stephen tracy

15 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

I am not sure the are asking tourists for a TM30 report at Chaeng Wattaan. If needed their have been reports of them letting you do the report yourself.

Since has been some time since you gotten a tourist visa KL or Vientiane would do one.

Thanks Jo, what about the proof of where I'm staying in Thailand thing? I think I'll give Vientiane a miss as now it looks like you need and appointment. I read one member's comment from August that suggested Ho Chi Minh is fairly painless but their website also mentions the proof of accommodation thing. I'm sure I never did that in the past anywhere 

Hi all, just arrived back in LoS 2 days ago on 30 day visa exemption after being away for 2 years. My landlord is reluctant to do the TM30 thing for me so I may not be able to go to Chang Wattana to get an extension after 30 days is up. So, it looks like I'll have to go and get an SETV from somewhere. In the past I used to get SETVs from KL or Vientiene mostly but they both sound like a headache now. One thing I've noticed is that it now seems to be a requirement in lots of places to show proof of accommodation in Thailand. I don't ever remember having to do that before. Again, don't know if my landlord will give me a letter with a copy of his ID. Is it strictly enforced? Or can I just make a cheap hotel booking for a few days to show them? Thanks in advance!

On 11/2/2019 at 5:28 PM, ubonjoe said:

You apply the morning of one day and pickup the next afternoon at the embassy in Kuala Lumpur.

Link to the checklist for a tourist visa application and the appointment site is on this page.

http://www.thaiembassy.org/kualalumpur/th/services/99061-Visa-Requirements-II.html

Thanks Ubon. Is Penang still like it used to be? I just got back to Thailand yesterday with a 30 day visa exempt thing. My landlady says she's never heard of TM30 so I think it would be unwise of me to try and extend for another 30 days at the beginning of December so was thinking of going to Penang to get a full SETV. Been a while since I've had to deal with any of Thailand's visa rules so any advice or tips would be most welcome. In short, where is the best place to get one that isn't tppp far away?

Thanks for all the replies. Yesterday I emailed the landlady of the flat I'm planning to rent to ask her about this, and she said she'd never heard of the TM30 but will "look into it". I guess as long as I don't have to go to immigration I should be ok? No fine at airport when leaving?

Thanks guys. That's a relief! What will they come up with next? Electronic tags? Is it part of the TAT's new scheme to attract tourists? 

Hi all, I left Thailand just before the coup (the latest one) but am due to go back next month for a few weeks. I've read online about some new system whereby I have to register my address with the authorities but I don't really fully understand it. I'll be staying in a hotel in BKK for the first 2 nights and then moving into a rented apartment for a weeks after that. Do I need to inform the police or immigration of both addresses? Sounds a bit nuts, but then in Thailand something like that wouldn't entirely surprise me, Anyway, all advice would be much appreciated. 

Hi @Rob4, I did two EDs back to back no problem. I did actually get taken to the Ministry of Education mid-way during the second one by my school for a test. Only 2 or 3 other people from my school had to go. Bit of a lottery to be honest on how they selected who would go. Anyway, I was actually taking the course seriously so I passed the test easily. One guy with me didn't but he was also attending regularly at the school, he struggled to learn the language but it was obvious he was trying so he didn't have any problems in the end either. I never tried to apply for a third one so don't know if that would have worked out or not. Good luck!

3 hours ago, Don Chance said:

If you want to be a proper Digital Warrior you need  a second passport and a third country with a bank account. That way your earnings go into a lower tax country instead of your home country.  And it is perfectly legal.

 

Thailand or any other country maybe be aware of what you are doing online so it would be a good idea to us a VPN.

I've always used a Thai bank account for my salary to be paid into. I move it around after that to a couple of different accounts. I still use it now even though I haven't been to Thailand in about 18 months. Perhaps I ought to think about having it paid into a different account. 

3 hours ago, Shoban said:

Malaysia is welcoming digital nomads under the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) scheme.

 

It used to be a 'retirement' programme but has since gone through a major revamp and welcomes anyone 'above 21' for this very reason. 

 

A couple of notable nomads have made the move including recently one from Singapore to Malaysia.

 

Big plus over Thailand is the language and work culture. I met a Swiss guy couple weeks back been working in Bangkok and (his words) he said he is tired of the lacks work culture in Thailand where nothing seems to ever get done. Kuala Lumpur is vastly different with many different tech clusters and co-working spaces all over the city.

 

English is also the second language of the country and in the city you could very well think it is their first language.

 

Anyway, you can find more about the MM2H scheme at www.movetomalaysia.co.uk

Thanks for the link @Shoban. I'll take a look.

18 hours ago, Chelseafan said:

The average Thai doesn't care. I've spoken to quite a few people and they preferred the military controlled government. As they see it there was less corruption and if the police didn't sort out your problem, the army certainly did.

Even the missus, who is better educated about politics than most likes Prayut.

 

 

What? Less corruption? Prayuth wrote the playbook on corruption. This is why he has openly threatened anyone that questions his enormous wealth. 

6 hours ago, Hotrudester said:

I visit 8-9 countries per year and take about 80 flights per annum. I have had this type of incident happen in many other countries including the UK (for my Thai wife). This celebrity was probably tired, hot, angry and so he mouths off. Why the big fuss and reaction. He is a very small fish in a very big pond. If you do not like what you have to put up with at times in the country you live in then simple-MOVE!! 

Yeah, just move. That's the solution. God forbid the authorities should ever actually address the issue. 

8 hours ago, Orton Rd said:

I thought he was Australian!

Same thing, no?

6 hours ago, RAZZELL said:

4 hours ago, Jaxxper said:

Go over to the darkside said Darth Vader....that's where we live. All the things that keep a guy alive are over there and when you want a bash you're just a Thb 100 MC taxi ride away from town or grab a Baht bus for 300/400 each way. Typically on a good night out you wouldn't miss it especially if its split between a few. 

What pubs have beer at 100 baht a pint?

 

RAZZ

The Dark Side may appeal to some but I went to Pattaya once and lasted 24 hours before fleeing back to BKK. I was glad to finally see the place but it worse than I even expected. 

I would try my luck with S'pore or KL instead of BKK for IT jobs. The pay will be much better, there wont be any language barrier issues in IT in either, and you can easily visit BKK from either any time. Good luck. 

On 5/17/2019 at 7:05 AM, geoffbezoz said:

Going back a few years now but I once saw 3 motorcycle taxis not riding on the pavement in Sukhumvit ????

Liar!

9 hours ago, wgdanson said:

 

After two weeks in the fermenter I usually syphon into a 10 litre glass container, hence only doing 6 litres. Put a Camden tablet in and it stops the fermenting and prevents oxidisation. A week in there and then into the bottles. Mine seems to clear quite nicely itself. Then I store the bottles under the sink for a month if I can wait that long. And a couple of days in the fridge before supping.

It's not Beajolais Nouvea, but it has the desired effect at minimal cost. Makes good Sangria too.

Thanks for the tip mate. I didn't know it was that easy, will give it a try for sure. I think I'll name my first batch Danson's Creek in you honour. 

Lots of good and informative replies here. For me personally, I lived on Samui for 6 months and realised that island life was not for me.  I felt claustrophobic after a while. 

11 hours ago, brokenbone said:

31-40k, of which the damned smoking i just got back into takes 10k.

2 years smoke free went to hell after i

drank beer almost every day with an old friend that made a trip back to thailand

The exact same thing happened to me. Two years smoke free and then ended up in London for 2 weeks going out most nights with a bunch of old university friends, all of whom still smoked. Haven't been able to kick them again since. Ashamed of myself. 

For a good night out book a table (with a view of the stage) at Tawan Deng on a Friday night. Fun! One of the best travel experiences I had in Thailand was me and a friend renting a car in Chiang Mai and driving through the mountains to Chiang Rai. I wasn't all that taken with either city, but the journey between is some of the coolest scenery I've ever seen. Stopped at some cool attractions on the way too. 

Yep, it's a stupid rule for sure, but at the end of the day, if you're really bored and want to go somewhere for a few beers, you can always find somewhere. I know a couple of places in BKK that never stop serving on these "holidays". But they shouldn't subject tourists to this nonsense. If I had booked a room in somewhere like the Oriental for my holiday and was not allowed to enjoy a sunset cocktail on the terrace or wine with dinner, I'd be pretty annoyed by that. It's also, quite simply, bad for business. 

Regarding the language, yes, grammatically very different, not to mention the tones (which look harder than they are at first), but idiomatically, it's often surprising similar. 

18 hours ago, Briggsy said:

Whilst I understand that military forces around the world need to be in a state of readiness, I would like to point out that the Stryker is a substantial armoured vehicle designed for battlefield operations.

 

I am confident that this is yet another in a string of military hardware purchases that will never be used or need to be used to even a fraction of its potential. They will be left to rot along with the submarines and the aircraft carrier, the fighter jets and the tanks until there is no longer the slightest hope that they will ever be returned to anything approaching usable condition.

 

One would think they could come up with a way to rort the budget without so much incredible waste. Let's say half is creamed off. That's $US 40 million. Why not just take the $US 40 million and not bother with the armoured vehicles. It would save the country the other $US 40 million.

I read that they weren't effective against other combat vehicles but were better suited to urban use as they can be rapidly maneuvered into sheltered areas such as buildings or other structures where troops can be rapidly deployed. Put within the context of Thailand's political current political situation, it looks like Prayuth is planning ahead. 

3 hours ago, elgenon said:

I thought it was very good. Not often do you see a story that champions art and music and something off the beaten track. Some Thai girls have told me they enjoyed Maggie Choos. Never even mentioned the Grand Palace. Good on that.

 

I will google The Jam Factory and the Bamboo Bar. Always looking for art and music in Bangkok.

 

Missed where it said to stay at the Mandarin.

Jam Factory is great but book in advance for weekends (at least it used to be like that). The perfect way to do it is go to Viva Aviv bar in River City directly opposite JM on the river (Silom side), have a couple of cold beers to wet your appetite and watch the sunset (cool view from there), and then jump on the little ferry that goes very 10 minutes. I haven't been in BKK for a couple of years but I did that a few times as I lived nearby RC. Enjoy!