DerekAbroad

Thanks for the interesting idea. A solar panel? 2 watts... I'll have to see how much my output is. I may need several of these. But even with just one, mounting it without it looking silly will be a challenge.

thank you for your information and suggestions!

If I was unclear, I am in Thailand now (Chiang Mai). I bought a round-trip ticket, using the first half to get here. I'm wanting to reschedule my return. When my sister tried handling it for me in the US, she was quoted the near-$1000, including the change fee.

I know it can be done because I have friends that have done it, although not with United.

I don't know if it has the same name on a motorcycle, or in international English for that matter, but I'm talking about an alternator, or the thing that charges your battery when you drive. I know little about motorbikes, but I worked on automobiles throughout high school and university as a hobby.

I have a Mio115, which seem to be notorious for not charging your battery well. I've added a louder horn and an extra brake light and the mechanic said the current battery will be pushing it as-is. I currently have a 5 amp, and they recommended moving up to a 7 amp from a CBR for the current electronics and a couple lights I plan to add in the future.

Is the bigger amperage alone sufficient to solve my problem? I would think I need more charge/input for the battery as well. We also discussed a secondary battery for the additional lights that would be manually charged when it gets drained, but we're trying to find a more convenient solution. I'm not familiar with the mechanical layout of a motorbike engine. Is the charging device external and changeable, meaning can I put a stronger one like I could do on a car?

I'm learning, so any advice/input would be appreciated!

I'm in Chiang Mai, so this may or not help, but I've seen GoPro sold in random camera stores in the malls here and in Bangkok.

I have a GoPro and absolutely love it! They just came out with a new, really improved one. But I think that one is just pre-ordering now.

Does anyone know how I can contact a Thailand office? I've Googled and searched United's website, the phone number (6623533939) does not work.

I bought a round-trip ticket, used the first half to get here, but don't want to go back yet. I would like to bump my return back until next year without having to pay so much in fees I might as well buy another round-trip ticket. Possibly changing it to a family member coming to see me or banking credit for a later flight would be nice. Really, I would like to know what my options are. However, I cannot find find a way to contact someone on this side of the earth. My sister called an office in America but was treated poorly. If I have to endure poor customer service, I prefer to deal with someone in my time zone.

Any ideas, suggestions, or general help?

I've seen them in my google searches, but the ones I've seen for sale are 110s. I'm also wondering what an appropriate price would be. Regardless, I plan on having a Thai friend buy it for me to possibly get a better price.

I live in a very convenient area, so my little Click is perfect right now. But I want a bike with more 'cool factor' for going out with friends, and I want something different than the CBRs and Ninjettes. I really like retro-styled bikes that are tweaked with subtle modern touches. I think this little bike could provide me a fun little ride and the style I enjoy.

Does anybody have experience with the JX110? I've seen a few for sale in CM. I've been wanting a little cafe racer project and have seen some cool pictures of these bikes online. Sadly, I can't find a lot of info since this seems to be a Thai bike.

Any first-hand experience? Performance, maintenance, modifications, etc.? Can someone point me in a good direction for info. It looks potentially fun.

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It seems like mostly Honda Waves and Dreams are used with sidecars. I'm not sure about how easily removable they are. You would have to talk to whoever is building it for you. Are you wanting it custom made or are you buying a prefabricated piece?

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I talked to another farang tonight about going to Vientiane for a new visa, just looking for experience, tips, etc. He said he went elsewhere for his visa, and not recently, but a friend of his had problems 2 weeks ago. I don't know what kind of visa the other guy was applying for.

I don't like basing anything on hearsay, but I want to play it safe. I'm leaving in about 2 weeks to get a non-B. Anybody have any recent (within last month or so) experience at Vientiane?

You may also consider a non-immigrant visa since those are generally easier to obtain prior to entering Thailand. It is a good idea to have your visa sorted before coming. I flew out of Dallas and the guy at the counter almost wouldn't let me go because my return flight was past the date a normal 30 day stamp at the airport would permit. I had to speak to another person and the original guy still insisted on making another phone call to a higher up before he decided to let me go. I wanted to go to the consul in Dallas beforehand but after making phone calls to the three different numbers I found online and each time speaking to someone that had no clue what I was talking about I gave up. It sounds like people on here have had better luck with Houston. Good luck!

How is a non-imm easier to obtain than a tourist? I got a tourist visa in dallas- a double 60 day entry visa- and all I needed was my passport, photos, application form, and fee. The office in Dallas is in a suite of other offices. They have a receptionist that handles everyone, so she is not specialized in visas. And when she goes to lunch or takes a break, there's another person that covers for her. If you have a question, leave a message for the consular to call you back. He's very good about it. And I got my visa the next day (Independence Day!).

To the OP, I would compare prices between a double 60 day entry and a single entry plus 30 day extension. And if you decide to go to a neighboring country, you will need a reentry permit on top of the single entry, whereas you can split you can use the traveling to activate the second entry. Just went to Mae Sai for my second entry this past weekend!

Good luck!

I think the chances of getting a change of visa status to a B is quite low.

You should get the visa and work permit ASAP since you are now working illegally.

From Chiang Mai the lowest cost visa trip by air would be Nok Air to Udon Thani and then to Vientiane via Nong Kai.

Would that be better than flying directly to Vientiane?

You can not legally work on a tourist visa (and it seems you are and plan to continue). Get that non immigrant B visa and work permit. Do not believe change is available to school teachers (you have an easy path to obtain B visa from external Consulate without even a work permit application receipt being required).

I know I cannot legally work on a tourist visa. Planning on continuing..? Working? Yes. Illegally? No. I believe it is clear that I want the proper visa, hence my questions.

I thought the work permit application and any resulting receipts cannot come before the visa.

I came to Thailand on a tourist visa to look for a job and found one quicker than I had planned. I just kind of fell into this position. I'm wanting to get the visa and permit ASAP to be legal, and that is what I plan on doing. ASAP isn't tomorrow, however, because the school said I have to wait a little longer for the paper work. They asked how long I want to wait to do the visa run. I replied as soon as possible. We'll see how long it takes.

Here's my situation: I have 2 60-day entries tourist visa, the first entry expiring 1 October. I have a legitimate job at a bilingual school in Chiang Mai and the paperwork necessary to get a non-imm B and work permit. Right now I would like to plan the best time to get the new visa and permit.

Here are some factors to work with:

1) This weekend some friends are going to Mae Sai for some border shopping. I was thinking about getting my next entry "activated" then.

2) I have a break between terms in mid-October I can use for travel (if necessary) to get the new visa.

3) I can extend the visa for 30 days and/or get a re-entry permit. The trip to Mae Sai is optional. I wouldn't be heart broken if I didn't go.

I would like to get the new visa ASAP because I want the permit and visa to buy a motorcycle. I'm tired of renting a scooter.

I remember reading in several places on the forum about going to BKK to get a non-imm B visa on a tourist visa if you have X days remaining. A friend in CM asked why I couldn't get it done at immigration here. Does anyone know if it's possible to do this in CM?

I would prefer to stay in CM and convert either this entry, extended or not, or my next entry into a the non-imm B visa. My second choice would be fly to BKK to take care of it. Of course I would still fly to whatever bordering country to obtain my visa if necessary. I would just like to do it in the shortest amount of time possible.

***I do have Thai friends with experience with farang work permit and visa paper work who offered to help me.*** But they don't have the experience like a lot of you fellas have being the farang getting them.

Any help is appreciated!

You are wrong about only Thai citizens being eligible. Anyone who works here legally should be paying into the social security scheme and will receive an insurance card, with a nominated hospital specified on the card. (The individual is able to specify which hospital he wants from a list of them). The insurance card is renewed annually, and you're allowed to change hospitals once a year, if i remember correctly. The treatment, while not five star, is perfectly adequate for most ailments or accidents, but I wouldn't like to recommend the system for something major such as a heart operation, or any major operation, for that matter.

So it would be good to supplement with additional health insurance? I haven't started working yet, but I'm thinking about buying a BUPA Platinum policy.

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Just had the fish & chips... paying as we speak... delicious!

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I think the cc of the CBR250R will be fine. I live in Chiang Mai, not a lot of highway out here compared to BKK. I just don't wanna keep pushing my rented Click up to and past 80kmh when I do go on the bigger roads. And it's tough to stay off to the side and not want to pass the other scooters and some cars. I'd rather keep the 250 here and save for a bigger bike for when I visit home and eventually move back.

I've considered the CB400, but don't think it's worth the increase in price for me.

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....... I have heard farang smell like cheese.

I heard this too

Do you have a recession busting lunch on Thursdays?

The Fish and Chips at 100 Baht is available from 11am-11pm every Thursday. The Roast Beef Dinner, also 10 Baht and the other 70 Baht meal offers are available from 6pm-11pm

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Wow, sad I missed the cheese night. But the 10 baht roast beef dinner sounds good! Anybody want to join tonight?

Have any American cheese or Velveeta?

California is also way overpriced. YouTube and Google can give you most of what you want.

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Wow, thanks for all the input. I knew most people on here are pt in the same age bracket as me, so I didn't know how similar/different our cases would be (I was leaning towards different). Also, being American, I can't just go home for free insurance.

Thanks again. Now to find a bilingual broker....

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I've seen more and more Honda CBR250Rs for sale in the TV classifieds and other sights. What gives? They are all about a year or two old with less than 20k km. It just seems odd that there are so many new bikes for sale.

Something wrong?

I'm considering getting a new one, so I'm wondering if I'm walking into a disaster.

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I'm a young (27) and healthy American male, single, no preexisting conditions, and I plan on staying here for a few years. I don't have healthcare back home. I just got here, so I'm not working yet. I live in Chiang Mai and will eventually teach English. I don't party, drink, mess around with hookers. I have an active and healthy lifestyle.

I ride a motorbike, though I'm not careless or reckless. I want insurance just in case I get sick or injured. I don't want high out of pocket expenses because the cash reserves I brought with me are limited and I'm not employed at the moment to replenish them. A friend of mine recently had a $2000 hospital bill because he had stomach problems and dangerously high fever and they didn't know what was wrong. I would like to avoid surprises like this by having insurance.

I looked into BUPA Platinum. Any opinions based on experience? Alternatives?

I hear outpatient is inexpensive here, so don't worry about coverage. What's the range in baht for outpatient visits? I'm near Chiang Mai RAM, so would probably go there. Also, heard good things about them.

Thanks ahead for the valuable input.

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Bump this post back to life.

I also have a Thai friend that asked me about opening a language school. I told her from what I gathered it would be very difficult, especially if I did it. This topic has come up (again) recently in the teaching forum. Some of the posts there suggest a language centre as opposed to a school, any means to keep as much MOE and other bureaucracy out of it as possible to make it easier.

So if it's just a business, say a tutoring business with no educational connections, would it indeed make it easier for a Thai to open this business and employ farangs and Thais?

I would most likely work there, at least in the beginning to help get it running. My creds: BA in English, minor in Linguistics; MA TESOL; experience working in US public schools, taught at an EP in US and very little in China, studied second language acquisition and TESOL curriculum/program design, finally moved to Thailand (been here a few times before)

Online job listings are limited. I'm no expert, so please others confirm or correct this, but if he's in Thailand already, shouldn't he go "door knocking?"

What part of Thailand? I'm guessing you don't know any teachers since you asked about teaching hours (maybe limited non-tourist farangs in your area). I've found talking to other teachers very valuable. I've been told without even asking that their schools need teachers. If you're interested in language schools, just go in and ask about their program and vacancies.

I was inquiring about a Thai course yesterday and noticed the school also had an English program.

"Oh you teach English, too?"

"Not many English classes right now. Are you looking to teach?"

The "salesperson' asked where I was from. I told her where I was from, uni degrees, and brief list of experience. She asked for me to bring my cv tomorrow.

Especially if you're not working or doing anything concrete right now, just go to uni's, schools, language schools w/ cv copies. It can't hurt.

On the contrary, speaking politely in Thai has often worked for me.

True story! Happened to me during a visit to Bangkok last week.