persimmon

Taking out life insurance with the wife as beneficiary .

Last time I had a return flight to come back to the UK after 5 months . Thai Airways never asked any questions . I had a SETV. Do you think if I did the same but without visa they might demand a flight out within 60 days ?

Maybe the locals could club together and hire some private security guys . Suitably armed with BB bats they would soon discourage these low lifes who plague Patts . I remember a few years ago at a concert there was a scruffy old Thai guy harassing 2 members of the audience . The security soon dealt with him by ripping his shirt off and giving him a kicking with their large boots . Instant justice . Shame things like this aren`t allowed in the Liberal West anymore .

Food prices are a rip-off compared to non tourist areas . No complaints about the quality of the stuff at my favourite veg . restaurant ( been going there for nearly 20 yrs and the food is exactly the same every time ) , but the prices are now at western ( UK ) levels - 110 bt for rice ! By comparison , same thing in Udon would be a quarter of the price . Now I prefer to make my own , all the ingredients are available , so why not ?

I think a Thai can open an account with Interactive Brokers . Then , it`s just a matter of choosing investments that throw off a 5 % dividend - there`s lots of options such as REITS or high yield bonds or ETFs comprised of a selection of higher dividend yielding global shares . Currency conversion losses might be an issue , ie. Baht ---> $ , then back to Baht again . Also accounting problems for tax purposes .

re. places to stay , why bother booking in advance - there are loads of cheap resort places every few miles .

Same here , such a relief not to have to go through that arcane procedure of applying for the TV online . Let`s hope this new rule is here to stay .

£ 14 k / month is scandalous ! Better to spend everything in Thailand and go back to the UK penniless and get everything for free , or throw away your pp and arrive in a small boat and claim asylum and get luxury accomodation and priority healthcare .

Life in Issarn can be interesting . There are lots of places to visit and sights to see , but ...you really need a Thai GF / wife with a car because many of the most interesting spots are off the beaten track and not well publicised . Without this you are stuck in the major towns and reliant on buses which really limits things . One thing I like about Issarn towns - they feel like real places , not like Patts which feels like a stage set populated by hoards of tourists .

The problem might be the anxiety and hassel caused by having to submit many documents that are hard to get hold of . Another potential issue for UK residents is income from ISA which is tax free in the UK but may not be in Th .

If the new 60 day VEE comes in it should make life easier ie. 60 + extension ( 30 ) = 90 , leave the country and re-enter gives another 90 , total 180 .

Yes , same here , just sign a couple of papers and it`s all done . Takes 20 mins

Taken at face value , this sounds quite good for those who like to spend the Winter months in Thailand ( 5 years visa free access )and should be cheaper than the alternative ( ie. 5 x TV and visa runs etc ) . Like many things though , if it sounds too good to be true then ....

AFAIK money in a pension is not part of one`s estate and so not liable to IHT . How much tax the recipient ends up paying if the pension is withdrawn depends on various factors and is more complicated if the beneficiary is Thai ( will they pay tax on an inheritance ? ).

I`m sure TAT won`t be worried about the fall in numbers from Europe - India and China are going to be the new economic superpowers and will provide many more high spending tourists . For us Brits , the attraction was always cheap sun . When flights were £ 400 and the xchange rate was 70 , rooms could be had for 6 k baht / month ....happy days , very different now .

Good for tourism ? I don`t think so judging by the reaction of the crowd on Walking street when threatened with people throwing buckets of water - they made a big detour to avoid being soaked . At least some of the Thais ask before a soaking - I was crossing the road last year and a Thai chap with one of those blue water pipe guns pointed it at me and said " Hey Mr. ...you want ? " .... er. let me think about this , do I want to be blasted in the face with dirty water , ruining my whole evening , or not ? I politely declined his offer .

OK , thanks - sounds like it might be ok as a back-up but probably too expensive to use all the time . One thing I was unsure about - Do I have to convert my £ balance held with Wise into Baht before I make an ATM withdrawal in Thailand , or can Wise do an instant xchange . ?

OK , I`m in the UK at the moment .

I`m thinking about ordering one of these as a back-up in case my Krungtai ATM card ceases to work / gets swallowed by an ATM etc . I haven`t used my KTB account for over a year now , but I sent some £ last month and checked the balance at the ATM in the UK and it was credited , so I assume everything is still ok . Any downside to using the Wise card ?

I usually hand them a photocopy of my PP - don`t trust the real thing with anyone apart from an IO . Been accepted so far . Do they really check your PP for stamps and visas ? Are they even qualified to do this ?

I often see trucks loaded with sugar cane heading for the local factory churning out huge amounts of dirty black smoke from the exhausts , nobody seems to care . Then there`s the burning of crop residues and general rubbish . The GF wanted to get rid of an old 3 piece suite - solution , burn it generating unpleasant smoke . Nobody seems to care though ,nobody complained .

OK for those who enjoy travelling or live close to the border , not so good for those who don`t like waiting in immigration offices to do extensions . Still , very useful to know about as a back-up plan if the SETV doesn`t turn up in time for the flight .

Good question . Maybe you could ask the IO when leaving the country if there might be any problem getting back in ?

" Going to taste the water to see if it was salty " ....good job he didn`t choose Patts , he`d probably be in hospital now . More seriously , makes you realise how fortunate we are on here - able to travel internationally and buy expensive airline tickets . I hope he gets loads of sponsored freebies including a new bike .

Maybe he could be a busker - seen some of them in Patts . Or a dive instructor .