Thailaw

Thanks very much for your helpful reply. Much appreciated. I will contact OrthoSmile now. TL

My 13 year old daughter likely needs braces. We live in the Na Jomtien area. I cannot find a recent recommendation for an orthodontist in the Pattaya area. Can anyone recommend an orthodontist that is good and reasonably priced in the Pattaya area of who thay have recent experience/knowledge. Anywhere in the Pattaya area is acceptable, but the closer to Na Jomtien the better. Recommendations for a good general dentist will also be appreciated, as my older daughter and I also need to have some dental work done. Thanks very much for any help. 🙏 TL

Thanks, that is exactly what I am looking for. My existing lights are (I think) standard, normal size -- internal diameter 4" (11cm); external diameter 6" (150mm). I will check Thai Watsadu.

Excellent idea. Thanks a lot.

Well beyond me..... Any your "fix" is exactly what I am trying to avoid, both as to cost and mess, the mess and dust from the ceiling repair would require moving all of the furniture out of the room and be impossible to clean. A dimmer is a far easier solution, which is, I think, equivalent to what you are suggesting. Thanks anyway......

My house has the typical recessed "can" light fixtures, all are 4" internal diameter and 6" external diameter, each with a screw-in light bulb. I would like to change these to the "more modern" flat LED lighting fixtures with the self-contained light in the sealed fixture. The problem is that the LED light fixtures that I see on the internet are not flexible as to light housing dimensions and light wattage -- a 4" fixture is only available with the 9w light. My living room which is not especially large has 10 ceiling lights with presently 5w bulbs with a single switch. I tried 7w bulbs and they are too bright for the room. The ceiling is already cut for the 4" fixtures to be installed. One option would be to install 9w lights with a dimmer switch -- not my preferred choice unless it is the only option. I also perhaps could have 2 circuits with 2 switches -- 6 lights on 1 circuit and 4 on the other -- which would I think work and not be difficult. Is anyone aware of (1) 4" internal diamater ceiling LED lights with 5w or 6w capacity? Are "spacers" available to allow me to use a smaller diameter light with a 5w or 6w lighting capacity in the existing holes in the ceiling? I cannot believe that more flexibility betwen light size/diameter and light wattage is not available, but I aked on one site and was told "no". Thanks for any help/guidance. TL

And what of value does the US Dollar have "to back it up? Nixon took the Dollar off the "gold standard" in 1971, and since then it has been "backed" by nothing. US Dollars are "created" by the Federal Reserve when it buys debt (and by banks when they make loans) with new Dollars that it creates. What gives it "value" is that other people will accept it in exchange for goods and sevices -- nothing more (it is a "fiat" currency). When people lose fait in the US Dollar its value will also decrease (maybe vanish). That process may have already started. The creation of US Dollars by the Federal Reserve over the past decade has been reckless, which is why people have been looking for alternatives to hold wealth -- hence the creation of crypto-currencies, such as Bitcoin. Their appeal is that their quantity and increases in quantity are extremely limited, unlike the Dollar whose quantity is subject to political pressure and government manipulation. And the price/value of Bitcoin had been increasing exponentially for a ten year period (2009/10 through 2021), but has since dropped to less than third of its all-time high -- its exceptional volatility in value suggests that it is not a good "store of value", a fundamental requirement for "money". Where are Bitcoin and the other crypto-currencies headed? I have no idea, but I wouldn't expect them to disappear any time soon. And as long as there is a significant group of prople (I won't call them "investors", rather gamblers) that are willing to pay $10,000+ for a single Bitcoin, they certainly aren't |worth zlich". Can I respectfully suggest a course in money and banking before you post again on this subject.

Thanks very much. I will contact him immediately. Your help is very much appreciated. TL

I need to do a major renovation on my house near Maprachan Lake -- the amount of work required is pretty significant. I would greatly appreciate a recommendation (with contact information, please) for a good home repair/renovation contractor in the Pattaya area that you have used or whose work you have seen first hand -- reasonbly priced would be a real plus. Thanks for suggestions/recommendations. TL.

I need a new sofa; the old one looks atrocious. I have found one that I like very much, but it is covered in "PU leather". I have read that PU leather cracks and peels if left in the direct sun and heat. I can avoid the direct sun, but heat in Thailand is pretty "normal" -- hard to avoid. Does anyone have experience with PU leather furniture and how well it holds up in Thailand. Furniture that has been purchased here and not brought from another country would be preferred experience, but any real experience would be appreciated. I assume that if it is otherwise in good condition, recovering is an option when the PU leather is unsightly. If the useful life is 3 years or less, I think I am better off with real leather (at 3+ x the cost) or fabric. It is hard to find good quality sofas in Pattaya/Jomtien. Suggestions on good sofa shops would also be much appreciated. Thanks a lot for any help/guidance. TL

Thanks, and noted. As I said, I have had a non-O visa (mistakenly referred to as an "O-A Visa", the requirements for which (non-O-A) are clearly more onerous (are there any benefits over a non-O visa?) for more than 10 years. I always purchase the multiple re-entry permit along with the non-O visa renewal to avoid the need to get it every time I leave, which prior to Covid was frequently. My visa was going to expire in about 1 month when I left Thailand, so I decided to re-apply for the retirement visa when I returned rather than get the re-entry permit. The process and requirements for the renewal and the original application are almost the same as I see it. Given that I was gone for 3+ months and my non-O visa expired in the middle of that time outside Thailand, I am not sure what I could have done to continue my non-O visa, but if this happens again, I will certainly consider trying to extend my existing non-O visa until I return. In any event, I think I now have a clear and relatively easy path to get a new non-O visa later this week or early next week.

Thanks very much for the answer. As I recall (after you refreshed my memory), I did the same thing when I first applied for the non-O visa, as immigration started the 1 year for the Non-O visa 30 days after the application for the extension, applying the extension first before the 1 year for the non-O started. I will look at the requirements for the non-O visa, which if insurance is not required, I can satisfy presently, as I maintain an account with a balance of B800,000+ solely for the purpose of visa extension. My concern had been health insurance, which, at my age is an "unnecessary" waste. Thanks very much; you have been extremely helpful in clarifying these points/issues (and saving me several trips to immigration in Jomtien)????.

Thanks very much for the quick reply. If I understand what you have said, I have about 12 days left for my current visa exempt entry, so I will need to apply for an extension of the 30 day visa exempt entry (I should have done that immediately on arrival), and then apply for the non-O visa with at least 15 days remaining for the extension. Correct? Are you sure about the lack of an insurance requirement? I have read in several places that US$50,000 insurance is now required for the retirement (non-O) visa. Before I left Thailand, I checked with immigration in Jomtien, and I was told that the retirement visa (perhaps they meant OA, not non-O) now requires health insurance. Thanks for clarifying this.

I had an O-A Visa for more than 10 years. I left Thailand on November 2021 and, due to travel problems (testing positive to Covid) and other issues), I did not return to Thailand until late February 2022. My O-A visa expired in late December 2021. As I expected to be gone for more than 1 month, I did not purchase the re-entry permit before I left Thailand. I entered Thailand on a "visa exempt" 30 day permit. Can I now convert my visa exempt 30 day permit into an O-A visa without leaving Thailand? I have the required money (B800,000) in a Thai bank account for more than 3 months. I need the required health insurance. Any suggestions on a good value insurance provider would also be appreciated (I am 70+ yo). My 30 day permit expires next week; I assume that it can be renewed at least once for an additional 30 days. Thanks for any help. TL

I just had my swimming pool retiled due to the gross negligence of the last pool cleaning service. I need a new pool cleaning company that will service a pool near Horseshoe Point. Can anyone recommend a pool clearing service that is responsible and provides good service (at hopefully a reasonable price)? Contact information would be very much appreciated. Thanks for any help/recommendations/suggestions. TL