expat_4_life

1 hour ago, bob smith said:

I arrived back in the land of smiles early this morning.

bob.

Welcome back Bob ... and all the admirers, detractors and haters.

What value is a man that cannot spin a yarn or tell a tall tale?
... be they true/false or mere embellishments 😁

45 minutes ago, SpaceKadet said:

 

I really hope they don't sell them any subs. Really wouldn't want advanced Swedish wartech that "sunk" US' latest and greatest aircraft carrier three times without being found to go to China. 

Nobody wants advanced tech falling into China hands.  Of course the naive high tech moguls that have moved their production to China and elsewhere (chips, phones, etc) have fallen victim to the lure of low cost production though it seems they did not think about the long term consequences.

How long do you think the domestic Swedish defense industry will last, now that they have become a NATO member?  Is the Gripen destined to become a relic of days past as NATO countries (Sweden just joined) slowly and inexorably get pushed to buy US military equipment?  F-35s anyone?
 

8 hours ago, bob smith said:

if I had my time again I don't think I would have chosen here.

 

Sorry to hear you're leaving mate .... we all had our time here, so to speak, as naive fresh off the boat farangs - would have been epic to meet you up for a pint

If ya change ur mind, hit me up in BKK, I'll buy, good luck

41 minutes ago, mikebell said:

Nobody thought to mention this when they were checking & taking my money!

 

Well, imagine the alternate thread title under different circumstances.

"Refused Re-Entry Permit - Well pleased with the service at Jomtien"

that would have been an epic thread

 

1 hour ago, radiochaser said:

I was in Udon Thani area back in 1972 - 1973.   The main road through town and the highways traveling in Thailand were paved then.   Almost no other road/street was.  All the bungalows had chairs or benches for those that wore laced up shoes or boots.  

Removing laced up shoes or boots was a pain during the dry season, but was a necessity during the rainy season.   Otherwise, you tracked mud inside.  

We never removed boots when entering communication vans or trucks.  It was a pain having to mop them out nearly every day during the rainy season.   At least in the trucks we could hose the mud out without concern for water sensitive electronic equipment damage.   Sometimes there was so much mud tracked into the comm vans  on our boots, we used a shovel to scoop some of it out.   

I remember this as the reason, both in Vietnam and Thailand, as the reason for removing shoes when entering places.   Not for hygienic reasons, for muddy reasons. 

Even here in the U.S. of A., there were houses built with "mud rooms" for the same reason, to remove footwear so as not to walk mud into the house.   I live in a 71 year old house and it has a storm door, mud room, and then the entry door.   

There are definitely practical/historical reasons for removing your footwear here and elsewhere.  Good examples. 😀

I don't have a strong opinion about the custom.  I fully expect to be asked to remove my shoes when visiting a temple or a private home.

In other places like a restaurant or shop, I just view it as a variation of a dress code which people accept without much thought but may find inconvenient or annoying on occasion.

1 hour ago, hotchilli said:

Two major cities holding millions of residents and 8 with measles.

It does seems a bit ridiculous 🤓

The article mentions Covid and anthrax of all things  ... are the health authorities longing for the "god old days" of relevance during the Covid era and now reduced to "concern trolling" ?

Meanwhile, in northern Thailand there is a real wide spread health crisis with all the burning and resulting smoke going on that has been downplayed and mostly ignored for decades. 

Are they just trying to deflect from the real crisis at home? 

 

1 hour ago, KannikaP said:

So come on, tell us which European country you are going to.

Must say "That's pretty rich coming from you", A member whose public profile doesn't disclose what country he's in, never mind where he is going to next.

It's also off topic.

OP want to know how can he stay on a few weeks past his current permission to stay date.

Do you have anything useful to add, an agent in Korat, or a summary of his options?

I see his options as: (he can decide what suits him best)
1) Renew his retirement extension
2) Pay an agent to renew his extension for him
3) Exit and reenter with/without a visa
4) (not recommended but also not yet mentioned) - simply overstay his permission to stay as he seems to have no intention to return anyway, pay the fine on the way out

Best of luck to the OP with his health and future

1 hour ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Thailand has thousands of little back country roads, but the countryside near the Mekong is the most scenic I have seen.

@Dolf@thaibeachlovers

In the end, it's always an eclectic mix of rural Thailand, services, accessibility, scenic vs practicality, time, and of course personal preference.  For tourists with a limited schedule here they are often being directed to the places that are highly promoted.

Myself, I'm good with most anything when I escape Bangkok, but I detest leaving the big city for a break and visiting another "city". So both of your recommendations are appreciated.

The "wee woman" prefers the beach, she has limited vacation time available when we typically travel, so the beaches suit the schedule and me fine - plus are relatively nearby.  Usually we do more local Thai tourist destinations (low international tourist traction), pick your province, PraChuap, Chumphon, Ranong, to the west and Rayong, Chantaburi, Trat to the east.

Must admit tho, both the north and the Mekong are worthy destinations.

Keep the recommendations coming.

PM Srettha, a real power player, dynamo, of the worlds international geopolitical/business elite.

Not too much of a stretch ...

PM Srettha, the latest in a "long line of distinguished leaders" that knows how to kick the can down the road.

22 minutes ago, In the jungle said:

Zero chance F1 is coming to Thailand.

To be honest, it is probably even less than that 🥲

2 minutes ago, Real Name Hidden said:

Royal Bangkok Symphony free concert in lumpini park Sunday at 5:30

 

https://www.rbsothailand.com/news/concert-in-the-park-no-31/

Was just looking up info to post on this ...

The concerts typically run each year from sometime around Dec 1st and into March.

This coming weekend is the season finale.

The Royal Bangkok Symphony Orchestra (RSBO) can also tbe found on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/royalbangkoksymphony

This lad is in deep doo doo ... even though he claims he didn't pull the trigger.

From the article:
"However, according to Pol. Col. Thawee, Mr. Piriyapong only admitted to being present with a group of friends on the day of the incident but maintained his innocence in the shooting. He denied any involvement in murdering the victim and pleaded for a fair and just investigation. He also cited fear and shock surrounding the events as the reason for his initial escape.

 

I want to suggest that this is the closest you can come

ผ้า ตกแต่ง ผนัง - loosely translated is cloth hanging wall art

after that you probably have to describe something more specific about
exactly what type of decoration you want

Good luck finding what you want.

Is this baby now technically or legally "stateless"?

What country/city was he born in?

4 hours ago, stoner said:

 

this old chestnut eh. 

 

pm2.5 is a far greater risk to thai children than cannabis can or ever will be. prove me wrong. 

Prove you're right, it was you that made the PM2.5 claim, what do you have?

Meanwhile, plenty of risk smoking Marijuana.
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/heart-health/marijuana-use-little-month-linked-heart-attack-stroke-risk-new-study-rcna140928

4 hours ago, brewsterbudgen said:

Didn't people have the same crises about books in the 18th/19th century, TV in the 1950s/1960s, then video games in the 1970s/1980s etc.

 

Things change.

It was also impossible to keep your teenage daughter off the home phone

4 minutes ago, dick turpin said:

You mention "bank letter obtained day before," always thought

this was required same day as applying for extension.

I have always, 20 years, obtained my "Bank Letter" the previous day.

Have seen posted many times that up to a week in advance is acceptable,
however I never tried it personally.  I've always done it the day before.

1 hour ago, TaoNow said:

Excellent trip report.  Many thanks.  I still maintain that these trip reports are the most valuable contribution to the Forum.

 

Just a note on Immo/CW:  

 

My 800K+ FD account is with SCB, and I use it solely for extension purposes.

 

So, every year, I go to the nearest SCB branch to the Govt. Complex, and they produce two documents:  (1) Is the standard letter indicating the balance on that day (after I deposit a nominal amount to update the bank book); and (2) An annual statement, which lists the balance for the entire year, month by month.

 

In my experience, IMMO/CW (at the online appt desk) seems to like the annual statement, since they go over that carefully with a neon marker. 

 

They also require a photocopy of every page of the up-dated SCB FD bank book.

 

The only cost to me is an extra 200 baht for the annual statement -- which I am happy to pay.

Are you sure you have a Fixed Deposit (FD) account - I referred to it as a fixed account.  In the US they are commonly referred to as Certificate of Deposit, CD?  This is a type of account that you deposit money for a "fixed term", commonly 3, 6, or 12 months (or longer) and get a better interest rate?

In my FD account the only activity is interest credits and an entire year is little more than a single page?  There is no access to the account except the passbook.

Since bank statements became a thing several years ago I've never been required to obtain a statement.  I have never made a deposit in the account since I opened it 20 years ago.

Are we talking about the same type of account?

The Westoids have the Asians calling each other racist now, SMDH