Tod Daniels

I hear my share of whining from old(er) retiree's and ex-pats here in the glorious "Land 'O Thais" but. .. Given the context, the subject matter, and their overall outlook on all things crazy, wacky and wonderful here I usually take it with a grain of salt. Holding in things you find objectionable, not venting or whining about the injustice of it all can be far worse for you. As was pointed out in a previous post; there are no end of things a person can find very different living in; of all places, a 'different' country, thus making the list for whining exponentially larger.

Living in ANY pissant shit-hole yet ‘developing’ third world country can be taxing on a person. Firstly there is the language barrier; which many long term residents cannot breach. That in turn contributes to limited social interaction, which only increases a person's perception of the idiosyncratic often oxymoronic cultural differences which can further divide a first worlder's ideals from the third world inhabitants here. The very things which many people initially found so endearing turn out to be very wearing after the rose colored glasses come off.

I state again for the record, I live here by choice not chance. I tolerate the people here solely because it’s their country; not for any other reason. I am NOT endeared to, enamored with or enchanted by the ever smiling "Borg-like" yet diminutive inhabitants here in the glorious "Land 'O Thais". That being said; I sometimes have a lower opinion (if that is even possible) of the ex-pat's I meet. At the very least; I often find them equally unsavory. I think with the limited exposure some ex-pats get from living in a very small circle of acquaintances, whether it be with their (in)significant other, her extended family, rural areas, or the small circle of other ex-pats where they live, it can make small things seem larger than they really are.

I hate hearing the all too familiar rant or chant of the rose colored glasses group; people I call the "we-b-thai faction”. However it does boil down to an attitude/mind set you have to have of acceptance, or at the very least tolerate it. If you can’t do that there are not a lot of other choices left.

GrantBKK did have some good points in his post (although after the third time it was posted I though it had lost a LOT of its initial appeal). This is truly the rule to live by; "Periodic review of your lifestyle and situation is critical to a less stressful life. Venting (bitching) has its moments but positive steps should be taken in cases where your life or lifestyle becomes untenable." Here’s to everyone’s life becoming more tenable.

I ran into a foreigner begging at the Ratchadamri BTS station just last week. He was dressed in clean clothes, clean shaven, nice sandals, backpack, and was not scruffy in the least. I had no idea why he was begging, and did not actually read the well folded placard he had beside him.

On the way back from my errand he was still there. I talked with him as I was curious and how not being a cat I wasn't in danger (curiosity killed the cat). He told me he had lived in Thailand several years, begged only part time; three days a week, during peak commuter hours for spending money. He said the Ratchadamri BTS exit was a particularly lucrative location as he had tried other areas, but that there were enough office gurls in the area, as well as female students at the AUA main campus to make it worth his while. I asked him about Police or any problems but he said they never bothered him. He went on to tell me he made several thousand baht a day on 'good' days. I have no proof other than while I chatted with him several thai gurls DID drop bills (albeit 20฿ notes) in his begging cup, which he quickly emptied.

He could have been British, Aussie, or Kiwi, as I am bad with un-American accents and they all sound the same to me. I have seen ill-kept drunken foreign beggars near my apartment who were belligerent, and less than accommodating with refusals to donate, but this guy was not of that species. He was more than polite to me, willing to chat, and I saw no harm in what he was doing as giving to beggars is not mandatory as far as I know, but voluntary.

Evidently, the charity middle class working women display is more lucrative than one would imagine in the glorious “Land ‘O Thais”.

The keyboard finger position in typing thai is the same as in typing english (your index fingers on the keys with the bumps on them called; "home keys" F & J). Touch typing thai can be learned in the same fashion as english; thru drills, repetition and restraint in not looking at the keyboard once the layout is understood.

The program I referred to in my previous post called "Thai Typing Tutor" has exercises in the beginner, novice and intermediate folders which teach exactly the kind of typing drills to use all your fingers, or as people refer to “type by touch”.

When I learned to type by touch in American high school they had covers which went over the typewriter keys shielding it from our sight, forcing us to learn the skill.

I have found people quite adept at what in america is referred to as "two-finger” typing, (NOT to be confused with “hunt-&-peck” typing which is a different “skill” entirely) cannot type with the w/p/m rate of even a mediocre touch typist. With no home key reference points a two finger typist loses w/p/m speed looking at the keyboard. This is especially apparent in typing anything they are not making up on the fly or from their thoughts. Typing a letter from a form is NOT the same as making up a correspondence in your head. Many people can “two finger” type quite well in say; MSN or Yahoo’s chat function, but their speed decreases measurably when they are forced to type pre-written material.

I am far from a speed demon typing thai. At straight transcribing though I can beat the two of the three “two-finger-typing” thai office girls who work above my apartment; even though they can remember a complete sentence at a time. The advantage of not needing to look at the keyboard every few seconds becomes a real time saver in the long run.

That Thai Typing Tutor program allowed me go from “hunt-&-peck” to “type by touch” in a matter of weeks. Then again, I am retired, have nothing to do, and practiced several times a day for 20-30 minutes each time.

Just as an example to the degree of difficulty. Here is a sample sentence saying;

I am (a) person from America but reside (in) Thailand;

ผมเป็นคนจากอเมริกาแต่อยู่ที่เมืองไทย

These are the english characters needed to type that same sentence;

z,gxHo8o0kdvg,ibkc9jvp^jmujg,nv'wmp

As is evident even in this simple (albeit poorly constructed) sentence; many of the english characters not all that frequently used are needed.

Good Luck; your results may vary. ..

I concur with the consensus that Rutnin is up there at the top of the list for quality eye care.

I had surgery there going on three years ago because I was so near-sighted. My vision is still 20/15 in one eye and 20/20 in the other. I did use the 'free tweaking' to adjust my eyes about 6 months after I had the initial surgery.

My eyes healed quickly, the follow up care was excellent, the language skills of the staff and doctors excellent. I had worn glasses since I was 8 years old yet I still find it amazing to have the ability to see clearly when I wake up in the morning.

(edited for a pesky spelling error)

I think this topic is better suited for the Plants, Pets & Vets in Thailand Forum on this site. There is a plethora of information about getting common, as well as the not so common household pets into the glorious "Land 'O Thais" on that forum. I would use the T/V search function and see what you get. You can't be the first Canadian bringing a dog here, lol...

I brought both my Somali cats from the US nearly 3 years ago, and they have adjusted fine. Although I still don't think they realize they are actually in thailand.

It was pretty straightforward getting them in to this country. Rabies documentation from my country, health certificates, etc. I met someone at the old airport who 'expedited' the paperwork on the thai side for a 'small fee'. Even though their plane landed at 1:30AM, the vet signed off and I got their carriers right off the luggage train as it came from the plane. They spent less time at the airport than I ever

I think you'll find your dog will adjust to this climate fine, and will have a great life. The other day I was at my vet, and the waiting room was packed with the 'toy breeds' of dogs; Yorkies, Silkies, Skyes, Poms, Chihuahuas, and there was even a long haired Dachshund wandering around in there. You will find premium foods are easily available, and good veterinary care is far more affordable than in a first world country once you find a vet clinic you like.

I used the Quick Thai Visa Run Company several times when I still had to do my 90-day runs, and found them friendly, punctual, and more than willing to help people who were too stupid to read figure things out.

The thai-english comment, while valid, is something you're exposed to every day living in the glorious "Land 'O Thais". Be thankful she spoke more than a semblance of english at all. Her being too 'thai polite' is not a discredit to her english skills. Even students from Chula and Mahidol will khrap/ka, and na khrap/ka at the end of their sentences in english simply because there are no polite particles in the english language. The thai language is structured around non-direct, non-confrontational, and/or pleasant interaction, so this is an easily forgiven "fox-paw".

I concur with the statement about the appearance of some 'runners'. While I am ALWAYS proud to be an American; I am sometimes ashamed to be a foreigner here. The actions, dress and mannerisms of the 'low end' foreigners with the scruffiness, the 80 baht Singha t-shirts, flip-flops and oversized cargo shorts is often times disheartening. No wonder the inhabitants here in the glorious "Land 'O Thais" who work in the tourist areas have the opinion of foreigners that they do.

Your complaints are mostly about the other 'runners' on the bus; their stunning lack of exhibiting ANY critical thinking and not about the service the company provides. When I used this company back in August of last year, we actually never left the covered area on the thai side of the border after we stamped out of thailand. We just sat and waited for our passports to come back from Cambodia.

I will agree with several points;

*The woman on the bus seems over worked but, there's not a lot to do on the bus once you’re on the way. She seems to get everything done in the time allotted; if not in sequential order.

*The passport return scheme at the border is less than orderly, and could use some refining, rather than the ever popular; 'table dump method'.

I also used Fine Day Travel many times with their 5am to 1pm 'warp speed' trip to the border at Poipet. While it was 'no frills' run; it was VERY fast. Too bad they stopped their visa service.

All in all an excellent, well written, well thought out 'book report'. I give you an 'A' for the detailed re-cap.

Take care na khrap,

I downloaded a freeware version aptly called "Thai Typing Tutor". Unfortunately now I can't find the website which has it. I believe I actually got the link here, so if you search the T/V Forum you may find it.

It has built in lessons for learning the keys with exercises for 'shifty words', and also uses some material from both Glen Slayden's site; www.thai-language.com as well as stories from the www.learningthai.com site.

You can copy and paste thai into a notepad text file, save it in the 'advanced' folder to improve your skills. It will chart percentage of accuracy, and words per minute on a graph after you've typed something completely so you can see if you’re improving. If you don't have thai letters on your keyboard it has a 'hint' feature to show you what english letter represents the correct one in thai. This feature can be toggled on and off or set to continuously on. It may not have the bells and whistles of a program you'd buy, but for a freeware program, I found it very good.

When I first started to learn I was a little put off (okay a LOT really) that so many frequently used thai characters are in what a person who types english would consider 'out of the way' places. After all how many times do you type the hyphen which is ข, the equal sign; which is ช, the [ which is บ, or the ] which is ล? These are all high frequency thai characters used over and over in words. After the first day of learning to type, my right pinky finger was aching so badly I contemplated doing 'pinky curls' to strengthen its endurance. Now I am able to type by-touch thai quite easily. Although other than the simpler high frequency thai words, I tend to transcribe more than I write at this point.

Take care; good luck,

I obtained my Non-Immigrant Type ED Visa in Vientiane Lao PDR last month. It was a single entry visa with an 'enter before' date 90 days from the date of issue. That would seem to indicate I could have stayed in Lao or anywhere out of thailand until the last day before entering and still received a 90 day permitted to stay stamp.

I think it is more when do you have to report to school rather than when do you have to enter the country as long as you enter BEFORE the aptly named 'enter before' date.

This is truly the thread that will not die; however as Gene $immon$ of KISS once said; "ANY publicity is good publicity."

There are soo many different language schools out there teaching their method of thai, that they really can't be compared. Aside from the 'cloned' schools which are all derivatives of the same transliteration method using the same out dated material i.e.; Unity, AAA, Piammitr, and nameless others, there are also ones like Walen, Baan Aksorn, and Jentana who teach by their own system. I am NOT being negative to the 'cloned' schools (as they must have been around a while given their material); it's just not a system which I found worked for me. Perhaps being able to read thai now I would do better to revisit them and look at their advanced material. I know initially the "let's learn to 'parrot' cute thai phrases written in english hieroglyphics" was NOT the way I could learn.

The ประถม ๖ test may be the benchmark in gauging a persons ability in thai BUT few thai language students enrolled in any of the too numerous to count thai language schools progress that far. Last year when I was researching the possibility of studying for the exam, one of the 'clone schools' had just 6 people enrolled in their pre-exam study program. I don't know how many total students they had that year, but it was clear only a very small percentage of students go that far in their studies.

Too many people have written negative rhetoric from all too hasty an observation of the Walen School’s lesson book, brief discussions with his front desk staff, as well as commenting on their seating arrangements. That may make them feel superior, but is hardly the way to objectively critique ANY school or their method of teaching thai. The counterpart of the Walen School’s method of teaching thai is the Callan method of teaching english. It is based on the nearly the same format, and is has a proven track record in teaching english.

I think each person will learn this language (or not) based on their desire and their perseverance to do so. True, a school’s particular teaching method, their written material, and how it is presented is important, but to me it boils down to 'how badly do you want to learn this language'. I know people who have lived here 20+ years yet speak worse than a ‘fresh off the boat’ tourist, just as I know people who've been here only a short time yet can speak quite well. It is the inner drive or desire which motivates a person. Different people learn differently, that cannot be argued.

As an aside; I sat in on the start of a new class for Book 2 at the Walen School Tuesday for two hours out of the three hours. The book is well put together, the vocabulary works with the example sentences, and the class seemed to have Book 1's vocabulary down. The material is presented in a straightforward fashion, the questions asked by the class were on topic and meaningful in the context of the lesson(s). I found the teacher more than qualified to teach this material and keep the class moving forward. She was well versed in explaining in thai OR english how a particular word is used and in what context. For me; having the ability to ask questions in MY native language; english is a huge plus. I would wager few foreigners; even ones who can speak thai proficiently, know the thai words for; subject (ประธาน), verb (คำกริยา), object of a verb (กรรม), preposition (คำบุพบท), let alone; Present Tense (ปัจจุบันกาล), Past Tense (อดีตกาล), or Future Tense (อนาคตกาล) in discussing language sentence structure or a word usage. If you do, why are you in a language class to begin with? I have found the schools which tried (unsuccessfully) to force me to speak thai when I had a question were counter productive to my learning due to my thai vocabulary not being equal to the questions I wanted to ask.

To anyone wanting to learn to read/speak thai, I suggest give the Walen School a chance, and take the free lesson. As was mentioned in a previous post, MOST schools offer the ‘free lesson’ deal, go to a few, see what works for you. Only you can decide what 'fits' best for you to learn this language.

Good luck, or as the diminutive inhabitants here in the glorious "Land 'O Thais" say;

ขอให้โชคดี

A site I used to teach myself to read was;

www.teachthai.com.

While it is simplistic in its animations of a book or a pen talking in english to a girl about the thai language, it is VERY understandable. It covers the consonants individually, all the vowels, and the tone marks. There is vocabulary, reading, and it has tests you can take as well. It was instrumental in starting me down the road to being able to learn to read. I took pages of notes from the lessons, and you can pause the program to make it repeat a sound or word. The site does require you to make a user name and a password, but keeps track of your hours logged in to see your "investment". All in all I found it a great resource.

Benjawan Poomsan Becker is probably the most well known thai language author out there. Albeit not necessarily for her skill as a writer teaching thai, nor for her less than easy to read transliteration or what is for me too small of thai font in her books to read easily. She is however a marketing genius and her books are hawked by every bookstore in the glorious "Land 'O Thais" and on nearly every website which offers thai language resources. I am not downing her for making money, as that is what businesses are supposed to do, and she certainly is well known. I found the books not all that helpful. Your mileage may vary. The sound files were useful in getting the tones, and vowel length.

The reading primer referred to by another poster; Manee & Friends, on the www.learningthai.com site is good. Its been a while since I was there; but last time I looked at it there was no way to disable the transliteration which appears below the thai. Unless you exhibit very good control it is too easy to simply read the english transliteration. I finally did find ALL the books here in thailand from a retired thai school teacher and they were very valuable to my learning.

I use www.thai-language.com as my primary resource for looking up words. It now has transliteration that can be switched off so unless you click on it you don't automatically see it, forcing you to actually 'read' thai. It has pretty good sound files in three different voices. Aside from the female voice which drags out words so much even thais laugh at the pronunciation, they are very good. It also has example sentences, and other resources on the site. I use www.thai2english.com second, as it has less sound files, but often more specific words and a transliteration system which can be modified to what ever you're most familiar reading.

When I was back in the US I bought a software program put out by Matthew Courage not available here called; Thai Interactive Language System which I found very good I also bought a copy of Rosetta Stone from MBK which is also a good resource, but NOT something I would recommend for a beginner.

There is a wealth of information out there on learning the thai language, and each person will like or dislike a method based on their own ability to learn.

Writing is a horse of a different color; simply as there are so many ways to make the same sounds in thai using their alphabet. I commented the other day to a thai; IF I wanted to make an easily understood alphabet the FIRST thing I would do is to have; 6 'T' sounds, 5 'K' sounds, 4 'S' sounds, and 3 'P' sounds. They thought it was too funny as they'd never heard it explained that way before. Learning to read, or really recognizing frequently used WORDS, not just being able to sound them out letter by letter is key in learning to write. Then again, even thais have difficulties spelling words they don't use colloquially or in an everyday context.

Another thing I will add; I found my reading and writing ability went up immeasurably when I taught myself to type (or really transcribe) thai from a typing program which let me put text files into the program as lessons. I was able to recognize words quicker and get the simpler words down by typing them again and again. It is a free program called Thai Typing Tutor, and uses some of the stuff from both Glen Slayden's site; www.thai-language.com as well as stories from the www.learningthai.com site.

I am going on over three years here in the glorious "Land 'O Thais", but only started studying the language seriously about a year ago. I still speak thai like a foreigner (and probably always will). I have found ONCE a thai has their ears switched to 'thai mode' (something they don't always do when faced with a foreigner) they seem to understand me easily. Often I will mention to thais I converse with that I speak thai similar to the way they speak english; not clear, with improper word order and with incorrect pronunciation of some words. That usually elicits a chuckle. ..

Sorry this was a long post; good luck, keep at it, and don't get discouraged.

If I had even a single baht for every time I saw a foreigner here with an inane thai script tattoo I'd be a ga-zillion-aire.

I guess the 'rage' is now to have your name tattooed in thai on your arm. I guess it could be good for those times when you've severed your arm and a thai person picks it up. ..

Not to rain on your parade, but please realize; MANY phrases in english are NOT mutually intelligible or translatable in thai. Things like 'concepts' or especially like 'catchy phrases' in english. They lose a LOT of their catchiness once you translate them into thai. Tattoos which have to be explained AT ALL or to the slightest degree are less than ideal candidates for permanent and or prominent placement on your body. I would suggest having it airbrushed or henna dyed on first; see how it plays out.

See what thai people say and go from there, work on the wording, etc. You've lived this long without it so another coupla weeks most likely won't kill you. Talk to thais, a LOT of them, and not uneducated 6th grade drop outs. If I wanted a tattoo in America I wouldn't go to rural Appalachia and ask them what they thought was a good idea for a tattoo. IF you hang around 6th grade drop outs or are from rural Appalachia I apologize profusely. ..

Conversely you could go get one of those expensive thai buddhist tattoos; the ones that look like a candelabra and go at the base of your neck or on your shoulder. I hear they never go out of fashion. They are also widely accepted by the thais, when a cute barely intelligible phrase may not be.

"Good luck", or as the diminutive inhabitants of the glorious "Land 'O Thais" say; ขอให้โชคดี

It is a sad fact, I didn’t see it mentioned today in the English language paper here in the glorious "Land 'O Thais". It has already been swept under the proverbial rug as do most things which could have a negative impact on tourism dollars. Thankfully the international news has it still, but no telling for how long.

A thai friend confirmed they hadn't heard a peep about this on the thai news they watch. You would think with the thai papers penchant for "tabloid style news" with gory pictures and photos it would have at least been mentioned.

Strange how the policeman's story is sooo different from the victim’s version of events, but never forget: this ain’t Kansas, Toto. It is a pissant developing third world country with little or no impact on the world stage and it is NOT an idyllic place full of ever smiling, warm, welcoming people. Too often foreigners are lulled into a false sense of security by the diminutive inhabitants here. This place can get very dangerous in a split second if someone is not aware of their surroundings. As another poster pointed out FACE to a thai is everything, and a perceived slight could set off a chain of events no sane person could predict even with crystal balls. Sadly this is not the first time I have seen thais take "creative license" when recounting a chain of events which may paint them in a less than favorable light.

Lest I am criticized by the “we-b-thai” faction for being a “thai basher”, please know I am tolerant of this country’s and its people’s xenophobia and alleged cultural quirks simply because it is their country I reside in; NOT because I am enamored with, enchanted by, or endeared to these people or this country in any way shape or form.

Back on topic, I think; all in all a very bad thing for everyone involved. We can only hope the truth or at least a close version of it will come out..

This is a picture of one Non-Immigrant Type ED visa issued from the Honorary Thai Consulate in Coral Gables Florida. (Sorry ripped it from another post)

As you can see; it has an issued date, and a must be utilized before date, or the "expiration date" if you will. It is good for multiple entries (as many as you want to make while the visa is valid, each entry good for another 90 day permitted to stay).

Using this visa to enter the Kingdom will give you a 90 day permitted to stay stamp. IF you didn't extended at Thai Immigrations inside thailand for continuing education, you could exit on or before the last permitted to stay until date, and re-enter receiving another 90 days of stay. This can be done for the validity of the visa. You could/would exit and re-enter every 90 days through out the year. Exiting and re-entering one last time just before the expiration date of the visa would give you another 90 days so all in all, about 15 months stay in the Kingdom on the one year visa.

I don't know what your visa looks like, but posting a scan of it (with your passport number blocked out) would let the experts (of which I am NOT) tell you what you received, how many entries, and it's expiration.

As one poster commented, 6 weeks of class may not have been sufficient for the Embassy to issue you a one year multi entry ED visa.

Here is an old post from the T/V forum which I found and has an excellent article in it by Doug Cooper called "How Do Thais Tell Letters Apart".

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=29663

It is mainly the trials and tribulations OCR software has with recognizing thai fonts. The article is an interesting read with many examples and ideas how the letters, tone marks, etc morphed into their various representations in different thai font styles.

(edited for a pesky spelling mistake)

FWIW, I have found the language schools which teach transliteration to be initially a giant waste of time. You cannot practice out of the class with a thai friend as nothing is written in a language they can understand. Plus each school uses their own inane transliteration system with its own quirks and way of showing tone, vowel length, etc.

IF you can even remotely read thai script, get the text books in that format, even if you have to get the transliterated versions as well. That way practicing with a thai friend outside the class is very easy.

The key to being understood by thais when speaking is NOT the school you go to. All the schools mentioned; AAA, UTL, Piammitr, etc, teach the same method; which from the looks of the material in the textbooks, hasn't been updated in centuries. The out of school practice and interaction is what hones your speaking skills. A person who religiously attends class yet is reticent to speak out of the class can go for years and never progress past the 'two-word-thai" I hear most foreigners speaking here. You'll end up being one of the 'parrots', only able to parrot phrases, not build your own sentences with any degree of accuracy or understandability.

I would also say, find a school where the staff has at least marginally good english skills. If you cannot ask questions about phrasing, or word order, about sentence structure it can be frustrating. While some people prefer speaking only thai in the class, being able to ask a question about something you don’t understand is nearly impossible when you don’t know or haven’t learned the thai words for question, subject, verb, object, vowel, pronunciation, word order, etc.

I have found most language schools will NOT let you buy the books without paying for the classes (very shrewd on their part). AUA is the exception to this; they no longer use the thai language text books as they have a harebrained ALG system they teach spoken thai with now. The old textbooks are for sale in the bookstore at their campus. They are well worth picking up.

I still believe if you want to understand this language, teach yourself to read thai script. Words that are transliterated the same in english are all spelled completely different in thai.

I realize my opinions run counter to some advocates of learning the language here in the glorious “Land ‘O Thais”, but it has worked for me. I’ve sat in on and been tested by more language schools than I care to remember. I was told at one school, ‘You don’t speak like a thai person. ..” I replied, “Why would I want to speak like a thai person? I am an American, I don’t want to be thai, only speak to them.”

To each their own; good luck. ..

I went to the talk the author did with another panel of authors last month at the Foreign Correspondent's Club of Thailand before the book hit the shelves.

The chapter on CPB is; to say the least, very informative, putting the monarch as the richest single person in the world, with assets in excess of 40 BILLION US. Those figures are based on extrapolations of CPB holdings and assets done when the baht was much weaker than it is now.

The section on how the Charoen liquor empire (maker of Mekong Whiskey) weathered the crisis of 97 and emerged as one of the most profitable companies out of it, is also a great read. To have someone from such poor background become a mover and shaker in this country is a success story right out of a fairy tale and a testament to the working class.

Even though the author of the book is thai; at the FCCT talk she said many things which would have typically been 'off-limits' for a thai to discuss. At the beginning of the 'open forum' after the talk when we could ask questions the audience was 'cautioned' of the broad reaching and difficult to interpret lese majeste laws in effect and asked to couch our questions carefully. The person from Reuters asked some difficult questions. To her credit the author did her best to answer them in a straight forward manner without once referring to 'thai culture' or using the "talk around the issue" you so often hear when thais discuss something 'thai' to foreigners.

It is a great book, well researched and very much worth the read.

This is the introduction to the book. I got from Pasuk Phongpaichit’s website at Chula;

http://pioneer.netserv.chula.ac.th/~ppasuk...crisisintro.pdf

I cannot comment about Pattaya but in Bangkok it is not uncommon for the landlord to charge 6 baht per unit for electricity, and a flat rate per month for water. I believe there is a law or a rule that allows a landlord to charge double the actual baht per unit price off the bill for electricity, but have no proof to back this up. I heard someone mention it once when discussing electricity bills, so it could just be anecdotal or conjecture.

Almost three years ago when I moved here I looked at close to 30 condos and apartments in just under 2 months, in the Asoke/Sukhumvit area of Bangkok and ALL were charging 5+baht per unit for electricity then. The apartment I am in now raised the electric to an even 6 baht a unit this year for me. Speaking to the other tenants here; that is what they were paying for electricity all last year, so I was lucky I guess.

Conversely, when renting a house, usually the landlord lets you put the power and water in your name, so you pay what ever those companies charge without the extortion tactics.

It is always a good idea to scope out the 'hidden charges' on those rentals which seem so inexpensive. As far as who gets the extra money, its certainly not you, making it a moot point.

The inhabitants of the glorious "Land 'O Thais" are sorely lacking when it comes to the responsibility of raising a dog to behave. They will feed a soi dog until it is so fat it can barely stand, yet they will not train their own dogs, and will chain them up or let them run free rather than teach them to stay in their yard..

There is what can only be described as a wild Pomeranian that lives down my Soi. The lady who owns it lets it totally run amok all the time. I have kick launched it into the air several times (sometimes quite far actually as poms are quite aerodynamic) as it ran at me. The owner will stare like an idiot yet do nothing, although sometimes she would ramble at me in incoherent thai. The pom now leaves me alone preferring to just growl and glare at me with its beady eyes, but other passers by are harassed daily by the growling, snapping fur ball. The other thai inhabitants of the Soi go on with business as usual, in the typical thai 'not my business' manner.

Where is the Soi dog round up truck that catches them and sells them to the dog eaters when you need them?

In response to Sam6345;

In September I called 7 of the Honorary Thai Consulates located throughout the US, as I wanted another Non-Immigrant Type O Multi Entry Visa this year. None would give me another one. Every one of the consulates said they would issue me a 60 Day Tourist Visa with Triple Entry so with extensions gotten locally it would have been nearly 9 months of residence here. I went the ED visa route instead as a trip home was the same as a year's thai language schooling.

The consulates in the US to my knowledge are NOT putting stamps in your passport like you hear about from Penang, and other Thai Embassies located in S/E Asian. I would contact them, but as Christmas in the US is a HUGE time off work holiday compared to here, I doubt you'd get an answer from them before the New Year.

I will relate a story from a friend who is in his 70's and has traveled here for more than 10 years several times a year. Recently (3 weeks ago or so) he arrived from his home Dublin Ireland via some Middle Eastern country where cigarettes are cheap (sorry I don't know his layover city).

He had bought 10 cartons there in addition to his normal single carton he brings from Ireland. When he arrived he was 'pinched' (his wording) by customs as was almost every person on the plane who had more than one carton. He was held for over 3 hours, finally photographed with the cigarettes in front of him on a table, and paid a 35,000 baht fine on the spot, as well as having the cigarettes confiscated. He mentioned people who were belligerent were ‘carted off somewheres else’ (again his words).

His accent is so thick I have difficulty understanding his english sometimes, but I am reasonably sure of the fine he was charged as it sounded like 'tirty-fi tousan baht' but had more an irish lilt to it.

I would give it a pass as it's not worth it for your friends should something go awry

It is really refreshing to read a post that has a happy outcome without the 'gnashing of teeth'.

Last time I checked;

Their country. ..

Their rules. ..

If they move the goal post every once in a while, well that’s theirs too. ..

Suck it up

I am ALWAYS proud to be an American, and that will never ever change. Often times though I am embarrassed to be a foreigner, given the way some dress and act here.

I just had one come up in my Thai language class last week. Evidently it was such a "fox paw" the teacher waited until AFTER the rest of the students left for break while motioning me to wait for clarification of the issue.

I had never heard or learned the thai word for 'physique or shape of the human body'; ร่างกาย (raang-F gaay-M). She was blushing beet red trying to explain to me in english what I had actually said and what it meant. She talked about obliquely about a tunnel which gets smaller on the body, etc.

I was at a complete loss until I came home and looked up different words for niche; cubbyhole; nook. I think what I had said and what she was referring to my saying was; ร่องไก่ (raawng-F gai-L), using the thai word for chicken as slang for woman.

I still don't really know as she was very flustered and we worked on the correct pronunciation of ร่างกาย until I got it down.

I don't know if I would have gotten the Non-Immigrant Type ED visa for a validity of one year like you see issued from Thai Consulates and Embassies in the UK, EU or USA.

I didn't apply for multi-entry but in hindsight I certainly should have; because I do travel outside of Thailand.

My visa from the Thai Embassy in Vientiane had a "must be used before" date of 90 days from the day it was issued, and when I entered Thailand I was issued a 90 day "permitted to stay until" stamp.

Hopefully I can go to Suan Plu; Thai Immigrations in Bangkok and buy either the single or multi re-entry permit, although I am not sure if I will get an additional 90 days when I return or just the balance of days I had left on the 90 day stamp when I left Thailand.

Perhaps 'Lopburi' could weigh in on this as he is the 'go-2-guy' on most visa questions.

Oh and no I am NOT teaching english, I am learning the Thai language, lol. Sorry do not count me amongst the all too numerous starving english teachers here in the glorious "Land 'O Thais". I am retired but too young to 'officially retire' here. This was a better option for me than returning to the US for my visa, as it gives me a year here, AND language lessons as well.

Just an FYI...

Anyone who may be contemplating the trip to Vientiane for their visa.

I peruse Air Asia's site regularly to snap up cheap fares. Right now they are doing a 99baht (++) one way to Udon Thani and have the same price for return towards the end of January 2008. It works out to 1,442.36 THB r/t with all the taxes and miscellaneous surcharges.

I called Air Asia to see if they gave a discount if I would buy ‘X’ number of tickets. They told me unless I could guarantee to take EVERY seat on the plane they wouldn't budge on their pricing and to look for their promotions. Perhaps I didn’t talk to a person high enough up on the food chain, but after 20 minutes of being routed thru person after person, presumably going higher up the ladder of responsibility I gave up.

I received a Non-Immigrant Type ED visa which had a 90 Day validity or ‘must be used before’ stamp. When I entered Thailand I received a 90 day 'permitted to stay' stamp.

I have already turned in my paperwork and passport to my Thai language school so they can get the letter from the Ministry of Education. I will use that documentation to receive a 90 day extension inside Thailand from Thai Immigrations.