NotReallyHere

I was surprised at how out in the open it was. The Immigration officer was already walking away from me when she answered my question. She said it in a loud voice that everyone in the crowded immigration office could hear. Maybe it was a notice to future customers.

Who said I was "worried"?

Thanks for confirming my suspicion. I wasn't even given a choice. I would rather have waited. I wasn't in a hurry. 500 Baht is not a big deal, but I resent being tricked into participating in their little "side hustles".

I wanted to open a bank account with a new bank. I was told I needed a form from Immigration to confirm my address and visa status. Went to my local Immigration office (I would prefer not to say which one) and requested said form. Immigration officer was very polite and started the process. 20 Minutes later I had my form. She said "That will be 500 Baht, please". I paid the 500 Baht. She said "Thank you" as if I was dismissed. I said, "I would like my receipt, please". She said "We don't provide receipts for this service". Did I just line the Immigration officer's pocket? Has anyone else experienced services for which no receipt is offered/required?

She's been in the country since January 5th. Living in her house in Chonburi until February 8th. Thai Media is just now reporting this case. Too little, too late...

The news report really should have mentioned if the husband reported her missing in 2004. I assume he didn't. Police would have had pictures and a general description that they could have matched up with a corpse much sooner.

Some people really seem to enjoy blowing huge thick plumes of that sickly sweet vapor when they are in public. It's so demonstrative that I get the impression the point is to draw attention to themselves, more so than to enjoy the vape. In Thailand, the illegality adds to the appeal for people who want to show off. It's as if they're saying "Look at me! I'm so rich and well-connected, I can flout the law.". "I am in a higher class than you. I can do as I please and you just have to (literally and figuratively) suck it up.". More of Thorstein Veblen's conspicuous consumption on display.

Some Smart TVs have built in cameras so that the monitor can also be used for video conferencing. There have been incidents of Smart TVs being hacked into and videos posted online. Now, as a precaution, whenever I check into a new hotel room, I do a quick google search for the features of the TV in the room to make sure there is no video recording capability. You can easily find the camera position if you know what to look for and simply cover it with tape or whatever. https://www.avast.com/c-smart-tv-spying-on-you Many other resources on this topic online.

This thread is pathetic... I don't know what's worse. The self-proclaimed OP millionaire (aren't there thousand of them in Thailand this time of year?) that can't construct a comprehensible sentence and would like to find a woman who will enable him to threaten people or the wannabe HiSo "whisperers" who are trying to out do each other with the only "true" accurate advice on breaking into the HiSo social stratosphere. One thing is certain... If the OP ever gets anywhere near a true HiSo woman (a big "if"), he will be vetted by people who have a clue and he will be quickly dismissed. You are all wasting your time...

I'm not going to go through the 9 pages to verify these haven't been said already. My apologies if they are duplicates of lies that have already been mentioned... "I close my eyes during sex so I can concentrate on how good it feels." "No, you don't have body odor" or "I like the smell of beer breath" "I could work in a factory, but I like sex so much, I'd rather do this." "No, I don't think this is humiliating. I would do this in my home town if there was a farang bar there." "Your stories are funny and interesting." "I am so surprised you can't find a woman in your home country." "You are so generous" "The other girls are jealous of me because I get to spend my time with you" "I lower my price to show you that I like you more than the other men. I'm not desperate." "You're different"

I think Australia and some other western countries have done this to prevent known sex offenders from traveling to foreign countries to continue their abuse.

Can't believe this post is still active. How much longer will people feed the troll?

She might be difficult to find if she still has a Thai National ID or passport with her maiden name. The name "Howson" would stand out, of course, but not her maiden name. Anyone know how often Thai National IDs have to be renewed?

I think the family of the victim should offer a reward for information leading to her capture. I don't think it would take a lot of money to have some distant Thai relative spill the beans. If she wasn't "generous" enough when she immigrated to the States, there will be incentive to rat her out. On the other hand, now she can be extorted. Sucks to be her...

She can hide out here without much risk of capture if she has a Thai family support system that will help her out. Thai media isn't helping much to locate her. Very few articles in Thai media. I've seen mention of her on a popular Facebook news site (Drama Addict, 3M followers). They don't say her name or show her picture (to stay compliant with anti-defamation laws, I assume). If Thailand gave a damn, they would show this on one of those endless news loops they have on ThaiRath (instead of showing security cam footage of random neighbors fighting). That would probably flush her out. Family in the US is probably also not cooperating. Difficult to think she is wandering around Thailand without contacting her Thai or US family. How would she fund her travels? The families should talk some sense into her. Or aid the authorities in finding her. She's been in country since January 5th. Still no Tubtim...

This is too ridiculous. This has to be a troll post. Who else will take the bait?

I am on a Non-O retirement extension. I returned to Thailand on my last reentry on 29 September 2022. I am due for a 90 day report on 28 December. On that date, I will be "in transition". I am changing cities/residences. I will be leave my current residence and stay in a hotel for a week or two in my new city while looking for a long term residence. Can I submit a 90 day report online from the hotel, or does the address listed have to be a permanent/long term residence? Can I report early (day 88) at my current residence before I leave or does the report have to be exactly on the 90th day? Thanks in advance...

Thanks for the "ThaiNomads" recommendation. I'm not as interested in travel vlogs, but this one is different since it's by a Thai couple. Excellent English. Great to get a "domestic travel" spin on the travel videos. I suspect many Western vloggers get their information from watching other vlogs. Recycled information. From what I've watched so far, the ThaiNomad channel seems to show more sites that are not as commonly visited by Westerners. Looking forward to watching more of their stuff.

@KhunLA Do you know about the "Mike's Tropical Tech" channel? He's also from Hua Hin and also has an interest in drones and EV. Currently doing a series using drones that regularly documents progress in the Hua Hin train station build.

I'll also throw in a "dislike". There are now packs of YouTubers traveling together. Sharing virtually the same content. Sometimes the content is about what the other vloggers are vlogging about. Vlogging the vlogger. They have absolutely run out of ideas. To each his own, but definitely not for me.

I'm bored with the usual Thailand YouTube fare. Same old topics, ad nauseum. Often the YouTuber is not that familiar with Thailand, but is hoping to make a few bucks online while living in the LOS. I'm not interested in tourism focused videos. More interested in videos about people living here, sharing their daily experiences and insight. At the moment two of my favorites are: The "steve rosse" channel. Steve is a single, 65 year old, retired American living in small beach town north of Phuket. He's been coming to Thailand since the 80's. He speaks the language fairly well, (can even sing Thai drama theme songs) which to me demonstrates his seriousness about being here and learning about the culture. Steve used to write a column about Phuket for The Nation in the 1990s. Not the usual Thailand tourism/budget advice/street food experiences most channels offer. The "Toon & Leigh porpeang farm Thailand" channel. Leigh and his wife show us the daily life on the farm. Toon speaks English well. Lots of goats, fish and snakes. An alternative to the usual Bangkok/Pattaya focused content. Curious to hear your recommendations. Trying to circumvent the YouTube algorithm and find some content that is good, but not necessarily popular.

I'm following the "What Books Are You Reading" question post format, but changing the media type. Granted, I'm starting this post in 2022, but I think it's close enough to 2023 that calling it (2022) would make it obsolete too quickly. Suggestions, recommendations are welcome!