northernjohn

Was in there this afternoon about 25 to 30 people there at 3:30. Noticed they were on the 140 90 day and the 20th 365 day extension.

Why you guys can not get these simple things figured out on your own? Agents make it worse for everyone in the long run, it's more than enough corruption in CNX already, they have enough to live from. Go and do your homework.

They are also expensive ,but that may not matter to some .

True not every one here needs to be conservative. Many are smart enough to know they can't take it with them and have enough money to use an agent with out hurting their life style.

Agents are a great asset to the situation.

They take up less time thereby allowing staff to see more people.

Thinking about it, when I go out to eat, I usually get myself a bottle of mineral water from 7/11 and take that with me to a restaurant . I just prefer water that hasnt been drunk by someone else before

According to science that is imposable. It could have been drank by your great great great great grandparents.

in reply to query,income letters are valid for 6 months.

Just to double check on that as it would save me getting 2 this year.

Have you any experience or personal friends who have done this?

Makes sense as retirement incomes are for life in most cases.

duh,stupid is as stupid does.another bizarre post by a bizarre poster.

All you had to do was say yes or no or it is just a rumor you had heard.

Pretty simple.

OP comes to Thailand on holiday.

OP meets a girl and "falls in love".

OP returns to home country and cuts all ties, realising he has found paradise in Thailand.

OP moves to Thailand and shit gets real.

OP realises he made a mistake and moves home, tail between legs and...

OP BLAMES THAILAND.

We all know that sit-com; it's been running forever, but, you left out the very frequent episode-ending variations after "gets real:"

Your choice of::

1. death by bucking balcony

2. slow-to-quick gradual-to-sudden suicide via alcohol, drugs, high-risk behavior

3. death by homicide perpetrated by (what OP believed was) a significant other.

4. death by other: random violence, traffic slaughter, etc.

5. permanent incapacity, or disability, as a result of the factors described in 1~4 above.

Consider, also, for your use of "OP:" "desperate mid-life-road-kill loser with some financial means" ? Note: by proposing an alternative for the use of "OP" in this reply, to this particular post, I do not mean to characterize the author of this thread in any nugatory light; the fact said author made it back, and can write what he wrote, suggests he is far to one-side of the mean, and the mode.

cheers, ~o:37;

Or he can repeat the cycle with a new true love. I know one guy who lost two houses that way and is still searching. the funny part is he considers it easier than back in England. LOL

I was looking into a new one also. Mitsubishi or Daikin models. Seem to be the best.

Apparently the others use plastic parts.

in reply to query,income letters are valid for 6 months.

Just to double check on that as it would save me getting 2 this year.

Have you any experience or personal friends who have done this?

Makes sense as retirement incomes are for life in most cases.

Ban over:

http://www.chiangmaicitylife.com/news/motorbike-ban-shelved-police-u-turn-decision/

Social media strikes again.

No the Iron Bridge is still closed to west bound bikes.

I thought that wasn't allowed, even for agents. One person, one ticket. They seemed to be enforcing that a little while ago, and even though yang123 was number 9 he got 13, which was really unlucky as they only processed 12 by lunchtime.

One of the agent squatters was there on behalf of a family.

In other words he had 4 clients.

Arrived this morning at about 8:20 for a retirement visa extention. Counted about 18 people ahead of me.

When I got my queue number, there were about 4 people behind me. I got number 12.

Was processed at about 11:15.

Told to come back to collect my passport at 2:30.

Not a bad day.

Some times you eat the bear and some times the bear eats you congratulations on your bear lunch. I think that happens more than we realize.

give no. 1 on the list a pass. it's highly over-rated. went there with 3 others and everyone left disappointed. food is nothing special and it's over-priced (water is about 30-40 Bath as i recall - come on...) we make better lasagna at our house even. yes the wine selection is massive. the Italian place across the street in Meechock Plaza is much better. food is much tastier.

Luckily we all don't have the same taste as only one restaurant would be very busy with us all there and we'd all be chasing the same chick (yes, chick is the latest PC term for woman)

But the point I want to make is that the cooking at Intoneca is definitely for refined palates (no need to trash talk me as I'm a self-admitted food snob already).

I find the pasta dishes to be the most well executed I have had in Thailand and better then most elsewhere as well.

No shame in loving a chessey lasagne or some of the ill prepared offering from across the street.

As for service with more then just a smile, I prefer to ask the server their name when I want to which goes for introducing myself too.

As for the establishment who is mentioned that does not wait for you to ask the servers their name first I find it to be another example of a place where the people running it should not be in the business in the first place.

Obviously the selection in the article is pretty uninspired as it reads like a PR company just reviewing their clients favorably (but I have no idea if these were paid for opinions or not)

I read half of the suggested restarants page that the OP posted. First I thought You had to be a wine conosour or a wino. They then mentioned food which I am not qualified to comment on it as I have not been there. They then Said

Although outside of the centre of town, Enoteca is worth the short journey to see real-life Chiang Mai, away from the tourist trail, and is one of the most highly recommended restaurants in town

So now if I want to see the "real-life Chiang Mai" I have to leave the city as what we have here is I guess a fake.

Do not understand even what so-called "problem" this intends to solve. Just more bad news for the tattoos and facial hair crowd. No reason bikes cannot safely negotiate flyovers and underpasses if they maintain a safe minimum speed. I would however like to see some of these more noisy monstrosities banned from public roads completely and relegated to drag-strips and race tracks.

You used the word if. That is a wonderful word. It allows a person to make all kinds

of claims. Facts that is another story it follows when proper dedededee

edit I had to shorten my lines to allow all to read with out making the print small

or sliding the screen back and forth.

There is a topic in forum support and there is an issue with much heavier then usual traffic due to the Hua Hin topics on TV and on news.thaivisa. Several reported it including some mods such as myself having issues today. Comes and goes. Sometimes completely inaccessible for several minutes.

I was reading a post put up on the immigration one stop and only half of it there then there was nothing. No place for I like or add reply. I booked off and came back on and the whole message was there. If it is true and I have no reason to disbelieve it there will be a storm of posts on it.

gonzo watch a real TV such as your title suggested the wife is and no problem. LOL

Re: Annual extension (retirement)

I'll keep this factual in accordance with the mods' wishes.

Yesterday at Promenada: my time-line

04.15hrs Arrive. 8 queue places already gone: 3 human beings + 5 seats taken by agents' 'deposits' (bags, folders left on the seats);

08.15hrs Ticket allocators appear. By now about 20 folks in the queue. 90 day queue extends outside the building

08.45hrs Ticket allocators begin work on our queue. I am allocated ticket 13

11.15hrs Processing desk closes, having dealt with ticket 12 application

13.30hrs I am processed; asked to return for passport collection at 17.00hrs

17.15hrs Receive passport, duly stamped. About five folks behind me (?tickets 14-c.18?) also receive theirs

Obviously too late to apply for multiple re-entry stamp.[Points above taken about the value (or not) of a multiple re-entry stamp; I make at least quarterly visits outside Thailand]

When I extended last year, passport returned as soon as the final stamp was inserted - no delay. This year passport and form placed in basket behind officer's desk; taken into room behind the screen pre-lunch and late-afternoon when desk processing sessions ceased.

I'll use an agent next year. For anyone interested, contact details of G4T (office to the left of Immigration) are:

<removed as per forum rules of no phone numbers and e-mail allowed in posts - Use PM for info>

There's another on-site agent associated with the Coffee Shop. Look for their processing counter facing into the Immigration offices.

You say

3

3 human beings + 5 seats taken by agents' 'deposits' (bags, folders left on the seats);

8 people ahead of you and you get queue number 13. Sounds like the agents represent more than one person. Thanks for the information. I to will use G4T

Great- once again, large-displacement motorcycles are getting lumped in with small scooters and are banned from certain roads (the bigger bikes aren't getting in the way of cars and are more than capable of keeping up with faster traffic). Sales of 'big bikes' have been increasing for years (and model selection has improved while prices have dropped), and now more restrictions are being placed on where they can be ridden- another brilliant government move which won't help the burgeoning domestic motorcycle manufacturing plants (Kawasaki, Ducati, BMW, and several others). If CM becomes as restrictive as Bangkok, get ready for even worse traffic at intersections, which will now be packed with bikes that have had to exit the main road in order to continue going straight on the access road, and which will now join traffic which has exited to turn right or left on the crossroad.

Most scooters are now 125-150cc, so plenty of power to "keep up" with traffic flow you just feel sapecial for the big man bike? anyway lots of head scratching needed to see logic in most laws here.....

In Canada and the States they are mostly big bikes and still get into accidents.

Size makes no difference it is the alertness of the rider that counts. Particularly in Thailand.

Other countries I would imagine have many bikes with the same problems.

I can't prove it but it is my belief that people who consider them selves as good riders

have more accidents than those who are not as good as them but alert

to all the possible things that can happen here in Thailand. Not the same as the western world.

Just a thought.

They have also banned them on the Iron Bridge unless you are going East.

They put posts up on the side walks so you can't get a motor bike on it both ends and both sides.

The culture gap is much, much wider in Thailand. Hence much more difficult for middle-aged men to adapt (I'm not even saying embrace).

I am retired here. If it wasn't much more different I would have retired some place else.

It has it's differences like excepted bribes by the BIB but that is to be expected when you move to a foreign country.

What is not to be expected is to move there and think it should be the same as where you come from.

any one moving here for permanent should do a little research on it first. Or do as I did come several times and look it over.

Now of course if you work for a company and they send you here that is a horse of another color.

My friend and I were out there four months ago. Looked like a really nice place. They had a lot of old cabins that are no longer used. I have a friend who has his wife out there. She has full blown memory loss. Sorry I can't spell the word. It starts with al------. My friend goes out and visits her and brings her into town for a meal. He is very satisfied with the care she receives there.

I notice most people that take exception to my comments are from The UK and Australia. As bad as Thailand has become after living there 13 years ( i don't live there anymore) it is far better than those places. England...weather sucks

Australia....expensive. Oh, and did I mention, HOW FAT Thai people are getting.

Are you really gone. I seem to recall seeing some of your posts recently. Sounds like you can take the man out iof Thailand but you can't take Thailand out of the man.

I am planning to move to Chiang Mai later this year after 3 1/2 years in Cuenca Ecuador. I like Cuenca but yearn for new adventure. After following some Thai blogs over the last month there seems to be much more anger, scorn and ridiculing toward Thai culture than I ever found on multiple Ecuador forums over 3 years.

Are there that many embittered middle age men in Thailand?

I think most of them are the older people who have nothing to fill their life with and can't afford to live where they come from.

Really more interested in the quality of service and price than any thing else.

Has any one real information.

I was planning on going to the Ram next week to have a check up. Last year I went there and had the most complete check up I have had in Thailand and was told about a year for the cataract removal.

The android box I have came installed with what is called Kodi and another programme called TV Addons.

This thereby allows me to search or add things like movie providers, sports, news etc.

No cost to me and no pop ups saying that I'm breaching anything.

I'm very happy with it

Where did you purchase it.

Im running an Android box which cost just 5000 baht. No fees apart from the 3BB fibre connection.

Sports, movies, news from around the world and no extra charge....cant complain with that

Am heartily sick of WETV. Where can I get an Android Box and can the supplier set everything up as I am Technically HOPELESS ?

I am in the same boat as you. Definitely need some one to set it up.

This is the second story of them seeing someone for a retirement extension interview who hadn't received a queue number during the morning 8:30 exercise. In both cases, the people came early enough in the day that their passports and documents were going to make it in the pouch with the courier run of other applicants' documents going to the airport office in the early afternoon for signature approval. (Some days the supervisor may be coming to Prom office in the afternoon too do approvals.)

In any event, it's a good development that they're allowing late-coming people to be seen on days when they obviously have a light workload in the retirement extension dept.

It is indeed a good thing. Several times when I was over there I would ask about that and the girls would just say no more numbers.

The only thing I wonder about is he said retirement/medical. I have often seen no one at that desk. Maybe there is not that big a demand for that particular extension. Do they have a quota such as the normal extension which gives 25 numbers?

If there is no one for that particular extension the officer doing it should help with the regular ones.

As is to the best of my knowledge there is no supervision there now. A water park will bring in supervision.

My understanding is it is not a canyon just an old rock quarry.

Yes, it's an old rock qua rry full of dirty stagnant water. Best advice is to stay away as it's another piece of Thai stupidity ignoring all the normal health and safety issues.

Whew! You really had me worried for a minute!

So I guess all of us kids who grew up in the USA, swimming in old abandoned rock quarries can feel safe

because at least they were American rock quarries, good ol' USA abandoned quarries that had modern filtration systems, chlorination, and lifeguards on duty 24/7... so obviously missing in abandoned Thai rock quarries...

Thinking back on it, I don't remember there often being any adults around at all when we were swimming, except maybe on the weekends or holidays.

We didn't have the pleasure of a rock Quarry. We just had a swamp out in the middle of the woods. I am not a child of the cuddling ages. I grew up in the 40's enough to enjoy the 50.s and create life with out electronics. In fact not much T V back then either.

As an aside, I've been to the Vana Nava water park in Hua Hin and it's really good.

It's also the first water park I've ever been to, so take this for what it's worth.

But some really spectacular attractions there.

Wonderful. I'd like to go there if they do not charge "Farang Price".

In the Hot season a similar facility would be welcome, in Chiang Mai.

You would spend all the money to travel to Hua Hin and back but not if the water park charged you 200 baht more than a Thai. Stay home and enjoy the principal the whole thing.

If you are looking for a retirement Visa you will need the 800,000 baht in the bank for two months prior to applying. If you are looking for an extension you will need it in the bank for 3 months prior to it. The one thing to be very careful of is they often ask for a copy of your bank book and if the figure in it doesn't match the one on the letter from the bank they will have you go to the bank and match them I have heard of times when they let it pass but best to be sure before hand.

I don't understand all this OS or what ever mumble Jumble. My original Visa says RETIREMENT on it and all I do is report in every 90 days. No need to leave the country. You can even do it on line (some times) or mail it in. Also their are agents that will do it for you.

I can't say for sure about the original retirement you might have to leave the country for that one. I got mine in Vancouver before coming over here. I don't think any of the conciliates can do that now.

Good Luck

I was being a smart ass about the 7200. Seems to me 80K as a base figure should be enough a to get along comfortably, the OP says school's not an issue, add school in and you'd probably need more. Health care and insurance could jack it up though depending on the situation

I think that figure is a good one. The one thing that could affect it severely is his age as that will have a bearing on the cost of insurance.

Yes he could do it for a lot less and Yes he could do it for a lot more. It is a fair price in my estimation to start with.