Pattaya46

why would someone need a bed duvet in Pattaya where temperature rarely goes under 24° at night?

Because it feels dam_n cold with the AC set to 20°

and never got the idea to set it at 24 or 25°?

25°C is still very comfortable to sleep

and you will economize on electricity... and on duvet cover

I didn't find it at Tesco, Big C or Carrefour.

Seems strange to me as I am pretty sure they all have duvet covers!

I saw many of them at Carrefour (now Big Cx) during last month promotions.

BTW why would someone need a bed duvet in Pattaya where temperature rarely goes under 24° at night?

we will all view corruption different

... or even don't see it !

Ok, I am ready to believe that there is (lot of) corruption in Thailand, but where and who is concerned?

I can believe that falangs who own/manage bars or business can be confronted to corruption,

but I don't see any reason for the "normal" guy living a "normal" life in Pattaya.

5 years living here and never concerned myself.

Then you just have 'tea money' to pay out.

Again, I do know that 'tea money' exists,

but when does a "normal guy" need to pay it? Really don't know.

Seems to me that corruption is more something relative to those who own a business here.

It looks like business as usual in Soi Bua Khao. I just took a walk and all the pubs are open and everybody in them is openly on da piss.

The ban was only from 18h00

and it looks well respected right now...

16/08/2011 - Hull grant triple-entry tourist visa

30/08/2011 - Enter Thailand. 60-day stamp

28/10/2011 - 60 days finished. Visa run. New 60-day stamp

26/12/2011 - 60 days finished. Visa run. New 60-day stamp

16/02/2012 - 6-month validity ends. Visa run. New 60-day stamp

Uh? How do you get 4 "60 days stamps" with a triple-entry tourist?

I think something wrong here; maybe you need to extend each entry for 30 days.

with Walen it is possible to study totally for free.

Tell us how ? pls

Yes Mr. Walen tell us how ? I really do want to study Thai and I really don't need a visa but I am interested in what you said

Answer already given here

But surely one has enough intelligence to get the model number from the main US Dell site and order through DELL Thailand??

I would recommend to look at the Singapore Dell (dell.sg) site rather than the USA one.

There are many products available in Asia but not is USA/Europe, or reverse.

BTW there is now a Thai promotion for the Dell 24" U2410

at 16,000 baht +VAT only. A good 1920x1200 24" monitor

logical assumptions are not speculations and as far as the "present situation" is concerned it is worthwhile to read the thread "New Rules Regarding Tax Payable In Thailand?" instead of brushing away potential reality.

The thread you cite is not "new rules", but long existing rules that some people did not respect because they were not verified/enforced.

Immigration found that "some" guys, at least from America and Australia, lied about their income. They now are a little more strict about the way they give their stamps, and I see nothing wrong in that.

The visa that was last put into passport would automatically cancel all existing visa's therefore only the latest 1 is valid

I can confirm this point. I asked for it at Hull in April. Answer was they have to cancel any existing visa prior to give a new one, yes. And if they forget or don't see it, previous visas are void by delivery of a new one; you must not use them!

... a basic Thai test when people go for there extension, that would appear the easy solution, if you have a few extensions you should be able to speak Thai

Except that some people use ED Visa to learn Thai box, or even English language...

with Walen it is possible to study totally for free.

How can you study for ' free' at a commercially run school?

It was once developed in a discussion that I can't find anymore ??

They have a kind of pyramidal system: talk to your friends and in all Internet forum "how good W***n school is" and get some candid guys to pay for a course in that school; you will get a commission on what he paid, and on what will pay other people he can latter enroll in this school.

It's one reason why you can't trust any testimony about this school in forums...

PS: Found a list of ED Visa Schools of Pattaya, with address and details,

on pattaya-funtown.com (Click on "Thai Language" in the "Thailand Travel Info" menu on the right)

• B.E.C. Language & Culture School
  
• CTA - Certified Translation Pattaya Co. Ltd. (Language School)
  
• Easy ABC Language Centre and Nursery Co., Ltd.
  
• Excel Language Centre
  
• LC International Languages & Computer School
  
• Pattaya School Of Languages & Computers (P.L.C.)
  
• PRO Language School
  
• PROgress Language & Computer School
  
• Success Language Center
  
• Walen School of Thai
  

Many useful links and information there too

About: Learning Thai in Pattaya + ED Visa

I found many questions on the subject (by example on this thread or that one)

but not so many answers/recommendations

• Could people who followed Thai courses please give use their opinion about the school ?
  
• Which schools in Pattaya can be used for ED Visa ? Pro Language School, Wal*n, ...?
  

Due to recent changes in Hull consulate, I may take this occasion to improve my (bad) Thai,

but I am more interesting in being able to talk with Thai people than to be able to read Thai literature...

Thanks

I'm bored of wasting days and travelling so this time I spent 19000 for the ED and 6500 for the visa+laos trip,

25500 and it'll take 4.5 days out of my year.

Looks like you will "waste" a lot of more than 4.5 day

to meet the 150 hours required and the many travel to/from school...

Most of the semi-professional Thai sorts I know seem to earn in the 12,000 to 18,000 per month range.

Seems realistic figures.

An article in the BangkokPost this years indicate that the average salary in Bangkok area was a little over 20,000 baht.

BTW Thai people don't have to pay for their health treatments, while we have more and more example of falangs quiting (or fleeing!) hospital with unpaid bill of 100,000 baht or more

I agree in general DO NOT talk to baht bus drivers unless your intention is to charter the truck and pay the charter fare.

This could be true if you talk to a parked bahtbus, not one driving on his loop with customers aboard.

I nearly talk to the driver every time because at the North output of Soi Buakao bahtbus can go in 3 possible directions! (West to beach Rd, North to Big C, Est to ex-Carrefour). I never have been ask for more than the 10 baht since years that I use them. Most people living here will tell you the same.

Stop criticize this Pattaya bahtbus system, or at least go see how bad it is in Phuket before try to criticize.

Not in Pattaya. Don't you know yet about the "untold" law that if you open your mouth for any given reason you then MUST pay 10 or 20 times the standard fare for exactly the same route? to this you have to add that they have full support from the local and foreigner police/volounteers...

1- wrong

2- wrong

Please get informed before posting

To ask for 40000-50000 baht / month (1 year lease) for a 2 bedrooms villa with swimming pool is ridiculous.

Why? You don't give any information about it. "2 bedrooms" means nothing: I saw "3 bedrooms" house of 80 sqm only but one a "studio" of 220 sqm

Where is this house? Lost in the dark side, or direct access on the beach?

What is the size of the land? of the pool? how many garages? in a village or isolated? alarms? security guards?

You can find big nice houses at a lot of more than 50,000 baht who worth this price.

.. is ridiculous in the current economy.

Why? Thailand economy is very healthy

PS: To help a little more. You have PLENTY of houses for rent at about 20,000 baht. And you can easily find one at 10 or 12,000 in one of the many villages where half of houses are empty...

You have first to decide/indicate what are your criteria so that we can tell you what it "should" cost to rent that.

I think you need to become more aware of how Thai banking works here...

I think your are absolutely not objective about how it works (well)...

I will not develop because it's not the subject of this thread, but nearly all what you said is no Thailand specific and can happen in any country (skimmers very frequent in Europe). As I said before you need Pin or Signature to get money from a card or book. Not so easy.

I only know 2 cases of "bank problem" around me in 5 years: An ATM giving only half the asked amount, and 4,000 baht "missing" on a passbook without any operation of the owner. It was at Kasikorn South Pattaya and in both case the Bank put back the money on the book (just need of tens of signatures... )

I think it's ridiculous to try to afraid people in the case of this discussion: I really doubt there is any risk to deposit required 800 kbaht on a time deposit account in Thailand.

More and more the simplest and more hassle less solution for retirement visa. :jap:

The safety of your funds in a Thai bank is not the same as in the U.S.

Those who invest in Bernard Madoff certainly agree with you...

BTW, can you please tell us how you can get money from a Thai bank card without the pin?

or how you can get money from a passbook without signature and ID document?...

I have yet to find someone here who get this kind of bank problem that has not be solved.

I seriously believe the current retirement rules here are completely fair, well thought out and in fact easier than many other countries.

There is no need to change these rules

Hi rayw,

To make these rules "completely fair" I would make a small change: For guys who own their condo or house (and then don't have rent to pay) I would reduce the 800 k option to maybe 400 k in bank. Owning our own place is an investment and a guarantee that we have some money to pay in case of big problem (hospital,...)

How can a Thai official, with all due respect, check a Dutch/Chinese/Japanese bankaccount and income papers ? I meet officials with knowledge of English as poor as mine....

I agree. It should be ok for most guys with a pension (easy) but some others have very complicated income, in several countries, several languages, several currency, several periodicity, ... and they would need expert accountant to understand/verify that!

If embassies do not verify income anymore, the easiest and logical solution for Thai Immigration would be to impose that at least 65,000 ฿ are transfered every month in a Thai bank! (for those who not use the 800,000 on 3 month option).

Many people would not be happy with this solution, but sure it's what I would propose if I was high ranked in Thai Immigration. Easy to applicate; Simple to verify; No easy fraud because of use of Thai banks.

I would not be surprised if we have to do with such a solution in a not so far future...

The name changed, the people seems to be the same, the foreign products seems to be the same as before, except they are labeled Casino instead of Carrefour, but according to some sources in France, both come from the same suppliers.

I think you are right here, but there is still a BIG difference:

The products catalog of Carrefour was maybe twice the one of Big-C!

There were hundreds of products under the Carrefour label, mainly French products, that you will not find under Big-C/Casino label. It will be hard to now find them in Pattaya, or even impossible for some of them...

A big loss for many expat.

Hi. I am not British but I am very surprise that UK guys can still get a Passport by mail!??

It seems to me that most countries now have new "electronic" or "biometric" passport and then, when you live abroad, you need to go to your consulate or embassy for a specific numeric picture, for fingers print, ...

Do UK still use old system passports?

I disagree with:

1. Aircon is quite comfortable. Definitely not too cold.

2. The commercial time has always been a standard 20 minutes

3. Major attitude against Farangs - that's nonsense.

Hi,

I agree with you tropo,

I went see X-men Sunday at 8pm at The Avenue

- Temperature was fresh but comfortable, not cold.

- Commercials and trailers begin at 20:03, movie begun at 20:26. So 23 minutes. (I made attention on this point flowing this discussion)

- Price was 140 baht each

- There were about 30 people in the theatre

- Staff was smiling

I like this place and don't see it close soon.

Hi,

If this is "Heavy Pollution", how do you call that? (from USA)

But I agree that Pattaya urgently need of a big decent wastewater treatment station

and that Thailand need to educate Thai people about this kind of environment concern...