old wanderer

Got some fx emails today saying that to further interest rate rise have been factored in to GBP - so for the next couple of weeks GBP will be at its best- now is the time to move cash to baht.

Seems the baht is very strong and despite all the issues in thailand that would seem to weaken it it still remains strong. I dont know if the baht is an alternative play to the Yuan, which is expected to increase in value soon and steadily.

FYI, you may get better rates, if you have cash at an unofficial money changer in Pratunam - near Big C and the Kasikorn Bank - they are called Super Rich - you'll know when you are there as there are alot of top end mercedes sports cars around - but be careful as I think it is a bit underworld - also close is the mafia run bar open till 6am where the drinks cost 200bt a go - including orange juice !

Still if you want to benefit - get an offshore baht account and move GBP to there, then no risk of having cash in Thailand, but you benefit from Baht strength and future GBP weakness

Hi Kun Bob..pleased to meet you.

Excellent posting and very good advice ! You are dead right about the pound...it is sure to go up and very strong. The baht is the uncertain factor As long as the BOT continue to cap it at 36, we can only benefit Were the BOT music to stop, the baht could rise to 32 or 33 to the dollar and then we will only get 65 or 66 for our pounds. Lets hope that wont happen

By the way Super Rich (two offices directly opposite each other with same name ) has a competitor a few minutes away whose rates unbelievably can be even better ! They are located opposite the Platinum Centre on a corner on the main road, a few yards down from Pantip Plaza ( but on the other side of the road). So you can ring to check out rates before deciding.

Tel nos listed below :

Super Rich 02 655 2487

The New Xchange office 02 251 2249

Thanks for the phone numbers. I will call and see if the can do large exchanges and if they do AMEX Travler checks in large denominations.

I think I want a Tibetan Sky Funeral. Where they hack you up and let the vultures eat your flesh. Supposedly, if they consume your entire body, including your bones, you were a 'pure person.' I still stand by my earlier post that Terry Jacks' Seasons in the Sun must be playing in the backgrounḍ.

You know to be burried in the sky like you mentioned the Tibetan way, smacks of some of my ancestors (American Indian) that used to put the body on a platfom about 10' in the air. Sort of apeals to me.

I talked to my wife about this, acutally. I thought she would have me cremated, but NOOOOO...She is Suay (not Thai) and says she would do the same as when her grandfather died and she was 13 years old.

He was burried, and after a few years they dug him up, and using coconut water, cleaned and polished all the bones. (Wife said smell very bad, but look very beautiful). Then they lay the bones out in a casket, and have a BIG party....then burn....Have the monks set around the ashes all night chanting (so dogs and rats do not steal anything). The next morning all my friends come and poke around the ashes to find little pieces of bone and take and put in thier house so my spirit can be with them....She said she would make sure my spirit was in both our houses.

Some how I do not think I will have much say in the matter.

I like the name Tibetan Sky Funeral, but vultures picking my bones clean...I don't think there are winged vultures in Thailand. Maybe myna birds? That would take a very long time, Tycann.

Your wife's style of ritual is bizarre but beautiful in a thoughtful, caring way, Wanderer. Do her people believe that the spirit lingers? Fascinating.

Somehow, I don't think any TV members would do cleaning and polishing, but they'd be up for the party.

Yes they have some very strong beliefs about life after and spirits....About a year after she came to the USA with me she woke me up at 3:00AM one morning really happy....Told me the spirit of her grandfather had finally found her and they had a visit just before waking me up.

The polishing of the bones is for only the very few people that are held in the highest reguard....After I wrote this, my wife came and read it. Said she would show some of her nieces how to do it when it came time.

We hav been married for 10 years now, and she is one tough gal....Some Mexican neighbors broke the leg of a little dog they had....after a week she had me go down and traslate for her (Thai/Mexican) That if these people did not take the dog to a vet, I was going to contact my friends in the govenment and have the whole family deported to Mexico...The decided to kill the dog....my wife jerked it away from them and took it home...(I thought,,,,,here goes a $1000 vet bill). Next day when when I came home from work she was sitting on the couch watching TV with the dog wrapped in a blanket..."How the dog" I asked?

"Oh he be fine" she replied.....well she had amputated the leg, deciding it was too infected and broke for too long to heal....now we have a 3 legged Chiwawa dog that sleeps with us.

While I trust my Thai wife, I also wanted to protect putting some of my savings into projects here in Thailand.

This years we (i.e. my wife) has bought several expensive pieces of property in Thailand. We are building a house on one and maybe buying a expensive home in Hua Hin.

Naturally she told me "No worry, I always be with you".

I then told her the story of the people like us, but the Thai wife went to the bank one day on a motorcycle and got some money from the ATM. 2 men followed her on her bike and hit her with a pick-up truck. When she went down they robbed her money and the gold she was wearing. She died at the hospital. She had daughter from a previous marrage the farang had always treated as his own daughter. She was now 21. The house passed to her, and she kicked her stepfather out...... As I explained to my wife, you can never know what other family members might do.. (This story I read on this board some time ago).

The Unsufruct is the only way to go. It will give you up to 1 rai and the home until you die. Does not matter if the property is sold, inherited....etc. It is your home to live in, rent out....until you die.

We will have this on each of our homes. Now that my wife understands why, she has no problem with it. It will not do anything on the larger parcels of farm land, but sure is better than nothing.

double post

Any ideas of the cost of the SD card with the Bangkok or Thailand maps loaded on it?

I bought my Thai wife a NUVI 350 for Christmas here in the states. I will bring it to Thailand in April when we come for holliday.

I think I want a Tibetan Sky Funeral. Where they hack you up and let the vultures eat your flesh. Supposedly, if they consume your entire body, including your bones, you were a 'pure person.' I still stand by my earlier post that Terry Jacks' Seasons in the Sun must be playing in the backgrounḍ.

You know to be burried in the sky like you mentioned the Tibetan way, smacks of some of my ancestors (American Indian) that used to put the body on a platfom about 10' in the air. Sort of apeals to me.

I talked to my wife about this, acutally. I thought she would have me cremated, but NOOOOO...She is Suay (not Thai) and says she would do the same as when her grandfather died and she was 13 years old.

He was burried, and after a few years they dug him up, and using coconut water, cleaned and polished all the bones. (Wife said smell very bad, but look very beautiful). Then they lay the bones out in a casket, and have a BIG party....then burn....Have the monks set around the ashes all night chanting (so dogs and rats do not steal anything). The next morning all my friends come and poke around the ashes to find little pieces of bone and take and put in thier house so my spirit can be with them....She said she would make sure my spirit was in both our houses.

Some how I do not think I will have much say in the matter.

Too bad Thais are so zenophobic. Compare the differences in Kuala Lumpur. They made a plan to build an airport, 12 months late it was a done deal....and everything worked....

While there are some things I do not like about Malaysia, looking out how they manage government projects is certainly not on my list of thing to complain about.

The Thai government would do well to look at the plans of thier neighbors.

Some years ago (before I got married) I would troll through Nana and Soi Cowboy for a Thai that spoke pretty good English, and had a spakling fun filled spirit. I would just hire her to travel with me as my interperter and pardner in crime. I love to go to Lao places, and just off beat places. If I would find some lady that caught my intrest, I would send her out to fetch the girl. If I came up empty handed, well she was still fun to roll around in bed with.

It was money well spent and with a local guide got to see and experience may more thing that I would have otherwise.

Never had any problems about jelousy. We agreed on a per day price, plus meals and lodging, plus a bonus if I came back after a few weeks extra happy.

Why do you think they have Song Khran then, makes getting the water throwen on you not so bad...

I am having a 150 sq meter( Living area) house built, with a lot of covered walkways, and an outdoor covered sitting area done at a resort about 2 hours outside of Bangkok for 1.9 million baht. Since I cannot be there I had watched the construction of a lot of other houses at this resort by the owner, and they turned out OK.

I figured I could sort out and re=do what ever I really could not stand. We paid about 1 million for the land last year.

Since I live in SoCal where it is hard to even find a house under $500,000 (USA) these prices seem pretty cheap for me.

I have a simular problem. I am getting an multi O visa (family visits) and will use it in April, but I have to return from the USA a week later to teach a class for an airline. I usually get a B visa for this.

I did not see any problem with having 2 visa in my passport that were valid, and just specifying wich one I was using when I arrive.

Hate to waste the $125 for the O visa if it is going to get cancled a month later when I get the B visa.

The problem is I need the O in April to open a bank account and get a DL.

Suggestions?

Fron The Nation newspaper in Brief column 10 Jan 2007

The government approved two key bills

1. "allows a fiancee to demand monetary compensation from those who have sex with their partners."

2. "allows those whose spouses are having an affair to demand money from the lover"

You could be a rich man

I was driven to learn about various land titles in Thailand. My better half will run amoke with "good deals" unless I restrain her. It sounds like Kownam posted you are on your way to a Sor Por Kor title for the land.

the Sor Bor Kor. These are true title deeds, accurately surveyed and pegged (like a Chanott). They can be mortgaged and developed. But the big but is they cannot be leased, sold or transferred.

So what do you do with it if you want to leave?? Looks like this is land that is to remain in the family. It can be inheritted. Hence the Thai govt. reconized that some land had been handed down for generations but no title existed on the land, hence this process, but it is ment to keep the land in the family, not be purchased by outside investors.

I had posted a list of various titles in "Squatters Rights" a few days ago.

the Sor Bor Kor. These are true title deeds, accurately surveyed and pegged (like a Chanott). They can be mortgaged and developed. But the big but is they cannot be leased, sold or transferred.

I found this to be the most fasinating types of title. At first I questioned if you cannot lease, sell, or transfer it then of what value is it? Turns out the only way this land moves is by inheritance. (Sort of neat).

I wish some land I gave to some of my children for the future had this kind of title. As it was all the land was sold within a year and the money went into fast cars, parties, and fun things, and a few years later they were back needing more money. (Good luck. I told them). Told them I was broke, and needed them to support me....1 daughter has never bother to see me since.

I also have a Garmin Nuvi 350 here in the USA. I will bring it to Thailand in April. I have a digital version of the road map of Thailand on a CD. I was going to burn it onto a SD card and slip it in and see if it could be read??

Anybody have any comments?

Here is a link or just Google to find more sites:

http://www.iamkohchang.com/Real_Estate/leases.htm

Hope this helps.

I thought I would post a part of an article that was on the board some years ago. As you see, it is possible to get "squtters rights" title to a piece of property. Foutuantly all the land my wife has aquired is with a Chanott. which we some times had to pay for to get this type of a title, but I feel it was good insurance. We have 6 different pieces of property now.

Land is titled depending on its survey status. Make sure of the land title before you buy, often prices vary greatly depending on the type title, or you might find someone else laying claim to your rai after just after you finish building your retirement home.

"Chanott ti din" are title deeds with land accurately surveyed. If you have one, it gives you incontestable possession of the land. The most developed areas of provinces have these titles. But even in farang-friendly Phuket, for example, only 10 per cent of the land is under this title.

As it stands, most "titles" around the country are "Nor Sor Sam" or "Nor Sor Sam Kor". They are land title deeds in as much as clear records of ownership are maintained, and that they may be sold or leased, but they tend to be less accurately surveyed than Chanott titles.

If purchasing Nor Sor Sam-titled land that lacks clearly defined physical boundaries, ask the owner to stake out the boundaries and then ask neighbouring landowners to confirm his work.

And there are more. Sor Kor Nung, Tor Bor Tor Hoc, and Tor Bor Tor Ha are essentially squatter's rights registered at the district office for a small fee. Unlike the Chanott and the Nor Sor Sam Kor, they cannot legally be sold, nor can you build on the land if you are stupid enough to buy it. So be a prudent foreigner and ignore the Sor Kors and Tor Bors.

Oh yes, I almost forgot one: the Sor Bor Kor. These are true title deeds, accurately surveyed and pegged (like a Chanott). They can be mortgaged and developed. But the big but is they cannot be leased, sold or transferred.

So, also ignore Sor Bor Kor.

Chanott and the Nor Sor Sam Kor are the only titles over which a registered right of ownership or lease. Stick to them.

Phil Macdonald

The Nation

About 12 years ago I moved into a Thai style house with a young lady. She was always throwing plastic water bottles, empty cans out the window to collect on the ground around the house.

Naturally I yelled at her about this....Her reply..""not to worry, in 2 or 3 months the river will take it all away....(She was right) 10 weeks later we had 2 feet under our house.

It is not included in the gene pool me thinks

Since when has poverty been an excuse to justify doing some thing wrong when caught breaking the rules the rest of us abide by?

You need to visit SoCal, and see 12 million illegal Mexicans and the invasion they have led.....You can then get an idea of how bad it can be.

They use the same excuse that they are just trying to have a better life for thier kid...yada,,,,yada...yada.

I decided prior to marrying my Thai wife and preparing to move to Thailand, that when I got broke, sick, did not like fast bikes, good whiskey, and pretty ladies any more, I would just go to a bank with my least favorite shotgun and wait for the police to arrest me. Then tell them I was only trying to do exactly what I had learned from our Mexican neighbors....worked for them.....

I will be joining all of you in Thailand soon.

I voted for Cathay, I fly frequently across the Pacific, almost always buisness class. 2 times Cathay has upgraded me to 1st class.....what a nice gift....

I am taking my Thai wife to BKK in April. We are booked on JAL (buisness), and it will be my 1st time in 15 years of flying this airline.

At least it has good comments from some of you.

The bringing a bie in on existing plates is doable.. I know guyts who have done / do it..

The building a bike from parts is less so.. You cannot simply 'build' a bike or car and reg it.. I would love to build some kit cars (427 cobra anyone) but simply cannot get clear information on legalizing it getting it plates.

I was not expecting to find clear regulations for the above, just thought by betting to know people, a bit of tea money, and I could pull it off.

The other option is to bring the bikes in for competition, and then working out the stuff for registration later . I have a full set of race plactics for an Aprilia and a Honda CBR 600. (I do run them on the track...did 18 track days last year.....not too bad for a 67 year old geezer....still pretty quick too.)

I just sent him a PM. Maybe he will reply & let us know what happened. I would love to import my 33 year old Jeep, but I am not as brave as he.

I have a 66 CJ-5 that is all tricked out with a lot of "stuff". I could convert it to right hand drive with a weekend of welding, but everyone has advised against trying to import it.

HOWEVER....

I still may try and bring in a few of my favorite motorcycles with a Carnet de Passages en Douane which Singapre, Malaysia, and Burma reconize. Some motorcycle types have told me stories about crossing into Thailand and just baffling the customs people and them stamping it off....Other with a small impound duty.

In any case I always love a chalange, and it would not be like a car stuck at the customs office at the port, but just turn around and go back to the country that accepts my Carret.

Failing that since we own some property in a rual area, seeing who does the vehicle registration, and approach them about building one of my bikes from imported parts.....Being an old racer, I have torn virtually every part of my bikes apart at one time and another, so breaking one down and shipping it in sections is not a big task. In 2 hours I can have the total bike disassemble.

I might be the only Aprilia Falco rider in Thailand if I pull it off.

It does not seem to work out in my head but that is close to the 30% withoulding that came into effect 12/18. Ask your bank if you have to wait the 12 months for the rest of the money?

To quote my wife,,,,,"If you Farangs cannot respect the customs of Issan people then go set in your room and chuck wah, and leave the Issan ladies alone.

If that is a direct quote, well, my wifr would never say that altho uni grad and lawyer, she says it is bad talk

Got to agree "BAD TALK" and sort of shocked even me. Then my wife is a "poor" Issan girl that is not even Thai but Suay, and sometime she get mad, and says things that are not nice...

She does have stong feeling about Sin Sot, and when I was reading these post to her, she was pretty agitated.

While my wife's family did not treat her as well as your wifes family did their daughts, it was more important for her being the oldest sister to take care of the younger rather than go to school many days. so very little formal education....but she is inteligent, which is really what matters....

Now when she visits her little village she sits like Than Puk, with young and old sitting around to hear her wisdom. It is why I decided to return to the village and pay a large sin sot, and have a village wedding, to enhance the standing in the village of her family. It was a good investment IMHO.

What is the old saying? You can take the girl out of the country, but you cannot take the country out of the girl...on a post somewhere I saw somebody comment about how beautiful there wife was when they did not dress like a maid...same here, she is still most comfortable wearing clothes around the house that she was brought up around in her little village.

Let me offer some of you the BIG picture.

Life and success is done my contacts, and if I was trying to build a large company in Thailand, I would have been on that flight if possible.

It called NETWORKING...

I am sure that million baht would be paid back many times over.

Besides the money was for a good cause....

Don't think Thai Airways charged much for the flight it was also a donation, but again the returns are huge. If you remember HRH the Prince was invited to do this.

Since I am on verge of being retired, all the above is but intresting stuff to be observed.

As for:

Is it just me, or does the whole exercise smack of a sycophantic load of twaddle? 100+ people with more money than sense going on a pointless, global warming trip,

//section deleted//

with nothing better to do with his time? mad.gif

Or am I being harsh? whistling.gif

Edited by Astral

Yep classic class envy.

When I was in my 20's I started a company that was super successful, at 27 I bought a 73' world class racing yacht. One day I was recoving from an all night party in Tahiti by laying on the teak decks, when some <deleted> comes along the quay asking "who owns this yacht?" When I replied I did, the reply was, "Well you don't sail her by your self!".

So my answer to your question about being harsh.....YEP it's not you money, and not your business, and you are not it a heigharchy postion to make judgements on those above you.