LivingNThailand

Or Star Gazing

Love that! Today I spent 4,322 baht on groceries, 1,521 baht on household repair items and 1,990 baht on some new clothes. Hey TAT, how about an article about high spending expats! Where do they get their figures?

I was responding to this How are they getting out of China? Isn't the country still in lockdown? Sure there are plenty of different chinese in Phuket right now, including Thai Chinese, but the chinese that yell and scream at each other and speak Mandarin are usually from China. The quieter ones are usually from Taiwan and Singapore and Malaysia. Usually. sorry to profile, but that's just the way they are wired. The ladies in those funny sundresses give them away too. Anyway, my comment was about them getting out of China because the country is in lockdown. It's not in lockdown for the privileged ones. Including the ones that got busted in the drug bar raid a few days ago in Bangkok. I believe the news report said they were from China. So the Chinese are not 100% lockdown. Also lots of direct flights from China to Bangkok too. I guess I should have been more specific in my comment.

Lots of chinese, from China not long term residents, in Phuket right now. I've seen plenty at the shopping centers. As George Orwell wrote in Animal Farm. All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others. ”

Two young Chinese guys, friends, in the parking lot at the local shopping center. Both driving brand new MGs with red plates. Why aren't they driving rental cars?

They always "check the room" when you are settling the bill. I found out the hard way because once a long time ago checked out before I was finished packing and I went back to the room to get my stuff and caught the maid drinking my 1/2 bottle of wine I left (and was going to take with me) in the room. Seriously po'd. Never did that again.

Yeah, that was it. Thanks!

12:00am is midnight and 12:00pm is noon, from what I remember. I keep getting Lines from my doctors office telling me that the doctor will be in from 10:30am-12:00am. Drives me bonkers. I Line them back telling them 12:00am is midnight, but I guess they never read it. ????

I don't get your question. From what I understand they are kicking them out of the country because the ARE NOT tourists and were working without the proper visa.

I just looked this up. In 2021 Thailand had about 427,000 (thousand, not millions) of tourists. Conde Nast had to put out the survey at least 6 months in advance to get the results, collate the results, write an article and publish it. Which means they have to use their readers 2021 experiences for their survey. Something doesn't add up here. Thailand should not even be at the top with those visitor numbers. Just saying, countries that were fully opened in 2021 should be at the top of the list. It's basic math.

You haven't missed much. I used to be in media and the Conde Nast sales team were arrogant and self centered. They said their reader were peerless. I always remember them when I read one of their "Reader Choice Awards". I wonder how much $ these resorts paid in advertising in their magazine. As they say, Follow the money.

From what I understand she ended up in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, which is in the middle of nowhere. Google it. Not too many modeling jobs there, I think. Not sure that is what she had in mind, being in the middle of nowhere.

Link doesn't work. Do you have another. I'd like to see it.

sorry to confuse you. In the USA you can file Married Jointly or Married Separate or Single. Most people file Married Jointly. I don't know the details, but it is more beneficial to file jointly unless you make mega bucks, which I don;t. I guess I'm going to bow out of this thread now.

It's like when you fill out your tax returns and there is a line for the taxpayer and then there is a line for spouse. You are both equally responsible but the IRS wants one "primary" contact person. Or when you buy a car together and there is a car owner and an additional car owner. Someone's ID has to be "primary" on the account and the spouse is secondary. Technically I guess the wife could be first on the account, but the bank said I had to be first.???? Maybe primary isn't the correct word, but I hope you understand my explanation.

No problem. With BKK bank you can link up to 5 savings accounts with internet banking. As I am primary on the joint account I can (or my wife) can transfer money from the 800,000 account into the savings account anytime (I actually did that by mistake once, but corrected it immediately). I have 3 accounts. The 800,000 one, the Joint daily living one, and a third joint one for small emergencies. We can transfer money back and forth between those accounts on the internet. Because I am the primary on the joint accounts it is easy to transfer the 800,000 in one transaction if needed. My wife has a small account, but she can't link it to the internet banking because I am not on that account. So if something happens to me first, she can transfer the 800,000 into one of the other two joint accounts, BUT cannot transfer to her single account on the internet. She can, however, take the 800000 out of the joint account and put into her single account in a different transaction (manually, not on the internet) Preferably a day or two after the first transaction. The key is that I am primary holder of the joint savings accounts, therefore I can link the single account with the joint accounts. I hope I am clear, if not please ask more questions.

Two savings accounts, one for immigration with 800,000+ and another joint savings account. I just called it special account because we don't use it for anything. It just sits there collecting .0005% ????

You may have missed my earlier post. I have 800,000 in a special savings account just for immigration and another joint savings account with online banking privileges, me being the primary account holder. If something happens to me my wife can easily transfer the 800,000+ into the joint savings with a simple transfer. Probably can do that with mobile banking, but I'm not too familiar with that.

Exactly why the bank manager hinted to go the joint saving account way and transfer the money after the big D. The manager didn't seem to care. Everyone's situation is different. The 800,000 is my wife's money too. After 40+ years of marriage and building a life together, it's 1/2 hers. It's just earmarked in a special account for the visa at this point in time. Simple for us, maybe not simple for other people's situation. It's not a one fit all thing.

Open a joint account at the same bank your 800,000 is and add on line banking. In the event something happens to you...your wife can transfer the money to your joint account. As others have said, maybe not 100% legal, but the bank manager hinted to me that this is the way to do it. Just don't tell the bank. And your wife should do it right away, don't wait for a few months. That's our plan for what it is worth. Edit: Forgot to mention my wife isn't Thai. She's same nationality as me. So maybe a problem for a Thai to do this??? Not sure.

Wow. It's been over 20 years. I had a friend that was at ground zero. He came up from the subway to go to work just as ........ He was late for work that day and worried about being late.

I know I didn't book anything. I just went to the motions until I got to the Buy Now button. Didn't ask for my passport or nationality Before I paid. Just wondering how an airlines can have 2 buy now buttons. One for the ticket and a second one when it finds out you are not Thai? In case you missed it: Here is my second post about booking an airlines. This was United. I also tried Asiana to get a mix of US and Asian airlines. Both the same result. Well I checked again and I got to Buy now without giving them my passport. So unless the airlines has a second buy now for the additional 300 THB, it isn't going to work. Imagine buying a 54,000 THB airline ticket and then going to the next page and the airlines asking for another 300 THB because you are not Thai.

Rubbish, anyone looking at flights does this to see the airline conditions and costs. It’s when you validate your flight choice and go onto payment that you have to input your details. You think they let you book a flight without passport or credit card details ?? Really ?? Well I checked again and I got to Buy now without giving them my passport. So unless the airlines has a second buy now for the additional 300 THB, it isn't going to work. Imagine buying a 54,000 THB airline ticket and then going to the next page and the airlines asking for another 300 THB because you are not Thai.

I definitely remember that. Confused a lot of tourists. Years ago I was in the Bahamas and two very young and hung over guys almost didn't get to leave the country because they used their last $ at the casino and didn't know that had to pay $$$ to LEAVE the country. No one told them. Unfortunately they were in front of me at the check in line. Similar things at BKK airport, but fortunately they were behind me.!????

I just "fake" booked a trip from Bangkok to San Francisco on an Asian airlines and the website did not ask me my nationality or passport information. Unless they ask after you give them the credit card information...which I didn't give them, of course. Then I "fake" booked a trip from Bangkok to New York on an US Airlines and the website did not ask me my nationality or passport information. So I don't see how this is going to work. Either everyone pays the 300 baht or they will have to collect as we are getting off the plane going through immigration. ???? And I don't think immigration is going to want to do that, maybe.????