ballbreaker

Make sure you have USB drivers that came with motherboard installed. You should have a CD that came with motherboard. Usually the ones that Microsoft installs with OS will work but sometimes newer MB's may require latest drivers.

From the link you provided it would appear your notebook should work just fine in Thailand. You might need a plug adapter for connecting to AC socket but that will depend where you will live. My current apartment sockets will take standard US three prong plug but my last one would not.

For your info the voltage here is 220 VAC 50hz.

Well, after reading all the good reports about the fast track from Khon Kaen to Pattaya via routes 2/1/9/7 out of Korat, we decided to try it yesterday.

It was a very pleasant drive for the first 60-80 kilometers from Korat when we hit a road block. Police had erected signs saying the road ahead was closed and we were detoured off Route 2.

Now picture this....all the traffic traveling on Highway 2 from Korat to Bangkok is shunted off a six lane divided highway onto a two lane, two way goat track through the mountains.

This threw us nearly into Nakorn Nayok where we teamed up with Highway 305, which took us to the Outer Ring Road.

My first venture of trying the quick route took me 9 hours and 45 minutes and was exactly 84 kilometers longer than the more direct 304/331 route through the mountains.

Not a happy experience.

Never had that problem in five years making the run and during the last two its has been a monthly trip.

Don't need a PI. Just hook up with her yourself and then take photo's and send to friend. Its the least you can do for a bud.

I think you will find in most cases where a guy gets married to a local they move to her home village/town provided he is not working then his employer set the location.

I for one live in Bangkok and would not live anywhere else except perhaps Pattaya. I tried living in Korat but I was bored after 5 or 6 months so I moved to Bangkok. I enjoy Bangkok because it provides a lifestyle that is much the same I had back in my part of the world.

Wife pays the police 300 baht a month to come around 3 times a day and sign little book located in metal box hanging on front gate. Haven't had any problems while some of the houses on street have been robbed.

I hope it sends a signal to would be thieves that the police are collecting tea money from our place so better stay away or you'll make the police look bad.

Apartments in price range you quoted should be no problem finding.

Food options depends on type of food you desire. You can spend very little if you eat Thai food but if you desire western style foods it can run the cost up real quick depending on where you like to eat. For Thai food I usually stay away from street vendors and opt for small clean restaurants or food courts. Cost usually under 150 baht for the day. Western style food can be had for 150 baht and up per meal.

Health insurance will depend on age but for in-patient only less than 20k baht per year should be no problem.

The work permit is your problem, not the visa. You describe self-employment, on the internet, work in Thailand, so unless you intend to keep a low profile and be invisible to everybody you would be technically working in Thailand illegally without a work permit. There are many topics on this issue in the forum archives, do a search.

If you are 50+ years old just get a multiple-entry Non-Immigrant "O-A" retirement visa in the US before moving to Thailand. If younger than 50, or you don't want the trouble of getting a "O-A", get a multiple-entry Non-Immigrant "O" visa. These visas will give you at least 1 year of multiple entries into Thailand and are extendable for marriage to a Thai or retirement on an annual basis.

Yes I am over 50 and married to a Thai lady. My wife owns several hundred rai of farm land that I purchased that she and her family work and we plan to live in her village. that could explain our (her) income in case someone gets nosey. My 'work' activities involve telephone calls and emails etc and I was hoping to get internet speeds faster than DSL and use VOIP with connections to the USA via Vonage or something like it. Other than for voice quality and low cost calling, speed is not that crucial. Yes I can keep it on the down low and my wifes uncle is in the police there so we have whatever leverage that provides. Plus he wants to borrow money too and that may just be the protection I need. I'll have client payments go to my USA bank then wire money in small amounts so it looks like steady retirement income.

Thanks for the info. I'll search this site for other info pertaining to entry permits etc.

You are already above radar on this if you ask me. The fewer people that know what your doing, including family, the better for you.

Your over 50 and you haven't learned not to lend money to family and friends.

Have you even looked at the financial requirements for obtaining retirement extension of stays?

is there any bazzar at on nut square?

is it more local and cheaper than Suam lam night bazaar

Don't waste your time.

Do Thais have to show their ID cards ? If so, then yes.

I like this answer.

Go with a Core 2 Duo, 3 Gig RAM and 32 bit OS. I would also make sure motherboard has Intel chipset. The rest is not that important for your requirements.

Your in the situation now so make the best of it. Pay the sister and let the wife deal with problem.

I still don't understand why people hire maids unless perhaps both are working full time jobs. Even then I wonder if its really necessary.

I know the cost of hiring a maid is cheap in Thailand but really did you have one in the part of the world you came from. My wife and I get by without hired help by splitting the work. Its not hard and takes only a couple hours a day at most.

Don't use IE browser but suspect it may have a setting in options for handling of cookies.

About the lease, the lease would only be for the land as us farang are allowed to build and own the house, I think this is correct.

I trust my wife not to try to borrow any money against the land and in anycase any documents relating to the land could be locked away in a safety deposit box at a bank. Surely any of us could do this. Get the land documents and then go and get a safety deposit box at a bank in our own name. is this a good idea ?

I'm no expert, but I am sure that when a lease is registered, that a note will be made on the Chanote (deeds). So if the freeholder tried to borrow money using the chanote as collateral, a sensible lender would not advance the cash.

Yes a note is placed on back of chanote. In my case its a end of life usefruct with my name. Wife also made out a will leaving property to family member but lawyer said that person would have to honor usefruct. If that person wanted to sell land the purchaser would also have to honor.

In a situation like this who is responsible for repairing. Since it is the exterior of building one would think the building maintenance fund should cover repair. Anyone know for sure?

It's almost that time of year again when I must spend that dreaded day at Bangkok Immigration to renew my retirement visa. Is it possible to use a service company to do this for you? Has anyone ever used such a service? What kind of charges?

Thanks for any information

Suan Plu not a problem for retirement extension. I did mine by self two weeks ago and all was complete in 2 hours 15 minutes. Two hours of that time was spent waiting for my que number to be called. Cost was 1900 baht.

Immigration in Korat (verified):

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source...f03d84d91df360b

This link is the old location of Immigration office in Korat.

curious as to why you posted in the Bangkok forum and not the Ladies forum? If you are really interested in women's opinions it seems the more likely forum to me. If you are interested mainly in men's opinions then I guess this is the appropriate forum.

Are you saying women never read the Bangkok forum. I believe you are one so why didn't you respond or do you lack experience in Bangkok matters?

You should be okay. Remember the longer the cable run the more loss you have which means less of a fade margin when it rains.

Make sure you have good quality RG 6 cable.

Thanks , as the speeds don't seem to be that much different with the antenna connected '' Vs'' not connected, I am still a bit confused as to why ? , as you would have though having an external roof antenna connected would boost the speeds to a much better level ?

Although both use digital technology CDMA uses something called spread spectrum. Its much more robust with lower signal levels and interference because of the spreading of the signal bandwidth. With low signal levels narrow band interference will not affect CDMA because of the wide bandwidth but will cause interference with GSM signals which use a narrow bandwidth signal.

If you were to look at both signals using a spectrum analyzer the CDMA signal would look much like noise but the GSM signal would easily be seen as RF signal.

If you perform a google search "convert PDF" you get more options than the following two. PDF Ripper and Foxit.

Does anyone know a good place in Bangkok to do a checkup for Sexually Transmitted Diseases? They should be able to do an extensive checkup, and speak good english.

Anyone has experience with doing this?

oh dear dear me most places you go to will say you have something even if you dont, cos they want to sell you the medication, best just go to a good chemist and ask for : zithramax, not spelt right i know, but that is what it sounds like, 4 tabs first time 2 tabs 12 hours later, about 550 bht, clears up everything apart from HIV !! not that i would no, a friend told me

I have no medical background but I guestion the use of zithromax as a first line treatment for STD's. Perhaps someone with first hand knowledge will chime in on this one.

You must get it at the immigration office that you got your extension of stay.

ok i get it there, but do i get it before, or do i get it after i reenter thailand, and in what time window can i get it? i guess the answer is i get it before; but how soon before? and what do i pay for it?

Must get before you leave. Can obtain now and it will be good till your retirement extension expires.

Why would you think it might be illegal? They are selling a card that provides a certain data rate regardless of what the total bandwidth might be and you are not forced to buy.

The 90 day clock for using the TM 47 starts the day you enter the country. You have a plus/minus 7 day window to file TM 47.

What new stamps did you get for your 3900 baht and which office did you obtain extension?