sfokevin

Tod... Thanks for the information about Singapore and for gently correcting my terminology... You have a great bedside manner

I was still wondering if it is possible to do the Tourist Visa conversion to the Non-O at the Chiang Mai Immigration office?

Yes sorry for my initial referral error...

I'm happily sitting here at my house in downtown Chiang Mai and in a couple months plan on flying to either Phnom Phen (Boring but easy) or Singapore to get the Single entry Type-O visa - Thanks Tod

A Consulate will likely issue the visa but is can not be extended until after age 50.

So it looks like it's doable!... I get a 90 Day Non-O Retirement Visa 30 days before I turn 50 (that's when my present visa runs out)... Then after I turn 50 I have 60 days left on the Non-O Retirement Visa to have Thai Immigration extend it with the usual 1 year extension.

Where do you plan to apply for this? What country/embassy/consulate? There is no such thing as a single entry 90 day O "retirement" visa. There is a single entry O and there is an O-A retirement visa (but that's annual and only available in your home country). If by any chance you are talking about LA, I don't think there is a good chance they will give you a single entry O based on your interest in retirement.

I am confused - Two longtime global members here have opposite views - One says likely now you say not possible?... I was hoping to go to a nearby consulate and get what is refered to in the "Current Visa Availability Thread" (See link below) as a "#Non-O (Over 50) Visa" Which I assumed was for retirement purposes?...

You would also have the option to change a visa exempt entry or tourist visa at Immigration once turning age 50 at an additional 2,000 baht cost. But some offices require you to do that in Bangkok and then return to do the actual one year extension of stay later.

Do you know if I can do this at the Chiang Mai Immigration Office?... That's where my house is

A Consulate will likely issue the visa but is can not be extended until after age 50.

So it looks like it's doable!... I get a 90 Day Non-O Retirement Visa 30 days before I turn 50 (that's when my present visa runs out)... Then after I turn 50 I have 60 days left on the Non-O Retirement Visa to have Thai Immigration extend it with the usual 1 year extension.

Will they issue me a Non-O (Over 50) for purposes of Retirement - I am just shy of being 50 years old by 1 month?

Back to the OP's original question...

Which Branch in Chiang Mai has English speaking staff?

You've got to admire the industry of these people - they send couriers to the USA, they buy as many iPad2s as they can, take them back on the plane, and hawk them off in HK for a very solid profit. In China this kind of thing went so far as to make the iPhone 4 rare way past the date when it should have been rare, as new shipments were constantly bought up by middlemen. Created an artificial shortage there despite Apple's attempts to stop it...

Mine's arriving at my friend's in the USA tomorrow, then will get here as fast as FedEx can send it. Last time I used USPS which was duty free, but took 6 weeks. Don't want to wait that long this time around so I'll have to pay the import taxes.

Edit: I have heard FedEx has taken over USPS international services - does anyone know what that means, if anything?

Please advise if and how much duty was imposed on the FedEx IPad delivery?

Thanks

I'll be flying thru BKK next week and want to pick one up

Has anyone seen the IPad 2 at MBK?... What is the going gray market price?

I don't think you can rent individual tools...

I have only seen rentals of a complete Thai construction set the includes: 1. Small Circular Saw with a universal dangle wire plug and 2. Rubber Hose/Nail Chisel

But seriously... If you go on the road from the Moat to the flower market there are 3 or 4 place that sell and rent most equipment - But I have not seen a cement mixer in anyone of them

I switched from Lipitor to Bestatin - I had to double the mg (20mg Lipitor to 40mg Bestatin) but my levels are great and 30 tablets are ~200 baht

http://www.i-starvisa.com/index.asp Just up about 100 meters from the entrance of the US Consulate on the same side.

Does anyone know their price for submitting the 90 day or for a renewal?...

Sadly their website is of a Thai fashion so their price/payment page does not work :jap:

I have installed an alarm system in my house. The alarm has a standard phone connector that you could plug into a phone jack - It allows the alarm to call you and tell your house is being robbed

The problem is I do not have a land line at home... I was wondering if there was a cellphone type device I could buy to use as the phone connection - it would have to have a standard jack built into it and I would prefer to be able to put in a cheap sim card - as I hope this thing will not make many calls?

One suggestion if you are in the market to buy a condo... Use the online websites to search & find a nice looking building and unit that suits you - Then go in person to the condo building and ask the reception/office for a listing of owners that are interested in selling in the building - Most larger building keep a (long!) list of units for sale in the building reception office - This also will give you a good indication if the Website has inflated the sale price for the web savvy farrangs...

But as some have alluded to: Buying is easy - Selling is not so easy (But possible in time) so make sure you really want it...

I would also add that it is cheap & easy to rent - and it gives you a very good way to try the building/neighborhood out... :jap:

The most effective product to make a bang I know of is a Twenty Two

I think the forum member did more than "note something different"...

He made accusations of cheap product & deception - Which I think is baseless (Insert stern Thai smile Emoticon here)

I have 3BB located here in CM - inside moat... In the past few days I can not get to some ThaiVisa pages - like the main forum page - I can get to the CM sub forum only because I have a bookmark...

Also on a general 3BB issue that I have had since I signed up with 3BB - I have noticed that when I first turn on my laptop and get a wifi connection it works for about 15 seconds then I lose my internet for about a minute until a stable connection is made - Has others experienced this?

I'm a new motorbike owner (Yamaha Nouvo)...

One thing that a keep doing is hitting the turn signal to make a turn and then forget to turn it off!!!... Leading to many stern smiles form the locals -

Is there a beeper (Not loud!... like the tuktuks in Phenom Phen... ) that can be added to the switch?

You could save us a lot of time by posting a link to you site

I was sort of expecting that, because Changi's charge is similar. However, keep in mind that Changi has consistently been voted as the best airport in the world, and that it is a major international airport. So the 760 baht tax is somewhat understandable. World class facilities, world class connections. Now compare this with ... Chiang Mai Airport.. charging pretty much the same.

I have flown AAisa to Changi... They do not pull up to the World Class facility... You land out in a no man's land and are bussed to a cheap terminal

I seem to remember seeing a place near Global House on the same side of the road

I am looking for a shop near Chiang Mai that sells the traditional colored glass you see in the older building... I would also like it if they could also make the wood frames too?

I would recommend whoever you buy from that you negotiate that THEY will go and register and get your name on the Green Book (All you should have to give them is copy of passport, certificate of residency and fee)... This will save you and afternoon of hassle...

I will put my vote in for Yamaha Nouvo...

Great bike but not too popular - Thai's consider it HiSo...

I would guess that the inside & outside are designed and calibrated to work together so you could only replace with the exact same brand/model... And as the post above said they it slow season for aircon... so a good price can be had... Next month when it gets hot there will be no sales and a waiting list to install

Overnight train to bangkok then go to any kho san road travel agent to buy ticket direct to siam reipt by mini bus, probably leaving next morning, under a thousand bht when i did it donkeys years ago, maybe more now but should still be a much cheaper way than flighing but still not too many changes and wondering about.

The big problem with your suggestion is that the OP is trying to get to PP, not "siam reipt". So add another bus to your itinerary.

oops; sorry; add then minivan or local bus onwards to PP .

I would recommend taking the speed boat SR->PP instead - About same price and faster