persimmon

Yes , AFAICR , I asked at the window for " Visa on arrival " and was given the 2 forms , one of which was kept and used when exiting . I filled in the forms , handed them back at the window and paid the $ , then was told to wait round the side . 5 mins later , they gave me back my pp with the visa inside . Then , I just walked through and there was a guy who finally checked my pp , then I was in . I recently had to extend my VEE at Udon . There they charge an extra 100 bt for filling in the TM 7 form for you ( the forms used to be available at the entrance to fill in yourself ) , so maybe the Laos immig. people are now doing something similar .

Well , my old Samsung phone has now slowed down so much it`s almost useless ( Am I being cynical , or is this a way manufacturers are building in obsolescence to make us buy new phones ? ) . I checked out a few options and the Galaxy A 04 s and A13 / 14 fit the bill and seem quite a bit cheaper here than in the UK . So , is there any down side to buying here - I need an english keyboard and use it in the UK linked to the laptop as a modem , or should I wait `till i`m back in the UK ?

One advantage of having a SIPP is that it can be passed on free of UK IHT . If the beneficiary is UK resident , they pay tax on any withdrawals at their personal rate . But , if the beneficiary is Thai , in theory , they could inherit the lump sum tax free . In practice though , the situation seems very unclear as to whether the UK pension provider will decide to take off the max amount of tax due ( 40 % ) just to be on the safe side and not annoy HMRC . I`ve done a bit of research , but can`t find a clear answer to this .

I did the trip across the bridge 3 weeks ago - just filled in the 2 forms and paid the $ 40 , no B 100 fee .

I think you might need the Laos visa before you get on the bus . Maybe easier to get the minibus from in front of Central , Udon to the bridge and apply for the Laos visa on arrival at the counter .

Maybe , but who is exploiting who ?????

Frustrating that Krungthai no longer allow web access . I`m thinking of opening an account with another bank . Which is the best one to go for ?

Cheaper to pay in $ than Baht . Just check that the $ bills are in good condition - they sometimes reject damaged or marked notes .

If you tick the box for pre-existing medical condition , it cuts down the choice and makes the quotes much more expensive . It might make insurance impossible to get if the condition is not fully diagnosed .

Hi , I have an AIS PAYG SIM and wifi where I stay . What`s the best way to call abroad ( to a landline ) ? I have the Line app , but AFAIK this only works to call other Line users .

Here`s an interesting thought re. travel insurance - if the insurance co . find out you have a medical condition ( nothing serious ) that you did not disclose when taking out the policy , could they refuse to pay a claim , even if the medical condition had nothing to do with the claim ?

Taxi drivers at Udon airport seem to ask 200 bt to Central . It should be possible to do Udon ---> border , cross into Laos , cross back , then NK ---> Udon in one day . Total cost ...200 + 55 + c. 1400 ( or $ 40 for visa ) + 60 ( bus across bridge x 2 ) + 55 = a grand total of 1800 bt . ( plus maybe 30 bt for snacks / drinks ) .

Many of the presenters on TV wear masks . Makes me laugh - do they think the virus can spread to the viewers out of the TV screen ?

It`s amazing how Thais love their dogs ( and other animals ) - it`s one of the features I find very endearing . When taken to extremes , though , it makes no sense at all . I`m not a dog lover , the reason being that they ( mostly ) are large , powerful carnivores that could easily kill or inflict serious injury , if they wanted too . Why keep an animal like that as a pet ?

Yes , I had to fill in the TM 6 form . The IO asked if I had a visa ( I didn`t ) then gave me a 45 day stamp .

I just did this trip 2 days ago . The minibus from the carpark in front of Central Udon is only 55 Bt and takes about 1 hr . It stops at the bridge checkpoint , the rail station and then NK bus station . I think they run every 30 mins I exited Thailand at around 8 am , caught the bus for the 5 min ride to the Laos immigration control , fill in the 2 forms , pay the $ 40 and then walk into Laos . There`s not much to see once you get through , just a big car park and a small shop , so I left and crossed back into Th . No queues , no hassle , everyone seemed polite + friendly . Overall the whole process took around 1 hr .

Would installing anti-virus like Norton make the average Android phone more secure ?

Saw this on Thai Rat news show last night ( the only thing worth watching - ch 32 , has some weird news stories , mostly including cctv ) looks to be 2 ladies in a massage place having a slight disagreement .

There don`t seem to be hardly any pavements / sidewalks for pedestrians except maybe in the main tourist zones . Maybe it`s because Thais never walk anywhere unless they absolutely have to . Any space at the side of the road is either taken up by shop fronts or used to park bikes and cars .

The UK has quite a generous benefit system - there`s no excuse for anyone going hungry . Poor money management is probably the cause .

This change will be inconvenient for those of us that send money to our KTB account via Wise , and then like to check the account using net banking from outside Thailand . I don`t mind downloading the App. , but how will it work from outside the country ? TBH though , I`m not totally surprised they have shut down the Netbank - it was a very basic web site , hardly what you would expect from a major bank .

Hi , we are thinking about creating a small ( 6 x 3 x 1 m ) pond for Koi carp . Does anybody have any tips on where to buy a pond liner . When I did this in the UK the stuff was called EDPM , a type of thick rubber - very strong and resistant to damage . Also , any tips you may have about creating a Koi pond . TIA .

You don`t need to be an expert - just look at the pictures coming out of Ukraine . That should tell you something about what`s going on .

The West needs to send all their best weapons now , before it`s too late . Once Putin seizes more Ukrainian territory , and deports the population , it will be hard to make Ukraine a functioning country again .

I suspect that`s one of the main reasons people stay long-term - once you develop relationships and have people that rely on you , it`s hard to break away . Regarding the cost of living though , I did some rough calculations and came to the conclusion that it`s costing me 50 - 100 % more ( so almost double ) to live here than it would back in the UK ( that`s without any payments to support wife / gf ) , most of the extra cost being visas , flights , rent and health / travel insurance .....so much for Thailand being a cheap alternative . One thing you can`t really put a price on is waking up to clear blue skies every day - the weather up here in Udon is great ATM , cool early mornings and warm and sunny days . So different to the UK where it`s mainly cold , wet and windy , and that`s just in Summer ????