JayBird

the only reason to walk the streets is to see the vendors.  Too polluted and hot to walk just for the sake of walking

2 hours ago, fforest1 said:

Sports hub Pattaya....No matter how many times I hear this its still funny...

well there are lots of sports bars.....

On ‎6‎/‎20‎/‎2017 at 1:43 AM, siam2007 said:

 

 

then why many shops in there are already closed for good and the place is completely deserted at least 5 days a week (Mon - Fri) ?

Might be like the Indian Restaurants on 2nd road.  Empty all day, packed for feeding time, empty again.

Maybe harbor mall is only really 'busy' for 2 hours a day :)

I never cared for the website for KT-Zimco.  Can't even see which exchanges they deal with (or is it Thailand only?).

Also, their commissions seem to be high (0.20% or so?).   So, a 1M THB purchase would be 2000 THB in commissions (or roughly 60$ USD).  About 10x the price of most other online brokers.

And of course there's a 7% tax.

Unless I'm missing something?  I would still recommend a non-Thai based (international) brokerage firm.

On ‎6‎/‎19‎/‎2017 at 8:02 AM, Stubby said:

I've had a look at Netflix but they seem more movie orientated than anything. Do you know of a legal service that has lots of TV series, old and new? I enjoy a good movie, but I prefer to get into a good drama series if possible.

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Stubby 

iFlix has a lot of TV Series.  But no legal streaming service has a lot of old & new.  Sadly...

I'll just come in here about health insurance.

The requirement says a minimum of coverage. You can get in patient coverage of 10m to 30m from a few companies here (LMG MSH BUPA).

of course this does not play nice for those with coverage from home or those who Can not switch.

I'm unsure if Thai companies cover preexisting, so it most likely will be a major factor for retirees who often have a preexisting condition of sorts.

What if you are not American, but G7, and want to visit USA for a couple of months with your Thai gf, and have no intention of marrying or staying?

I just want to go to Disneyland to be honest. Should I forget it or plan for headaches?

He should be able to find a Thai apartment or room for about 2k to 4k a month. No floor no furniture shared bathroom.

He'll have to look on the non touristy streets or ask a Thai person.

Some of the bar girls and motorbike guys should know. Likewise a bar manager may know

You can also get Amazon Prime, however their Thai offerings are limited to Amazon original only.

Samsung or iPhone. Main reason is the wide choice of cases, which girls love.

also very easy to repair.

If you go Samsung you can install Samsung pay which also makes it easier to track spending.

Go for the model with the right sized screen for her needs. Buy it somewhere you can get a good warranty for when the screen breaks.

ideally with dual sim so she can take advantage of deals for talk and data.

Saturday dinner time, it was a bit busy.  Not packed, but by no means empty.  Lots of people eating at the various restaurants, so seems to be a destination for local families to eat out.  Did not see much in the way of 'tourists'.

Given its slow season right now, not bad turnout there.

I think they say 90 days per year out six months depending on their mood. That is not the issue. The issue is their mood. The excuse they use Can change to whatever they please if they do not want you in.

Recommend METV if possible. Also might want to look into Thailand elite which should remove all obstacles.

you can get 1% or so from a fixed one year deposit.

you can easily open a bank account with that amount if you have an setv or better. If you are married you should have a visa.

you could invest in government bonds for 2% or 3%.

and of course you could try to buy a condo and rent it out yourself

20 hours ago, LivinginKata said:

 

I would think/assume that my medical insurance would be accepted by the Thai authorities, Why would I need to pay twice ?? I think you are confused with the so called ACA in the USA

If you are covered by a medical insurance company that does not operate in Thailand, it may be difficult for the IO to verify your insurance when you come through the gates.  Therefore they might require you to have  Thai compliant health coverage and encourage you to buy it from the vending machine next door or some other mechanism for long-stay people.

They could go all out and combine the Health Insurance & Tourist SIM w/ Tracking Device as mandatory and really improve their margins on foreigners :)

My big concern here would be that they would require all non-Thai people (so it includes expats living here long time) to get Medial Insurance from a *specific* provider (and of a specific plan), that may or may not be as good as the coverage we may already be paying for, thus resulting in us paying for *two* medical coverage plans.

I.e.: You are not Thai Citizen - You need Health Plan from Government: Expat Happy Health Care.  1000 THB/mo.

Max Coverage 300k, Deductible 50k, only usable at Government Hospitals.

On ‎6‎/‎7‎/‎2017 at 9:58 AM, KhunBENQ said:

For me it's not an improvement but a tightening:

even Kasikorn Pattaya now requires a proper res.cert. from immigration?

That was much more relaxed until some 4 years ago. A hotel business card was enough.

 

I have savings accounts at three banks, never had a WP. It's NOT a requirement for savings accounts although some uninformed or uninterested clerks will tell you.

 

To the OP : would you reveal which branches you visited?

The one in Royal Garden was always very relaxed.

I did not try that one, only a couple random ones and the one in Central Festival Pattaya.  I was mainly fact checking and information gathering.

I've decided at this time to proceed with UOB as I like a few of their options (especially the unlimited free withdrawals from any 'PLUS' ATM in Thailand/Singapore/Malaysia which I frequent).

UOB didn't want Work Permit *OR* Certificate of Residence.  Just passport and Condo Ownership papers were enough (and 50k cash).

On ‎6‎/‎7‎/‎2017 at 8:33 AM, Maverickthai said:

 

Pleased for you.
So no work permit required?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Correct, no work permit has been required (although it was asked if I had one).  They seem to be happy with a visa.

Previous experience suggests any visa with duration more than 30 days is sufficient (SETV, METV). 

On ‎6‎/‎11‎/‎2017 at 8:42 PM, madmitch said:

Swindon's Magic Roundabout fills most British drivers with dread! Can you imagine what it would be like here? They can't even use the Heroine's Monument without blocking off two exits out of four. U-turn culture rules here as it is simple (yet at times very dangerous).

 

I might be mistaken, but I think they recently closed the Dolphin Roundabout in Pattaya.  It no longer goes... 'around'... You can do a U-turn or go right/left but that's it.

Not sure what you call a roundabout you can't go around... a bout?

I've never been to the island Koh Larn.... wonder what it's like... besides, apparently, full of Chinese tourists .

what if there is no more to this sorry. A simple hate crime or random act of violence.

Where are all those tourists going?

9 hours ago, schlog said:

+1

 

Would like to know the real reason.

Cracks maybe again?

i think they were overtaking by driving into oncomming traffic.

For those interested:

I checked another branch, and they were able to articulate the form.  It is indeed the Certificate of Residence, from Immigration, that they desire.  This differs slightly from Bangkok Bank which wants one from your Embassy with certified copies of your passport.

On a separate note, it seems interesting that now Kasikorn is the only bank in Thailand that will issue VISA Debit Cards that can be used for online shopping.