Goinghomesoon

Seems from this para (3rd from the bottom of the release in Harrry's post) that it may actually become easier for people to be outside Australia longer than 13 weeks and continue receiving their pension:

"New, more generous rules from 1 July 2012, will allow people receiving DSP who have a permanent disability and no future work capacity, to travel overseas for more than 13 weeks while retaining access to their pension."

Ah SBK I envy you, dealing with a small office I wonder if Chaeng Wattana will be that accomodating?

If you do a local Thai adoption then your country may not recognise this for citizenship purposes - you need to check with your Embassy.

I suspect they will tell you that you must complete a formal adoption, in which case you need to go to the Adoption Centre at the Dept of Social Development & Welfare, 225 Ratchawithi Rd, Bangkok. Take a taxi from Victory Monument skytrain station. You can just walk in during business hours and a social worker will see you and give you the application paperwork. They speak English but it is best to take a Thai-speaker with you to clarify things if needed.

I understand the local adoption process can cost quite a bit if you need to involve a lawyer. However there is no cost for an intercountry adoption through DSDW except for medical, passport and other minor fees for which you will be get receipts.

Thanks - I just found out I will be travelling for work a few days before my extension approval should come through and won't be back for at least a month. Can I get the 12-month extension stamped at an embassy overseas (spouse won't be travelling with me)?

Well I'm from a dairy farm, but we always called the castrated boys the "steers" and the rest were "beef". Not sure about any difference in taste....maybe this guy is comparing the meat of female beef cattle with the meat from steers?

Rats! Thanks

As my initial 3-month visa based on marriage to a Thai will expire soon I will have to go apply for a 12 month extension. My question is whether I can travel during the one-month period while waiting for the outcome of my yearly extension. Is the one-month deal multiple-entry or do I have to apply for a re-entry permit at the same time I apply for my extension?

Well I chose to go there today for my Mothers Day lunch. It was somewhat different to the DTF experience in Taiwan. Like the original you are handed an order form and fill it in while you wait outside until a table becomes available. Several items on the menu were crossed out and no available, including several of their dumpling varieties, which was disappointing. We arrived at 11:40am and they were just seating table #110. We were #130 and there were probably 40+ people milling around outside waiting. Based on our Taipei experience I would have expected to be seated quite quickly - the original restaurant works at a frenetic pace, the waiters fling steamers of dumplings onto your table as they hurry by, and you really are not permitted to linger once you have finished eating. That actually part of the DTF experience, which is not really a "restaurant" per se, but more of a cafeteria-type shophouse, with outstanding food.

This restaurant does have the kitchen viewable from all sides through glass windows, so we were able to entertain ourselves for a while watching them create dumplings. Everyone wearing masks and cleaning the place regularly and it did look very hygenic.

So after 30 minutes we got seated. By then they had people in the high #160's waiting outside for tables. When we got inside we realised that the restaurant is not fully open yet and they have a section of 30 tables roped off that they are not using yet. That might have explained the long delay in getting a table.

The waitress had logged in our order of food as soon as we were seated and our drinks arrived quickly. We then waited....and waited....and waited....for our dumplings. First up was xiao long bao (THB195 for 10) for which DTF in Taiwan are famous. They looked delicious and smelled great. Compared to most Thai dimsum places these were also a big decent size. The table was set with vinegar and soy sauces, plenty of chopped ginger and chili in oil for dipping. I've got to say they were very yummy with lots of juice inside the little package. The only problem was being seated under an airconditioning vent, the dumplings quickly cooled, but we were so hungry we didn't care and scarfed most before they become too cold.

Our second steamer arrived with pork and shrimp steamed dumplings (THB225 for 10). Once again these were big - probably double what you normally get in Bangkok restaurants,. However I felt they hadn't been cooked quite long enough. They were just not as hot/steamy as the earlier bunch and were a bit bland to my taste. I probably wouldn't order these again next time, they were a nice filler but nothing special.

The third tray was vegetarian dumplings (THB235 for 10). These were always my favourite in Taipei and they were fantastic today. Very hot and steamy with the bright green vegie and garlic mix was perfectly cooked inside but not soggy.

The service was not what I expected- lots of waiters running around aimlessly with piles of steamer baskets because they hadn't memorised the table numbers yet. There were a couple of quite stressed floor managers double checking that each table had gotten the correct delivery, and ticking things off our list.

Combined with two softdrinks our lunch was THB853 inc VAT and 10% surchage. Not a cheap lunch but not super expensive either and the majority of the food was really excellent. This will make a nice addition to the family favourites I think. Well to MY favourites, at least!

Make sure you call your embassy and check the progress on your passport. I know with mine the worldwide standard is 10 days but they are often ready sooner.

Oh joy oh joy!

Also Chang Wattana officers told me last week (when I tried to get my one-year) that because we rent at an address different to my spouse's tabiaan baan, they also now require our lease + a copy of landlord's tabiaan baan + a copy of landlord's ID card, in addition to all the above.

We had 2 ceremonies - one in each country. The night before the Oz wedding was pretty sedate just beers with a few friends and family. But the night before our bai sri suu kwaan in the village was wild with a impromptu party at our hotel. Lots of wine and beer and getting our nails done at midnight, then 3 hours sleep before getting up to have our hair done in the middle of the night by a crazy katoey hairdresser. It was a huge amount of fun.

BTW I can highly recommend having 2 ceremonies...means you get to have two *newly married* wedding nights

Google "AFP National Police Checks" download the form and have your partner fill it out, then send it to the AFP office listed on the form with payment.

No problem with Australia, adopted children (provided their adoption meets a number of requirements) can apply for an adoption visa and then citizenship. Daughter already has the Australian bit, we were hoping to do the Thai equivalent.

Thanks Mario, on reading 12Bis (specifically point 3) it seems she may not qualify, as it specifies the adopted child must have been born in Thailand. I'll have to take some time to read further though, thanks very much

While I am Australian and my spouse is Thai, our child is adopted from a third country. Can my spouse apply for Thai citizenship for her if his name is on the adoption papers?

OMG I wish it was in Thai so I could give it to hubby!!!

I want to try oiling some of the wooden furniture we've just had made instead of putting on all sorts of chemical finishes. But we've had no luck finding tung oil in Nong Khai. Does anyone know where it can be sourced (in reasonably small quantities) in Udon? We had no luck at Homepro in Bangkok and they couldn't see any such product in stock at all, even in Udon.

The toy floor at Central Chidlom department store - at the back is one of those ball-thowing-climbing frame-slide cage things, as well as building blocks & tables, a play house etc. Think it's about 40 baht for as long as you like. Kids must wear socks, so take these with you or they'll sting you another 40-50 baht per pair.

A bigger and better version of the above is Funarium on Sukhumvit Soi 26 (you can google it). I think older kids would like this one better as it's got more space than the Chidlom one, and also the space. I think they also need socks for this one too.

yes ,they dont need to interview my Aussie partner .....i ask as i am applicant who filled form 47 SP.

Thank you , gburns57au

Sorry didnt realise that you were the applicant.

I find it strange that they dont want to interview you.....it is a standard part of the process.

My spouse was not interviewed for the spouse visa (issued mid-2010), so perhaps it's not needed in all cases.

Thank you for the reply. I was actually there yesterday and saw the super cute Korat kittens. Unfortunately I am partial to Burmese, Siamese and Tonkinese as these are the cats I've been around my whole life. You think it would be much, much easier to find Siamese (Thai) cats here in Thailand but I guess it will just make it that much more worth it once I do find one.

If anyone does know where I can find one from a reputable breeder, I am still looking. Thank you very much.

The owner of Furr Purr in Sukhumvit Soi 33/1 (Phom Phrong station) is a breeder of show cats. The shop currently has 3 x purebred Korat cat kittens, the dad is national champ. Saw them yesterday when we went in to pick our cat up from their cattery. The staff in the shop don't speak much English so take a Thai speaker with you. They are on Facebook as Furrpurr Shop.

Did you ask the staff if the owner has any others, I believe she also breeds Siamese, as we once looked at her photo album of grand champions. We had to go upstairs to retrieve our cat yesterday as she didn't want to come out of her air conditioned room, and I noticed they had several Siamese cats there - whether they belong to the shop owner or were being boarded over Songkran I'm not sure.

The owner of Furr Purr in Sukhumvit Soi 33/1 (Phom Phrong station) is a breeder of show cats. The shop currently has 3 x purebred Korat cat kittens, the dad is national champ. Saw them yesterday when we went in to pick our cat up from their cattery. The staff in the shop don't speak much English so take a Thai speaker with you. They are on Facebook as Furrpurr Shop.

Google 'Second Chance Bangkok' which is a project working in Klong Toey slum. If you are in the capital you can call them and they will come and collect from you, secondhand clothes, toys, household goods, furniture etc etc.

Colonnade at the Sukhothai in Sathorn Rd, especially their Sunday brunch buffet.

Rue I was thinking of you over Songkran when we were in the village and I was having a hard time just dealing with the laundry, cooking etc for our little family, even without a baby in tow! I was thinking how difficult it could potentially be for you to deal with those things with a little baby. The in-laws will be tromping through your little house wanting to be with baby 24/7 and thinking they're "helping". At least the first trip would only be for 2 weeks. Personally I'm not sure I could deal with mother-in-law's parenting style for any longer than that, and having hear about your MIL I suspect you'll be the same