koolbreez

Forget the consulate in Portland, use the consulate in Los angeles. No ticket requirement, and they will issue 3 visas. Just send the application, passport, 2 passport photos, and copy of the details page of your passport, Money order ($40 for each visa), along with a self-addressed stamped envelope for them to return your passport (stamps, not metered postage). They are very nice if you happen to have to call them, and they get your passport back to you in a very reasonable timeframe.

I used this consulate for 8 years, twice a year, before I moved to Thailand, and never had a problem. Expect your passport back within 10 days. I used USPS priority mail for the return envelope, not express mail as they recommend, and never had a problem.

http://www.thaiconsu...rvice_visa.aspx# Go to this FAQ --> Tourist Visa Requirements for US passport holders

There is enough here without getting into Norton Ghost.

Right click in the tool bar, and click Start Task Manager. Click the Processes tab, and scroll down to Vuze.exe. Click on it to highlight it, then click End Process. This will make sure the program is actually closed, and not running in the background. At this point you can delete the file in Windows Explorer.

What price range for the room rental? Without that detail it is hard to help. Motorbike rentals should run around bt3000 for the month each. Check the classifieds here for the motorbike rental.

As it is a civil case, it can take years, if an attorney will take it for the low money involved, and they will not take the case on contingency. He will have to pay them upfront if they take the case. Did he take good pictures of the damage, before the landlord had a chance to tamper with the floor?

Sunbelt Asia might be able to help, or at the very least steer you in the right direction. I doubt very seriously if an attorney will advise pursuing it unless his intention is just to prove his point.

It might be better if he knows the local policemen, and offers them half the money if they can retrieve the deposit. Most police are prejudice against Indians, and that could be in his favor in getting money back at the least expense.

Why didn't you get 2 tourist visas? Watch the AirAsia sales, and you can cut the flight cost in half with some pre-planning. Nice report, even though you didn't go to the consulate yourself.

No insurance covers pre-existing conditions. If the person has paid into Thai social security for over a year, and paid his taxes he might qualify for social security medical though. Still not exactly clear on how it all works, but I do know foreigners that pay in are eligible.

The only unsafe thing I have ever ran into in Bangkok, or any part of Thailand was in all Thai bars, and talking to the ladies there. That can be extremely dangerous if someone gets jealous.

I use the Manhattan hotel on Sukhumvit soi 15 for all my clients in that price range. It has now been completely remodeled, and at bt1500 a night for a double, with buffet breakfast is good. It is set back off the main road 1/2 a block, and is directly between the NANA, and ASOKE BTSs. Lots of family tour groups stay there. All the construction around the hotel is now completed so noise is no longer a problem.

If money is not a concern then the 4 Seasons hotel, or the Sheritan. If money is a concern then the Bayoke Sky Tower is again good, and the view is real good.

The Thai neighborhood I live in is very safe, even walking late at night, and it is at the end of the soi, but not really. The morning market is two blocks away, right past the local temple. Once the neighborhood knows you live here, and are not one of the few tourists, they watch out for you, just like everyone else in the area.

I'm 15 minutes away from the BTS, have an excellent pool area, washers, 2 laundry services, 2 restaurants on property, salon on property, mini mart on property, gated with 3 guards, there are 9 7-11s in the area, motortaxi right out the front gate, a small park out the back gate 1/2 block away, lots of food choices. Rent is fairly cheap for what I get, and very few tourists to deal with.

It is a very lively safe surroundings, yet close to everything I need. Massive shopping a short walk away.

Go on the train to Ayuthaya. For bt50 each (her ticket is free if she is Thai) you get a 1 1/2 hour train ride, then right across from the station rent a motorbike for bt100 for the day, and head for the old historic temples (the rental shop has a free map), and you can ride an elephant there.

Another option, and combine a nice beach trip in with it is to take the bus to Koh Chang island 5 hours away from Bangkok. There are nice West facing beaches for great sunsets, and a few elephant riding places through the jungle.

No, it means nothing.

The real purpose of this scheme has never been to benefit farmers, it has been to destroy the economy. Thaksin sees this as the quickest way to devalue the baht down to what he considers the right level to regain labor intensive manufactoring, and increase exports. While he was PM none of his programs were designed to increase the baht's value. In all his time in office the baht stayed right around 40 to the dollar. Not until the Democrats came to power has the baht increased in value. After Thaksin, and before the Dems the baht was even artificially controlled to keep it's value low, even to the point that off-shore trading was established to reflect the true market value, with Thailand not having enough financial clout to prevent it, as China can with the Yuan.

Thaksin operates under the principle that cheap labor keeps the most people working, and to maintain cheap labor the people have to remain poor. Everything he does is designed to maintain this labor advantage on the world market. Thaksin does not care about the people, only with making money, as he has shown many times.

Don't overlook the very important upcoming Bangkok governors election to make the Thaksin takeover complete. That is what all party positioning is for at this time, and the thorn still sticking in Thaksin's side. Keep that thorn in place, and for those that can vote, or have influence over a Bangkok voter, twist that thorn with a vote to retain those in power in the Bangkok governor's position.

The rules changed on ED visas 3 years ago, after a man in Pattaya went in for his 10th visa, 10 years on an Ed visa studying Thai, and he could not understand the simple hello, how are you questions the official asked him in Thai.

Now it is required that you take a simple verbal test at the ministry each year in order to renew, and can only get an ED visa for 3 years total to study Thai.

A birth certificate is only valid for determining the country of birth, not who the parents are. This is the case in any country, not just Thailand.

You are gambling trying Singapore. They are not nice like Vientaine was, also you could have gotten 2 tourist visas at Vientaine, you can't in Singapore. If you are over 40, dress in a clean nice suit & tie, shoes polished, clean shaven, hair freshly cut, and not carrying a backpack, they might issue you one, but at that it is still a gamble.

Given that a 90 day validity is stamped on the visa it is most likely a single entry tourist visa that has to be used within 90 days of issue. It also only gives you a 60 day stay in Thailand, and as mentioned above, can be extended it for 30 more days at immigration for bt1900 before it expires.

When it all expires, or before, you can do a "visa run" into another country, and visit a Thai embassy, or consulate to apply for another 1, or 2 tourist visas, dependent on which country you go to. Not all Thai embassies, or consulates outside of Thailand operate under the same rules in the number of tourist visas they issue. The Thai embassy in Vientaine, Laos will issue 2 at once, where as the consulate in Singapore, or in Phnom Phen, Cambodia will only issue one, and in Phnom Phen they will restrict you from returning there to get another one.

You can also simply cross a border, and return to Thailand, and get a free visa exempt stamp, valid for 30 days if you fly back into Thailand, or valid for 15 days if you enter Thailand overland. So, yes, you can do "visas runs".

As soon as you leave Thailand without a reentry permit your ED visa extension of stay is voided no matter how much time was left on it, and no longer a concern. At that point it has expired, and you can no longer enter Thailand on that visa extension no matter what. You would have to start over getting a completely new ED visa, and extension if you were continuing your studies, even under the same program that is still valid at your school. As such it has no influence at all on future entries into Thailand, except in the case of getting more ED visas. It would still count on the 3 year ED visa restriction.

Being educated in business, and economics it hurts me see a country intentionally create a dictatorship. The element of free enterprise is one of the first things destroyed, and the economic growth of the country is no longer a priority. That is where the dilema arises, on the one hand I want the best for Thailand economically on the world markets, but as a foreigner dependant on the dollar to baht exchange rate, I would like to financially see the economy tank, as this government is attempting to do to it. The social influence of the "me" attitude of Thailand is rubbing off on me.

I can't stand blatantly corrupt officials, but for myself to benefit the most in Thailand Thaksin needs to be brought back so he can directly tank the economy, not continuing to operate through proxies to do it, bringing the dollar to baht exchange rate back to the 40+ to the dollar level as he proposes for renewed manufactoring growth the cheap labor would provide, and better export growth the cheap baht would promote is the best for "me", and not Thailand as a whole.

His personal interests he constantly places above the needs of the country also benefit me, so I am caught in the moral dilema. Do I support bringing him back exhonorated for my own benefit, or do I concern myself for what is best for Thailand as a whole, and support jailing, prosecuting, and executing him for the corrupt executive decisions he has made, and continues to make?

The South end of Koh Chang island is the closest (5 hours) from Bangkok with somewhat clear water, and priced reasonably to live on long term. From Koh Chang there are other more remote islands from there if you prefer. The diving, and snorkling is good from the South end of the island, with lots of rock out croppings. Visibility is about 30m depending on the time of year.

The different bank branches, even though under the same bank name, are essentially different banks. You can open an account with your local Kasikorn bank and have free local ATM usage yet get charged ATM fees from the same bank name outside your local area.

Kasikorn banks are the easiest to open an account with. Most of their branches do not require that you have a work permit, as most other banks do.

American Express does not have banks, or issue ATM cards so I assume you are refering to getting cash with your Amex credit card. That is a very expensive thing to do. In fact it is one of the most expensive ways to get cash, with a minimum charge, and a percentage charge of I believe 5%, and no fee waiver for early payoff on top of the standard bt150 ATM fee in Thailand, except from Aeon ATM machines.

There are now 354 Aeon ATM machines throughout Thailand. Not all of them are listed here, but it is pretty up to date. Look for MaxValue mini marts. They all have an Aeon ATM machine inside. http://www.aeon.co.th/en/customerservices_servicelocation_atm_depositor.php

The limit on how many blocks of bandwidth one company could own was reduced down from 20 to 15 a few weeks ago, so their was collusion to eliminate competition, and from the agency selling the service to the private firms. The government eliminated any reason for real competitive bidding before the auction took place, and even before the actual number of qualified bidders was announced last week, as if they knew beforehand who would actually qualify.

Getting a visa before getting to the border will save over one hour crossing. Take overnight VIP bus to NK from MoChit station, getting there at around 7:00am. Take songtauw from there to the Thai immigration at the friendship bridge, and check out of Thailand (make sure you have a reentry permit beforehand if you need one so you don't loose your visa). After checking out at Thai immigration at the end of the building on the left is a little booth to buy a shuttle ticket to Lao immigration across the bridge (it was bt40 last time I was there), get on the next shuttle(it runs every 10 minutes with multiple busses) and cross. At Lao immigration go directly to the window, and get your customs declaration forms, there are 2, fill them out, and go to the immigration/customs line to get stamped into the country. Avoid the visa on arrival line completely. After completing and exiting customs get a songtauw, or taxi (songtauw prices are posted) directly to the Thai embassy, everyone knows where it is. You should be there by 9:00am when they open, although far back in the line that has already formed.

Forget the direct bus into Vientiane. It is a waste of precious time, and will just slow you down getting to the Thai embassy.