Kelsall

6 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

2022+

Strongly agree.  Welcome aboard

On 2/13/2021 at 5:20 AM, DrDave said:

There's something related that I've wondered about since there are several Caribbean nations that have citizenship-for-investment programs. If a US citizen gains citizenship in another country and subsequently renounces US citizenship, how difficult would it be to obtain a visa to return to the US as a visitor?  Knowing that the granting of US visas is extremely subjective, and no reason is typically given for denial, I wonder if renouncing citizenship raises a red flag making it difficult to obtain a visa in the future.

I know of a person who got a Dominica citizenship, renounced his US citizenship, and then found he could not get a visa to visit the US.  I believe he eventually did get a visa.  In his case I don't think the renunciation played a role.  He was simply treated like someone from a third world country.

On 2/13/2021 at 2:05 AM, wtboatr said:

I was wondering if any Thai Visa forum members have a passport from the nation of St. Kitts and Nevis. If so, can you share your experiences with obtaining tourist visas, marriage visas, or retirement visas?

 

For all other forum members, can you share any thoughts on staying in the Kingdom of Thailand with a passport from St. Kitts and Nevis.

 

Why do I ask?  I'm looking into obtaining a citizenship from St. Kitts so I can renounce my US citizenship one day.  My plan is to reside in Thailand under the St. Kitts passport for a few years until I feel confident that I can remain in the country indefinitely.  When the time is right, I will walk in the US Embassy, renounce my US citizenship, and surrender my passport.

 

Thailand requires a visa for St. Kitts citizens to visit Thailand.  The USA also requires a visa for St. Kitts citizens to visit the USA. My worry is that if i give up my US citizenship and a visa is not granted to live in either the USA or Thailand, I'll have to call St. Kitts and Nevis my home until such time as I am granted a visa to live in Thailand.

 

I plan to pursue Thai citizenship since I'm married to a Thai national.  If I obtain Thai citizenship, I will feel a lot more comfortable giving up my US citizenship.  I plan to move to Thailand permanently with my wife in a couple years.  Once I make the move, I will have no need or desire to return to the US.

 

Thank you in advance for your comments.  They are sincerely appreciated.  Renouncing my US citizenship is a big decision.  I need to fully understand the ramifications before I take the leap.

It is a big decision and one issue is an exit tax you must pay.  I once asked a wealthy investor who had multiple citzenships if he had renounced his US citienship.  He said, "I can't affort do.  They make it too expensive."  However, I am aware of people of average means who have done it without a problem.  I am also aware of one person who renounced his US citizenship then changed his mind.  There was no going back on the decision and the attorney relaying the story said he was working on getting the man US Permanent Residency.

Finally, I have an acquaintance who got drunk years ago and went into an embassy demanding to renounce his US citizenship ..he had no other citizenship...They politely escorted him out without honoring his request.

On 2/13/2021 at 4:52 AM, galt1967 said:

The easiest solution, I think, is purchasing a 20-year Thai Elite Visa AFTER getting your St Kits PP.

 

Can be done at ANY age and would provide (effectively) a 'resident's permit' to live in Thailand WITHOUT a lot of hassles.

 

You can stay/leave Thailand at-will with it.

I am aware of one person who did just that.

31 minutes ago, Isaan sailor said:

“Won’t be fooled again”—The Who

Will be fooled again—The WHO.

Good one!

8 minutes ago, earlinclaifornia said:

 

What part of the trial where they OMIT the President words hours after, have you missed?

The video you posted is 8 hours long.  I am, and I would guess a few others are, confused. ????

Can't seeing this being anything but a cluster you-know-what here in Thailand. There would have to be agreement on which vaccines would be approved and how to verify the person has been vaccinated.  Further, the ASQ crowd is making big money off of the quarantine requirements.  Look at how messed up the insurance for retirement visa issues still is.  Just my 2 baht worth.

1 hour ago, CrunchWrapSupreme said:

As a kid in the 80’s, San Francisco was my dream. A truly magical place. Everything was vibrant, exciting, full of life. There were people at all income levels, mom and pop shops, street vendors, it seemed like anyone could make it there. I ended up taking my first date in high school to SF Japantown, one of the happiest days of my life. I thought surely, we’re going to live here soon, get one of these cozy apartments, be like one of these happy, exciting people.

 

Then the dot-coms came, the rents skyrocketed, and coupled with an ineffectual government more and more people were left by the wayside. Only the highest incomes could survive. I had friends at $100k who were scraping, as over half their income went to the rent. As a result, more homeless, more drugs, and soon the streets became a literal toilet, filled with trash, needles, and human waste.

 

Whether you’re right or left, I’m sure everyone can agree that among these issues, mandating things like paper straws and gender neutral bathrooms should be a bit lower on the list of priorities. Yet there they are. Meanwhile, cops have stopped answering “non-essential” calls like for shoplifting, and thus people had been entering Walgreens drug stores to simply fill their backpacks. Now many of these stores have been shut.

 

A few months ago I remember hearing of the mentally ill homeless randomly harassing and attacking random passersby, with little effect, so it’s sadly not surprising such incidents are now escalating into murders. Who knows what it will take for them to do something. I couldn’t wait any longer, and have long since escaped California. Oh San Francisco, my long lost dream.

Thanks.  Similar to my story.

I agree with the above comments and would suggest the OP read Body By Science by Doug McGuff.  He's got some good (free) videos out there, too.

In my own case I started exercising after a 25 year layoff.  I, too, did not trust Thai or farang trainers and did what was suggested in BBS, and did not get a gym membership, just paid the daily rate at several local gyms until I found one I liked, then still paid the daily rate.  BBS recommends machines for several reasons, one of which is they are safer than free weights, especially for the beginner.

Now I do bodyweight exercises at home using a chinning bar and a home made suspension trainer as described by Drew Baye. I also do dips using two dressers spaced an appropriate distance apart.  Finally I use timed static contraction for my neck as described by Drew Baye.  All this can be found by using google.  I would suggest not laying out of lot of money because you may change your approach.  Ignore the gym membership specials.  IMO the whole gym, exercise thing can be a racket that seperates you from your cash quickly.

Above all, get clearance from your primary care physician and cardiologist if you have been sedentary for a long time.

I'll end with a quote from Arthur Jones, inventor of Nautilus.  He wrote this *after* he sold Nautilus for millions. 

"Apart from a rather limited number of hardcore bodybuilders who are misguided enough to believe that they have a
chance to compete against the outright genetic freaks that now dominate bodybuilding competition, just about anybody
else in this country can produce nearly all of the potential benefits of proper exercise without spending much if anything
in excess of about twenty dollars. You can build both a chinning bar and a pair of parallel dip bars for a total cost of
only a few dollars, and those two exercises, chins and dips, if properly performed, will stimulate muscular growth in
your upper body and arms that will eventually lead to muscular size and strength that is very close to your potential.
Adding full squats, eventually leading up to one-legged full squats, and one-legged calf raises, will do much the same thing for your legs and hips. Using this very simple routine, when you get strong enough to perform about ten repetitions
of one-armed chins with each arm, your arms will leave very little to be desired.
Or, instead, you can do what many thousands of others are now doing and <deleted> away thousands of dollars and years of
largely wasted effort while producing far less results. The choice is yours.
One of the best pair of arms that I ever saw on a man belonged to a guy that I knew about fifty years ago in New York,
and he never performed any sort of exercise apart from chins and dips, and damned few of them."

HTH.  Good luck.

They learn just enough to pass the written and driving tests, then that gets them the license.  After that they practice, sometimes having a decal in the rear window indicating they are a new driver.  The license is basically a learners permit at this stage.  This also explains why many licensed Thais appear to be unable to drive a car; they can't.

One person here on TVF years ago said he sent his wife to a commercial driving school where she *really* learned how to drive.  Could drive large trucks with the best of them. If I were again teaching a Thai woman to drive (did it once), I'd look into doing it that way.

2 minutes ago, Mahseer said:

Airasia.com.

 

https://www.airasia.com/select/en/gb/CNX/HHQ/2021-02-14/2021-02-27/1/0/0/R/N/THB/ST?key=e87863d1-6165-11eb-943f-25507d8a7a691611837588.47

Was looking for some kind of news blurb.  Thanks.

3 hours ago, Mahseer said:

For anyone interested the Hua Hin flight is now scheduled once more. Two flights a week on Friday and Sunday with first flight on 19/02. Flight south departs 0940 with return same day departing 1510.

 

May be wise to hang on for a week or two just in case plans change.

Source?  Can't find it on the Air Asia site.