mgjackson69

Three hundred thousand THB (not 300k, that would be 307,200 THB...in my world anyway, k = 1024 ) seems a lot more likely than 300,000 USD.

I have even been close to that a couple of times...

...who the hel_l is *that*....and why is she here?

Maybe a scam, maybe just incompetence...

At any rate, why do you care, if it costs you the same?

And why would your company care who gave you a ride to the airport, so long as the cost is in line with what you normally pay? And if they were to ask, you can simply say that you had to use a different company...it is not as if you are trying to scam your company.

I am sure it's a scam. Anyway, I care when i call to confirm and get told I don't have a booking. That was my main point.

I am 100% in agreement with you on that point.

Nothing worse than waiting for your supposedly confirmed ride, and it does not show, and the clock is ticking down.

Maybe a scam, maybe just incompetence...

At any rate, why do you care, if it costs you the same?

And why would your company care who gave you a ride to the airport, so long as the cost is in line with what you normally pay? And if they were to ask, you can simply say that you had to use a different company...it is not as if you are trying to scam your company.

My 'crappy free hardware' from TT&T is a Hatari-branded modem...same as the company that makes fans.

So maybe they are supposed to be packaged together.

If you do not like motorcycles, fine...to each his own.

Go somewhere else and preach your nonsense.

As soon as somebody mentions the Elite Card, a row of some sort always develops within 10 posts. Is this because people who like to 'waste' their money on these cards also like to forcefully state their opinions? Is there some correlation?

There is certainly a correlation...

When a person buys something, then they must defend that purchase....more so when it is a blatant rip-off.

I am looking for a nice basic weather instrument set...you know, one that has a barometer, thermometer, and hygrometer mounted on a nice piece of wood.

These sets are available about everywhere in USA, but I have not seen them in the similar places here, such as CarreFour, BigC, or Tesco-Lotus.

Can anyone steer me to a local source?

If not, I know there are any number of mail-order options available.

The follow up....

On 29 August (Friday) the wife and I returned to North Eastern (Korat) Immigration for my follow-up/report back on my one-year extension.

This time there were a few more people waiting, including my next-door neighbor from Germany and his Thai wife, but still it was not a long wait, perhaps 20 minutes or so. I spent part of that time filling out the TM8 for Multiple Re-entry Permit. I filled out the front and as soon as I turned it over...SH!T...forgot to bring a photo The wife had a bit of fun giving me hel_l about that one, since I had been ragging on her the day before about not keeping papers, etc organized. Som nom nah on me!

When out number was called, it was the same fellow we talked with last time (Khun White-out). Everything was in order, he did not need anything else today, just looked through everything and put the appropriate stamps in my passport. He had to get out his utility knife and ruler to cut up a sheet of "90 day reminders" (passport-sized now, I think about 6 printed on a sheet of A4. Just as he finished cutting up a couple of sheets worth, the young lady at the next desk handed him a large stack of them already cut...that was good for a laugh all around.

I had the wife ask if we could forgo the photo for the re-entry permit application...nope, need. No problem, I can come back for that. We took my passport and papers over to the lady boss, she signed in my passport and put the papers into a large stack on her desk...mission accomplished.

We left Immigration and headed back into Korat, with the idea that I would come back this next week and get the re-entry permit. Luuk souw wanted to stop at The Mall...well really she wanted KFC, but anyway... So we got a bite to eat and were wandering around when I spotted a couple of those "quick photo booths" on the lower level...Hmmmmm.

Five minutes and 100 THB later I had a pack of 9 passport-sized photos. Back to Immigration we go. Took a number, waited about 5 minutes, and were called, again to the desk of Khun White-Out. He checked my form over, confirmed that I wanted multiple re-entry, and collected my 3800 THB. He then took a legal-sized ledger book from a stack and started filling out a line. This is evidently the book that they use to track/assign permit numbers. Anyhow, he had put the permit stamp in my passport, and just written the permit number in, when he stopped, took a look at the front cover of the book he had grabbed...<deleted>!?! He had taken the permit number from the wrong book. So he digs through the stack and finds the correct book. Of course, he had already written the (incorrect) permit number into my passport, so out comes the White-Out pen . I am not terribly thrilled about having something "White-Outted" in my passport, but it is what it is. He did a good enough job covering his mistake, no extra correction fluid....my experience would seem to show that he has as much practice writing with a White-Out pen as he does a ballpoint. What the hel_l, it was good for another laugh all around.

All the stamps are in the passport, I check everything that has been put in today to ensure that the dates are all correct, and over we go to the boss lady desk for her to sign this one. Done and out we go.

All in all, another successful and relatively stress-free visit to Korat Immigration. Good to go for another year...well, one year minus 11 days, but close enough.

I had someone contact me via Skype for a similar deal, bringing "gold dust" to Thailand to sell.

I strung her (purported to be female, who knows?) along for about two weeks, just for grins...then she disappeared.

You are correct, wrong wording used. I did not get a 'visa', I obtained an 'extension' of my pervious visa. However my one year extension was based on being married to a Thai.

That is what I thought, based on the other facts.

I think it is a side-effect of my work (systems analyst/tech consultant), but I am a stickler for accuracy in terminology. Especially on the subject of visas, with so many stories and interpretations around, and the differences amongst the various nations, etc etc etc.

Your extension basis is the same as mine then, based on marriage to Thai national.

The "sp" combination is one...for example, you will usually hear 'special' pronounced as "sa-pecial".

Two other sounds that are difficult for Thais, as nothing similar exists in the Thai language..."v" sound, especially within a word, as "savory'. Also "z" sound.

My sister-in-law recently acquired for me (at the behest of my wife) a Yamaha VRR for the princely sum of 2400 THB. I have ridden the bike and gave it a once-over (after it was purchased...<shrug>). It runs (so-so) and is in what I would call average condition. For the time being I am leaving the bike with the family in Nong Hin...after I have a chance to spend a few days with it and fix the show-stoppers, then I will ride it down to the house in Chok Chai and start the project.

I have been riding and doing most of my own mechanical work for about 30 years. However, I have zero experience with 2-stroke motorcycles.

Secondly, I have no information on this motorcycle whatsoever, and Google seems to turn up a bunch of "garbage" sites, mainly in Spanish.

Does anyone have some links to general 2-stroke information, and/or this particular motorcycle?

Thanks.

Edit: duplicate post

One thing to keep in mind...

We see how the majority of the Thais ride, especially the young males, and many of us do not want to ride that way.

BUT - many of the people in the cars, and the other riders as well, are *expecting* us to ride in the same manner, and assuming that we will do so. Consider this scenario:

You are riding alongside a car on a busy multi-lane, and the driver knows that you are there. Directly ahead, a spot opens up that a motorcycle could easily use to "advance their position". Most likely, the driver that you have been riding alongside will see that spot open and automatically assume that you will take that spot. Therefore, the spot beside him will be vacated, and he just might move over there on the assumption that you will not be there anymore, not even looking first to check.

When in Rome...

Well, you could just hand him the key. Any half competent mechanic should have that figured out in a few seconds.

Ahhhh....but there is the rub, right there!

Or, you could just adjust it yourself. I am not sure about the wave in particular, but most bikes that I have seen with the automatic clutch, the adjustment is very simple and easily accessible.

The stamp clearly states: “Application of stay is under consideration of the Immigration Bureau.”

By the way, I was granted my 1 year visa……

Strange wording, that...

Same for me...when I applied for my extension of

Up here in Chok Chai, Maxnet has been flaky for a week...sometimes it stays up 5 minutes, sometimes 30 minutes.

The stamp clearly states: “Application of stay is under consideration of the Immigration Bureau.”

By the way, I was granted my 1 year visa……

Strange wording, that...

Same for me...when I applied for my extension of stay last month, the stamp reads:

"...APPLICATION OF STAY IS UNDER CONSIDERATION..."

Ok, it is a bit strange, but Thai -> English, things can get mixed up a bit...

Today, I went back for my 30-day contact, and was given the one-year extension. The stamp reads:

"...APPLICATION OF STAY IS PERMITTED UP TO ...."

I would expect "APPLICATION" to read "EXTENSION" in both cases.

This was done at the North Eastern Region Immigration Center in Korat.

Looking at my previous two extensions (based on work permit), which were done at the One Stop Service Center in Bangkok, the stamps for both read:

"EXTENSION OF STAY PERMITTED UP TO..."

Hmmmmmmm.....

I wonder if this is an "Isaan idiosyncrasy" or the stamps have changed everywhere?

In the interest of accuracy, and please correct me if I mis-speak...but I believe that you were granted a one-year extension of stay, not a one-year visa

So its OK for one person to be an exhibit, but not another?!

Yes

Life is not fair...get used to it.

The police who frequented the shooting range also said that if he was going to use one in protection of his home, he should keep a second illegal gun and make sure to kill anyone he shoots and then leave the unregistered gun with the corpse. Hence clear case of self defense... Nice advice from the copper !!!

S.O.P. - In parts of USA the unregistered weapon is called a 'trowe gun'...you shoot the intruder with your registered weapon and 'trowe' (throw) the other down with the corpse.

They are treating you fine on the price.

I did mine a bit different, 30% down and payments for 36 months...but our numbers work out about the same.

You did just a tick better than I did...enough to notice, not enough to worry about.

I agree with bkk_mike...this is the way *most* international airports are set up...Chicago OHare being a glaring exception.

The problem that I see at Suvarnabhumi...where in the hel_l are they going to put the security checkpoints? The airport as it is currently laid out does not have space to put security before Immigration (where it belongs), and putting it after Immigration but before the shops will require a bunch of demolition/reconstruction...for a less-than 3 year old airport.

TiT...never plan, just do, then tear it out, do it again (reusing the old materials).

Excellent advice from lopburi3 as usual.

But, just to be clear on your point #4...are you thinking of a new visa or an extension of stay..it *does* make a difference.

Since you mentioned "the financial obligation", I am assuming that you are anticipating applying for an Extension of Stay.

Some of the terminology can be confusing, but it is important to be accurate, so that the knowledgeable people here can give you accurate advice.

I received my new HTC TyTNII (aka AT&T Tilt, aka AT&T 8925, aka HTC Kaiser) last week. Bought it through AT&T (I have a postpaid account with them), they shipped it to our admin (in USA). She shipped it here, it sat in Customs for a week, but it was delivered with no duty. It was a hassle, but worth it price wise...I ended up paying 199 USD vs. the Thai retail price of 32,900 THB (about 968 USD) . I am not sure about the shipping, as it came in my twice-monthly "mail pouch".

So far I like it. I have been tweaking it, getting it set up with True GPRS/EDGE and working with my WiFi at home. I have the email set up to pull from my work email...though we use Outlook for work, I did not set up the phone mail as "Outlook", just plain ol' email. I use the ActivSync software to keep my address book and calendar updated from my laptop.

My next mission is to get the GPRS/EDGE working with AIS, then getting the modem functionality configured for both carriers. And then getting the various apps to work seamlessly with my WiFi and GPRS/EDGE.