HidyHo

Again, I'm not trying to compare one culture to another. I'm just asking what are the things that you noticed that are slightly different to your own.

Why so many take someone as saying "This is different than what I'm accustomed to" as being "This is wrong and I'm right"?

You need to learn to be more "sabai sabai" ... your posts come off as very defensive and your observance of difference can appear to be condescending/judgmental. Perhaps if you mix some "positive" differences.

I'm also a musing American.

Yup ... I just went to Tawandang for the first time this weekend and thought it was very similar to Coliseum from old days.

The place gets crowded on weekend night so may need to book in advance. The quality of food, service and entertainment was excellent.

I've drove to and around Kanchanaburi using Google and it didn't always give good dirction.

Check out City lodge Soi19, B1300 great location, recently refurbed

This place would be the closest to T21 for sure, compared to other recommendations. Practically next door to T21. Given it's location, it's decent price and a place to stay (have stayed here two times before).

I know a Thai girl from Switzerland who always stay at Honey Inn but it's a bit farther up the soi.

I find it strange the water pumped "seized" without warning, this throughs some doubt on your story. You would normally get weeks, if not months, of warning, the bearing makes a lot of noise. One thing about Thai "mechanics" many have no idea about belt tension, their way to adjust is to make it as tight as possible, this put to much pressure on any bearing resulting in premature wear.... but still giving considerable warning.

Really? This is what you got out of OP's post?

I work offshore. And I had been living in Thailand for 9 years. I was refused entry 2 Months ago, so I got a flight to the Philippines. I love it there, and I WILL NOT be returning to Thailand. The Filipino lasses can have some of my money instead. And they can all speak good English. No such issues with Visas, and Beaches there would knock spots on anything Thailand has to offer. So its a no brainer and win win, me,.. And, lose lose for Thailand...... Simple eh ?

Where in Philippines are you based out of?

Simply Google "Paleo Bangkok" and you will see a service by Paleo Robbie.

Well, I'm definitely NOT going to BIDC after reading this thread ....

Newbies with low post counts who appear to be shilling for their service makes me go hmmmmmmm ...

Just educate me ... in the just over 2 hour flight, do Singapore Airlines do a full service meal?

"Again, at meal times flight attendants ENFORCE raising seats anyway ..."

Humm ... our experiences are different on that one.

Have done the international trip into/out of Thailand more then 40 times ... never see the request to raise the seat to the upright position once when meals are served.

I fly SIN to BKK return flight at least once a month (for last three years) and travel to USA once or twice a year. I fly Singapore Air most of the time and they do enforce raising the seat at meal time.

Easiest option (maybe not the cheapest) is to go to 4th floor Emporium to Power Mall and look around.

Very small company not too worried about that. I don't know about Thailand but from what I gather the Philippines doesn't care about my income. The company is not based here, it has no operations at all in the Philippines, I'm paid in dollars to my US checking account. For all intents and purposes I'm a tourist with a laptop. Only giving to the economy, not taking. They really have no claim to the money at all.

I even claim the foreign earned income credit and pay no US federal taxes. That is the thing I'm worried about but I've actually checked with multple accountants and they agree that all that matter is that you are a resident of another country and that is where you performed the work. You can either be a legal resident and have a visa or simply be outside of the US for more than 330 full days. I answered totally honestly on turbo tax and it too agrees that I qualify to exclude all my income up to $97,600 from federal income tax.

I'm sure you must know about this though especially if you are paying foreign taxes on the money you might as well be excluding all of it from US tax.

Your example is how you and I meet the US taxation requirement but does not address potential local/legal tax requirements. I can understand the "giving to local economy" logic but that may not meet the legal local requirement.

(Un)fortunately, I am taxed both in USA and here ... I think USA is only "developed" country to have global taxation which means the guy from UK who's paid same amount as me gets to take more money home than me

Anyway, I'm not a preacher ... my posts are just food for thought.

I'll be using my laptop for 40+ hours a week in connect with my job in the US. Yeah I guess some here feel that is wrong. But I'm not employed in Thailand and not taking any jobs from any one there.

I'm not so sure about the elite card. I think I'd rather start learning Thai on a ED visa but I'm a little concerned they want too much time in class per week but I'd still like to consider it.

Not sure if you care or not, but you might be putting your company at risk by changing your work location. This is strictly prohibited in my company. I, too, work for US based company and am not working/based out of Singapore office (where I have work permit and pay local tax in addition to my US tax).

I can, theoretically, can work anywhere as well. However, my company policy will not allow this as I might not meet local legal requirement (i.e. if I were to live/work remote from BKK without Thai work permit and paying local taxes). This can make the company liable as well.

I'm not a Thai tax expert but I think your plan can make you Thailand resident subject to taxation.

There is this new thing out called 3G.

Or 4G through True ...

Its amazing how judgemental some people can be.

The OP told us what he did, he was not smug or gloating he simply reported fact. People in the same boat as him may have read his post and thought its about time they followed suite, so he may of even helped more people choose the legal way and done a service to the Country.

Some of the comments here are beyond belief

+1 ...

More I read this forum, less I'm likely to read the entire thread or keep following it. There are just too much unnecessary "noise" to filter out.

I rented fro Avis Thailand.  They took out 20K for deposit when I rented teh car.  After I returned the car, they made a separate charge for the rent and told me the same thing about the deposit.  The money was credited back to my CC within a week.

Where is good place to get a Mazda in Thailand (especially BKK)?  Assuming there are multiple dealer/sources to purchase the car, are prices fairly standard?  Or, are there room for negotiation?

When purchasing a new car, I've heard that insurance and maintenance for first 5 years are typically included in the purchase price? 

I'm thinking of buying a car in BKK as well around same range.

What is LP forums?

I assume LP stands for Lonely Planet ...

Google Healthland Asoke and Urban Retreat.

You can walk to Urban Retreat which is on other side of Sukhumvit near Asoke BTS station. Healthland Asoke is near Terminal 21 and a bit of walk. Healthland is fairly busy and you might have to call to make appointment (they speak English) - a lot of Asian cliente here.

I've commented this on the other thread regarding this card but I'm going to do so again. 

 

3 years ago I sold my 50% share in a business I had run for 8 years. Also around the same time before I moved out to Thailand I accepted an offer to develop an online application in exchange for 50% equity in the company. This solution is now working, profitable and requires no input at all from myself. This has put me in a position where for the time being I can have a reasonable lifestyle without working. 

 

I'm about to apply for a tourist visa - the Elite card sounds perfect but for me it's too much of a risk. If it was guaranteed that you got a 5 year visa with no chance of the rules being changed and the visa being revoked in the future then it would be a no brainer, however being able to afford £10k and gambling £10k on something that's already had a shaky history (if accounts on the forum are to be believed) are completely different things. 

Regarding risk with Elite card, when it was introduced for 1 million baht, I shared same concern and didn't get one.  My friend got one and he's been using it ever since.  That was what, like through 3 or 4 different "governments"???
 

I don't think I've ever read online where anyone with the card complaint about the it ... just sayin'.

 

They may be doing well and be able to easily afford 500k; I'm not. Maybe in a few years. It's a good thing that the Elite card exists but I'm more likely to head to Cambodia or the Philippines while I work on improving my finances.

 

At least you are somewhat honest about it ...

I know a lot of people working "online" and more doing "freelance" work (we call it contract work in USA) and I don't know anyone in that line of work who can't afford 500,000 baht for 5 year visa.  Especially if it can be written off as business expense.

I can understand some who are NOT willing to pay for it considering other issues (political blah blah ... work permit/legality ambiguity) but it seems like there are more that simply cannot afford this option.

I give up.

I'm not sure where this 5 years for THB 20,000 comes from or the THB 500,000 mentioned earlier. According to the Elite site, there is only one type of individual membership and it runs for 20 years. This now costs THB. 2 million plus VAT up front PLUS an annual charge of THB. 20,000 plus VAT.

Qualifications for membership are not onerous -

6.1 Being sui juris under Thai law at the age of or over twenty (20) years old;

6.2 Being allowed to stay in Thailand in accordance with the immigration laws or any related law of Thailand;

6.3 Holding a foreign passport;

6.4 Not having been adjudicated bankrupt;

6.5 Not having been declared as a person of unsound mind, incompetence, or quasi-incompetence; and

6.6 Not having been sentenced by a judgment to imprisonment in any countries except for an offence committed through negligence

http://www.thailandelite.com/job.php

Read the website more carefully and Google is your friend. Look for Thailand Easy Access Membership on http://www.thailandelite.com/glimpse.php for 5 yr membership.

I think FB is down all over .. not just in Thailand.