AsianAtHeart

Well, he probably wasn't that active. Back when I was in school, our teacher offered free coupons to ice creams at DQ for students completing certain physical activities. One of those on the list was for doing 300 consecutive squat jumps. My brother practiced up for it for a few weeks, then made an attempt to demonstrate it one day in the classroom in front of the teacher. He made it to 285, at which point his legs gave out. He was unable even to stand up! As he had obviously come close, and had gone to the utter limit of his ability, the teacher gave him the coupon. He didn't, of course, need any surgery afterward, though I'm sure he was sore for a few days.

Someone might be able to correct me if I am wrong, but it is my understanding that the 20,000 baht (or equivalent in foreign currency) requirement is only met with cash in hand. If customs/immigration should request to see this when you enter the country, they will not accept any form of plastic, nor any screenshot--only actual cash. But this is a requirement for admission, not for the visa itself. I am not able to help you on the visa requirements.

This has been affected by the current era of covidnoia. When a student is coughing, sneezing, has a sore throat, or a slight fever, the school personnel prefer if that student stays home. To help pave the way for this to happen, no consequences for truancy are likely, and the rate of absenteeism has skyrocketed. For the most part, this is a satisfactory arrangement on all sides--the parents are not pestered over the whys and wherefores that they have not elected to send their children on a particular day, and the school does not need to put up with the fears of other students or their parents should one student arrive with the sniffles. Obviously, in this 7-year-old girl's case, the paranoid system has failed her. It really is a tragedy--but the tragedy starts with the fear and medical/scientific ignorance that induces it.

Thank you for the clarification, UbonJoe. Is that different, then, from the family-based Non-O which requires only 400k? Somehow it has always been my impression that the 400k was required to have been maintained for 90 days prior to each application and extension, and I just assumed that the same would be true for the retirement visa.

Judging from what I have personally witnessed, it is less labor-intensive for them to simply install a new fiber-optic line than to try to trace the old one. They'll cut the old one out of the house into which it had been installed, and replace the in-home cable with a new line, freshly added to the cable bundle on the poles outside. No, not much copper, and apparently the fiber is cheap enough that they have no incentive to try to trace the old lines. Maybe they assume the old lines will be damaged in a high enough percentage of cases to make it not worth the effort anyhow. But they certainly put no effort into removing unused lines from the public utility poles. It basically boils down to lack of organization or planning; and we might add technical expertise and/or equipment to the list where such equipment could have assisted in checking the lines.

If the original Non-O visa is the one requiring the 800,000 bank account, doesn't that account have to have had the money in it for 90 days prior to application? I don't see how a visa exempt (30 days, right?) plus and extension of 30 days will give sufficient time for the money to "steep" in the account prior to applying for the Non-O. Am I mistaken?

God exists in more than my imagination. I've witnessed miracles in my life on many occasions which have confirmed His existence and His love. The greatest miracle of all, is that God can love such a wretch as me, and that He can patiently lead me, helping me to have new desires, new habits, and a new character. There are some who never notice the flowers. They do not see the birds, nor hear their cheerful songs. They seldom lend their attention to the beautiful blue sky, or take time to let God's creation speak to them in its own way. The same inattention to these things of nature is prevalent in the world with respect to God. People do not recognize God's hand in their lives because they are too busy to give it any thought. They are chasing after financial security, worldly acceptance or esteem, or the pleasures of life in which they hope to find happiness. But, true happiness is not found in any of these. Only in a relationship with one's Creator can true joy be obtained. As I type these words, the sounds of Thai pan flutes and wooden xylophones (I cannot think just now what they're called) come through my window, heralding a funeral ceremony in progress. Did the deceased have any hope at the end of his or her life? What is life without hope? And how can one hope, without a knowledge of God and His promised salvation? The answers to life's most perplexing questions are only found in God's Word. Apart from the Bible, there is no safety, nor confidence. I can say, with the Psalmist, "I have been young, and now I am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his children begging bread." God is faithful, and keeps His promises--and, as I have seen in my own life, God is far more faithful than I, for I have not always deserved His help. I have even tried to put God out of my life--ignoring Him, and still, God provides what I need. This is significant because I am not in a position to be able to help myself nor to secure the things I need within my own efforts. It sometimes fills me with shame, knowing that God is still there for me, even when I did not deserve it.

It would appear you may be making a statement that applies to other countries, not Thailand. In Thailand, if the pharmacist has it in stock, you can buy it--no prescription required. I have never once been asked for a prescription when buying medication at a Thai pharmacy--and I've had decades of experience. And this includes medications like Thyroxin (thyroid), Itraconazole (a heavy-duty antifungal drug worth nearly $5 per pill, in America, and only available there by prescription), Augmentin (strong antibiotic), medications to control diabetes, etc. That said, per this article, it may be that the Thai government is now trying harder to track some drugs--particularly these ones, probably in an attempt to gauge the ongoing extent of covid cases. For the sake of statistics . . . .

Knowing who we are starts with knowing Who created us, and for what purpose. Getting to know our Creator is what then gives us an understanding of our value.

There are considerable problems with this worldview, and which would cause it to require a tremendous degree of faith to sustain it. Foremost among these is that, in the "multiple incarnations," there are some extremely self-contradictory concepts involved. Assuming we accept "multiple incarnations" to be a part of the reality of life, let's examine two further options to accompany this: the existence, or the non-existence, of God. "MULTIPLE INCARNATIONS" + GOD If God exists, and yet we have "multiple incarnations" in order to "learn our lessons," then we have some considerable issues to grapple with. First, we must assume that God is not capable, or interested, in maintaining our lives long enough to "learn our lessons," without having to first die, and then start all over again. Secondly, how much "learning" does an infant supposedly retain from his or her "past life"? Does he or she not start from scratch? Thirdly, how loving would God be to force upon us a repeated painful existence, with the supposed accumulation of wisdom as its only outcome? Fourthly, what should determine when the reincarnations would cease? Would God decide this arbitrarily? Would something in our own minds be the arbiter of our destiny? And if we could do anything to escape the cycle--what role, then, would God have in causing it? Would God be powerless to force our reincarnation if our own minds, as created by Him, should have the ability to circumvent His will? "MULTIPLE INCARNATIONS" WITHOUT GOD Assuming God does not exist brings its own set of difficulties to the reincarnation dogma. First, if God does not exist, how does the soul of an individual get preserved through death between incarnations? What would initiate or cause this transfer, and how would it take place? Secondly, as with the God scenario, how would any wisdom supposedly attained in one's lifetime transfer through the death zone to the next incarnation? Do not babies start without knowledge? Thirdly, and this is big, what would determine the direction one should go in his or her next life? For example, Buddhists believe that if one lives a noble life, he or she will advance in the next life; but if not, the person will degrade in the next life--perhaps to that of a lower life form (animal). But, if there is no Judge, who or what makes this determination? Do not virtually all people think themselves good? And if all are good, why would not all automatically advance in the next incarnation cycle? If an individual did not advance (obviously against his or her wishes), what force or authority judged and determined this outcome? Without a God, there is no Judge. Fourthly, as before, who or what would determine when the cycle of incarnations should end? And fifthly, who or what would determine the final destination of an individual? Without God, what "heaven" could there be? And what "hell" would exist apart from His supervision? The very concept of "hell" is one of judgment and punishment, but without a God, there is not Judge and, consequently, cannot be any punishment.

It is my understanding, which could be inaccurate, that one is allowed to bring in personal effects if one has been living out of Thailand for at least a year. If you move to Thailand, that is the time to import those personal items. Once established in Thailand, the personal effects brought in might not be considered as duty-free. (No, the personal effects do not have to arrive at the same time, but you would have a hard time, I think, bringing them, say, a year later.) In general, books would be duty-free. The things that get scrutiny, as I understand, would be things like food items, alcohol, electronics, bicycles, anything that might look like it was intended for resale, e.g. new items in quantity, etc. There are many books which one would not find available for purchase in Thailand. If you like your books, bring them. But be aware, termites can reduce them to a pile of rubble in a matter of days, and there are silver fish (bookworms) in abundance in this climate as well. To preserve the books, they must be guarded against these predators. Air-conditioned (dry) rooms help. Below 40% humidity, silver fish are supposedly unable to reproduce, and while they can still live, their lifespan is supposed to be less than two years. So in theory, in a room kept dry, they should be entirely gone within a year or so. Some kitchen items also may be unavailable in Thailand. It used to be very difficult to find serrated knives, bread knives, etc. It is now possible to find some, and some of this has to do with the used items imported from countries like Japan and being sold cheaply at second-hand stores. Pressure cookers can now be ordered from some sellers online--used to be virtually unobtainable in Thailand as well. If you have an item like a Champion juicer, I still do not know where to source it here in Thailand. Bring it if you want it. If it is the commercial model, you can open up the bottom of it and reconnect the wiring to make it fully compatible with 220-volt current. The average home model will require a transformer. If costs of storage are so high, the import duties might be less worthy of consideration, even if you have to pay something to bring in your beloved possessions. We've brought in a pallet. We've also brought in a 20' shipping container. Those were shipped in the name of a Thai recipient, and had fees coming in--mostly a ton of legwork to get all the documents in order to have them released from the port--but ended up with no duty. They wanted to open up the shipping container to check for dutiable items, and wanted something like 5,000 baht or 10,000 baht (I don't recall exactly now) to release the container without inspection. We told them to go ahead and open it--they could see for themselves that it was all personal effects. In the end, they didn't bother, and let us go without the fee. But it took a lot of effort. The port officials are looking for ways to pad their pockets, legal or no.

Over the course of reading through this thread, I've begun to be persuaded that there must be some reason the IOs want people to come in on purchased visas, as opposed to (legally) entering on a visa-exempt status. Seriously, if both methods are legal, there should be no problem with either one. Theoretically, we might even see things reversed to where those coming in on purchased visas took more flak than those without. There has to be some rationale for the present preferences. Do the IOs get some form of kickback from the cost of the pre-arranged visas? What would their motive be for wanting those visas as opposed to handling a visitor via the visa-exempt category? Is the paperwork harder for them with the visa-exempt entries? If someone knows the answers to these questions, I'd sure appreciate enlightenment.

If the planet is truly warming, each of the following would be expected to occur. Greater evaporation from the oceans. Higher atmospheric water absorption (humidity/clouds). Increased winds generated; more severe storms. Higher levels of precipitation, inclusive of hail and snow; more flooding. Increased salinity of oceans in areas of greatest evaporation. Rising sea levels in the equatorial zone and bordering tropics due to salinity increase. Eventual slowing of the planet's speed of rotation due to shifting of oceanic waters. Putting all of these together, it should be a relatively straightforward process, from a scientific standpoint, to determine if we are actually in a warming trend. I suspect that we are indeed.

Are you trying to say that you can enter on a 30-day visa free entry without a return/onward ticket?

Thank you, that's just what I was looking for. Pasting the Thai title from that into an online search even gave me its official source, which is very helpful. It's hard, as a foreigner, to know what key words to search for to find things. Now I'll be able to browse around the rest of their website for additional resources. Thank you so much. For others wanting the source: https://sbpolice.go.th/page/ยึนคำขอแปลงสัญชาดิเป็นไทย_143.html

I agree that there should not be a requirement to learn Thai, at least for visa purposes (naturalization is another matter), but perhaps they could incentivize it in some way.

Couldn't be 1 baht a day because the line from two years ago only totals 361. There should be closer to 365 days in a year, 730 days in two years. Half a baht per day would come closer, but would still not make perfect sense, seeing the "14" at the end which would then represent 28 days, versus the 361 that should be only 8 days shy of two years...8 != 28. But then, should I assume that Thai computers haven't been taught proper math? I had assumed these numbers came from a depreciation table of some sort in which newer vehicles got higher surcharges, and as time passed, the charge was less. But then, I have never been late to register my car, so I have not experienced potential late fees. You might be right...but the math still doesn't add up, from my perspective.

It appears to be three years' worth of fees, itemized as: (Year) 2564 - tax for vehicle with seating for not over seven persons: 1,444 baht 2564 - additional fees for seven-passenger vehicle: 361 baht 2565 - tax for vehicle with seating for not over seven persons: 1,444 baht 2565 - additional fees for seven-passenger vehicle: 188 baht 2566 - tax for vehicle with seating for not over seven persons: 1,444 baht 2566 - additional fees for seven-passenger vehicle: 14 baht Inspection of vehicle condition: 50 baht It seems that the additional fees beyond the tax constant might be related to the vehicle's depreciation over time. At that rate, I'd expect a zero for the extra next time.

One thing to be aware of, that I see alluded to in the OP's description of the questioning, is that the Philippines has some unusual rules, which are similar to some rules Thailand has, but the Philippines has typically been more strict. You cannot even board a plane to the Philippines, as a visitor to the country, without having a return ticket. Because return tickets to the Philippines typically do not extend to a full year (is it six months?), students going to the Philippines may buy a ticket that they must throw away--just a "sunk cost" or a tax, however you choose to see it, to get into the country. Of course the airlines have plenty of incentive to enforce it, so you won't even get on a flight from KL without having the proof of return ticket. Because so many tickets of this nature were just wasted, companies have sprung up which now allow people to "rent" a ticket--go figure. And Thailand would have been a bit suspicious, especially of a Philippine airline, that this lady's return ticket might have been unauthentic, just a temporary, perhaps rented, one. Because Thailand also wants proof of onward travel.

Those more familiar with Thai will pick up on this one right away. In Thai, certain consonants at the end of a syllable always convert to a "T" sound. That would include T, D, S, J, and, in this case, a consonant from English that Thai does not have, "SH."

Very possible. I visited briefly about six years ago, but wasn't paying attention to the TV. My perspective hails from a bit over 10 years ago.

Multilingual here as well, but I found Chinese to be far more difficult to learn than Thai for two major reasons: 1) The culture of the people was not conducive to learning. Asking more than about two questions per day might produce a response like "You should find a Chinese teacher." They really didn't seem interested in helping a foreigner learn their language. 2) Chinese has no alphabet. There are 86,000+ ideograms, around 3,000 of which will be common in the newspapers. While they have "roots" that they can attempt to classify their characters by, looking anything up in a dictionary can be tedious. No alphabet, no alphabetical order--you might be reduced to counting strokes. So, reading 300+ Chinese characters was really inadequate to attain proficiency in the language. With Thai, learning 44 consonants and 32 vowels seems so much simpler. I could read Thai before I knew what any of it meant--and reading it first is what helped me learn correct pronunciation, because the Thai people, like folk in most any country, tend to slur their words and not enunciate them clearly. For example, is it "samlap" or "samrap"? Reading the word will tell you. Spanish has no more tones than English. Thai has five or six tones (depending how one counts), Mandarin has four tones, Cantonese has 8 or 9 tones, Hmong has nine tones, etc. With more tones, the language complexity increases, and foreign speakers of the language have a more difficult time being understood because there are so many possible close matches to their not-quite-right pronunciations.

Yes, "mu-wan" is the more common word to represent the concept. But copy/paste that Thai word I gave you into Google Translate and you'll see what it is. It's a more formal word, perhaps, and less often encountered. This is part of the beauty/frustration with learning Thai. Of course, English isn't much better--we have many words that essentially mean the same thing.

But this is a language-specific example. The grammar of English makes it easier to eliminate any other options as to the intended meaning. Consider a Thai example, for contrast: วานนี้ (wahn-nee) = yesterday วันนี้ ("one knee") = today There is very little phonetic distinction between these, yet context would give a person no clue as to which one was intended. Either one could fit equally well into the grammar of the sentence, being parallel terms. (Note that there is no tonal difference between these two words, only a slight vowel variation.)

I don't know of a perfect rhyme for the full three-syllable sequence, but if we were to rhyme each syllable by itself, we might have something like this: ma-keua-tet ma na (polite expression) ka (feminine polite expression) keu-a gleu-a (salt) reu-a (boat) tet tet (false) set (finished) As for the "nam", it's just like in "Vietnam?".