Mark1969

Online calculator for visa conversion rates: https://www.visa.co.th/en_TH/support/consumer/travel-support/exchange-rate-calculator.html

They do like rushing here. I walked into a cafe yesterday and was assaulted by several staff to order coffee before even being able to look at the menu on the wall. A lot of establishments here (also the people) are like that. It's not a relaxed beach destination. I hate that sort of desperation and rushing...

https://www.thaievisa.go.th/visa/dtv-visa

I'm really liking the Dtv so far. Not having to worry about immigration stuff, dates and paperwork makes a difference in my stay here. All I have to remember is the 6 month border hop.

I like Patpong. It has a blade runner lonely vibe that some guys like, especially on a rainy night. Some places are still open. It depends on the kind of guy you are. If you like happy drunk, chatty or backpacker type scenes or "English Breakfasts" it's probably best avoided. What kind of guy are you? If you are having difficulty with that question, spend a rainy night in Patpong and let it teach you something.

Not if you masturbate.

Yes. It's not cool to glare, you pervert.

Pattaya is a lot easier then those isolated beach spots. It's easier to get what you need and there is always someone around who speaks english. You can also walk and don't need to drive for food and supplies. One also blends in a lot better as a foreigner thus not attracting attention to oneself specifically. A lot of guys like that.

Most of them are not really condo's or apartments as many foreigners would define one. They are vacation or resort rooms marketed as a condo on long term leases. The cheaper ones are more like single occupancy hotel rooms. They have some true living quality condo's in bangkok but they are very expensive. One can reflect on what you're getting if you are coming to retire here after watching all those cheesy video's on cheap condo rooms and the cheap price rose colored glasses come off.

Thanks. Looks like 1 USD = 33.272367 THB for visa card withdrawls. Do you think I should switch to wise and get a thai bank account for a better rate? I'm going to lunch now...

It's free for me. All atm fees are reimbursed. As far as the conversion rate goes, I opt out of that on the ATM during withdrawl, but obviously get back baht not USD, so I'm not sure what conversion rate is used, but it must be my banks rate in the USA I'm assuming. Anyhow, it's much better then the Thai banks rate, I know that for sure as a couple times I accidently pressed the wrong button for conversion and was hit with a pretty high deduction. Anyhow, I only withdraw for living expenses and pay cash everywhere so it's not worth the hassle of juggling wise, a thai bank, etc. for a slightly better conversion rate somewhere and figuring out what that is. I'm not a plastic guy. I prefer cash.

I wonder if they do tax foreclosures on property here. All these foreigners who own condo's and plan on ignoring tax filing here could have the property siezed, even if they purchased years ago.

Some guy that entrusted his investment to other people to take care of and manage while he lived abroad. He would get a really low price if he ever decided to sell, espcially with the wall cracks. He would need to be around to make sure the place was presentable or anyone he paid would probably not due much work or just pocket the money. He is probably too old to want to bother with it anymore. One good thing about having a long term tenant on a year lease is they will sometimes fix up and beautify the property because they are living there, and/or buy new furniture, if you're lucky. They also serve as a kind of agent for the owner who can communicate with building staff, etc when something needs fixing. All stuff the owner would not need to hire someone for. A caretaker, basically.

326. The Chronic 327. The Stroker 328. The Chronic Stroker 329. The Ball Breaker

I went through that same sort of hassle. I solved it by getting the DTV visa. Now I just use my home country account and withdraw cash from the atm. It's a long way around but it works for me.

It's immaturity.

Probably because I don't really want to be in Thailand. For years I have lived in major Thai cities that are not really my cup of tea, trying to save money to return to the Usa and buy a retirement home there. I never seem to have enough to make the return comfortably, so I kind of live in "cheapish" condo's in cities with major airports, expecting to move out of thailand any day now and never making much of an effort to settle in. Years have gone by and I'm still here.

I'm kind of old school and tend to stay with what I paid years ago. Maybe I need to start looking at higher priced condo's, like in the 25-30k range?? 15-20k are the ones I'm targeting now. 40-90 square meters roughly.

Another problem with the unit was no mosquito door screens on the balcony. What kind of moron would not build screens on large patio doors leading to an open living space in a hot tropical climate? It's called "natural air conditioning". Otherwise known as cooler air at night for the rocket scientists out there. Even if you were an a/c guy you would still want to flush out all the hot air in the evening before you turned on the a/c. That way you are not running it for hour forcing out hot air with nowhere for it to vent to every night.

I asked for it to be turned back on to check water pressure. The problems surfaced after that. Always check water pressure! (or, in this case no pressure at all 🤣). It spurted in the bathroom and nothing in the kitchen so I know it had been turned on. In the bathroom sink it spurted out in two streams, but not enough to wash your hands easily. The agent said the whole faucet needed replacing. Was pretty embarrassing (loss of face) for the agent and their company as well. They probably would have just rented it if I paid the deposit that day without checking it. I also flushed the toilet and when I lifted the lid and looked in the bowl there was a large plastic bag in there of something which was strange. Someone had tied stuff in a plastic bag and left it in the toilet. 🤣 There were also strange fairly deep cracks in the walls in the main living area, which looked like earthquake damage. It was something to consider however as it was a very tall building, possible something going on with the structure of the walls or the drywall. I'm not an engineer so can't say for sure if it was superficial or not, but it was unsettling being that high up. If they call back reporting it fixed perfect I may go back to review and I will post some pictures here of the cracks in case someone knows here.

Good point. If stuff is not fixed and it's dirty it most likely means they are running out of money, not that they are lazy. I was thinking it was just laziness. I'm always worried about deposit returns. It was actually a top agency in the area, not a sketchy agent.

Rent

Does anyone know what the Juristic Office is getting out of repairing and managing condo's? I have been to a couple units where they are not doing their duty but I have been told by either the agent or the owner that they were handling it? Do they get paid by the owner (absentee in another country) and then just slack off or are they doing it for some other reason? When I entered with the Thai agent they kept their shoes on. 🤣 The floor inside was dirtier then the hallway.

I'm meeting more people who actually say they want to leave, not stay. Your theory may be outdated.