Roelf

2 hours ago, johnny49r said:

It appears bahtsmart is only available down under. Too bad - might be a good way to go for those up above!

From the US the easy, fast and cheap way involves an account in Thailand with Bank of Bangkok. You than connect your US account with  the NewYork branch of BoBabgkok. (swift code is on the web). Now you transfer from your US bank, via ACH,  to bangkok Bank, New York Branch, indicating your Thai account number as destination. The deposit will be made in THB in your Thai account. It takes about three days. The exchange rate is the official bank rate.

my bank, Bank of Boston charges $3.-  for an ACH transfer under $2000.- Above that it is $10.-

i don!t remember if there is a fee ar Bangkok Bank..... it has never bothered me.  And you can make the transfer on your computer in a matter of seconds.  I do it all the time. 

Good luck!

11 hours ago, boomerangutang said:

 

 

 

Interesting.  It reminds me of the stand off between Federal agents and State agents re; allowing black children to go to a school.

It was ALABAMA (Session's home state), but the roles were reversed.  In the 1963 situation, it was the state which forbade black students from attending the whites-only school - and it was the feds (JFK and his brother Bobby) which directed federal officers to go there to physically escort little black kids into the school.

history.com/this-day-in-history/jfk-faces-down-defiant-governor

The roles were NOT reversed!!

In both cases the Feds were enforcing the Laws of the Land!,

If you don't agree with the Laws, too bad for you!

17 hours ago, HLover said:

Meh, best of luck to you.  No arrow slinging material here mate.

I second that wish, with full confidence.

from what it appears your relationship is well balanced and has been for the last two years. You have to keep in mind though, that time will change things and personalities. Which does not have to be negative at all, as long as you are on top of it.

It appears that the young lady wants you for you. Great!!  With a bit of work you should be able to keep it like that...... both ways.

I would suggest that you don't think about marriage for a long time.  It serve no real purpose, except tomchange people and usually in a negative way.  Good luck from a two-time loser but now a winner with 20 years difference in age.

10 hours ago, elviajero said:

She coukd get a Tourist Visa from the country she’s traveling from that would give her 60 days on arrival.

 

I assume you are asking about visa exempt entry (not visa on arrival), which would give her 30 days on arrival. That can be extended by 30 days (only) in the country and costs 1,900 baht.

If you decide to go to Laos, bring $36.-  US currency, which is a lot less than the tbt 1500 they will charge you otherwise. I went to Chong Mek yesterday. Left the car in Thailand, walked over to Laos, did the forms and was back in Thailand well within an hour, with another 30 days visa ecempt stamp.  If you bring a pasfoto, I think you safe $1.- in Laos.

3 hours ago, Samui Bodoh said:

Dealing with the 'Dreamers' makes sense from an economic point of view, a social point of view, and a humanitarian point of view.

 

Unfortunately, Trump only sees a narrow point of view; pander to his white nationalist base and the hell with everything else.

 

There are a lot of people (like me) who have had respect for the US for a long time. That respect is fading more and more everyday...

 

 

I have lived is the US for 50 years. America is a GREAT country, despite the Americans. For 49 years my respect for the country has slowly been fading. The greatness of the republic is based on a system of laws and respect for the laws.  Which self-respecting demography makes laws and then ignores the laws if they don't like them or if they don't fit their particular philosophy or goals.

During the 50th of my US  years the "respect fading process" has considerably slowed down. It appeares that there are indeed many citizens that actually respect the laws, including the man in White House.....

Unfortunately,  too many of the law makers do not "represent" the people they are supposed to "represent".  The voice of the people is clearly expressed by the various polls, liberal as well as conservative polls. The PEOPLE want the DACA issue solved in a humanitarian way.  But the people also want to change the ridiculous ways that are the reasons of the illegal immigration mess.

Look at the polls..... three quarter of the PEOPLE want a REALISTIC SOLUTION,!

3 hours ago, Daveyh said:

Doomed! ................ just like 99.99% of relationships here. It's the culture thing that ruins it all. Beautiful women with the wrong mindset about relationships with "farang's" as it's all about family survival & money. You will never realise you are being scammed until it's far too late .............. without a doubt you will not see it coming. Farang's put their trust into their partners too easily & do not expect to be lied to, cheated or robbed by them, so when it happens they are wide open without any defense ........ plus an empty bank account! How many times have I heard my friends say " she is not like that"! ........... difficult to make a comment at the time as out of respect for them you don't. I would love to find someone here that is completely honest & have a true loving relationship with someone. I'm not talking about "bimbo's" as that's asking for real trouble, but just a normal human being looking for the same as me ........ sad fact is that it's not possible here. I think the message is getting across to most farangs now that all relationships here are fraught with danger & law is definitely not on your side. 

I propose you lower the chance of failure to 99.98% . I count myself as the 0.01%  difference. I have been with my lady for three years. We are VERY VERY happy. We got married two years ago. I am 76, she is 57. She has two adult children, both in college.

What are the secret, not so obvious ingredients for happiness with a Thai lady?  Number ONE.... if you are 20 or more years older, there is likely not going to be LOVE from your lady for YOU. Lots of love for your money, lots of love for your security, your life style, her standing in the community, etc. etc.   There is a reasonable chance that she will be a good caretaker, as long as you provide the above.

Number TWO....... Find a lady who is financially independant, has e "real" job (no bar girl) or runs her own business. A lady whose goal is not financial security, but happiness. She does not think all day of family, survival, image etc.  She can think of herself, her happiness and how you together can make her happiness better.  In the process she will make YOU very happy.

number THREE ..... do not get married at the amphoe There is NO reason in the world that makes sense to get married, (maybe the village marriage is OK. ).  You can always get offially married after a couple of years of happiness.

Number FOUR ...... beauty is only skin deep.  Do not pick the beauty queen. She knows it too and outside beauty does not last.  You should LIKE  her face , but it should be because you see her soul in her face.

I am lucky, my wife has a sexy body, even at 57. This is Thailand.

good luck

On 11/12/2016 at 3:29 PM, Strange said:

 

We have a Democratic Republic or Representative Democracy with 50 states and a Federal District. All of witch need a voice. The Electoral College, while flawed I guess, it still vastly superior than a strict Popular Vote as Cali, New York, Illinois, etc would carry every election, and the rest would be left to rot. This may appeal to some people but in fairness and respect for the country as a whole, its better. 

 Very correct. That is what the forefathers saw, when they designed the constitution.

as for Trump....... i don't like him....  he is arrogant, rude, knows it all........!

HOWEVER,  America is in such deep shit that only a smart bully like Trump can save the country from serious disaster.  Note that I say SMART.    He is smart enough to know or find out his limitations, smart enough to get his points through.  In addition he is courageous enough to call it what it is, like ......... according to the law Hillary should go to jail..... global pwarming is a hoax (please read the FACTS before disagreeing)....  the educational system stintks.....  the health system stinks.......  most of the trade agreements are a terrible deal for the country.........the immigration system stinks, at least the enforcement of it .......... the welfare system is a disaster....... etc. etc etc.

Trump has shown that he does not let himself be bullied by the politicians, not even by his own party. And he made them all eat crow (or something like that).

Out of the public eyes and pressure, he seemes to be a reasonable guy.  Maybe he is not to old to even become a bit presidential.  Either way, I think he will be a good president for the country.  Certainly better than the Americans deserve.

FYI. I am not an American,  I have lived for 48 years in the US and could not wait to get out and move to Thailand.  With Trump my hurry may be slightly tempered

Have you ever hand pumped water and transported it for your family's needs?

Well, I have, as well as the water for my plot.

I can tell you that it takes a lot of time and effort. For even a small farm, you would be pumping and transporting all day in the dry periods.

Mind you, it does keep you fit

i just bought a 130 Watt solar panel for $160 (in the US) and a 24 V DC pump , for US$ 120, (made in China) and took it to Thailand, (the panel rolls up and it all fits in a suitcase). I tested it at home and it only pumps maybe a 1/2 gallon per minute, and it seems only to pump up hill about 200 feet.

It might not keep me fit if I don,t have to pump. However, with the amount of sun in LOS, it should certainly be sufficient to water my plants. And I count on it that I will not be "pumping and transporting all day in the dry periods"

But then again, until now it is all an expiriment. Time will tell.

R.

From your reaction to this subject I assume it is safe to say that you are the kind of person that reports himself to a police station immediately, when you catch yourself speeding and you pay any taxes (plus penalties) the moment you notice that you forgot to report some income.

Very laudable indeed, congratulations.

The OP is not that kind of person. However, he has over the years realized, that Thailand has a chaotic, utterly ridiculous system to protect something that is not protected at all, whatever it is the system attempts to protect.

From reading many of these threads it is clear to me that many decent farangs are being jerked around by having to do visa runs, line-up at immigration, and you what....... Is the country any better off with this system? I say NO.

Show me a couple of hundred thousand Thais that are unemployed as a result of Illegal Cambodian or Loatian laborers.

Count the number of Thai workers that have a job as a result of Faranf investors and compare that with a hypothetical situation if enterprising farangs could start small businesses, only limited by senseful regulations, as they can in other countries.. And don't tell me that any Thai entrepreneurs would be deprived from starting those businesses if the farangs could, because that is NOT what Thai people do.

So, OP, regardless what the law abiding speeders and tax repenters say, I am with YOU.

R.

You truly are the high end visitor that Thailand is aiming for, notwithstanding you total disregard for the law, your seemingly blahse (can not find the acute) attitude to a 4 year overstay.....................oh yeh, you are the cream of the crop................oops, sorry, meant to say you are the crud of the curd, and a very large part of the reason (probably) that the new stricter adherence to the rules has come about. Congratulations.............stroker !

I had to build an outside toilet with soak-away cess pit to get a book house, before the electricity company would even look at me.

This was for a small workman's sleeping hut on land far from my house.

It then cost me 15000bt per electricity concrete pylon every 40 meters of road.

Once adjacent to your land you can put in your own wooden pylons and cable, meter, etc.

They'll only connect up once they've checked out your consumer unit, and made sure all your interior cabling is shielded against rat bites.R

I was told to take all mine down and pass the cables through yellow or grey plastic piping.

I've looked at many houses in my village and have not seen any protection at all in any of them.

Could this be only a requirement for farangs?

R.

No - you cannot proxy the purchase of land if your not Thai even for your own spouse. legally that is, I am sure it has been done before in some way or another.

In fact, both the buyer and the receiver might go to jail. It is illegal. However.....

Since I was looking at the subject some time ago, I found there is a ruling of the Supreme Court, that over rules the Land Court.

Look into a "Special Reciprocal Contract" - the farang provides the money for the land, and makes a contract with the donee, (the pretty young Thai lady), wherein he commits himself to improve the land in an agreed upon way. Like build a house, plant coffee trees,........

However, when the farang dies, the young lady (hopefully then old) owns it all.

I followed this when I got free information from our friends at Siam Legal in their blog.

Better read up on it, I am not a lawyer and my memory is not infallible.

R.

What ill repute are you referring to OP?

These girls are making a way of living and most of the time they do it out of necessity for a better life for their families and kids and not because they like to go to bed with any Tom Dick and Harry.

But they are humans as you and me and it is proven that they can be much better wives and mothers than some respectable other women.

I have a lot of people that I know that have been married to these ill repute girls as you put it and have a wonderful life.

I like to add the following......

Hardly anybody likes or condones slavery, right?

So how comes most of us participate one way or another in slavery? Let me explain.....

A slave was told what to do, how to do it, when to do it, etc. A slave had no other choice.

If you and I hire somebody for 8 hours a day, or take a job, we are committing part time slavery.

See what happens for 8 hours a day: somebody tells us what to do, how to do it, when to do it, etc. for 8 hours you have no choice. Unless you want to get fired..... And then the same thing happens in your next job.

Is committing, allowing or participating in slavery any better then a Thai lady usung her talents to make a living?

I don't think so.

R.

I like Thailand because there are not many Americans.

I like living in Thailand -- a Brit once told me that I was a nice guy, for an American.

I am not American, but have lived there almost half a century.

I used to say: " America is the greatest country, despite the Americans".

Now it is time to move on for me (to LOS), since America is going down the tubes, due to the Americans.

R.

I use Magic Jack too...I paid for 5 years upfront....was much cheaper....just make sure your internet connection is good.

I have used magicjack on wifi and its just OK

I think you can also get an app for it to and use your phone data

Skype 3G works everywhere in Thailand. Never had a problem.

I have MagicJack in the US. There is the slight annual charge.

When I get a call at my home phone in the US, my iPad rings. If I don't answer and the caller leaves a message, I get an email instantly with the message. I can call any number in the US for free on my iPad. I think the same on iPhone.

The then there is VIBER. Just download from ViBer.com. And you can call for free, and I think anywhere in the world, as long as the other (the prettier one) also has Viber............... Correction.: just called a number in EU, regular home phone, went straight through. NO CHARGE.

Go VIBER

R.

If I were to import a vehicle that NO immigration person nor any of his friends would desire to own, might the import process be less forbidden?

I am planning to retire to Thailand, and that lets me import a car without duty, as well as household effects, including decent size shovels (I hope) and maybe a ride-on mower for the lawn.

I was thinking of buying an almost defunct, but still drivable box truck (10 to 14' box) fill it up with my stuff and ship it.v

Maybe in a container or whatever. Then, once arrived in BKK , i drive it to my new domicile (300 mls up north).Then junk the truck, or use the box for storage.

Seems to me a very economical way to move to a far away country, until some Thai official needs a truck just like mine.

Where am going here, in all my pure innocence?

R.

Anything they deem as having the possiblity to make money would not be allowed.....4x4 not allowed.....I also brought mine over with the retirement shipment.....everything was AOK until the day came to pick it up - then told - sorry that type not allowed.....nothing anywhere in writing to back it up.....but - the car is no longer mine....

Thanks for this specific info and for all the other warnings I have had from everybody. A regular container seems to be the way to go...... Or leave everything behind and start anew.

I certainly need some decent gardening tools (I am 6'-2") so last month I put a long shovel, a collapsible leaf rake, two long handles for a regular rake and one ski all together in a ski bag and checked it in as sports equipment, free of charge. It worked. TSA was suspicious, they had put a notice in the bag of inspection.

Maybe they wondered where in Thailand I was going to ski.

Thanx again.

R.

Cycling and wearing casual clothes...it's like holding a big sign saying you are poor and cannot afford a bike.

There is a reason thais wear these ridiculous lycra outfits when cycling...they wwouldn't want to send the wrong signal..

There are a number of ways to look at this subject. You pick where Thai people belong.

1). You are a nobody, you look like nobody. You are nothing

2). You are a nobody, you look like somebody or something. You are something

3). You are a somebody, you like a somebody. You are something

4). You are a somebody, you look like a nobody. You are probably the happiest of them all.

I would choose 4) , if I can. Where would you fit?

R.

OP, is there a better way to discipline a child? What do you propose? I don't have kid, so I don't know.

I learned it from my father.

First you ask yourself who is the boss in the house. The parent or the child? If you choose parent you are on the right track.

Then you ask yourself who makes the rules in the house. If you choose parent, you score.

Next you ask yourself if your rules should be respected, obeyed. And I MEAN 100%. No ifs buts or whatevers. If you say No or Maybe you have lost the case, because that means that the child is the boss, he makes the rules. Think about this deeply; you might not like it, but it is the truth.

Read an article about the Chinese somewhere in this thread. It works wel in China!!

Also think about the real world we live in. If you don't follows the rules, you get fined or you go to jail.

Now, why insist on the 100% obedience for the children? Because it makes happy and balanced children.

For example, would you think a whining child is a happy child? (At least at that moment). Certainly not: the child wants something that he does not get, it being a toy, attention or candy. The child is convinced that he should have it and thinks (or knows) that be bothering you he will or may eventually get it.

If on the other hand the kid knows that NO is NO, the matter is settled and he goes on his happy way.

I could go on and on, but won't. I raised my daughters this way and they are greatful for it. Do they raise their children the same way? They try to, but they haven't decided yet who is the boss in the house.........

That, plus the lack of long term planning might also be the problem in Thai families.

R.

It seems a bit useless to "rate" the various things about BKK. A better way would be to "like or dislike" things in BKK.

I "like" the TukTuk ride in Bangkok. For the thrill, the efficiency and because it IS Bangkok. I would have a hard time finding the same in Paris, London or Amsterdam. Don't look in Cape Town, Buenos Aires or Cairo either.

So I put this one on the "like" side, in most instances. If I don't feel some time to take the TukTuk, I won't take it. What is there to dislike about that? Anybody?

Same goes for all other things in Bangkok"

There is one exception. The Traffic. No person who respects his time, and therefore his life, would want to have anything to do with the traffic in Bangkok. I would definitely put it in the "dislike" category. You would not find anything like it in all the places mentioned above.

Unless you take the TukTuk............... Or maybe a Motorcycle Taxi?? Maybe I should try that!!

R.

Thanx for the warning.

I was looking on the website for duties of various other articles, and side tracked to a car. There was an exception as I mentioned, but I will check it out in depth after all the warnings from former victims and belivers.maybe a visit to the customs people when

I go to BKK next.

Thank again

R.

If I retire to Thailand, it is going to be for the duration...... No plans to go back in a year or so.

I gather that a car has to reach BKK between one month before my own arrival and six months thereafter.

I will check on it again.

The main problem I see is if I am held up in immigration for six months. Good planning might help here.

R.

If I were to import a vehicle that NO immigration person nor any of his friends would desire to own, might the import process be less forbidden?

I am planning to retire to Thailand, and that lets me import a car without duty, as well as household effects, including decent size shovels (I hope) and maybe a ride-on mower for the lawn.

I was thinking of buying an almost defunct, but still drivable box truck (10 to 14' box) fill it up with my stuff and ship it.

Maybe in a container or whatever. Then, once arrived in BKK , i drive it to my new domicile (300 mls up north).Then junk the truck, or use the box for storage.

Seems to me a very economical way to move to a far away country, until some Thai official needs a truck just like mine.

Where am going here, in all my pure innocence?

R.

Living in the US of A, i had the usual struggle as mentioned above with Verizon provided router. Adding a repeater extended the range by less than 10' ; with the router and the repeater, downstairs, i could hardly use my iPad upstairs, through a wooden floor.

Then i bought a new router, the Netgear N600. It changed the world. Now I can walk around the house with my iPad with no problem. I must admit that the connection gets iffy if I sit in the backyard more than 30 yards away, especially when skyping.

I can handle that. It was the $100 or so investment.

In between the line of one of these threads I found a quote of Ghandi " most people die at age 25..... They just don't get burried until they are 85'"

It seems very necessary that you (OP?) work yourself out the catagory "most people".

Time to start living again. Who cares about investing. For what???

Invest in yourself and get rid of that boredom. Find a project that exites you, so that you are dying to work on it when you wake up in the morning, rather then turning around and try to sleep again.

You are in the fortunate situation that you don't have to worry about finances. Make use of it !!! Start living again.!! Life is too precious to waste !!

Good example: myself. I am living in the US, though european background. I am 73 years old. Financial in the same situation as you. Two years ago I decided to make another change in my life, looked for a Thai gf (not 35 or so) , found my princess and decided to eventually retire in Thailand, with her, (if she wants to). Now I grow coffee and macadamia nuts up north