetJunkie said:

 

Where do you get your data for these assertions?

From that new fangled invention old fuddy duddies still refer to as  "The Net".   You can see all sorts of outrageous things there, it's so clazee!  ?

Yeah, saw this in another article last night.  It hadn't been pounced upon yet but I figured it would be, eventually.  And so here it is.  LOL.

Very embarrassing because it's a Freudian window into how simple simon he is, and another example of his uncontrolled blurting issues.

He admires Putin as a strong leader, even through he's a killer. 

Kim now, fascinated and attracted by people snapping to attention when he walks into the room.  Trump needs to be told, again, that they do that out of fear, not respect or real loyalty.  The punishment for not being a sycophant yes man in NK is likely to be more than simply being told, "You're Fired!".

2 minutes ago, bluesofa said:

Yes, quite often it's an easy option to lie/save face, etc., rather an admit it's their own network at fault.

I only only through bitter experience here (plus having a telecoms background).

There is that cultural quirk, indeed.  I was already well experienced with it having lived/worked in SW Asia for many years before moving here. 

Strays off the manpower issue toward competency, but in my 3BB case, it made sense that it was (finally) 3BB proper that sussed out my end-user problem was actually further upstream in their infrastructure.  I would expect they have broader situational awareness than their more narrowly focused sub-contract field teams.  Good possibility that the sub's SOW doesn't authorize them to mess around in the main distro boxes -  the domain of full-time 3BB tech employees.  Left Hand~Right Hand comm breakdown between Prime and Sub is another ever-present possibility.

The cynical point is, of course, the dudes who came to my house didn't know what the source of my problem was, so they pulled a solution out of their ass - go get a new router.   My wife, of course, thought Jesus had just spoken and was really annoyed that I insisted we try calling 3BB again.  ?

Ironically, the 3bb cased I mentioned wound up them saying internet from the soi pole to their test router inside the house was fine, 5X5, and so my non-3BB "farang" router wasn't "strong enough" all the sudden.  They said I should go buy a new one.

I'm no techie but IMV, the intermittent service problem was upstream somewhere on the ISP side, because we had one instance just like it in the past, and that was the reason.  My router wouldn't be broken one minute, then work again for a while, then "break" again.

To my wife's annoyance, I pushed her to call 3BB Call Center again the next day, one more time, cause you never know what a new Call Center rep might come up with.   She did and was told they had become aware of a problem in the distro box up on the main highway, they were working on it, ETR 3 hours. 

My internet service returned to normal thereafter.

Nothing wrong with my router.

Right, go into HomePro or Global!  ?

One thing I noticed with 3BB internet is they employed sub-contractors for outlying areas like where I used to live (30km from city area). 

I had internet problems once there, 3 guys turned up in a non-3BB pick up truck.  1 was obviously the contract lead/supervisor, so he and his #2 did the "easy" inside work while the 3rd, who seemed like a less technical up-the-ladder line puller type, checked the cable from the soi to the house for any obvious problems. 

My house call was probably the easiest kind of job they get dispatched to by 3BB Call Center.