NanLaew

Yes that rings a bell. Thanks for doing the follow up. Has the 200 baht/day got a cap on it? That could be quite spendy if someone decided it was just too much of a hassle.

Much the same as my status so I can rest easy...or at least rest easier since the standard rule of 'there are no rules' still applies. Thanks.

Depends when your 'next time' is, no? If you recently extended your 'marriage visa' than you won't plan on going to CW for a 'visa extension' until next year? I am sure the fine for late/not filing the 90-day is capped but despite the half-a-day inconvenience, I would go and take care of it. It could be an error but what happens if they reject your NEXT 90-day as well?

Not in Perth, WA based on my recent experience. I would use a taxi to go to various destinations purely because of the convenience of a taxi rank across the street from the downtown hotel. Never had an issue as they all used GPS to find the destination. However, once out on the rounds of shopping and visiting, it was always an Uber from place to place and back into town as they were very quick and efficient and you meet all sorts of interesting people doing the driving. Most of them weren't Aussies.

I found a Snowdonia Black Bomber that had lain untouched at the back of the top shelf of the fridge for at least three years. Peeled off the wax and it was eminently still good. Some of these 'use by' dates are worth ignoring.

I am planning doing a passport shuffle on a short business trip to Ho Chi Minh City later this month. I have a retirement extension in one UK passport that will expire on my day of departure and I wish to re-enter on the 'clean' UK passport and get the ball rolling on obtaining a one-year multi-entry Non O (Thai spouse) at the RTC in Savanakhet after my next overseas business trip. The prices for a r/t using Nok Air and DMK are exceptional value including my domestic r/t compared with my usual routing via BKK and regular carriers. My question is how hard-nosed could the DMK immigration be on seeing I am re-entering within 24-hours, without a visa but having a long history of extension-enabled stays in Thailand on my other passport showing in their database? I have little experience of international in/out via DMK compared with BKK, hence asking for opinions and experiences here. Thanks in advance. NL

For context. I have had an account at the high street branch of a major UK bank in a English city since 2018. It has a dual currency option that would only be 'switched on' upon application and AFTER six months good banking and credit history (the time delay and credit report wasn't in the small print). No worries, I'll do it next time I visit. Last December on a short visit, I walked in and after showing my ID, asked that I wanted to 'switch on' the dual currency option. As I now had over four years of a banking and a clear credit history, I thought this would be easy peasy. The customer service chap said I would need to make an appointment to see a banking advisor in order to do this. I said ok, let's make an appointment then. He said appointments are only taken online or via their banking app. So I logged into their app and saw the earliest open appointment date was the following Tuesday and I was flying out that weekend. In all the 15 minutes I was in this branch, I only saw one other customer come in and do any sort of transaction so they weren't exactly busy. Anyway, in the future, I think this will be the way of walk-in banking here in Thailand as well. They are already getting their panties in a bunch here over 'virtual banking'.

Blue cheese on a pepperoni pizza. You'll thank me for it. For those with a higher threshold of gustatory perception, I thoroughly recommend my haggis pizza (blue cheese optional).

There's all sorts of government-sponsored incentives to get the local domestic tourist out and about and spending cash in hotels. In order to avail myself of these benefits, I get my wife to make the bookings.

But it's NOT Sydney is it? There's absolutely NO defence for the various government authorities and trade associations continuing to ignore the fact that the Phuket taxis are probably the most egregious and most disproportionate rip off in the whole blighted realm.

My oldest has indicated he wants a laptop for his birthday in late April and he wants something that would be decent for gaming as well as for college. He's not a 24/7, always-on sort of gamer but thinking about getting something that's maybe an entry-level gaming laptop rather than a 65k baht ASUS ROG sort of machine? For example, we've maxed out an old i5 for the home gaming machine and when he comes across the few games that don't fly or crash, he moves onto a game that does. I believe Ryzen may be a better CPU option versus i7 machines depending on your price break? Any tips and guidance on this? Thanks! NL

That's all a bit imprecise, no? I live in a private house in a moobahn on the outskirts of Udon Thani which precisely matches your location of being "outside Pattaya NaJomtien area" same as Bangkok, no? I did rent in a village on the "dark side", up Nongplalai way for about five years. The first couple of years was well after the developer had completed all the construction and the homeowners were still struggling to form an association to take over garbage management, pool maintenance and security. The foreigner owners were more proactive and the holdouts tended to be the Thai owners. The waste management company was given a list of these homes where they were NOT to collect garbage from. It was nice to see tehm taking responsibility and loading bags of rotting garbage in the the back of BMW's and Fortuners rather than pay 20 baht a month for someone else to do it. About six months later when a proper key-card system was implemented, the non-payers found they couldn't get back in no matter how much they shouted at the rent-a-cop in the guard box. I heard the brother-in-law is good bet for a pair of safe hands.

Somebody knew who his father was. ...and the price was right.

As with a post above, most hotel fridges would not hold 5-10 kilos of cheese. I remember, once in USA 5 - 10 years ago, having the branded container of hummus I had just bought for a carry-on lunch confiscated by the TSA before a domestic flight. A couple of times while similarly in transit with a sizeable 'import', a quiet word with the Concierge or the F&B Manager was sufficient to see the 'illegal' consignments safely stashed away in the hotel's kitchen fridge overnight. The bonus is they won't forget to bring to to your room before you check out and thus eliminates the risk of oneself leaving it in the room fridge (like I did once!)

More toxic and harmful than say oil, gas and their byproducts?

Just in case members can't tell the difference between a politician and a fighter jet maybe? Back on topic, isn't it acceptable for a former high-ranking officer to have such a display arranged by his progeny who is also a former high-ranking officer in the same service? Unless these politicians are suddenly worried about carbon footprints, they're not going anywhere with this complaint. Your party is called Move Forward so please try harder and do something more pithy and more meaningful for your 'subscribers'.

They don't? They still come in their millions, tens of millions. Which is why the Thais don't give a rat's fart about any complaints, even if they often pretend they do - for a day or so until the news has moved on and it's all forgotten. Again. Spot on Barry. But you know the usual suspects on here have to gurn about something or else their sad and empty lives will become even more unbearable. Some sort of salve for their own inadequacies maybe?

Different people see different links on their browsers depending on their browsing history. So, what's your interest in 'scrounging' sites? Bonus question: What are they?

No. Did you go to Thailand for three months to have fun sometimes alone without them? Not Thailand, no. Brazil was where I relaxed and unwound. Does that make a difference?

I feel sad for the trolls that denigrate a dead man they never knew and his family.

Such compassion.. amazing. I'm more overwhelmed by the ignorance.

Then again, they may be Catholic.

Many people, including myself, work away from home, in different countries, for anything between a few weeks to "three full months" at a time. Do I need to apologize to my two sons for being a bad father?

Thus speaketh the friendless.

Just after New Year, an acquaintance of mine had a nasty fall from his push bike while doing his daily exercise runs. Head injuries, concussion, broken collar bone, broken ribs and a punctured lung. Being over seventy and, like a lot of old, long-time lurkers in Thailand, bereft of insurance, it fell to his circle of friends to contact his family while he languished in 25k baht/day ICU. A GoFundMe page was also set up by his daughter and son before they flew over, assisted by the same circle of friends, to sit bedside. This same circle of friends, including myself, also made local cash donations to keep the hospital account current. My acquaintance wasn't totally bereft of savings having been unable to do his annual home visits during Covid but those 'savings' were quickly wiped out by the ICU bills. This circle of friends also took it it turns to keep visiting him regularly and ease the bedside vigil of his relatives. The good news that he's out of ICU and was discharged last week into a local nursing home. Unfortunately, they had a Covid outbreak and he caught a mild infection and was moved back to the hospital. However, they reckon he'll be discharged next week and physio will be part of his slow recovery. The circle of friends now includes the 31 people who contributed $6,281 to the GoFundMe. Nobody had to 'beg for money' here.