phuketsub

Interesting weather...we seem to be at the middle of a moderate sized low pressure system now. Usually we would be getting battered by monsoon bands coming from the east this month, as we were last week. At least the spiral effect means that wind is not so bad and at times is even blowing offshore....I guess it's like being in the doldrums. I guess it is better than the normal bashing, though. TMD Forecast: The active low-pressure cell covers the middle South of Thailand. It is expected to move to cover Andaman Sea by tomorrow (14 November 2021) while the strong northeast monsoon prevails across the Gulf of Thailand. Very heavy rains are likely over Chumphon, Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat Ranong and Krabi with isolated heavy rains over Prachuap Khiri Khan, Phatthalung, Songkhla, Pattani, Phangnga, Trang and Satun. People should beware of the severe condition that may cause flash floods and overflows. Residents along the Gulf beware of inshore surge. The strong wind forces the waves 2-3 meters high in the Gulf, more than 3 meters high in thundershowers, and 1-2 meters high in the Andaman Sea. All ships should proceed with caution, and small boats keep ashore lasting 14 November 2021. so if they are right, I guess this is just a lull...we shall see....

Depends on your personal goals. If they include actually imparting knowledge to the students, be prepared for frustration and lots of wasted time and government red tape. There will usually be a small subset of students who are eager and willing, but it's usually very difficult to spend as much time with them as you want since you have to spend so much time trying to control the rest.

Q: With previous visits to the US already I'm surprised at the rejection. Were the previous visits also on a tourist visa? Answer: Yes RE: Also a "Thai lady consultant who assists people in getting visas" - LOL, sounds totally legit. You cannot "assist" someone with a US tourist visa, though I'm sure she'll gladly take your money anyway... COMMENT: She was there helping some other guy get his wife a non-immigrant visa; when the guy saw how upset I was he asked her to help. She never asked for any compensation. Thanks for your input.

Wow, I didn't know about that -- thanks. Sadly, my wife's previous visa expired more than 10 years ago, but hopefully others might benefit from this knowlege.

The actual application cost is only a small part of it. It is also two r/t tickets to Bangkok (we live in the South), lost wages, hotel expenses, ensuring care for our elderly inlaws, taxi fees, etc. To be fair that was just a rough estimate, though.

I was pretty specific in the original post that I didn't want to make this political. I do appreciate the input. I guess I'll just have to try for an immigration visa, though we have no intention whatsoever of moving back there. I simply don't understand why their policy makes it harder to get an 'immigration' visa than a simple tourist one. The other point that I didn't mention is that our 15-year-old daughter is now studying in the states, living with my sister. Of course I could try again and provide documents to prove it, but my wife said that last time the officer didn't even bother to look at all the documents we provided at that time. Also, my wife is a school director, lives in a multimillion baht home and has two elderly parents in her care.But...no can go to the States again, even though she did return after two previous visits. Unreal.

Has anyone in the forum been granted a US Tourist Visa for a Thai spouse since Biden took office? My wife went to the states twice before pre-Trump (2005, 2008), but her previous visa expired in 2011. I tried twice during the Trump administration and provided every possible document to ensure she posed no threat of doing a Robin Hood. After she was rejected the second time, a Thai lady/consultant who assists people in getting visas told me that 'the new president' (TRUMP) had changed the policy and that the Embassy no longer issued Tourist Visas to spouses. I can't even begin to explain the frustration and lost and money, but the saddest part of all was never once being able to speak with Embassy staff in person to get an explanation or advice. So I want to know if anyone has had one issued since Biden took office. Thanks in advance for any advice anyone can offer and, please, let's not turn this into a political debate.

Well, I went out there again yesterday and they keep piling on the sand, which I duly run up and down. By chance the abbot (I presume) of the temple came out and spoke to me with questions about my strange exercise regimen. We had a nice chat, but they the topic quickly turned to the seawall project and he filled me in on a key piece of info that I was unaware of, even though I am I pretty obsessed with this topic and have reported on it before. Everyone in the area knows that the 'high tide' zone is now about 30 meters inland from where it used to be. If you ask old people in the area where they were born they just point out to sea. But what I didn't know was that back in the day, they actually dredged sand from the offshore seabed in the area and used it to build roads! That, coupled with the horrific environmental effects of so much prawn farming in the area, account for much of what we are witnessing these days. I am not a 'global warming' denier or anything like that, but I really believe that it is just horrible land use in the area that is the main culprit in these parts. And I will add one more issue: by piling so much sand along the shoreline they have blocked many of the 'natural' (to the extent that anything in the area is natural) drainage waterways...It doesn't sound to me like good planning with the monsoon season ready to hit. Where I grew up (Cape Cod, Massachusetts) the sand dunes are very carefully protected with sea fences. People aren't even allowed to walk on them, as their stabilization is the key to limiting erosion. I got to see this first-hand in Phuket during after the tsunami. The areas with healthy dunes and beach vegetation (such as Karon Beach) were not so badly affected, whereas areas with man-made stuff (ie. Patong) suffered badly. Sadly, I have given up on ever trying to explain this to anyone locally. It's just a lost cause so I am going to enjoy my sand dunes while they last and just take it in stride.

Thanks Stocky!

Here are some pix of the beach now. All of the bitumen that covered the new seawall is now gone, which actually makes it look a lot better because that stuff was like a glue for all the plastic garbage that washes up. I have no idea where it all went... Now they are dumping truckload after truckload of sand on the beach in preparation for the monsoon season. I have been using the piles to jog up and down on before go for a swim and it is really good exercise. Of course the whole thing is a colossal waste of money, but rather that dwell on it too much I just try to enjoy having my own little fitness park while it lasts -- because all of Ranode is as flat as a pancake.

My workhorse Hatari floor fan is acting up after three years of intensive use. Symptom: an annoying vibrating sound that makes it impossible for me to work (I am a writer) when it is on. There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with the motor, so I hate just throwing it away and buying a new one (always my wife's advice). Questions: 1. Has anyone had similar problems and how did you deal with them? 2. What is the most reliable fan brand available here? (I still have some old Japanese-made wall mount fans that are over 20 years old and they work fine) 3. Is there a good, reasonably-priced shop somewhere in Phuket Town that specializes in fan repair that can be recommended? 4. Are there any other possible uses for the motor? If it still works I hate to throw it away... Thanks for any help