keestha

Before going to Malaysia, I had to exchange my Katsikorn ATM card for a different one which can be used abroad. In Malaysia I could indeed use it, but not at all ATM's.

A friend of mine was stamped in till March 31, and her flight is leaving April 1. I advised her to go to Chaengwattana (Bkk immigration office) to get a 7 days extension. So she did, but at Chaengwattana she was told simply not to bother: no problem. She asked about 4 times to reconfirm, and was told the same thing every time.

Stll feeling a bit uneasy about it (so would I), she decided to take a taxi to the airport straight from the hotel on April 1.

In I believe 2004 my old avatar just exited by itself, and this one appeared instead.

But I heard it was possible to cross into Burma at Mae Sai/Tachilek, and travel all the way to the Chinese border, and going back into Thailand at the same crossing. Of course things like this change frequently, am not sure if this still applies.

Further up the coast, same story. We had some rain in Khao Lak yesterday, and a very heavy downpour day before yesterday, the first serious rain since about January 15. Looks like the rainy season is planning to set in early, it has been cloudy here for a while.

By the way steelepulse, doesn't the rain always come from the East? It certainly does here.

Confusing. There are lots of tourists renting cars who only have their home country DL. In case of an accident, would it really make a difference if the home country DL is written in English or not? I am seeing that a Dutch DL for instance is a an ID card type of thing, the only English text on it is "drivers licence".

Did anybody come across real examples of foreign tourists holding only a home country DL, maybe from a non English speaking country, getting into insurance trouble after having an accident?

Don't confront her, it would be loss of face for her and she could become very nasty. Reporting to the police wouldn't do you any good. Just fire her, saying you simply can't afford a housekeeper anymore. Then after a week or so start looking for a new housekeeper. Finding one won't be difficult, just ask any Thai person you know (or possibly a foreigner who has been living here for a long time) if they know anybody who would be interested.

My main e-mail account is at hotmail, and it is convenient for me to have msn messenger running the whole day, so that I can easily check if any mail came in, and I know instantly about new mail when I am working behind the computer.

Since about a month or so, pop ups are appearing constantly that so and so almost surely unknown person requests to be put on my contact list. Of course I always decline. The names often make clear right away it cannot be an acquaintance: who would call herself Cathy444xz?

Wondering now what these people want. A newspaper article I read recently, suggested their aim could be identity theft: getting hold of someone's password, and then mailing everybody in the contact list with a story of having ended up penniless in Wladiwostok, asking for money to be sent by Western Union immediately.

Social security payment is a percentage of your salary, used to be 5%, not sure if this has been changed in the meantime. Half is paid by the employer and the other half by the employee. I believe there is an upper limit to the monthly payment.

Every insured person is assigned a number, which is on the card that you have to show when for instance going to a public hospital for free treatment.

You will also receive 350 baht per month per child so long as you are paying into SS as well.

If you are a man, this only applies when you are legally married.

Subject seems to be funny for the many overweight people.

Driving past a sign "loose weight massage" made me remark to the other people in the car " I need a gain weight massage" - I am 1m.94, and weigh 72 kilos.

During my lifelong fight against weight loss, a few times I tried for long periods the method suggested above of a

daily intake of a large quantity of beer - it sure was fun, but it didn't help. It all depends on your metabolism.

Oh well, often skinny people maintain good health untill they are well into their eighties/nineties.

We make a one night stopover in Hua Hin 2-4 times a year and we always stay at the Subhamitra Hotel (Thais write/pronounce it Subhamit). The Subhamitra has a big secure parking lot, and it is in downtown Hua Hin. An aircon double room with hot water, fridge and TV costs about 800 Baht. There is a swimming pool on the premises, and a small restaurant which is nice for breakfast. Not sure if they have a website, but the tel. number is 032-511208.

OP,

Are you sure this payment came from the tax revenue office, and not from the compulsory health insurance you have as an employee? When my child was born in 2007, I received 15,000 Baht at the health insurance office. Never heard of a tax rebate on this ground, does anybody know more?

Question: If one is convicted of a crime by a Thai court, does one always have the right to appeal, or does this depend on circumstances?

Thanks in advance for any useful input.

If you have AIS or One-2-call, just call 1175 and ask to be removed from their sms partner promotions. They will take you off immediately.

Just called them, they told me the messages would stop ultimately 7 days from now, and that I should call them again again in case the messages wouldn't stop. Will keep you posted.

Since about 2 months or so I am constantly being pestered with text message advertisements coming in on my mobile phone. It could have something to do with the fact that I have had this number since 1999, and that the number is registered on the name of my Thai company limited, and also my telephone number is listed on quite a few websites.

Especially when I am driving it is quite irritating, because I have to stop and take a look at it because it could be something that has to do with my business.

Is there any way to get rid of these ads, like a number you can call in order to request to be put on a no call list?

Thanks in advance for useful input.

What kind of goods is powerbuy selling?

Deep Sea,

I hope you don't mind me asking you, but I am curious to know why it should be an all girls school by all means?

Excellent thread. I am not into real estate business, but often people who intend to settle in the area where I live, ask me about leasing/buying property. I have always told them that as far as leasing is concerned, 30 years is the maximum they can really count on, providing things are done properly.

After having read the above, I won't change my line yet.

I smoke, but I stick to the rules, and I never smoke when being too close to non smokers.

Would it still be allowed, if a gasstation doesn't have a smoking area, to smoke inside the car with windows closed, only to open them when back on the highway? After 200 KM driving non stop I really need a cigarette, and I never smoke whilst driving, because it would make me drive less safely.

Talking about earthquakes, we should never forget the scale is logarithmic and not linear.

Quoted from a US Government website:

" as an estimate of energy, each whole number step in the magnitude scale corresponds to the release of about 31 times more energy than the amount associated with the preceding whole number value. "

Yesterday 23/2 I did my 90 day reporting, date stamped was 2/3, so I can confirm you can do the reporting up to 7 days before the day on the stamp.

But my question is: my next reporting date is May 23, but then I might be in a different part of Thailand. Would it be possible to do the reporting at an immigration office there, or do you have to do it at the immigration office in the province where you reside?

I am aware it should be possible to report by mail, but the last time I questioned my local immigration office about this, they said that you have to come in person.

One to add is the Thai people doing surveys. They just want to get your information to sell you something or make you some offer. They could care less about the information you are giving them. They usually stand in front of Robinsons or near the Landmark.

Might happen yes, but every time I was approached for a survey, it was just Thai students who where given a "survey" assignment by the school to give them the chance to practice their English by talking with foreigners.

The thursday issue of the Bankok Post, classifieds section, always has lots of ads for package tours to places like Japan, Hongkong, Singapore and I think also South Korea (Am I right in assuming you don't want to take your mum to Pyongyang?). The prices I often find amazingly low, but I would be afraid they put you up in a very much out of the way hotel.

Researching layers of sand deep underneath the ground in Phangnga and Ranong, scientists concluded that 600 years ago a similar event took place. So it makes more sense to worry about traffic accidents, diseases and human violence.

And Woohoo is right: in 2004 nobody was prepared, but now there is a warning system in place and everybody is aware of the remote possibility, which will save a lot of, if not all lives.