RayD

Thanks Seedy. That's DorRorOr and I know those but they all look set up for lorries. Do they do little bikes as well?

How do you mean the small shops that do the insurance and tax? I go to the vehicle office. they keep the test certificate so I can't look to see where it comes from.

I can do the tax and insurance myself but where do you get the "mot", the safety check document? Is there a sign I should look for? The dealer got it for me last time but I want to do it myself.

Sorry if this has been covered before but I searched and couldn't find it.

Thanks for your replies. Everybody here in the village drinks rainwater. A couple of weeks into the rains and the system is flushed clean and you can save it in the ali baba pots. I've never had a problem with it.

The only thing attracting the pigeons is that guttering is a good nesting site. I do have a catapult but I'm not very good with it. I only need to wing the buggers, the cats will take of the rest. I did have a laugh about cruelty to animals though. I don't thing that translates into Lao!

I have a problem with pigeons in my guttering (makes the water taste funny). Are air rifles legal in Thailand? If so, where can I get one?

I bought a new SIM card a couple of days ago. I asked if I had to register it and the guy just laughed. Registration is finished, he said.

Sooo, AIS, True, DTAC ?

2G, 3G ?

Prepaid postpaid ?

Plan fully worked out, right?

I have a KTB (Krung Thai Bank) Visa debit card that works perfectly on-line. (i.e. Amazon UK&US, Lazada, Cambodia eVisa)

On the other hand SCB issue a debit card that does NOT work online although it has a Mastercard logo.

You don't mention a location. Out here in the sticks they are always pleased to see a native speaker, but they often don't have the budget.

My experience if it comes by Thai post the post office collects the duty on delivery no problem, but if it comes by courier it gets stuck because nobody wants to contact the farang and expose their poor English.

Top tip, make sure your new house is registered with the post office or you will not receive international mail. It took two years before I figured that one out. I believe the ampur is supposed to do this... But in my case they didn't.

Qatar must have registered them to itself. Presumably the theory is they will be used for a couple of weeks and then chucked.

Thanks for the link.

MaeJoMBT

Because I have a marriage visa?

Mackknife

Because out here in the sticks the offices are over a hundred kms apart.

Dabhand, yes I thought of that. Unfortunately wifey had switched phone off and was taking a nap while the farang was away. And, yup, my little lotus blossom is one of those.

Apparently you have a year to do it so I'll get the paperwork together and try again in a few weeks. If they refuse again I'll ask for the supervisor as apetly suggests and if still no go I'll take a bus to the next province as kwaibah suggests.

It's recommended for the test if your Thai isn't too hot but the Thai needed is quite rudimentary, I didn't have problem with it.

I was taken aback by their attitude because they couldn't have been more helpful when I got the one year. Different officer I guess.

To get a five year licence you need:

The one year license

Passport and copies

Medical certificate

Address certificate or work permit

500Baht

What is there to talk about?

BTW my office has a girl who speaks better English tan my Thai, and there was no misunderstanding.

Thanks, kwaibah, I didn't know that. It doesn't help me much as that's actually my closest office.

Mesquite, afraid not. Presumably if I'd been on a retirement visa he'd have wanted to talk to my mum!

My one year temporary motorcycle is just about to expire so I went to the office to get a five year one.

I'm on a non imm o. The office asked for a medical certificate, OK, easy. Address certificate from immigration because no work permit, okaay, bit more difficult because immigration is 50 kms away, but doable, and then stumped me by asking for my wife to come to the counter! I'd just flogged 80 kms from one end the province to the other so nipping home to get her not on. Insisted, must talk to wife. No wife, no license. So, no license.

This seems to be a new one?

Thai teachers in my experience are sensitive to special treatment for farangs. I was told quietly at one school that the reason I had to attend the regular director's pep talks even though I understood none of it was because the Thai teachers didn't want to attend either and didn't see why I should get off when they couldn't.

It's not just "an excuse to get rid of you". Some Thai teachers, quite reasonably, think it's unfair farangs are allowed to continue past 60 and they are not. The school admin responds accordingly.

I thought one day overstay was not normally fined? Or is that just airports?

Ubonjoe

I seem to recall someone saying on another thread that you need to take the wife along to get the 60 day extension of stay on a non O.

Is that correct?

If you want to reduce classroom hours, which I agree with, there are plenty of ways of doing it without finishing at 2pm. Have a ten minute gap between classes so students have no excuse for lateness. (In my school students are expected to get from one end of the campus to the other instantaneously.) Introduce morning and afternoon breaks so students can get a cold drink and hit the bathrooms and extend the lunch break. More sport wouldn't go amiss either.

I've been here 12 years and lost about 50% of mail. Even within Thailand and asking the PO guy to write the address for me so there's no wiff of falang about it. If it's not signed for it's lost.

Top tip for anyone building a house: The PO maintains a database of all valid addresses within Thailand. If your address is not on this list you cannot receive international mail, but national mail is unaffected. When you register your new build the PO should be informed automatically, but sometimes they forget. I was unable to receive international mail for 3 years until I finally figured that out.

I've known Phil since we were boys, though I haven't seen him since I left Pattaya five years ago.

He had stomach cancer. Friends say he didn't have a wife or girlfriend.

My thanks to all who expressed kind words.