chicowoodduck

Its not the most serious problem there are far more many pressing matters on a human level, we cant even stop bickering over who owns what piece of land in whoever's gods name, talkabout dumb. If we dont all survive I for one would think this planet would be a much much better place.

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Hummmm. "Process of Natural Selection"

Veri EEnteresting...

I VERY concerned..............................about that ticking nuclear bomb that some zealot has planted in a local garden plot that will alter the world climate in a heartbeat. My dad says that if you see the BIG flash, just plant your head between your knees and kiss your arse goodbye! Of course he's 92 and doesn't give a rip about anything except that the keg doesn't go dry at the local pub!

In my opinion it's all about time, a resource which for all of us is limited. When we work we have effectively sold our time, when we retire time is our own, get into a routine doing the things you want to do. Once you have learnt to play, golf is a great way to prevent boredom creeping in.

I retired four years ago at 55 with the motto, "Don't call me retired, I'll call you!" After 30+ years of playing "boss," I happily found out that just "playing" can be a full time job too! ( and a whole lot more enjoyable). I used to hate getting up early everyday and now I find that it's a gift! I can ease on into each day and not have to worry about sticking to any set schedule. I make the rules, break the rules and make my bed each day with the hope I can get a "re-do" when the sun comes up for another.

When in doubt, throw it out!

I renewed my retirement extension last week in BKK using the pension method, all that was requiered was the Aust embassy declaration and copy of pension letter. Nothing else.

I believe this is a floater, all you have to do is ask for the requirement in writing and or get the officers name and number and make it clear it will be reported to the card company, somehow I think the demand might suddenly not be a requirement. If this demand was ever made why did the applicant not complain to higher position like the officer who vets the application????

The other method is to put 800,000 Bt in a bank account, use it, top it up three months before you re-apply and show the proof in the form of a bank letter stating the balance and an up-to-date book, with copy. What is difficult about that? Can anyone think of a reason why they should want an ATM in Pattaya and not in Bangkok? I suspect that some people who have been bending the rules for years resulting in more and more restrictions have now reached the magic age of fifty and are still bending the rules, or trying to.

I think this is the simplest method AND cuts out the "plastic card" dance.

i think its a british thing

Same-o, same-o across the pond in the US. I just tell them that being jealous can be a curse!

I have 4 bathrooms in my house and no bath! <deleted>?

I'm guessing the ratio of males to females in the household is 4 to 1?

Remove the CVV number from the back of the card as suggested by someone in the thread quoted above

That's the BEST advice I've seen on the board!

It's been said many times before on this forum, the further the dollar drops against the baht, the cheaper life gets here for most of us Americans. When the dollar is strong we feel compelled to buy condos, thai stocks, new cars, etc. When the baht is strong we let our cash incomes accumulate in our US accounts and live on a lot less.

And most of the time less IS more! For awhile I got caught up in the "watch the dollar" game, but found that for the most part it was kind of like weighing myself each day to see how much I'd lost. In the big ending, it doesn't mean squat, you're dead.

Unfortunately mobiles dont interfere with avionics - big misnomer.

Just think about 9/11 when EVERYONE was using a cell on the plane before it crash into the corn field.

Bath's are for wimps

Yup, I suppose that's why we all get one when we are babies and when we get old.

Drugs ought to be compulsory for some.

I think those two will be needing more than drugs for all the sh*t they are in!

I use China Air. They're good and the connection in Tapei is shorter than going to Japan. I usually just go to their website for the best fares but last time(6 months ago) I used Majestic Travel in BKK and they saved me a couple thousand baht.

I've used China Air multiple times (BKK-SF-BKK) and just use their website as they meet or beat what I could find other places. I like the Tapei connection as well. The Tokyo stop over makes the trip seem soooooooooo much longer.

I really appreciate getting away from all that festive nonsense around Christmastime. Is it not party time year round in Thailand?...it is in Pattaya.

I learned quick smart that you can party like it's Christmas no matter where you are and no matter what the time of year is as long as you have good friends, good food, and a few c-c-c-old ones.

I have to say I find this highly amusing also!

Personally I prefer to keep my 'wealth' undercover you know - I'll be the one in Camo shorts and t-shirt in say Tiffanys . . . but I'll actually buy someting . . . not there just to gaze at all shiny things. I've done this in London, Singapore, Sydney and Bangkok . .. . people who serve in these kind of shops get used to seeing the window shoppers and can spot the serious ones regardless of looks.

People seem to think that you need to show for people to believe you have money, the comment on the make up is spot on. I just do not understand why they need to trowel it on, but then again with the amount of hi-so tv shows where even the kids are made up then it shouldn't really come as a surprise!

I just don't understand why people put the need to 'show' ahead of practicality!

Thankfully Laos isn't quite so hi-so driven! Not saying there isn't some morons around as there certainly is however there is just less of places for them to show!

My mind set has always been to fly under the radar. I sometimes think that the "flash" is just meant to make others feel a little bit less than what you actually are. My mom always said a "good front irons the back."

Yep I would just tighten up the belt a little, it would be ridiculous to think of retiring in S. Ca. would have to work till I dropped dead.

I agree! I figure I'll just buy a belt with a few more notches and tighten as needed. You can't run from price increases or devaluation of the dollar by moving to the next green pasture, sooner or later, it all catches up to you. Hopefully, later than sooner........like when they are throwing dirt on my face as I get ready for my "dirt nap"!

Out on DVD--

"The Lookout" very good especially if u like heist movies.

Geez, forgot how good "The Lookout" was until I saw it again last week......in my Top Ten.

Was he found guilty or not guilty?

They tried to get convict him in Santa Rosa, CA, on numerous charges, but "somehow" the local police lost a computer hard drive that he owned that would have nailed his butt to the wall.....he walked for lack of evidence.

Superbad

Mr. Brooks

Most of what they release to theaters here in Thailand are not good movies.

american gangster denzil washington ,watch it on line for free ,at 2 and a half hours a bit long ,though enjoyable

And Russel Crowe wasn't too shabby as the cop trying to get the "cuffs" on bad boy Denzil!

Just an FYI, my former (US) was thrown in the slammer for putting me through a glass door.......it can happen in any county!

Sex Ratio - at Birth

Thailand: 1.05 Male/Female; same as USA - UK - France - Nepal - Cambodia, Australia, Indonesia, Philippines, Brazil for instance.

Vietnam: 1.07

Singapore: 1.08

Taiwan: 1.09

Laos: 1.04, same as New Zealand

Greece - Germany: 1.06; Same as Russia but 'Life Expectancy at Birth' for Russian Males is: 59.12 years.... versus 75.15 for the Males in the USA...and 70.24 years for Thai Males

Italy - Spain: 1.07

India: 1.12

China: 1.11

Source: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/th...ok/geos/xx.html (click on 'People')

LaoPo

You could knock me over with a feather.....who would have "thunk?"

Who makes a rule like that anyway?? Rude and degrading talk towards anything else is aloud but not towards women? There is the western girl for you right there. What kind of odds do i get on the fact that the rulemaker is a feminist?

Didn't realise George is 1) a girl 2) a western girl or 3)a feminist? Don't like the rules mattias then take it up witht he male admin & owners of this site.

Just an FYI......1) If I was, I be one dam_n ugley one, 2) I'm from the West, so you get 1/2 a point, and 3) I'm just a good 'ol "male-in-ist, who thinks that there is nothing wrong with " to each is own!

As Jim says above - a single entry will not obtain more than one year stay and any travel will require a re-entry permit to keep that one year alive. There was a lot of misunderstanding when the O-A started and all were single entry and nobody knew about the re-entry permit requirement and a lot of hard feelings when they returned to only get a 30 day visa exempt entry. They then made the multi entry type to avoid this but that opened the extra stay possibility (as immigration always stamped a full year) so now it seems they may be returning to the single entry - hopefully explaining the need to obtain a re-entry permit prior to travel.

As of this writing, I've got a TM.8 attached to my hip!

So OK jump forward a few years.

You have your Thai girl,married,maybe a child,move back to the motherland.

Passed the visa requirements so what does she do 'back home'? How does she fit in? Unless you've signed your life away on the yak ranch what are you doing there? If she is not overseas educated and in a good financial position what can she do to support you?

Youth and life passes quickly femininty gives way to old age.Will you throw her over for another dash to the 'Promised Land?'

I like your way of thinking......great quote too!

Would I be right to assume that if I enter Thailand on the 30th of December, 2007, with a single entry "O-A" Retirement visa issued from the Los Angeles Embassy in the USA, that I should obtain a TM.8 re-entry document, skip out of the country prior to the 30th of December, 2008, for a day or two and when I return I'll get another year extension

Nope. If nothing else, this thread should have established that a re-entry stamp *only* keeps your last 'permitted to stay' permission alive -- it doesn't extend anything, nor resurrect expired visas. In the case of a single entry Non Imm O-A, your visa effectively 'expires' (stamped "used") when you first enter Thailand. So, no more out and ins on this visa, and thus no more one year admitted stamps. If you do decide to travel, yes, you'll need to get a re-entry stamp -- to enable you to re-enter with the same "admitted until" date (which would be 29 Dec 2008 per your example, above -- the only "admitted until" stamp you'll get with this visa, being single entry). If no re entry stamp, you'll be stamped in with a 30-day visa exempt stamp. Then, back to square one.

Interestingly, the LA Consulate has of late been pretty emphatic about only issuing 'single entry Non Imm O-A visas.' This adheres to the original concept of O-A visas, which were only issued as single entry, thus allowing a single one-year permitted to say stamp -- but not a two years possibility by gaming the nature of a multi entry Non Imm O-A visa.

But, the re-entry permit obtained from Thai Immigration plays *no* part in any extension gaming, regardless of the flavor of your Non Imm O-A visa.

Thanks so much for the clarification, seems pretty straight forward the way you have presented it! Now if we can just get you to work for Thai immigration lads! Oh, and you are right on the mark about the LA Consulate, they are pretty clear about issuing ONLY single entry Non Immigrant "O-A" visas. I guess they want to put everyone through the paper "hoops" after a one year stay. Perhaps they figure that if you are really retired, you certainly have the time to do all the paperwork exercises.

The problem is you can not use a re-entry permit to obtain a second year, or any extension of your current permitted to stay stamp. Only after you have used your multi entry visa for the last time and it expired would you even want to obtain a re-entry permit and then only if you planned travel. In the way he was wording it you got the re-entry permit in order to obtain an extra year and that is just not the case and would cause people to lose there chance to obtain a new one year entry if they did that.

Would I be right to assume that if I enter Thailand on the 30th of December, 2007, with a single entry "O-A" Retirement visa issued from the Los Angeles Embassy in the USA, that I should obtain a TM.8 re-entry document, skip out of the country prior to the 30th of December, 2008, for a day or two and when I return I'll get another year extension and not have the hassle of applying to immigration for an extension? I like the sound of it, but sometimes certain things are too good to be true!