scottiejohn

In the middle, ground floor of Panthip Plaza is a dedicated 'Mobile Phone Repair Shop' who unlock phones.

Open a HSBC Account, in the UK. They charge £4 per transfer online definitely the cheapest

Where are you getting the quote of £4 per transfer from HSBC from. Even a premium account holder with an a/c in BKK with HSBC will not get that rate. £4 is the fee for HSBC SEPA payments (ie inter euro exchanges).

the last two times ive transferred money from my uk hsbc branch to my thai Bangkok branch, ive only been charged 4quid charges.

I have just deleted a comment I made re £4 fee as I have just found a quote on line at HSBC for £4. I will look at it in more detail before further comment! Sorry for doubting the 2 posters who quoted £4!

http://www.bangkokbank.com/BangkokBank/PersonalBanking/DailyBanking/TransferingFunds/TransferringIntoThailand/ReceivingFundsfromUK/Pages/ReceivingFundsfromUK.aspx

The minimum price of transfer on the above link is £15!

Pounds Sterling converted to Thai Baht using the London Branch's exchange rate

Pounds Sterling converted to Thai Baht using the daily TT buying rate at Bangkok

GBP 15

GBP 20

No transfer fees

An additional international fee of 0.25% of the transferred amount will be deducted by Bangkok Bank Thailand before crediting funds to recipient account (minimum 200Bt, maximum 500Bt).

I have just had what can only be described as a pleasant surprise/experience opening a personal bank account today in CM. From entering the bank to finally leaving the total time spent was 1hr 20min of which 20mins were in the bank.

I entered the empty Bangkok Bank Panthip Plaza Branch at 1030 today and asked to open an account. Passport/visa and intro letter from my UK bank asked for and handed over. Told I would be phoned within 1hr maybe 2hr when a/c ready. 5min total.

Call received at 1128 and as I was in the plaza window shopping arrived 2 mins later to find it fairly busy. Hovered over the ticket issuing machine to see what option I should choose when the teller I had dealt with earlier called out my name and indicated a seat. Other people still queuing/ waiting for number to be called, but I was straight into a seat.

15 mins of frantic form filling and signatures then pass book ATM card etc issued and it was all done.

From some previous posts I had expected some sort of problem but I had done my homework, had the correct visa (tourist), letter of introduction from my bank and address details of where I was staying. That was it. I chose the Panthip branch as it is closest to where I stay/intend retiring. Could not have been simpler. I work for a UK bank and I do not believe you could do it any easier or quicker there!

Well done Bangkok Bank Panthip Plaza Chiang Mai.

Open a HSBC Account, in the UK. They charge £4 per transfer online definitely the cheapest

Where are you getting the quote of £4 per transfer from HSBC from. Even a premium account holder with an a/c in BKK with HSBC will not get that rate. £4 is the fee for HSBC SEPA payments (ie inter euro exchanges).

For the OP

Although many thought you would be either a non starter or a fall at the first hurdle I am glad your favourite galloped all the way to finishing post and collecting all the winnings on the way!

All good info for those interested in the subject.

THE ZOO STAKES.....PROMANADA COURSE..TRACK CONDITIONS LIGHTENING FAST

arrived at the barrier 12.20 PM bundled quickly into the starting stalls AND at 12.30pm we are off and racing

flew out of the barriers to gain a nice sit one off the fence, and in a twinkling we arr at the prom immgr dept at 12.50 PM

after such a incident free run,we can take a good grip on the reins,let E/S come under you, as we have ten mins before the immgr staff return from lunch

on the stroke of 1 PM the immgr doors are open and my v/agent leads E/S to the retirement visa desk, all work processed inside 7 mins

at 1.10 PM we are racing again back to my v/agents office and at 1.30 PM the ZOO STAKES is over

NEW TRACK RECORD BROKEN, ONE HOUR to renew my ret visa by my super duper agent

and a aircondition trip all the way

incidentally , a dicky bird whispered in my ear, that my v/agents staff arr at 4.30AM at the prom to receive my queue card number 16

to get the pole position a 2.am start is needed,thereabouts mind you

shall be able to pick my passport up, anytime from tomorrow at my v/agents office located in nimmenhedin

total visa agents cost 5.100 baht which importantly includes 3 by 90 days reports ,where u only have to drop your passport in at her office and pick it up the following day

so only one trip to the ZOO is needed each year,and this time around for E/S a mere 17 MINS was actually spent at their prom offices

many thks to all my readers for looking at my posts,which E/S sincerely hopes will give a heads up , to decide for yourself, which route to take

a very nice afternoon to all

As you say you have crossed all the hurdles and completed the course and even left the paddock but you have yet to collect the 'cup' with the prize money in it.

Please let us know when you actually have the passport and correct stamp etc. and say you have retired for a year until your next gallop.

For the OP

Have you had a gallop along this course with the same trainer before or is it first time out?

If you cannot report on line then how can you report within 24hours to an office (Prom/Airport etc) that is not open 24hours per day?

There is a desk set up at Imm. Prom. for accepting TM28/TM30 reports and no accounts here on Thai visa of anyone being fined for submitting late reports there. The officers at Imm. Prom. are working in the open and I've never seen them collect fines in the times I've been at Imm. Prom. -- and I do try to watch everything going on. Actually, officers at that desk are very helpful in explaining a confusing process to landlord/renter pairs who come for service.

Many reports of fines at the airport office. At the airport office the reports are submitted in their "investigations" buildings behind the building that we normally use. That should tell you something. Those dudes are out for blood! Plus their work done in a closed environment where no one can observe what is going on. All the better for collecting "fines".

Thank you NancyL and all the others who have made positive replies. I hope I have all the answers I need for now on this subject!

Back to the OP who started this topic and thank you for starting it!

This is the UK version. You're talking about the US version.

As described by the OP this is a UK dish.

From a UK site (BBC)

Ingredients

8 thin slices streaky bacon

16 chipolata sausages

cocktail sticks, to secure the bacon

Method

1.Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.

2.Place the bacon on a chopping board, then using the side of the knife, stretch and flatten the bacon until about half as long again.

3.Cut each strip of bacon in half across, then wrap each piece around a chipolata, securing with cocktail sticks.

4.Place in a roasting tray and roast for 15 minutes until golden-brown and cooked through.

http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/food/ic/food_16x9_608/recipes/pigs_in_blankets_63316_16x9.jpg

Who or what is mark faber?

Which leads to the further question as to what is the point of this topic?

Thank you Tywais.

I have not had time to check out the links you have provided but I believe I now have the answer(s) I asked for.

Just one bit of extra clarification.

The OP went to the old (airport) Immigration site but Nancy L suggests the new Prom site. To save a lot of searching does anyone know which is the best option?

Just to clarify my question above .

Tywais post with the relevant law extract about TM 30 reporting quotes the Hotel act. The extract says; "The notification of residence of foreign nationals is made by the manager of licensed hotels according to the hotel act, owners of guesthouses, mansions, apartments and rented houses using the form TM. 30"

My question is whether this "Hotel act" applies to the private renting sector where a person is staying in privately rented accommodation rent free with their friend.

The wording appears ambiguous, to me, and if it does apply to the private sector how do we apply it today in CM.

What happens/who fills in what, when you stay with your girlfriend for three weeks at her rented apartment and that is the address on the arrival card.

You are screwed.

Your comment may well be the point of the visit, but the point of my question was related to TM30 or what other form/procedures should the visitor/girlfriend/landlord follow to keep within the law. I am not interested in who gets away with what by devious or other means.

I will restate the question.

What should a visitor staying with a a person who is renting a room and who has used that address on their arrival form do. Is the onus on the visitor, the friend (renter) or the apartment/room owner?

I am sure there are a few people who would like to know the correct answer without going of on tangents.

What happens/who fills in what, when you stay with your girlfriend for three weeks at her rented apartment and that is the address on the arrival card.

As there are in excess of 250 new condos under construction in Chiang Mai, it's not surprising that you have had zero replies. There are no spare builders.

Also, to repair a condo, you first have to own it. I should imagine the majority of us are renters.

why would you leap to the conclusion that the majority of us can't afford a condominium

Why would you leap to the conclusion that he implied that the majority of us can't afford a condominium.

All he said was that the majority of us are renters.

Personally, I wouldn't buy a condo again even if it were your money I was using.

Then I'd have to join the 'a karaoke place just opened next door, boo hoo hoo' crowd or 'the new neighbors have 17 dogs and a rooster so what do I do' group. Me? It takes me about three days to find a new rental, and two days box up our belongings and move... and never shed a tear.

Moving when the Condo doesn’t suit any more (for whatever reason) is probably more convenient, cheaper, more pleasant and altogether a better solution all-round than all the hassle of getting any modifications done.

I drove past President Hotel last night, which used to house Fabrique, and it was strange to see it deserted at just after midnight. i can only assume they have closed. I noticed the police at Spicey, but whether or not they were closing it or collecting donations, I don't know. What is known as Jacky's van , next door has now got a net hiding it from the street, but a peek behind reveals that they are open. I also noticed a bar that was openly open in Moon Muang Soi 2 at about 1am a week or so ago. So, some relaxation, in that area, but not much.

Although those named bars will now probably be getting a visit very soon

I think you read too many comics.

And you dont know that the authorities monitor this site ?

I suspect that the BIB get their "intelligence" info from a lot more sources than TV.

Their ‘T cash’ sources and their extended family will provide all they need to know out with their formal procedures! .

If Chiengmaijoe can drive past and gather the info, I am sure the BIB can do the same as part of their job. Chiengmaijoe is just making an observation which anyone could also do with half an eye open.

The only real changes that I have seen have been in the Tourist & Nigh Life scenes.

Mainly different types of tourists (with their different requirements) and changes in the Night life scene/timings.

All the other changes are the usual city/traffic/population explosion problems.

But I keep coming back and will retire here (again!) in the not too distant future!

That's because there really IS a God...

How do you know?

Because she speaks to me.

Really. What does she say?

Everything.

And she is always correct!

As I have said on many occasions, on this forum, regarding debit/credit cards, the rules for USA/UK/Europe and the rest of the world are all different about charges! Please be careful when giving general advice as each customer, bank & country are different!

I am only commenting about the UK.

If the OP is UK based (assuming no form of privilege Debit/Credit card/bank account) most UK banks will charge, over and above the 180 Baht Thai fee, also a typical 2.% (min £1.75 max £5.00) per ATM transaction and also a Non Sterling Transaction Fee of 2.75% on top of the rest!

ATMs are expensive for most UK Debit cards and horrendous for UK Credit cards! (UK rules for most cash withdrawals on Credit cards are compound interest from the moment of the cash transaction not the statement date!) A cash transaction on a UK Credit card, by definition, includes all forms of gambling, money exchange or cash withdrawal!

Of course there are some UK Bank/card exceptions (Halifax for example) but the above applies to most UK cards/banks.

It looks like the annual American celebration of the subjugation of Native Americans in Thailand this year will be neither foul, nor fair, but I wonder how the turkeys feel about that.

~o:37;

Not as stuffed as usual!

If there are no turkeys for sale will they hold their own thanksgiving party and if so what will be on the menu?

I learnt today that Papa Rock and bars/restaurants in the mae hia district were called to a meeting where it was made clear that selling alcohol will not be allowed from 2-5pm , as the law already states. So their excellent Sunday lunches and occasional jazz Sunday are alcohol-free for now. They give with one hand and take away with the other, it seems.

Does anyone know how far-spread the 2-5pm rule is being enforced? I heard a week or two ago that Loi Kroh bars were now back to business as usual in the afternoon but I don't know if that is still the case.

They seem to be making this all up as they go along, with enforcement of some rules in some areas and back-tracking just as selectively. I think it is time for people in Chiang Mai to petition the government and remind them that quite a few tourists enjoy a drink in the afternoon as well as after midnight, and since Chiang Mai is a prominent tourist destination then maybe they should allow the similar amount of leeway that other destinations enjoy. Actually, tourists aside, the notion that you can't have a drink between arbitrary hours is just ludicrous. I can't even remember when or why they put this ridiculous rule on the books, can anyone enlighten me?

As of Sat (17 Oct) the Loi Kroh bars were open 2-5pm (even the non food ones!)

Slightly off topic but as a matter of interest (yesterday 18 Oct) an Irish bar in Silom (Bangkok) has a large advert outside stating happy hour(s) 1pm-4pm and 1pm 8pm (different times for different beers!) and last food 2330, last drink 0030 and 0100 closed.

I do not see this topic running any longer than the previous one.

You say 'Sadly the previous thread/topic got shut down because i used the words invest and money (So i promised i not use those words here)..

I think I can see the words invest and money in your quote above!

You must think we are a bunch of COOKIES if this is your way of getting this hair brained scam past the moderators! Never mind the fact your grammar/punctuation leaves a lot to be desired and telling the forum that a moderator is not doing their job properly!

How many more replies before this is rightly shut down?