Galong

22 hours ago, MisterBKK said:

I am jealous of the bike trip - sounds like fun!

 

Yeah, stuck way too long on Phuket.  I'm really looking forward to getting out in authentic Thailand.  There are parts of Phuket that are laid-back and very Thai.   I live on the edge of Phuket Town and I'm the only Westerner in my area... it's nice, but it's not Isaan.

I hope you get to get out soon too... cheers. 

2 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

About half baht total off best rate for the time of deposit.  

OK, I can live with that... thanks a lot for this info. 

9 hours ago, EVENKEEL said:

I started having my SS deposited into US bank and simply went on SS website and changed to Bangkok Bank. It went smoothly.

I assume you went via the Direct Deposit account, correct?  BTW, how was the exchange rate?

9 hours ago, bergen said:

In Ubon, I will recommend The Outside Inn on the far east side of Suriat rd, Padaeng Mansion on Padaeng rd, and T3 House on Sapphasit rd.

The first is a 25 min walk away from the city park and has a restaurant with excellent Mexican food (and more) The 2 others are closer to the park, and Padaeng Mansion is right across the rd from Wrongway Cafe, the most popular farang hangout in town. They will cost around 500 baht/night.

Thanks a lot, Bergen!  I just looked at The Outside Inn.  It looks ideal... just the type of place we're after!  Having Mexican food is a definite bonus.

T3 looks nice too.

Thanks for your input. ????

13 minutes ago, Tonypandy said:

Wait for it, the test was 3 questions, you then print off the pass certificate. 

What were the three questions?  Obvious answers or tricky wording? ????

35 minutes ago, Galong said:

Cool, thanks for the info! ????

I actually looked at the Gun 8.  I'll check out the 2 Sisters. 

Geez, I'm getting old... you meant two sister hotels for The Gun, not a hotel named 2 Sister. ????‍♂️

2 hours ago, tweedledee2 said:

    We live near Surin and our daughter works the front desk at The Gun Hotel. The area is relatively quiet with minimal street traffic. There are 2 food, drink and entertainment areas within a 5-10 minute walk. There is a covered, lighted concrete parking area for bikes and motorcycles, near the front entrance with cameras.

     There are also 2 sister hotels, the Gun Hotel 8 and Gun Hotel Premium. All 3 of their properties rent rooms daily and long term. Surin has numerous hotels that rent rooms long term due to low tourist travelers. 

     The logistics of booking  rooms in each of the cities you plan to stay may be a nightmare. 

Cool, thanks for the info! ????

I actually looked at the Gun 8.  I'll check out the 2 Sisters. 

25 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Be nice if I could even get through to set up a Soc Sec acct.  Failed and or ignored numerous times, and Manila can't help w/ online registration.  I tried online and long distance calling.  What a joke.

 

Actually don't need it now, but would be nice to access info from.

Yeah, the SS site is a bit messy.  First, you have to do it during their office hours.  Even then, it often shows errors when I try to log in.  I just try it again and it usually works. You'd think they'll have this site perfect since it's so critical for so many people, but alas...

I did it without being on a VPN, but if you've got a VPN program, you might try showing that you're in the US.  

14 minutes ago, SunsetT said:

People who live locally dont usually live in hotels so will have little knowledge of them.

 

When travelling I usually use agoda.com and check their numerous guest reviews. In a search they usually throw up a limited number of their favoured hotels, but if u use their map to zoom in on a location u will see all their hotels.

 

Good luck and stay safe away from the Thai death trap highways as much as possible.

Yeah, but folks who live there do pass by nice local spots or have friends come and stay in local spots. I've lived here for 29 years and I know a bunch of nice hotels and guesthouses ????

Yeah, the roads are scary for sure. I got nailed from behind last Nov by a motorbike. He readily admitted he was on his phone... geez, scary.

A buddy of mine from Chiang Mai and I (from Phuket) are planning a long cycling trip in Isaan starting mid January.  We'll meet in BKK and travel to Korat, Buriram, Surin, Si Sa Ket, and Ubon Ratchathani.  I've found several hotels along the way, but I'm looking for local knowledge/suggestions.  The main thing we're looking for is quiet.  Ideally, we'd like to NOT be on the outskirts of town.

Our desired price range is 500 - 800-ish baht per room.

So far I've found "The Color Place" in Korat, QOO in Buriram, Klim Hotel in Buriram, Paradise Resort in Buriram, The Gun Hotel in Surin, Tree House Hotel in Si Sa Ket, the Rapeepan Ville Hotel in Ubon (a bit above our desire price range, but looks really nice), and The Bliss in Ubon.

Any other suggestions would very welcomed.    We'd be grateful for dining suggestions for local food too, please.

Much thanks in advance for any assistance. ????
 

2 minutes ago, tonray said:

I have been here more than 6 years....that's the norm with Thai businesses not the exception. Although I must say I have had very good email response from Bangkok Bank myself.

Yep, I've been here just over 29 years and sometimes I get good responses from businesses here and other times crickets.  When it's something important, I get more crickets. ????

Oh well, might as well roll with it.  Cheers.

1 minute ago, tonray said:

If your account shows in Social Security account site...it has been done. 

Yep, that's what I'm assuming too.   I just find it odd that the bank didn't get back to me.  The chap in Manila who deals with my account has been very helpful and seemingly on top of things.  I guess he'd let me know if something was wrong.

Thanks for your reply. 

Just now, tonray said:

Stop worrying...you first check is not due until January....so you need to be patient

Yeah, I know... just want to know if there is anything I can do ahead of time to make sure the ducks are in a row.   Like I said, the head office in Bangkok has not gotten back to me. I tried to contact them to ask, but couldn't get through.

The reason I'm concerned is that I have had problems with BKK NOT doing what they said they'd do before.

I'm due to start getting Social Security on (or about) Jan 3rd, 2022.  I opened a direct deposit bank account through Bangkok Bank two months ago.  That new bank account is showing up on my "My Social Security" website as I informed Manila about the new bank account. 

The staff at the local BKK Bank branch in Phuket Town told me that they had to send the documentation to the head office in Bangkok and that the head office would get back to me to confirm that everything has been set up.  Well, it's been two month. I went to the Phuket branch again and they seemed disinterested in helping me... saying, "the head office will contact you". 

I was told by another American that he experienced the same thing and that if the new direct deposit account is showing up on the SSA "My Social Security" site, I'm set... nothing else to do.

Has anyone else had any experience similar to mine?  Maybe I just worry too much, but I can't help it. 

And, if something goes wrong, I've got a US bank account.  If I change to that (after/if something goes wrong), how long would it take to get paid and would the government backpay me for January?  I assume they would.

Any insight or advice would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks.

3 minutes ago, andy said:

Has anyone tried renewing the 5 year late?  I have a 5 year that expired in late 2019.  I was not in Thailand when it expired but my plan was to get there in 2020 and renew it...yes Covid happened and I actually haven't been back to Thailand since then.

 

Planning to visit next month under visa exempt with Thailand Pass.  If I rock up at the DLT in Mo Chit and just say "but covid!" will I get any leeway?  Pretty sure I can still get a letter from the US embassy certifying the Thai address of my choice as long as I pay their fee...

I can't remember where I read it, but apparently a bunch of people have renewed their 5-year licenses very long after they expired.  I think under the circumstances you'll be fine.  Bring as much info as you can to support your case, of course.  Good luck. 

I applied last month.  It was dead easy.  I have a work permit that I'm planning on giving up soon (going to retire), so I took both copies of my work permit and my Tabian Baan (yellow house registration book) just in case I decided to give up my work permit BEFORE the actual test date.  It turns out, at least in Phuket Town, that they weren't overly concerned and they were quite flexible.  They used my Tabian Baan by my request.

I go back on Jan 12th to take the eye test and the braking test.  The rest is done online.  You take a test online, but the very nice woman who took all of my info said, "don't worry if you get some answers wrong, you'll still pass."  ????

I don't want to assume that it's the same in BKK, but it was incredibly easy here.  Also, there weren't any other people in line.  I went in and went straight to the counter... nice.

26 minutes ago, Tofer said:

Why is it none of their business? Or do you have no intention of paying income tax in Thailand.

I pay plenty of taxes in Thailand.  It's the Thai government's business, not PayPal's business. PayPal is a private business.  I don't have any problem with the Thai government asking for details.

1 minute ago, MRToMRT said:

This must be the death of PayPal in Thailand, pity.

They are expensive to use. Thailand isn't putting them out of business... just guiding them towards the door. They can turn if they want.  They have competition that is better.  They could evolve with the times, but if they don't, so be it.  ????

1 hour ago, hotchilli said:

I hope the banned jet skis

I call them aquatic chainsaws. ????

26 minutes ago, hereforgood said:

That is indeed the case I retired two times I took the lump sum both times and now I am on voluntary payments that get deducted from My k bank account monthly of 432 Baht for life. You are entitled to the lump sum as well as the medical coverage should you choose to keep having it deducted from your bank account.

Thanks for letting me know. I'll follow up on this.  The lump sum + medical coverage would be wonderful.   I've paid into the system for almost 30 years.  The lump sum is a substantial amount... at least for me.   Cheers.

2 minutes ago, Enaka said:

All one can do is leave the thread.

Alas, you are correct.  Best of luck to you, sir.