Morty T

23 hours ago, ParkerN said:

 I've seen how Thais are treated in USA (for example). I don't think I would like it if it were me.

 

Still, racism based on the Covid-19 virus seems a little extreme...

 

How exactly are Thais treated in the USA ?, or is this just another moronic comment.

We have 2 wills, but since all the tax consequences are on the US side, that is our main concern. Besides the car and bikes, we don't own anything in Thailand. I'm sure if anything serious happened in any case, the immediate relatives would swoop down and start a shopping trip of whatever they could take. 

2 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

 

And there you have it. The vast majority are not wearing 'the right kind of mask' = theatre. Thais excel in doing things for show. Image is all that counts as doing things properly is often too hard - such as providing effective masks. Solly, no hab.

You mean like a 80 baht plastic helmet 

On 1/23/2020 at 5:15 AM, Scot123 said:

Lol, I just shack my head everytime I read these posts in denial about discrimination by the police or Thai's in general. I wast stopped speeding on one of my motor bikes "radar gun" I sat at the desk as Thai's were being fined 200baht, I was fined 500baht and I asked why, "You Farang" I laughed and sped away. I had a really blind drunk Thai reverse into the side of my stopped car. I called the police. Yep nothing done about him being drunk and thank god I had a dash cam. Until I showed the video the police were very aggressive towards me. Never ever drive without a dash cam in Thailand actually still use it in the UK. 

Dittos to that. Dash cam and insurance guys phone number. First accident in 4 years, called the insurance company first and their instructions; pull the sd card from your dash cam and wait for us. 

I always wonder who these protest are targeting, all the signs are in English. I live in a pretty affluent area and the majority of my neighbors can hardly speak English, never mind read it. 

Absolutely, I normally just ask what I need and have them prescribe the smallest amount (as a goodwill) and buy it from the Hospital. Then get what I need out in town. You're under no obligations to buy your prescriptions from the Hospital. 

I have 52 in-laws, and only lend money with substantial collateral. No one ever asks us for money. Peace on earth, and a happy home.

I have 2 policies, a Thai one to satisfy the retirement requirements (which I cannot use because of diabetes) and my regular from Cigna which covers everything else. An expensive nuisance. 

Express VPN. Against Netflix rules, but doable in any case. You can watch your favorites from any region, and not have to worry about International blocks or bans. 

Another meaningless measure considering most Thai drivers don't have a license and only face a warning or 50 baht fine when caught. My sister in law, has been driving for years, no license, and has been caught several times. 

Haven't seen immigration in over 2 years, but Krungthai makes a visit every 9 months. I think they come for the coffee and cake.

Now this makes sense. I can understand why the village chief showed up when I was building a shed in the back yard, but I didn't understand why immigration came.

On 9/5/2019 at 2:03 AM, smo said:

Thanks Pibs for the link and the advice. I looked up and saw that in my case since I've already got SS benefits months before age 65, I will be getting Medicare A + B automatically:

 

"If you already get benefits from Social Security, you'll get Medicare Part A and Part B automatically when you're first eligible and don't need to sign up. Medicare will send you a "Welcome to Medicare" packet 3 months before you turn 65. You'll still have other important deadlines and actions to take, so read all of the materials in the packet. (If you live in Puerto Rico, you'll only get Part A. If you want Part B, you need to sign up for it.)"

 

- and that I would need to sign up for part D if I want drug coverage. First thing first I'm going to email Manila also to inquire about the  "Welcome to Medicare" packet that I haven't yet received. Will keep you posted what happens next. (I recall we discussed briefly about this in one previous conversation...)

Part B is not a automatic, you still need to sign up. If you delay you may be penalized. In any case Part B is not covered outside of the country. Part B is not free, currently $200 a month and increases every year with the living adjustment. 

On 8/17/2019 at 1:12 PM, IsaanAussie said:

Hey guys, take another look at the "jungle" those men are standing in. Now please add some more of your experience and wisedom and suggest just how they could clear 10 or 20 Rai of farm land covered in that stuff to plant their crops.

They won't. They'll burn it. 

On 8/15/2019 at 5:25 PM, Gulfsailor said:

Duty is levied on CIF value. Common around the world. I’m not aware of any country that does this differently. 

For articles dimensionally greater than 1 sqm, Thailand levys duty on CIF value PLUS the estimated cost of shipping, regardless of what has already been paid for shipping. Not common around the world. 

You just have to remember one important fact....consumer protection. Thai cards offer none, mistake on your card, one call to the bank, get it corrected or initiate a chargeback, bad/defective product (like my frig, which stopped working as soon as it was delivered) refunded/and or exchanged. There is no consumer protection here, your at the total mercy of the merchant, sure your US based card carries a foreign exchange fee, but to me it's well worth it. Too many times I paid cash for something, got it home and something didn't work. The merchant would then tell me to use the warranty (if one is available). Tough cookies, you bought it, it's yours. 

2 hours ago, NE1 said:

I am waiting for a package to arrive sent using USPS .

I received an update Monday saying " Your package is on its way it has arrived in Thailand and has been cleared by customs " .

I received another update today saying " There has been a flight delay , your package may be late ".

Considering Swampy is my nearest airport , makes me wonder where in hell it is going to on another flight.

Just as an addition , my tracking number has 7 letters and 10 numbers in it , so Thai EMS tracking does not work.

If you sent the package via EMS from the states, it won't be delivered to you, final destination with be your local customs house, where taxes will be assessed. Your USPS tracking will show delivered. Thaipost will notify you when the parcel has cleared, what is due and where to pick it up. When I was living in Chiang rai that was Mearim in Chiangmai. The higher the shipping method, the more scrutiny your stuff gets. 

Last year I finally convinced my wife to get a clothes dryer. 

Nicely said, to the point and without the hyperbole that is all the norm here. 

54 minutes ago, simon43 said:

 

 

 

Update:  I note on the Bangkok Bank mobile app that my Paypal transfers from China are listed as 'Interbank transfer via SMART'.  

A 2 party transaction can get expensive, PayPal already takes 5 baht off a dollar as a security (fee) and then applies their own exchange rate. Passing your money through a second broker via bank transfer is another added fee and currency exchange rate decrease. I use Krungthai, love the bank and the people I deal with, but using their transfer service is sometimes 2x that of Western Union. Anyone that has ever used an ATM and at the very last screen, seen " with conversion or without " can attest to this. 

In Hawaii go to http://ecrim.ehawaii.gov/ I think it's the same as Massachusetts $25. You can apply on line and pay by CC. Results are sent via email 

It was 25 baht yesterday 

https://www.vietnam-evisa.org/

Make sure you get a Visa before you go. The Visa on arrival line is usually very long and time consuming. You will need a passport photo for the Visa $5 if you get it there. The https://www.vietnam-evisa.org/ Visa service can VIP you through immigration. $25

On 11/17/2018 at 11:10 PM, samsensam said:

 

agree.

You should know there is a caveat there, if something should happen to you in terms of death, your spouse's Visa is nullified and void. They would have to start from square one. Marriage or dependent status is a cheaper option, but holds no safety guarantee for the dependent spouse.