soi3eddie

Just one question; why? Why not bring in US Dollars, Euros, British Pounds or any other easily changeable currency?

A few points: 1) Poipet are extremely diligent on checking incoming travellers. 2) It makes no difference how many visas you have for as many countries as you wish. 3) My passport is now 5 years old, it has transferred retirement visa stamp and 5 years of continuous annual extensions, re-entry permits and many entry exit stamps - it's nearly full already. I find that Thai I/Os are taking longer and longer thumbing back and forth through the pages (even when I present it opened on the visa/re-entry permit page).

Not silly. Someone (or many) Thais, have likely been cashing in big time by supporting the activities in Shwe Kokko.

I has a similar issue with Thai Airways recently. I think they use the 2c2ps system too. Tried to book tickets and went throught the 3DS verification using the credit card company app. Verification successful on the app but the transaction came back as "declined" from the processor. Tried again, same happened. Then used a different credit card, did the verification via SMS (different cards use different methods of 2FA) and all was fine and confirmed. The declined transactions to Thai Airways showed on my credit card app as "pending" for about a week and then disappeared. This puts a block on the available balance for that time. I would never use a debit card for that and other reasons.

Still got the 220 Baht ATM fee but using Wise in Thailand is best value for purchases.

A few words spring to mind; Cartel, Mafia, Stitch up, Corruption. For Phuket, financially, it makes sense to rent a car rather than rely upon taxis to get around the island. Chiang Mai is better once out of the airport as Grab/Bolt widely available. Bear in mind that almost every driver on Grab is also registered with Bolt. In Bangkok, many meter taxis are also on Grab and Bolt too.

Same here. Love Bangkok. Vibrant city with something for all. Easy to get away to beaches or national parks. Two airports with numerous cheap flights to anywhere in Asia within a few hours.

The Green Mile is a walkway that goes along the canal from the bottom of Soi 10 by Benjakitti Park all the way to Lumphini Park. It's painted green. At points is crosses the expressway by bridge and then an elevated section between houses of local community in Ruam Rudi. There are lots of convenient hotels close to both parks. Take a look on Google Maps.

Spending on a credit card is not your money. It is the bank's money. A grey area but not a remittance by you into Thailand.

Yes they do. Does that get reported to the tax authorities, though? For this reason, I always give to my GF and she uses her ID when changing money. Trouble is, she then knows what cash I have 🙂

More Pie in the Sky with a hefty portion of AI jargon.

Are you sure that that is what the lawyer does? (I ask, it's not a statement.) As far as I know the land department will check a lot of this (or maybe even everything). And if the documents from the condominium, seller and buyer are not ok, then the property won't be transferred. Or not? Yes they did. So when the lawyer went to the land department, all the paperwork was in order and there was no delay or issues. Of course, one could do this themselves. Language might be an issue and it could take two or more trip to the land department (with the seller too) in order to effect the title transfer. I could not be present so the lawyer was acting on my behalf with power of attorney.

The Thai lawyer I used twice to buy Bangkok condos has retired now. The service was excellent and both land transfers were conducted by them whilst I was away overseas. They were excellent in communication and making sure all paperwork was in order and gave me zero stress. Advise that using a lawyer, for what is your likely biggest financial commitment, is worth the 50,000 Baht or so that it would cost. They will make sure that all titles, fees, Juristic paperwork, bank FEC, Foreign ownership ratio and outstanding service charges etc. are in order and handle it for you. Sorry that I cannot recommend anyone but there must be lots of good lawyers to do this. Mine was at a big law firm in Sathorn.

Everyone is different and many react upon what they have experienced or consider normal, or not normal. I do agree that a funeral/cremation in Thailand is the best option but it is up to the family. As for throwing ashes in the "Pattaya Bay Sinkhole" then you may wish to reflect and consider the wishes of the deceased who had great times and memories of Pattaya. And their remaining family. Please watch...

I've been enjoying early morning walks in Benjakitti Park since last November. They really have done a great job with this park. Also, I will traverse the "Green Mile" over to Lumphini Park as part of my walk. Benjakitti is a lot quieter though. It opens at 05:00am and is well lit until dawn breaks and the sun starts to rise above the tower blocks to the east. Lots of walkers and joggers before dawn. This is such a great asset for the city. 20231205_065758.mp4

I travelled with a bicycle to Thailand and back in 2016. I reviewed the options and, in the end, went with Etihad. I did ask Thai Airways and they said the bike would make up part of your baggage allowance weight. My bike bag had tent and spares etc. and was well over 32kgs so I chose Etihad as they charged a separate price for a "bike". It went in the oversize bag drop off area but came out on the baggage belt. I flew from London to Phuket via Abu Dhabi before cycling to Ranong and into Myanmar. Check-in and flight, arrival video below.

Bangkok is sinking slowly. Same as Jakarta and many other places. Are sea levels really rising? Maybe the Thai government want to move the capital for other reasons?

"Pulsating" pumps are older technology aren't they? Maybe the OP needs a "constant pressure pump". This is what we had in Buriram. Hitachi. Very good flow and no pulsating.

This Thai DL renewal process has been going on for many years fron what I heard. The OP should just start from fresh, take the test and get a new licence. If Thais can do it, the OP can do too. Stop whinging!

Elementary mistake but many of us have lost keys with no spare. Go to a Honda dealer and they should be able to program a new remote key in about 15 minutes. So, so lucky that you have a picture of the barcode. Cost about 1,200 Baht if I remember correctly. I got an extra remote key fob when I bought my ADV150 in 2020. Let us know how you get on.

Just received the email below from Wise. Fees on the rise again. They still offer a good service and likely best option. For now. Fees for sending money on some routes you use are going up. We regularly review our fees to reflect the real cost of moving your money — so you never pay more than you need to. After the latest review, fees for some routes got more expensive and others got cheaper. You can find a full list of updated fees and when they apply here. Our fees calculator will tell you if your route was impacted by this change and how much your next transfer will cost. Here's one example based on your recent transfer: You previously sent 1200 from GBP to THB. It cost 7.26 GBP and will now cost 8.14 GBP*. This is because the fees for sending GBP to THB have gone from 0.68 GBP + 0.55% to 0.97 GBP + 0.60%. You can try our comparison tool to see how we stack up against your other options. We’re upfront about what it costs to use your card abroad or send money internationally. We don’t talk about low fees or "no fees", and hide the real price in inflated exchange rates. We believe in total fee transparency. Find out more here. Check our new fees *Example is based on a similar transaction to one you made over the past 12 months. Thanks, The Wise team

In other news. Restaurants in Buriram are reporting special deals on steak this week. Limited suplies whilst stocks last. Be quick lads!

About time they did away with this archaic 90 day reporting. They know where we are 24/7 from mobile phones and facial recognition and smart cars and from the TM30 submission too. Why are they so afraid of foreigners! I've only done 90 Days a few times - first in person then twice online (2020-2021). Thankfully, because I travel frequently after Covid, I don't have to deal with this BS anymore.

Thai Airways service is back to pre-pandemic levels in my recent experience last month (BKK-LHR in Biz Class). Only problem for travellers is that fares have almost doubled since 2019. No wonder they have recovered. Less seats at higher prices, not difficult to make more money. Sacking the freeloading staff and stopping the junkets for well connected people in biz/first class makes a difference too. Shame that the A380s are retired - I hear from a friend that it's due to Airbus refusing to support them due to unpaid bills on "bancruptcy restructuring". Not sure if that's correct but would not be surprised.

I have often wondered why the delay in issuing plates. I suspect that the dealer doesn't want to either send someone to DLT, or pay for a service until they've got a larger number of new registrations needed. We bought a new Hilux Vigo in 2005 and the dealer gave no plates. We drove it all the way from Nakhon Si Thammarat to Loei and back even through central Bangkok with no issue at all. I did get stopped for speeding (legit) and not having any plates was no issue at all. When I bought my motorcycle in 2020, I categorically told the dealer I would not purchase unless he registered it immediately - he had never done a registration for a foreigner before - and he was able to get it registered in 2 days before I collected it. So, it can be done.