Presnock

I used to have Bank America (40+ years) but when the Justice folks decided that overseas bank accounts needed to be better monitored (54 nations do this) most US banks cancelled accounts with people overseas. I learned that the State Department Federal Credit Union (sdfcu.org) would allow folks overseas to open accts w/credit cards , etc. It is easy and transfer of monthly monies cost me 30 USD (cheaper than BofA) and it only takes 1 day and the money is here in Bangkok Bank. I use the 65K monthly deposits method for long stay extension and sdfcu also sends monthly a advisory message indicating where the funds originate, where they were sent including my home address. Immigration seems to like these messages. Just saying...

when I change location within CM province, I too went in with a TM 28 for me and TM30 on my wife's behalf since we were just moving into "her" house. This was about 5 years ago when they still had an office upstairs at Promenada for Business and Tm30's. The IO said "ho we don't do the TM28's any more and tore it up and trashed it. Not sure why you would need one, a TM30 for relocation should suffice.

well, within the last couple of days, someone overseas asked about ways of getting a visa, and a well known expert on these advised ways of doing just that which included the 65 K baht per month method. I really don't know nor care, just posting how easy it is for me doing it this way!

That ties up 800,000 if single or 400,000 if married. I use the 65+K and have since the embassy letters ceased. I spend less than an hour a year at immigration doing the yearly stay approval which goes smoothly. Bangkok Bank provides necessary documents to validate that the funds come each and every month into my account, verifies that it is my account only and a copy of the bank book for that account. it costs 1900 baht per year to stay plus 500 baht to the bank for copies of documents. Hard to argue that any other way is easier without tying up that money. Just saying.

I have been going to CM immigration since 2015 when I moved to CM fm BKK. After fighting the traffic in BKK, CM was fine but I did not like the having to get in line by at least 4AM to get a queue ticket for that day. Then there were changes. They moved around and then several embassies stopped issuing the pension letters.. Instead of penalizing ME, this saved me 50 US dollars in that I no longer had to visit the consulate for that letter. I get enough paperwork from the pension office that more than satisfies the Immigration officers. Some even laugh at the amount of paperwork I provide to them from my local bank to my pension office to my stateside bank. I have never been asked to provide any extra funds and for the past two years, have spent less than an hour at immigration each year. NOW they have even come up with the new 90-day report online - and it worked for me the very first time so instead of things getting worse it seems the opposite for me. I appreciate the smiles and talking with the IO's that I have interacted with. My experiences may be solely mine and others may be different.

Chiang Mai

looks like everyone that was complaining about the 90-day report of residence, can if one has enough money, for 10,000 baht you only have to do that report once a year plus your yearly extension fee! Did I miss something. Then you can only extend for an additional 5 years after the first 5 years. It doesn't look to me like this is anything positive for retirees but maybe I just can't read between the lines.

negative. First time I tried 3 years ago I got through successfully and never again so I have been using the EMS post of the TM47 for the past 3 years. When they reported this new system, I registered as they instructed and then when this month's report was due I logged in and it worked with no glitches at all and very quickly! Can't argue or complain so far.

read the note, it says logged into the 90-day online report, 90 days from now will be April when next is due.

This morning after 8 AM, I logged in to the Thai Immigration 90-day online report using the password that they gave me when I registered. It took 5 minutes to fill in the TM47. Submitted it immediately. Got the reply email that they accepted it and approved the stay until April. This reply with printable copy for passport was dated/timed at 8:47AM, Much easier and quicker than before. No complaints from me. This is really another positive move that many complain about.

I think what the govt's of the world want to stop is the overloading of hospitals that care for the covid patients. Amazing that non-vaxx'ers are filling up the hospitals again. Yeah I know vaccinated folks are being infected too with this variant but they aren't the majority of those seriously suffering and dying from the covid. Some people can't get necessary care because the hospitals are full of the covid patients. Doctors and nurses though vaccinated are now getting infected and have to leave work so those care givers are getting the worse of this - mostly due to those anti-vaxx'ers! I have friends who are some of these care givers and I see their stories regularly, not just from the biased news media.

Why am I not surprised? Only been coming to Thailand since 1972 and lived permanently for the last 17 years. If one has the $ to payout so that he can run, it does appear that even murderers can get away without justice prevailing. Let's hope someone in a ranking position fixes this problem among the many problems that do remain. While saying this, don't get me wrong, I love Thailand and most of the people. They have always treated me with respect and a smile. I chose this as the place to stay until my final days but am having second thoughts on that lately. Hope all stay healthy and safe this year! Sawaddi Pimai

1 day last week I believe, they mentioned on this media that boosters were available for 3 months after the final of two shots of Pfizer, if one is over 60 years of age or has underlying health problems. I paid attn since I am over 60 and approaching the 3-month period shortly. I also plan before doing so to go to the hospital and have an COVID antibody check - not too expensive and should give me an idea of how much I have.

saw a TV program a couple of years ago - believe it was Okinawa or some other island in the Pacific and these locals go out hunting centipedes of up to 50centimeters and they BITE the head off of the centipede and then they sell them at the market or eat them. Strange people - I totally agree with the sentiment of most here - I and my Thai family totally avoid them/or kill them if we have something handy available!

One thing to keep in mind, 2nd hand cars' prices sometimes are not that much lower than the original cost of the cars. Next thing to remember, is a lot of flooding this year again and watching the news, quite a few vehicles were inundated with flood water. Anything that you consider buying, you should go to a dealer or auto shop and have them do a thorough inspection of the engine as well as all of the body and interior areas. From the sounds of the driving you envision, an SUV would probably be you best bet but from experience, Honda JAZZ and their other vehicles are quite trustworthy too.

from all the news reports I see about new surge in infections is predominantly among the unvaccinated, not the vaccinated. Yes there are more vaccinated people getting infected too but they are reportedly less serious and fewer deaths. Hospitals in the US report that they are full or getting full due to unvaccinated. In some countries having universal health care, they indicate that they will not give free treatment to unvaccinated for COVID-19 infections. Hopefully, the "better" vaccines ordered here will arrive sooner rather than later and people will then actually get them like those that have already paid for Moderna but govt hasn't been providing the vaccines donated to the hospitals. As for Astrazeneca here, the govt recommends none of this for anyone under 60 years of age especially females. The only choice some have had is Sinovac doubles or mixed, then a booster when the better vaccines arrive.

govt has the number of people that ordered and paid for Moderna. The govt pushes Sinovac then decides that when a shipment of world recognized vaccines enters Thailand, the govt doesn't allow it to be freely distributed to the hospitals to give to those who paid already. Instead the govt is jabbing those that got the Sinovac and Astazeneca. The govt doesn't give Astrazeneca to those under 60 due to problems they have been having. Thus I see on the regular daily news, some people have already had 3 or 4 jabs as they got the original Thai and Chinese and now get first jabs of recognized vaccines. Since my family plans to go to the US for daughter's college, we will need the US recognized vaccines, not the Chinese or Astrazeneca here. A new shipment of moderna just arrived, 1 million doses, I will be watching to see how many people get it as a booster before it goes out to the hospitals for those that have already paid for it.

Pfizer is not available to ALL areas nor for ALL people, only people of a certain age group maybe but definitely not available in all areas of Thailand. The government controls which areas get how many doses.

IMHO if the government would provide assistance in getting the (US approved) vaccines that have been registered for and paid for by a bunch of people, instead of prohibiting shipment into the country or forcing people to get unapproved vaccines when people need to travel to other countries then I can fully understand why many people continue to refuse the Chinese vaccines. I myself would not get one and was lucky enough to get jabs of the donated Pfizer vaccine. My daughter was at a school that also was approved for Pfizer for their students. Now if we could get the Moderna that we have paid for already, that would be nice.

actually, it is now cheaper and easier than before to stay long time. I retired here after several assignments in Bangkok in 2005. I had spent a total of 10 years in Thailand first time 48 years ago. After numerous overseas assignments, Thailand came out as the best for retirement. Like I said, now it is easier than before. We used to have to get in line at Immigration sometime just after midnight, in order to be close enough to get one of he queue numbers as they only processed so many each day. Besides that I had to pay 50 USD to get an income letter that immigration would accept so that I didn't have to keep big bucks in the bank here. Now since several embassies no longer provide letters, I just show them that I send from overseas, xxx number of Dollars equating to more than 65K baht EVERY month plus I show them a retirement income letter from my pension management company. Now when I go to immigration, first I stop at the bank, spend a half hour there then on to immigration where I usually spend 45 minutes to an hour and all is finished for another year. Previously after getting a queue ticket, waiting hours to get in for the interview and then waiting again for the signature of the boss. I feel that it is a lot easier now than it used to be. I do realize that insurance for longtime stayers is in the works in the near future and since I am now 75 years of age, while I already have a US insurer that pays everything even here, I am not so sure that they will sign that insurance declaration needed by immigration. Maybe it is time to consider leaving.

One has to love the officials here. The CM gov says that his goal is 100% vaccinations by the end of November 2021. They fail to take into account that over a 100K have paid for Moderna yet when there is any shipment of Moderna, the central govt takes it and provides 3rd and 4th jabs for those they consider to be more important. My wife plans to take our dau back to US so needs 2 jabs of approved vaccines and that means NO for Sinovac or Sinopharm which the govt insists all get together with Astrazeneca or Moderna or Pfizer. I read last week that China had sent another shipment of Sinovac to Thailand - not sure if it was a donation or paid for. But that means additional jabs of the Chinese vaccines. If the govt loves them so much why are giving boosters of something diff. Last week there was a news article that the Min of Health was turned away in Switzerland for a WHO conference as he only has 2 Sinovac jabs. My wife is so far down the line waiting for a Moderna jab that we figure it will be sometime in 2nd quarter of next year.

yep, according to TNN in their daily report, almost half of those jabbed so far are with Chinese vaccines. Some have now gotten a 3rd shot and some even a 4th shot. Hopefully, the new free shipment from the US of Pfizer will go to school kids around the country and not just to BKK.

one doesn't have to report every 90 days to immigration, online or by post is too simple? I realize that online only works sometimes but by post is less than 100 baht and drop off at any post office. Once a year extension of stay - used to be, some lined up at midnight in order to get a queue ticket number for that particular day. Now one can just walk in and get it taken care of, usually less than an hour. Yeah, some embassies stopped giving out pension guarantee letters but that was not immigration's fault but due to I guess many people fudging the monetary requirements. For me, it actually meant a savings of that notary-letter payment to the embassy. I recall the 90-day over the border days many years ago, wasn't all that bad going to Arunyaprathet and the casino for a free lunch and then the trip back to BKK but was a day wasted and dangerous. I think it is much easier today than previously.

Well, I first came to Thailand 50 years ago, assigned to NKP as a tech rep to the AF. I fell in love with Thailand at that time, especially the food, but, as I worked 16 hours a day during a 1-year period, I did not get to fully experience the rest of Thailand and what it had/has to offer. I convinced my family (wife and young daughter) to take an assignment to Bangkok. Again, I fell in love with what was offered. My family at first totally hated it as the culture was so different to them (they had spent the year that I was in NKP on an island in MD). But, after 6 months here they both agreed that life was much more exciting here in Thailand. They liked it so much that we spent the next 25 years in other countries, but several times we also were able to get several more assignments to Bangkok. Each time we noted the BIG changes noted as progress in local media, but as usual not so much to our liking. But based on other assignments when I retired, I decided that Thailand was still #1 on my list. My farang wife passed away and although I had no plans to remarry, I did so and to a Thail. With her we have a daughter who is now 17 and just about ready to go to the US for college. At first my wife and I planned to take her back and return to our house here but embassy advised that since my wife doesn't work, their interview would indicate that she probably wouldn't return so they said we had to do an immigrant visa. We are working on that now. I still love Thailand, now much older and remembering the cold, snowy winters, summer storms of many types, etc, costs other than utilities and most foods I eat are much cheaper here (I think but since I haven't gone shopping in the US for so long, not sure but do know that Thai food in the US is much more expensive as are utilities, especially electricity both summer and winter. Gasoline and vehicles though are much more expensive here than in the US. I could easily live in the US on my retirement but like I keep saying, even with the negative changes here, I still love it though I do miss some of the US too..

I am 74 and agree that breakfast is too important to ignore. I have what may be considered a very boring routine, that I have done for many years - Steel cut oats (not cooked but soaked), pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, flax seed meal, tumeric, black pepper, non-fat yogurt, blue berries, cranberries, ground walnuts, unfiltered apple cider vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, spoonful of honey, walnut milk. I also add other berries if available in the stores, all washed down with Ginger tea, no sugar no milk. About an hour later, I eat a banana and drink a "cold brew" (black unsweetened, no milk coffee). During the day I drink green tea. I eat anything else for late lunch and then fast until early morning (3 AM when I do a 6-10 K rain or shine - just no thunder), lift weights regularly, core exercises 5 days a week and stetches regularly. I have very few if any pains, but a tad bit of carpal tunnel syndrome. Yet, I am happy but after 3 decades here, speaking the language, married to a Thai, with whom I have a 17-year old, I have decided that since she will be going to the states for school, it is time for us to leave, most likely on a permanent basis. I will miss many things about Thailand and will probably hate many things that have changed for the worse in the states. I do hope all who remain here develop a positive attitude unless you already have one as I don't see it getting much better.