jing jing

I like the Thong Lor school, located right at the bottom of the stairs of the Thong Lor BTS station, even numbered soi side. Their curriculum is structured as 30 hour modules based on 2 weeks, 3 hours per day, 5 days a week. They should be able to take you from zero to basic communication in 4 weeks depending on your language aptitude.

You can get individual or group instruction. I've got 3 phone numbers for them (and no, I'm not affiliated with them in any way):

02 712 0886

02 391 6358

02 390 0244

Chok dee

I'm a serious do-it-yourselfer back in farangland where parts are readily available at the corner Kragen or at the dealer, and where I had a fully outfitted garage with several rollaways full of tools, plus compressed air, welding equipment, vises, floor jacks, taps and dies, boxes of spare bulbs, fuses, and fasteners, etc. etc. Now that I live here in an apartment with nothing but a small box of emergency tools, doing my own service is out of the question.

From what I've observed, the local garage mechanics work with very rudimentary tools like box wrenches, vise grips and hammers, with no regard for delicate fittings that require something more specialized like a flare nut wrench. Consequently, all fasteners get promptly buggered up, especially since they have no concept of how much torque to apply to nut and bolts.

Watching some fellas do a brake job on my truck was a very stressful experience for me, as I was hoping they would do things properly. Ultimately I had to just walk away, down a few Sangsom sodas, and repeat to myself 20 times "mai pen rai."

2 weeks turnaround time for a tourist visa at Thai embassy in Los Angeles, I don't understand. When I bring my paperwork there before 11AM it is ready to pick up the next day. It's hard to imagine it would take so much longer just because they receive the paperwork in the mail instead of in person.

I believe there may be a "rush" option - for a small additional cost, of course. If I were you I'd call the RTE and inquire about that. You could FedEx documents back and forth in just a few days I reckon.

It's worth at least a phone call to possibly save the inconvenience of having to cross the border every 30 days.

From the Ekkamai bus station take a right on Sukhumvit, walk a few metres to the Ekkamai BTS station, buy a ticket to the Saladaeng stop, change lines at Siam Square station, get off at Saladaeng station and exit towards Convent Road, hail a taxi or motosai at the bottom of the stairs and tell them "Taw Maw Soi Suan Phlu" and in five minutes barring much traffic you're there.

Interesting question about how did Wireless Road get its name.  I did a cursory search on Google and could not locate an answer on the history of this pain in a** road most of us have to visit from time to time. 

I guess being on the other side of Sukhumvit, its not so bad for the Brits going to the British Embassy but for the Americans like myself, where the Embassy is smack in the middle of the road away from the two main connecting streets, its a big pain in the ass and I hate going there.  When its hot and humid outside (Like it always is) and you have to walk from the Embassy back to Sukhumvit because if I take a taxi for such a short distance I feel like a lazy a** and the taxi drivers get mad.  So I always suck it up and walk back to the Skytrain station and am usually covered in sweat by the time I get there.  That street sucks!

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2 words for ya bro: moto sai

I see mentioned in this thread that they charge a rate of 3% and that $100 travelers checks get the best rate, but I don't recall the rate above the standard exchange rate being that much...more like 1% if I recall, but I didn't really pay close attention.  And I didn't see any mention of the denomination of travelers checks.  I did see a different rate for smaller denominations of currency, but not for travelers checks.  I'm planning on bringing in $1000 denomination checks.  Will this be good?

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In Bangkok I've been able to cash TCs for 30 baht each at the bank (SCB), but in more remote places like Koh Tao they charged 3%. I am not 100 percent sure that $100 TCs get a better exchange rate like bank notes do.

I've never heard of a $1000 denomination TC, however it doesn't sound like a good idea unless you're planning on buying yourself a motorbike instead of renting...

Thanks for your responses Lopburi3 and Dr. Pat Pong.

In my case I will have not only a birth certificate but also (from the US Embassy in Bangkok) a Report of the Birth of an American Citizen Abroad and a US passport for my son. One of the requirements for obtaining those documents was signing an Affadavit of Parentage and Support, wherein I promised to support him until the age of 18. Had I been legally married this would have been unnecessary, but that's another story...

I am hoping this paperwork, certified by the US Embassy, will be sufficient to obtain the extension of stay. Any thoughts?

Nowadays, as you're probably aware, the major credit card issuers are hammering folks who travel internationally and purchase goods and services in foreign currencies with a 3% fee. I was told this fee is levied to defray the expense of converting from the foreign currency to dollars. Whatever, it's a recent development and it really p!sses me off.

Some banks will differentiate between ATM transactions and credit card purchases and only charge 1% for the ATMs. Your ex should make a phone call to find out her bank's policy.

Most places in the Kingdom charge 3% on travellers checks and give a better exchange rate on $100 checks.

I would bring $500 in TC's in case of emergency (like a lost ATM card) and get the rest from ATMs. If the bank charges a fee per ATM usage then obviously it's best to withdraw the largest amount possible at one time, usually about 20K baht.

It even extends to government officials.  As I was exiting Don Muang immigration on the very last day of a 90-day entry, the guy stamping my passport actually showed it to his watching assistant and they descended into howls of laughter.  The reason: I was leaving on the last permitted day.  Absolutely weird.

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Come on, really, didn't you know? Leaving on the last day of a visa? It's like touching a monk's head with your foot, or stomping on a ten baht coin, or giving a high forehead wai to child beggars on Sukhumvit for Pete's sake -- it's just not done! Farang bah!!

By doing it yourself you might be able to save between 200 and 400 baht. Anyone who tells you differently is wrong. In my opinion the extra effort and inconvenience involved in "doing it yourself" is not worth the savings of between $5 and $10.

In light of your handle, however, that might represent a significant savings to you, so guide yourself accordingly.

Yes, I hear scathing, mocking, hyena like laughs all the time, even when I'm all alone. Is it just me? Am I paranoid?

1.  You do not qualify for an extension of stay (support Thai wife or support [with court order] Thai child).

2.  Financial standing is NA because you do not qualify per one above.

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lopburi3, with all due respect for your knowledge and experience, I do believe having a Thai citizen dependent child entitles one to a non-immigrant O visa and extension(s) of stay. My belief is supported by the information on the Royal Thai Consulate of Los Angeles website (link: http://www.thai-la.net/visa/visa-non-im-o.htm ) and on the Thai Immigration Bureau website (link: http://www.imm.police.go.th/nov2004/en/base.php?page=service ).

Both websites state that with a birth certificate indicating one is the child's father, one is entitled to the non-O and the extensions of stay; please correct me if you have information to the contrary as this is the route I was planning to take when my 60 day multiple entry tourist visa expires.

Google "jackgolf visa"

You're welcome

Kyla (female version of male Kyle)

I like to travel light, a few thousand baht and my phone. If driving I try to remember my license.

Oh yes, I also carry my ThaiVisa "know-nothing newbie" clique ID card with me

I think the point some folks are missing, in their glee over saving themselves 20 baht, is that all haircuts aren't the same - not by a long shot. If you've got enough hair to tell the difference between a good haircut and a bad one, and enough money to afford to pay for a good one, then why refuse to pay what amounts to the price of a soft drink for a good cut?

Thai men may not eat p*ssy, and maybe they wear funny flip flops with dress clothes, but does that mean I need to do the same thing? I've seen a lot of Thais running around with haircuts I'd be ashamed to leave the house with, so what?

If you think you're cool because you don't tip your hairstylist at all but you tip your waiter 300 baht, then maybe you're bald, fat, and drunk 'cause it's obvious where your priorities are.

It's also worth mentioning that there are many absolutely stunning light skinned Thai ladies, but typically they don't speak much English and aren't in a position to meet and/or date farang men because they've already got good looking, well-to-do Thai boyfriends or husbands. If my Thai language skills were a little better I'd definitely have tried penetrating that market, so to speak...

There's a track for racing RC cars off Srinakarin road behind Seacon Square, near where a go-kart track also happens to be located. These are the nitro powered cars, as well as the more serious electric ones, not the cheapos you see at the malls. There are a few good hobby shops about town that sell quality cars/planes/boats/helos. A good buddy of mine actually builds RC electric planes from scratch, and he knows of a number of places around Bkk to fly them.

In a very dusty environment they tend to get dirty and clog up quickly.

Isn't that the whole idea of the exercise?

Surely the same dirt that would clog up a foam filter has already entered the filter housing and would also clog up a paper filter?

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Well, sort of. It's just that dirt clinging to the oiled foam creates a more impenetrable barrier for air than dirt on a dry paper filter does. If you're the sort who's prepared to pull the foam off and clean it frequently, like on a weekly basis, then that could be the hot setup for you.

Beautiful daughter you have there, TTM. My son's only a month and a half old but he's already got all the Thai ladies swooning:

To say a woman is ugly just because her skin is dark is just plain ignorant. You mean to tell me that Tyra Banks and Halle Berry are ugly women? Brother please....

It's true that light skin is a status symbol in Thailand, probably because it means the owner of that skin never had to work in the fields. So what? I'd venture to say that plenty of women who've done their share of work in the fields would make a man a better wife than the sort of women who've spent their time accumulating useless university degrees and spending daddy's money shopping at the Emporium.

Much of the talk amongst the locals is motivated by jealousy. There is a strong desire by many Thai women, and not just the farm girls, to have "luuk kreung" babies with farang men -- just look at the success such people have in the Thai entertainment industry where good looks are at a premium.

If farangs are marrying all the ugly women, at least we're having some good-looking kids...

There are also add on foam screen prefilters for many vehicles to extend the life of the paper filter. They are cleanable and inexpensive.

This is an excellent thought, especially considering that the paper element in my car is approximately 1000 Bt a throw. A foam filter sandwiched over the paper element would catch the majority of the crud and be easily cleanable.

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The problem with a foam prefilter is possible restriction of airflow. Also, to be effective, most foam filters must be lightly oiled. In a very dusty environment they tend to get dirty and clog up quickly.

When I changed the air filter on my Hilux 2.5 turbo, I was quoted 1000 baht for the Toyota filter and 400 for a Thai aftermarket unit. Upon inspection they appeared identical, so I figured since I'd be replacing it frequently, might as well opt for the cheaper one.

Changing your oil and filters frequently when operating in a harsh environment just makes sense - unfortunately for secondhand buyers like myself, Thais are not known for their diligent maintenance habits.

The only way for air to get into your engine is through the filter (duh). Therefore if I was you I'd monitor the condition of my air filter closely, replace it when dirty, and otherwise not worry much about it. Good idea to change the oil/filter every 5000 km as well, seems like overkill but if you plan to keep the vehicle for awhile it's worth the trouble.

I really think you have to be older than 43 to feel comfortable with your savings and pensions being enough to live comfortably for the rest of your life.

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Either that, or have have a lot more in savings and pensions.

Maybe.