watgate

My thai g/f is living in a nice 4 story concrete bldg comprised solely of other thais and she resides on the 1st floor. About 1 week ago a large snake evidently crawled into an outside electrical panel box and caused major damage to the electrical components in the bldg. All the electrical outlets on the 1st and 2nd floors are black and charred from the resultant short caused be the snake. There is no electrical power currently in the bldg. The electrical lines running inside the the bldg are all blackened by the short. The room next to my g/f on the 1st floor was devastated by an electrical fire and I surmise since he had a computer turned on in his room, the current from the short traveled there and caused serious damage in his room. Evidently, a similar event happened on the 2nd floor,also in a room. I know VERY little about electricity and wiring in bldgs, thus my posting this. In walking around, I can see serious damage from the short and I am sure the WIFI was also hit hard. My question and concern is that mgmt is treating the tenants like mushrooms ( keeping them in the dark and feeding them b.s.) Initially, they were told it would be a week until power was restored,but not only hasn't it been restored, there is no one currently working onsite at the bldg to repair the serious damage. My g/f really likes the the bldg and her room, but with the hot weather approaching and no electricity in the building, she has to make a decision whether to to remain there and wait and hope that the electricity is restored or move to a new place, albeit not as nice. I was wondering if a problem of this magnitude was a lengthy process to fix and how long would it take to repair the sizeable damage to the electrical components and wiring should the work start? Would the workers have to snake new wiring throughout the whole bldg and install new electrical outlets, and if so, is that a lengthy process? What about electrical codes for this repair job? Would a qualified electrician be required to inspect the repairs, once completed, to ensure they were properly done? I realize, without seeing the damage firsthand,it is hard to make an informed opinion but considering the extensive damage caused by the electrical short and resultant electrical fire, it seems that this will take a considerable amount of time and expense to fix should they even start the repair process. I would appreciate any feedback from folks who are knowledgeable about wiring in bldgs and electricity in general and your best guess as to what would would be required to repair the damage and how long it might take to complete the repairs. Also, what assurances, if any that the repairs were done satisfactorily and the bldg is safe. Thank you.

My GF has finished paying off the loan she assumed when her husband died several years ago. I think it had to do with a loan taken out when she was living with her husband in Isan. My question to all the knowledgeable posters who are well versed in Thai law is could she have just walked away from the loan and stopped paying it? Is their any ways in Thailand to have a debt discharged? In talking to her, she makes it sound like had she stopped making payments to the bank to pay off the loan, she would have been hauled off by the Police and thrown in jail. Is this scenario true? I am wondering if their are any means civilly to have a debt dischaged by the Courts through bankruptcy proceedings in Thailand? It is too late for her now because she finally paid off the loan but it would be nice to know for future reference.I don't know if the loan was in both of their names initially, and would this have had any relevancy going forward after her husband died in terms of responsibility for paying off the debt?

I entered Thailand back in October at Suruvahumi Airport and received a 90 day permitted to stay stamp in my passbook. Unfortunately I was too exhausted from the flight and unexpected delays to see that the immigration officer had failed to initial or sign the last line of the stamp that says signed. Now I will be going to Chiang Mai immigration in the not-to-distant future to apply for an extension of stay based on retirement and I am a little concerned that I might be told "sorry can't process your application, you need to go to Bangkok to get your entry stamp signed first." Is this a valid concern or is this something that other immigration offices see a lot and understand some immigration officers don't dot every i and cross every t and it shouldn't be an issue?

So you have to be actually leaving Thailand to get the re-entry permit. I can't go down to the airport and get a re-entry permit now because I am not leaving until March.I have to wait until I am actually departing Thailand to get one. Correct?

I have to go to chiang mai immigration to apply for an extension of stay based on retirement and am not holding out much hope that after getting my extension of stay I will also be able to get a single re-entry permit to considering the immigration office is a zoo. In the unlikely event that I am, what exactly is needed to obtain a re-entry permit at immigrations besides my passport, a photo, the application form? Lastly, upon entering Thailand this past October at Bangkok airport ,I was given a 90-day permission to stay stamp in my passport. I didn't notice until I had left the immigration desk at the airport that the last line of the stamp which says signature was blank. My concern is there any possibility of getting a "ball buster" at chiang mai immigration,or at the immigration desk at chiang mai airport, if I decide to go there for my re-entry permit,who might tell me "sorry you have to go to Bangkok airport to get a signature on your initial 90 permitted to stay stamp before we can process your request" here in chiang mai? In looking at other stamps in my passbook, they are mostly illegible squiggly entries on the signature line of other stamps I have gotten before. Is this a non-issue or should I just put a little illegible squiggly on the blank signature line? I am trying to avoid being told sorry you have to go to Survanhumi airport in Bangkok.

I really liked slapout's commentary. I thought the 1 million baht per rai was rather high and suspected it was part wishful thinking and part trying to impress folks.

If a Thai owner, who is sitting on a small fortune in real estate, sells the property, do they have to pay capital gains tax or is it all free and clear?

So I was chatting with a middle age thai woman who gives massages at my g/f sisters shop and all the while I thought she was a typical struggling masseuse. She was mentioning how her husband is a banker aand works apart from her and makes 50000 baht a month. Okay I thought, he sends her 20000 baht a month so now I know she isn't struggling as much as I initially thought. Now here comes the interesting part. She is telling me that 1-2-3 million baht is nothing for your old age and then proceeds to tell me she purchased 80 Rai about 20 years ago for 10,000 baht a Rai. I was having a little difficulty understanding everything but I think she said a relative or 2 might have helped her purchase the 80 Rai. Now the part that got me was when she said she wanted to sell the property because there is evidently rubber trees on the property and she said each Rai is now worth 1,000,000 baht for a grand total of 80,000,000 baht. With that I did a quick calculation and realized here is this middle-aged thai massage lady sitting on two and 1/2 million U.S dollars. Not too shabby I must say. So therefore, the moral of the story is don't judge the book by the cover and things are not always what they appear to be.

I went with my g/f to have the zipper on her handbag fixed and the lady who fixed it was very proficient. She and another seamstress were tucked away in a far corner of Warorot Market and they were both very adept and skilled at their sewing stations.

Is there any public transportation one can take to Samoeng and come back in the same day? Maybe a yellow songtaew from the Chang Puak bus station?

First off, I agree the weather is as hot as the thai ladies and it seems like if they know you have a g/f, they tease you and tempt you even more. Secondly, I will most definitely take 90 degrees and humid over 10-30 degrees fahrenheit any day of the week. Thirdly, I can see where acclimatization is an important element and I find myself starting to get used to the temps now. It also helps, if I stay out of the direct rays of the sun for any length of time. Fourth, after spending the day in Hot and then coming back to Chiang Mai in the early evening, you could feel the heat and humidity was higher as you approached the City of Chiang Mai so I definitely agree that living in a more rural area with more trees and shade would lessen the heat and humidity considerably. Fifth, I really don't like using a/c much and only use a fan at night if needed.Lastly, with all that said, I still am sure if I was here in April and May I would be forced to use air conditioning to survive and keep my sanity.

This is the first winter season I arrived in October and the temps and humidity are actually bothering me. If it is this oppressive in October, I can only imagine what it must be like in April, May and June. My plans to start staying here for 6- 7 months looks like will be put on the backburner. I surmise most folks must stay inside in an airconditioned environment to cope with the heat and humidity. Or maybe I am just getting old and my tolerance to this weather has diminished. I have always enjoyed hot weather but I guess being near the equator adds a whole new dimension to the equation.

I called the Cabaret Theatre and was told there is currently a show at 8 pm and it is primarily ladyboys.

I read recently about a business center equipped with computers and fax machines and various other equipment which one can utilize at various days and times depending on which membership you take out. I am having trouble finding the name and location of this business/compute rcenter used, I think primarily, by westerners. Can someone supply me with the name and address of this establishment?

Is the Cabaret Theatre show in Changpueak primarily composed of ladyboys?

The US Congress recently passed a bill whereby the Social Security Administration is going to once again start mailing out benefit statements on a yearly basis.

I went to this spectacular ceremony the previous 2 years with my g/f. We went in a van which was arranged by a nice fellow who is involved in a photography club in Chiang Mai. This year he is not going through the hassle of arranging transportation and I can't blame him. I was wondering what a good alternative is to go to this ceremony. The crowds and traffic are always massive. If one went by songthaew, does anyone know what the costs would be? Also, you can't expect the songthaew to wait all night for you so their is the added problem of returning to the center of chiang mai after the spectacle is finished. I guess one could take a taxi but I am sure they would try and gouge you price wise. Does anyone know if any hotels are arranging transportation to this ceremony? I don't have a car and I don't drive a motorbike so I am very limited in my options. Admittedly I am spoiled because the past 2 years, when we went by the van,the cost was very reasonable and we had a guaranteed ride back after the ceremony was finished.

Do you need a certificate of residency when applying for an extension of stay based on retirement and/or a re-entry permit at immigrations?

Rancid- What is MMS? Also, Konini I am not concerned about the area where I stay since it is very clean and they are on top of caring for their surroundings. What concerns me is sometimes I will be sitting on a bench next to the moat in the Thapae area at night and I would think that water could be construed as stagnant. In the past, while sitting there in the evening I would encounter mozzies pestering me and am thinking I either have to stop sitting there or take necessary precautions. I think with the winter season approaching, this should go a long ways toward lessening the chances of getting infected by a mozzie since I think the cold adversely affects the mozzies.

This will be my 5th year wintering in Chaing Mai ( 5 months this time) and although I have been remiss in prior years about taking necessary precautions to try and avoid coming down with Dengue fever, I think this winter I will go the extra mile so to speak. After reading about other folks encounters and suffering with this disease, I think it wise to try and exercise caution. I don't like using Deet but will start using it in the evenings when I am out and about strolling around the City of Chiang Mai. Also, in prior years I used to live primarily in shorts, even at night, but this winter I think I will be wearing long pants to protect my legs. I am not going to get crazy over this but I do think it wise and beneficial to be proactive to make the odds of getting it even more remote.

Does a big city like Bangkok have a significant reduction in dengue fever cases due to it being a large metropolitan area? Also, for those unfortunate folks who have gotten dengue fever, what was the average stay in the hospital?

What are the chances of getting dengue fever while primarily staying in Chiang Mai? I imagine the majority of long-stay expats are generally safely ensconsced in their homes in the evenings and much less susceptible to being bitten by the mozzies. What about individuals who like to roam around chiang mai during the evening and are occasionally being bit by the mozzies. Would this significantly increase the chances of coming down with dengue fever? Would continuous useage of mosquito repellant, especially at night, be recommended or is the danger of contracting dengue fever much less prevalent in chiang mai. I know individuals have come down with dengue fever in chiang mai and I am wondering if they were bit in chiang mai or in other parts of Thailand? Lastly, what times of the year are the most dangerous for potentially getting dengue fever?