4MyEgo

Back in the old country there was a section in the Trade Practices Act, which I believe was Section 32 or something like that, but would have changed these days, and carried a $200,000 fine, something Thailand lacks, It was called Misleading and Deceptive conduct. Vest thing you did was walk out, and make sure you don't return and tell others as you have here, but of course don't mention the name otherwise you could see yourself being sued, hence the reason it's all wrong here. Next time your out and about, buy a pizza from another place who have their name on the box, and go stand out the front of this place and eat it, taking your time of course and showing them that you are enjoying it, nothing wrong with that oi ! If that's not enough revenge for you, ring them and tell them that you want to place a large order for a party, but will have to be COD, if they say can't, say it's at least 5,000 baht's worth, then if they bite, make the order, and give them the cop shops address, the cops will appreciate the free food, just make sure it's a new sim your using in someone else's name ???? Must jet, my pizza just came out the over.

Summed up to perfection. I have lived here 7 years now and have returned 4 times in that period to see family, some close friends, some Specialists, and some Dr's for me and the Mrs, and to get a years worth of subsidised meds for me which are 5 times the price here. Medicare gives us something back, usually 50% for the Specialists and Dr's albeit it they have moved the bar on pap smears to every 5 years now, previously 3, so they stuck it to the Mrs, or should I say me for 4,000 baht, but no point in crying over spilt milk, health comes 1st. I did enjoy the colder climate and walking a lot in it, the public transport and cheaper food prices at the bigger stores vs paying higher prices here because of their import duty for the same items. Staying 14 kilometres outside the city in a 2 bedroom apartment through Airbnb was 6,000 baht per night and was cheaper and larger than any hotel room, was centrally located and had parking, the same apartment would rent for 15,000 baht per week on a 6 month lease which makes me think how on earth do people afford to live there. One would have to earn $31,200 net, just for the rent which would mean for a 2 income family, one income provider would have to earn $35,000 gross to cover the rent, no doubt that would be the mum, who would also have to pick up kids from school, and the other would have to earn pretty much the same to basically survive, if you could call it that. The husband or other income provider would pay for everything else, e.g. electricity, gas, car registration, petrol, car insurance, car maintenance, public transport, parking, food, clothing, appliances, occasional dentist visit, pre-school, school uniforms etc etc, suffice to say the cost of food isn't cheap and one would have to be selective, and as for eating out, that's a non even as I found out, a simple rib-eye steak at a local RSL would set you back 1,125 baht, a schooner of beer pretty much 200 baht unless it's during happy hour which would drop down to 125 baht. What kind of existence would that be ? Would I return, not a chance in hell, i.e. unless I was booted out of here, life is good, take the good with the bad in every government run country. It is much cheaper here to live that is for sure, but also depends on what you like to eat, drink and where you choose to go for holidays. Won't be going back in a hurry, although the daughter who lives there did say her wedding would be in 2 years, I said make it 3 + ????

What I find here is that every office has different rules, some know what they are doing, others don't, this is not only a Thai thing and happens overseas, depends on who you get. But from what I have heard is, there are some offices that don't want to give out yellow books, for what ever reason, that said, we had to provide them with a stack of documents, which included marriage certificate from abroad and overseas address. I believe you need to get your marriage certificate from here stamped at the British Embassy and then here in Thailand for what it's worth, in other words everyone wants a bit of the cherry and it costs at both. As for the address overseas, give them a mates address. Having had the yellow book for years, never used it, so if it's too hard, just let it slide, your here to chill, don't let them spoil that over a piece of paper, that or do as they want and see what they want next. Remember this is the land of no sense and paper pushers,

I had 3 doses and caught it, milder than any flu I had in the past, not bad enough to stop me going about my day, soar throat for a day in the beginning, head ache around the back of the head, some muscle pain and being lethargic, that's all.

Sack the judge and any other judge who does this, do a complete retrial and put the guy away for 10 years with no parole, DUI, 2 lives taken, 1 seriously injured, throwing money at them might help the families, but we all know it's a bribe, so give them the money and the driver a 10 year jail term, that is how you send out a clear message. He will be out by his 39th birthday and will have the rest of his life ahead of him.

You must be the only one as all I read on forums and hear from friends how long it takes, 6-12 weeks. I recall renewing my kids passports in Phuket on a return overseas trip, it took about 3 weeks, that was in 2019. They didn't want to send them to me, I said them you catch the 2 hour flight to Udon Thani, then drive one hour and deliver them to me. After threatening the staff member behind the counter who was a typical no flexible government worker that I would escalate it all the way to the Minister in Canberra, she walked off, came back with another member and he said, we don't trust EMS, I said, well I do and I accept full responsibility if they get lost, that would then be my problem, wouldn't it, he nodded and they agreed as a one off to send them by EMS, which they did. What they don't understand is that I will go back for a holiday again and repeat what I did with the wife's and my passport next time as it's cheaper than flying to Bangkok and having to return or cross over to Laos and return, it should be a one way event, they should also have an outreach post for it's Citizens to be able to lodge them and then send them, but typical Australian Government bureaucracy, always making life difficult for it's Citizens instead of working with them, in my opinion.

Your a funny guy, did you say I was bagging you in previous posts....LOL No seriously, I really appreciate all your time and "frustrations", only one thing you overlooked I believe, i.e. yes I do have a dual sim mobile, I have a sim for overseas clients who call my number back in the old country which is on roaming and I get the call here, answer it and call them back from my Thai sim, e.g. I explain to them that I am here at the moment and will call them from a Thai number so they don't think it's a scammer calling them. Keeping the overseas number is a money maker so I can't take that sim out of my mobile, therefore it leaves me with the other sim (Thai) and not wanting to lose my Thai number for the overseas codes, I must retain that sim (number) and add internet to it as opposed to getting a new sim (number), it's a no brainer to me. I think it's pretty clear what I have to do, and like I said, I appreciate all your efforts and getting your nickers in a knot. That said, I see that I will have to continue to waste 632 baht per month on 3BB to provide me with internet at home for the kids, the wife, and myself on the laptop, i.e. if we don't want to lose our mobile numbers by getting new sims, so the wife and I have no option but to get the 1,800 baht + VAT internet add on's to our existing sims. There is also one other thing if I went down your route, i.e. how would the kids get internet access when I'm not home and the mobile is with me, you must be single ? As for reading hardcopy books, it's been a while, any suggestions ? Have a good day ????

I think that's all good if you don't have kids chewing the internet from watching Netflix and playing iPads and Tablets. To keep my same number looks like I will have to go with the unlimited True package with 1Mbps which I believe will be enough for me to use Bank Apps, Messenger, Line and WhatsApp when I am away from the house, and maybe a little YouTube or Google to find something that I might want when away from my laptop. But I hear you load and clear, so for me I believe the best option for me is to get the 12 month add on with my existing number for 1,800 baht + VAT. I need the same number for texts from overseas which give me bank codes and other codes to identify myself, trying to tell them that I have changed my mobile number from here is like trying to catch a rocket to the moon and it cannot be done online, tried it before and I had to wait 45 minutes on the phone to talk to a real person. The above is affordable for me and should work well, thanks for all of your information and others, much appreciated.

Told you I was behind the times....LOL

Flew into swampy late on a Friday afternoon, no one at counter, walked straight up, handed my passport, did the bio's and was out in less than 3 minutes, bags took a while which is understandable given the time they take to travel around the airport from the plane. Exiting Sydney in Oz for Thailand on the Friday morning was a joke, at least 45 minutes to get to the self check in counters where you put in your passport and then get your photo taken, then you go through another zigzag que for about 15 minutes to put your carry on through, an hour all up, that was a joke, with 10 minutes to spare to get on the plane, heart rate was definitely up. It's a bit like renewing a passport, Thailand passport, went in on the Monday, was in the mailbox on Friday, as for Australian passports, I hear it takes between 6-12 weeks W-T-F !

Thanks for the information, appreciated, as for me bagging your comments, that would be a rare, perhaps differences of opinions, no offence should be taken, and personally I can't recall bagging your comments, as I said, I rarely have differences of opinions with other posters, albeit it there is one or two, but I don't have a little black book. FYI: As of this morning, wife has found a yearly add on with True for something like 1,980 baht per annum which sounds like the way to go, and as for hard line internet with 3BB, it works well for me the wife and the kids for watching Netflix, kids playing with their iPads, Tablets and me on the laptop as mobile screens are far to small for me to spend hours on. Again, thanks for your input, and never hold a grudge towards another posted, call it water off a ducks back, the ones that really got under my skin in the past got blocked, easily done, suffice to say, as you haven't blocked me, I would say it would have been a mild bagging ?

Thank for that, I will look into this, that said, my wife says to NEVER use Wi-Fi in public areas as they are unsecure, for me personally, I have no idea, perhaps she is referring to when doing withdrawals from the banking app, I don't know, as I am well behind the times as mentioned. Even as recent as staying in a hotel with free Wi-Fi, she said don't use it and let me piggyback from her internet using hotspot, just for doing normal stuff on the internet, no banking, is she right ? I don't really have an amount that I spend on credit every month, I just top up online via my bank on my laptop, usually 1,000 baht as I do make some overseas calls to clients every now and again, as I use messenger or Line or WhatsApp to talk to friends overseas. I will look at your link and the 3BB situation thanks, just not sure if shopping centre Wi-Fi and hotel Wi Fi is safe, others say it is, wife says it's not, but is that only for banking or can others see what your doing, not that I care, but if it's for banking, that's a no brainer.

I don't think the 10k baht is a deterrent as he and others still drive over the limit, agree it's about making money, and not saving lives at all. Stick them in the think tank, that would be the deterrent I say.

What a confusing story to say the least, even after my 2nd black coffee.

I heard first hand from a bloke that I know in Udon Thani that he was slightly over at about 10.15pm on a Saturday night, and was given two choices, i.e. pay 10k baht or so and go home, otherwise go to jail for the night, pay 20k fine and go to court the next day. He was driven to an ATM and paid and was let go. Is this a deterrent or is it for their pockets I ask you, who is policing what ?

I don't have a package, only use phone for calls, and when at home use the Wi-Fi from the 3BB router for internet, and when I go out and require internet the wife will provide me with free Wi-Fi for the day so that she can send me pics of what she requires, if I'm not sure (shopping), no, she doesn't have me well trained, I just find it's cheaper if I do the shopping, in and out in less than an hour vs checking every shelf of every isle for 4 hours and walking out with much more than wanted ???? I have always been the one not wanting Wi-Fi as I don't use it when out and about, that said as mentioned earlier, technology has caught up with me with banking apps, and others, so it's like the old saying goes; swim or drown. As you suggested I will go into True and see what they offer as an add on and go from there.

Not wanting to steal the posters forum, but I am interested in getting Wi-Fi when I leave the house, e.g. I only have internet when I am at home and seldom have the need for Wi-Fi when I am out, but now trying to keep up with technology and having to us apps, I will need to see what I can do about paying for data so I have Wi-Fi when I leave the house. I like the sound of 1,000 baht for 1 year for 10Mbps, however I have always been worried about losing my number, so one of my questions is, would I have to give up my number, I am have been with True Move for years. The other questions is, will I need to use a separate sim, as I have 2 sims at the moment, one is for her and the other for overseas, that said, I suppose I could take out the overseas sim when leaving the house and putting in the new one, but that would be a pain. If there is such a thing like buying data without having to change sims or losing my number, I would like to be brought up to speed, and yes, I know, slower than a snail, but I like it that way, except for when I leave my cave and go into the real world.

Amen to that, just got back from an overseas trip and as soon as I started to drive the rental car, not more than 5 kilometres away, there they were 8am, 2 lanes closed and pulling over trucks at the port doing breatherlizers. Real police, real law enforcement on the streets, not like here, it's all about staying in the office or visiting other interests that they own like Karaoke bars etc. My wife just renewed her license, had to see the Dr for a medical, receptionist said 60 baht, gave her a signed form with the Dr's signature, fill in the form and give to registry she said. Wife downloaded an app and watched the motor registry video while I was driving the car, she answered the 4 questions, went into the registry paid and received her license. We all know what goes on here, we shake our heads in disgust and try to stay alive on the roads because it's an unlawful sh-t fight out there, and there will be no change with the current force that runs the show out there. RIP to the deceased an Buddha give strength to those kids who were robbed of their parents so early in life. As for the truckie, what can I say, nothing is going to bring back those kids parents.

Appreciated this video so much that I am going to get the builder/lackey to build me one and one for the father-in-law, who knows, word might spread around the village that it's better than the way they do things. Only thing is will people be prepared to pay for the outlay as they won't depart for a monthly amount for the garbage truck, so we have no bins, dispose of at your own peril, I think the garbage truck pickups were 110 baht per month so you see what we are up against ????

Just got back from an overseas trip where the air was crystal clear, loved the 7.00am morning walks, up to 10-15km's a day. Now back to the village with thick smoke in the morning and late afternoon, certainly makes a difference, which includes not having garbage bins and everyone burning what and how they like. We have 3 bins, 1 for mainly rubbish which is usually paper, 2nd one is for recyclables and the 3rd is for plastics to which I take with me and put in a bin in town which is about 20 minutes away. The number 1 usually gets buried on one of my wife's land, recyclables the father-in-law sorts out and keeps the coins he makes out of it. Food stuff goes into the garden compost. Sad that we are the only ones that do it and if I find a single piece of plastic in the wrong bin, the red flag goes up, kids running everywhere.....LOL

For those of you interested and not up to speed, as I wasn't as of today, Sakon Nakhon Immigration office has moved addresses. Rang them this morning and advised them that I had a marriage extension and wanted to know if I had to report to them after returning from an overseas trip recently, answer to my question was NO, oh ok then, thanks. Wife then asks me, what about me, do I have to go to report to them that you are staying with me as I am the holder of the house book, answer to her question, I have no idea Tiruk. Wife rings Sakon Nakhon immigration and asks same question, answer, yes, because if you don't, you will pay a 2,000 baht fine. Oh, then why didn't you tell my husband that when he rang you a minute ago, hmm, I didn't speak to your husband, must have been someone else, hmm, ok then I will come in now she says, ok, but did you know we have moved addresses as of this month, no, ok then, come to the the road that takes you to Sakon Nakhon Airport and you will see us in our new building along that road, ok then wife says. Wife drives to air force base on the main road, no not here, you have to go to Sakon Nakhon Airport, turn around and go back that way and turn right at the main intersection and follow the signs...LOL An hour and 20 minutes later, we arrive, wife goes to front counter, yes says the I/O, wife says have to report my that my husband is back from an overseas trip, I/O, oh ok, but why did you drive all the way here (1 hour 2), you can do it on line now Grrrrr....... Anyways, they have moved for those of you who didn't know and please feel free to spread the word.

13, Optometrist overseas suggested contacts as the glasses put on my daughter made her feel off balance, and contacts would be more beneficial for her. 12 Months ago took her to AEK private ar Udon Thani.

Just returned from an overseas trip and had the daughters eyes tested at an Optometrist who recommended contact lenses as one eye is short sighted. We had her eyes tested at a private hospital about a year ago and glasses recommended, we got the glasses but the improvement was minimal based on the specs provided by the eye Dr to the Optometrist here. Optometrist overseas was very thorough and said was surprised that the eye Dr didn't pick up the huge discrepancy with the eye as it has only been 12 months and her eye would not have gotten worse in that short period. That said, it is what it is and wife said she has found a place but has to change them every month at 600 baht per month. Being new to this, is this the norm, e.g. can't we buy her contacts like glasses whereby she keeps them and cares for them. As the topic suggests, any recommendations on say a franchise, we are in Udon Thani but that shouldn't make a difference.

Not interested in debating what I believe and what you believe, at the end of the day, it will be what will be and if you believe what you believe, then we will see at the end of it, who gained what.

Lol, I though the same, very confusing to say the least, but I got the gist of it, horrible.