sandyf

Not really anything to do with Pattaya or restaurants, food prices are up at wholesale level. Meat generally is about a third more than it was in markets 6-8 months ago. Many of the street food outlets around here have tried to keep increases to 5 or 10 baht with smaller portions and cut back on extras such as tissues on the table and the selection of sauce and condiments available. There really ought to be a special tax for the Russians.

My wife had a look at that and she said at the moment only Lao and Chinese nationals can register to buy tickets due to restricted payment options.

I have just returned but did it the other way round. We flew to Luang Prabang from BKK, but you could do it from Udon Thani or Vientiane. Stayed in LP for 3 nights then took the train to Vientiane and crossed back into Thailand via the bridge. Flew back to BKK from Udon the next day. We stayed at the Villa Oudomlith in LP and the guy there will get you train tickets. The fare is 242,000 Kip but he gets them via an agent and we paid 325K each. We booked on the 24th for the 26th and fairly straightforward, got on the C91 which leaves LP at 12.10 and got to Vientiane at 14.00. Very straightforward there, came out the station and straight on a bus to the Friendship Bridge, takes about half an hour and only 20K Kip or 50 baht. I couldn't believe how quiet it was at the crossing. There was only about 20 on the bus and by the time I had changed what Kip I had there was no one at Laos immigration desks. Had to wait about 10 minutes to get enough people to run the bus across the bridge. Same on the Thai side, by the time I had filled in the TM6 the immigration desks were clear. The train service is excellant and to get from Luang Prabang back into Thailand in about 3 hours was a bit of a surprise. Although we arrived on the 23rd it was a holiday and the agents were closed. We could have gone to the station ourselves but glad we decided against that as it is a bit of a pain to get to. It is a bit the same at Vientiane, the station is out of the way so you don't really want to be going there without a ticket. Good luck.

Good to see everyone hoping they will have similar success as the UK. LONDON (AP) — British officials and space scientists said Tuesday they were disappointed but not deterred after the first attempt to launch satellites into orbit from the U.K. ended in failure. https://apnews.com/article/science-united-kingdom-aerospace-technology-76e49c8ee5a02bcde6fc1ddb7d629042

What I have been doing since it first started.

That may depend on the office. My wife did hers a couple of weeks ago in Pattaya and just like last time, sent out by post, but only took a few days. It was just 5 years but can now get 10 years.

You should do the homework. Conditions for participation in the public sector project being a person of Thai nationality have an identity card Be at least 18 years of age on the date of registration. https://www.xn--12c1bik6bbd8ab6hd1b5jc6jta.com/information

Why do people keep on digging? The scheme had absolutely nothing to do with foreign tourists so why the compulsion to bring irrelevant factors into play, probably a sense of self importance.

Narrow minded falang thinking. The scheme puts money into the economy that would normally sit dormant. The scheme was never intended to benefit individuals but business in the tourist industry. In any business, turnover is the life blood. So far under the scheme I have had 17 nights in places I wouldn't have normally visited.

Are you saying it could still be used for extensions? There was a reason I put "end" in quotes.

You either ignored my original post or it went over your head. This is a statement from an email I received from the bank a few years ago. I had to go to the bank and prove my visa status was on a long term basis. "According to our information, you have opened account with TMB without submitting the necessary documents to the bank in the account opening process. Our governing body requires that foreigners who open account with TMB must provide such documents to TMB Bank. Otherwise, the bank cannot provide customer with online banking service." When changing to a new passport it would be a lack of due diligence if they didn't check the visa status in the new passport.

To put things in perspective. Rates for flights starting in the UK Duty rates for flights starting from UK airports, excluding Northern Ireland and the Scottish Highlands and Islands region. Find out more about Air Passenger Duty if the Scottish Highlands and Islands. Rates from 1 April 2023 Destination bands Reduced rate Standard rate Higher rate Domestic £6.50 £13 £78 Band A £13 £26 £78 Band B £87 £191 £574 Band C £91 £200 £601 Reduced rate For travel in the lowest class of travel available on the plane for seat pitches less than 1.016 metres (40 inches). Standard rate For travel in any other class of travel or where the seat pitch is more than 1.016 metres (40 inches). Higher rate For travel in planes of 20 tonnes or more equipped to carry fewer than 19 passengers. Band Distance from London to destination capital city A 0 to 2,000 miles B 2,001 miles to 5,500 miles C over 5,500 miles https://www.gov.uk/guidance/rates-and-allowances-for-air-passenger-duty

Airline taxes and fees are registered and coded, the amount collected can vary as with APD which is dependent on class of seat. It wouldn't be out of the question for the new tax to be determined by API but the fallback could be that air travellers with work permits may well have to reclaim the tourist tax. https://dokumen.tips/documents/iata-list-of-ticket-and-airport-taxes-and-fees.html?page=24

Selective memory. The original delays were on how to implement it at land borders.

No, The AF was detected over 15 years ago when I was still in the UK. The doctor wanted to put me on warfarin but I declined, was already taking aspirin and told him I would stick with that. About 7 years ago I went for a checkup package at a nearby hospital and they suggested I see a cardiologist. It wasn't my first time and nothing had been said previously so I started seeing the cardiologist at Bang Saen They did an echo and said that apart from the AF there was no indication of any problems. He did say however that at my age, 69 at the time, the risks were increasing and that I should start taking anticoagulant. I said what had happened previously and he said that in 2013 some new anticoagulants had been approved. Took a while to make my mind up but later I started taking apixaban and have done since. Following the checkup I decided to buy a BP monitor and the Microlife seemed to be the best option. I wasn't aware of the AF detection when I bought it, the warning appears every time I use it but a bit academic.

It is the job of the banks, not immigration, to ensure certain services are only offered to customers with the appropriate qualification. It is a fairly global that entities request notification on change of circumstances and sometimes make random checks, ever heard of life cerificates.

I gave them the 2 passports and the letter, didn't even look at the letter, just handed it straight back. My passport runs out next year, think I will renew in UK and come back on a new visa.

A lot depends on if you have online banking. The regulations are tighter than with just an account and banks are supposed to monitor your visa status.

Not entirely true. Your passport can "end" before an extension if it becomes full up. My last passport ended with 7 years validity remaining.

Mine, Non O marriage, took 3 days. Delay would have been down to having to supply additional document. Can't fault the service.

It would be best to try and find local door company to come and have a look. I recently had a problem with my kitchen door and couldnt see any way to deal with it. It opened in and out and the closure mechanism was worn. My wife asked around and found someone to come and deal with it. They came along and I watched what they did, removed a piece of trim by cutting round the edge with a knife to expose the fixing screws, just stuck it back on with silicone sealant when finished. If yours is something similar you could be scratching your head for long enough without getting anywhere. Good luck.

And what exactly is "inexcusable" about government statistics, doesn't every country in the world have them. But then not every country has such a large number of disgruntled expats.

I have a Microlife blood pressure monitor and that has arrhythmia detection on the pulse measurement. I don't pay much attention as already on anticoagulant. You should be able to get one at any decent medical store, possibly Fascino. https://www.microlife-thailand.com/bp-b3-afib-advanced/

Not "talking", just whinging. It wouldn't matter what the numbers were, or if the bars were packed, or the streets gridlocked, the whingers will whinge.

A single entry visa has an "Enter Before" date of 3 months from date of issue and a multi entry visa has an "Enter Before" date of 12 months. As said you will get a new 90 day permission each time you leave and return.