redwood13

http://www.socialsecurity.gov/international/payments_outsideUS.html

Paid the installer back in August last year for a full year. Just got cut off for non payment ie 10 months later. CTh don't seem to want to know about it. Let's see what happens.

A mate of mine describes something similar:

Being poor I did the "around the world in eighty days" promotion in economy in 1978 - US$999. My first time in Asia. Arrived back in the US with hepatitis A

-redwood

Best get an uptodate situation report on the lifts in the D building before you commit.

-redwood

Same experience yesterday from a "buyer" in response to a CL ad I placed.

-redwood

I would agree with Maestro. This TM30 form is the responsibility of the owner of the home where you stay to provide to immigration. Unless the alien is expected to keep a copy or receipt of this form...which maybe I could see some offices requiring this.

I would love to hear if anyone else has been asked this in other offices and most specifically Jomtien. I renew at the end of this month and hate being hit with NEW unexpected requirements.

Last week a mate of mine was asked for the TM-30 receipt when he applied for an extension (child support) in Jomtien.

-redwood

Perhaps not exactly what you are looking for, the first books I read about Thai Culture Etc., were Denis Segaller's, 'Thai Ways' and 'More Thai Ways'. Both truly excellent books. Highly recommended.

A dam_n sight more educational than the plethora of publications which exist today, such as, 'I Married A Thai Bar Girl', or, 'My life inside the Bangkok Hilton'

These two did look interesting, as no doubt they are.

I will keep my eye pealed for a used copy.

Amazon lists these two books, but there are no copies for sale.

There is one, perhaps, but it is selling for USD65.

The Segaller titles are available on abebooks.com with prices starting at US$1.00 (plus postage).

-redwood

Has anyone ever heard of this "gogo"? It's certainly not one I'm familiar with and I'm familiar with most of them. It sounds more like a beer bar.

Originally Betty Boop, then Wanthana, then OMG and now Fun Seeker. This is licensed as a "dance club" as no gogos are permitted on Soi 6.

-redwood

Cost is a bit higher in the USA. US$40,000

This is for both eyes. There were additional costs for pre-op testing and post-op office visits. This was done earlier this year at the University of California Med Center Davis (located in Sacramento). Billing through Medicare I was charged about US$1,600 plus US300 for office visits.

I lived in Thailand for 10 years and moved back to the US permanently last August because of other health issues. Costs aside (and admittedly that's a big aside), I can't think of any negatives re the health care I have received here.

-redwood

Denpasar in Bali can issue you a Triple Entry.

Validity 6 month.

Need to stay 2 nights and prepare flight ticket in n out of Thailand.

Visa runner thanks for the info. Does the Thai embassy website state this, if so have you got any links. I have searched online but cant find anything. Don't want to finish diving in bali and then findout they have changed the rules and I can only get a single entry.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/571035-thai-consulate-in-denpasar-bali-offers-triple-entry-tourist-visa/

"vongbali" is the Honorary Consul. As of January the Consul is now located behind the Consul of Japan.

-redwood

Size conversion at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoe_size#Europe Scroll to the chart at the bottom.

I wear a USA size 12 which is a 46 1/2 Euro. I've bought shoes at Central in Bangkok. Not the cheapest but they do have frequent sales, so you might check Central in Pattaya. Quality of shoes at the Pattaya Outlet Mall was pretty dubious in my experience. Soles delaminating, etc.

-redwood

Dog show in Bangkok at the end of June. Probably a good place to meet breeders and owners.

http://www.thailand-dogshow.com/

-redwood

From the WSJ last December re Tesco's Fresh & Easy bust in the USA.

"Of the 12 main countries where Tesco operates, only Malaysia, Thailand,
Hungary and the U.S. reported positive same-store sales for the quarter.
(The retailer operates in 13 markets in total, but sales from its joint
venture in India aren't broken out in results.) Overall, world-wide
same-store sales fell 1.3%."

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324640104578160514192695162.html

-redwood

My cardiologist in Bangkok ordered me to stop eating salt. Of course he knew this would not be entirely possible, but one thing he did emphasize was that I should completely stop eating Thai food.

-redwood

See post #4.

-redwood

If you want the new passport returned to you by mail you have to surrender your current passport as they will cancel it and return it along with your new passport. If you pick up your new passport at the embassy you can retain your current passport as they will cancel it when you go to the embassy to obtain the new one.

I applied for a new passport on the afternoon of 06 June at one of the Pattaya outreach visits. On 13 June I received an email notifying me that my new passport was ready to be picked up at the embassy. Date of issue was 08 June.

-redwood

If you want the new passport returned to you by mail you have to surrender your current passport as they will cancel it and return it along with your new passport. If you pick up your new passport at the embassy you can retain your current passport as they will cancel it when you go to the embassy to obtain the new one.

I applied for a new passport on the afternoon of 06 June at one of the Pattaya outreach visits. On 13 June I received an email notifying me that my new passport was ready to be picked up at the embassy. Date of issue was 08 June.

-redwood

Google piyanas.

-redwood

I had the same experience as the OP when I applied for my extension of stay (retirement) on 03 September at Chonburi (aka Pattaya/Jomtien) Immigration.

-redwood

See discussion on the internet forum.

-redwood

You just need to avoid the tourist traps. Not long ago, I went to visit a friend who stay in the same guest house for the past 15 years, Federal Hotel if I remember wel. For the price he pays for his lousy room, I can stay in a 5 stars hotel, breakfast buffet included. I say some people deserve to be cheated.

Some confusion with the name of your friend's guest house. The Federal Hotel on Soi 11 is not a guest house but rather a 90 hotel with restaurant, pool, Wi-fi, etc. Rooms are 1300-1500 baht per night with breakfast, so hardly in the 5 star class price wise.

-redwood

this steel garage did some excellent work in my home,

http://pattayaphotoguide.com/?PRwRU3jukcdC8CAA

I went there, a couple of days ago, but there was no steel shop anymore.

Anyone knows, where they moved ?

Hopefully it wasn't my fault, but they closed the shop not long after my above post - i.e. about 2 years ago now. No signage was ever posted re a new location.

-redwood

In regard to foreigners renting, the landlord is legally required to obtain copies of appropriate passport pages and submit to Thai immigration.

-redwood

Tomtomtom69 spells it out quite well.

Yes, an excellent overview of the reality of education and employment in today's world.

-redwood

Don't know that Big C has any expertise in operating a farang targeted market. Thai is what they know and as I see it, that's the direction the old Carrefour is headed. I expected prices on specialty imported items to rise as they will not purchase in the volume that Carrefour did.

-redwood