samsingsong

Thanks very much for all your replies. I'm very grateful for all the info.

I think maybe best if I go for the Non O. The thought of being knocked back (however  unlikely) at Heathrow, wife in tears etc., is too much of a worry.

The Royal Thai Embassy info/ application seems to have changed since last time I applied. I'm certain before there was a classification for 'travel with Thai spouse'  (or similar wording) . Now it's 'Staying with Thai family', which sort of fits - my wife is Thai and is  my family! But I'm not really going to Thailand to visit a Thai family who live there. Although we will see her family.  I think the previous 'travel with Thai spouse' more truly fitted the situation.

I don't know if I hit on an old page of The RTE, but according to the info I read today, it's saying 30 days tourist entry, not 60! Also the 'Thai family visa' image that I clicked on, sent me to the wrong page.

I guess I had better do the e-visa application as I did a couple of years ago, but I found it a bit of a struggle then, I doubt it's improved and my brain has deteriorated!

Visiting Thailand from UK end of November to 23 February with my Thai wife.

We haven't been back for a couple of years so would like advice please on the best visa option.

Is the 60 day tourist visa on entry still available, and how best to extend that for another 28 days?  

Grateful for any advice please.

I might need to extend a tourist visa. We will staying near Jomtien, but it was so busy at Jomtien immigration last time I went there (pre-pandemic).

As we will be visiting family near Korat, I was wondering how things are there? Is it usually easy there?

Thanks for any advice.

My Thai wife and I (we're in UK) want about a 50 day visit family / holiday, but leaving soon, around 10 - 15 February. (wife worried about her mum).

Checking Thai Embassy visa website, it's a bit short notice to get a 60 day tourist visa. Plus I need to show tickets to apply for a Tourist Visa, and I don't want to buy tickets until sure everything else works out OK. 

If I enter on the 30 Day visa exempt basis, is it easy to extend that these days? 

We will be staying near Jomtien and visiting family in Korat. The last time I went to Jomtien immigration it was bursting with people and took ages. Would it be easier to go to immigration in Korat? (never tried there before).

Grateful for any advise please.

On 2/12/2023 at 9:26 AM, Bagwain said:

F/Book Bangsaray Houses For Rent

Thanks for your reply, but I have looked and only found longer term rentals so far, not the 3 months we're looking for. Why I'm asking locals if they know of anything. 

On 2/12/2023 at 3:19 AM, liddelljohn said:

I live in Bang Sarey and all the nice  Villas with pools are on East side of Sukumvit ,,as far as I know, on West side there  are condos , rooms ,,but when you say Dark side it is not Pattaya  its just a nice area  actually prettier than the west beach side   sprall  Bang Sarey is a small place  ,

Thanks for your reply.

I agree it is nice there, great views, and I shouldn't have called it the dark side, not at all like some of the the dark side of Pattaya.

However, I'd rather stay where I don't have to cross Sukhamvit to get to the see front, market etc.

I'm looking for a hotel in or near Khon Buri. Just for a couple of nights at the end of February.

Somewhere clean and comfortable (comfortable bed), with air con and fridge.

We did stay once in I think it was called  Khon Buri Resort, but the bed was very hard and there was a strong smell in the air from a nearby processing place. 

We have also stayed at The Korat Resort which is very good, but a 45 minute drive from Khon Buri.

Grateful for any recommendations.   

Thanks

I'm looking for something like a 'villa' with pool to rent from December 2023 for 3 months. 

Can anyone suggest a place please. We would want to be in the area between Bang Sare beach road and Sukhamvit, (not the 'dark side'). 

Thanks

Pong!

23 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

I applied for mine in March 2020 it's blue.

Thanks for that, I should certainly get a blue one by now then.

About how long did it take? Maybe you applied before lockdown? 

6 minutes ago, bert bloggs said:

reading the uk newspapers it seems that they are months behind in the issuing of any passports or driving licences.

Thanks. Yes I've read about the backlog due to Covid19, but I'd like to know, if I apply for one now' what colour it would be. I understand they were going to use-up all the old red ones first, I presume they've done that by now. Then the passport office said that after March they would all be Blue, but apparently that wasn't always the case a couple of months or so ago. So 'm hoping someone reading this has recent experience of applying for a passport in the UK. 

I've read a couple of reports over the last few months about the new blue British passports being delayed for various reasons.

If anyone here applied for a British passport recently, what colour did you receive Red or Blue?  

I'm in the UK, need a new passport but as I can't go anywhere yet I might as well wait until the new Blue version is being issued, 

Thanks 

Sorry if this has already been asked before, I haven't read all previous posts.

I returned to the UK 2 weeks ago. As I write this the latest news is that the UK has 1,140 confirmed cases of Covid19 with 37,746 people tested.

It is accepted here that the real number may be at least 10 times more.

In Thailand the reported cases are only 82! We accept that The Thai number is just made-up, and even if it was a scientifically calculated amount, there might be at least 10 times that number over there also.

Has anybody on here seen any sign of the virus yet? That is know of somebody who has it, or has been to a hospital for another reason but seen evidence of people with the virus there?

Just wondering if any change since I left there. 

Aspartame poisoning

https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/aspartame-poisoning

Snopes Fact Checker 

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/aspartame-sweet-poison/

Thanks for all replies. My question was 'is Diet Sprite available anywhere in Pattaya' and it seems that perhaps it is now. I left end of February and hadn't found anything at that time.

Thanks for the water ideas also, and I think I probably will try mixing fruit juice or Robinsons Squash'd. 

When I'm not drinking Beer Chang!

The truth about sweeteners - NHS

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/are-sweeteners-safe/

23 hours ago, jaiyen said:

If you want to lose weight the last thing you want to be drinking is <deleted> sugary drinks !  Get serious first.  Buy a Soda Stream and make your own fizzy water and flavour with fresh fruits.

Yes Jaiden. That's why I'm asking about sugar free drinks.

I'm currently in the UK and have been since March. Didn't see any Diet Sprite last visit, but maybe there is now? I'm back in a couple of weeks and currently trying to diet!

16 minutes ago, fishtank said:

Coke, Pepsi and Sprite is about all there is.

Is Diet Sprite now available in Pattaya?

If yes please tell me where, that's what I'm looking for! 

The only sugar free / diet soda / fizzy drinks I can find in the supermarkets in Pattaya are either Pepsi or Coca Cola.

I like cola, but can't drink much of it, I prefer a diet fizzy lemonade like Diet Sprite / 7-UP etc. 

Some years back, for just a few weeks, Diet Sprite was available in 7/11's in my area, but then stopped.

To be honest, I would rather be drinking beer, but I really need to loose some weight! Water is OK, but I really enjoy more 

a diet fizzy lemonade. I find I can drink that with a meal instead of beer, but cola's have too string a taste to drink much of for me. (in the UK I buy Tesco's own Diet Lemonade which is just right, but not seen that in Thailand).

Does anybody know if a drink like this is available anywhere in Pattaya please? 

Cheryl, thanks for your patience in explaining this situation again and sorry to be so thick!

I do take a lot of prescription medicine for a number of ailments. It adds up to a UK pharmacy's plastic carrier bag full per month. So if I did put them all in one case (and not split between cases incase one gets lost) then it would pretty much fill a case.

I've been bringing meds into Thailand for 20 years, and until 4 years ago we used to stay 6-8 months a year, which meant brining in a load! As I  couldn't always get my GP to prescribe enough for my stay, I'd leave a repeat prescription with my sister and she would post them to me. Never had a problem, always received ok.

So after all these years of being blissfully unaware, and when applying for my visa this year seeing the rule about bringing in prescription medication for the first time, it shook me a bit!  

So I'll go-ahead as always. I'm staying 90 days and brining a supply to cover that only. Also I have the prescription counter-parts listing the meds & amounts in case I'm stopped. I'll try to get my GP to sign those prescription counter-parts (but doubt she will!).

Thanks again for all replies.

On 10/29/2019 at 3:49 AM, Sheryl said:

 

Please see the attached. Neither of these drugs is a Class  2 narcotic.

narcotic list update_2018(6).pdf 203.33 kB · 1 download psychotropic substances list update_2018(4).pdf 155.59 kB · 1 download narcotics psychotropics import.pdf 199.08 kB · 0 downloads

 

In fact tramadol is sold over the counter in Thailand.

 

lopburi3 is correct re fake pharmaceuticals nto being an issue here in legitimate pharmacies.

 

 

Cheryl, thanks for that. However Zopiclone does appear to be on the Psychotropic substances list in column ประเภท 2 / Category II (am I right?)

Also I'm concerned about the 30 Day supply rule when the amount I'm taking in is for 90 days. I'm taking on-board your earlier advice about the amount being consistent with the duration of stay, cutting down the number of bottles etc.

You said that I don't need to notify them as I'm not brining in anything controlled (but not sure about Zopiclone now?).

So the 90 day supply is OK (no need to notify them in advance or declare on arrival) if I carry a doctors letter or copy of prescription, just in case I'm stopped?