watgate

So, for the second time in 2 years my Thaivisa.com newsletter is not being posted in my intake box. It happened previously with Yahoo and finally I had to create another user id with MSN Outlook. Now it has happened again. I did not mark it as spam. I added [email protected] to my contact list in Outlook. The newsletter is not going to my spam folder and I have been told by thaivisa support that Outlook might have blocked it. They are suggesting that I should use another email like Gmail and submit the new email address to them so I can again start receiving the newsletter. If I go that route again, what happens when next year my newsletter is not being received again by myself? I am running out of options since I would have exhausted Yahoo, MSN, and gmail? Thanks for any advice or info.

I realize this topic has been talked to death so if their are no responses I fully understand. I was wondering for those folks who have a house, do you get many mozzies who come inside your house and make you mad. I can envision a time in the not-to-distant future, if and when I decide to rent a house, to constantly being bombarded with mozzies trying to bite you. I am certain that I will be needing a mosquito net hanging down to my bed to give me relief from the incessant mozzies so I can get a decent nights sleep. My experience in Thailand has been that the mozzies are honed in on me like radar and I am constantly being bit by them. I can see living with my thai gf and her daughter and they seem to be somewhat impervious to the constant onslaught of the mozzies so they wouldn't be as diligent in making sure the doors are closed.etc.

In checking the Washington dc thai embassy website, the criteria for obtaining a non-immigrant type O visa is the following: A stay with family, Perform duties for the state enterprise or social welfare organizations, Receive medical treatment, To be a sport coach as required by the Thai Government, or To be a contestant or witness for judicial process. So how is one supposed to obtain a single entry non-immigrant O visa before arriving in Thailand? It sounds like very specific reasons for obtaining this type visa and the only really plausible way is to obtain a single-entry tourist visa and, once in country, apply for a change of visa status to obtain a 90 day non-immigrant visa entry. Am I correct or am I reading too much into this?

I am a little confused and would appreciate some clarification. I understand the requirements when appyling for a non-immigrant O-A long stay retirement visa in the USA. What I am puzzled about is that I remember someone stating that you could come to Thailand on a different visa and then convert it to an O-A visa without having to go through the hassle of getting a medical certificate and police report back in the USA when applying for an O-A long stay visa there. It sounded much simpler and basically you needed to have 800,000 baht in a bank account and/or proof of 65000 baht income to convert your visa to an O-A non-immigrant visa. What visa would you need initially to go to Thailand in order to be able to convert it to an O-A non-immigrant long stay visa? If you are a U.S. citizen can you just come to Thailand without a visa and then apply for an O-A non-immigrant visa within the first 30 days? Any clarification would be appreciated.

If I get a non-O visa while in Thailand, can I then convert it to a non-immigrant O-A visa to avoid having to go through the bothersome requirements to get a medical and police report? If you can't convert a non-O visa to a non O-A visa, then can you extend your stay for a year based on having the required funds in a bato worry about..nk and being over age 50. I am single so need for a spouse to worry about.

Seeing as how my previous 4 trips to Thailand were on double or triple entry tourist visas, I never needed to go to immigration for a 30 day extension which I understand costs 1900 baht. In the future I will be wanting to stay longer then the 4- 5 months I have been staying and will most likely apply for a non-immigrant visa O-A long stay. I understand you have to report to immigration every 90 days. Is their any fees or expenses associated with the 90 day report to immigration? Also, is it better to apply for the O-A long stay visa in the U.S or wait and do it in Thailand? What are the pros and cons of appying for the O-A long stay visa in the U.S versus waiting and applying in Thailand for this visa? Thank you for any info or advice

Since I have been staying in Chiang Mai for the past 5 winters primarily from the beginning of November until the first part of March when I return to the U.S. I was curious as to how is it residing in Chiang Mai from March until the end of October? By that I mean does the burning of the rice fields and the resultant foul air for a period of time dramatically impact your quality of life? Also, I understand it gets oppressively hot and humid and does that weigh on you considerably? I also understand that you then enter the rainy season and does the incessant rain cause one much angst? I have been told by some blokes that during the rainy season it isn't that bad because the rain is a welcome respite from the oppressive heat. Furthermore I have been told also that generally when it rains, it doesn't last that long. I was just wondering from some full-timers how is living inThailand, and primarily in Chiang Mai all year round, and if you are satisfied with your living arrangements given the realities of the weather? Oh also, do the mozzies drive you mad or do you get acclimated to them? Lastly, is it nicer, during the slow season, not having a bunch of part-time farangs and other ethnic groups coming to Chiang Mai like they do during high season and causing more traffic problems, more pollution, and more problems due to the significant increase in their numbers during the high season? No I am not writing a book, just curious.

That's it. I will NEVER take a bus anywhere in Thailand again. It is like playing Russian roulette. I remember going with my ex-gf to visit her family in Lampang one time. We departed from Chiang Mai and the bus was rickety and water was constantly pouring in the back where we were sitting. It wasn' t raining out so it must have had something to do with the a/c. The bus driver was driving like a madman. He was racing around the curves at breakneck speed and flying down the hills like a bat out of hell. All it would have taken was a tire blowout or some other event to cause the driver to lose control and we would have been crushed like worm. My current gf wants to visit her family in Isan upon my return to chiang mai this fall but I am going to tell her no way Jose am I going by bus. All I read, seemingly ever week, is another bus crash in Thailand with multiple fatalities and many severely injured. It is apparent to me that things are out of control and I am going to avoid riding these buses.

In my travels to various schools and wats that have accompanying schools, I have noticed that inevitably you will have tables set up with offerings of mainly bottles of various sodas. I am a little surprised that the schools are pushing soda on the little blokes. I would think in this day and age, the supposedly informative Thai adults who make these decisions would realize that drinking soda on a steady basis is not ideal and would be offering other substitutes which would be more beneficial and/or healthier for you. I know young folks like sugar but do the adults need to feed that desire, especially in a school setting. Wouldn't it be more advantageous to start promoting a healthier alternative, especially to young impressionable children?

I will staying in Thailand (primarily in Chiang Mai) this October and will be there for 5 months. I will be eligible for social security next January 2015 and was told that I could apply in November 2014. My question(s) are will I be able to apply online while in Thailand? If not, then will I be able to apply at the consulate office in Chiang Mai or will I have to apply online in the Philippines? I understand a lot of business with social security issues is transacted in the Philippines by expats living abroad. Any correct information concerning my applying for social security benefits while in Thailand would be appreciated.

Lots of great advice and information. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences. I have been staying in Chiang Mai during the winter months the last 4 years and now, once again, the air has turned foul and is causing many health problems for the unfortunate folks who are there. Is the air better down south, and if so, maybe that is a solution, to head down there for 4-6 weeks until the air quality improves in Chiang Mai. Any input into what folks do during this period to deal with the foul and insipid air would be appreciated. Maybe it isn't an issue for folks living in southern Thailand?

Some excellent replys and suggestions. I can be a nervous Nellie if I let myself get overwhelmed. I really am an adventurer and just need to decide how to best proceed. As the replys have shown, there are different ways to achieve your desired results. My challenge is to not let inertia stop me from going ahead with my desire to live full-time in Thailand. I have been staying in Thailand on tourist visas but would go for a retirement visa to stay full-time in Thailand. My health plan pays for emergency or urgent care so I would just private pay for less serious medical issues if I needed to. A question I do have is if I opted to have my mail forwarded to me in Thailand, is it reliable and safe or do you have to worry about someone opening up your mail in Thailand?

I have been wintering in Chiang Mai the past 4 years from 1 month initially to 4 months the past 2 winters. I am planning on staying 5 months next winter and would like to try living in Thailand for a full year after that. It seems quite daunting to me because for one, I have a condo back in the U.S which would be vacant for the whole year I was gone. I couldn't rent it out because all my belongings are there and it would be a real pain to try and move everything to a storage center and then have to move everything back after my year was up in Thailand. Secondly, I get quite a bit of mail and I guess I could have it forwarded to a relative for the year I was gone. Thirdly, I don't know how I would be able to do my income tax return because all the documentation is mailed to me in the U.S. and I would be in Thailand for the year. I have some health issues but fortunately I found a great place that suits my needs so that wouldn't be a problem. I am a very organized person and I don't like it when I can't have all my ducks in a row, so to speak, so I am having trouble coming up with a game plan so that I could take care of any business back in the U.S should the need arise while I was in Thailand. Any ideas or suggestions would be much appreciated.

Maestro- A very astute observation. I am planning different scenarios so I can see where you could misconstrue my assertions. In the scenario where I maybe would consider staying for 9 months with a triple-entry tourist visa valid for 6 months, I was addressing the problem in my above-posted reply (#8) with being able to stretch out my tourist visa long enough to encompass the full 9 months of my hypothetical stay considering the need to obtain my tourist visa 2 weeks before my departure to Thailand. I hope this clarifies the situation.

Since I have to apply through the Portland Oregon honorary consulate in order to get a tourist visa valid for 6 months since seemingly all the other consulate offices only issue a tourist visa for 3 months ,which would be no good for me since I am staying anywhere from 4 - 6 months in Thailand, I need to send away for the visa about 2 weeks before I depart for Thailand to assure I get it back in time since I am on the eastcoast of the U.S and the Portland consulate office is on the west coast. Therefore it is issued approximately 2 weeks prior to my departure to Thailand. Therefore in figuring out the utilization of a triple entry tourist visa valid for 6 months, I have determined that since my tourist visa is issued approximately 2 weeks prior to entering Thailand, I can't stretch out my visa for the maximum 270 days since my visa would have expired before I did my second visa run. Therefore I need to either shorten my 6o days before I apply for the 30 day extensions or shorten my 30 day extensions so that when I get ready to utilize my second visa run (actually my 3rd entry into Thailand counting my initial entry when first arriving in Thailand) my last visa run will still be within the 6-month validity for my tourist visa.

Now if I want to do 30 day extensions on all my tourist visa entries, my calculation puts me up at Mae Sai to do a border run on April 28,2015 to implement my 3rd entry which would put me outside of the 6 month window for the validity period which would have run from the date of issue on October 10,2014 until April 10, 2015. Does that create a problem since I would be attempting to implement my 3rd entry and the resultant 60 days plus another extension OR it is not relevant since I began my 3 entry tourist visa within the prescribed period and it doesn't matter that I am utilizing my 3rd entry on April 28,2015, which I explained previously, is outside the 6 month validity period for the triple entry tourist visa which would be issued to me on October 10,2014?

So I am planning on staying in Chiang Mai for 5 months from Oct 25,2014- March 25,2015. I have several questions pertaining to my visa. First off, if it is issued on October 10 and is valid for 6 months, I take it my last border run has to be done before the visa expires. Correct? Secondly,October 25 ( when I arrive in Thailand) until December 22,2014 is 59 days. Can I do my border run on Dec 23 ( the 60th day) ? If so, then does my second entry into Thailand start counting on December 23, 2014? If so, then December 23 until February 19, 2015 would be 59 days. Once again, can I do my border run on February 20, 2015 ( 60th day)? Now, if I start counting after my 3rd entry into Thailand from February 20, 2015 then I reach the 60th day on April 20, 2015 which is more then enough time since I will be departing Thailand on March 25, 2015. Okay now I have another question pertaining to staying for 6 months in Thailand on the same above-mentioned visa since the following year I am planning on staying for 6 months. If my math was correct previously and my visa stay would expire on April 21, 2015, what can I do to get a several day extension since,if I was staying in Thailand for 6 months, I would not be departing until April 25, 2015 and my visa would expire on April 21, 2015 based on my previous calculation? I know you experts will be able to advise me correctly and I appreciate the feedback so I know the best way to proceed. Thanks

I have to do a border run to Mae Sai sometime in the first week or so of February to implement my 3rd entry for my tourist visa. I was wondering if anyone is going up there during that time period, and if so, I would gladly share expenses for the ride up there. My gf has never been up there so she has expressed an interest in going to.

Okay all you back ache sufferers, Does anyone know where you can possibly buy an inexpensive eggcrate or foam rubber padding for my bed. I am having some lower back problems and the mattress I am sleeping on is very hard. Back in the U.S I have an inexpensive eggcrate foam rubber padding that I put on top of my mattress and I am looking for something similar in Chiang Mai. I went to Kad San Kauew Mall and Robinsons Dept Store had a memory foam mattress but I don't want to spend 7000 baht. In the U.S eggcrate or cheap foam rubber 1 inch or so padding can be obtained very inexpensively and if anyone knows who might carry them my back and me would be most appreciated.

Is their a free shuttle to the promenada mall,and if so, do you know the times and pick-up places? Warorot Market area would be the most advantageous for myself. Thanks for any info.

I have 2 questions regarding my tourist visa. The first is " How many days extension can you get if you go to immigration and pay 1900 baht"?. I always thought it was 30 but someone told me you only get around 7 days? The second question is a little complicated so I will try to explain as best as possible. My tourist visa is valid for 6 months and was issued on October 10,2013. I arrived in Thailand on November 6, 2013. I am planning on flying to Cambodia and will be departing on December 14,2013 and arriving in Siem Reap the same day. I will be flying back to Thailand on December 17, 2013. My second question is " do I count December 17 as the first day back in Thailand since I will be needing at some point to either depart the country again or go to immigration to extend my time in Thailand before I depart Thailand on March 6, 2014"?

So I know the fireworks will die down after Loy Kratong but I was wondering why the fascination and seeming obsession for fireworks by the Thais during this celebration. Is it because of an ingrained culture, the thrill of the explosions, the need to eventually cause impairment or loss of ones hearing. I would like to get some other opinions as to why fireworks are so prevalent into the wee hours of the morning by the Thais.

chiang mai- I am not wooloomooloo. You have been very gracious to me and went out of your way to help me when I first arrived in Chaing Mai. I am very thankful for your help. watgate

I am writing this as I am on hold with yahoo customer support. I am hoping they can fix my inability to access my yahoo mail account but in case I can't...... I am on this forum seeking advice. It has been a couple of days now and when I log onto my yahoo mail account I can get into the account but I can not get into my inbox to check my messages. I unfortunately don't have any backup and this is my primary mail account that I utilize to get messages and alerts etc.. I created this outlook account primarily to access Thaivisa. Does anyone have any ideas what needs to be done to enable me to access my yahoo mail account. All my contacts are there and I receive assorted emails and alerts, some of importance through this yahoo mail account. I need some good sound advice as to what needs to be done should I need to change to another provider. I am hoping yahoo customer service will be able to fix this problem such as maybe needing to change my password or maybe there is currently a problem with yahoo mail on there end. Thanks for any info or advice.

Actually, we had a slightly modified version then BillyBodthai's in that if their was someone we didn't like, we would also fill up a paperbag with dog poop, lite it and place it on the front door step and ring the front door bell. We would run like hell around the house and wait for the bloke to get dog poop all over his shoes and feet, and then we would start banging loudly on his rear door. By then he was so pissed off, he would run like a crazed man through his house to the back door all the while spreading dog poop all over his floors and rugs. It was spot on and another victim fell prey to our wicked ways.