ballzafire

pattayahenry wrote:

"...in short, everybody in thailand shows disregard for the law, thats why we come here."

Say WHAT?!

Seems like a rather hurried move. A Multiple-entry Tourist Visa (METV) would have been better to have first in your case.

Peruse the forums here, as these questions have all been asked before.

Good luck!

I agree with the cautionary comments here. The trend is not good. And it is not just Thailand that is cracking down. Other countries of interest in SEA are also tightening, too, as well as some popular Central and South American locales (namely Costa Rica, Ecuador, etc).

But, if you want to continue to play the visa game, and have the funds to do so, go right ahead. Just remember who writes the playbook...

I think it's time to read the writing on the wall (like I already did a few years back) -- dancing the perma-tourist, visa shuffle in Thailand is not going to be possible much longer without a lot of hassle and expense. It was great fun while it lasted, but now, sadly, a losing strategy.

Time to pack it in and return to your home country and go back to work, until you can qualify for something more longer-term.

And trying to cut corners by arranging a quick marriage or starting a biz might lead to more grief than you expect...

While not much of a beer drinker myself, agree that 'bia lao' is superior to anything that Thailand can produce. But, certainly not the best beer there is.

Also agree that Luang Prabang puts Laos on the map. Vientianne was not appealing to me, however, nor were smaller locales (e.g. Luang Namtha up in the north).

As far as visas go, preferred the nearly hassle-free Thai consulates in Malaysia (i.e. Kota Bharu) to Vientianne, not to mention their shorter queues. No hassles at the borders, either (nice getting that free 90-day stamp every time). Obviously, not so with Laos...

But, what does it matter to me now... leaning toward Bali now for retirement rather than dealing with Thailand's mercurial immigration policies...

When it comes to Thailand's "welcome", the good 'ole days are definitely over.......

The swastika is an ancient sun symbol which has been around a long, LONG time...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_symbol

Off topic, but I think that landlords who view electricity billing as a profit center also view security deposits as a source of profit. The higher the per unit cost in an apartment the more likely they will have a mandatory cleaning charge at moveout and an inflated price list for "damages"!

Truth be told!

Da' aaaam right...

Hey, I have an idea for a great new FPS video game!

It's called "Get The Tuk-Tuk".

You basically drive around Phuket Island armed with .50 cals and rocket launchers blasting any tuk-tuk that gets in your way.

And if you see any jet-ski operators out on the beach you can dispatch them as well for bonus points!

Think it will sell?

There are taxis from the airport and are all a fixed price depending on destination. Ao Nang is 600B i think, but Klong Muang will be more i guess. You can get a cheaper taxi by pre booking and there is a thread about this already. Try asiareservations.net as they have been recommended by a few people.

Any other options on transportation to the Klong Muang area from the Krabi airport. The last post mentioned about 600 baht one-way.

It just so happens that I snapped another photo while I was there...

Krabi Airport Private Taxi Prices (08/2009):

There's also another one right next to it with basically the same prices so I just cropped the photo to show this one.

Note that if you arrange a "joint ticket" (share ride) it will of course lower the price substantially, as you can see here with the adjacent service:

Best of luck and enjoy Krabi !

The OP is in Krabi Town, not Ao Nang.

I remember a few years back hopping on a songtaew on Utarakit Rd. in town which was near the waterfront / Kong Ka Pier area, where a lot of the guesthouses are clustered. It connected with Phet Kasem Rd. which dropped me off at the airport. About 100 baht then, but now it might be more. Ask your guesthouse or hotel manager where the nearest stop is for this particular songtaew shuttle.

Alternatively, you could just wait for the official shuttle bus to show up where it dropped you off in town, assuming you took it there from the airport initially.

For others wanting more information, here is a fairly recent photo (08/2009) taken at Krabi airport which shows the shuttle prices to various locations:

Good luck.

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- go crazy!

Can't you do that, yourself?

There was a recent topic concerning "foam pads" for a bed but I can't remember what board. Try doing a search.

You might also just consider investing in some noise-canceling earphones (like the Phillips variety) and use them during the noisier moments. About USD 100.

Good luck.

Chose your location very carefully, personally I would strongly advise against some of the northern cities during the early part of the year during the burning season.

Seconded.

anyone know an outlet that sells small domestic water distillers??

Why do you want a distiller ??.....A water filter is more than adequate and you can buy these a just about any Tesco's, Home Pro or Big C's

One good reason is that a distiller doesn't require the constant expense of filter changing. You get consistent quality, too.

Filters begin clogging from day 1, so after a few months you may think you're drinking safe water, but, it is, in fact, coming closer and closer to tap quality all the time...

But, distillers require electricity, so there's a trade-off. They are also more expensive (but I've seen ones on Amazon that distill a gallon in a few hours that go for about 100 USD).

I've often wondered whether it would be economically feasible to set up one using relatively inexpensive LPG as the method of heating. That's something I might look into at some point, myself.

Anyone know about the scientific safety of drinking municipal tap water? Or where one could take some of it for testing?

While it may be safe to drink once it leaves the treatment plant, it may not be by the time it reaches your tap.

Be on the safe side and drink filtered water. Use tap for everything else.

There was a thread a while back discussing this where someone mentioned where you can bring a water sample to one of the universities or something where they would test it. But, why bother? After all, if the Thais are going to the trouble to filter tap water and then deliver it, that should tell you something...

I have a simple Hanna TDS1 meter I use to test water with. I discovered that my tap water had more than twice the dissolved solids as the filtered drinking water I buy. But what it doesn't tell you is what those dissolved solids are. That's the mystery you don't want to find out...

So, just drink bottled/filtered water and be safe.

Just curious... what kind of lock did you use? Did you secure it to something immovable?

If you used a standard bike lock (the ones with the circular-looking, tubular pin tumbler mechanism) keep in mind that those can be picked just as easily, if not faster, once you know how it's done (or if you've purchased the right tool through the internet, for example).

There are (unfortunately) all kinds of lock-picking 'how to' videos on the web now (mostly on youtube.com), and it would behoove everyone to set aside some time to watch some of these. I was shocked to learn just how unsecure most locks are, and the ONLY type of locks I use now are the harder-to-pick 'Abloy-like' mechanisms, such as the heavy-duty ISEO or ISON brands which are common in Thailand and can be found at Tesco, Big C, Carrefour, etc, and most hardware stores.

While you're at it, if you haven't already, invest in a cylinder cover (doorknob 'cup') with one of these abloy-like ISEO or ISON locks for both the front and back entrances to your house. Those simple cylinder locks (door-knob locks) are VERY easy to pick, as denoted in some of the videos (so, too, are the standard 'dead bolt'-type locks, unfortunately...) I always take one with me on the road and use it whenever possible. I'm sure it has deterred many a would-be thief (yes, hotel and guest house managers included....[ahem]) during my travels throughout SE Asia, where simple cylinder locks are standard fare...

I have instituted a permanent boycott of Thai Airways...

perhaps people should just stop eating all pate!

I agree. That stuff's bad for ya. Almost 100% fat.

yeah...so's cheese...mebbe should stop eatin' cheese as well...

On the contrary, cheese can contain upwards of 30 percent protein, whereas Paté de foie gras, for example (canned goose liver paté), is only about 3 percent protein with fat and cholesterol making up most of the rest. Not healthy, IMO.

Cheese certainly is somewhat fattening, too, but it's also nutritious. One can't say the same about paté.

Say, all this talk is making me hungry. Gotta go eat dinner now...LOL

Even tho I have image stabilization on my camera

Whoops. Missed that. Reading a bit too fast... LOL.

The new 'IS' -type cameras work great.

Life is like a breaking newsfeed...

You never know what you're going to read...

Better to be stuck in a cool building full of food than a tiny cage w/ little to none, while sittin' in the hot sun to boot...

If there are no sactuaries near then take them to the nearest temple with a large bag of dried food.

That's exactly what I had done, after receiving the same advice. I understand that the monks actually like the cats because they keep the rodent population under control and they don't cause any fuss or 'noise pollution' (unlike with dogs, for example).

So, yeah, by all means don't just dump them anywhere. Find the nearest wat or two for their new home and definitely bring the largest bag of kitten chow you can afford with you as a courtesy....