senor123

I blame gravity. It has a lot to answer for.

The last time I was in Thailand (about 2 months ago) I booked a trip to Burma on the advice of a member of this forum. Although I only went for 6 days with my Thai missus and I stayed in Rangoon, I thoroughly enjoyed the trip. Going mid-week on Thai airways our bags were off by the time I had come back from the money exchange in the airport. Customs was a painless and quick experience and our taxi ride to our hotel in the centre of China town was 8k kyat (about 200 baht). We hired a taxi for $US50  per day and chose where to go from a guide book. It is much cheaper to take a taxi from one place to another but having your own driver made it very easy. He also took us to local eateries etc. We did have an earthquake whilst I was there but it was pretty mild. I lived and worked in San Francisico many moons ago so the earthquake didn't bother me but my missus was freaking out. 

All in all, a most excellent adventure.

Welcome home. It's a great place to live.

Well, I must say this topic has caused me to read the fine print on my Australian travel insurance policy. I had believed I was covered for riding a motor bike/scooter up to 110cc as long as I had a valid Australian driving licence for a motorbike (which I have). Surprisingly enough my policy covers me for a bike up to 250cc. However, the rest of the fine print went on and on and on and I got tired from reading it so I went to bed.

Thanks for the info Richard. I will check it out.

Hi all,

I plan to spend 5 nights in Myanmar with my Thai missus  in March. We will spend most of the time in Yangon but I would like to do an overnight trip to somewhere interesting not too far from Yangon. We will be coming from BKK.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Steve

After general house maintenance in the last few years it is now time to do some wife maintenance. My missus has (on the surface) nice white teeth. Mine are grey from many years of drinking red wine. However, mine are in pretty good condition due to modern dentistry and belated knowledge of proper dental cleaning. After "her inside" complained about a bit of tooth ache I actually had a look inside her gob to see how the dental condition was going as, not being one who looks at the mantle piece when stoking the fire, I had never really thought this was important before. The result was a disaster, dental decay, cracked teeth, and a missing tooth. We have now started on a slow path of repair. She is 39 and if nothing is done I doubt she will have many teeth left by the time she is 50. She comes from a very poor farming background and cites this as her reason for not being aware of the importance of taking care of your teeth as she could not afford a toothbrush (used a piece of soft wood). 

I wonder if it is just her or if many Thai people have the same problem as my impression of Thai people is that most of them have very nice white teeth.

Probably a bit dull and boring but it seems to me  that it takes much longer to charge my Tablet and phone in Thailand (220 volts) than it does back in Oz (240) volts. As I have absolutely no idea of how electricity works I was wondering if there is an explanation for this or maybe I am just imagining it.

Steve

I also use OFX. As the amounts I usually transfer are under $AU2000.00 I pay a $AU15.00 at this end but the rates are very competitive. At the Thai end the receiving bank appears to deduct up to 500 baht .  They also have a good tracking system and send me tracking SMSs. They also send an SMS to the recipient when the money is sent to her account.

Well, if the story is true, it is probably not that much different to many relationship failures. Just no chemistry!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Thanks for all the input. My missus has seen a few countries and last year we went to Sri Lanka. I enjoyed the experience but it is not a place I would say to put on top of your list. A lot of the villages looked like Thai villages and, to be honest, I got sick of the fact that everyone had their hand out. At first I was thinking of going to India but thought I might try something closer. As I said before, I have been to Vietnam a few times and it is a good look but Burma sounds interesting and is a short flight from Bangers. An E-visa is pretty straightforward for me and my wife can go for 14 days with no hassle on a Thai passport. I am travelling on an Australian passport. 

Steve.

Thanks for the replies. I have been to Vietnam a couple of times as I have a mate who lives in Saigon. I don't have a problem going back there as I found it to be an interesting country but I was just wondering if there might have been some alternatives.

Steve

I would like to do a 7 or so day tour of one of the neighbouring countries to Thailand on my next visit to Thailand. I will do it with my Thai missus so I am looking for suggestions. Cambo? Lao? Burma?. We will fly in and I am open to either renting a car or taking a guided tour. Usually I am an independent traveler but I have had some good experiences with either private tours or small group tours.  

Regards,

Steve

I was recently bitten by a wild cat in Sam Roy and it was totally my fault. Coming from a country where rabies is not an issue I just put a bit of tissue paper on the bites to stop the bleeding and carried on. However, at the insistence of my missus I went to the local clinic where the Doctor informed me, when I asked what the symptoms were, that you are dead. Hmmm off to the local hospital where they cleaned the wound very deeply, gave my the first shot of a course of 5 and 600 baht later I was out of there. All in a day's work and a good job by the medical staff. However, when I got home and was due for the last of the shots, the  Government Health department got involved, Doctors were consulted, WHO info was checked and vaccine was couriered out to my local clinic and I was treated quick smart. Lesson learned.

You will have no problem. Download the visa application from the Australian government website. Fill it in, take it to VFS in Bangkok along with the required supporting documentation, wait about 10 working days, go visit Oz. More than 90% of Thai visa tourist applications to Australia are approved. My Thai gf has far less than yours and she never has a problem getting a 1 year multiple entry Vida to Australia.

6 hours ago, SgtRock said:

Australia, you have a massive desert area, time to build a huge Aussie style Gitmo right in the middle of it.

 

Th UK will only be too happy to set up a prisoner transfer free trade agreement with you 

I thought we already had. That's how European settlement started. 

You guys are crazy. The raft looks exactly the same to me. A bit of blue fibre glass and a load of food.

Happy to have done my democratic duty this morning.

How is it democratic ---if you can be jailed for not voting..............

.

**You were talking about voting Doc.....not something else you do in the morning......

There you go: Just pay the 20 bucks out of your dole/pension money.

Voting at federal elections has been compulsory since 1924 for all citizens on the Commonwealth electoral roll. Anyone who is unable to provide a valid and sufficient reason to the Divisional Returning Officer for failure to vote at a federal election and who does not wish to have the matter dealt with by a Magistrates Court may pay a penalty of $20 (section 245).

If an elector who has failed to vote refuses to pay the $20 penalty, then the matter may be referred to a Magistrates Court, where a fine of up to 1 penalty unit plus costs may be ordered on conviction. Anyone who chooses not to pay the court-ordered fine will be dealt with by the Court accordingly, and this may involve community service orders, seizure of goods, or other court imposed sanctions. The penalty in such circumstances will be a decision for the local Magistrates Court and not the Australian Electoral Commission.

Hmmm, I was in England a few weeks ago and all the British working and retired British people that I spoke to were for leaving the EU. Mainly their gripe was that they were being controlled by a remote entity for whom they felt no empathy. I too have seem my investments take a dive but I also see great opportunities for picking up stocks that have been discounted far below their worth. Good luck to the Poms. Most of the world goes it alone as far as governance is concerned but has no problem with making trade agreements either as a bloc or as a individual country. Too many walking wounded in the current EU as far as I can tell.

One of England's finest no doubt...enjoy those Blighty winters for the next 5 years

Just got back from a couple of weeks visiting the relatives in England with my daughter and grandson via Thailand. It was a great time in the UK. The people were friendly, the transportation system worked well, the costs were reasonable considering everyone had to make a living. Had the whole range of weather from snow in Hyde Park to short sleeve shirt in Halesworth. We stayed in Bangkok on the way over and the way back. Stinking hot but good fun at some water park. I must admit I like having 4 seasons and Blighty is not so bad. Had a bit of trouble convincing some Poms in San Roy Yod of this but all in all I would prefer to live in England than Thailand if I had to choose.

Last Friday I had some dental work done. The drilling itself was not a problem as the injection worked 100%. I didn't feel a thing. But water kept shooting down on to my tonsils and I kept gagging. It got worse and worse. I felt like I was choking. But it was short lived and got the job done.

I have a friend who has this problem. He spoke to the dentist about it and they agreed that if my friend felt he was about to gag, he would raise his hand and the dentist would either stop briefly or use the suction nearer his throat. My friend still has the problem but now knows he's in charge whilst in the dental chair and can relax a little.

I have a similar problem with the Dentist suggesting the same solution. Now the Dentist puts some sort of rubber dam in my mouth to stop everything going down my throat and I also breath heavily through my nose. I sympathise with you and I just put my hand up when I feel I can't control it anymore. Seems to work, more or less.

The Geneva Act describes the International License. There are actually 2 systems which are both accepted. You can't drive with only your local license alone.

Are you sure? I am not saying that you are incorrect as reading the Act it seems a bit ambiguous. However, the IDP, it seems to me, is not a licence but a permit which is simply a copy of your licence. However, I know that I can legally drive in the UK, USA and Ireland on my Australian driving licence. Usually a driving permit is a licence to drive if you have not received a full licence (i.e. you are a learner driver) unless you have a fully licenced driver with you.

Well, you are in the wrong here. Be happy the BiB let you off the hook. If you have an accident no insurance will cover you and you may even end up in jail.

Not necessarily, it depends on in which country your driving licence was issued. The International Driving Permit is not a licence as such but merely a transcript of your home country's driving licence. See the following for the rules relating to using an Australian driving licence in Thailand.

Australia does have a treaty with Thailand - Geneva Traffic act 1949

Section 42

Anyone who wishes to drive a motor vehicle on public roads must possess an appropriate driver's license. The driver must carry the driver's license and a photocopy of the registration book and show them to competent officers upon request. This does not apply for those who are learning to drive a motor vehicle according to the provision of Section 57.

If the driver is an alien who doesn't have an immigrant visa, he may drive a motor vehicle with a driver's license specified in the Section 42-2. In such a case, he must carry documents specified by the treaty between the Thai government and the government which issued such driver's license, and show them to competent officers upon request.

Section 42-2

In case there's a treaty between the Thai government and a foreign government regarding mutual acceptance of driver's license, an alien who doesn't have an immigrant visa may drive a motor vehicle with a driver's license issued by such a foreign government, or an automobile association authorized by such a foreign government.

However, it is very easy to get an IDP and I always do although I have driven quite legally in the USA, UK, and Ireland on my Australian driving licence.

If you are over 50 and can have a retirement visa , I would recommend having a face saving Thai marriage , which is just a formality with no binding legality , either can walk away from it at any time .

The Thai marriage visa is really a pain , involving masses of documents , proof of income , photos of you and your wife together , letter from the head man . A retirement visa is far less trouble and if the marriage doesn't work out you can just walk away .

This works for me also. 4 years down the track and everyone is happy.

What happened to "Stand and Deliver". It is a great line from our pommie/irish ancestors. The olden-day highway men had a great deal of panache in their hold-up methods. Ned Kelly, Ben Hall, Captain Moonlight would be terribly disappointed that their chosen profession was reduced to a boof-head with a toy gun and no horse.