Kered

I have a pair of Minolta binoculars that need cleaning internally. Does anyone know of place in Chiang Mai where this can be carried out.

Thanks for your help.

Try the consulate in BKK listed here http://cyprus.visahq...bassy/Thailand/

I tried last year and there is now no embassy in Bangkok the consulate for Thailand is in Delhi and to obtain a Visa the applicant has to attend an interview in person in Delhi and I understand that a large percentage are refused.

There is a consulate in Selangor Malaysia where I inquired and received the following reply from the Honary Consul who was most helpful but due to the additional cost of flying to Malaysia Malaysia I decided that for a few days in Cyprus en route to the UK it was not justified.

Copy of email:

May I know the applicant is holding which country passport?

We have a non refundable process fee of RM100.

It normally takes 3 to 4 weeks to process the visa.

You may submit by post and once the applicants is granted,

then he or she is required to be presence for an interview and kindly bring along all original copies and the original passport.

With regards to payment- you may bank in to my acct Public Bank Bhd- Bukit Damansara, Kuala Lumpur.

The acct number is 3084432814. Once you have deposit, kindly email the payment slip.

Better take a train, if you are short on budget, or fly, what is rather cheap as well! Busses and mini busses is kind of a Russian Roulette...

Rail travel seems to be as dangerous as the roads, yesterday's accident at Pranburi is one of many in the past year.

To all the naysayers, lazy barstewards, and barstool generals, have a very close look at the pics in the following link and HONESTLY tell me anyone could have stopped the amount of this floodwater seen FROM SPACE(!!!!) could actually be stopped! If you have an answer I WILL HIRE YOU AS YOUR AGENT AND JOB YOU OUT TO THIS GOVERNMENT (high dayrate btw....). We will be called gods, superpeople, or whatever... Just have a look at the satellite pics>>>>>

http://earthobservat...ew.php?id=76110

Right now it probably can't be stopped.

If you started 10 years ago - it could have been avoided.

1. Define targets of the water management system

e.g. Ability to pass X million cubic meters of water per day to the sea through the bkk metropolitan area

or

Ability to handle X mm of rain during the rainy season without flooding of bkk metropolitan area

2. Define key infrastructure that has to kept dry at all cost

e.g. power plants, water treatment plants, hospitals, airports, major highways, key industrial estates, phone & internet infrastructure, government & police headquarters

3. Hire the best experts in the world (probably not Thai)

4. Implement their plans

5. Maintain the system and update plans as necessary

Can it be done? sure

Can it be done in Thailand? probably not

Will it be done? no

I think that this clearly defines the incompetence of successive Thai Governments and the fact that political games are more important than actually tackling a problem. It is almost certain that the current disaster will not change anything and the Thai people will forget about it until the next time.

You got lucky. They didn't have to refund you. You ticked that little box that said you accepted their terms and conditions. These are the terms that apply to your situation.

" Cancellation, Changes of Schedules: At any time after a booking has been made we may change our schedules and/or cancel, terminate, divert, postpone reschedule or delay any flight where we reasonably consider this to be justified by circumstances beyond our control or for reasons of safety or commercial reasons. In the event of such flight cancellation, we shall at our option, either:

carry you at the earliest opportunity on another of our scheduled services on which space is available without additional charge and, where necessary, extend the validity of your booking; or

should you choose to travel at another time, retain the value of your fare in a credit account for your future travel provided that you must re-book within three (3) months there from. "

If you have an international connection that is jeopardised by a 90 minute delay count yourself really lucky. I won't even fly AA on the same day as an international connection. Experience has taught me that cancelled flights and flights delayed by several hours are not uncommon on AA.

I appreciate that you ain't going to go through all the conditions before booking a flight, however they do make the point very clearly on all bookings that they are strictly a point to point carrier and if you miss your connection, hard cheese.

If you had chosen to fly on a regular airline and not an LCC then you would have been refunded with no questions. More importantly, if the flight was delayed and you had allowed sufficient time for your connection then reciprocal agreements come into play that will help you make the next flight at no cost. Not so if the cause of your delay was a flight by a point to point carrier.

You pays your money and takes your choice. My own choice is now only to fly AA if the price is a real bargain and/or it ain't going to throw me out if I get somewhere a few hours late or worse.

If I was you I would be counting my blessings. The flight might not have been rescheduled but could have been cancelled on the day (a not infrequent occurrence) or just delayed by a few hours and then you would have missed that connection. Then you would really be cursing AA.

The relevant statement is:

where we reasonably consider this to be justified by circumstances beyond our control or for reasons of safety or commercial reasons.

I am not sure what a commercial reason is but I have also been affected by this change and I understand that it was a decision to change the schedule from 1st October and I guess that they forgot to update the reservation system. It was not beyond their control and not for safety reasons. I received a message stating that my flight number was also being changed but that was not true, my flight number remained the same.

Fortunately in my case it is merely inconvenient as I have an overnight stay in Singapore. Incidentally the return flight has also been delayed for the same reason.

Thailand is not the place to make money but it is a great place to spend it, as most retirees do. Many do not realise how well off they are in Thailand taking everything into account. As a contributor I can assure you that the HSBC survey is genuine but may be influenced by the standard of HSBC customers and the locations where HSBC operate.

Yes, it is a bit of a low-order bank and allows all sorts of fuzzy wuzzies and nignogs to bank with them. They turned their nose up at my millions.... their loss. Having said that, the expat diaspora is radically different from when I was a lad in the oil patch. There's all sorts of south Asians and mid-easterners and Africans now who are working overseas and away from their homes. It would be interesting to see a breakdown of the nationalities responding to their poll.

I guess that they are better off without you.

Agree with Jingthing. Even the Bangkok post article makes it reasonably apparent that the HSBC survey was of working expats, not retirees. This thread has been sent off on the wrong tangent.

I understand that the survey was conducted with HSBC customers working and retired, a number of questions specifically applied to retirement and I expect that it is that part that is being commented on. The full report will apparently be published in November and I expect will cover a number of different categories. It should also be borne in mind that the HSBC customer base may not be representative of the majority of retirees in Thailand but it does indicate that informed opinion is that Thailand is a pretty good place to work and retire.

Well all i can say is the other Country's the retired expats poled live in must be complete #hit holes..as Thailand is far from brilliant; I guess the poled expats here were questioned at the entrance to a Birthday party with 20 baht drinks all night in A-gogo In Pattaya and on their first 3 months of retirement here.

Anyone who believes these Banking PR stunts need to get out more, sorry if this upsets some people but I lost my rose tinted glasses in Thailand a couple of decades ago..i am only here to make money nothing else.

Thailand is not the place to make money but it is a great place to spend it, as most retirees do. Many do not realise how well off they are in Thailand taking everything into account. As a contributor I can assure you that the HSBC survey is genuine but may be influenced by the standard of HSBC customers and the locations where HSBC operate.

Does anyone have any information regarding the state of the main road from Bangkok to Chiang Mai?

I intend to be there + 1 Thank you

As a regular customer for some time now I can endorse the quality of the Akha Ama coffee. I have also met Khun Lee at the coffee shop who is a very pleasant and capable young man who has used his education and ability to help the villagers create a viable business, something that is not seen often in Thailand. He is to be congratulated and I recommend a visit to the coffee shop, the location is shown on the website, where you will enjoy good coffee in a great entrepreneurial atmosphere. I always take some beans home and grind them myself but have not yet been able to re create the taste achieved at the coffee shop.

I have no interest in this business other than an admiration for what they have achieved and I wish Khun Lee and his team continued success.

how dangerous is to cross the railway here

A wild guess,if you blindfold yourself and cross the railway, I think the odds of getting hit by a train is 1 in 1000 attempts.

If you stall your engine on the crossing at the wrong time of day, the odds change dramatically, as I understand happened to the poor woman in question.

I understand that there were no barriers at the crossing concerned, in fact there are a number of crossdings in Hua Hin with no barriers or warning lights. It is about time someone took action to make the crosssings safer.

Many thanks for the update, it sounds as if it may be some time before Toyota makes a significant change. The present model is great but it would be good to have something different next time.

cheers chris,

i think i have got to the bottom of it. apparently there will be an updated fortuner and hilux out around june time, and the replacement models will be released next year. this is all just speculation though i presume as toyota will be fairly keen to keep everything under wraps so as to not damage sales of their current models

There is another thread running entitled "New Car Market for Thailand in 2011 and Beyond" in which the resident expert, Moon River Oasis, said the following:

"Toyota:

2011: VIGO/Fortuner minor change.

2011: New Yaris / Vios

2012: New Camry.

2013: New ALTIS.

2014: New Hilux (codename IMV2)

2014: Eco-car project under consideration

None of this info is official, but is compiled from trusted sources. Anything and everything is subject to change - use a guide only!

and

Posted 2011-01-31

Corkman, on 2011-01-30 19:35:30, said:

MRO - any further update on the Fortuner?

I hope to be getting one soon, and don't want to buy a lemon...... (looking at the 3.0 d4d 2WD).

Thanks

Most talk is about the Hilux, not Fortuner, but a nano-change is expected soon - which most likely means a new Sportivo, Aperto or other special model along those lines. I wouldn't expect any changes to the regular G and V badges at that time though.

The big change for Hilux/Fortuner is expected sometime between August and November this year. Although only a minor change (the platform remains the same 7-year old IMV1), there will be some big changes to the sheetmetal to give them a new, refreshed look. Rumor has it the hood, fenders and front bumpers will be all-new pressings, and the engines will also get a particulate filter in order to comply with 2012's Euro IV regulations.

and

Posted 2011-01-31 19:16:13

Corkman, on 2011-01-31 18:59:53, said:

Thanks MRO - I'm a bit undecided now then, whether to buy now or wait!

If I wait then its gonna be a year before I get the car..... and since I am renting at the moment then the 170k+ plus that I would otherwise spend / waste on rent is a big incentive......

That rent factor alone would be enough to make me want to buy now rather than wait - the small amount you'd stand to lose on resale for having an "older" model vs. waiting for the minor change, and the earlier uptake of maintenance expenses won't ever get anywhere near to the amount you stand to lose by renting while you wait...

Also the "new" model is just a cosmetic change - engines remain the same, features will remain the same, interior design remains the same etc. The only real items of note changing are front-end styling, the price (you can almost guarantee it'll climb), and the particulate filter which adds a new service item (and another emissions control that will slowly degrade performace) to the car... It's still the same basic car."

You should read that thread for more information on the Fortuner, and MRO may respond to your question directly.

thanks for that info, very informative. my reason for asking was similar to corkman, although i have already bought a second fortuner. i was considering selling it and buying an interim car until the new fortuner comes out in the hope the prices will drop substantially. i have since been put off this idea by researching market prices for other cars with similar circumstances, i noticed they didnt really depreciate all that much more than normal anyway so i dont see the point.

regards

I was informed yesterday by a Toyota sales rep. that a completely new Fortuner will be unveiled next month along with the new truck range. Apparently it can be seen on the Internet but I have not been able to find it. Does anyone else have updated information?

I saw one in Yok a few months ago. Perhaps they can order one for you.

I have been talking with a Senior Executive of HSBC and asked why Thailand would not now open an account for an expat with a Thai address. This apparently was a Thai Government directive introduced recently that the Bank was not allowed to open accounts in certain offshore locations for anyone with a Thai address. No doubt this applied to all Banks but but as usual ignored by many.

However I have been told that this has now been amended and that HSBC can now open accounts provided that the customer signs a letter acknowledging that they are aware of the Thai regulations regarding offshore accounts.

I forwarded this post to HSBC Jersey yesterday and got the following reply...

"Thank you for your email. In response i can only say that the current situation as far as HSBC is concerned has not changed in relation to Thailand."

Very short and to the point!!

I suggest that you talk to a Senior Executive at HSBC Thailand as it was a Thai problem and I have no doubt that Jersey is unaware of the details. I received the information from a very senior Executive in the Hong Kong Head Office who is responsible for Thailand. I think his information is correct. In fact I was speaking to another Senior Manager who was in Thailand yesterday who confirmed the situation. I also understand that the Bank of Thailand is putting further restrictions on Overseas investment hence the range of Investment products available is very limited at the present time. For example I believe that the sale of capital guaranteed investments is banned as of yesterday but it is not clear whether this applies to all financial institutions or only foreign owned. Investment in all forms of Insurance Bonds is apparently also banned but perhaps someone with more knowledge of the Bank of Thailand,s new policies to protect the Baht can comment. It is only recently that the Bank of Thailand was voicing concerned about the strength of the Baht, now it suddenly appears that they are worried about it weakening and introducing new controls.

ng

Kered, I don't know if your contact had something to do with it, but I have now been informed that it IS now possible to open accounts in Jersey for Thai residents, subject to signing the document you referred to. Don't know if I still want to do or not as this seems to be a case of left hand not knowing what right hand is doing, so what hope is there for a decent banking service!

It appears that this was the usual problem of a Government ( the Thai Government is exceptionally good at this ) issuing new regulations without thinking them through and although HSBC acted quickly to find a solution to the problem, it obviously took some time for everyone to be informed, which is no different from most large organisations. I have found the Jersey Contact Centre in particular to be less than efficient, but my Relationship Managers in Thailand and Hong Kong provide excellent service. My personal experience is that HSBC Premier service is better than most but not perfect, it is a personal choice and I wish you luck.

I have been talking with a Senior Executive of HSBC and asked why Thailand would not now open an account for an expat with a Thai address. This apparently was a Thai Government directive introduced recently that the Bank was not allowed to open accounts in certain offshore locations for anyone with a Thai address. No doubt this applied to all Banks but but as usual ignored by many.

However I have been told that this has now been amended and that HSBC can now open accounts provided that the customer signs a letter acknowledging that they are aware of the Thai regulations regarding offshore accounts.

I forwarded this post to HSBC Jersey yesterday and got the following reply...

"Thank you for your email. In response i can only say that the current situation as far as HSBC is concerned has not changed in relation to Thailand."

Very short and to the point!!

I suggest that you talk to a Senior Executive at HSBC Thailand as it was a Thai problem and I have no doubt that Jersey is unaware of the details. I received the information from a very senior Executive in the Hong Kong Head Office who is responsible for Thailand. I think his information is correct. In fact I was speaking to another Senior Manager who was in Thailand yesterday who confirmed the situation. I also understand that the Bank of Thailand is putting further restrictions on Overseas investment hence the range of Investment products available is very limited at the present time. For example I believe that the sale of capital guaranteed investments is banned as of yesterday but it is not clear whether this applies to all financial institutions or only foreign owned. Investment in all forms of Insurance Bonds is apparently also banned but perhaps someone with more knowledge of the Bank of Thailand,s new policies to protect the Baht can comment. It is only recently that the Bank of Thailand was voicing concerned about the strength of the Baht, now it suddenly appears that they are worried about it weakening and introducing new controls.

ng

I am getting an HTC Desire HD from abroad, but have seen them in some shops here. Gray imports I think. The Samsung feels plasticy and cheap compared to the aluminum bodied Desire HD. The Motorolas have nice build quality, but can be a pain to root and install custom ROMs - if you are into that.

I purchased the HTC Desire HD last month at the HTC shop in Market Village, Hua Hin. So far very impressed with it but it requires charging every night otherwise it will run out during the following day.

I have been talking with a Senior Executive of HSBC and asked why Thailand would not now open an account for an expat with a Thai address. This apparently was a Thai Government directive introduced recently that the Bank was not allowed to open accounts in certain offshore locations for anyone with a Thai address. No doubt this applied to all Banks but but as usual ignored by many.

However I have been told that this has now been amended and that HSBC can now open accounts provided that the customer signs a letter acknowledging that they are aware of the Thai regulations regarding offshore accounts.

I travel a lot and need banking services around the world.

Do you need to go into the local brach of your bank in each country you visit?

Can't you find a bank that has internet banking to do what you want?

I'm sure you could better use the GBP60k that you'll have sitting there at no interest, I konow I could

HSBC do pay reasonable rates of Interest although they tend to change every month. In October HSBC Jersey were paying 3.2% on a 12 month GBP deposit but the rate dropped to 2% in November.

As I clarified, it would be a Thai based Premier account. When the customer rep showed me the current interest rate sheet, it was all I could go to keep from burst out laughing. With any of the available currencies, the i-rate on your B 3M deposit is basically ZERO! (For Aus $ accounts, they will pay 2%.)

So Jersey HSBC and Aus and other local country HSBCs may pay decent rates but not HSBC Thailand.

Since you travel a lot you may be better to keep your balance in an other country. If you qualify for Premier in one country you can have other Premier accounts in any country without having to make the minimum deposit , you can then transfer to Thailand at any time without any charge. Keep in a currency account until the rate is acceptable and then HSBC convert it and deposit it in your Thai Baht account which does not attract interest which is a Thai regulation. They do pay a small interest rate on some currency accounts but at present it is insignificant.

I travel a lot and need banking services around the world.

Do you need to go into the local brach of your bank in each country you visit?

Can't you find a bank that has internet banking to do what you want?

I'm sure you could better use the GBP60k that you'll have sitting there at no interest, I konow I could

HSBC do pay reasonable rates of Interest although they tend to change every month. In October HSBC Jersey were paying 3.2% on a 12 month GBP deposit but the rate dropped to 2% in November.

Keep a USA bank account(s) and most of your spending money there....periodically transfer amounts to your BKK Bank account...and switch to/open another US bank which provides free or low cost ACH transfers. Just for example USAA has a good online banking setup with free inbound or outbound ACH transfers...Bank of America has a excellent online banking system but their interest rates suck but they do have fee inbound ACH transfers and $3 fee ACH outbound transfers. I've used both of these banks to send money to Bangkok Bank...no problem...arrives 2 to 3 business days later...spend a LOT more on a SWIFT/wire transfer and get it the next business day. Neither of these banks have a debit card that provides ATM fee reimbursement outside of the US and the foreign transaction fee can fun 1 to 3% depending on the bank. But there are other banks, like Charles Schwab, that supposedly offer worldwide ATM fee reimbursement and no foreign transaction fee on their debit card (getting to be fewer of these banks everyday). But for me personally, I feel comfortable in using my Bangkok Bank Be1st debit card for ATM and debit transactions in Thailand but I don't keep a lot of money in the BKK Bank account. Also been using their online internet banking (but you can't send money out of Thailand except in a few special situations like having a work permit) ...been using both their debit card and internet banking for about 3 years now on a daily basis...and even years before that on vacations to Thailand....both work just fine...never had a problem....knock on wood.

One thing for sure through it's best you get your USA bank accounts setup/switched "while you are still in the US" as they are easier/quicker to setup with a US address. You can still open US bank accounts once you move to Thailand, but generally you would need to use the address of a family member/friend in the States or have an APO address in Thailand if retired military. You'll also need to maximize the use of electronic/email delivery of banking documents due to the US address.

If I was you, I would switch from your bank that doesn't have online ACH transfer capability...or at least open another bank account which has the capability to do online "inbound/pull and outbound/push" ACH transfers. With the inbound feature you could still keep your current bank in case it offers something really good like a high savings/checking interest rate (I have one account like that), pull and send money to it as desired by using the inbound/outbound ACH transfer capability of your new bank, and also use the new bank to sent money to your BKK Bank account. In fact, a person should probably maintain two bank accounts in the US in case one of them changes policies regarding overseas transfers or other issues that affects you being able to easily get to your money from Thailand. Don't have all you eggs in one basket. Good luck.

You are correct, don't keep all your eggs in one basket!. That applies particularly to the US$, while it is relatively strong at present, where is it going. There have been many predictions some on TV which suggests that if you are going to spend time in Thailand that you might wish to hold some of your funds in other currencies. I do not necessarily mean Thai Baht but that has proved much stronger than the US$ in recent times. I suggest that whatever Bank you choose should be able to hold currencies other than Baht or USD and the ability to switch or transfer at will. Unfortunately at the present time as stated, the US could change policy at any time to adjust to the present state of their economy, and transfers may become more difficult.

I opened an HSBC premier account here in Thailand to try and escape their extortionate international transfer charges. Unfortunately, to open internet banking, HSBC in Bangkok required from me an email containing my ATM card No. and its pin No!!! Unbelievable, needless to say that account remains empty and unused.

This is a pity as I could just drag and drop money transfers without incurring any charges.

You also get free use if HSBC lounges in airports(Iif you can find one)

I think that you are misreading something, I certainly did not have to supply ATM card No. and PIN No. when setting up internet banking. In fact HSBC security I think states that they would never ask for such information. Have you contacted HSBC and asked them about it. If you have a Premier account your relationship Manager should be able to clarify and assist with actioning Internet Banking. From personal experience HSBC Thailand have been very attentive and responsive, I cannot say the same about Australia however.

No I did not mis read something, the vice president of their customer relations apologised and said sorry but thats the way things are. He also appreciated that not many customers were going to supply that information. This was a couple of years ago and their requirements may have changed.

I am pretty sure that they have changed as I have certainly not had to provide that information and I have signed up for on-line banking in 3 countries.

I have checked my file and I think that you may be confusing with the Direct Banking PIN which will have been issued to you in a sealed envelope after you opened the account, this PIN lets you use the Telephone Banking system and is required to sign on for Internet Banking. This PIN is not related to your ATM Card, and you may be asked for it if you telephone and ask for information about your account.

I hope this helps to clarify.

I opened an HSBC premier account here in Thailand to try and escape their extortionate international transfer charges. Unfortunately, to open internet banking, HSBC in Bangkok required from me an email containing my ATM card No. and its pin No!!! Unbelievable, needless to say that account remains empty and unused.

This is a pity as I could just drag and drop money transfers without incurring any charges.

You also get free use if HSBC lounges in airports(Iif you can find one)

I think that you are misreading something, I certainly did not have to supply ATM card No. and PIN No. when setting up internet banking. In fact HSBC security I think states that they would never ask for such information. Have you contacted HSBC and asked them about it. If you have a Premier account your relationship Manager should be able to clarify and assist with actioning Internet Banking. From personal experience HSBC Thailand have been very attentive and responsive, I cannot say the same about Australia however.

No I did not mis read something, the vice president of their customer relations apologised and said sorry but thats the way things are. He also appreciated that not many customers were going to supply that information. This was a couple of years ago and their requirements may have changed.

I am pretty sure that they have changed as I have certainly not had to provide that information and I have signed up for on-line banking in 3 countries.