wpcoe

Yes please scan the stamps and can you let us know the other requirements you provided ? (bank 800k and or income letter from Embassy) Also the fees (2.000 for chnage of visa and 1.900 for etxension ?)

After I scanned, I realized there are an entry or two that I don't understand, so maybe someone can explain?

The red square is my visa-exempt entry stamp dated 03 Sep 2006.

The blue square is my "converted" Non-Immigrant O visa issued at the Jomtien Immigrations office showing "This visa must be utilized on the date of its issuance."

The yellow square I honestly never noticed before. I guess it is simply there to contain the information about a 90-day permit to stay that would be on a "normal" Non-Immigrant O? <shrug>

The green square I have no idea what it says, either.

The second scan is of the stamp permitting me to stay until 02 Sep 2007, one year from my original entry into Thailand on the visa-exempt stamp. (There is a hand written note clarifying the actual date, as the Immigrations Officer had originally stamped the wrong dates.)

I used a combination of (a) pension income verified by the US Embassy in Bangkok, plus ( a verified balance in a Siam Commercial Bank account to meet the B800,000 requirement.

Yes please scan the stamps and can you let us know the other requirements you provided ? (bank 800k and or income letter from Embassy) Also the fees (2.000 for chnage of visa and 1.900 for etxension ?)

Bear with me on the scan, I just realized my scanner is not compatible with Windows Vista, and I'll need to work around that.

But, for the fees and process, you can refer to: http://www.wpcoe.com/visa/ for a summary of what I did.

I'm toying with the idea of subscribing to UBC, which I guess entails putting a satellite dish on top of my condo. I'm sure I've seen a UBC booth somewhere around town, but now that I'm interested, can't remember where.

Does UBC have a sales office in Pattaya? Is there a UBC booth in some shopping mall around town?

I looked around the TrueVisions web site but don't see any phone number or locations for the Pattaya area.

How does it work if I install UBC with satellite dish at my condo and then sell the condo? Can it be transferred to the new owner, or do I need to have everything dis-assembled and returned to UBC, and the new condo owner starts from scratch?

I use TT&T ADSL in Jomtien and it's hit or miss. e.g. In the past week, three non-contiguous days I had access to YouTube.com, the past 24 hours being included. Then for a day or two, it is not accessible.

I've been beaten into submission: I'm grateful for when I can access it.

Excuse me, but who in their right mind would wait to travel to a foreign country to buy an overpriced camera at the main airport?

I hope it's not you.

Take my advice: buy your camera and any accessories AHEAD OF TIME over the internet, and bring it with you.

Prices for cameras, computer equip., electronic gadgets, etc. are ALL at retail prices or HIGHER in Thailand.

Especially at Suwannaboondoggle Airport.

The OP appears to be posting from Pakistan. Perhaps the shopping opportunities are not so good there?

2) will the new non-'o' begin from the expiration date of the tourist visa or from the date the non-'o' is issued?

altman:

2. Believe it will be valid upon application but also believe most people do this when they qualify for extension of stay and do not use the entry period - you really should talk with immigration directly as the change of visa still seems to use old criteria from most reports but they might not want to do it unless you meet the extension of stay requirements.

I'm not clear on whether altman is planning to leave Thailand when he "changes" his tourist visa to a Non-Immigrant O, but if he isn't then there may be a parallel to my experience.

This is not an exact apples-to-applies comparison, but last September I entered on a visa-waiver stamp, converted it to a Non-Immigrant Visa and then extended for one-year for Retirement as follows:

Sept. 3, 2006 - entered on visa-waiver stamp (admitted until Oct. 2, 2006).

Sept. 22, 2006 - "converted" (i.e. "was issued") Non-Immigrant O visa, and given Retirement extension same day.

The one-year Retirement extension expires Sept. 2, 2007 ... one year from my entry to Thailand, NOT one-year from the date the extension was issued, nor from date of issuance of the Non-Immigrant O visa.

I have never seen a Non-Immigrant O visa issued outside of Thailand, but suspect the one that I received in Thailand (at Jomtien Immigrations) is different. It states "This visa must be utilized on the date of its issuance." It does not have an "expiration" date. It does not have a permitted-to-stay period indicated.

So, I would suspect that altman's one-year Retirement extension would expire one year from the date he entered Thailand on his tourist visa. I also suspect that if his Non-Immigrant O visa will be the same as mine, I don't think he will be beginning a new 90-day permission of stay.

If it would help, I could scan/upload a copy of my visa and passport stamps.

Why does everyone assume the dog had been grilled alive?

The thread title: "Two Mad Monks Bbq Grill Dog Alive"

OP, fifth paragraph begins: "The men were grilling the dog alive, with the apparent intention of having it for dinner"

What version of Windows ... XP? Vista?

One feature to look for on a WiFi "N" router or access point might be a gigabit LAN port, versus the usual 100/10 LAN port.

If the "N" wireless standard gets implemented with a degree of efficiency, you might see throughput of over 100Mbps. It would be frustrating to know that a router can transmit >100Mbps, but the data fed into it through the RJ45 port is capped at 100Mpbs.

(Of course, it would help if your host computer also had gigabit LAN...)

most of my windows are fixed panes and can't be opened but the whole house is aired daily for 15-20 minutes by a powerful whole-house-fan. i prefer to live in a comfortable environment (temperature 26ºC, variation ±½ºC and a relative humidity of 60-65%). achieving that environment for ~460m² living area costs money which i am willing to spend whether some people like it or not.

Considering that your home is 7x the size of my 2-bedroom condo, I'd say your monthly expenses are not so bad.

I also make sure that I air out my condo once daily. Especially when the paint was new, but even now, I like to expel the toxins that would otherwise accumulate indoors in a sealed environment.

I wonder if the applicant can choose they preferred currency? e.g. I used to live in Japan and still have a bank account there. Could I use the JPY option at 4.10% interest?

Yes, you can get a loan in any major currency, including JPY.

Then why would anybody in their right mind choose anything BUT Japanese yen, given the low interest rate?

From the bbl page linked above:

Loan in SGD – Bangkok Bank’s Prime Lending Rate per annum (currently 6%)

Loan in USD – USD Prime + 0.5% per annum (currently 8.25%+0.5%=8.75%)

Loan in EUR – EUR Prime + 1% per annum (currently 7.25%+1%=8.25%)

Loan in JPY – JPY Prime + 1.25% per annum (currently 2.85%+1.25%=4.10%)

Don't listen to your bank at home if they try to get you to use routing numbers as that is an internal transfer in the U.S. & A Swift transfer is international. My bank(Bank of America) insisted on routing numbers till I pointed out Swift was international transfer. you only need to do a wire transfer once

FYI & FWIW, Bank of America has a method of transferring funds electronically via their online banking system using the "domestic" USA routing numbers to Bank of Bangkok. If I understand the process correctly, one uses the routing number for Bangkok Bank's New York branch, and the account number is the actual account number of the Bangkok Bank account in Thailand. It is NOT a SWIFT transfer, it is a simple inexpensive online "domestic" transfer, only a couple dollars, and the money shows up in the Thai Bangkok Bank account as quickly as a SWIFT transfer.

A few folks here have explained the process in the past as being done using Bank of America's online (internet) banking system. I wonder if BofA can also do it for you directly (i.e. not via their web-site), and perhaps that's what they were attempting to do for you? <shrug>

Just received a news letter from Raimon Land and was surprised to read this: www.raimonland.com/bbl/

Since you just received the newsletter, the assumption is that the info on that "bbl" page is current. If it is, that's good news that they are still offering mortgages.

I wonder if the applicant can choose they preferred currency? e.g. I used to live in Japan and still have a bank account there. Could I use the JPY option at 4.10% interest? (Academic question since I am not currently in the market for a condo, much less a mortgage, but wondered about it when I saw the bbl page.)

In the evening we open up every window to let the warmer air flow out.

Cheers, Claude

what if the air outside is warmer than the one inside?

Did this ever happen to you? So keep the windows open and open the fans.

Everybody is talking about green house effects, but in Thailand they built up houses without any insulation, the discussion is just about "What size of aircon I have to buy and is 5.000 bahts for electricity bill is okay?".

This is ridicolous.

it happened and still happens to me 355 out of 365 days a year in Thailand.

Sorry, I forget you are the guy who proudly showed his 9000 Bahts electricity bill. You will not be able to understand my arguments.

p.s. my "record" electricity bill was slightly above 14,000 for 19 (NINETEEN) days.

Uhm, maybe you could try closing the windows?

Maybe I'm weird, but I actually enjoy putting flat-pack together

OK, yeah, maybe you're weird. I'm weird, too, because I like putting them together, also.

But, when I bought the bedroom set, I was also orchestrating a remodeling project and decided to just let them do it. I kept half an eye on them while they were assembling the stuff, and was fascinated how they worked as a team (two of them) in almost total silence. I'm counting my lucky stars it went well.

"Thank you very much for your Email dated 28th May 2007 and the trust you put in our law firm.

The information you were given is not to be found in one law or ministerial regulation. It is part of different laws (mainly the Building Control Act of 1978 and amendments). Moreover, you have to take a lot of specific points into consideration when it comes to determine the application of the 45 degree angle. For example, you need information about this specific plot of land which is in most cases archived at the Land Department. Please be advised, that there are a lot of things to be considered and even if the land in question is located close to Jomtien Complex is does not necessarily means that the same regulations will apply. This has to be carefully and in a time consuming manner researched before any proceedings are made. Therefore a general answer to your question is not possible."

Somehow, I have the feeling that this 45 degree building profile is just a lot of smoke and mirrors with no real substance or legal basis to it. I would have thought that it was a very easy parameter to confirm and I can't understand why it should be land or location dependent. On the face of it, it appears that a developer could build at any profile after 200 metres from mid-water mark!!!

Do even the Jomtien Complex towers conform to a 45 degree profile restriction?

You can set default DNS servers to "Open DNS":

208.67.222.222

208.67.220.220

If you're using Windows, just access the properties of the network connection and change the settings in Properties for TCP/IP. I used to have occasional problems with TT&T's DNS servers resolving addresses, but since changing to Open DNS, I haven't had a problem.

(If you need more step-by-step instructions, feel free to ask.)

2. He is not a "BAD DANCER" - He is "OVERLY CAUCASIAN."

Another version I read:

He is not a "BAD DANCER," he is "ACUTELY HETEROSEXUAL."

And they want 24 K for the lot. A good buy?

Sounds reasonable. Does it include an operating system? If not, be prepared to plonk down several more thousand baht, unless you are a Linux geek.

Since the level of electrical expertise is so high on this forum, I'll tender a feeble question from an un-educated person (me):

Do rheostat dimmer switches actually reduce the amount of electricity used? I thought I read somewhere that all the rheostat did was keep the current from reaching the bulb, but actually consumed the extra current by converting it partially to heat? Now that I try to write that, it sounds totally implausible, but yet I'm sure I read something close to that. What's the real story?

The only caveat is NEVER let their delivery chaps put it together.

Why is that? I've only had one experience with them -- a bed and armoire -- and the fellows worked quickly and efficiently, MUCH faster than I could have done myself. The final result appeared to be flawless, and now two years later, the stuff has held together nicely. Was I just lucky?

During the inquiry one of his victims was so upset he suddenly smashed the offender’s face, which resulted in the victim being fined 1,000 Baht for this outburst.

A thousand baht well spent!

Puchong confessed to his crime, Police found 2 mobile phones one belonging to him and one belonging to a previous victim. He was taken to Pattaya Police Station where his previous victim was called to the Station to identify the offender.

Would the "previous victim" be "Mr. Jaroon aged 19 – a security guard of the Thepprasit Housing Building" mentioned in Fake Pattaya Police Volunteer Steals From Man.........,?

Miss Chayarngkoon said that she was riding the motorbike, a red and grey Honda Wave 125...

Suddenly, two men, aged about twenty to twenty-five years old, approximately 160-170 cm tall,with short hair and without helmets, appeared. They were riding a lady's style motorbike.

Miss.Chayarngkoon was unable to remember the brand, color or license plate number.

Forgive me if the is the wrong Bangkok-Pattaya Hospital (or, is it now officially Bangkok Hospital - Pattaya?) thread, but I'll add another "anecdotal" acount of my experience with B-PH:

Before I moved to Pattaya I was a regular "customer" of Bangkok Nursing Hospital on Soi Convent in Bangkok. One of my treatments there was the inpatient removal of a plantar (sole of the foot) wart. At the cashier's desk the alert and helpful cashier examined my bill, and asked me to wait while he verifed something with my attending physician. About 15 minutes later I was called back to the cashier and was advised that my treatment was 100% covered by BUPA insurance. I was puzzled, as I had seen the original statement when I initially went to the cashier's desk and had seen a balance due ... I'm not sure of the exact amount as it has been a few years, but I think I was due to pay about B1,000. So, I asked what had happened and the cashier said he had asked my physician to recertify some for the treatment so that I would have a zero balance. Something about inpatient vs outpatient classification. (My BUPA account had an OPD coverage of B1200/day at that time.) The cashier apologized for making me wait while the records were amended, but I was truly grateful.

Now, fast forward a year, and the plantar wart has returned. No heaps of anger at the BNH doctor, as I had researched online and was aware that there was a fair degree of chance that the wart would reappear. Now, a year later, I'm living in Pattaya and undergo the inpatient "surgery" at BP-H. When I reach the cashier, I see a balance due of about B1,000. I ask the cashier if there were a way to re-categorize the outpatient classification to have BUPA cover more of the bill. I got a look of scorn that only a katoey can give you. <g> (BTW, those of you who are regulars at BP-H know exactly who the cashier was...!) S/he glared at me, made a quiet phone call in Thai, then commanded me to have a seat until I was called back. After about 15 minutes, I was called back and s/he tossed the amended bill at me ... an amended bill that had a balance due of zero.

Compare the attitude and actions between BNH and BP-H. What I failed to notice was if the final amount paid to the hospital was the same after the adjustment. i.e. Was it merely re-classification of charges so that insurance would pay more but the total amount was the same, or was the final amount going into the hospital coffers less?

That is truly a minor anectotal account, but it helped erode my positive opinion of BP-H.

My experiences at BNH maybe set my BP-H expectations too high. I was HIGHLY impressed with the various doctors I had at BNH, doctors who could think "outside the box" and take into account my questions and concerns.

Another BNH vs BP-H comparision:

Last year, I had a series of ear infections and about every four weeks I would visit the E-N-T folks at BP-H. They would examine, verify the infection, flush out the car canal, and simply prescribe a different antibiotic. I was uneasy after about 4 or 5 times of being on antibiotics in a six month period.

I happened to be in Bangkok, and dropped by to see my favorite E-N-T doctor at BNH, explained to him my recent history and reluctance to go on systemic anti-biotics once again. He said that without the time to take a culture and test (which he wanted to do -- and which BP-H had never done -- but since I was only there for the day understood my situation), his best suggestion was to prescribe an ear wash of acetic acid (vinegar) rinses twice daily. His reasoning was that perhaps my ear canal was too alkaline, allowing easy footing for infection to take root. Rinsing with (acetic) acid would normalize the acidity level and stave off infection. To fight the current mild infection I had, he prescribed some topical antibiotic drops. He had respectfully considered and addressed my concerns, and offered an alternative treatment plan. BP-H seemed to just follow a rote script and dismissed my silly concern about being on systemic antibiotics so often.

Again, maybe not fair to compare BP-H to the exceptional care & treatment I had received at BNH, but the BNH doctor took into account my concerns and formulated a successful treatment. (Since then, when I felt an infection coming on, I went on the vinegar flush routine, and it cleared it right up.) I have no doubt that at BP-H it would have simply been yet another round of systemic antibiotics.

So, while not a stinging condemnation of BP-H, it has left me feeling less than confident about the care I will receive there. Every doctor, nurse and pharmacist I've had contact with at BNH has taken time to listen to my (many) questions and concerns and addressed them to my satisfaction. At BP-H, I feel like "just another patient" who should not be questioning the medical staff. I feel it's more than a coincidence. There must be some policy differences between the two organizations?

If I were to experience a non-emergency medical situation that required substantial treatment, I *will* take the time to go to Bangkok to BNH again.

BTW, to give credit (and praise) where it's due, my E-N-T doctor at BNH is Dr.Pasakorn, and my Internal Medicine doctor at BNH is Dr. Irene. I highly recommend both of them.