dsfbrit
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Posts posted by dsfbrit
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I was advised, rightly or wrongly, to use 'check bin' in a cafe or general bar and 'gep-tang' in a more high class establishment ? I usually do this and if not sure I say 'gep-tang' as its politer. Is that correct???
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Could anyone recommend a good school for learning Thai in Pattaya??
AUA near the Dolphin Roundabout.
Thanks.
Do you have any idea on cost ?
Try this site - it has all the courses and costs I think. I went down there to take a look last week. The rooms they used for teaching looked a bit bleak - windowless - still there may be other rooms.
http://www.auathailand.org/pattaya/index.asp
I currently attend PRO language school near the bus station in NTH Pattaya. I have been going there for 3 years and it has been very good and friendly. 60 hours is around 15000 baht there. I was considering a change, but may keep going to PRO instead. If you get any feedback on the AUA ie: better rooms etc... please post here as I would be interested in any additional info. I plan to go there today anyway, but they were quite busy when I last went to have a look so could not get as much info as I wanted.
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Thanks Sateev, I just 'googled' that and came up with this:
http://thaiarc.tu.ac.th/thai/thcourse.html
It looks like it is what the AUA were offering in Pattaya as they are mentioned on this site.
Thanks, you have given me a 'kick' in the right direction so I will investigate this further.
Happy to help.
It occurs to me that if you are bored with language instruction, you might find a contemporary issues, newspaper reading, or history class helpful. Although I haven't attended one, those classes are offered by the schools I mentioned before, UTL, Union, and others, and I believe one such class is required before you can take the Prathom 6 prep class, but don't quote me...I'm sure if you are willing to pay the money, you can take ANY class they offer
Good luck.
Sateev
OK this is my plan:
1. Today I will go and buy a Thai newspaper
2. I will 'poke' my head into the AUA classroom in North Pattaya - the classrooms look really depressing - tiny inside rooms with no windows - however, they may have a great syllabus that makes up for that!
3. Discuss with my current Thai teacher if there is an exam I can do - should have done this before really - I think we know each other too well after 3 years of studying and we have both got a bit 'sloppy'.
Thanks again for the advice.
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Thanks Sateev, I just 'googled' that and came up with this:
http://thaiarc.tu.ac.th/thai/thcourse.html
It looks like it is what the AUA were offering in Pattaya as they are mentioned on this site.
Thanks, you have given me a 'kick' in the right direction so I will investigate this further.
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I have been learning Thai for 3 years. I can speak, read and write Thai quite well, I guess. I have lost 'direction' though.
I still go to my Thai language lessons once a week, but its mainly conversation now. I still have Thai written translation homework as well, but that seems to be the same old structures (yawn...).
Its mainly that its all got so 'stale'. I figured if I were to study for an exam it would give me a new direction. Can anyone recommend a set of exams that I could study for that starts off as 'beginner' exam - which you need to pass to move to the next level etc... etc...
I did go and look at the AUA school in Pattaya, which has some exams that can be taken, but that seemed to be farang talking Thai to farang?? Is that any good ?
Even a web-site with a syllabus of a set of exams would be useful, as I could learn that via the school I currently attend in Pattaya and maybe go to Bangkok or whatever to take the exam?
Thanks for any advice
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However, my first thought was to actually transfer the house to my wife and close the company untill i was made aware of the tax costs etc. - related to land registry. The company transfer was quite simple and cost a nominal fee. The only down side is my wife has to pay for a balance sheet each year - and when she decides to close the company she will have to transfer the property to herself and pay all the relevant land registry taxes etc...
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Is this not why the thais are looking at the company route of buying propertys?
Agreed, it is very expensive, Taxes on transfering, taxes on lease, shutting down the company etc... making a will for the wife to say if she dies the place is yours etc... I estimated on my place which is only 'worth' about 5-6 Million Baht I would need to pay in total 300,000 - 400,000 Baht.
It makes no difference if she shuts the company down now or in 10 years time though - there is no 'tapering' relief to these taxes.
So I have left my home in my name for now and will pay the 15000 baht a year for the balance sheet(s).
I did not know the Thais were looking into this method to own land - your wife now owns the company/land and can do what she wants with it. I suppose if she sells the land/house in the coming years then it may be cost effective. I would need to sell the house within the next 20 years or so for it to be cost effective ie: 15000 * 20 years = 300,000 baht as a rough calculation.
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Relating back to the original post, and to related changes that have been made since last year,
IT IS NOT SUPPOSED TO MAKE SENSE. THIS IS THAILAND!
Conspiracy theories are fun but futile. There is no organized conspiracy because 'they' don't do such things here to farang. The powers that be mumble, fumble, make arbitrary, senseless changes, pass laws they don't enforce, and enforce laws they never passed. Which is all the more reason to get the He11 out of Dodge.
Or you can interpret these proposed ungazzetted changes with a mai bpen rai attitude. Unless you can meet the requirements they give you the next time you go to immigration, it doesn't matter what the law ever said. Never mind.
Spot On PB, once people grasp that fact and stop thinking like a 'farang' - everything falls into place and living in LOS becomes a pleasant, but sometimes chaotic, experience.
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I am offering a couple of personal examples here to provide some encouragement to those affected by this proposed change.
I am a 53 year old farang, married to a Thai, with a visa based on marriage (not retirement). I own a house, which I mistakenly bought through the company route.
Over the last couple of years, I have come onto TV and almost been sick with worry about what I have read. The 2 subjects were:
1. The tightening of the implemetaion of the rules over land ownership via the company route. Basically the initial article and all the indications at that time meant I would have my land repossessed by the Government. Since then, nothing much has happened and that was nearly 18 months ago now. Some farang have restructured their company, or moved the land to Thais and leased or whatever.
2. The tightening up of the visa rules in October 2006. Again there were all kinds of dire warnings of the impact this would have on farangs. However, most people found a way through the mess with help from TV and others. At the moment I am allowed to deposit 400,000 baht as before as this was 'grandfathered' in. I expect this to change sometime though!
The point is life goes on and I keep up to date with what it going on and am ready to do something if I need to.
Once the 'dust has settled' on this latest change, I am sure there will be a way around it - there usually is.
I think it was Groucho Marx who said 'I would not want to be a part of a club that would want me as a member' (was it??). I think the battle to stay in the LOS is just a part of the 'event' of living somewhere I really want to be.
Good Luck to those of you who are impacted by this change - like me with changes above -you will sort something out I am sure.
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A Thai friend of mine is in Sydney and struggling with her homework. I have helped with 4 of the questions, but am weak on Phonetics.
I would appreciate any comments on what I have written already. I have got most of my recent rapidly acquired knowledge from Wikipedia, I am no expert on this at all. Once I have understood it I will try to explain it all to her - the poor kid is in tears trying to understand it
. Thanks for any feedback.Here is the question and my partial (poor attempt) at a reply:
Question
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Given the following set of data, explain the distribution of [a] and [ã]; are they allophones of one phoneme, or contrasting sounds? If allophones, describe their distribution.
carton [katen] smart [smat]
laugh [laf] can’t [kãnt]
task [task] sample [sãmpel]
cart [kat] calm [kãm]
Answer So far
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- The distribution of non-aspirated [a] is anywhere and for the nasalised [ã], is before a nasal consonant.
- Any group of related sounds which are phonetically different but are treated as equivalent in a particular language is a PHONEME of that language. And the sounds themselves, the “members of the family”, are called ALLOPHONES of the phoneme. In this case both [ã] and [a] are allophones of the phoneme /a/.
- [a] and [ã] have a complementary distribution.
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Found 2 pics from the Grand hotel One shows how far from the center it is (the tall building is Hilton). Could be 10-15 mins walk (while walking I was stopping to see shops and buy things, can't say exactly).
The second pic is from my room, there is a night bazar and food stalls in front of the hotel (hotel parking in the back is guarded by several security staff).
No pics of the room, probably it can be googled.
Thanks for that - if I get down there I will give it a try. I know where it is from the Hilton, as I say I have stayed at the Hilton before. I still cannot believe it was taking me so long to get down there. I am sure when I first went from Hua Hin to Pattaya by taxi few years ago, it was only a 3 or 4 hour drive? Mind you that was by taxi - I tend to obey at least some of the rules of the Highway code here!!
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Dao Khanong > Samut Sakhon > Samut Songkram > Phetchaburi > Cha Am > Hua Hin
Pattaya - Hua Hin is about 490 km
A whole day event, I would plan for 7-8 hours drive.
No need to go through Cha Am...the highway has direct link to Hua Hin.
The Grand hotel is Ok for 1200-1300B (rack price is 2200B), similar venue as Jomtien Garden Palace or Jomtien Welcome in Pattaya.
You are right.
I set off at 6.30 last Saturday. After nearly 2 hours I was only at the Airport. Not a lot of traffic, but all the roadworks on the A7 were a bit of a nightmare. I looked at the map and decided to head back to Pattaya. I reckoned it would take another 4 hours at the rate I was going. I didn't mind the trip there taking a long time, but I figured the trip back on Sunday would be a lot worse as I would set off back about lunchtime and there would be a lot of traffic then.May try again in a few weeks and stay a few days, make it worth all the effort.
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Had a similar experience. I bought their BBQ chicken about a month ago. Got it home, took off the plastic rapper and it was off. I did not take it back as it was only 80 Baht and it would cost me 50 Baht in fuel to make a special journey back to Pattaya. Anyway, it was the first football match of the season on the TV, so had better things to do
Gave it to the local stray dogs. I used to be a regular shopper there, but go to Tesco and Big C, who are a lot cheaper anyway for the items I buy.
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Hi
Where are you planning on learning?
In your home country or Thailand?
I am currently studying in the UK quite successfully & would be happy to help if i can...
Yes, I was asking for specific advice, for example, specific books or material.
Right now, my career keeps me in my home country of Canada for all but 6 or 7 weeks a year.
So studying in Thailand is pretty much out of the question.
How are you doing it?
I'll be in Pattaya in November to buy material, whatever would take me up to the next level, then the next.
I'm pretty determined right now and I don't think this is going to change until I've mastered the language.
Any advice is appreiated, thanks.
1. Get youself a book and tape/cd called 'Teach Yourself Thai', by David Smyth ISBN-0-340-59041-6.
2. Thai 'Reference Grammar' Higbie/Thinsan ISBN-974-8304-96-5
3. Dictionary - English-Thai Longmans Basic ISBN 974-92005-0-0
4. Electronic Dictionary - Cyberdict/E-Dict
5. Alphabet Wallchart
Learn the alphabet, practise writing - you can do this on planes etc... without upsetting other passengers, if you dont do it out aloud
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Why do we not get any responses from our legal eagles forum sponser who have been promoting the usufruct in previous posts. Are they afraid to loose face? Get burned, or do they admit they are just good in setting up front companies but do not know much about Thai law
Are Sunbelt now running down their operation in Thailand? They used to be quite active on this forum and the Visa forum, I dont see much from them now.
Yesterday, I also went to find their office in Pattaya, for future reference should I need them. I happened to be in the area for another reason, so I went upstairs to the 2nd floor of the building next to the Dolphin roundabout. It was all shuttered-up. This was at about 11.30 am - so I would have thought it would have been open. Downstairs there are several law firms - these were all open and quite busy.
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Sorry dsfbrit, it has nothing to do with tested in Court or not. For you I would say be happy with your company ownership as no one has had any problems untill now (take a usufruct or lease from your company if things get worse and dissolve the thing.) For the ones who have dissolved their company on thier lawyers advice and transferred the property to their wife, thinking they are protected for life with a usufruct or lease, I would say go after your lawyer, because his advice was ####.
I could not agree more. It is what I have decided to do. Its the best of a bad bunch of options - and who knows - one day we wicked farangs who want to own a bit of land in the LOS may even be permitted to do so
Hope so but fear it'll probably be even tighter for us going by the current regime
Cheer Up jackr - this regime will be gone soon and there will be a shiny new version in the New Year. Bear in mind, there has not been a single legal case against any farang with a 'dodgy' company. This regime could have come after us at any time without any need for the revised FBA - there is no hard evidence there is any real 'will' to do this now, nor in the future either. There are always people who will say 'but they may in the future'. What do they know ?.
The only thing that is certain is death and taxes...
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Anything that is plugged in/connected to the electrical system can be fried by lightening.
Unplug/disconnect anything you can't afford to lose.
Cheers
This is the best and most simple advice in my opinion. Include aerials as well, in the UK I went away on holiday, unplugged everything, but forgot the aerial on the downstairs TV - the neighbours said there had been a massive lightning storm whilst we were away and the repair guy said several neighbours sets had also been damaged.
In Thailand last year, the house was struck and the burglar alarm was damaged as we had a telephone line going into it - to call the security firm if the house was burgled when we were away.
I have also fitted line surge protection plugs and power-backup/ line filters to my computer etc... Dont know how much use they will be if the house is hit when my computer is switched on though?
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Sorry dsfbrit, it has nothing to do with tested in Court or not. For you I would say be happy with your company ownership as no one has had any problems untill now (take a usufruct or lease from your company if things get worse and dissolve the thing.) For the ones who have dissolved their company on thier lawyers advice and transferred the property to their wife, thinking they are protected for life with a usufruct or lease, I would say go after your lawyer, because his advice was ####.
I could not agree more. It is what I have decided to do. Its the best of a bad bunch of options - and who knows - one day we wicked farangs who want to own a bit of land in the LOS may even be permitted to do so
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Thanks for all your comments, but I am still confused. Is it worth me getting an Usufruct or should I save my 28,000 Baht? If my wife and I were to get divorced, would I be able to keep the house?
The trouble is you are looking for an 'answer' that you would be able to get in England (say). You will not get that I am afraid, you will just get a set of options - none of them will really make you feel 100% happy - it is just a compromise. I have a house and land and bought them via the company route. I did this becasue I wanted to 'own' the land - which we farang cannot legally do in Thailand. You can follow this route - which I advise you not to do or you can choose one of the following legal options.
1. Usufruct - its yours for life, but this has NOT been tested in the Supreme Court and on divorce could be contested and you may lose (unlikely scenario in my opinion).
2. 30 year lease registered at the Land Registry - this HAS been tested in the Supreme Court and you would be OK if divorced. You can have another 30 years lease on top of this, but this is an informal arrangement that has NOT been tested in the Supreme Court.
The only ownership I would recommend in Thailand is to buy a condo in your own name - but you have bought a house and land - hey I like the house and land thing as well, so know why you have done this.
I am afraid it is now your decision if you want to spend the 28K baht - in your position I would do this as you are only 25 and the 30 year lease option is only valid until you are 55 -good luck
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In the airport on my way back home last time a few weeks ago, I saw a Thai language book with two attached CDs and figured, "What the hel_l."
Now I'm taking a keen interest in studying Thai and want to learn as much of the language in as little time as possible.
This book will be an excellent start, as I can learn to read and write, and the Cd's have two hours of direct English-Thai translation of many simple words and phrases.
So this is a question to those who know the language to an advanced level.
What should I do after having mastered this book? How did you learn Thai?
You would probably be better off asking this question in the Thai Language forum.
http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showforum=43
My method was Language School in Pattaya, books (read on plane in spare time etc...), tapes, talking to people, reading Thai script at every opportunity (ie: even reading shop signs in traffic jams - something to do), sending emails in Thai Script.
A bit of 'everything' really.
I still don't consider myself fluent, but my Thai wife, who speaks no English (a few words - she knows the word for money and need new shoes/dress etc...) understands me perfectly - so that is good enough I guess.
Good luck with it.
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Thanks very much for the feedback digitele and Sunbelt. The land and house are currently under a dodgy company structure so I would be unable to separate land and house in that scenario anyway I would guess ?
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Thats great - thanks a lot for the help. I am dropping my wife off on that side of the outskirts Bangkok so she can meet up with some friends, so I am half way there anyway. I went to Hua Hin the first time I came to Thailand about 5 years ago - I don't suppose I will recognise it now.
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I am planning to drive from Pattaya to Hua Hin and stay a couple of nights. Looks like about a 3 hour drive - 200 miles roughly - Is that about right ?
Also is there a central hotel where I can safely park my car ? I haven't been there for some years and the last time stayed at the Hilton. A bit expensive really nowadays and was booked anyway for next weekend - does anyone know of a reasonably priced hotel - up to 3000 baht a night ??
I have looked at lots of web-sites and many of the hotels I opted for were way out of town - but at least I could park easily.
I dont mind being a bit of a way out of town, walking distance, I just dont want to mess about getting taxis etc...
Thanks very much for any help.
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Just trying to clarify a subtlety here. Can anyone help??
I know a 30 year lease can be set up so that the land is in the Thai owners name and the house is in the Farangs name. This means the Farang can modify the house as he pleases without recourse to the owner.
However, does a liftetime Usufruct mean both the house and land have to be in the Thai owners name or can it also be split into the Thai owning the land and Farang owning the house.
Perhaps this is a redundant question if in fact the farang with the Usufruct has total control over the land and house anyway, ie: can modify the house as he pleases. Is this the case ?
thanks for any feedback
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You have done the right thing coming to this website. You will find out the truth here.
My advice to you is dont take at face value anything an estate agent nor lawyer tells you. Come to this website with anything these people tell you and ask if it is correct BEFORE you sign anything. Lots of people here will help you.
To start with you cannot own land out here it is simply illegal, but you can own the house that sits on it. You can lease the land with the Land Registry Office for a maximum of 30 years. You may be told you can do a 30+30+30 year lease. We recently discussed this less than safe option here:
http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=131932
The safest option as everyone will tell you here - is to buy a condo IN YOUR OWN NAME - not in a company name.
Do not buy anything in a company name.
Good Luck
Baht Bus Fare - The Real Story
in Pattaya
Posted
The reason London is so 'cheap' is because poor sods like me, who used to live there, paid massive amounts of Council Tax which in turn subsidised many things in 'Red Kens' London, including the bus system. One of the reasons I came to Thailand is to get away from the culture that expected me to subsidise everything. So I have no sympathy with your argument at all
However, I also have an Oyster card for when I go to visit the UK - and now that I dont have to pay the taxes in the UK - I love using it to go everywhere cheaply!!! I also love using the free libraries, museums etc...
As for the Baht bus fares, On the rare occasions I am forced to use them I pay 10 baht for me and 5 baht for my Thai wife, for a short trip within Pattaya and 20 baht to Jomtien.