Andrew Dwyer

I would be wary of that Lazada external storage device: Samsung with a Lightning connector and compatible with iPhone/iPod/iPad ??

Thai made .

Want to know a bit more about all those abandoned EV’s in a field in China ( supposedly 10,000 Neta V’s ) ?? Several different stories about EV’s being built to falsify the numbers to increase sales or car share companies going bust . This vlogger ( a Brit based in China ) decided to go see for himself.

Officially changing from OA to O visa in Thailand is not possible/legal, but of course paying an agent or dodgy IO might overcome this. Assuming he changed from OA to avoid the mandatory health insurance are you sure they have not just changed the reason of his OA to marriage ( thus avoiding the insurance ). ? If so, changing to retirement would put him back to square one. If, on the other hand, he has managed a change from OA to O visa in house then the possibility of him changing his reason to O visa based on retirement is strong and he should contact the agent ( if one was used) or simply ask at his immigration.

Got my OA issued in Oct 2016 from Thai Embassy in London, financial requirements to obtain visa were in a U.K. bank. Thai immigration started requesting financial requirements to be kept in a Thai bank some 23 months later on application for the 1st extension. ( since dumped OA, now on an O visa retirement extension ).

Yes, have had a giffgaff sim for around 5 or 6 years and used it to contact the bank on occasions, just sent the 6 months SMS to keep it alive last week. Trouble is my phone is dual sim but one is an e-sim and doesn’t work for me. I did explain, on a telephone call, that i split my time between the U.K. and Thailand and my Thai number was easiest to contact so they made it the primary number and now contact me via that. Whether that was a good idea or not I am not sure but it’s done now and seems to work okay.

I have a U.K. account with NatWest and have done since the 80’s. My account is active, company pension ( not entitled to state pension for another 5 years ) , have a couple of direct debits and use my credit card occasionally ( if I use it very infrequently it throws up security alerts ). I have a U.K. address, which i changed a couple of times while out of the country ( since 1995 ) and never causes any alarms. I use a Thai phone number and they do message me on it occasionally. I am aware of the threat of account closure and think my account use is keeping it safe …… at the moment. But, i guess my turn will come and will have to find alternative arrangements. Here’s a link to the “ Wise “ topic which could be useful for those in a similar position.

The Murderer https://www.imdb.com/title/tt22696230/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk So, I thought this might be in Thai language ( + eng subs ) and I could watch it with the old lady but it was in English on my site ( fmovies ). Anyway, despite the poor dubbing I found it quite humorous in parts and quite typical of the farang in Isaan stereotype. Note: Thai language with eng subs available on Netflix.

A glass of cold water is all they get from me and yet they chose to reward me with a repeat visit .

I had a home visit on 1st extension off an OA visa around 5 years ago. Another home visit for 1st extension off an O visa last September. Both on retirement. But, I had a surprise visit around 10 days ago, usual photos in front of house number and with open passport etc. Ayutthaya IO’s in their BMW said they had called me and I hadn’t answered, I asked them what number they had called, at risk of being in the wrong they chose not to hear my question.

Commonly known as a sex pest .

Got to be Kenny Dalgliesh with those clues ( pool, kilt ) .

+1 for merc . I met the great man one time when I was living in Brazil. In my small hometown there was a footballer called Elzo ( Coelho ) who played in the 86 World Cup. He was a good friend of my brother in law and indeed they had both been scouted by a team in São Paulo, my bil Luizinho didn’t want to go live away from home and missed the opportunity that Elzo got and benefited from, he became a local celebrity. Elzo owned a sporting goods shop and a self service restaurant in town but also did footie commentary on local radio and tv. He opened a youth football training camp just out of town and the opening party was a chance for the rich and famous, in this relatively small rural town that is, to strut around. I got to go through Luizinho and the party was in full flow when Pelé made a surprise visit, actually on his way to his hometown, he had been invited but hadn’t responded so Elzo was as shocked as the rest of us. Elzo was in tears and as luck would have it Luizinho and myself were stood with him when a flash car , (could have been the one in the photo but I doubt it ) , drove up the dirt road and Pelé appeared from the back. His driver/bodyguard had a hard time restraining the locals so his visit was very short and ended with Elzo and Pelé sitting in the back of the car so they could chat. I did manage to shake his hand and blurt out some type of welcome greeting ( Brahma and caipirinha had been flowing freely prior so my actual words are a little hazy ) to which he gave me a big grin, I would like to think he was very pleased to meet me or it could have been my Portuguese with a Yorkshire accent ! This must have been around 15 years ago and I still haven’t washed that hand ????

I went the low maintenance route in my small front garden which is around 10 x 10 m. Bought a roll of thick transparent plastic from Homepro and some gravel from the local builders supply. Some cheap blocks around the trees to retain some small bags of fertiliser we occasionally chuck in. Also put in a couple of drains for the excess water.

I watched this true story when it came out about 18 months ago and thought it excellent. Stephen Merchant is great as the creepy loner. Of course the real crime is being committed by the police in their inability to follow the clues to catch the culprit. Only 7.4 on imdb, I thought it deserved more but many reviews stating it held back in telling the full story which included much more incompetent policing.

The great benefit of the OA visa, prior to 2019, was you could squeeze 2 years from it with a border run at the 1 year mark and it didn’t require financial requirements in a Thai bank. Meaning you could keep your money in other financial institutions to gain interest. Returning to your home country every 2 years to obtain a new OA worked for some . The introduction of mandatory health insurance ( Oct 2019 ) dampened the advantage of the OA although the premiums were low ( around 6k baht yearly for a 60 year old) but it still made economic sense to avoid putting money into a Thai bank. When the mandatory health insurance premiums were increased significantly recently ( 6k to 27k in my case ) it was the final straw for many, myself included, and changing the OA to an O visa became common. Of course the travel restrictions enforced during the “ Covid years “ had already meant the OA financial loophole, as called by some, was in danger of becoming extinct. Nowadays, the OA is not widely recommended but a few do use it with the attached health insurance.

Yep, was a packed crowd. They were pretty dire in the first half but fared better in the second and desperation took over towards the end. Watched highlights on YouTube this morning.

Yup, Leeds should have taken that one, had plenty of chances and succumbed to a couple of scrappy goalmouth scrambled goals by Cardiff. Thankfully they put the pressure on and took a point in a late goal which probably prevented the crowd from giving them some abuse. First game always brings some upsets and hopefully Leeds can learn from this.

Will be a good test for the new manager and to be honest Leeds should win this easily, Cardiff were close to the bottom at end of last season. Not sure if the men here treat their ladies as they claim !! “ treat em mean, keep em keen “ is a fantasy for most fellas I’m sure and usually said down the pub when the lady of the house is not present !

Another great Sunday post Owl. Seems like things are back to business, hopefully peace is restored to the Owl household.

Why ?

Watched this and liked it . The unlikely pilgrimage of Harold Fry, a lovely feel good movie with some sad moments. The great Jim Broadbent stars as Harold who embarks in a crazy spur of the moment journey but perhaps he is trying to make amends for something missing from his past ? https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14097206/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

They have been removed, whether temporary or permanent i am not sure, seems like some were abusing the signature option to further their agendas ! There was a thread about it around a week ago.

So, any new EV launch has to have a couple of gimmicks up its sleeve to attract new buyers nowadays, some are impressive, others not so much. This car, the Fisher Ocean, California design and Austria (?) manufacture is no exception. Due to be launched in Europe and the US as we speak and a future date, sometime this year, for its UK debut means a RHD version is on the cards. Will it make the journey east to Thai shores ?, could do but I would say unlikely unless a more local manufacturing base appears or it is so good demand calls for it , yeah, still going with unlikely ! Anyway, here’s a video of the good ( and the unnecessary ) For those impatient types, here’s the headlines with my opinions at no extra cost. Great price on the base model , £36k ( up to £60k if you want the bells and whistles ). Good to see solar panels on the roof albeit with a small energy return. California mode impressive but likely to get forgotten after the initial showing off, much like voice actuated sun roofs here. Doggie windows ?, yep I like this and no doubt Fido will too ! Large rotating screen !, not really new is it despite the reviewers enthusiasm . Passenger side tray, good idea but looks a little small. Taco tray ?? ( tacky tray more like ), only in America I say !, a tray that can sit on the steering wheel, tucked away neatly , for working or snacking etc would be a better idea imho. 3.7 seconds 0-60 !, might appeal to some, seems like a race to beat the 3 second barrier right now. 700 km range, this one is appealing, well to me anyway. Summary : looks good quality gear and the eco materials will get some interested, new name brand will be a no go for some but I think Americans will lap it up.

As said previously, but just to sum up. Forget the OA ( not a good visa anymore with the addition of health insurance complicating things ). Visa exempt arrival is your easiest option ( requires bank account and funds, but seems like you have this covered ). Re: a return ticket: use onwardticket.com to obtain a ticket out of Thailand ( eg: BKK to Phnom Phen ) will cost around 14 US$ , book date for close to end of your visa exempt date ( i.e. 28/29 days after arrival. Departures from SA check in staff may request this, but maybe not , worth the peace of mind. Apply for your non imm O visa at Phang Nga immigration shortly after arrival ( 4 or 5 days )to allow time for any documentation to be gathered, a 30 day extension can be obtained if you need more time. A visa exempt/ non imm O procedure is simple, many have done it, including myself 8 months ago.