NguuMuu

Finally got in touch with the dealer and they said "maybe" it's life insurance. Somehow they weren't sure either though.... They said a detailed bill should be coming in the mail soon.

Not so worried about the money, more interested in paying what is rightfully owed. Some of you guys must be awfully nice, just willing to give up money that you don't owe. There are other issues involved here that caused complications when the car was delivered. The details of this do not affect my initial questions. Here's a more general question for anyone that has purchased a car with financing here:

Is it typical for the actual monthly amount owed to be slightly different than what you were quoted on the order paper work?

It is a new car, 66% deposit. All the extras were included in the price, including first year insurance. I am unsure about life insurance. I believe something was mentioned about this. Could it have been added into the Tisco bill? There is no breakdown in any of the materials I have. Tisco today said we need to contact the dealer about it. Still waiting to hear back from them.

I just received my packet of information for making car payments from Tisco. When I ordered the car the finance worked out to have payments of 6580 baht and this is what's written on the original paperwork. Upon delivery, there were some complications so I negotiated a small discount. I had already brought a check for the initial deposit agreed upon, so it was decided that the discount would be factored into the monthly payment, bringing it down to 6460 baht. This was written down on a separate paper by the salesperson. The payment information I received today is stating I will owe 6555 each month.

6580 - original agreed upon payment

6460 - newly agreed upon payment

6555 - Actual payment on Tisco bill

1. Is it normal for there to be a discrepancy between what was written on the order form and what Tisco will tell you is owed?

2. Is there some sort of tax or personal insurance fee that is added to the car payment making it higher than I was originally told?

It's a small discrepancy, but over the years this will add up to 5000+ baht. I'm new to owning a car in Thailand so just trying to figure out if something is wrong with my bill. I plan on having someone call Tisco tomorrow.

Not considering a 4 door truck? 850 puts you in the top 2wd models..

Initially was considering a pickup, but I think I'd prefer something easier to maneuver around Bangkok with. My soi is quite tight and I need to be sure to be able to get into my driveway.

Ford Focus would be the best tourer on your list. Honda Civic would also scrape in on your budget. Altis okay if your okay driving a taxi and because of this I think it's resale may suffer.

Thanks for the advice. I liked the civic, but a bit of a waiting period on those.

I'm pretty clueless about cars, but its gotten to the point where I need one. Actually, I need it very soon so that eliminates any cars with waiting times longer than 1 month.

The car will be mostly used for Bangkok driving, but also the occasional trips up into Isaan and elsewhere. I'm looking for the most cargo/passenger space to value/quality ratio that's within my budget: 700-850k. My future in Thailand is uncertain, so I may need to sell the car in 1 or 2 years, or maybe I'll be keeping it for 5+ years.

Main cars under consideration right now:

Ford Focus 5 Dr 2.0L for 849k (seems decent. I would prefer the sedan but they have none left. Have read a lot about poor after sales service with ford)

Ford Fiesta 4 Dr 1.6L Sport+ AT for 704k (didn't seem too much smaller than the focus and could be worth the 150k savings?)

Mazda 3 5 Dr 1.6L for 869k (the peak of my price range, I really like the space inside, but I've read on here about poor mileage and low resale value)

Toyota Altis 1.6 G At for 824k (seems alright, but would strongly prefer not having a taxi)

Honda Jazz JP for 751k (They had some Japanese models available now. Long waiting period for Thai ones. I'm not sure what the difference is other than the higher price)

Used cars are also a possibility (perhaps a 5 year old Honda CRV?), but being clueless about cars, I am very hesitant to purchase used here in Thailand.

Any other cars I should be considering?

I would really appreciate any advice you knowledgable folks could add. Thanks!

Can anyone recommend some decent restaurant supply stores in Bangkok? Looking for both food and equipment. The closer to Lad Phrao / Chatujak area the better. Thanks.

Ended up skipping the mid range and just going with the Samsung galaxy. Very nice phone and after playing with it a lot, maybe I don't really need a hardware keyboard when I end up upgrading my own phone.

Thanks.

Are there any sliders available other than the Motorola Milestone?

Is there anywhere I can find a list of all the android phones currently/soon to be available in Thailand?

I've been checking out mid-range android OS phones and I've seen the HTC aria (16000 baht), HTC wildfire (12000 baht), and motorola milestone (16000 baht). Is there anything else decent available in this price range. Would prefer a keypad and froyo is possible.

I'll probably be waiting for the motorola milestone 2 or droid 2 world edition to come out later this year, but the missus needs a phone now....

OK, thanks for the help. Sounds like staying in Korat will be the easiest (and surest) thing to do.

Does anyone know of any guest houses or other accommodations along route 226 (between Korat and Buriram), specifically around the Huai Thalaeng area in Nakhon Ratchasima?

My original plan is to stay at a hotel in Korat city or Phimai, but now I need to be in the Huai Thalaeng region very, very early so I was hoping for something closer. A few months ago I stayed at a tiny, unnamed place in Phayao. It was pretty far off the beaten path but the rooms were adequate for the area (air con, completely tiled bathroom in country style, hard as a rock bed, shower over the toilet, etc.). Actually, it was literally a rural short time hotel with parking bays where they could cover license plates with a wooden board, black lights over the bed (for a romantic atmosphere?), and average customer stays of just a few hours. I know that isn't 5 star quality or really even 1 star, but I need somewhere to sleep near Huai Thalaeng so, if there are no places with a name, do these tiny businesses exist around that part of Isaan? What about a bit further down the road in Chakkarat?

Isaan covers a big area so I don't expect many (if any) replies on such a specific question. If you can help I would really appreciate it. Thanks.

My wife changed her name and got a new passport. The name change paper attached to our marriage certificate is entirely in Thai. Her old passport has just a tiny red canceled stamp in the front that you can barely even see. Her new passport has no indication of her name having been changed anywhere at all. Will she still be able to use the US 10 year visa from her old passport? How would US immigration know that she actually did change her name when she presents them with both passports?

I know the US embassy website says to just carry both passports with you, but I have also read on this forum about a proof of name change stamp being put in the new passport (or something similar) and we are a bit worried about our situation now.

Can anyone recommend a wedding studio for getting a bunch of photos in various costumes (thai traditional, thai contemporary, etc.)? I have had a recommendation about bkkwedding, but the prices seem a bit expensive. Even more importantly, I want to make sure to get a digital copy of all of the photos taken. At bkkwedding I was told 1000 baht per file (!!!) but I could have misunderstood. I also found it interesting that on the website they had similar packages with different prices when reading in Thai vs English.

Anyone have any recommendations for wedding studios with similar packages where I can also get a copy of all the files?

I had a link before to a great map of Bangkok. I'm pretty sure it was a google map. When zoomed in many of the buildings had yellow squares around them and users had labeled each (sometimes with additional information). Some labels were Thai and others English. I was looking at it just a month ago and now I can't find it. When I go to a google maps it is just a standard map with no "label overlay". I've searched everywhere to no avail...can anybody help me out here?

The AC adaptor to my Asus EEE PC, 1000HE (purchased in the US) has been lost and is unrecoverable. Can anyone please tell me where in Thailand I can purchase a replacement charger? Preferably an original asus, but anything that would do the trick would be okay in the meantime. I can find some online, but it is already expensive enough so it would be nice to avoid some significant shipping charges.

Any shops in Pantip, IT square, Fortune?

I am a US citizen planning on getting married in Bangkok. I want to make this process as efficient and quick as possible to minimize time away from work. I understand I have a lot of questions embedded in this post and I really appreciate the efforts of anyone willing (and able) to answer them. My understanding is that the process goes something like this (according to local sources and other thaivisa posts):

1) Get an affadavit for freedom to marry from the US embassy

• seems easy and quick to do as an individual
  
• cost of $30 ~= 1000 baht
  

2) Get the affadavit translated

• seems easy to do
  
• US embassy lists different translation sites: Translation places
  
• Q1: Apparently takes about 2 hours. Is this correct?
  
• Approximate cost of 400 baht
  

3) Get the translation certified as a legal document by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Chaeng Wattana road

• Supposedly have express service complete within 1 day for 800 baht. A friend told me he got this done without express service and everything took only about 3 hours.
  
• Q2: What have others experienced with the time to get this done?
  
• Q3: If you choose normal service, is there a fee?
  
• Q4: Is this express service still available? (I read it has been discontinued)
  
• Q5: I have read that a new version of the tabien baan is required for this. Does it matter if it's an old or new one?
  
• Q6: Are there any other documents required beyond the English and Thai versions of the affadavit? I would assume passport, but I haven't been able to verify this.
  
• Q7: Is it required for the foreigner to be present? If the translation services can (supposedly) get this done for you, could I just have the fiance take care of this part for us?
  

4) Go to a local Ampher to register the marriage

• Q8: I hear Bang Rak is the place for foreign-Thai couples to get this done. Is this true?
  
• Q9: 2 witnesses are required, but office staff can (and will) stand in for you. Is this true?
  
• Q10: Thai documents required are tabien baan and 2 copies of ID card. Are copies of passport and a copy of tabien baan acceptable for this?
  
• Foreign documents required are copy of passport, copy of visa entry stamp, and the affadavit in both English and Thai (with stamp from MOFA)
  
• Supposedly the cost is only 40 baht (although there is an (nice?) optional folder for 450 baht).
  
• Q11: What is the approximate time on this part?
  
• Q12: Supposedly you should also request form kor sor 2 while you are doing this. Why?
  

Since steps 1 and 2 seem pretty straight forward, this is the most important question here: Q13: If I have steps 1 and 2 finished already, is it possible to complete steps 3 and 4 in 1 day?

Thanks for the replies! This will be much easier than anticipated if I can just add extra pages.

I have a US passport that is almost full. I have already had pages added to it once. I would appreciate some help in clearing up this process.

1) Is it possible to add pages to your passport more than once at the US embassy in Bangkok? I have heard both yes and no with no proof either way.

2) If I need to get a new passport will I be able to keep my old one (with Thai visas, etc.)? I see two froms on the US website (http://bangkok.usembassy.gov/passports.html): DS-11 and DS-82.

1. Complete a passport application form. There are two possible forms (DS-11 and DS-82), depending on your individual circumstance. Use form DS-82only if your previous U.S. passport:

• Was issued when you were age 16 or older and

• Was issued within the last 15 years and

• Is undamaged and can be submitted at the time of application and

• Was issued in your current name or you can legally document your name change.

If you answered no to any of the above statements you are not eligible to use form DS-82! You must submit form DS-11. Also, if the passport you are applying for is a replacement for a lost, stolen or mutilated passport you must use form DS-11.

If you go the DS-11 form, it again lists the requirements but says nothing about the “can be submitted” aspect. I am assuming that I cannot submit my old passport because I need to retain my visa and stamps. Therefore, am I correct in thinking I must use form DS-11?

3) If I have my old passport and a new one, am I required to transfer stamps and visa, or do I just use both for exit and entry? My current visa is from 2004 and I just keep getting more stamps each year. Does this mean that technically the visa never expires and I will have to carry my old passport around indefinitely?

4) How does my annual re-entry permit come into play here? Do I need to transfer it too?

5) If transfer is necessary, can I get this all done at rasa tower?

I can see it now. Looks interesting, but is it solely a handwriting book?

Although now I see my avatar is not showing up. Must be something with the TV server?

I am also interested.

Yeah, any serious replies out there?

I've got quite a few birthday's to plan for in the next month and I was wondering if there are any good restaurants, bars, or clubs that offer birthday discounts? As far as I know this is usually a pretty common offering back in Western countries so there must be some available in Bangkok. Thanks in advance.

I have a KTC platinum as well and I agree with the complaint about there being no documentation in English. Also, they made it extremely difficult to get on the website and check your balance (everything is entirely in Thai and for the last year I've been checking the English section is "under construction"). I had to call and get the service line to create a username and password for me but at least now I can see my statements online. Unfortunately still have to go to seven 11 or the ATM to pay.

Maybe it's just me, but I've tried searching the forum and the search engine just can't handle the words koh tao for some reason.

Anyway, I was thinking about checking out Koh Tao next week so here's my questions:

1) What's you're general opinion of Koh Tao? Is it worth the travel time for someone that doesn't care about diving and just wants to relax on the beach? How does it compare to other islands such as Koh Chang, Koh Samed, Koh Phi Phi, etc?

2) What is the best way of getting there from Bangkok. Based on my preliminary research it seems the lomprayah bus/boat combo ticket is the best value, but any advice would be appreciated.

3) How is the internet there. Do many hotels offer free wireless? What about internet through your mobile (dtac or one two call)?

4) Can anyone recommend a decent hotel? I'm looking for something decent near the main area and bars. Room should be in good shape and clean. Air conditioning and hot water are musts. Wireless internet would be a nice bonus. And the closer to the beach the better. Of course I am expecting all this for as cheap as possible.

Thanks in advance.