howard ashoul

I'm always confused who should I "wai"?

Like should I wait my doctor? My landlord? Lady behind counter at Amphur? Generally people working in goverment? If I come to a random store and owner of business is present? Parents on every occassion? Teachers of my children?

You might think, that I'm overthinking this. And I should just "feel it". But I saw so many farangs wai to motorbiketaxi, bargirls, and even to beggars. I don't wanna join their club.

I applied 3 times for METV.  I got them everytime. Everytime they required hotel reservation. But point is, that you don't have to show reservations for a whole 6 months. So everytime (3 times) I just booked hotel in Bangkok for 2 - 3 days, where I will be staying after arriving to Thailand. And it was enough for them! Book cheap hotel for 3 days (~1500 baht) and no more hasstle. Easiest solution.

TIP:: Everytime I applied for a visa I also wrote them a letter. And submited it with all the paper work. Letter explaining why I'm going to Thailand. What are my plans. My itinerary etc. (This letter is not required). And they totally loved it (atleast Thai embassy in my country). Thanks to this letter I got away with things you wouldn't believe. For example for METV ticket out of country is required (which is basically the law). I explained, that I'm meeting friends in Thailand. And only after that we will chosse day and flight out of the country. Based on that I got METV without ticket out of a country. Letter will help more than anything else.

Write them letter, explain situation in details, explain your plans. Show them booking of hotel for 3 days and in letter explain, that after that you are staying with family. They will be happy, that you have some hotel reservation. So their backs are covered. And they will also understand what's going on.

You can enter and leave at the same hour.

My wife has good general knowlege about the world. In her very own way.

"Do you know Pinpin? You know, that big man from Russia?"

"In your country you have king, or man same same Baboma?"

"South Korea good. North Korea no good. Because they have JingJing."

"Why America no like Cuba? Becuase Cacora no good?"

Putin.Obama. Kim Jong Un. Fidel Castro.

1 minute ago, William C F Pierce said:

They are pests. I found them attracted to my sugar bowl. Threw sugar away and used a jar with a sealed lid. They could carry deseases, so don't leave any food out uncovered. Get some anti-ant powder to kill them and occasionally dust the floor with it to keep them at bay.

I know, that thai people are using some kind of chalk. They mark line around doors and ants won't cross it. They also put water in a large bowl and then put plate with food into larger bowl filled with water. So ant would have to swim to get to plate with food.

Today I woke up at 7:50. At 8:00 my wife brought me coffee, rice and pork. When I finished my coffee at 8:30, around the plate with food was already crawling about 10 ants. So, was it 100% safe to eat it? Can they do any kind of harm?

I was always wondering. There's a lot of tiny black ants around. You can't do anything about it. Especially if you leave food outsite of fridge for longer period of time.

Is it still save to eat that food if you remove majority of the ants? Or are they dangerous? And if you overlook even one, could he bite you inside a neck and could you suffocate?

2 hours ago, skatewash said:

Out of curiosity, what were the other two words?  Sort of a hobby of mine.  

I can't remember first one.

Second one was 'you cannot lay your hands on mongeese'.

Third one was 'horning in on her territory'.

1 hour ago, impulse said:

 

I rent canoes at Q Sirikit Park and Lumpini for my upper body workout, bringing my own double kayak paddle.  There's quite a few of us that seem to have the same idea since the rental paddles aren't as good a workout.

 

At Lumpini, I carry a trash basket and pick up floating trash, just to make it a challenge to maneuver the canoe (I'd prefer fishing, but- oh well).  First time I did it, one of the local recyclers got rather perturbed, thinking I was horning in on her territory.  But I gave her the basket when I docked and now I get friendly waves and thumbs up from half a dozen vendors every time I show up.

 

And a good, no impact workout.

What is "horning"?

Don't know what's going on today, but you are third guy on ThaiVisa today, who used some word, that I can't make sense of even using dictionary or Google.

7 minutes ago, lvr181 said:

Short cut grass around the living quarters and a Jack Russell Terrier will keep most snakes away. That terrier is FEARLESS!    I am presupposing you cannot lay your hands on a family of mongeese. 

What is "mongeese"?

Settled in Thailand. But lately I come to realization, that I'm missing hobbies. Just going about daily business, without any passion or interests.

I looked into my past in my home country.  From that I ruled out cycling, as it could be quiet suicidal on these roads. So I was thinking about fishing. A lot of rivers and lakes around. And it seems unregulated. As anybody can be fishing here as he likes and what he likes.

But I couldn't find anything else.

Do you any hobbies while living here? That would fit Thailand, not requiring be in Bangkok or other big city? Thanks for experiences.

22 hours ago, ddavidovsky said:

What's the problem? Is it illegal to eat dog in Thailand?

Obviously they shouldn't go round stealing them, but the article is not interested in the fact they were stolen, only that they were likely to be eaten. No doubt 'man steals dog isn't much of a headline'.

 

Really, if you care for animals, there are more pressing issues. Dogs are not an endangered species.

Yes, about 2 years ago it was made illegal in our province to kill and eat dogs.

I believe it was enforced for like 3 days. Maybe 4.

To sum it up (sorry if not accurately, very long thread).

- You broke you vertebrae. And you got pain from it. (which is medically justifiable)

- Then you got series of of health issues (bowel movement, shortness of breath, pounding heart...). Which all of them have mysterious cause. Nobody can diagnose it. Nobody knows cause.

Can't it be just an anxiety, stress and pressure, that you are putting on your body? You are visiting 3 hospitals a week, 3 specialists a day, writing page long reports, planning trips to foreign countries, buying insurances, dedicated your life to your health... . Literally going crazy about your health.

You know? Only broken vertebrae is medically justifiable. Rest of it are all randoms symptoms, that nobody can diagnose.

I think that broken vertebrae and then putting too much pressure on yourself is more probable.

Than broken vertebrae and 5 different unidentifiable disseases, all starting at once.

Mind under pressure can play games. And even affect physical processes in body.

I got married in Thailand. And I didn't report it in my home country. I know, that it can be done by translating thai marriage certificate to english and bringing it to my embassy. But my wife will not travel to my home country. And I'm not looking for any benefits in my country from being married.

It's 800 Km to Bangkok, it will take several days to travel there and back, it will cost some money... .

Is it really necessary to report my marriage in my home country?

I never ever had a single problem or a bad experience with a baht bus. Everybody is using them, everybody is happy with their system. And yet there isn't a week, when there wouldn't be a crack down on them. Or somebody tried to change the system how they works. As a young person I can't walk on a Beach road without guys behind trees whispering at me "marihuana, cocain, yaba". I can't walk on a beach road after 2am, without ladyboy trying to pickpocket me. And yet, let's do a crack down on baht buses! On a system, which everybody uses and everybody is happy how it is.

If you trying to get a driving ID, buy motocycle in your name...whatever. You always need certificate of residence (500baht), copy of owners house book, copy of owners ID. I guess with your own yellow book you could skip all the hastle?

1 hour ago, JohnJay said:

Is their age something about respect? Thais have to respect elder men or something?

Will criminal really care and will be showing respect to a guy, who can barely stand up from chair without dislocating his hip?

20 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

Not sure that is correct for Savannakhet. I don't think they use the same number for pickup like Vientiane does.

Oh yeah, thats right. For pick up passport you just wait in line. Just remmebered about Laos people skipping the line there.

Imposible combination.

You will arrive at the embassy late = you will get high number = you will be given passport back next day as one of the last persons. No time to catch 4pm.

You would have to be at embassy as one of the firsts. Which means around 7:15 - 7:30.

But you can't complain, that there isn't enough security guards in this country. Every car park, every everything has a guy in uniform (usuallly over 60 years old) whos's in charge. Never saw so many security guys in any other country.

In our village we have ATM which is guarded 24/7 by a guy in a uniform! Sitting there day/night guarding ATM.... . 

I bought motocycle in my name while on tourist visa. I even crossed border to Laos with this motocycle while on tourist visa. When I got married I listed this motocycle as my personal property acquired before marriage, so in case of divorce it will remain 100% mine.

Alhough they required I have thai driving motocycle licence before registering bike in my name.

14 hours ago, LazySlipper said:

 

Regardless of how irresponsible the foreigner was remember this could happen to you!

Every time I have a near miss with a Thai and all his family on a motorcycle I count my blessings. 

 

They turn a corner and don't look, they cut in front and weave dangerously through traffic...

 

They drive without licences and expired licence plates. Back home it is a no brainer... you don't have a licence or your vehicle is unlicensed then you are automatically in the wrong.

 

Who knows what really happened. We will never know the truth.

 

I am sure the lady did not plan on dying so RIP to her and her grandson.

They definitelly didn't have helmets.

3 people on 1 motocycle is probably also over limit.

Not sure about driving ID, wouldn't be suprised if she didn't have one.

I am not defending that guy in any way!

3 hours ago, SiamBeast said:

From my experience:

 

Bangkok Bank: Easy to open, hard to get a credit card, good product overall, no problem wiring funds overseas IF funds come from abroad.

 

SCB: Hard to open, easy to get a credit card, excellent product, no problem at all wiring funds overseas.

 

Krungsri: Easy to open, easy to get a credit card, BAD product:

1) For every incoming international transfer, someone has to call you and ask you questions.

2) International transfers over USD 2,000 are not permitted at all.

I ended up closing my account after they refused to process a transfer.

 

Kasikorn: Easy to open, easy to get a credit card, HORRIBLE product:

1) They called me twice in a month to ask questions about my spending habits

2) International transfers are not permitted at all.

3) Buggy system with service often not available

4) Credit card won't work in casinos abroad

They refused to close my account because I had insurance with them - had to get the lawyer involved to get my money back and pull my stuff out of this nightmare.

 

Krungthai: Never been a customer, but I go on a regular basis to pay my speeding fines and the service seems good.

 

If you have a tourist visa, forget about getting an account, unless you're ready to spend a week branch hopping in hope for someone to accept you after breaking their balls. If you have a non-O visa, you might want to go for BKK or SCB.

What do you mean? Sending money from Kasikorn abroad? Never tried it.

But no problem with sending mone from abroad to Kasikorn.

You can go to Laos, get Laos visa on arrival, turn back, immediatelly go back to Thailand.

Basically anywhere. Nong Khai, Mukdahan... . Any border cross, that offers Laos visa on arrival.

I did it once in my life. And it was a little bit close though. Problem is, that Laos aplication form requires hotel adress, where you will be staying. And Laos officer insisted, that I fill it in. Otherwise no visa. I didn't think of that beforhand! Desperate times, desperate measures. So I had to come up with some hotel name. I wrote down something like "Bunglunxalay" (to me it sounds like Laos name for a hotel). But it immediatelly catched attention of officer! Because he never heard of such a hotel before. I had to swear to him, that it's real hotel. When I was 5 minutes later waiting for the bus back to Thailand I was literally praying, for that officer not come out of his both, and not see me waiting there. BTW Bus is crossing bridge every 30 minutes. I had no idea why, but at that time I had to wait 1 and half hour for that bus. 

I wrote on my aplication form Village 123/4, Moo 5, City. And I got visa today without any problem.

On 2017-5-14 at 10:03 PM, overherebc said:

I told a story once that no-one believed, I'll try here and see the result.

Long time ago in the NAAFI bar we had a power cut. One of the guys went for a pee in the pitch black toilet. It had the usual 2 foot wide 6 inch high platform in front of the urinals. He shuffled up to it in the dark and thought that's close enough and started having a pee only to pee on the back of the legs of a guy in front.

The fight didn't last that long but afterwards it was all settled over a few beers.

Happend exactly the same to me at Walking street many years ago. New years eve, about 1am. Toilets at the start of Walking street next to Beer Garden.

I'm at urinal minding my own business. When a drunk Russian come behind me and start pissing on me. Not at my legs. He showered my back from the neck down to ankles. As I turned to him, to found out what's going on, he showered my front with his piss too. He didn't mind at all, he continued to pissing at my front... .

First time and last time (so far) in my life I got into a fight.  (i toke like 10 seconds)