Onerak

Why they should not? The also have aspirations and dream. They also want to send their kids to fancy schools and buy fancy cars and go to european vacations. And keep their mia nois happys. They were unfortunates not to be born in a western country to earn dollars. I'm sure if they were born in a Western country they would have earned more than the average of the majority ethnicity. Median household income of Thais in USA is more than median household income of Whites. In fact median household incomes of any Asian ethnic group is higher than the majority whites). It is not their fault they they were not born in a Western country but fortunate to attain positions (by whatever means) where they can earn extra incomes to lead a life style of Westerners. Why be jealous?

Hmm. Five million cash in a bank account. Never knew any business person holding so much cash in a bank account earning such a meagre return. Business people have access to credit in case of emergency. The last time I heard so much cash in a bank was Clinton's https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/05/07/the-odd-history-of-why-the-clintons-keep-all-their-money-in-cash/

Every bar is just a front for a brothel in Thailand.

THis forum is full of horror stories that something or is gone wrong increasing the stress level of poster in his retirement . And yes, there are thousands that do it themselves also. But 15K provides lots of benefits to every party involved. Do I need to list the benefits? And why earn money if you are not able to share it with others to make your life easy and bring happiness to others?

10-year O-X visa exists for sometimes. Nothing changed because of that.

That is the exact reason I advice people to get a TV when they intend to convert to a Non-O. A tourist visa is superb easy to get and now with e-visa it is can be done from home. No more running around for documents, MO, PO etc. And one can charge their C for the fees. Once you have a TV, the 60-day gives you more breathing room after you land in Thailand. There is no rush to get things done. But many people try to avoid giving the $40 visa fee. These are the same people bashing Indian and Chinese every time their VOA fee is waived to attract more tourists. THese are also the same people who say it is superb easy to get a Non-O and retirement extension when I promote and describe the benefits of hiring an agent. In contrast, this forum is full of horror stories about not able to get their Non-O and extension even after spending days.

The question is why do you want to change it? To avoid health insurance?

Jurist staff know most condos on rental and they can hook you up with the agent or owner who is going to rent it. I was successful both in Bangkok and Pattaya using Juristic staff.

Are they going to check vaccination card. Which is meaningless really. May be subject to huge fraud.

Pre departure test was removed long time ago. May be few months ago. Don't remember when. If you're unvaccinated, you may be subjected to a random test in the pool of unvaccinated arrivals. If you're vaccinated, they will check your vaccination card.

There is no mandatory covid insurance from July 1.

Your European insurance will be accepted if it clearly says it covers Cover-19 for 10K USD. In the USA all, insurance covers Covid-19. What is 3 euro every day for immigration status?

You can get a professionally administered ATK-test also. Such tests are available in BKK airports. If in the USA, there are many places where you can get a professionally administered ATK-test.

Thank you all for your valuable insights about my future car choices. I reviewed the Yarris and it is very attractive and a solid brand that holds its value. If a buy a new one, I am more inclined to buy a Yarris. I was hoping for some insights on why should I not buy any car and continue with my current strategy of using Bolt for my local transportation and use my motorcycle for short run to 7/11 etc. in the back alleys. Any pros and cons of buying a car vs using Bolt?

What small cars (Subcompact) would you suggest for Pattaya - I can only think of three cars - Nissan March, Mitsubishi Mirage, and MG 3. Would like to get a subcompact to drive around Pattaya and may be to u-tapao (I go to Sattahip frequently) and occasionally to Bangkok. Is it prudent to buy a new one or a used one with less than 30K KM? I won't be driving more than 10K a year. Six months that I stay in the USA I drive approximately 3,000 miles year and recently bought a hybrid Ioniq 3. My budget is 300K BHT for a used one. If a new one I may go up to 550K. But would prefer a used one with at least driver side airbags and preferably with ABS. I have a motorcycle I used to drive around in back alleys for going to 7/11 or Rompho market or laundromat. I have been using Bolt for going to Pattaya from Jomtien. May be keep using Bolt instead of buying a car. But itching to by a car in Pattaya. I don't know why as I cannot justify the reason for buying a car in Pattay instead of keep using Bolt. My GF is dead set against buying a car. She says total wastage of money because I only stay 6 months in Pattaya. Want some debates on buying a new car vs used car vs using bolt in Pattaya. Pros and cons.