Woof999

English, blue pen.

It would make no difference at all, unfortunately. There is zero thought or care given to consequences or repercussions.

Sure. This one: https://www.lazada.co.th/products/xiaomi-smart-air-purifier-4-lite-4-lite-i3288566649-s12198643421.html Only ordered it last night so not here yet.

Thanks for this thread. Just bought the Xiaomi 4 Lite to see how it performs. I assumed (wrongly) that the aircon alone would do a reasonable job.

Absolutely buy a known brand that you are aware of from back home. Pretty much every helmet I've seen in the shops here (including large dealers with multiple stores) are absolutely awful. I bought what looked like a decent helmet just a few months ago. It fell off a shelf last week onto a tiled floor (from about 4ft) and the main shell cracked. Most of the plastic sliders / visor attachments shattered. As Martin Brundle would say: cheap head, cheap helmet.

That's pretty much my situation. I have a fantastic gardener. Hard working, does good work and is reliable. I have one handyman that is of the same ilk, but if I ask him for certain tasks then he will send round the most useless, careless idiot that exists. I've been wanting to refurbish my main front doors for quite some time. I asked my usual handyman to do this and he sent round two of his staff. One was reasonably able but the other was a total liability. I supplied my own cordless drill with a phillips head attachment on it, set to driver mode and with low torque set. First job was to replace the hinges and properly position the door. The able guy used my driver quite well and then started using it as a drill. The other guy gets his mains power drill, which only has "gung ho" mode, and proceeds to start stripping the heads from pretty much ALL of the remaining screws and destroying my phillips driver attachment. No amount of me hinting that he should use the correct power tool (or use on of the many manual screwdrivers I put in front of him) did anything until I told the other guy to get him to stop. Using the gung ho drill to do the drilling and my cordless driver to do the driving didn't occur to either of them. This guy then looks at me with a "who the hell are you to tell me how to do my job" expression. Had a small bathroom refurbished and some of the work was done well, but they would lay my brass coloured tile edging on the bare (unswept) concrete floor and then scuff it around for an hour or two while they tiled the floor, by which time it looked like Edward Scissorhands had worked his best on it. Rather than address the problem (like letting me know so I could go out and buy some more) they fitted it anyway, so now I can't replace it without removing and renewing at least 20 shaped tiles. I could go on but I'd bore you all to death. Similar happens with soooo many other DIY / light renovation tasks, almost all of which I'm fully capable of doing myself to an acceptable standard, but all it might take is for someone to call immigration and I'm in the proverbial. That is the "is it considered work and against the terms of my visa" question I'd love to get a definitive answer to. I totally get that if I hired a falang mate to do the work then we would both be liable, but why can't I (if it is indeed not allowed) do my own improvements / maintenance using my own skills and tools on my own house?

Unless you're desperate to save money, I'd get a bus or taxi to Bangkok and then fly to Udon. There are flights from both Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang, the former being far more convenient.

1.) Party 2.) See 1.)

I can't remember any major problems with my True SIM card around the Nakhon Phanom and Mukdahan areas. Many trips there.

Indeed. With my first melanoma I was taught that the thickness (depth into the skin) was critical. The UK "wide excision" margin at the time I think was 1mm. Mine was just below but for safety they opted for the full works. Blood tests, the largest syringe I've ever seen full of some liquid that looked like it was glowing pumped into me while they then did some kind of x-ray to find the closest lymph nodes to the melanoma site. Those lymph nodes then biopsied, a wide excision (full depth and I think at least half an inch of the skin surrounding), plus 5 years (I think) of follow up visits. In the climate we live in, ANY kind of mole that I've not seen before gets an expert opinion even if I'm almost sure it's "normal".

If you can build to 12 meters then probably so can the owners of the other plot. The only guarantee that I am aware of is to buy both plots, which is likely out of the question. Of course another guarantee, assuming that the other plot doesn't face the same issue with yet another plot in front of it, is to buy that other plot instead. I am currently looking at a plot of land that has the same potential issue. The only other idea I've come up with so far is to have first refusal on the plot between my first choice plot and the sea view in front of it, at a fixed price. This kind of suits me as I want a "double" plot anyway but don't have the immediate means to buy more than one. Also remember that, if the limit on your build is 12 meters, that includes the roof. If that roof is pitched, then your actual view to the sea will be from maybe 8 or 9 meters up. If your new neighbour builds even to 7 or 8 meters (and why would they not?) then this will still impede on your view.

Thanks for the reply. There are two sides to the same coin. You cannot employ a foreigner who doesn't hold a work permit and a foreigner without a work permit cannot work. I'm my examples, would I be considered as working in any of the situations? If yes to some but not to others, what is the difference? Would my wife be considered as hiring a foreigner without a work permit (because work does not necessarily entail compensation). ...and yes, although you could infer a level of sarcasm or criticism from my post, I really do need help to understand. There are certainly grey areas and I'd rather have them closer to black and white.

Exactly what is considered as work? If cutting my own grass in my own home (wife's officially) is work, then what about cooking my own food in my own kitchen? Can I do the washing up? Can I do my own washing rather than using a laundry service? Is wiping my own backside considered work rather than paying for a Thai to do it for me. If laws need to be followed (which of course they should), then the laws must me published, unambiguous, specific and clear.

...and just to make that more confusing, although the UK is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, our Olympic team which comprises of athletes from the UK regions is branded as Team GB (although the full name does include Northern Ireland). Logic and common sense should have that as Team UK.

I was thinking exactly the same thing. Is there a detailed route map online anywhere? The locals aren't very good at dodging the current trains at about 40kph (or even slower than that for most that I see near me) so how in the world will they cope with up to 250kph?

So tragic but I'm almost becoming de-sensitised to this kind of story. The laissez-faire culture in this part of the world can be charming and often has it's advantages, but by the same token means (along with generally terrible education standards) that these mostly avoidable tragedies happen on a far too frequent basis. RIP young man and I hope your parents somehow find the strength to get through this.

Never when I've had my replaced.

Yes it does.

Don't forget that the 90 day report is totally separate from the extension. That will still be due on the 11th. I made that mistake after my first extension when the 90 day report was due at pretty much the same time. I "assumed" that the 90 day report would be covered and received the 2000 baht fine when I found it wasn't.

I'm guessing you didn't look very closely at the video at the 1m 17s mark?

PMSL Take a look at their "How to order" video on YouTube. Specifically at the 1 minute 17 seconds mark:

You might want to check out this video before deciding which camera to purchase: I have the dealer fitted Toyota branded camera in my Fortuner and it makes a familiar sound.

Authentic? So full of the obese and a 25% tip expected?

Taxi from airport to Mukdahan should be about 1100-1200 baht IIRC. I took a taxi about 2/3 of the way just a few weeks ago and it was around 700 baht. On the meter.

In the past (4 years+) I've obtained tourist visas from both Phnom Penh (maybe 2) and Vientiane (at least 3 or more). The latter was by far the fastest and easiest, with less paperwork involved. Phnom Penh needed far more banking info, for example. Scrutiny on the Vientiane > Nong Khai border crossing coming back into Thailand was also much less intrusive (almost non existent) than I've heard for many of the Cambodian crossing points. Things have likely changed since I last needed a TV. I understand that Vientiane might now have (and maybe require) appointments? Didn't when I was there. The only negative was that the queues could be quite long if you weren't there early in the morning.