saramsland

Hi,

I am currently considering relocating at the end of the year. I understand its an expensive and lengthy process but would be happier to do so than leave my dog with someone else.

Has anyone had any experiences with any of the Pet Relocation services based out of Bangkok?

I would be returning to Australia.

4 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

OP, bit off topic but I wish you well. I also was single parent bringing up kids in oz. Stick to your guns. Best of luck. As ubonjoe mentioned non o can be obtained many places. I'm a fan of udon thani. You can get get cheap flight from bkk to udon and obtain non o in Vientiane. Note think you make appointment there now. Online? 

Hi Jack.

Thanks. Udon will most probably be the direction I take. Last time I flew to Vientiane for my ED visa but will have the young fella with me this time as I can't leave him in Bangkok whilst I go for a visa.

2 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

Australia is not the only place you can get a non-o visa based upon being he parent of a Thai

You can get a single entry non-o visa based upon being the parent of a Thai at the embassy in Vientiane or the Savannakhet Laos with no financial proof.

How long do you plan on staying in the country?

You could apply for a year extension of stay based upon being a parent of a Thai. You would need to show 400k baht in a Thai bank bank.

Hi UbonJoe,

Thanks for the reply. I would plan to stay in Thailand for quite a while, at least a year and re-evaluate after that. I haven't held the Non 'O' visa before so to confirm, the Embassy would issue me with a 3 month visa which I then extend at the end of that 3 months for a period of 1 year at immigration in Bangkok correct?

The Vientiane and Savannakhet embassy websites state I require my marriage certificate which is now a divorce certificate as well as copies of my 'spouses' passport/id card, house registration etc. In the custody documents these are all present. Would being divorced and holding custody make my application difficult and would the copies from 2014 of my ex-wifes documents that are in the custody documents be suffice in your opinion?

Also, in the past I had heard Savannakhet was at times difficult. Is either of Vientiane or Savannakhet easier in regards to obtaining the visa according to any recent reports?

I have been a member here but not so frequent lately and am aware there are numerous threads in relation to this topic however with the recent changes I wanted to ask some advice.

My son is a Dual Thai and Australian citizen, was born in Thailand and I am listed on his birth certificate as I was married to a Thai national at the time of his birth but am now divorced. I also have full parental custody of my child with the relevant Thai legal documents to prove this.

I am currently due to complete my employment contract in Africa (I am an Australian) and due to issues of Australia's process of issuing a new passport for my son I will be returning to Thailand. I have looked at the Thai Elite option and would like to avoid it due to cost but can option it as a last resort. So my questions are are follows:

1. If I apply for the Non Immigrant 'O' visa in support of my Thai child, can I apply for this in a country other than Australia (for the reason that my son cannot travel to Australia without a current Australian passport)?
2. If I can apply for this visa outside of Australia, which embassy is the best to apply at currently?
3. What are the recent financial requirements and options in regards to an amount in a Thai bank as my proof of income will cease at the end of my contract? I do not have any issues supporting myself for quite some time though.
4. My ex-wife has left Thailand and does not contact my son often or provide present contact numbers. During the process of application would I require any documentation from my ex-wife considering I hold full parental custody?

As a second option, if I was not to obtain a Non-O Visa in support of a Thai child, I held a Student Visa in 2014 for a period of 6 months. Would there be any difficulties of me obtaining a second ED Visa as there has been a long period since my last one?

Only a suggestion, but could you not take your bag to a 7-11 where they have the scales outside for people to weigh themselves and pay 5 Baht? As I say, just an idea

Not a bad idea actually and I will do that if I cant get some scales.. I have 7 items for check in between two people so it would be awkward to get them all over there and then recheck after repacking.

Does anyone know where to buy a set of fish scales (approx 30kgs) close to Asoke?

I am moving back to Australia and have quite a bit of weight in my luggage so would like to avoid any over baggage charges by weighing my bags first.

Irish Rovers...Say no more...

I will say more. Went to their website and menu and there is no American breakfast listed there. Mushrooms, stewed or fried tomatoes, beans, black pudding is not what the OP had on mind.

Haha thanks Thaibob.

The Thai's idea of a good breakfast is really something to be imagined!

Cheers

Do you actually want an American breakfast (ie with things like waffles and hash browns) as opposed to a British one (ie with toast and jam, and fried farmyard)?

Either way, I would recommend the Casa Pascal brunch buffet as having decent quality breakfast items for just about every taste and ethnicity. Hard to beat for the price (225B).

Kitten Kong,

Yes, thats what Im after.

Can you tell me where to find it?

If you are in the Jomtien Beach area then try Rich Man Poor Man. It's a bar/restaurant type place owned by an American guy and he serves a American style breakfast. Go down (Jomtien) Beach Road and he is located on either Soi 9 or 10. When you turn into the Soi you will see the place on the right side, about 50' in.

Cheers Spaniel.

I can summise this is a genuine big american breakfast?

Guys,

I'm visiting Pattaya this weekend & it has been a long time since I was last there.

Where would one suggest I could find the best American Breakfast in Town?

Hi II2,

because sometime it happened that my battery was flat or just failed for some reason and having a spare one will give me the time to fix the one having issues at my own peace, plus i do run some extra electronics on it and strong headlights.

Being in the middle of nowhere without a battery might be a challenging task

Som Tom,

If you are having early battery failing issues or flat batteries from long garage times, have you ever considered investing in a CTEK battery charger?

When you battery charge level drops (the level is different depending on what battery type you have) the battery will begin to sulfate at the cells reducing your batteries storage capacity.. Also, if you put high loads on batteries of a low charge this can also damage the battery. If you have had multiple early battery failures you may also want to ensure you do not have an intermittent regulator on your alternator as a bad alternator can kill a battery and vice versa.

CTEK have a shop in Sukhumvit Soi 49. PM me if you would like the details.

Hell I thought you were talking about a bike .. not a cycle ..

Is that 3-4 days return from Bangkok ? It would take me 3-4 weeks.

Motorcycle, this is the motorcycle forum.

Thanks for the info LL2, I also plan to do such a trip all the way down to Nakhon Si Thamarat.

Any idea when you want to do that trip?

There is a nice road that links Surat to the west coast to Khao Lak then to Phang-na, the 401 .. It may fit on your return route to Surat.

Thanks I will add it in.

It will be my last ride in Thailand before shipping my bike home so keen to make it a good one.

They infest Soi 18.

Noticed yesterday they are crawling along Soi 20 as well now.

I simply give them my less polite 'no thank you' I give all unwanted approaches in narrow streets. They never seem to remember the next day though.

Is there a number to report possible illegals selling fake merchandise on the streets.. I mean to somebody that would give a damn?

if Surat thani is not a must for you, just try this less traveled route instead of the boring highway

Instead of going Surat Thani via Chumporn you can try the Road from Chumporn to Ranong which is curvy and great with good scenery. and from there to Phang Na and then Krabi all the way down which is also a cool road.

you can visit Surat Thani while returning back if needed.

https://www.google.co.th/maps/dir/Bangkok/8.0823201,98.9125866/@8.1951259,98.7045488,9z/data=!4m24!4m23!1m20!1m1!1s0x311d6032280d61f3:0x10100b25de24820!2m2!1d100.5241235!2d13.7278956!3m4!1m2!1d100.0862021!2d13.030617!3s0x30fd3cd3d9ccf475:0xaa90f103bc5ad19c!3m4!1m2!1d98.6512077!2d9.9758195!3s0x30564ffb2531a507:0xcd88354e2014c1a2!3m4!1m2!1d98.9133935!2d8.0795561!3s0x30519487fd3393a9:0xc828f3ce4ed78463!1m0!3e0

happy and safe rides.

Thanks ll2, I will add it to my route.

Guys,

In about two weeks I am going to make a 3 to 4 day ride from Bangkok to Surat Thani via Chumpon, Phang Nga & Krabi.

As I have never riden along these roads before, does anyone have any suggestions on good roads (sealed roads) to take along the way? Any suggestions of roads or anything else to steer clear of?

IMHO the burqua issue is worthy of a referendum. If the people of Oz decide they don't want it in their society, we may be accused of racism, sexism, religionism and being uncultured bigots.

Fair enough. If you don't like it, go somewhere else.

They would be back to the hellholes of the middle east in no time if it wasn't for welfare.

As previously posted 60% of Muslim migrants have a higher level of education / qualifications than the norm for Australians. Yet it has been identified they experience over twice the national average of unemployment rates due to discrimination by potential employers.

Muslims had an unemployment rate of 12.1 per cent in 2011 while the national average was 5.2 per cent. Buddhists had the second highest jobless rate, with 8.6 per cent unemployed, the report said.

Higher level of education does not necessarily prove any intelligence. I know plenty of people with 5. 10 or up to 23 certificates for one individual and in their line of work they are useless, have no experience and have sent projects into the ground due to their arrogance.

You will find at time Australia is a country that still values experience rather than a spiffy piece of paper that proves you can regurgitate what you read from your text book.

Of these unemployment figures it would be interesting to know who have applied for jobs, who have taken an available job to keep an income and who was happy with welfare and whether or not they are making an unregistered income dodging tax.

Also, when employing someone it is not only education that should be considered but personal conduct, appearance of how they dress, how they conduct themselves etc etc. stating only education shows you yourself don't have much understanding of recruiting someone especially when there are downturns in many industries at the moment

The education level is a benchmark factor quoted from government statistics for new migrants. One would have to think they were previously employed in the relevant industry where skills are short within the Australian population; it's one of the criteria for granting a new migrant visa.

Thanks for the advice, but after working with very large MNC's and owning an SME, well aware there are a number of factors to consider when employing someone.

I have worked with se of these 457 guys and can assure you more often than not that have not been employed in the relevant industry. I can also tell you I have seen them make very stupid mistakes including one instance where one dropped a dozer belly pan on his head because he had no experience relevant to the task. Sadly that guy died as a result.

I have worked overseas for a long time and understand the hoops that have to jumped through to be able to be employed as a foreigner, Australia need to work on their immigrant workforce requirements. The 457 Visa's are said to be for skills shortage but quite often it is for cheaper wages.. There is a Chinese owned mine in WA where there in one Australia assigned with each team of 5 Chinese workers with no skills... Now how is this solving a skills shortage in the long term?

IMHO the burqua issue is worthy of a referendum. If the people of Oz decide they don't want it in their society, we may be accused of racism, sexism, religionism and being uncultured bigots.

Fair enough. If you don't like it, go somewhere else.

They would be back to the hellholes of the middle east in no time if it wasn't for welfare.

As previously posted 60% of Muslim migrants have a higher level of education / qualifications than the norm for Australians. Yet it has been identified they experience over twice the national average of unemployment rates due to discrimination by potential employers.

Muslims had an unemployment rate of 12.1 per cent in 2011 while the national average was 5.2 per cent. Buddhists had the second highest jobless rate, with 8.6 per cent unemployed, the report said.

Higher level of education does not necessarily prove any intelligence. I know plenty of people with 5. 10 or up to 23 certificates for one individual and in their line of work they are useless, have no experience and have sent projects into the ground due to their arrogance.

You will find at time Australia is a country that still values experience rather than a spiffy piece of paper that proves you can regurgitate what you read from your text book.

Of these unemployment figures it would be interesting to know who have applied for jobs, who have taken an available job to keep an income and who was happy with welfare and whether or not they are making an unregistered income dodging tax.

Also, when employing someone it is not only education that should be considered but personal conduct, appearance of how they dress, how they conduct themselves etc etc. stating only education shows you yourself don't have much understanding of recruiting someone especially when there are downturns in many industries at the moment

Yeah, same here. I've been living/working in Afghanistan for 10+ years and have seen all manner of muslim headgear (from scarves to full blown burquas with mesh screens covering the eyes), but I've never seen a nun (of any christian denomination) with a fully covered face.

And there are probably quite a few muslims in Australia wearing full face coverings, and some probably are women even. I say that with a condescending look on my face as the military here continuously find men trying to sneak through check points dressed as women (especially if it appears that there are no female soldiers at the checkpoint at that time).

There was a news article stating that exact same issue. Some guy dressed in a full covering and passed immigration under someone elses passport, so with that it is obviously a security issue.

Or perhaps, when crimes are committed and the criminal was wearing a face covering, anyone wearing a face covering will then fit the description and can be arrested, questioned or whatever without anyone complaining of unfairness.

I have no idea how does it feel for Australians to know that there country is killing people without any particular reason - just because the master ordered to fight.

Australia does't not have anything to protect in Iraq, no goals, no objectives...

You obviously havent been keeping up with the news. Australia has foiled a number of serious attacks planned out by suspected ISIS members/followers lately.

And apart from that, virtually anyone is at risk of terror attacks so any country that does not welcome ISIS beliefs being pushed upon their communities should be involved for the others they will have nothing to cry about when it happens to them.

They must have bombed them with a 1 ton Vegemite bombs, they died out of disgust of the taste

and the smell alone....

Unfortunately all vegemite is Halal now. We don't want IS scum picking vegemite up off the battlefield and using it as Popeye did spinich.

The Kraft stuff is, and from memory Kraft is now American owned.. Not Australian any more. Dick Smiths products are not HALAL and I for one believe Australians should be supporting Dick a little more than they are. Last I read his business has taken a tumble.

you guys are seriously off chops. Now that Australia has dropped bombs what do you think the repercussions will be? This continuous battle/war is because of America. If they stayed on their own soil and out of everyone else's business this wouldn't be such an issue as the media has made it out. The US are the ones supplying the Islamic State with weapons, they want war so they have an excuse to increase presence in the region. The truth is the US wants control of resources that what all the wars in the middle east have been about. I remember years ago a video being release by Saddam Hussein stating that they just wanted other countries to leave them alone because the war between Iran and Iraq has nothing to do with them. He said that all countries who left them alone and removed groups would be left alone as well. All countries who did remove their groups and have stayed out of it have to date been left alone. America never did and instead increased their numbers so look at what has happened. Now that Australia has backed America again they will attack Australia, this is almost guaranteed, and remember Australia has a very small defence force.

No - most of the posters here seem sensible and support the fight against a dangerous fanatical bunch of murdering rapists who use their perverted version of a religion to justify their illegal and barbarous acts.

Turning into an anti American rant is more likely "off chops".

Saddam Hussein - keep your nose out while I invade and conquer Kuwait to steal their wealth, drop chemical weapons on the Kurds, murder imprison and torture any who appose me, and their extended families, put my offspring and family into senior positions because I want to etc etc. And you suggest believing things he said. Thankfully his evil self enriching autocracy ended with his rope dance.

Australia is more than capable of holding its own. A small but very professional, highly skilled and capable defense force, who have proven when necessary they can deliver.

Go Aussie Go! And thank you for being a good world citizen willing to take action for the greater good.

Well said Bearboxer.

Phuketboy.. Its attitudes like yours that have allowed situations like these to develop. There are already attacks in western countries and asian countries against western get togethers so sitting back and ignoring this issue of a threat will only allow them to gain more strength.