asiacurious
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Posts posted by asiacurious
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2 hours ago, Hummin said:
What kind of water you use?
I looked at soda stream machines, but found it useless since I do not have clean tap water, and still have to buy bottled water. Do not care much for the bigger household deliver a 20L. Only good for cooking in my opinion.
So 3 - 4 cases of rock soda every month for me @ 166,- baht. Can't bother when it is not so expensive
I filter my water at the tap so I've got on demand clean water.
Storage of the cases is (6-7 a month) is an issue, and I'm not too fond of the environmental impact that comes with shipping all that water & glass bottle weight around (factory → store → home → .recycling of empty bottles). Sure, in the grand scheme of things it's not that much energy consumed on 6-7 cases a month, but a lot of people each consuming a little less energy can add up to a lot.
When making selzer, you always want to use cold water rather than room temp, so I would bottle and chill the water first. Cold water absorbs more CO2 than warm water, which is why restaurant fountains use cold water. (Or at least, they're supposed to. It's hit or miss here in Thailand, which is why some places serve up soda that seems flat or has tiny bubbles.)
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I saw that thread, and one other on here from a long time ago. I've asked at a couple of restaurants but they "didn't know" where they got them. Filled tanks just mysteriously arrive. (Obviously someone knows, but perhaps not the people present when I was there asking.)
I'll have to keep asking around.
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18 minutes ago, PJ71 said:
What's the difference between a scanned doc and a faxed doc?
When using an efax type of service? Nothing. They'll take your scan (or photo for that matter - no need to actually scan a document) and send it as a fax to a fax machine. The person receiving it gets a fax. Unless of course they're using a computer to receive faxes, in which case they'll get an image of a fax that they can print. Which is probably what the person on the other end that is requiring the fax will end up doing.
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On 4/16/2022 at 2:27 PM, Justanotherone said:
landlord question : now that inflation makes everything 10-20 percent more expensive, can you raise the rent now or do I legally have to wait till end of contract / renewal ?
going from 18.000 to 20.000 acceptable ?
It's as ok as if the tenant decides to pay you 2,000 baht less in the middle of the lease because because they got a pay cut.
Also, who raises (or lowers) rent by only 2 baht?!
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33 minutes ago, swm59nj said:
Yes you need a TM 30. From my experience some owners and agents don’t want to be bothered.
True.
Honestly, before signing any lease with a landlord, I make sure I've got a good copy of the landlord's ID or Passport, and a copy of their household registration book or title/deed to the property.
With those in hand (and a signed copy of the lease) I don't need to worry about having a flaky landlord who can't be bothered!
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The hotel you mentioned is in the old part of town. It's far from the BTS and MRT trains lines, though it is right next to one of the very few canals that actually has public canal boats zipping past all day. I'm thinking it might be pretty noisy.
Regarding long term places to stay, if you'll be here for more than a few months it will be cheaper to rent a condo for 6 months. Yes, some landlords will rent their place (for a slight increase in price) on a 6 month lease. You can easily pay less than 1/2 the price of what you would pay doing AirBNB by the month. A 6 month lease on an apartment should come out about the same price as 3 months in an AirBNB.
The way to find a place is to just walk to the office at a building that looks good to you and ask if they have a condo for rent. They'll call whoever the rental agent is for that building and the agent will come to meet you (or set a time in the future). The agent will also know of condos available in other buildings, and the ones I've dealt with have always spoken a bit of English. Tell them your requirements (size/price/amenities/lease period) and they'll take you round to a bunch of places. The landlord pays their fee (not you) and that's why you'll need to pay a bit extra for a 6 month lease instead of a 12 month lease (so the landlord can make up the extra cost).
If you're staying for just 3 months, an apartment might not be worth the hassle. Also, if you want to move to different parts of the city each month, obviously and AirBNB is better for that. But if you plan to stay any longer than 3 months, you'll save some money on a condo, even after you add in water and electric. And better than saving money, you're actually going to feel a lot more like you are living in Bangkok instead of just visiting.
As for places to look....
I've lived in Thon Buri (west of the river) and it's very quiet. Too quiet for me actually, but it could be just what you want. If you do, I suggest you look for a building that's away from the main road that the BTS goes down (or at least a place that faces away from the road). There wasn't a single night that I lived there where I didn't hear kids racing motorcycles down that strip. So annoying!
There are some really interesting places to walk around in the Thon Buri area, especially the Wongwian Yai area. But for the most part, I found there wasn't much to do there. For daily life, I was always going somewhere else.
I've also lived in the Khlong Toei/Watthana/Phra Khanong areas - basically the areas that go start around Nana BTS and go all the way down to Udum Suk BTS.
Nana, Asok and Phrom Phong are noisy and crowded. Bars, clubs, noise. I definitely suggest you avoid those like the plague. Maybe fun to visit, but not to live.
The Thong Lo, Ekkamai, and Phra Khanong BTS stops aren't as bad, but they all feel a little bland and impersonal to me. These stops don't feel like neighborhoods. They're places people who commute to work return to after work and dinner somewhere else. Not places to relax and enjoy your time here IMO. I'd pass.
Probably the best neighborhood that actually feels like a neighborhood, and that has quiet buildings away from bars and clubs, is On Nut. It has a lot of good things/places for a relaxing daily life in the big city, like supermarkets, a good mix of restaurants, street food vendors, and outdoor sit down eating, and plenty of places to sit and enjoy a cup of coffee or relax. (Regarding supermarkets, a large Lotus and small Tops are right at the BTS stop, and there's a Big C about 5-7 minutes walk away. A bit farther, there's a Gourmet Market and Makro about a 15-20 minutes walk.)
The one thing On Nut is missing is a good park, thought that's true for most of Bangkok except the city center. Then again, you're about a 20 minute taxi ride from two great parks (Suan Luang Rama IX and Nong Bon) and just a train ride away from the little park at Phrom Phong and Benchakitti Park at Asok.
There are plenty of condos to choose from down Soi's 52 and 81. And they are all going to be quiet and away from any bars or clubs or hustle or bustle. I think On Nut was the favorite place I've lived in Bangkok. Hmmm - I should move back there at the end of my lease next year!
I'd personally skip the next BTS stop (Bang Chak) as a place to live as it feels a bit chaotic and disorganized, and there aren't a lot of great options for condos. No good places to sit and relax during the day and no good supermarkets too. Of course you're just 1 stop (or a 10-15 minute walk) from On Nut.
The next stop after Bang Chak is Punnawithi BTS. It's quieter than On Nut with a good choice of condos to choose from on Soi 64. There's less stuff you'll want to visit as part of daily life at Punnawithi, but there is True Digital Park (an office/condo/restuarants complex) nearby that has a tops. And it's an interesting area to walk around (north-east of Sukhumvit).
After Punnawithi is Udom Suk BTS, which has a feeling a bit like Bang Chak, though it's definitely getting a lot more development of large condo buildings (with very small apartments). You'll get a much more Thai living vibe at Udom Suk and Bang Chak than you will from On Nut or Punnawithi.
Of course, you can keep going out on the train until you get to Samut Prakan (which is when you're NOT in Bangkok anymore). The positive is that when you have to deal with immigration to extend visas, you won't have to deal with the main CW office - you can go to the quieter office that handles people living in Samut Prakan.
Good luck!
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1 hour ago, aldriglikvid said:
Oh, darn. The owner went back to the states and he hasn't done it as well. What documents do I need to report it? Does it help, at all, if I bring my previous TM30 in original form?
From the landlord you will need copies of:
- The signed lease (with both his and your signatures)
- Your landlord's ID or Passport
- Your landlord's household registration book (Tabien Baan) or a copy of their title/deed to the property
From you, copies of:
- Your passport photo page
- Your current visa
- Your arrival stamp
- Your TM6 Departure Card (it doesn't need to be filled out, just needs the stamp on it)
- The completed TM30 form
The last time I did a TM30 filing (about 2 months ago) I was asked for every one of those documents above. Previous times I didn't need the Tabien Baan or title/deed, but this last time it was required.
Note that they could fine you for filing it late (it's actually your landlord's responsibility to file it and the fine is technically his to pay, but since you'll you'll be the one sitting there.....). I wouldn't expect them to fine you, but if they do there won't be any point in arguing.
Your previous TM30 isn't needed, but hey... never hurts to bring it!
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Back home I used a Sodastream with Paintball CO2 bottles and an adapter to make my own seltzer. I miss that so much. $4 to refill a tank that would yield many, many bottles of seltzer. I'd love to do the same thing (or something similar) here but I've hit a brick wall.
I've been buying 6-7 cases of seltzer every month at Makro for a while now, but it's too much to deal with at this point.
So....
Does anyone know of a place in Bangkok where one can buy and refill the kind of small CO2 tanks that independent restaurants use?
With a tank in hand, I could then do any of the following options:
- Refill CO2 paintball bottles as needed and use my adapter, like this...
- Plug the restaurant style tank directly into the Sodastream with an adapter hose, like this...
- Use an adapter to refill Sodastream tanks from the the bigger CO2 tank, like this...
Any suggestions?
Thanks!
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Yes. Officially it's needed. Quickest/safest way is to walk it in to Immigration and have it processed on the spot. If you can't do that, or don't have the time (or your landlord isn't easy to deal with), you can always visit a hotel the night before and have them do a TM30. Get a print of the screen showing it was submitted and use that as your address when you extend.
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7 hours ago, peetje said:
Snagit stopped working after going from windows 10 to 11. The only fix was to pay for an upgrade of snagit.
Or try Greenshot
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On 3/28/2022 at 11:19 AM, DowntownAl said:
I should have known better. I point out the use of a vax certificate number as a Thai National ID worked and all you guys want to talk about a whiny expats and other grocery stores. Waste of time here, total waste of time.
I'm going to go do something worthwhile.
I think the initial responses were because you buried your lede (the Vax ID number might work like the national ID number required for some things). Lots of people probably didn't read far enough into your post to get to that idea. They probably stopped reading sooner. And after you responded with the above reply, people got it!
And thank you for the idea!
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27 minutes ago, Guderian said:What's the policy on mixing vaccines ? I've had AZ + AZ last year + a Pfizer booster in January. Is another Pfizer booster after 6 months OK, or should it be a different vaccine?
No issues mixing Pfizer and Moderna in Thailand. I had Pfizer for my 1st + 2nd shots and they were happy to give me Moderna as my booster.
Efficacy-wise, there's been evidence that mixing the two mRNA vaccines is more beneficial than getting more of the same. The Moderna vaccine also seems a bit more effective against the latest variants.
Here's a quote from a very recent article (4/1) on the latest scientific paper published March 29th....
QuoteBoth vaccines generate strong levels of neutralizing antibodies, which can bind to the virus and prevent it from infecting cells. But according to the study, the vaccines generated different antibody profiles overall. Specifically, the antibody response to the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine skewed to a class of antibodies called IgG and IgM, which are often found in the blood. The Moderna vaccine, meanwhile, generated relatively elevated levels of IgA antibodies, a class of antibodies generally found on mucosal surfaces, such as the respiratory tract—where SARS-CoV-2 infections begin. Additionally, the Moderna vaccine spurred relatively higher levels of antibodies that activate immune cells called natural killer cells. It also generated higher levels of antibodies that activate immune cells called neutrophils to ingest and kill (phagocytize) invading germs.
And here's the actual paper that quote/article above is discussing, published March 29th in the Journal of Science Translational Medicine:
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8 hours ago, fondue zoo said:
Say they open the package and record the name, card number, expiry date and cvc number on the back.
When the card is set to Active would it still be a security risk?
I've got two cards I want sent and have been looking at options.
That's a good point. I could see how that might be a problem for CC and debit card transactions online. They couldn't use the card number in a store, but online....
I suppose it's pretty much the same risk regardless of how the card gets sent though.
Here's a good article on the differences between credit and debit card liability:
https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/credit-cards/credit-card-vs-debit-card-safer-online-purchases
QuoteThe key difference: With a credit card, the card issuer must fight to get its money back. With a debit card, you must fight to get your money back.
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15 hours ago, gamb00ler said:
That combination of good rate and zero fees gives the most ฿ per $ for cash withdrawals at the counter in Bangkok bank (or any other Thai bank that charges no fee for that service). You get the same exchange rate at the ATM but are hit with the 220 ฿ fee charged for foreign debit cards.
I've only ever used an overseas ATM card at ATMs in Thailand. How does doing cash withdrawals at a bank counter work? Do I walk in, give them my foreign ATM card, enter my PIN, and they give me the cash, but no fee?
No fee is would be nice!
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6 hours ago, Gottfrid said:
Sure! Best Idea ever to write Happy Birthday on the outside. That makes nobody think it might be money in it. All will stay away from opening it. I guess you have been very lucky.
6 hours ago, Doctor Tom said:and see it disappear. A very bad idea
Everyone knows sending cash in a birthday card through the mail is a really dumb thing to do. Almost nobody does it, except perhaps a grandparent sending a few dollars to a grandchild years ago.
I've had credit cards sent to me this way twice. Maybe I've been lucky. But I'll keep doing it that way until I'm not. YMMV!
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Well, for the debit card by itself, I'd have your friend buy a birthday card, write you a nice message, pop the card in, then mail it to you regular old first class air mail. Have them write Happy Birthday on the outside too. That'll cost you all of a few dollars and nobody's likely to open it. (I've had credit cards sent to me this way.)
Alternatively, you can use a USPS flat rate envelope. 4lb maximum weight on that and about 1-2 weeks delivery time (includes tracking) and cost you $41.70. The risk is that it gets opened by customs. A debit card and docs are perfectly legal to receive in Thailand, but it's extra time and eyes looking at your stuff. Note there's a customs form that might need to be filled out for some kinds of documents (but not for a debit card). You can see that info here.
Below are the current (Spring 2022) prices on all the USPS flat rate options. Note that Thailand is Zone 6. (Here's a link to all the pricing details.)
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On 3/28/2022 at 11:05 AM, AventurasEnMadrid said:
Could someone tell me where the bus at Ekkamai drops me off in Pattaya?
The bus will, upon request, drop you off at safe places that are along their route. Ask before you board the bus.
The bust drops you off here:
https://goo.gl/maps/9xxfscCdTrk1QCUs6
There are songthaews waiting at the bus station that will take you to the ferry for 30 baht one way. Very easy.
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8 hours ago, roger101 said:
OK More info. It's a Galaxy Note 30 and obviously a cheap Knock of which is why it ended up with me. I just want to know if it can be OK so I can give it to my stepson.
I'd toss it in the bin. Quite possible that even with a factory reset, it'll steal and send your data off to remote servers somewhere.
Consider a fake phone given to you for free as secure as a random USB memory stick you find laying in the street. Don't plug it in (don't use it)!
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20 hours ago, leba said:
and I even know some NON-O who got it
Other sites are reporting that the prohibition against giving Non-O holders covid extensions has been scrapped with the latest extensions through May and Non-O holders can get them again.
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8 minutes ago, TonySn0 said:
Thank you. Regarding the "no additional 25k needed on top of the schools fee" I was told many places that the 25k is for immigration to change tourist visa to non-immigration visa and that the only way to bypass it is to travel outside of the country and get a new visa at a Thai consulate.
You've heard this from an agent then because the cost to change to an ED is simply the normal cost of an ED Visa (which is either 1900 or 2000).
Previously you had to leave the country to convert to an ED. Now you can do it by yourself - without any agent - in country. In fact, a good school will handle it for you. (They'll go to immigration with you to process the change.) NO need for an agent to do this.
Note that to extend a 90 day ED visa you will need to study and learn some Thai. The first time you go to extend your original 90 day ED Visa for another 90 days, you'll be taken to the MOE to take a Thai language test before you can extend. Need to show that you're actually studying Thai!
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3 minutes ago, TonySn0 said:
Apologies, I meant that the plan was to spend 2 months here but decided to stick around longer. Already got a 60 day covid extension for all three of us three weeks into our stay. And thank you for the bump.
Wow, really? I'm surprised. I thought their policy has been to require people on STVs to first get the normal 30 day extension before they can apply for a 60 day covid extension.
Also, I've never heard of them issuing any kind of extension on a tourist visa (or visa exempt) until you are within 30 days of it's expiration. (They'll sometimes do 45 days ahead for other kinds of visas, but never more than 30 days ahead for tourist visas/visa exempt.) Maybe this is a new policy? Or maybe I've just never heard of this being possible before? (Likely the later!)
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13 hours ago, TonySn0 said:
I was told that if I get an ED visa, and my wife gets an ED visa, it’s okay if our pre-school child goes without a visa.
Others might know, but can a pre-school child even get an ED visa? Are there any pre-schools out there registered with the MOE such that they can qualify to get approval from the MOE?
10 minutes ago, Brian Hull said:Can anybody explain why Thai Immigration issues 3 months Tourist Visas that are only good for 2 months and then require applying for a 30 day extension.
And to clarify what DrJack said, the STV (single entry) are issued for 3 months - meaning you have to enter BEFORE the 3 months is up, but the visa is valid only for 60 days. That's a single entry TV.
The METV (multi-entry) allows as many 60 day entries as you like, over a period of 6 months. (Which can be timed to give you nearly 9 months of stay if you exit and re-enter by the last day of your 6 months and then get a 30 day extension at the end of those last 60 days).
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8 hours ago, aussiexpat said:
Pretty hard to tick 1st box on affadavit since my destination is Australia, which has just announced: "Following medical advice, the Biosecurity Emergency Determination relating to COVID-19 for Australia will not be renewed when it lapses on April 17"
Well, your destination doesn't have to be Australia. What if you want to go to Hong Kong instead? I think you can't at the moment, unless you do a long quarantine. Nothing says your destination has to be your home country or any other country for that matter. It just has to be... someplace!
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11 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:
Will the harassment (by some) continue.
Yes
11 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:I can't figure out immigrations thinking.
For some, it's probably nationalism. For others, it's probably just doing what the boss higher up told them to do. There are probably a few sadists among the lot too (they tend to like positions of power).
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Fax Services Anywhere?
in Pattaya
Posted
A scanned copy will do fine. As will a photo. So long as the recipient will accept it!
There are phone apps that can convert photos to look like printed pages if you like, to get more of a printed page look.