timkeen08

You're a lucky man if this is all you have to worry about. Personally I feel more comfortable with a lady cleaning the toilets than a man. I can't stand having men standing next me when I'm peeing either.

I'm with you jubkhun. It takes longer then anyone next to me anyway for me to start and finish the leak. I always try to go to the last of a row of empty urinals or the closest to the wall where there is at least no one on one side.

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Recently on a business trip to Oz I saw the yellow "cleaning" sign and did what I do when I see the one at the Bangkok office, walked round it and entered.
 
ERROR!!!
 
Sheila (apparently that really was her name) was not happy, called me some names I'm not going to repeat and chased me out brandishing a lethal looking mop. It seems Oz isn't part of Asia [emoji2]
 
 

Yeah, sometimes in America they will leave the big cleaning cart in the doorway as well.

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I've lived in the USA most of my life, didn't see them.  Either times have changed or it's something I honestly never noticed.

That's why they put the yellow closed or cleaning signs in front of the bathroom door in America.

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From what I've seen the ladies are always very discreet when they see a farang come in and wander out of the area. I refer to Tesco, Big C, the shopping malls  etc. Even the petrol station/rest areas that have cleaners have discreet ones. Certainly none hang around to inspect customers genitalia and why would they?
 

Now that you mention it, I have noticed the same thing cliveshep. Maybe they find it disgusting to see a farang hang it out like they're supposed to be impressed by it.

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First encountered this in France many years ago. It happens in quite a few European countries. Nothing to get into a tizz about.
 
It's usually Americans, with their more puritanical attitude to life that seem to get a bit uptight about this.
 
 

I totally agree with your 2nd paragraph. I can''t comment on your 1st. I am sooo glad that I am not back in the US and that is one of the reasons.

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My thanks also, good to know and accurate information.

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Yes i have felt that warm,generous feeling of people wanting to help.Except my amphur for Yellow book.

louse1953, my amphur was very helpful when we initiated the Thai Marriage and Yellow Book procedures. We already had our US Marriage Certificate. Even with a friend of my wife pushing all the paperwork, everyone took both procedures very serious and we did have details to attend to with the Marriage Certificate before dealing with the Yellow Book. In all, we had two trips to Immigration, three interviews with the 2nd in command, also two interviews and final approval from the big boss. A plus was a formal presentation of our Marriage Certificate with photos. All was handled in a very formal, serious, and professional manner. Maybe it was because my wife was a big Isaan regional boss before, they know the family, and her cousin works directly for the big boss. They stuck to the rules but it was very pleasent. Stamp after stamp after stamp on the paperwork and in the big books. I look forward to returning in two years for my Thai ID Card. Does 1953 mean you were also born in 1953?

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ahh nong khai :)
 
and nancys right !
 
my first and second 5 year driving licences both had a picture
of a panda on the bottom right corner  :)
 
dave2

Maybe it's just the new 2 year temporary TDL that I got last year in Nong Khai. And no I'm not going to post it to prove it. I see no panda. Maybe I will get a panda when I get my next one.

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Which is about right as stated no two government agencies in thailand operate the same system lol

This one truth will set you free. Be prepared. The same goes for the same agency you dealt with last time. However, there is one thing that is always the same if you are a farang but I will not go into that here. You have all probably felt it.

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Your TDL has your address on the back, in Thai language, so it's really handy to have on hand when you buy a major appliance and want to have it delivered to your home.  You may be asked to draw a map if it's not a major condo or other obvious address.
 
Also, the TDL is laid out just like the Thai people's ID, so it can come in handy in situations when you want to prove your age.  The low wage people at the cinema know exactly where to look on the card to determine you deserve the senior discount.
 
Plus, each province has it's own logo.  Here in Chiang Mai we have the pandas at the CM Zoo.  It makes our TDLs super cute.  Each province's logo is in the lower right corner.  Check out yours.

My Nong Khai drivers license does not have a logo at the right corner. We have an image of the Friendship Bridge on the box with my name and data to the right of my photo. Thanks for the heads up with my address in Thai.

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Thanks for the update. Do you get a receipt for the 1600 baht fine?
 
Yes, yellow books mean bugger all to immigration. I think the confusion arises when they can be mostly accepted as proof of a Thai domicile to a third party such as a bank in the same way as the 'residence letter' from immigration is accepted for those who either don't have or can't get a yellow book. However, Amphurs don't ask for immigration letters and immigration ignores yellow books.

My Amphur sent me back to Immigration to get a form signed and stamped before filing for a yellow book. As with anything to do with immigration or farang, everything depends on...........?

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I also hear many Thais including "OK" in conversation.  Some even say "bye,bye."  I feel that it may be beginning to drive me mad... 

joeyg - Is that because you believe Thais should only speak Thai? Do you believe that Thais should only speak perfect English or not even try? Do you speak perfect Thai and perfect English? Modern Thai has already been full of farang words for decades being pronounced the best that they can without having been taught how to change and properly form these words with their mouth in a way that is unnatural to Thai speaking people. (farang came from the word france) The same as speaking some Thai words are difficult for farangs because, as an example, we do not use the back of the tongue to give the correct n sound so Thais can tell the difference between us saying mouse or snake in Thai. The ng sound is difficult for us to form but can be learned by a farang the same as Thais can be taught to form English words. I actually love to speak Tinglish and mix Thai and English with a Thai person that does so as well. That helps both of us to increase our language skills. Thais tend to use more English words more often that are easy for them to pronounce well like ok or bye bye and these two words are also pretty much universally integrated in most languages. My Thai wife and I get along so well because we speak Tinglish.

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No. Not as in "at". That would make it sound like the english word "crap" or "crab". It's an open A, not a flat one.
 

After getting clarification from my wife and also calling my Thai teacher in America for her explanation, I have what might be the best explanation. 1st, I was incorrect, the sideways (e) over the consonant (รั) is not the vowel (Sala a) but is a special vowel phoneme pronounced (mai hana kaaht) and that is where things can really get complicated because it can also be used as a diphthong. How the phoneme is used also depends on which consonants with which it is used so therefore, it can have different effects on different words. 2nd, my Thai teacher taught us the approved Royal Thai General System (or Royal Thai Language) that is still supposed to be taught in school but the children have already listened to and learned the wrong way of pronouncing words before they enter school so it's easier to move forward without forcing the students to change. The same as many teachers have not been taught the Royal Thai Language or refuse to use it as they will be corrected or made fun of by those that do use it incorrectly. After all, saving face is so important. The Royal Thai Language was developed as an attempt to standardize the Thai language for all the Thai people and as a standard for foreigners to be taught the Thai language. No slang, accents, dialects, or sloppy lazy mispronuncitions. Surprise, surprise, it looks like it failed. 3rd, the correct Royal Thai Language pronunciation is (crabp or crrrrrap), just as I said, as in (at) without the (t). The bp sound comes from the consonant (บ bpor bai mai or a leaf). The Usual mispronunciations are (crahp) with an open sounding (a as in ah) as you suggested or (cahp or a cop) same as (crahp) without pronouncing the rolling rrrr ( ร ). As my Thai teacher always said, "it is no good that many teachers in Thailand do not teach Royal Thai like I was taught but teach in their accent or the way they were taught". "Talk no accent, say same same as me" "no, accent no good" Doing things the way they were taught is more important to Thais than learning the correct way to do something or learning a different way of doing something as many of us that live in Thailand have found out. Not every thing is done 100% here unless you do it yourself or pay 200% and stay on top of it. 4th, although I do know the correct way, I have conformed with a simple cahp (cop) especially since I live in Isaan a stones throw from the Mekong and have to speak Thai, Isaan, and Laos.

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Your money is always welcome here.

Learn the difference between "reporting anything over the limit" and "limited to". Over the limit - pay the man.

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Lots of people quote what the rules and laws are regarding visas, extensions and WP' and 99% of the time they are correct.
My take on it is that the law or rule that is applied at any specific establishment or time is the interpretation made at that time and place by the official stating that rule or law.
I rely on nothing being exactly the same as it was the last time I dealt with it.

I agree. Go to the Thai Immigration Police Website and click English. It is all layed out but the main thing I got from it and from my personal experience is that it is ultimately up to the Immigration Officer handling your case and what he tells the boss that has to sign off on it. The translation to English was - at the disgretion of the immigration officer.

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FritsSikkink is correct. ครับ Using transliteration and Thai grammar - the little sideways "e" over ร้ is the vowel "Sala a" pronounced like "at" without the (t) Crap. Although, many many Thai men pronounce it "cop" as in a policeman or crop (as what farmers plant) with only a slight sounding "R". As someone wrote here, Thais tend to leave R's out of many words or change the R to an L and change the L to an R. I have NEVER heard it as crup as in cup, it is usually crap as in toilet or cop as in police. With family and friends the ending ka or crap is not always used. Over the phone it is used quite a bit to let someone know they are finished with their sentence or what they are trying to say which is the purpose of ka or çrap in the 1st place. It is not just being polite. When reading Thai, look for the ka or crap to indicate the end of the sentence. The Thai word for "I or me" Phom (male) and Chan (female) can be used to start sentences. If you keep these type of things in prospective it makes those long Thai sentences easier to seperate and understand. I can understand and sound out the pronunciation of a Thai word much better if I can look at the word seeing the vowels and tone markers. But I don't give a crap what he says, a Thai man ends his sentences with crap or cop. Maybe he has trouble spelling English as well, is a typo sort of guy, or is tone deaf. But he wants to defend himself so I cannot help but to be sarcastic. And, it is actually a BP blended sound at the end of the word crabp. Using the Thai word "Na" as in "ha ha" before crabp or ka is adding politeness especially to your elders. Answering with crabp or ka while someone is talking can also be used to indicate yes, you understand, or you agree although there are specific Thai words for these as well. So you see - speaking or reading Thai is a very difficult subject with many exceptions, dialects, accents, and rules the same as English or any language. Thai is not the only language where the people incorrectly pronounce or slang words. Many thanks to my Temple back in Atlanta for holding Thai classes. It has helped me tremendously in trying to understand the difference between Thai, Isaan, and Lao because I listen to and have to speak all three up the road from Nong Khai. Sorry for the long winded response but sometimes I cannot help myself when I read ergrejous statements.

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