JerseytoBKK

Just came back from CW today and was rejected. Reason is that immigration wanted a 12 month bank statement. In the past, I would deposit 100 baht at the Bangkok Bank branch in CW and they would update the bank book showing all activity since the last deposit. I pay my phone bill with this account so it shows activity all 12 months. Now, BB only shows last 30 days of activity when updating bank book. So I asked for a statement and at CW, then can only provide 6 months of activity, For 12 months you need to apply and wait 3-4 days. Since Jan 1, I have over 1.2 M bath in the account. Been adding because of the increased value of the dollar and now up to 1.5M bath. Doesn't matter to Immigration. When I told her I can't get the 12 month statement in time, she said I could if I went to the original branch. That was not correct because I went there and was told even I went to headquarters in SIlom, it would still take 3-4 days. Unfortunately, I didn't go 2 weeks ago like I should have and my extension expires in 2 days. It looks like I'll be going to Danang for 3-4 days (never been there and want to see it) and then I'll come back with a visa exempt. Within 30 days I'll return to the US for 2-3 months and when I return to Thailand it will be the exemption/non-0 and retirement extension circus again. Welcome any ideas that can salvage my current exemption that don't have to do with agents.

Interesting post about why Russia hasn't called up more reserves, more background info on the retired Russian colonel, and other topics including the possibility of the US sending Harpoon missiles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fo2ZVKRK00E

This blogger is a civilian pilot for Ukrainian airlines, currently grounded. He posts videos at least once a day and provides excellent detailed and updated tactical maps of the combat areas. Doesn't hide any Ukrainian setbacks. Great content. Ukrainian forces have just deployed M777 long range artillery. Denys Davydov youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OLJE-8zgzE Слава Україні!

Update: Got the pop up notice at least 4 times in the last 7 days. When I clicked the link it just took me to the Morchana app but there was nothing in the notification tab. I've been taking screenshots all this time. Today finally when I click the link in the pop up, It finally shows the screen to upload the test image. Within 15 minutes of submitting the report with image, the status turned from orange to green

I got the pop up notice at least 4 times in the last 7 days. When I clicked the link it just took me to the Morchana app but there was nothing in the notification tab. I've been taking screenshots all this time. Today finally when I click the link in the pop up, It finally shows the screen to upload the test image. I got the report has been submitted message. Another weird thing is that the notifications tab is now showing me that I had 7 days of messages to upload the test! UPDATE: Status turned from orange to green

Same for me. Bluetooth and Internet on. Day 10 and no notification. Still orange.

I go to the BJ's and Sam's in Melbourne 2-3x a month. Just down the road from Melbourne is Sebastian. The top rated restaurant is Wasabi Thai Sushi. Most of the workers are Thai including the sushi chefs. Their Masaman curry is superb, but the rest of the Thai dishes are between OK and don't bother. The place does great sushi, sushi rolls and sashimi and it's frequently packed. After 7 pm usually you see people sitting outside waiting for tables, even on a Monday night. Calling in for take out orders can sometimes result in a 45 minute wait.

What Florida county? I've spent the last 3 years commuting between Indian River county and Bangkok. Trying to convince my fiancee to leave her job and join me in dividing time between Thailand, Florida and some additional time in bucket list destination places. While there are Thai restaurants in most towns, I wasn't aware of Thai grocery stores. Where do you think is the most Thai centric place in FL?

2 people, including me, have written confirmation from hotels that we don't have to do the day 5. Today is my day 5 and I am waiting for the notification in the Morchana app to upload test results. People in other posts said they didn't get notices to upload until day 6 or day 7 or that some hotels had trouble uploading with the app. Hopefully, I'll soon find out who was right but at least I have written confirmation from a hotel that has a dedicated manager for Covid stays.

Contact the hotel either through email or their Facebook page. I just stayed at Aloft Bangkok and asked multiple questions including when will they test since my plane arrived at 23:30 and I got to the hotel after midnight. They informed me they test even before check-in. I got my results before 10 AM. I'm guessing that the hotel will tell you to book the night before your actual arrival date. You might be able to leave the hotel before noon or soon after, but again, best to contact the hotel.

Fortunately it seems that there is a more reasonable response this time. See previous message, I also came in last year on April 1 and only had to do a 7 day quarantine. Did a similar 7 day quarantine in October.

I came in on Feb 25. Emailed the manager at Aloft Bangkok Sukhumvit 11 this morning about this topic. He replied that their COVID manager was in conference with Health authorities this morning to get guidance. Then he emailed me an hour ago and notified me that I don't have to stay at the hotel for Day 5 and they aren't going to charge me even though when I booked, it said non-refundable. I have to do the ATK test and load results into MorChana app. I highly recommend Aloft. Large room, very clean, comfortable bed, check in and check out was very efficient for my one day stay, good breakfast, fast response to my multiple emails.

They were pushing investments in those countries because they owned the developments. They would encourage people to fly down to attend free seminars and then use high pressure tactics to get them to buy into their developments. A lot like timeshare pitches in resort areas. They developed a bad reputation. They stopped doing that and no longer pitch their own real estate developments, but they are making money from pitching the locations and rentals in the areas. They are not a non-biased source.

I've posted this response before and it seems like an annual event. International Living is trash!!! Look at heir website. They used to heavily promote real estate investments through their website that were in Panama, Costa Rica and Columbia. Now they "just" mention investments in those countries. The website is a scam!

"We're aware that a woman traveling alone could raise suspicion but assumed that the evidence would clear it."....... " (she also answered that she had no contacts in the US)."..... "We'd still like to make a trip" Unfortunately there have been many posts where people are advising women to never state they have a "friend" in the US. Bad advice. Telling the complete truth might not help, but these highly experienced interviewers are looking for any responses that seems less than completely truthful. 5 years ago I told my GF to ignore that advice and she even listed my name on the application where they ask if anyone helped you fill out the application. She has an engineering degree with a high paying long term job. Was approved for a 10 year visa after only 4 questions. One question was "do you know anyone in the US" and she replied yes and gave my name. Another question was "where do you plan to go" and she mentioned some famous tourist attractions. Also started to pull out a page where I listed an itinerary where we would spend the 12 days of her trip but the interviewer waved off the paper and said interview over. Passport with visa arrived within 7 days. The last point is also something that I think trips up applicants. Both in the US and Thailand, people with jobs usually don't take long vacations. Saying that you're planning to come for 30 or 60 days might raise red flags. Before anyone thinks it's a good idea to lie about length of stay, know that the immigration officer in the US can still turn away someone with a valid visa.

Check out Valneva. It's an old fashioned inactivated virus vaccine. Completed Phase 3 testing and supposedly better than AZ but seems some politics happened and the UK cancelled their contract. They recently announced a deal to supply EU countries pending approval. Here is a list of 91 different vaccines that are under development: https://www.raps.org/news-and-articles/news-articles/2020/3/covid-19-vaccine-tracker. That website is not 100% up to date but gives you an idea of the global effort underway.

Thanks for the info. I have an IDP also.

Thanks DrJack54. I had heard that the DLT had reopened but my girlfriend just checked their Thai website and they are not doing any testing (reaction, color-blindness or showing the video) so it seems that getting a new license is still not possible. If anyone knows something different, would like to hear about it.

I need to get an address verification letter in Bangkok as it's finally time to get a Thai driving license. Is this still at Muang Thong Thani or has it moved back to Chang Watthana? 2 years ago I got one at CW but needed to leave Thailand before I could apply for the license. Are online appointments needed or available to get the letter? Saw some posts where it was said that the Land Transport office now needs to contact immigration - is this correct? The alternative is to get the letter from the US Embassy. Has anyone done this lately?

If you had scrolled through some of the posts about this topic written in the last 2 months, you have have seen some excellent advice. What is your status? Work permit or retired? How long have you been here in Thailand? Your wife should have taken your passport with her to show that you are committed to staying in Thailand. Perhaps the interviewer thought that you plan to take your family to the US to enroll the kids in US schools. Is there a reason your parents can't visit and was that documented?

"coverage for the remaining duration of that extension" I've seen that posted repeatedly on different forums but there is an exception! I flew in 4 weeks ago. Stamped in until July, 2022 when I will renew my extension. Only had to buy 90 days of insurance. Reason is I showed a paid return business class ticket because I will return to the US within 90 days.

Sheryl - Thanks for the help and suggestion. About 3 months ago, while in the US, I started experiencing pain in the back of my knee. Saw an orthopedist and after xrays and exam he diagnosed a bakers cyst and recommended it be drained using ultrasound. Said that was a first step and that there was a good chance it would return. Unfortunately I returned to Bangkok before I could do the procedure. When leaving the airport, as I went to step into the van, I experienced severe pain in my knee. Couldn't lift my leg more than 4" from the floor. Since I was in quarantine for 8 days, was able to ice and rest the leg and over 4 days it improved. Also very glad that I had an excellent compression stocking. However, my knee is still much worse than when I was in the US. Can't walk more than half a kilometer without pain. The doc at Phaya Thai planned to remove the cyst and seal off that bursa to prevent the cyst from coming back. Also pointed out an issue with cartilage being displaced. I'll check out the doc at Bumrungard for another opinion. Since I'll return to the US in about 7 weeks I also might go the draining route first.

I have a "baker's cyst" in my right knee. Had an MRI last week. It's been getting worse over the last 2 months and I'm at the point where I need to have surgery. The quote I received from Phaya Thai seemed really high at 280,000. I see some other hospitals have promotions for arthroscopic meniscus knee surgery, with Bumrungrad at 220,000. Anyone here have arthroscopic knee surgery recently and what was the price?

The Tucson is slightly smaller than the Santa Fe. Last year I was stuck in the US longer than I expected so I went shopping for a vehicle. I liked the Tucson but it was under powered so I bought the Santa FE Limited 2.0 Turbo. It has an amazing and very long list of features. Heads up windshield display is very cool and with the lane assist I can take my hands off the steering wheel and it will go around a 60 turn on the highway by itself! Leave your hands off the wheel more than 20 seconds and it flashes a warning to put your hands back on the wheel. Seeing it do that showed me that autonomous driving vehicles are almost here. Also love the air ventilated seats. However, for 2022, Hyundai released a completely redone Tucson 1.5 Turbo Hybrid about 6 months ago. Very fast. When I went back to the US this summer, I was going to trade in my Santa Fe (resale value higher than original purchase price) but the new Tucson Turbo Hybrid Limited had extremely limited availability and dealers were asking for $3,000-10,000 over the $39,000 list. If Hyundai sold the Tucson Hybrid in Thailand I would be at the dealer now.

When they changed the rules back in April and went from 14 to 7 days, the hotels were required to refund the difference. Yes, I received a prompt refund from my hotel. TV cynics will always find dark clouds to walk under.