Estrada

Hot air as usual. We reported fly tipping to the BMA previously at the entrance to our Moo Bahn near Seacon Square and they came and put up some "Magic Eyes" banners warning of fines etc. The dumping did not stop and soon the Magic Eyes banners were buried under mountains of litter including construction materials and old beds. Magic Eyes has since given up and has disbanded. The BMA has never collected the rubbish and recently the BMA came and cut some tree branches and dumped them on a building plot instead of taking them away.

"Somewhat annoying.  Tried a 90 day by mail to Chaeng Wattana.  Due on 6 August, mailed in by EMS 20 July.  Kinda expected it to be returned by the end of last week given I put 40 baht stamps on it to come back EMS also (the guy even stuck the EMS tag on the return envelope which I though was strange as they don't normally do that)".

1. If the due date is August 6th then they will not process your 90day until August 6th. Expect it back around 8th or 9th August. (the 15days prior is so that the letter gets to them by 6th August, they do not process them as soon as they are received).

2. Do not send by EMS as a waste of time and money.

3. Send by registered post only as per the procedure shown on their web site. I have being doing it this way for the last 7 years and never had a problem. The only problem I had was immigration refusing to take delivery by hand at Chaengwattana prior to the due 90 day notification date. They made me walk down stairs to the post office and post it to them!

Never had a problem in KL, West Malaysia or even East Malaysia (Sabah) in 40 years. Sabah is much better than West Malaysia.

Nothing has changed in the procedure in the last four years I have been using Bangkok Bank London for my UK State Pension. What has changed is that Bangkok Bank here quote 3 months for sending a cheque from Abbey National Lloyds Bank London for collection. Before it was 19 days max for a long time then one month and last year two months. Abbey National insist that they can only send me a cheque.  Can I take the cheque to their Lloyds Bank Branch that issue the cheques and draw cash or do I have to have an account with that branch. I think Lloyds Bank is owned by Citibank now so any ideas to avoid the absurd 3 months delay in receiving my pension credit to my account (actually >4 months since the cheque was issued).

According to the dash cam, the accident was filmed on 1st January 2000, 17 years ago.

I suggest O-Corner on 6th floor of MBK (Siam BTS) Bangkok. They sell Second hand genuine games (not pirate copies) around B1,000 - B1,500 and are always looking to buy old games. I was one of the first grey importers of Console Games in the UK from 1988 onwards (KC's Computers & Console Magic "The Greatest Console Store In History"  Mean Machines 2006 and Retrogamer 2011) and we were also trading in second hand games. I gave a power point presentation at Rotary Club in Bangkok on the history of video games and there is a lot of interest here in second hand games and consoles. Of course, there are some games which are awful and not worth anything. I saw a couple of second hand Nintendo 64 games dealers at an exhibition in Seacon Square Bangkok a couple of weeks ago so I believe that there is a growing market here.

4 hours ago, DPKANKAN said:

A friend of mine had the 800,000 in the bank no problem. Unfortunately, the bank took a 250 baht card charge out which he was not notified of. He was refused his extension!!! 

Good point and is why I keep mine in a separate Time Deposit Account where all they do is add interest and not deduct account charges. In fact I decided just to leave mine in the Time Deposit account, so it has been in there for two years. so far and I do not have to worry. A friend had difficulties like you because he mixed up the dates and ended up having to rush around getting to B800K in a time deposit with only one day to spare.

There are ATMs in the Transit area of the Airport SCB is on 4th Floor but vends only US$. In any case you can use your cards to get cash at any of the exchange booths. Minimum US$50 max US$500 at SCB ATM in transit area which, of course, is air side.

22 minutes ago, Father Fintan Stack said:

A daily occurrence from the Worst Drivers in the World. 

 

(yes I know Libya is #1 but they are a war-zone <deleted>).

I lived in Libya for 6 years from 2004 until 2010 and 23 years here, believe me that Libya is no way No.1 compared to Thailand.

When  I worked on various NGO reports, I got the information from the National Statistics Office, which is located one floor above Immigration Office Div.1 at Government Complex Laksi.

You need the report on Private Pay which cost $10 + postage anywhere in the world. It is published every 2 years and a new  one is due 2017.

In fact you can pick up a lot of statistics on many subjects which are published on their web site;

16 hours ago, Asiantravel said:

thanks for solving the mystery

2 PM doesn't sound to me like a very practical time to make that journey?

Hotel check out time is 12.00Noon, makes a lot of sense.

I have lived in Thailand for 23 years and ran a Waste Water Treatment and consultancy Company since 1974. Many Thai workers have died after entering sewers over the years and I have never seen breathing apparatus used or  available. C.P. Group is owned by the richest man in Thailand so he should make sure that it is "Safety First" as the slogan goes and not "Safety First, Death Second". 

Certainly in the past but Thai attitudes have changed .

The GBP has fallen from B56.24 to 1GBP since the Act of Parliament was passed in 2015 to have the Brexit referendum, it is now at B43.34 to 1GBP, a fall of 23%. Friends who voted for Brexit told me, after the  pound dropped like a stone, not to worry as it would recover within 3 weeks of last June's vote. After we lost 20% of our pension receipts after the vote, friends who voted for Brexit said that they did not care as it was worth it to avoid being under Sharia Law. The fact is that the fall in the value of the pound is only now beginning to bite hard due to the cost of imported  foods, materials etc and the rise in cost of foreign holidays, business  trips.  This is only the begining and you can expect the GBP to fall around B41 whilst the UK has a hung Parliament due to Mayhem. Eventually the GBP could end up at B35 during the Brexit negotiations and the rise in the value of the THB.

13 hours ago, Thailand said:

Brits have to get "proof of life" confirmed by acceptable officials, B Bank used-to do it they stopped a year or two ago.

Lawyers charge, had the estate accountant sign off on it last year with no problems.

 

Thought about a selfie in a mirror with the days newspaper but thought that may not be acceptable! 

 

 

It is up to the local Branch of Bangkok Bank and your relationship to the Manager. Most Thais do not want to sign such documents as they feel that there may be some hidden consequences. I got my Bank Manager to give me the proof of life at Bangkok Bank after I explained in the UK witnessing by Bank Managers is routine. 

The cap seals are there to prevent the locals' habit of opening bottles and sniffing them, tasting the contents etc then replacing the cap.  They then either decide to take an unopened bottle or not to take a bottle at all.

5 hours ago, trogers said:

"... remaining wires are buried underground".

 

Meaning wires not designed to be waterlogged will be placed under water. And the consequence?

The wires which are currently suspended in the air and subject to the monsoon rains are waterproof, as are the junction boxes. These can be submerged below ground without problem. They will be installed in ducts anyway. The electrical cables will have to be replaced and uprated as there is no air cooling below ground.

48 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

It is still 48 pages is it not?

 

 

It says 50 pages if you read page 4 of the notes section. Anyway perhaps we will all have to pay for a new non-EU passport in 2 years time!

Strictly speaking the answer is no, but in practice Thailand is the Land of All Possibilities.

The United States should pay compensation for training Osama Bin Laden's terrorists to fight the Russians in Afghanistan, which led to the rise of Al Qaeda and later, ISIS. Also for invading Iraq and causing problems in Libya and Syria as a result.

Great, it is part of the improved flood defences that should have been built 20 years ago.

History of flooding problem - Timeline:

• Until  1767 Capital of Thailand was Ayutthaya

• 1767 – 1782 moved to Thonburi due to persistent flooding

• 1782 Capital moved from Thonburi side to Bangkok side of river due to persistent flooding

• 1785 Major Flood 4.5metre deep

• 1819 Major Flood 3.2metre deep

• 1831 Top of the City flood defence wall

• 1917 Major Floods all roads submerged 1mth

• 1942 Major Flood 1.5metre deep for 3 months

• 1975 Flood caused by depression, 4,000 m³/s flow, 1,100 MB damage

• 1980 4 days of more than 200 mm. rain, 700 MB damage

• 1982 1,093 MB damage

• 1983 Several cyclones, flooded for 3-5 months, 6,600 MB damage

• 1995 5,400 m³/s flow, recorded high water level in Chao Phraya River at +2.27m MSL, flood dike overflowed, 3,000 MB damage within Bangkok, 50,000 MB damage outside Bangkok. Total 72 Billion Baht.

• 1996 +2.14 m MSL water level, flood dike overflowed, 1,500 MB damage

• 2002 – Affecting Ayutthaya, Angthong, Singhburi, and Bangsai

• 2006 Affecting Singhburi, Angthong,  Ayutthaya, Bangsai, Tai Chen Districts: Banglen, Krathumban and Ampur Muang Samut Sakhon

• 2010 October due to overflow of Chaophraya

• 2011 Major Flood up to 2metres deep

• A Fourth Master Plan to prevent flooding was proposed after the 2011 disasterous floods, but has not been carried out consisting of:

• Flood Mitigation Plan For The Chaophraya Delta

• Super-Express Floodways

• Widening Chai Nat and Pasak Canals

•  4 large canals for Nakhon Pathom & Samut Sakhon

•  2^nd Chao Phraya River Project: Pasak to Gulf Thailand

•  Floodway: Chai Nat via Suphanburi to Gulf Thailand

•  Diversion Tha Chin River as per 3^rd Master Plan 

  Cost: 100 Billion Baht

  Anticipated Result: No more flooding on the river

  Completion: Within 3 years

100% your fault. And she was riding in the median strip, where pedestrians walk, not in the road as you can see by the white lines.