dfp

Can highly recommend the dinosaur museum, very well organized. For accommodation I recommend Rimpao Hotel in Kalasin. Their restaurant/coffee shop is very good (in my opinion) and the hotel has a large swimming pool. Furthermore the price is very reasonable. Have a nice trip.

You can accompany your wife all the way up to the VFS office, but of course you cannot enter their office. The security guard will make sure of that.

Most banks and credit cards have a service whereby they pay your utility bills on time, so then you do not have to worry. Very easy.

I called Carrier and they referred me to the nearest distributor in my area. They came to inspect the house (sales person plus one technician). They made their recommendation and I went one step further up in BTU just to make sure. Result is that our living room is cooled down quite fast and since we bought two big units we can switch off one unit after the room has cooled down. Do not buy too small units. Just a recommendation.

A trip to Suphanburi is worth your while. In town there is the Dragon Temple, which is quite impressive. Further up on the way towards Chainat you will find the 100 year old market (or more) that is in Saam Chook. Also the food around there along the riverside is excellent, before Saam Chook there is a good restaurant name Pen Goong, there was a review of it in an English newspaper, whose name you are not allowed to mentioned on this site. All in all a very nice trip.

Go and buy it in Singapore. Cheaper.

Since it is a MNC you are working for then their HR department should be able to clarify all issues related to taxation.

If I remember correctly then there is a shop in Fortune City (next to Rama9 underground station), but they sell mostly LPs. I a collector too, but my source of supply is Ebay and internet shops. If there are any particular records you want then try to search on

http://gemm.com/?rb=gmv87677&gclid=CI_...CFQMupAodB32ZKA

Have a nice trip and happy hunting.

How is that a "silly comparison"? Do you think Thailand is so far behind Singapore that they could not implement a pay card system that can be universally used in mass transport, toll collection and payments in convenience stores, bar fines etc.?

Anyway NanLaew, <deleted>

It was silly, irrelevant and redundant comparison because Singapore had direct debit swipe cards at supermarket checkouts way, way back in the late 1980's. They also had a whole helluva lot less population than Thailand. Now if you want to talk specifically about cars and highways, they also have a whole helluva lot LESS cars and miles of expressways than the LOS.

I am all for comparing apples with apples but Thailand and Singapore? Give me a break here. Probably subscribes to the popular myth that Changi is also the best airport in the universe as well.

There is one reason why there are less cars in Singapore. They are highly taxed as the government wants the population to use the mass transit systems. Additionally motorists are highly taxed via the ERP system.

We are talking about systems here and that is using a common pass for Skytrain/MRT/Buses/Toll Roads and then it does not matter whether it is in Kathmandu or Nakhon Nowhere.

Finally you hit it quite right about Changi Airport, it is one of the best in the world. Just compare it to the chaos at Suvarnabhumi.

I feel you have a certain grudge against Singapore ?

I've used Santa Fe twice, once internationally and once inside Bangkok and both times they were excellent. The best I've ever used. Telephone 02 742 9890.

I have moved internationally with Santa Fe and once inside Bangkok as well. Very careful packing and excellent service.

in the meantime i will continue to take advantage of the booth with the red light on and no cars in line at din daeng

Just back from Singapore. Now they are exchanging their old e-link cards, so now it not only works on the MRT and busses but also on the ERP tollroad system, schoolchildren can purchase their schoollunch at schools with the new card and shopping in 7-Eleven. It would be nice if the Thai authorities could make a study on that.

...or if you stayed in Singapore and kept the silly comparisons to yourself.

What are the silly comparisons ? Everything in one card, wouldn't it be nice ? Instead of having 2 cards for the MRT/Skytrain, one or more for each toll road operator in Bangkok. I cannot not see any silly comparisons here. I have stayed in Singapore for many years and everything there works like clockwork.

in the meantime i will continue to take advantage of the booth with the red light on and no cars in line at din daeng

Just back from Singapore. Now they are exchanging their old e-link cards, so now it not only works on the MRT and busses but also on the ERP tollroad system, schoolchildren can purchase their schoollunch at schools with the new card and shopping in 7-Eleven. It would be nice if the Thai authorities could make a study on that.

In a Thai prenup I declared whatever assets I had stating bank accounts etc. What is then acquired after marriage is a 50/50 in case of divorce. So assets outside Thailand cannot be touched. In case of purchase of property in Thailand, then that is in your wife's name and that could be a problem when it is a house/land.

Anyhow, good luck.

Try this:

www.eacii.com

Leading solutions provider of industrial ingredients in South and South East Asia.

One of my fav places is the check inn 99.

But I would like to know somewhere i can take the kids (4 and 5 years old)

Anyone know of a good family steak type resturant on Suk road or thereabouts?

Cheers,

Why not take the kids along to check inn 99 ? the hostesses will love to take care of them.

Admittedly the chateaubriand is excellent.

It is relatively simple. My wife and I went to Australia one month ago. We went to the Australian visa centre on Sathorn Road on a Wednesday morning and Saturday afternoon they sent her passport back with visa to our address by messenger (at a cost of course - THB 180.-).

Download the form, download the instructions and follow them exactly. About sponsorship, I enclosed copy of my passport, work permit, bank statement.

Do not use any agents.

Went to the local amphur office to change the tabian baan and at the same time change my wife's surname. The amphur office issued a certificate to the effect that her surname had changed and the surname was changed in the tabian baan book as well.

The change of ID card can be done afterwards at any amphur office based on the marriage certificate and the change of surname certificate.

Next step will be her passport and that should only be a registration in her passport that her surname had changed.

Found this

http://www.dejudomlaw.com/index.php?option...09&Itemid=9

EMPLOYMENT

WORK PERMIT CANCELLATION

Effective this month the Employment Department no longer requires companies to report the last official working day of expatriate employees and the expatriate employee is not required to return his/her work permit booklet to the Employment Department. The booklet can simply be keep by the expatriate for his/her records. However, the Immigration Department still requires cancellation of the employee's non-immigrant work visa and the visas for any dependant family members.

IMMIGRATION

EMPLOYMENT VISA CANCELLATION Due to the fact that the Employment Department no longer requires the cancellation of work permits, the Immigration Department has changed the procedure for the cancellation of a work permit holder's employment visa and for the dependant visas of his/her family members. When an expatriate employee's work is terminated, the company must issue a letter confirming the cancellation of employment. The employee must present such letter to the Immigration Department to be used for the cancellation of his visa and the visas of all dependant family members. The employee and family members must make the cancellation in person at the Immigration Department and the cancellation must be made exactly on the employee's last official working day. In the case that the last working day is a holiday or weekend the employee will need to make the cancellation on the last government working day before the holiday or weekend. Upon cancellation, in order to remain in Thailand, the work visa holder and his/her dependants must apply for a visa extension. The Immigration Department will grant a 7-day temporary visa extension. The fee for the extension is Baht 1,900 per person. Employment visa holders need to be aware that once their company sets a last official working day, their visa must be cancelled. The visa cancellation must be reported even if the visa still remains valid beyond the last day of employment. If a visa holder continues to use this employment visa after the last official day of work (the date when the company stops paying salary in Thailand), he/she will be breaking the Immigration Department rules. Persons using such visas after the last official working day could encounter problems if they remain in or return to Thailand. If by examining the passport the Immigration Department discovers that the visa was not properly cancelled and was still used, the visa holder would be liable to pay a fine for overstay before he/she could obtain a new visa.

Quincy Jones plays Hip Hop Hits. 60's hits Big Band sound. Excellent stuff.

sounds like an april fools joke to me.