TaoNow

Agree with Pagalliim.

Living in Phuket can be inexpensive and comfortable at the same time -- even for the single man.

You just need to be resourceful and patient and find the places that don't rely primarily on tourists as customers.

You don't even need Thai language to do that. Look at the places where the Thais eat and shop.

Then keep trying a variety of shops and restaurants, and stick with those places where you find good quality for a good price and friendly staff.

I have found these places in Patong, Kata, Karon, Rawai, Chalong, Phuket town (of course) and many other spots around the island.

This assumes, NamKangMan, that you do not require Western food for every meal. But if you do, I can't understand why you are in Thailand, which has perhaps the tastiest and most healthy cuisine in SE Asia.

Thanks metisdead. That is useful info.

Final question: after up-dating your passbook at ground floor of Immo/Chaeng did you then have to make a photocopy of the pages to hand over with your extension application? If so, where is that done and at what cost per page?

metisdead: are you saying Immo would not accept your bank passbook as up-dated the previous day? In other words, are you saying they now only accept same-day passbook up-dates?

In the past, I always went to the bank the day before going to Immo. I would up-date my passbook at that time get the bank letter, photocopy the passbook pages, and then go to Immo early the next morning. There was never a problem that the passbook up-date was 24 hours old.

Please clarify.

Patong Bob, I respectfully disagree. This is exactly the time to be "pressing Jim for details".

And this is why: If all he did wrong was park an "unlit car" and gets a one-year jail sentence then this is immediately national news: For the Bangkok Post, The Nation, and the popular Thai mass dailies.

If your report is accurate, then this judgment by the court is highly newsworthy for anyone who operates a vehicle in Thailand.

But it is not plausible without further details explaining the penal code infraction and reasoning of the court.

Also, in other TV threads about Thai court decisions that I've seen here, the majority of posts seem to say that the court rulings are fair to ex-pats.

So, yes, there is a need for more facts of this case. Bob, You started this thread -- now you owe it to the Forum to provide the full story. Otherwise, it starts to become trollish and fodder for the "urban myth" rumor mill.

Truespirit:

Could you kindly describe the circumstances which caused your friend to "lose it" at the retirement desk at Phuket immigration.

The first-hand reports are the most educational posts on the Forum (IMHO).

Thanks in advance,

TN

Thanks to OP for posting this story. It is relevant to all us ex-pats living here.

But surely there has to be more to this story.

It is very hard to believe that, if someone is legally parked, they can be jailed if someone else crashes into their parked vehicle and suffers injury or death.

If this were the case, we'd be hearing many more reports of this from Thais and ex-pats.

It's equivalent to jailing you if someone crashes their bike into the wall around your house.

Please provide more details if possible.

We don't know yet whether "Splash" is a viable business venture or not -- but I agree with most of the posts here that are skeptical.

It seems that, a while back, a number of deep-pocket investors decided to market Phuket as a holiday destination for the glboal millionaire class.

Thus, there are gated neighborhoods of million-dollar villas, 5-star resort & spa establishments, the Premium Outlet high-end mall, marinas for yachts, the expensive golf courses, and out-of-reach recreation like Splash J.

When cruising these places, as I do periodically, it is noteworthy how lifeless they are. As if a neutron bomb had been dropped on Phuket --leaving the buildings and boats standing but killing all the people who might use them.

Those are good photos genghis61, and help to inform the discussion of water conditions during the monsoon season.

Have you (or any of the other photo snappers) been able to catch a photo of a rip current situation on Karon?

I realize that these currents cannot always be seen from shore, but the videos on youttube of the rips off some Australian beaches were quite obvious when seen from above.

I am not disputing that rip currents at Karon are the likely culprit behind the many drownings there.

But we haven't ruled out the possibility that Karon attracts more of the unfit swimmers during the low season than the other beaches.

OP wanted to discuss scams, and not overcharging tourists or resident farangs.

As someone else has already argued, the high, unreasonable Tuk Tuk prices of 200 baht minimum ride are not a scam -- just profiteering -- since the customer knows in advance what he/she is going to have to pay.

However, the jet ski and rental motorcycle trick of finding damage on a ski or bike (that was there before you rented it) and then demanding repair fees is a scam.

If, late at night, a Tuk Tuk takes you to a place other than your destination and then demands extra money to get you back, then that is extortion -- and a scam since you trusted them to provide an honest service and they didn't.

The Patong iguana trick is not really a scam; it is more of a case of assault if you didn't ask to hold the animal. Same for the "eagle" at the Kata viewpoint.

OP asked for tips to avoid scams. My approach after 1.5 years in Phuket: I only buy from shops where I've developed an acquaintance with the owner. I realize this isn't practical for the occasional tourist, but that is the risk one takes in being a global traveller and first-time visitor.

rodcourt49: You ask a reasonable question.

I think the sentiment among many long-term residents of Thailand is that you have to pick your battles carefully when fighting graft here.

You might want to read the thread by "tonguethaied" a few months back about his adventure with a corrupt official in one of the northern Thai immigration offices.

In the case of the variable charges for a residence certificate, I think it is up to Immigration headquarters to issue a list of fees and free services and require all immigration offices to post them in Thai and English.

Until then, pick your battles carefully.

tn

Agree that SCB services are generally quite good.

But note that the SCB branch in Khon Kaen may not issue the balance statement letter if your account is in another province.

At least that was my experience a year ago while asking the Phuket SCB branch to issue the letter even though my account is with SCB/Bangkok.

Cotambear: you just don't get it. The poorest Thais in Phuket don't travel from "Patong to Karon". They are working on wage-labor assignments in their locality and just want to save enough money to take some back home.

I totally agree with logbags. I have travelled to every province in Thailand (in addition to 40 countries around the world) and have never seen a provincial bus service as good as Thailand's. You can go from any province to any other province in a day. From there you can get to any district in less than a few hours. Where else in the world can you do this -- exccept, perhaps, in an island-state like Singapore?

Over to you.

The point that is being missed here (and is an important discussion point for TV Forum as a whole) is that a rant for rant's sake is trollish. Which is not in keeping with Forum etiquette (if not rules).

If you post a complaint to warn others, or to seek advice on how to avoid these potholes (as many other ex-pat members seem to be able to do) then that is fine.

But for those who think they make TV.com interesting by posting their negative encounters and leave it at that -- stick to the pub.

The problem, LOS, is that the thaivisa.com forum is not the local pub or kiosk.

I accept your point that some local ex-pats feel the need to vent to a larger audience, and that's why so many of the posts here are skewed to the negative side.

But this is a global web-page which can (and is) viewed by people from around the world who are interested in getting a better idea of what life in Phuket (and Thailand) is like. Perhaps they are planning a vacation. Perhaps they are thinking of re-settling. So it's important that they get as objective a view as possible of what is going on. Therefore, people who post here have an obligation to report the good, as well as the bad.

Yes, bad things happen to ex-pats here in Phuket -- and people should report first-hand experiences (and ONLY first-hand experience). But then other residents can chime in and describe their experience. That helps to balance out the picture -- which I think is closer to the original purpose of TV rather than as a ventilator for the disgruntled.

I, too, agree with the statements by markg and stevenl.

Also, as the up-coming monsoon season approaches, I would like to propose that lifeguards and red flags are not the answer either.

Instead, I think that signs should be posted in multiple languages every 100 meters or so along the beach that say something like: "Beware of lethal currents; people have drowned off Phuket beaches when in water no higher than their waist. Swim at your own risk."

This would not cost much and may deter some of the reckless folk -- or at least encourage parents to watch their children a bit more closely when in the water.

Colabamumbai: You posted this: "I left her with 30 Bhat which is what I figured it may have been worth or what I Thai person would have paid."

How did you know what a Thai would have paid?

Did you ask the price before ordering?

What if every visitor to Thailand paid only what they thought a product or service was worth - without any negotiation?

A very basic rule for foreigners in Thailand -- especially in areas with a lot of tourists - is to ask the price before ordering.

You had no right to short-change the vendor -- and I guarantee that your action did not improve her opinion of you.

You owe her an apology and 20 baht.

OP's case is just another reason for parking the 800K baht in a local fixed deposit account and putting an end to balance angst -- if you can afford to let this chunk of money sit there earning very little interest.

Just a note on the airport taxi issue: I was at the Phuket airport yesterday, killing some time outside the main terminal at the departures level.

First of all, I did not see a single meter-taxi dropping anyone off (during a one-hour period of observation from noon to 1 p.m.)

Second, I noticed one farang guy who would wait for a hotel car (or unmarked hired car) drop somebody off. He would then approach the car and ask if they could take him and his wife to XXXX for (I think) 500 baht. Driver after driver refused.

Plus, I noticed that the police guard at the drop-off area was keeping an eye on this guy.

Then, after about 15 minutes of this, one driver of an unmarked SUV (who had just dropped off a couple) agreed to take him and his wife to XXXX for 500 baht. As the farang guy was getting into the SUV the police guard came around to say "good-bye" and the guy slipped a bill (or bills?) into the policeman's hand.

During my hour of observation I did not see anyone else try this approach to avoid using the airport's metered taxis or limo services -- and which I assume is against the airport's regulations.

In tourist areas it is reasonable that local citizens get a discount for goods and services if they show their national ID card when paying.

It's the way the dual-pricing is enforced (by racial profiling) that is the problem. Not the two tiers.

brahmburgers: I thought that OP's story was about Laos.

Sort of reminds me of the Special Olympics, an event which I never really understood the point of.

If you've worked with people who have a physical disability, or have a stigmatized illness like leprosy or AIDS, you learn that what these people really want is to be accepted as ordinary, everyday folks.

They don't need to be glorified or cried over...just a feeling that they belong.

I surely hope the subject of the video has that where he lives -- he shouldn't need to do the Ironman thing to get there.

imjustagirl: you say you've been in Thailand for 5 years. So I assume you can speak basic Thai quite well.

I live in Phuket and walk around town daily. I am constantly approached by touts and taxis for rides, tours, etc.

My approach is to say to them (in Thai) "thanks but I've got my own car/bike/accomodation" depending on the sales pitch.

Invariably, they immediately stop talking to me and let me go on my way.

I realize your situation was a bit different -- and perhaps you were speaking Thai to him.

But in my experience the formula for dealing with this behavior is as follows:

(1) let them know you speak Thai;

(2) keep your reply as short as possible;

(3) repeat the same reply if they question you a 2nd time; and

(4) if they persist, do not make eye contact, pull out a book to read or something.

Final comment: people in the tourist business may be getting stressed because this wasn't the high season they were hoping for and they are running out of cash, or are being squeezed by their boss to deliver more clients than they can manage.

Happy trails

powderpuff: what lesson, exactly, did you learn from your encounter?

WarpSpeed: what did your bullying behavior accomplish? It seems like your chasing the offender caused him to ram into other cars, possibly causing injury to others who had nothing to do with your confrontation. Doesn't seem very skillful of you to manage your grievances by causing more harm.

Both of you need to listen to the other Phuket members commenting on this thread. There are lawless, drug-crazed, and moronic drivers on the road here -- both Thai and farang. Chill out, don't give them the finger or threaten to beat their mother up, and let them go on their way.

Two weeks ago I went to renew my temproary (one-year) motorcycle driver's license at the Phuket transport department.

Because of reports here onthe Forum, I specifically asked several officers there (in Thai) whether the license had to expire before renewing for five years.

They said that used to be the rule. But the rule has recently been changed. Now you can renew up to 60 days before expiration.

While, in my case, I was asking about renewing the one-year temporary license, I assume the 60-day period applies to the five-year renewal as well.

Since I have time on my hands I will stop by and ask them about the five-year renewal window period and report back.

LivinLOS: in Thai, "sleeping" at another house would translate as "staying".