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23 hours ago, BenDeCosta said:

I'm seriously considering turning one of those big clay water containers in my wife's garden into a tandoor. It wouldn't take much, and can get all the spices from ZingStreet. 

I thought about that too. Please keep us updated. 

When buying a ticket I always start with an (any) airlines website price and then l use that as my reference price with the agents. In my experience you almost always can get the same and sometimes a better price with airline. Sometimes the difference is very small in an agents favour but then you have to weigh that up against the integrity of the agency and without being disrespectful to Thailand, there may be risks involved.

Last year my wife had a ticket to Europe with Qatar but their flights were then suspended. They offered to re-book but always no flights. KLM were still flying so flew with them and cancelled Qatar. Qatar head office refused any refund, it was a cheap ticket. Contacted Qatar in Europe and full refund issued. 

14 hours ago, Oxx said:

 

I'm guessing that should be "domicile", and there's no such rule.  In fact, domicile is extremely hard to lose.  One can live abroad for decades and still be UK-domiciled in the eyes of HMRC.

There's a huge difference between 'domicile' and 'resident'. It's very difficult to lose domicile status which means the Revenue will/may always have an interest in you. Not to be confused with being Non-resident. 

On 12/23/2020 at 12:48 PM, samsensam said:

 

so set one up via family or friend.

 

a reminder here that it's worth maintaining a uk address, easy to do and prevents awkward issues like this

That's possible as I have a daughter in the UK but as I only use the card when I'm there on holiday it's not worth the hassle.

On 12/22/2020 at 11:23 AM, BritManToo said:

Natwest mobile phone app allows 1000 gbp transfer per day with no authentication.

I use the phone app to send money to Transferwise, then use the accumulated Transferwise amounts to Thailand.

 

You may need to phone NatWest to set up the phone app.

The Natwest App is no longer available unless you have a UK address. I spent a long time in one of their branches trying to make it work before they confirmed with Tech support, only available for UK addresses.

On 10/13/2020 at 7:34 AM, Fat George said:

Thanks - this is how I see it at as well. I am regular contact with my travel agent. 

 

They have offered me a Thai Airways 'voucher' valid for up to 2 years, but I don't really want that option. I paid for my journey in cash ( BKK - LHR - BKK ) about 6 months early back in January. The flight was then cancelled by them in in late May, a few weeks before departure. A full cash refund is what I'm after. 

 

Going forward, I don't think people will be so quick to pay for 'good deals' on prices 6 months in advance. As a result, airlines' cash flow will look a lot different when this is all over ( and so will mine ). I believe companies with last minute deals will come out of this in a stronger position. 

 

 

I would suggest buy tickets from a European airline, there are strong EU laws to protect consumers, I used half of a KLM return to get back to EU and have just received a 50% refund for the unused half.

On 6/22/2020 at 2:01 PM, DeaconJohn said:

I married a Thai national in the early 1980s.

Because she was a nurse at a government hospital in Chiang Mai, I qualified for total healthcare including meds. 

About seven or eight years ago she retired and that would have ended my coverage if our eldest daughter, who is a C-7 civil servant at a government ministry in Bangkok, didn't transfer me to her health plan.

The transition was seamless and I continue to enjoy a satisfactory level of healthcare at Maharat [Suan Dawk] Hospital

    Good luck to you.

 

My wife, formerly a nurse in a government hospital retired several years ago yet her her parents and myself are still fully covered, a parent in ICU and I've had an MRT scan, no problems.

Agreed but my comment was aimed at those worried about being spied upon.

A similar App was used in Singapore very successfully. The App tracks your movements, like Google Time line but also records the phone details of anyone near you (needs Bluetooth on for this). Then, if someone comes down with the virus, the health people can find all the people you were in contact with and test them too.

As I said, I believe it was a major reason for Singapore to keep on top of the virus.

Or just buy some Wax earplugs (from a Chemist shop), the're soft and you can mould them into your ear shape and they really do block all noises.

They work for me.

On 11/26/2019 at 12:38 AM, stevenl said:

What top job in the EU, you mean the ones that were settled a few months ago?

 

Ex politicians don't get jobs like that.

Your wrong, Junker was former PM of Luxembourg, Barroso from Spain, von Hofstadt ex PM from Belgium, Leon Brittan former top Tory etc etc. They are all former politicians.

Unfortunatley his wife will receive no UK State pension, today everyone must pay in to the system for 10 years before being eligible. She may be entitled to a single bereavement allowance though. Of course there may be a private insurance/pension scheme available.

Don`t know about any child support.

13 hours ago, Enoon said:

 

Obviously a total s****** for what he and Bush did to the Middle East, and the consequences it had for the rest of the world.

 

However he's well and truly "off the pitch" now, not looking for votes, and can provide a reasoned, pragmatic, objective view.

 

As do many other "senior politicians", now on the "sidelines".

 

He's right.

 

 

I think you're too kind. I suspect he's aiming for the top job in the EU and will do/say anything that may get it for him.

El Arenal beach is the Spanish equivalent of Pattaya beach, no more representative of Spain than Pattaya is of Thailand.

If you still have Polish nationality it shouldn't be a problem. EU law allows any member moving to another EU country to bring his wife (from anywhere) with him and it should be free of charge. She should get permission to live and work in the uk. Obviously you will need the relevant and translated paperwork.

I use my SCB Debit card in an ATM in Europe.

Since I first came here the $, Eu and £ have all fallen at least 3-40% against the Baht. This means all imported food should be at least 30% cheaper than than they were at that time, even compensating for manufacturers increases. However, what happens is that prices increase each year, usually at a rate corresponding to the rate they should fall. This means massive and incredible profits are being made, year in year out for the handful of powerful families that control everything that enters Thailand. It's perfect for them, with their ever more and stronger Baht profits they can purchase more and more cheaper $, overseas properties etc etc. Should the Baht ever fall, then they can bring back the overseas profits for even more Baht. What's not to like?

Some years ago I went to our Thai Public hospital with severe stomach pains, the Dr examined me and said 'appendicitis' and told the nurse to prepare me for immediate surgery. My wife, a nurse, was not happy and insisted on an MRT before surgery. There was nothing wrong with my appendix, but an intestinal infection!

I would think the best solution for now is to buy a 5G phone, then connect Laptop via phone to network?

My wife renewed her Passport this week in Korat and it's for 5 years. They told her the 10 year version will start sometime next year.

If you have a Thai bank account go online. Mine (SCB) has a Top-Up button for all the Thai providers. With Dtac your validity is extended for 12 months from last top-up, so just add 50 baht credit to your Dtac account just before it expires and there you have it, another 12 month extension and the 50 Baht is credited in your account, no fee or charges.

I almost got hit on a zebra crossing outside of a large hospital, by a police car! I had to jump out of the way, the car didn't stop.

Regarding the original question, you just need to disconnect the battery cable, wrap the terminal in some insulating tape as a precaution that it doesn't come into contact with any metal. Otherwise your battery will lose some power due to the alarm/monitoring system. I've done this for periods of up to 5 months and car always starts on return.