Seligne2

I moved from Udon to Ao Nang using a rented pick up truck for my things and shipped my motorbike on the train. A year or so later I moved from Krabi to Hua Hin. I could not find a pick up for rent in Krabi. Had to take a bus to Khao Lak, rent a truck, return to Krabi, deliver stuff to Hua Hin, return truck to Khao Lak, bus back to Krabi. Then I rode my motorbike to Surat Thani, loaded it on my train to HH. It was an ordeal.

I deposited a US cheque at Kasikorn and was told it would take 60 days to be credited.

I consulted a Thai lawyer to make a will. During the process I asked her, "How can my son get immediate access to my BB account?" (If I were to make the account joint, Immigration would require me to keep 800k baht times two in the account, so that is off the table).  Her reply shocked me: make sure my son knows where my debit card is and its PIN. He can then withdraw cash at any BB ATM. I asked about the legality of that. She replied that that is how Thais do it. 

If I were in my early-30s and considering Thailand I would be much more concerned about our little climate emergency and ecosystem collapse than immigration. There are some models that predict that Thailand (and much of SE Asia) will be uninhabitable just on the basis of heat/humidity (wet bulb 35 degrees). Couple that with the rate at which Thailand/ASEAN are despoiling the environment (Mekong dams, etc.) while ignoring wealth inequalities does not bode well for the future.

Here in Hua Hin they want to see passport and completed 90 day report form. No photocopies, nothing else. (Perhaps this is because I have reported this address several times previously).

I am just back from Cambodia. I was stunned to learn that there are now 80k Chinese expats living in Sihanoukville and 200 flights from there every week to China. So that is where some of the Chinese are going. Cambodia starting to look like a Chinese province.

17 hours ago, simon43 said:

LoL, have you been living under a stone? ????

 

I'm tired of being the frog in the the 'slowly boiled frog' scenario.  I value my privacy and detest any authority intrusion into my private life with a vengeance. 

 

When living in Laos and Myanmar over the past few years, I never had to do TM30s, never had to do 90 day reports etc.  I knew exactly where I was in terms of my visa.  I was able to obtain permanent residence after 3 years (Myanmar) and after 5 years (Laos - down from 10 years because I'm a Scientist -special provision).  For both countries, the PR fee was low and no need to marry a local.

 

While I find the Thai people very friendly as individuals, I do not share the same opinion of this military junta and its cronies.  The uncertainty on visa rules and reporting requirements for foreigners is such that I'm no longer prepared to base my future in this country.

Simon, Good for you! I too am looking to jump ship. I just returned from a fact-finding trip to Cambodia. Was not too impressed. Laos is next on my list to investigate...

BBank has a branch in New York. Wells Fargo transfers to them (domestic transfer) and NY puts it in your Thai BB account (international transfer). Easy.

The absence of good public libraries.

Don't put the gas in the atmosphere. Take it to the gas man's shop as several have suggested and trade it.

No, it's not.

OK, useful info:

If I have a visa I can travel elsewhere unimpeded.

If I have an extension to a visa I need a re-entry permit.

Ujoe,

Your knowledge of the immigration system here as well as your knowledge of the proclivities of individual immigration offices is stunning and makes this forum excellent! Thanks!

Yes, you're right. That's why the title of the post is "Extension of Retirement Visa..."

What I do not understand is why I must go there two times to get the extension. Prior extensions were granted on the spot. And are they serious about showing up on one specific day? My Thai was not quite good enough to get to the bottom of this.

Today I went to renew for another year my retirement visa. This was my third extension, but never before in Udon (previously in Phuket and in Chiang Mai). The result surprised me. I don't know whether to be concerned or not. Here are the details:

In my passport my visa is good until 23 Dec 2015. I have travel plans for Dec, so wanted to renew in Nov. My understanding is that one can renew up to a month before the visa expiration.

I handed over my passport, TM7, copies of passport, bank letter, bank books and copies of them, and rent receipts. The officer also wanted a copy of the tabiian baan and ID card of my landlord. So I went to fetch those and came back.

All went smoothly. I paid my 1.9k baht and was handed my passport. There was no extension until Dec 2016. Instead, stamped into my passport was this: "UDON THANI IMMIGRATION IMMIGRATION APPLICATION OF STAY IS UNDER CONSIDERATION OF THE IMMIGRATION BUREAU APPLICANT MUST CONTACT THIS OFFICE AGAIN ON 23 DEC 2015 [sic]"

I don't quite know what to make of this. Should I be concerned?

Try your hand at writing for Wikivoyage or Wikipedia. As you live and travel around Thailand you learn a lot and it's rewarding to share it with others.

You mean "backpack and sleep in the forests" or "tour Asia carrying a backpack"? If the latter, no problem as it commonly rains only in spurts of an hour or so. If the former, the forests will be soggy and fairly unpleasant (based on my army experience of slogging thru wet jungle).

Rimping good. Also notice boards at AUA, Payap U, Thai language schools...It is possible to put a "for sale" sign on it and park it in strategic spot, e.g., Tha Phae Gate, Loi Kroh?

It's always the third week of Nov....however that falls

i've seen this group of Sunday morning riders around for many years. words fail me right now...... what a horrific thing to happen. Thailand needs to get serious and lock up drunk drivers like this and throw away the keys. this lady has just destroyed the lives of 3 people and 3 families; possibly more. what a sad thing to happen!

Destroyed the lives of 4 people, et al. Her life is over...

No Buddhist holiday this week and next. If there were, bars would be closed. Try https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_holidays_in_Thailand

I always had the impression that no one, relatively speaking, lives in that area.

For what it's worth, my dictionary says:

acetone n.

น้ำยาอะซิโทน nám-​yaa-​à~​sí~​toon ; สารอะซิโทน sǎan-​à-​sí~​toon 

That first wording (beginning with "nam yaa") implies that Acetone has medicinal properties. It's a fairly nasty chemical solvent - heck it'll even remove superglues - but I sure as hell wouldn't put it anywhere in or on my body. It's a chemical compound and is much better expressed in the second wording ("saan" tells you that).

What you say is true, but you are being perhaps too literal. Nail polish remover in Thai is น้ำยาล้างเล็บ nam yaa laang lep and it's mostly acetone. And it's worth noting that the body produces acetone, it's present in blood and urine. And dermatologists use acetone in acne treatments. So it's not completely devoid of medicinal properties.