buick

i'd like to source my weed from the chidchob clan in buriram. i saw a photo of one of them tending to the 'garden' and i'm ready to try the products. maybe a trip to buriram is required.

maybe prikpot can answer this. my issue with the cheap bricks, is i worry about the chemicals used to grow the stuff. it seems like chemical weed to me when i compare it to the legal stuff i've bought in the state of washington, USA. prikpot, is the higher grade weed here in thailand grown with things that won't cause cancer and other illnesses, etc... in the state of washington, i regularly pay $45 for their best weed, 25% THC stuff, 3.5 grams. so that is about 1,600thb or 450/gram. of course the prices have flunctuated since 2014 when the legal shops first opened. so i can understand the higher prices here right now. and all the shops have cheaper stuff in washington, you can get small buds of the same premium stuff for cheaper. stuff like 'blue dream' is available for around $20 for 3.5 grams and maybe 18% THC. it is pretty good. i stopped smoking the brick stuff here a number of years ago. i think it was making me sick. doesn't happen with the higher quality stuff in USA.

i'm not sure what you are getting at here. in my original post, i suggested that getting a bank account was a 'hurdle' - which was to suggest not easy. then you asked about how i opened my account and i responded. now this new post from you doesn't make any sense to me. what exactly is going on here ? i know i used an embassy letter. i know it is more strict that 2018. i know not all embassies issue the letter. i know about CW and the 90 day report issue for res cert. that is the 'hurdle' piece. and in numerous recent bank account threads i've recommended agents or law firms as the easiest way to obtain a bank account. and of course, several members here still suggest 'it is easy' to open one but i'm not one of those. so whatever your after here, i think you've missed the mark.

thank you for the information and good luck with the business !!!

i opened my account back in 2018 during the initial crackdown phase. i had a tourist visa, a copy of a lease along with a cover letter from the apartment manager, and the US embassy letter stating my passport was real. i opened two accounts, one at bangkok bank main branch silom road and another at KTB on sukhumvit soi 22 (branch now closed). i was declined at the bangkok bank sukhumvit/asoke branch and went to their main office to try there and got one. it is more difficult now, if i needed to open one today, i'd use an agent or a law firm and pay the fee. not interested in calling or visiting numerous branches to come across one that might open one. i do think bangkok bank main branch is the best bet, maybe you have to buy their insurance. but not a sure thing w/o an agent or law firm to assist. UOB is another possibiity, although i never tried there, but they seem to have different requirements than the thai banks.

OP - immigration can be difficult at times. frustrating, etc... i've arrived in thailand from the US on a visa exempt entry (allowed 30 days, although one was 45 days as they gave that amount when quarantine was in place). i already had a bank account with the 800,000thb on deposit. it is fairly easy to go to desk C-1 and change/convert your visa exempt entry to a 90 day NON O (i've done it twice). there is rarely any wait time, desk C-1 is not busy, you are at the desk with the IO in minutes. so not a long day at immigration. i also had the challenge of being in/out of the country so often that i had to time it with one of the rare times that i was actually in thailand for more than 90 days so i would be able to do the one year extension. it might be easier to get the NON O from the LA consulate. but once you are aware of the process to do it here in thailand, it is fairly simple - assuming you've already got the bank account and the money on deposit. you get a bank letter, your lease, make some copies of passport pages and you are all set. as noted by another, you've got to do it with at least 15 days left on your permission to stay via a visa exempt entry or tourist visa entry.

i think that is a good idea. january is generally free of government holidays (i think may has 5 or 6). the only issue with january is many others might have expiration dates that month as they come every year during the high season to avoid the euro winters. but at least the offices are open every day. i'm not sure if CM is offering appointments these days. i use CW in Bkk and they have appts now, although i haven't used them yet.

here is the checklist of items required for the change/conversion of visa exempt or tourist visa to the NON O while in thailand - this one is from bangkok, CW immigration office as noted above, one hurdle is opening the bank account. and at the bottom of the list they note copy of lease with three months of rental receipts. i assume that isn't a strict requirement as many that do this have just arrived in thailand. maybe someone on the forum has experience on that. i did this twice but had a lease/receipts already. Change Visa Instructions.pdf

yeah, UOB was mentioned alot a few years ago. many banks refused but UOB was one of the spots to go to. as you say, they did require a large initial deposit. it sounds like they are still doing the same thing as a few years ago. that is good news for people that need an account with only a tourist visa. they also have a branch near asoke/sukhumvit intersection.

as noted, the non O begins on the application day. not when you get the non O stamp two weeks later. i was trying to get my renewal day set for june as may has alot of holidays (which means alot of busy days at immigration - before appts were allowed). but i ended up with a may renewal date, just what i was trying to avoid.

were you changing over to a NON O retirement and got them excited with the prospect of an 800,000thb deposit ? a plan to transfer funds to buy a condo ? or did they just open it w/o any 'enticements' ? in the last 4 yrs or so, there have been alot of questions on here about how to get an account open (visa exempt or tourist visa). usually after the OP's have tried several banks w/o success. maybe you were one of the lucky ones. i kind of like the buy the insurance option. you never know, maybe you'll have an accident and cash in on the insurance. at least you've got a little something for your 3,000-4000thb. but if you use an agent, you make a contact. agents can be helpful in the future.

that sounds good and i hope the OP can do the same. thai friends can help.

yeah, going from bank to bank in the hot weather is a real pain. i think some people prefer to suffer like that in order to avoid paying 3,000 to 4,000thb. 8 hrs in the heat across three days is an okay trade off for them. one thing that really gets me on these threads about opening bank accounts, we rarely hear back from the OP on how things went. and i remember a real classic where we did hear back from an OP, and he criticized us all about how we were wrong with our advice, etc... as they were denied right and left. and that was back when it was not real tough to open one, around 2017/18 or so when the crackdown first started. we told the OP to try specific branches (main office bangkok bank was one and UOB on sukhumvit was another) and OP tried a bunch of banks EXCEPT the one's recommended.

a friend of mine has a condo in the BGC. there is nightlife in the area. i'm not sure about after midnight but he has told me there is now a freelancer scene in the area.

not sure where you are in bangkok, but i'd suggest bangkok bank main office at 333 silom road. go in and see what they require, maybe you'll get lucky and they'll offer to open one if you buy their insurance product. which will cost about the same as an agent/siam legal. but you may have to get the embassy letter. or, just go with the siam legal recommended by another poster. it can be a hassle to open an account and an agent makes it real easy.

i don't think you'll have a problem finding a decent, somewhat regular driver. once you are settled in your place, try using grab, bolt, and regular taxis. after a month or so, you'll probably come across someone who seems like a worthwhile person to use regularly. these drivers will typically be happy to give you their phone number and confirm rides a day in advance or maybe a couple hours in advance. i had a guy i used for awhile, he was part of a taxi rank that was parked in front of a major hotel nearby. very few have great english but it isn't too hard to come across a person who can communicate with a non thai speaker.

i prefer the fort bonafacio area (aka bonafacio global city). the buildings in the area are generally new and there is a nice outdoor mall area, high street. easy to walk around to restaurants and bars in the area. p burgos street is not far via taxi. airport is also fairly close by.

interesting news. my usual pharmacy guy in bkk appeared to imply the same about a month ago. i tried getting the 10mg lispril (he's had it before) but he only had 20mg (i bought those) and he mumbled something but i wasn't sure what he was saying - i wondered, did he just say he isn't getting any more of this stuff. i went in again to get some other meds and noticed the shelf still had only 20mg. probably gone soon.

i'd go for EVA, good business class product, nonstop flight bkk-lhr, and good dep/arr times on both legs of the journey. i've done their bkk-ams route a few times in business. it was good.

i use a foreign currency account at bangkok bank to satisfy my 800,000thb equivalent for an extension based on retirement. as noted by ubon joe, the bank letter you get sets forth the amount in foreign currency and THB. i once checked their rates the day i got the letter and they had used the TT rate (34.61 today) that can be seen in this link. i can't guaranty that is what all banks do or that bangkok bank does it this way every time. but i can say they did it once. https://www.bangkokbank.com/en/Personal/Other-Services/View-Rates/Foreign-Exchange-Rates

as i said in a previous thread, why not add in those people that are fully vaccinated (2 vax) and had a covid infection. alot of the people i know had two vax plus an infection. that would seem to provide about the same protection as two vax plus a booster. i know two people that had two astra and got both delta and omicron. i also know people that got two pfizer plus a moderna booster plus omicron. but no one went to the hospital.

this is one thing i was wondering about 'the worst case scenario'. i don't know if you use CW or not, but if i show up for my one year extension in october this year and i've had two stays in thailand exceeding 90 days, one just over six months and one five months (one month in USA in btwn), what is the worst case scenario ? is it 'sorry sir, go deal with your 90 day report problem at the 90 day report window' ? i pay 6,000 there for three missed reports and then go back to the extension desk. or is the fine just paid at the extension desk ? i've missed 90 day reports before (never done one) and i've never been asked for a slip at CW before and evidently they haven't checked the computer for it either.

i also deal with CW and i did get the TM30 request once when they had that short crackdown period. they did ask for at the C-1 desk when i did a change visa from visa exempt to non O last august. but didn't ask for it when i did the one year extension in october. and i've never been asked for a 90 day report. in some extension periods, i've not stayed in country for over 90 days at a time. but in some i've stayed 120 or 150 and they don't seem to notice, check, etc... i think they waived the requirement for awhile during the covid times but these longer stays were before that.

generally speaking, the rush hour traffic at 8am is coming INTO the city so not so bad leaving the city. i've left sukhumvit/asoke area to DMK and CW immigration many times around 8am. i take the tollway, no traffic at all on the tollway. 50thb toll to enter tollway at sukhumvit soi 1 and then another 80thb for the next toll booth. not sure if there is yet another toll to make it to pathum thani. i've also taken BTS/MRT to get to mochit and taken taxis from there. in my experience, the MRT is not very crowded going that direction in the morning but the BTS is fairly crowded until after victory monument. sometimes you don't have a choice but i'm near sukhumvit/asoke so i can do either one.

thanks for the info. i've seen a few comments over the last couple months saying an ATK test is required at CW. i ask those 'reporters' if they are absolutely sure about that and don't get a response. i know it wasn't required when i went in october but that was a long time ago. i forgot the picture last time and had to do the 100 baht and was happy to get more than one. i can't believe they were only in the mid fifties in early afternoon. in october, i was in the low 100's and was finished by about 3pm. i saw one guy with 176, he was in for a long wait. on the 90 day report, did they ask for that or did you offer it up ? i've never been asked for a 90 day report when doing the annual extension at CW. a couple yrs i didn't need to do one as i'd been out of the country every 90 days. but other years i'd been in country as long as 5 months.