persimmon

It`s just supply and demand . Places like Patts have seen a huge inflow of people from India and China . Hotels and restaurants charge what they can . Get out of the tourist ghettos and prices are half - 400 not 800 / night for a room , 50 not 150 for food . Agree on air fares though - pre covid I paid c. £ 600 LHR - BKK . Last year it was £ 1100 .

Having a Thai person accompany you and vouch for your respectability has worked in the past , particularly if they are a long time resident and well known in the area . Might still work ? Failing that , a non O retirement ( over 50 ) visa is available from your home country . Just needs proof of Bt 800 k in the bank ( not necessarily a Thai bank ).

The Thais are usually polite and ask before throwing water . It`s the aggressive Farangs who are the problem .

Hi , thanks for that . The Non O retirement ( 90 days ) e-visa might be ok if the 60 VEE goes back to 30 . Would it be possible to extend this by another 30 days at immigration . I hope to visit 3 places this time - Prachuap KK ( not much there but has a nice beach ) Patts , and Udon . Never been anywhere in Laos before , so was hoping to avoid having to stay there but it looks like that might be a better option for me than the Cambo run ( did that by minibus a few yrs ago and didn`t enjoy it ) .

Hi , I had it all planned out - Enter visa exempt ( 60 days ) then extend at immigration ( another 30 ) . Then border bounce at Nonghai over the bridge and back ( another 60 ) . Job done . But now it`s all changed again - maybe now only 30 days VEE and the requirement to spend 2 nights in Vientienne instead of coming straight back . Just had a look at the visa options ... SETV gets you 60 ( + 30 ) , retirement gets you 90 . Then there`s the O-A that needs insurance . I have the required 800,000 in an account , so what are my best options ? TINA .

The day of the small mom + pop style shops is coming to an end - they just can`t compete with 7-11 Family Mart , Lotus , Big C . Maybe ok for the wife who has to be at home to maybe look after a small child , but as a full time job ? Mind numbingly boring unless there are lots of customers , profits may be so small they don`t even cover the cost of electricity and depreciation on equipment .

I`ve been back in the UK for a few months , so I contacted ( email ) KTB and asked if I needed to do anything . They sent me the FATCA / CRS forms and I printed them off and filled them in before photoing and sending back . Got a reply next day . All very efficient , I`m impressed .

Many of the national parks allow camping , bring your own or hire one . Can be fun , depending on the weather . Cycling ? Lots of people do , not for me though ( apart from short distances to the shop ) - too hot , then there`s the safety aspect .

What sort of Visa could she have that allows long stays ? Unless it`s just a long overstay on a TV .

I`ve been in the UK for 18 months now , won`t be back in Thailand until Nov. KTB don`t have any way of contacting me . Do I need to worry my account could be closed ? Sent some money from the UK a few months ago and checked via ATM and it seemed ok .

Would be ok if there were no neighbours within 100 m. otherwise too noisy - no sound insulation at all .

I was last there 20 yrs ago and it was quite crowded with young hippy types , probably the same sort who frequent KSR and the full moon parties . Not my scene so won`t be going back . Nice countryside though with hot springs nearby - free 20 yrs ago now Bt 500 to get in 👎

I have a SIPP in the UK and was hoping to pass it on IHT free , but that`s not possible now thanks to RR and the recent budget . Presently , any withdrawals are taxed at source ( usually 20 % ) . If I move to Thailand and become non UK resident for tax , can I claim back these deductions ? I also have dividend income , not sure if I need to pay UK tax on these or not .

Not an expert , but reading all the replies , a summary might be ... # no tax on gifts , 20 m Bt to wife or kids ( must be legally married ) or 10 m Bt anyone else , per year . note - to avoid confusion at the tax office , better to transfer directly to the beneficiary , rather than to your own account , then the recipient .

Look at her in that pic - miserable as sin - you`d think she would look a bit more cheerful getting £ 170 k a year for basically sod all .

Not claiming to be an expert here , but I think the divorce laws are different in the UK and Thailand . In the UK , all assets are taken into consideration , whilst in TH , assets accumulated before marriage are not considered . in any divorce settlement.

Maybe her solicitor has taken the case on a " no win , no fee basis " ? Can`t see how she even has a leg to stand on though - no written proofs or contracts , and a " common law wife " has no meaning in English law . Besides , she got the house , what more does she want ?

Life in rural Thailand - sounds idyllic , but there are a few downsides ... # setting up home with a new wife / gf often involves buying land or building a house , fine , until the relationship founders , then all that investment is lost . # health insurance / medical costs # poor air quality in many areas # many Thais don`t actually like foreigners

Rule # 1 when in Thailand - never get into a fight with a local . Obviously the drunken Russian has never watched Thai boxing .

Inheritance tax ( IHT ) is probably the major factor here . Is it fair that some people just take from the system and contribute little if anything , whilst others pay many millions in tax ? There should be a cap on the amount anybody has to pay in tax over their lifetime , maybe based on the average salary .

They all want something , or else why would they be looking for a foreign partner ? Maybe the trick is to find one with realistic expectations , not one who wants a new 20 mill baht house and new Merc just because someone in the next village got that . That`s the problem though - choosing a partner who`s just there for the $£ s - however much you give them , they always want more .

Is there a way to freeze the physical Wise card when it`s not being used so it can`t be hacked and money stolen . Or , is there a way of keeping money in a separate part of Wise and transferring into the active account when needed ?

I need a way to access the net whilst moving around in Thailand , reasonable size to carry about and inexpensive , just for emails , bank accounts and general light web browsing . Samsung tablet is about the same price as a cheap 14 " laptop , then there`s the Chromebooks . A tablet would be the easiest to carry , but is it just a bigger version of a Samsung phone ? If so I might as well use my phone and save the £ . So ,which would be best ? Thanks .

Well done , not much fun being in the UK at the moment , freezing temperatures and high electric and gas prices .

OK thanks ...what about the bus from the border into town ?. There is a money exchange counter in the basement at Central , Udon ...I suppose I could get a few thou / million ? kip to see me ok for a couple of days .