phuketsub

Interesting. If you come across any good links to watchable stuff, please include them here. 

On 11/11/2021 at 5:54 PM, recom273 said:

I must have been on sub-bottom rung for most of the 12 years then, actually the last schools I worked had chalk boards. I would rather pay for ink refills than go home covered in chalk dust every day.

 

Totally agree with you on the presentations, in the schools that had projectors or flat screens.

 

The best writing system I found was this "liquid chalk" pen, on this smooth green board with grid marks, you could write really neatly and it was really clean. This "cool" school I worked at installed all new boards, gave all the teachers one pen, which if you lost, had to pay for a replacement - the thing was the school couldn't get any any refill liquid, so we spent most the first term not being able to write on anything. Classic. 

 

Back to the OP: I never saw the problem with the whyteboard refills, did the job, the trick is not to put not too much ink in when you refill and use clean syringes instead of the little droppers that always split. 

 

 

I even wrote to Pilot about the the refill syringes splitting. They got back to me from the US, but told me it was under the domain of their branch in Japan. In the end I just got a used dropper from the scores of leftover cosmetics and <deleted> that my wife spends an untold fortune on. It does the trick. Yo can also buy them very cheaply at any drug store. I hate just throwing them away after one use. It's just a waste and very bad for the environment. 

2 hours ago, worgeordie said:

A lot cooler this morning up North, had to put a shirt on.

regards worgeordie

Same even down here. It makes me feel like a total pussy after surviving five winters in Montreal! oh well. 

It sometimes blows me away at how few of the people here know how to read maps or take advantage of the weather radar. Even the guy who painted my house (at great expense) employed over 10 guys and had absolutely no clue whether it was going to rain or not. 

I offered to teach him and he just laughed it off. It's all about saving face, I guess. 

My daughter figured it out in an afternoon, but my wife still can't. 

Anyway, looks like the TMD got it correct that the LOW is moving west, but more slowly than expected. Anyway, looks like more rain today: 

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.

16 hours ago, andy said:

Wife got a 2nd 10 year tourist visa in early 2017, so very early stage Trump.  No docs requested, interview less than a minute, passport with visa in the mail a day later.

 

With previous visits to the US already I'm surprised at the rejection.  Were the previous visits also on a tourist visa?

 

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...

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. 

On 10/5/2021 at 11:46 PM, bbko said:

If I'm reading the Embassy's website correctly, if someone has a current B1/B2 (tourist) visa or one that expired within the past 4 years, they can renew it by mail (this applies only until Dec 31, 2021), if the visa expired more than 4 years ago, they need to make an appointment.

 

If you are renewing for a visa type that you have previously been approved for, a B1/B2 (Business/Tourism) or C1/D (Transit/Crew) visa, you may qualify for an exemption to the interview requirement. 

If you can answer “yes” to all of the following questions, you may qualify for our Visa Renewal by Mail Program.

1. I am renewing a B1/B2 (Business/Tourism) or C1/D (Transit/Crew) visa that is currently valid or has expired within the last 48 months (four years). This policy is in effect until December 31, 2021. All other visa classes must make an appointment for an in-person interview. 
2. I am physically present in Thailand. 
3. I was not born in or do not hold a passport from Cuba, North Korea, Syria, Sudan, or Iraq. 
4. My previous visa was not lost/stolen or revoked. 

https://www.ustraveldocs.com/th/th-niv-visarenew.asp#

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.

On 10/5/2021 at 9:55 PM, volsfan said:

I hope you mean 3000 baht, because the price to apply for a tourist visa is only 100 bucks. 

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. 

2 hours ago, AgMech Cowboy said:

Absolute rubbish. I had no problem getting my wife one even though she has no job in Thailand. But, she owns land, has a nice bank account and a 13 million baht house. She's not going to stay in the USA. Sorry for your troubles, but don't blame Trump. Good luck with your application; although, the border is open.

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. 

I don't really care about the vaccine that much, but what I do care about is whether or not the embassy will resume issuing tourist visas to the spouses of US expats. The policy quite obviously changed under Trump. My wife (who had already visited the US twice) was then twice denied tourist visas during Trump's term. Has anyone tried to get one since Biden took office? 

It still makes my blood boil....

Sorry if this is a bit off-topic, but I really want some info on this since the embassy never states what the actual policy is and just claims they make the decision on a case-by-case basis. 

For another update check the News section (top of the Southern THailand Forum section) from a report in Daily News, which says the service has been successfully tested.

and here is a link to the booking page in English: https://www.seahorse-ferries.com/Home/blog-single.aspx?args=8F9CB7482264B41CD3BF54927B0B72322BD776495FDF3ED7047A02C536C4365F7F1AAEDD07A4FF14

According to a report in the Thai language site Singkor Review (via my wife and Facebook), the service is now underway to Songkhla...however, I can't verify the authenticity of the report. 

Also, the report is attributed to someone named Wirot Enyepnut at 'Seahorse Ferries, Ltd", but has no info regarding contact details or on how to make reservations. That seems weird to me. 

I did find more here:

https://www.seahorse-ferries.com/Home/Home.aspx 

But when I tried to contact the number in Songkhla Town by phone, there was no connection. I will try to verify and update later. 

I've been here 30+ years, and finding clothes has always been a problem...for shirts, trousers and such the global obesity epidemic has been a blessing in disguise and many Thai retailers now sell shirt and pant sizes that were unavailable back then. 

But footwear is a nightmare. I am a size 14 (US). My mom used to send me some from the states before she passed away a few years ago. Now I have to buy <deleted> footwear online and it's too small, so I have to fold down the back part and just step on it, turning it into a de facto sandal. It's not exactly the look I want going into a formal meeting, funeral, etc.

Even worse is that the soi dogs have broken into my compound and chewed up the few remaining wearable pairs I have left. Anyway, any tips on where to source XXL footwear, online or elsewhere, will be very much appreciated. 

Just a head-up for anyone in this forum planning a visit to the 'after-hours' clinic at Prince of Songkla University that it is closed now. 

I wasted a whole afternoon driving down there from my home in Ranode (3hrs+) for a scheduled  appointment.

The staff said that the closure was clearly posted on the hospital website. Hmm. 

Anyway, just wanted to get it out there so that nobody else will be inconvenienced as I was. 

On a more positive note, it's "business as usual" for the underground whiskey trade there...the only silver lining I can think of right now.

Please no April Fool's post in this thread...It is confusing enough already. For me, I'll be happy with either Songkhla or PKK...anything that spares me having to drive though Bangkok.

Anyway, thanks to those who are trying to help shine some light on the issue. 

On 3/1/2021 at 8:42 PM, pontious said:

Any rumors when it will actually start.?

Nothing yet, but I'll post if I come across it. 

...insanity. The just keep going with these ridiculous 'infrastructure' projects as a blatant money grab. There was a story in KhaoSod recently about local backlash to all the money wasted on seawalls in numerous districts...too late, however...the damage is done and the crooks have gotten away scot-free...

Thanks for all the additional info guys. Again, I apologize for the translation slip on the length in the OP.

sorry, my bad. The length is 136m.