Andrew Dwyer

Remember just over 2 years ago when it was announced that the mandatory 40/400k insurance was required for OA visas ( Oct 2019 ) and there was initial confusion about whether it was new OA’s only or included extensions ?? I believe this will turn out to be the same nightmare ( for OA extenders ). 3 insurance companies are already running with this: AA Aetna have an ad on the ASEANNOW newsletter every day. LMG already issuing this to people wanting a new OA visa. ( NOTE: stating OA not Covid19 cover ). Only a matter of time before it applies to extensions imho, time to make some travel plans me thinks.

Did they give you any figures as to the cost this $100k coverage would set you back ?

In the absence of Bovril I have eaten Marmite but don’t really care for it, same with Vegemite, find them both too salty. Ironically my gf likes Vegemite but turns her nose up at Bovril.

Similar to Marmite/Vegemite but beef extract instead of yeast extract. Historically is used for making stock/gravy but for some reason my family started spreading it on toast, been eating since I was a kid.

Usually Weetabix with sliced banana or cornflakes with sliced banana, occasionally Bovril on toast ( sprouted bread from 7 ). + a mug of Tetley’s.

CN has left the forum I believe, whether he jumped or was pushed I couldn’t comment. He frequented elsewhere on the internet ( ????) for a while but has left there also. Friends have reported that all is well though and he is having a break .

Exactly my experience last Dec, received a brown book to log any out of province travel, was replaced with a blue book and the red plates about 2 months later. Never got stopped during this period so can’t comment on how the police react to this but as it was the second time receiving the brown book can assume it is normal practice.

That’s the 6 million dollar question right there !! I would say for 50 baht it’s worth a punt although some have said you need booked flights to get one and others say no !! As usual any announcement from a government office leaves us with more questions than answers !!

Enquire whether they have a service to send an SMS to your phone whenever a transaction is made. Bangkok Bank send an instant SMS message to my phone when I withdraw or receive in my savings account.

Ayutthaya: got our regular , for about a week anyway, storm last night and it’s raining kinda heavy right now. Got well past the “ good for the garden “ stage ????

Yeah, I started this thread about it, UbonJoe commented. Short story: been mentioned before but not approved yet. My opinion: time to dump that OA retirement extension!!

It is worthwhile noting for anyone thinking about obtaining an OA visa ,and the mandatory health insurance that is required , that the cost of insurance is dependent on your age. See circled data for cheapest options: While ages 76 - 100 are quoted here you are required to be already a policy holder before age 75 to achieve this plan. Also note : the cheapest options ( 200k deductible ) are quite worthless as an actual insurance plan and can be classified purely as a way to renew a retirement extension from an OA visa.

The requirements for the O and OA visa are different but once you are on a yearly extension they are exactly the same EXCEPT for: Since October 2019 renewal of an OA permission to stay now requires a mandatory health insurance , the cheapest currently is LMG starting at 6,000 baht up to 11,400 baht depending on age. So, initially the OA visa was advantageous in that you could get 2 years from it and the 800k baht requirement did not have to be held in a Thai bank, some expats would get a new OA visa in their home countries every 2 years. Now with the addition of the mandatory health insurance the OA has lost it’s advantage and many have dumped the OA in favour of an O.

Here we are at Wat Phanan Choeng where the Chao Praya meets the Prasak ( scene of the tugboat sinking) and a popular place to make merit and feed a few fish !! Apparently yesterday the level was 50 or 60 cm higher ( could see that on the markings on the floating platform rollers ) and water, along with a few inquisitive fish, made it over the wall into the temple grounds. What is interesting is the barriers installed on the Wat/river border and how effective they would be ?? The concrete slabs have been removed and these hinged steel plates fitted recently. The rubber in rolls beside the plates fitted only when the plates are lifted I imagine. It’s probably a 500 metre stretch of sidewalk that has been adapted, I certainly wouldn’t like the job of lifting these when/if required as they look pretty damn heavy !!

Regarding the rust issue, I think an email to Head Office with all the details ( copy of purchase docs etc ) and photos of the rusting would be a good place to start . On a regular service Honda will check your battery and inform you of its status. Happened to me, I thanked them and bought another battery from a local dealer, doesn’t affect your warranty. The service guy at Honda also offered me the “ pay xxx now and your next service will be free deal “ although I think it is only labour that’s free , you still have to pay for parts ( if I remember correctly ). It seemed like a bit of a useless deal so I declined.

Mor Prom app on IOS looks like this:

Ayutthaya

Yup, how they can justify the 40/400k and now contemplating Covid19 insurance for OA/extenders only is simply mystifying. Renewed my extension about a month ago, they made no mention of the insurance, of course it could be that they saw it in the database and was okay with just that but I very much doubt it, I seriously think they forgot about it. Last year when they asked to see it I gave them the whole policy , and associated bumf, still in the envelope from LMG, the IO gave a halfhearted impression of looking through it !!

Yes, I had prepared to dump my OA extension (leave with no re-entry permit) March 2020 and visit a consulate in the U.K. for an O visa. Of course Covid19 put paid to that and it is not so simple anymore. Hoping that in March 2022 I can get back on track.

ASEANNOW have an advertisement for changes to the insurance requirements for an OA visa and subsequent extensions. Why isn’t there any information on the forum about this future change, except for the linked thread from an insurance company that is locked ?? Of course if there is any information available, from an official source, can someone point me in the right direction .

Keep the recommendations coming they are always welcome. Constructive criticism is good if it is justified, but not always welcome if it is not:

I watched it and liked it , watched it before all the hype dropped so wasn’t expecting too much but was pleasantly surprised. ( although I do agree that the VIP’s were an unnecessary side story as reviewed by many) Anyhoo !! Here’s a Japanese similar series which many have compared to Squid Game . Alice in Borderland https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10795658/

The Last Bus Timothy Spall playing Tom, a pensioner on a mission to spread his wife’s ashes at Lands End, problem is he is at John O’Groats and decides to make the journey using only local buses !! Finally this has appeared for stream on fmovies or dl on the usual sites. ( must be 6 months ago when I 1st mentioned this ) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9410034/

Some of Rick’s fish took me instantly back to my youth !! My dad’s hobby at the time was tropical fish, he extended the garage and made an enclosed unit called the “ fish house “ where he would breed several species for the weekend shows. The shows were very important to my dad and he would put the fish into their jars ( reminiscent of the old sweet jars ) to be then packed carefully into the polystyrene boxes to maintain the temperature. The shows were usually in some old church hall in places like Colne or Nelson. We (Mum, 2 brothers and myself) would usually drop dad off , then have a wander round the town, coming back later to see if he had won ?. An over large rosette for 1st, 2nd and 3rd or a tacky wooden “ trophy “ ( for want of a better word ) for best in show, we had a house full of this stuff !! The names of these fish still remain in my memory: Kissing Gourami Tiger Barb Kuhli Loach Angel Fish Siamese fighting fish My dad was particularly proud of the Red Tailed Shark which usually got the most attention at the mention of its name, immediately followed by the most disappointment when actually viewed as it was not much bigger than an Angel Fish. Plecostomus ( plecostomus plecostomus ) was my favourite , stuck permanently to the glass its function purely to clean the tank and make the others look good !! Apologies for the slight deviation, back to Isaan ……………..

This Ayutthaya fishing park is feeling the pinch !!