mrjohn

Many thanks for these replies.

It's just as well I asked because I was wrong. I assumed the money would need to be in the account for 3 months.

Just that do be clear UbonJoe, what you’re saying is that for every subsequent annual extension based on marriage the money only has to be in the bank for 2 months before the application is made. Have I got that right?

Thanks also OJAS

I may yet be able to use the “combination" method, but because of the time-frame I am keeping my options open and weighing up the alternatives.

My local immigration office is about 70 km away so it’s not too much of a burden.

With regard to the 30 days approval, I assume this is a one-off for the 1^st application and doesn't happen in subsequent years. Is that correct?

On what grounds would they turn such an application down?

I have been here for a number of years on a retirement extension for which I have always used the embassy letter method.

There is a possibility that I may not be able to use this method this year.

Instead, I will have to deposit the money in a bank account.

I will also be changing the reason for my visa extension from retirement to marriage to a Thai.

So my question is, would the 400,000 Bht need to be in the bank for 2 or 3 months prior to my application for the extension?

I think I know the answer, but I just need to check.

Thanks

If Google were the answer I wouldn’t have needed to pose the question in the first place.

Perhaps I should have been more precise; yes, I have already emailed them and no reply.

A Google search reveals a website that has not been updated for four years.

So I was trying to find more up-to-date (recent) contact details.

I merely want to know if they are still in business.

If I still lived in Phuket I could shoot round there and find out.

But I don’t, so I can’t.

Does anybody have up-to-date contact details for the above company?

I haven’t lived in Phuket myself for a couple of years and the only phone number I have no longer seems to work.

I have recently lost two crowns and a bridge from previous dental work (they were 10 years old so I suppose I can’t really complain.)

My only experience of false teeth is that of my parents, 20 odd years ago when they never stopped complaining about them.

So my question is, with new technology surely they are much more comfortable and convenient than they used to be?

Can anyone who uses (wears) dentures enlighten me? Are they any better than they used to be?

How much do they cost?

My front teeth are all fine and the lower ones are okay, so it’s just the rear top ones that need replacing.

Any genuine advice would be very much appreciated.

"I take it your not British, as he's referring to a completely different type of pea, the word being mushy."

You try to help people on this forum and give a genuine answer to a genuine enquiry and all you get is patronising remarks.

1. I am British 100%, or as near as dammit
2. I come from the East Midlands where they know a thing or two about mushy peas!
3. I have 30 odd years’ experience in catering and I have been cooking since I could first hold a knife.

I can assure anyone who is interested that the UFC brand is basically mushy peas, ready cooked, in a tin.

Now I realise that opening a tin might be a bit of a challenge for some people on this forum, but I’m sure full instructions can be obtained online..........

Just found a picture online

I can't recall ever having seen dried peas which, I agree, is very strange.

However if you really want mushy peas a l'anglaise try the tinned peas available in all Thai supermarkets.

About 20 Bht a tin.

I don't have them to hand at the moment but I think the brand is UFC. they are easy to spot as the tin is imaginatively illustrated with .........well peas ........lots of them.

Here is a picture of one the squirrels around our place.

They are wonderfully athletic but certainly can't "fly"

They are great to watch but not so much fun when they steal our mangoes!

"but the big deep purple ones are more appropriately aubergine"

Nonsense…………. eggplant is merely American English for aubergine (which is actually French anyway)

As has been said, the large purple ones are usually available in most Makros (but beware the quality)

As with most things in life “Size isn’t everything” and I find the long green aubergines (makuea yao in Thai) fulfil most of my needs.

Occasionally you can find small purple ones, about the length of your finger, which are an Indian variety, these are excellent.

I've only lived here 10 years, so I suppose I am rather a newbie.......but what the ferk is CNX????????????

Haldi is usually available in most markets in Thailand, jeera seeds definitely are.

The day market in Songkhla was always good and there is covered market in Hat yai which i am sure would stock such stuff.

I buy black mustard seeds (when available) from Makro.

But, you are little more than spitting distance from the Malaysian border where all these things are easily available and cheaper too.

When I lived down there (about 10 years ago now) I used to do regular shopping trips across the border.

Do nothing.

Meter belongs to landlord, same as roof, walls and land.

Let landlord and Electric company fight it out.

Not the tenants responsibility.

Thanks

That sounds logical (perhaps a bit too logical) and more or less how I saw the situation.

Can anybody endorse this?

Has anybody any experience of this?

We live in a rented house and have lived in the same house for 3 years.

The electricity company came today to change the meter. I was out at the time so the wife had to deal with it.

They concluded that they could not change it to because somebody had tampered with it.

As far as I can understand it, somebody (at some time in the past) had fitted a device to slow down the meter.

The wife called the house owner (who has always seemed like a perfectly decent woman) and we have always got on very well with her.

The electricity people (apparently) accepted the fact that we had not tampered it ourselves, nor did the house owner know anything about it, but suggested that the house owner would need to pay 5,000 Bht and they would also be giving us a bill sometime in the future.

Our monthly bill averages about 1,200 Bht, which seems pretty normal for a house with 2 fridges one freezer, electric oven, two computers and no air conditioning.

In any normal country there would be some arbitration procedure, you would go to court and argue your case.

But this is Thailand and people just roll over and do as they’re told.

To my simple mind, the electricity company is at fault, after all, somebody reads the meter every month, but apparently they don’t bother to check to see if anybody has tampered with it!

What should I do????

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Best "High Tea" in Hua Hin is a bit like asking; where is the best massage in Bognor?

Whisky, Scotch whisky (note Scottish spelling) with plenty of ice and soda is by far the best accompaniment to the myriad flavours present in Thai food.

Much better than the headache inducing, chemically laden "beer."

Wine in Thailand is mostly poor quailty and always grossly over-priced due to the punitive taxes.

They were quite common in Korat when I was stationed there in 1971-72. I haven't seen one anywhere in Thailand in recent years. What happened?

Too many dogs????

The Tha Li area is very beautiful and well worth a visit.

I drove through there on the way back from the Dan Sai Festival a few years ago and earmarked it for future trip.

The road down from the mountains to the river is quite stunning, especially in the rice planting season.

I agree with Lopburi that you are unlikely to find many “proper” hotels outside Phu Ruea.

But I always find that there are plenty of cheap and cheerful places to stay all over Thailand, especially if you have your own transport.

You are unlikely to encounter any Bangkoknees now that the holiday is over

'Mrjohn' what foods are you in need of?

Nothing in particular actually, but the last time I was there they were out of whole-wheat bread flour and Chinese soy sauce, neither of which are available in conventional Thai supermarkets.

As a “guest” of the government I am forced to go to Khorat city every 90 days, so I do try and make the trip count by doing some shopping for the sort of things I cannot buy in my own the sleepy little town.

I also do a trip down to Pattaya around twice a year, during which time I make use of the facilities and stock up on the specialist goodies which are only available there…….

So I am pretty well organised, but just wanted to know that, if I find myself on my 3 monthly trip to Khorat and The Mall cannot fulfil my needs, are there any other shops that sell farang ingredients?

Does anyone know of any other shops in Khorat city that sell international food?

The last time I was in The Mall Food Market, there were 2 or 3 items I needed that were out of stock.


Incidentally, I know about Tesco and Big C and we always go to Makro anyway. But they just sell the usual stuff.


I was just wondering if there might be any other shops to go for less common ingredients.

Thanks for any advice.

"Presently teaching - I can teach any subject except Kindergarten."

Really??? Well, I have news for you, kindergarten is not a subject.

Sorry to be pedantic, it's just my nature.