thoengthaied

On Sukhumvit in Jomtien midway between the Jomtien 2nd. road turnoff and soi Chaiyaphruek junction, close to the post office. On the northbound carriageway. They manufacture stainless steel gates. I think the place is owned by Dang Lohakit, at least that's the name on one of his vehicles. There has been a big gate on display outside for the past week.

I really want to get out of the Pattaya area and come to CR very soon. What obstacles should I have to overcome now due to Covid if I were to stay in a hotel for a few weeks? I'm thinking of scouting around for a permanent residence away from Pattaya.

I lived in Africa before I came to live in Thailand. There were very few facilities there and many car parts were not available. The car mechanics had to be very good at making do with what they had and were extremely good at repairing broken parts. I used to take my cars to a guy who worked from home in a bare earth compound with his extended family. One day I took my car to him and saw him and another guy sat either side of a tree stump pushing and pulling something between them. Closer inspection revealed that sat on the tree stump was a board with a sheet of glass. They had glued a sheet of sandpaper to the glass and on top of this was a cylinder head which they were tirelessly sliding across the sandpaper to and fro. This was their method of skimming the head. They must have been pushing and pulling for hours. Such patience and ingenuity. Amazing. 

9 hours ago, Kerryd said:

You are supposed to wait outside until they call your number (at the appointed time) over the PA system, then go to the head of the line (if there is one) and show them the appointment confirmation number on your phone. 

Should be a 6 digit alpha-numeric number like "AQ4019".

The last couple times I was there early, they started calling the numbers before they let anyone else in the door. The people who'd made appointments went to the door, showed the confirmation number on their phone and were let in. Everyone else was kept outside. (It was about 5 minutes before they started letting the horde in).

Note that I think more than a couple people missed their appointments as I heard a couple numbers being called, but no one went to the door. I think if you show up late it's "too bad, so sad, go to the back of the line with you". 
(Not positive about that though. You could be like some people you see who miss when their number is called, for whatever reason, and then try to push in ahead of the people whose numbers are currently on the board. Seen that more than a few times. Sometimes they get lucky.)

Thanks for that, Kerryd. Very helpful. I assume that if you have an appointment, say mid morning, then you would just rock up to the door about 10 minutes prior to your appointment time, show them the appointment on the app and hopefully be let in. Does that make sense?

May I ask about the procedure once you have confirmed the appointment time on the QueQ app? Do you just go up to the door at Immi, show them your appointment on your phone and then they let you in without having to join the queue outside? Or is that too logical? 

22 hours ago, sceadugenga said:

There's nothing that can be described as a "bad area" here, most crime is either drug trafficking related or the normal domestic violence type issues.

Rural areas with no flooding, power outages? Pleasant villages with good roads for cycling? I see on another website that somebody is advertising a bungalow for rent at Doi Hang, and it sounds good but I have no idea what Doi Hang is like other than what I can see on Google Maps.

Quote

Personally I'd come up and book in somewhere like the Condotel or maybe get a deal on a few weeks in a decent central guesthouse like Orchids on Jed Yod Road, which is in the center of the tourist/entertainment area, for a couple of weeks and spend a few evenings chatting to the local farangs about longer term accommodation options.

Yes, that is my intention. Just trying to do a bit of research before I go. Somebody mentioned Chiangrai Condotel and I took a look, but the only reviews I could find were from no later than 2017, and I wasn't impressed. I have just researched Orchid Guesthouse and it doesn't look good for parking my car, and maybe a bit old for me. Some kind reviews but also some are off-putting. Well within my budget but I can pay more for more comfort.

My dates to come up to CR have changed to the end of the month and I think I'll stay at the Hi Chiangrai hotel on Phaholyothin Road. I have contacted somebody who has a condo to rent in Escent Ville and will be viewing that when I arrive. Any comments on that property, good or bad, would be appreciated.

Well done, Tommy. Communication re your problems helps people understand and I, for one, sympathise. Hope you get things sorted soon and hope it doesn't cost you an arm and a leg!

Off air to my laptop right now. They've been having problems for a few months now. It's a good station when they can get things right. The problem with syncing to the BBC news is most annoying. I really do hope that they can get their problems sorted out. Instead of feeling annoyance as before, I am now feeling sympathy. 

49 minutes ago, Don Dunkelblum said:

The most intelligent advise would be the 'ChiangRai Condotel, in the center of CR prices are low at present and the place will be painted outside this year. Good management.

Many thanks, Don.

2 hours ago, Surelynot said:

Don't imagine that "rural" is idyllic unless you purchase somewhere fairly isolated........do not live at street level in the town or city unless you are 100% convinced that is what you want (dogs, parties, weddings, funerals, loud music, mosquitos, insecure).......a well managed, secure condo, excellent facilities...... every time for me.

Thank you #surelynot. However, advice is not really what I want other than where to look for well managed condo developments or nice villages with no problems like flooding, constant power outages, and with decent rural roads for cycling. 

There are other criteria which I think are important, e.g. proximity of healthcare facilities, but once I have something/somewhere to explore, I can fathom that out for myself. 

The reason I am asking on this forum is that I do not jump in with both feet but like to do a lot of research first. When I eventually moved to Thailand many years ago I did that research and it has served me well in that somebody recommended the condo complex where I have lived for 14 years now and it was an extremely good recommendation.

That may sound arrogant, but I am an intelligent person, well travelled, and aware of the many pitfalls that may present themselves in Thailand. Once I have areas to explore I can make up my own mind as to whether a particular area/condo block is suitable for me.

To repeat, I would like info on 1) well managed condo blocks in CR town

                                                       2) respected Real Estate agencies in CR town

                                                       3) pleasant areas with no inherent problems in CR province

I really hope that some board members may be able to assist me with those criteria. 

Regards, thoengthaied.

Thank you, guys. I am aware of the air quality situation and would take care not to over expose myself. However, I would like to get back to the original request of advice on areas which I might be interested in living. Thank you.

I've done a fair bit of searching but no good results so far. Apologies if I've missed relevant postings....I have lived in a rented condo in Jomtien for 14 years, and to be fair, I like what Jomtien and Pattaya have to offer, and I'm reasonably happy here. However, possibly due to Covid and a lack of new people to talk to, I've been getting bored and restless now. I have enjoyed travelling in my car up to the north of Thailand, and had some nice times around Chiang Rai province. I'm now thinking of driving up again the week after Songkran and will probably stay in a hotel in central Chiang Rai for a week. During that week I would like to explore the possibility of spending the months of October to March in the province then returning to Jomtien to live April to September. This is for my future years.  So I would like to ask knowledgeable members about suitable places to look at. Also any recommended Real Estate agents to visit.

I am single 73 yr. old male. Reasonably fit and healthy. I enjoy eating out locally and do like a drink with my evening meal, and the occasional foray into local bars and gentlemen's clubs, and also the odd naughty massage. I will stress that I will never drive my car and drink so I understand that some walking would be essential. I also love the rural areas and I have a bicycle which I love to ride for about an hour every morning mainly to keep fit and active.

So my intentions would be to find a suitable area to live in future years. 

Criteria....If I choose to live in the city I would like to learn of any well managed condo blocks preferably close to public transport and offering units of at least 50sq.m. preferably 1 bedroom rather than studio. Must be quiet. Walking distance (within 500 metres) to restaurants and bars preferred.

If I choose to live in a rural area, I would like to be able to get on my bike and have a daily hour's ride on easy terrain. (The odd testing hill would be ok). I am familiar (as you may guess from my board name) with the Thoeng area and the 1020 up to Chiang Khong, also the roads through and around  Phaya Mengrai. However, I'm sure that there will be other pleasant rural areas to look at. I am open to suggestions. I assume that I would need to rent a house if I live rurally. Again, one bedroom would be sufficient, but initially I'm looking for suggestions on a nice area to look at. Having a car gives me many options. I'm particularly keen to avoid areas with inherent problems such as flooding, constant power outages, etc. such as I've been reading on this forum recently. I understand that if I choose a rural area I will not be able to nip out to bars and clubs as I do in Jomtien, but I can save that for when I return after 6 months in the sticks.

Thank you for taking the time to read my post, and if anybody has ideas of where I can look, I would be most grateful. Regards, thoengthaied.

7 hours ago, silicastorm said:

@thoengthaied ... Is that near Chaiyapruek and Sukhumvit?

 

Yes. South of Chaiyaphreuk and almost next to the Post Office on Suk.

On Sukhumvit in Jomtien....just about 100 metres north of the intersection with Jomtien 2nd. Road. Photos taken this morning. 

23 hours ago, zzzzz said:

just did mine last friday, 4 days after my birthday  6 years.

this is my 3rd 6 year license

brake, color test ONLY, watch video

UP to you

Good to know. Thanks.

13 hours ago, zzzzz said:

you'd be a fool to renew early as renew AFTER it expires u get an extra year

I've heard somewhere (possibly on this forum) that if you go to renew soon after your birthday/ expiry of current licence, that they are now making you do all the full tests again. They are aware that people are abusing the system to get almost 6 year validity.

OP...I went to renew my 5 year licence at Pattaya on 5th. March and was given an appointment for today, 23rd. March. I'm due there at 1pm. today. Yes, you need an appointment and also a medical certificate.

I think this is all wonderful news. More un-needed roadworks, more drainage construction, more sand for the beaches...non stop corruption. Why not more submarines? It's all good for me because the Thai baht will get weaker and the value of my pension will increase.

In my opinion things like re-uploading avatars shouldn't be necessary if the techs who made the changes did it properly. 

Today, when I click on the back button I'm getting a "Confirm form submission" page. Happened many times this morning. Again, in my opinion, the techs aren't doing their job properly. 

Tommy Dee owner of Fabulous 103 FM has been giving snide remarks in his local news broadcasts about thaivisa being off line recently but he needs to look more closely at his own media operation which is becoming less and less reliable. A recent post on the most prolific Pattaya forum (PA),tells of problems the poster has had accessing 103 FM.

Quote: "I try to listen to Fabulous 103 fm through my laptop. It's quite a good radio station for decent western music and news updates, but recently it's been off the air via the internet, although I can listen to it on my car radio. I've just about had enough of trying to access it through the internet. Does anybody else have the same problem? I think it's about time I switched to a different local farang station. This isn't the first time that 103 fm has had broadcasting problems. They also continuously have a problem syncing with the BBC news at the top of the hour....overlapping content, long pauses and cutting the newscaster off mid sentence. If you read this Tommy Dee, boss of the radio station, or if anybody knows him, please tell him to listen to the complaint(s) and get it sorted. Enough is enough!"

I am also experiencing similar problems and am finding the radio station less and less reliable. It was off the air (through internet) all of Tuesday. No mention of that or apology from Tommy Dee on his hourly local news, only a bash at thaivisa!

1 hour ago, Jackson B said:

My licence is due for renewal, in Bangkok, and I'm wondering what documents they actually require. Medical cert is easy enough, but what about proof of address? Is a lease sufficient? What else do I need?

You'll need to get a certificate of residence from Immigration. To do that you'll need a lease if you have one. There are also other docs that they require including photocopies of your passport and latest entry stamps and TM6 departure card. You'll find details on a search through this forum. Sorry but I'm not at my computer right now so cannot be more specific.

Thank you KhunBENQ for that link. I had been searching for any up to date info before I went and had missed that post. I would have just popped into a local doctor's shop in Jomtien where I have had the usual very quick medical before at a cost of 100 baht, but now I'm not so sure that they have a "real" doctor there and so I will have to ask for advice about a more legit facility in the area who can issue the required form. 

Does anybody on this forum have recent experience of getting the correct certificate issued in the Pattaya area with the name of the clinic and cost?

51 minutes ago, giddyup said:

I stopped at Tak last time I drove, there's a very big hotel there, but not expensive.

I want to avoid Tak. I was there in Mae Sot about 5 months ago just before Covid was found among the illegal Burmese immigrants. So I want to steer clear of possible infections. I travel a lot but the Chiang Rai area is my favourite. It's just that I normally drive a circuitous route touching Chaiyaphum and Petchabun and this time want to drive directly to CR. I am looking to stop at a comfortable hotel somewhere near to highway 1. That's why I'm looking for suggestions from possibly someone who has stayed along the way.