Horatio Poke

I'm a UK citizen living in Isaan.  I will be renewing my British passport soon.  I note that the UK passport photo requirements are very specific and frankly beyond the capabilities of our local photo/print shop.  So, I'll need to prepare my photos in Bangkok.

Under the circumstances I'd be grateful if any members have any experience and can recommend a good photo/print shop or photographer in Bangkok (preferably not too far from the Trendy Building, Sukhumvit Soi 13) who'll probably get things right first time for a modest fee.  Accessible premises would be a help too.  I'm old and past my best so steep stairs and steps are a no go for me.

Thanks in anticipation for your help.

".... will I be disappointed" - ....the unanswerable question.

I guess it depends on what you're seeking.... and whether you find it.

Good luck!

You do appear to be eminently qualified

It must be difficult to know what to do with a large lump of cash every  month.  I look forward to reading others' suggestions as to where the OP might best stick it.

In answer to the original question, " Do you think if I encourage her to roll her 'r' it will help her? " my answer is Yes it often helps when a word begins with R.  It is my experience that it makes the speaker very aware of when a word begins with an R, so more than actually helping directly with pronunciation it in fact increases awareness of how a word should be spoken.

Rolling Rs  is counterproductive when the R is within a word  i.e. "parade" and "mirage" are very difficult to pronounce with rolled Rs and the "palace-Paris difficulty" is as much to do with listening skills as with pronunciation skills.

I say "kop khun kap" whenever it pleases me to do so and I would advise anyone else to do the same, in Thai or English.  If it feels right, do it.  Your partner advises the same - " My Thai partner tells me it's ok to say thanks if I want....".  That seems like excellent advice to me.

I see no need to apologise or feel awkward about being courteous and if others are so ignorant and uncouth as to laugh at your dedication to courtesy, respect and good manners then it says a lot more about them than it says about you, none of which shows them in a good light.

Thanks for starting this discussion,

and good luck.

2 hours ago, OJAS said:

Allied to the various points raised in this thread, I think, is the fundamental issue of how accessible immigration offices are, in general, for those with mobility challenges. Certainly my local office (Rayong) has a ramp leading up to the front door from the pavement, but are they the exception rather than the rule in this regard as far as immigration offices are concerned?

I have in the past visited offices at Chaeng Wattana Bangkok, Soi Suan Plu Bangkok, Imperial Lad Prao Bangkok, Kap Choeng Surin, and Buriram.  All have ramps and or dropped curbs.  Some have wheelchairs available too.  The only ramp that I could find at Imperial was tucked away behind some stalls, very steep, and required a step up a high curb to access it.  Maybe there's an easier ramp elsewhere in the building.  The ramp at Kap Choeng is steep but short.  All other immigration office ramps that I've seen are OK.

13 hours ago, MAZ3 said:

....I don't think they can hold your money in an account, as I believe they don't have private Banking?. .... Good luck

 

My understanding is the same as MAZ3's, but I would suggest that you contact Bangkok Bank to confirm one way or the other.

I note with some concern that both onshore and offshore banking opportunities for UK expats are diminishing.  However it does seem to me that although current account opportunities are disappearing savings accounts in Jersey, Guernsey, and the Isle of Man are still fairly readily available.  My guess is that these are suitable for receiving and holding private and state pension payments and subsequently forwarding them as lump sums to Thailand.  It's a possibility that you might wish to consider.

Good luck!

30 minutes ago, tgeezer said:

Perhaps you can write thong nai in Thai Horatio, I don't know it.


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

My guess and subsequent interpretation is that "thong nai" is in fact "trong nai" where the R has either been dropped by the speaker or not noticed by the OP, as often is the case with the polite particle "krap" (often pronounced and or heard as "k'ap").  In the context of the original post I guessed that "thong nai" was a representation of "t'ong nai"/trong nai.

I have used transliterated Thai in this thread because the OP did so.  My feeling is that my response to the OP would be diminished by complicating it with Thai script.

In everyday speech as you describe I would understand:-

"tee nai?" as "where"

"thong nai?" as "where?" and or "exactly/precisely where?"

and, if I understand your transcription OK:-

"tee noon?" = "there" and or "over there"

"fang noon" = "that side"

I hope the above is helpful.

My Thai relatives agree with "Mrs Somporn"  (and so do I) but add that the surname looks to be Simonite (nite pronounced as in "night", so Sim-mo-night).  They would pronounce the final T.  They see the first syllable of the surname as confusing/unclear but agree that the first consonant looks to be "Sor Soh".

41 minutes ago, Briggsy said:

What is a prostate massage?

Somewhere between 1,000 and 5,000 baht, so I'm told....

It would seem to me to be prudent to avoid using any of the bottom-end massage shops though.

Was it made of plastic?  If so then my best guess is that it's an old discarded hairbrush.

ตอแหล is the accepted translation for BS.  It's equally as vulgar as BS but is not as flexible in its meaning.  BS can mean "lies" or "nonsense/rubbish/garbage" (colloquially "rubbish/garbage", not literally).   ตอแหล is almost always used only for "lies" or as a fairly confrontational way of calling someone out as a liar.

There are better ways than the vulgar ตอแหล if you wish to call someone out as a liar.

I concur with p_brownstone's explanation of a playful use for ตอแหล but even so seek other less dangerous ways to be playful when speaking Thai.

There are plenty of dismissive expressions that you could use.  They vary from polite and friendly to vulgar and confrontational.  If you don't speak any Thai I'd advise avoiding them all because you'd be inviting a discussion in Thai that you'd be unable to participate in. 

If you speak a little Thai I'd advise to sticking with something simple within your present range  i.e. "I think that it's a waste of time/money/effort/etc" and be prepared to defend your opinion from there.

I'm with Briggsy 100% on this one.

No, but since yesterday I'm having problems with gmail.  It will only load the first page of my messages with no links to further pages in basic html mode.  If I go to standard mode it loads all messages, but slowly.

1 hour ago, khwaibah said:

 

BAAC or Bank for Agriculture and Agriculture Cooperative is for Thais only not for a foreigner. 

You are wrong.

I, a foreigner, have two accounts with our local BAAC branch, which is why I asked KCI if they would accept a BAAC account and covering letter for extension of stay purposes in the first place.

I opened my two BAAC accounts quite separately several months apart.  The first account that I opened was an instant access account with passbook and ATM card exactly the same as my Bangkok Bank accounts.  I opened it with 500 Baht and my passport.  I was welcomed with open arms.  I have since found that BAAC offers excellent service.

I was told last year by Kap Choeng Immigration that any deposit in BAAC bank would not be accepted.  I used by Bangkok Bank instant access savings account for the proof without problem.

"tdua ngern tdua tong" is correct.

"hia" and "dtua hia" are vulgar but arguably still correct as an everyday term for the animal.  They are commonly used.

"hia" is used in other expressions too. I've never used it and never will.  I strongly recommend that you avoid using it and understand how vulgar and inappropriate it is when you hear others using it.

I think that you've rather answered your own question in that if you can't see the point of learning Thai then for you it is a pointless endeavour.

Re your question,

"If I am obviously unable to reproduce the correct sounds so that a Thai person can understand/interpret it correctly... ...then should I just be honest to myself and say that I obviously haven´t got what it takes to speak Thai in a way that locals understand?"

If that's the case then Yes.

Bluetooth Tethering is relatively slow. http://www.imore.com/usb-vs-bluetooth-vs-wi-fi-whats-best-way-tether-your-mac-your-iphone-or-ipad

Super link!!! Very useful and informative article. Thanks.

The advantage that the MiFi have over USB 'aircards' is that you don't need Drivers in order to get them to work with your computer. So you aren't limited in that way.

The downside is that they are more expensive, especially in Thailand. Expect to pay at least 1500 baht and then perhaps a bit more to get it unlocked for use with every network, if it is a model from TRUE.....

USB modems (dongles) are a bit of a waste of money these days. They will all work with AIS as long as they are not branded TRUE or DTAC.

You might also be able to tether using your Smartphone if you have one......

OP! do not look for dongle!Listen to Jiu-Jitsu!Do you have smart phone or tablet?most of them

offer tethering:smartphone/tablet connected to mobile internet can deliver it to your laptop in

3 ways:by USB wire or by Wi-Fi hotspot or by BlueTooth - you will shoot 2 birds with 1 stone.

For me having an OPPO R7plusf:

1) press settings

2) under general (which starts with 'wifi setting') press 'more'

3) next screen: switch on the option 'Bluetooth tehtering'

4) now this device is your 'hotspot'

Take other device (telephone etc), switch on wifi and select the wifi address from your 'hotspot device' and enter the password, which was somewhere during this process provided - but I cannot remember where, and there you are. In my case the password was '12345678' (not too difficult).

The above three posts give excellent advice. Thanks guys!!!

I have just followed Halfaboy's step by step instructions and my smartphone works fine as a wifi hotspot. This will save me and my wife recharging three SIMs with 3g service. We should save about 150 baht per week. And of course I should never need to buy an aircard or mini/pocket wifi again.

It remains to be seen just how fast, reliable and convenient this smartphone wifi hotspot arrangement turns out to be but for my modest requirements I'm quietly confident that it should be adequate.

Re Halfaboy's step by step instructions:

My own phone is slightly different but essentially the same as described. The key points are....

press settings>under general (which starts with 'wifi setting') press 'more'>next screen: switch on the option 'Bluetooth tehtering'

The "press 'more' " to get to tethering is the important part, and the part which I would never have found without help. Once you've done that the rest is easy-peasy.

A couple of quick points:-

1) I was quoted 1,690 baht at our local shop for a mini/pocket wifi that would service up to 10 devices at any one time and would accept any SIM card. I think that the price was negotiable, probably down to 1,650 or 1,600 baht. My smartphone seems to have a limit of 5 devices at any one time which is more than enough for me and definitely more than enough for a 3g connection.

2) I've used all the major providers' services but found that I get on best with AIS. It seems to me that the best AIS packages can always be found on the company's Thai language webpages.

Great thread. I have an OPPO R7plusf and by pushing only one button I can make this telephone the wifi hotspot for other devices. Never thought that I could manage things like this.

Have fun....

This sounds excellent, and is something that had never occurred to me.... unsurprisingly enough.

I have a couple of smartphones that run Andriod. What controls/settings do I need to operate to make one of them my wifi hotspot?

I use an aircard and it works well, but nowadays I note that they are not available locally. People around here have started to use "mini wifi" which is a tiny battery and/or mains operated wifi unit that you put a SIM in and then can then send 3G service to all your devices. I've never tried one, but I've a feeling that I will have no choice in the future.

These mini wifi units are available in our local mobile phone shop, which is where I bought my current aircard many years ago. Whatever you end up buying make sure that it will work with your SIM card of choice. Many aircards and mini wifis are restricted to a one particular service provider.

Good luck.