mgjackson69

btw this is a huge problem at all major airports. so really until everyone fixes the problem its not a thai issue, its an airport issue worldwide

this a worldwide thing, its not only limited to thailand, as long as people work somewhere there are always going to be a rotten egg or two...

Yes - Chicago O'Hare used to be the worst...it you had more than an hour layover, it was almost certain that your luggage would be rifled. And if you had a long stay, such as weather delays? Now you have all those baggage handlers sitting around with nothing much to do...

In fact, O'Hare is the only place I have had anything stolen from my baggage.

I am wondering what sort of things are getting stolen from the bags. Are people really silly enough to put valuables inside their checked baggage. I travel often out of Thailand and my bag has clothing in it, possibly a pair of shoes and towel or two. I would imagine that its not clothing that they are after.

Are people really silly enuf to put their handy cams,the cameras, ipods, jewellery etc in the bag? What do they carry onto the plane, invaluables?

Well, a co-worker had a nice pair of leather hiking shoes stolen out of his bag after check-in in Johannesburg...but at least the thief left his old shoes in return...a beat-up pair of brown wingtips with holes in the soles

Most of the English teachers out here do not have degrees so they are unable to get work permits. They are living and working illegally on Thai wages so no healthy Western bank balance to smooth the way.

Without the illegal teachers the government schools would have hardly any native speaking English teachers. Most people with degrees work in private language schools or they go to Japan or Korea. Thai government school pay is small and the kids unruly so it's rare that the highly qualified end up working in them. The system needs budget farang teachers and plenty of them.

Are they bad apples who should be weeded out and admonished by you wealthy business owners and loaded VIP retirement visa crew?

I understand Thailand's policies and disagree with those that bang on as if Thailand was being draconian when they know that a Thai can't visit most farang countries without jumping through firey hoops and proving they are rich.

It's you wealthy expats who talk about those who can't win the day with bundles of cash as if they where scrounging scum who are truly out of order. It's such pomposity.

"well I've got the cash to do what I want, if you haven't then your a loser who deserves to be got rid of"

Having no money doesn't automatically make you a scrounger milking the system and having bundles of cash to fly home to get your visa doesn't automatically make you a desirable and respectful farang.

It is not about money, it is about taking responsibility to obtain the proper permissions to be here as fits your situation. No foreigner has any "right" to be here, we are guests in this country.

If your situation is such that a visa/permission to stay which fits your situation requires some amount of money that you do not have, too bad....go home.

Tourism being killed? ...

But by enlarge, they are few in number. I feel sorry for them, but the vast majority of visa runners are not in that group. They are working. Illegally.

The correct english is : But by and large.

Not "But by enlarge".

-WordWhiz

"...for all intensive purposes"

cheers crossy

I feel sooo much better fo booking a dirt cheap flight

ha ha

colino

som nom naah

I would sum it up as simplicity of design. The older tractors (40's - 60's) from JD, Farmall/IH, Ford, etc.. are still out doing the job because they were designed to be maintained on the farm by farmers. They were over built which resulted in reliability that is envied today. Technology can make great improvements but costs to overbuild and the need for complex designs due to the new technology results in lowered reliability.

Use to have JD A's and B's, Farmall Super H, a little Farmall Cub that had a cracked engine block and radiator but kept going! Many many 8N & 9N's where I grew up but the A's and B's were coveted and snatched up quickly. Ah the simple pleasures in life. :-)

Plow on brother!

Eric

I had a really nice wide-front John Deere 50 that I used for mowing and snow removal on my place in Nebraska.

I would still have it if I could have figured a cost-effective way to get it to Nebraska to Nong Hin.

Ford tractors were never that popular in the Ohio farm country. Because of that, I never had an opinion of their reliability. When I moved upcountry here in Thailand I quickly developed a healthy respect for them. I watched the Thais beat and abuse these machines in every manner possible. It's no surprise that they are common and popular. They are bulletproof and require minimum maintenance.

Same for me...in South Dakota it was John Deere and International-Harvester/Farmall, with a few Case and White thrown into the mix. About the only Fords around were 8Ns, mostly for "play". With the number of Ford tractors I see in Thailand, and knowing first-hand how the Thais do machinery maintenance, I certainly have gained respect for the Ford tractors.

As far as the original photo goes, I would be concerned about the 'weather cracks' down in the groove(s)...I see several.

If the other tires/tyres are the same, I would seriously consider replacing them. But that is me...

On one of my trips to USA I brought back a set of Chicago Cutlery for the wife. They are holding up pretty well, despite the fact that Thais, in general, do not know how to take care of knives...I had to show her how to clean, dry, and put them away after each use...as opposed to just leaving it lay wherever it was used last. And she was absolutely amazed at how quickly I could put an edge back on the knives, using just the steel that came with the set. You can guess at the convesation that ensued when I caught her using the paring knife in place of a screwdriver

To the original question: Are these knives "better" than what is available domestically? I have not noticed so much difference really...as long as you can easily put an edge back on, most are serviceable.

I find the "one week" thing interesting also.

I did my first extension based on marriage last year. They did ask for and keep the map, but were not interested in the photos. And we did not have a visit to the home.

Keep us posted.

Not all English speakers pronounce the "H" (Would've) and so the 2 words effectively join together and so sounds like "Wouldov".

Usually pronounced "wood-ah"

Though tongue in cheek from the OP I do understand the need to have them do something otherwise they just vegetate. However, guys must realise that most jobs or businesses consume more of their partner's time than they would want.

That is exactly the rub right there. My wife has talked about finding something to do in the village, but has just that concern..."no time for you".

For the cart to be successful and make any money, it would probably be 12-14 hour/day deal. Give her another 7-8 hours to sleep, that does not leave much discretionary time.

Be careful what you ask for...

The misuse of apostrophes is the one that bugs me the most.

Just one copy of everything.

I remember when I used to do it in Samui. There it was 2 copies.

JD Don't worry.

Up to you...

When I deal with any government office, in any country...I always take two copies.

Better to have and not need, than to need and not have.

I was all prepared to apply for my extension based on Marriage on Monday in Korat. After hearing the news about the new application rules starting on Monday 16th I went on Friday 13th. Based on money in the bank.

I supplied.

1 Copy of Marriage Certificate.

1 Copy of Wife's ID Card and House Registration Book.

1 Copy of every page of my Bank Book.

The original Bank Letter.

1 Map to my house.

TM7 Application form with photo attached plus one copy.

Relevant Copies of my Passport which they gave back and did their own copies. Of what I have no idea.

Copy of TM6.Entry Card

1,900 Baht fee.

Result. 30 day under consideration stamp and go back next month.

Plus a nice friendly chat between myself and my Wife and the Officer and the Office Captain discussing the new rule.

They were not happy about it but as from Monday they will turn people away who are not resident in Korat Provence.

Other offices will have different requirements.

From my experience, Northeast Immigration (Korat) is one of the best. It does not surprise me a bit that they would be upset at having to tell someone "no".

I did my extension last July/August at Korat. In January I was at the office again to get a Certificate of Residence. The officer (K White-Out) remembered when my extension was due and discussed that with my wife...told her to make sure that we see him and he would help with the next one as well.

Different jobs, different companies

----------------------------------------

In chronological order:

farm/ranch hand - started working for wages and paying taxes at age 10

auto mechanic

graduated high school

university student

shipping/receiving laborer

university student

shopping mall maintenance

university student - printer/pressman

graduated university

software engineer ------- These three positions were with a succession of companies...the old joke about working

systems analyst --------- in telco means you change jobs four times and never change your desk was true in this

technical consultant ----- case - 19.5 years and four companies (A was bought by B which merged with C with merged with D)

test & support engineer - This is my current job, with a new employer - started 19 January 2009

Thailand rice farmer/chili farmer - hopefully my next and last occupation

Depending upon where you are going to be located in USA, GSM might not be the best bet. GSM coverage in USA is not as ubiquitous as in Thailand. In some places, you will get no GSM coverage at all.

I have a US GSM SIM (AT&T) but needed ANSI/CDMA coverage in a rural area where my mother lives. What i did was go to Best Buy and bought a Verizon Impulse (prepaid) phone ... 30-60 USD depending upon the phone, and a 10 USD top up card. After activation, you can add minutes online using a credit card. You have to put on 15 USD minimum, and the minutes are good for a month.

Prepaid service in USA is nothing like in Thailand as far as ease of use. Most plans in USA have some sort of monthly minimum or other fees. For example, on my Verizon prepaid phone, if I have any usage on a given day (originate or terminate a call or SMS), then I am charged the daily access fee (either 1 or 1.50 USD, I forget). Just having the phone on does not incur this daily fee. Also, as a previous poster mentioned, USA service (GSM and ANSI) is not "calling party pays"...both calling and called parties are charged for airtime.

I do not understand why there should be any hand-wringing over this...

Just go to the office that serves the area where you live and be done with it. In the case of those on tourist visa, etc...just go to the most convenient office and use a nearby hotel as your address. This is not rocket science folks.

Personally I like it...the next time I have to go to my "serving" Immigration Office, there should be fewer farang clogging up the office.

Anyone want to guess where I live?

A chap was recently trying to offload his card on Thaivisa, I wonder if he was successful.

I presume the government will reimburse all those that were sucked into this con.

Sooooo.... Legit working people cant leave the country on a whim, or in an emergency? What if I need to be in Singapore this Monday morning?

You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.

Of course you can leave..on a whim, or in an emergency. But if you are on a single-entry visa, or extension of stay, and do not have a re-entry permit, that visa or extension will no longer be valid for re-entry.

I am back after visiting Korat Immigration, tired, but relieved.

Korat Immigration is the best...did you happen to talk to my friend Khun White-Out? (at the first desk, his name is Chanchai)

I got the 1 year retirement extension and a re-entry permit, which I decided to get too.

Smart to get the re-entry permit...save yourself another trip. Single or multiple?

And I think it was a T.M. 8 for the re-entry permit.

Correct, TM-8 for the re-entry permit.

Copy of my marriage paper ( he did not want it, so I got it back)

No need, extension is based on retirement...but you were smart to bring it along. Better to have and not need, than to need and not have.

There are some good points made here.

I would certainly insist on an invoice. Just state, "I need an invoice for my taxes". It is a bullshit line, but Somchai is not going to know that, especially since he has no idea what your tax requirements might be for your home country...whether there are any or not is immaterial.

Whether you pay, do not pay, or try to negotiate it down...up to you.

Tone & pronunciation remain a problem. I asked for "cha dam," black iced tea, the other day and was served a Chang beer

Well, you did forget the "yen"

I think this is more of a problem of the waiter/waitress not listening to you...they are expecting you to speak English, so they are not listening for Thai. I occasionally have this problem with my wife...she will be listening for English and I am using Thai. I have experienced similar situations in South America when trying to use Spanish.

and no matter what I do with "prik nam pla," I usually get looks of stunned incredulity.

That might just be surprise at the fact that a farang is ordering it.

Try the "Isaan" or "baan nawk" pronunciation, "peek naam blah" or even "peek naam bah".