guig

I was in a similar situation after the sale of my house and wanted to transfer some money back to Australia. Walked into SCB asked for an application for foreign currency purchase/ transfer also known as a swift transfer and was handed the form. Filled it out and sent 500,000 baht to Australia. Fee for sending this was 550 baht and I was charged $8 by my Australian bank. Don't forget to tick the box Beneficiary account as the fees will be cheaper. I was given the bank rate of 29.45 whichever is the standard rate for most banks.

I said I wanted to pay my Australia credit card. They asked me for my work permit and I said, " sorry I have a Thai wife/ retirement visa". Okay no problem. I have now sent another two payments of 1,250,000 each time with no proof of funds needed. If you need to send 2 or 3 million baht up back to the UK you would need proof of the money coming into the country and proof of why you have it now.....e.g sale of a house, apartment etc.....that's it, pretty straight forward.....hope it helps.

Reading the Bangkok Post this morning shows this photo concerning the ivory trade. Wrong photo!

I was in a similar situation after the sale of my house and wanted to transfer some money back to Australia. Walked into SCB asked for an application for foreign currency purchase/ transfer also known as a swift transfer and was handed the form. Filled it out and sent 100,000 baht to Australia. Fee for sending this was 550 baht and I was charged $8 by my Australian bank. Don't forget to tick the box Beneficiary account as the fees will be cheaper. I was given the bank rate of 29.45 whichever is the standard rate for most banks.

I said I wanted to pay my Australia credit card. They asked me for my work permit and I said, " sorry I have a Thai wife/ retirement visa". Okay no problem. I have now sent another two payments of 250,000 each time with no proof of funds needed. If you need to send 1 million baht up back to the UK you would need proof of the money coming into the country and proof of why you have it now.....e.g sale of a house, apartment etc.....that's it, pretty straight forward.....hope it helps.

Exactly correct Jeremy, controlled deliveries usually can only be done with cargo or postal items once detection has taken place,secured back in place and where the situation is controlled by Customs. With a cross check of passport stamps and other vital travel documents from all people travelling on that bus, this might have bought further intelligence to follow through on......main pen rai.......the happy BIB or customs get their photo taken with the load! These mules just don't get it, it's like picking apples off a tree.

Just to balance the topic......My Thai wife has been pulled over for supposed infractions 3 times and I have been pulled over zero times, been driving two years so far. The only time she refused to pay was when she was caught parking on the approach to Swampy airport because the little one had vomited in the back seat. The cop still wanted 200 baht in the hand, so she told him no, it was wrong and he shouldn't do this kind of thing. She then went to the police station and she paid 400 baht fine instead. So everyone shares in the police tea money scam, even Thais.

As an ex customs officer, I can suggest her nationality, travel route, time the ticket was booked, how it was paid for (cash) would alert any countries Customs officials. She was gone before she hit the ground in swampy. Unfortunately these mules do not know or are not told what Customs knows before you even enter the country. Not withstanding lazy customs officers, her appearance (racial profiling is an accepted practice in Customs) would have set off some thought of asking her a few quick questions which would have exposed the truth or a simple baggage exam, drug swap, dog run and X-ray of the bags.......

In relation to letting them go through and following them to pick up the bigger fish, this can only be done when several important factors are realized. The mule must be agreeable and happy to assist the hard working police and customs official. Secondly, the goods must still be intact and in a condition that doesn't raise suspicion with the end carrier. In my experience this didn't always bring in bigger fish just another fool, too greedy and too stupid.

Intelligence is a far better tool, where officers can download vital personal information from mobile SIM cards. It's amazing who knows who! But alas this information in the wrong hands could prove very ugly for some important people in Thailand. Back to the x-Ray machine and racial profiling for Thailand....and happy pics!

My experience two years was with jetpets from Sydney. I paid around 1500aus dollars and they handled all the paperwork, permits etc. They will advise you about what inoculations they need but I am pretty sure you can find this out with your local vet. The main issue I had is that although it was expensive they did not advise me that the dogs would be taken to Thai cargo instead of coming out with the baggage at baggage claim........and then the fun and games began.

I thought it better to send my wife who speaks Thai to deal with the notorious Thai cargo thieves and 3 hours later in tears she appeared with the dog. We both had to take taxis to Thai cargo near the airport. The amount of money you pay in Sydney doesn't cover the taxes Thai cargo charges you and they will try to extract as much as they can. Jetpets said they cannot control what Thai cargo does at the airport so it is up to us.......mmmmm!

My wife explained to cargo that we had paid all the fees in Sydney and their response was one of sheer arrogance and told her if she liked she could come back on Monday after the weekend but the dog would stay in the crate without food and water because that is not their concern. So she finally paid the bribe of around 3000 baht and the dog was released. Also our dog was covered in urine and was very stressed with no water although when it departed Sydney it had water. Jetpets picked up the dog from my house which is part of the overall charge. They also advised me what size I should get for the dog and then when they got to the airport they rang to say they wouldn't let the dog travel in that crate as it was too small. So another few hundred and we had a bigger crate.

In did read somewhere that you could do it yourself but when I rang to garnish more information they advised me it was better to use a trusted company...ummmm. As we were close to departure and had a few hundred things to settle before moving to Thailand I rang jetpets.

I am sure you love your dogs as much as we do, so it only remains that you find out every detail you can before departure and have your patience and cunning prepared for the dishonest Thai cargo team. If you know someone who is connected with Thai Airways I would advise you to have where phone number at the ready so you can get some help when you collect your dogs.

I remember my wife telling me that that also had an Australia lady with two dogs that were going on to ChiangMai and she was in tears and they wouldn't release her dogs. They wanted 10,000 baht but she didn't have the money with her......this was by far the worse experience we had since out arrival nearly two years ago. Good luck and post how you went because only then can things change or maybe not!

Brent,

I waited until I came to Bangkok and then visited IH to get a feel for the place and the experience of the teachers. In the end I paid for the 120 hour CELTA course and it was the best thing I have ever done. I was lucky to have tremendous trainers who really cared. Look at their website which gives you the dates of all courses in different places and costs etc.......and contact them via email if you have any questions. They also provide accommodation close to Silom in Bangkok if you require. I chose to stay further out as I am not a fan of the area. Best of luck!

Thanks Mark for the start of an interesting topic. I have recently had some personal experience in this area which I can share with the readers at Thai Visa.

My wife and I have invited three of her brother’s and sister’s children aged 12,13,14 years to spend the 2 month Thai Summer break with us here in Sydney. My plan was to put them into a good English Language school and supplement their learning with some of our own home grown teaching techniques.

The same issues you mentioned in your thread, we also came up against. That was the ingrained rote style learning, copying from each other, trying to memorize answers for next time and a general lazy approach to active learning. My wife had to crack them hard asking them to think and not to try and guess and be silly all the time.

Finally after 4 weeks I withdrew them from the school and took it upon myself to teach them. We started with the basic instruction that they needed to remember or come up with 5 new words every day and write those into a sentence for me to read and correct. As time went on I would ask them questions based on the new words and try to develop creative thinking around those new words.

I lot of time was also spent on speaking and asking them questions so they could think about the answers and make decisions based on their experiences not so much their memory and translating skills.

A funny example was I decided to send them out to buy a hot roast chicken at Woolworths. As it was Easter Sunday it was closed so instead of going to the next closest chicken shop they went in the opposite direction to find a Woolworth’s store that was open. Once again no creative thinking only copy and remember from before.

Now we have sent them back early as they weren’t really active with their speaking and learning, however they did everything that was asked of them. There are many factors involved which will either enhance their English or impede it and they are:

1. Family background- harder for kids with parents (mummy) that does everything for them requiring them not to think.

2. Coming alone and not with other Thai speaking students helps the process.

3. Asking them questions so they learn to say no and I don’t understand until they get it.

4. Give them tasks to perform like buying train tickets, ordering food and general daily activities so they have to speak and interact.

5. Where they live and how exposed they have been to other cultures, the city and even western food, culture etc…….

I believe they did gain some benefit but next time I would take them one at a time and also when they are more mature and ready for some serious learning.

Hey Wedders,

Thanks for your post. I was surprised that your story is nearly identical to mine in that we would love to settle by the sea or have a sea breeze when we return to Thailand in a few years. In answer to your question in where to live, my wife has suggested a nice area just south of Hua Hin called Pranburi Prachuap Khirikhan.

Prachuap Khiri Khan, or commonly referred to as simply Prachup, is a province located in the lower central region 93km south of Hua Hin, while much smaller and quieter than Hua Hin. It connects with the South of Thailand and possesses various interesting sites such as beaches, islands, forests and mountains. Not often you get the beaches and the mountains within close proximity.

Last time we visited the area very briefly we found the long white sandy beaches very clean and pretty, much more so than Pattaya’s, and the sea is relatively clean. Besides just sunbathing snorkeling and swimming, we also enjoyed golf, spas, caves, peaks, waterfalls, shops, seafood and nearby national parks. I found the towns people very warm and friendly making it a pleasant place for families and couples.

We will head back this year for 1 month with a view to purchase some land or property with the idea of using it as a holiday base when we return to Thailand in a few years. Better you spend a small amount of time in the area to really see if that is the type of place that appeals to you. My second suggestion in the area around Rayong which is only a short 1 and 1/2 hour drive from Bangkok on the freeway south. They have some nice islands off the coast near Rayong which are quite unspoilt. Best of luck with your search.

Highlander,

I asked my Thai wife and she said it was not really proper Thai and a little confusing but managed to figure out something about not really feeling any love when I am with him. Hope that helps!

Just did Samui last week. Flew to Surat Thani airport from Bangkok with Air Asia and we were delayed 1 hour from Swampy (flight took

1 hour 10mins) then caught the bus to Taton Pier (1 hour 30mins) and then the car ferry with around 300 people (1 hour 30 mins). Got picked up from the pier and transfered to the hotel. (only 20 mins as we did not stay in the tourist areas of Lamai or CW). The trip was long but enjoyable if you like travelling and have plenty of time. For short trips of less than 3 nights I would fly directly into Samui with Bangkok Airways or Thai International. As a side note we enjoyed Kho Samet much more due to the shorter distance from bangkok and not as crowded as Samui.

On thursday the rate in most exchange places I visited were 26.3 baht for 1$Aud. Super Rich had 27.2baht at the Lad Prao branch behind Thai Airways building. Also works well the other way when converting back to AUD from Thai Baht. SR.......27.4 baht for 1$Aud. Travellers Cheques offer a better rate as long as you can get free cheques in your home country with no commission charges.

For the more experienced travellers you can smell or sense a scam a mile away. What worries me so much about this scam is that you normally have your defences down as you are heading home etc and would not really be thinking about possible ways of getting scamed as you are leaving a country. Happened to me last month at Swampy when i was changing some money and she short counted my Thai Baht. I caught her in the act and spoke firmly to her about her actions.......mai pen rai for her ......next mug please!

Well this changes all of that...............so what to do if this happens to you?

I know don't go into any airport duty free shops or dont buy anything from the airport, don't change money you might get ripped off, don't catch taxis etc, but if for some unfortunate reason you or your partner are caught up in this scam what would you do?

Make a scene, start screaming and really lose it........or maybe faint and pretend to have a heart attack.........get as many people involved as possible..........start filming the people involved with your camera, mobile etc...........Have your lawyer on speed dial on your mobile phone?

Any ideas from the more seasoned jury members?

Yes, the earlier you book the cheaper it is to fly. Also try looking at Nok Air as they have some discounted fares presently and generally have a better on time record than other budget airlines.

Based on my 15 years working as a Custom's Officer (yes, I was one of those bastards that gave you a hard time at the airport) the only factor that changed when it came to the importation of drugs was the method. One month it was Heroin in bottles from Vietnam, the next it was the Nigerians sending Herion in Books. The methods became more and more clever but it always seemed to repeat it self eventually. What always amused me was having gone to all that trouble of arranging a mule they never had a story prepared. Five or six questions on the same subject and it was all over..........no depth to their stories. Having caught, interviewed and charged hundreds of these drug smugglers/couriers the common thread was greed, stupidity, threaten by others or a combination of all the above. The numbers being caught remained the same and the type of drugs being imported changed slightly depending on current trends and ease of importation.

From my perspective the current system does not deter drug lords, why should they care what happens to the mules? For every failed importation several more get through. Its all a matter of numbers. Does the Governemts really care? My belief is not really, they are more concerned about facilitating passengers through the airport as quickly as possible.

Guig,,,,

I flew from Langkawi back to Bangkok with MAS (Malaysian Airlines) with a brief transit stop in KL. Very smooth connecting flights with none of the hassles of Air Asia and their late departures and arrivals. The boat trip sounds really nice as well if you have time.

Well you certainly have a challenge on your hands but that is sometimes the best way as you will soon realize whether you enjoy the challenge of teaching English as a second language. I found myself in a similar position last month as a volunteer in a Thai Charity when they asked me to teach English to the poor and underprivelged kids in the school holidays. Although I am a Sports Teacher I was very surprised as to how difficult it can be to teach English. Having said that my advice in order of importance would be:

1. Have a Thai teacher with you at all times for translation and crowd control. Some of the boys have a very short concentration span....

2. Resources and lesson preparation will be vital to your success, sanity and overall benefit to the children. Prepare too much because sometimes things dont work and you need a backup.

3. Try and use as many flashcards with pics and words on them as possible. Have crosswords, word games, play games, sing songs etc all can be found on the internet. Start with Shelley Vernon, she has some cool stuff.

4. Smile, laugh and use the kids names and never get angry. Try and do group activities rather then one or one excerises.

5, Take them outside and play some ball games or ask them to paint the sun and solar systme using some yellow paint. It all works and they enjoy the difference.

After my 2 days a week for 4 weeks i realised how much i enjoyed the experienced but next time I would give them a more grounded base like teaching the alphabet, and doing more writing exercises. As they become more confident they will speak more.

Don't forget the stickers for good work and some food rewards like sweets. Good luck and have fun.

Gennisis,

Do you have any of the following

• You feel dizzy just from moving your head or body.
  
• You occasionally feel nauseous and have vomiting.
  
• You have ringing or rushing noises in your ear.
  
• You have a sudden hearing loss.
  

If so you might have a similar vertigo problem as I have called Viral labyrinthitis. It is characterized by a sudden unilateral loss of vestibular (ear) function and hearing. The acute onset of severe, often incapacitating, vertigo, frequently associated with nausea and vomiting, is characteristic of this disorder. At its most severe you are often bedridden while the symptoms gradually subside. Vertigo eventually resolves after several days to weeks; however, unsteadiness and positional vertigo may persist for several months. Hearing loss is also present and may be the primary presenting symptom.

Until you have sorted out some medicial attention the following might assist you when you have an attack of Vertigo. Lie still in a comfortable position, often flat on your side. Reduce your salt and sugar intake. Avoid chocolate, coffee, and alcohol. Stop smoking if you do smoke. Try to create a low-noise, low-stress environment.

Somoh,

Just saw your ad from last year and will be buying some land myself in the near future. How did you go with finding a builder for your new home in Rayong? Did you get started?

Guig

Yamcha,

Best to first check whether they will except a 3 month lease. I looked at several in the Ari area including Ari Place and six months was the best some landlords and agents will offer. My fiancee picked the Ari area for me as it is mostly Thai, quiet at night and close to the markets and BTS. Ari Place is a good choice at 15,000 baht per month but it does not come with a swimming pool or gym. Everything else in that area is more expensive. I settled on something further up the soi and paid 2 months deposit and one month rent in advance. See if you can get UBC, washing machine etc included in the rental price if you think you need them. I also asked for the contract in English which the landlord was happy with. I found you need to negotiate hard as they will come down in price if they want to rent the apartment. So far, i love the area and the people and enjoy shopping at the markets practising my Thai language.

I am Australian, 50 years old and have recently moved to the Ari area of Bangkok for 12 months. I currently play at the Army Tennis courts across from Sanam Pao BTS but can catch the BTS or taxi to other courts in the area. I have played and coached tennis all my life and was still playing A Grade in Sydney before I left.

My email is [email protected] if you would like to contact me for a hit. I am available most days either in the mornings 7-10am or late afternoon 4-7pm. Otherwise please send me a PM and I will reply with mobile and further details.

I have recently relocated to Thailand and have moved to the Ari area of Bangkok for 12 months. I currently play at the Army Tennis courts across from Sanam Pao BTS but I can catch the BTS to other courts in the area. I have played and coached tennis all my life and was still playing A Grade in Sydney before I left.

If any Tv members would like to contact me for a hit I am available most days either in the mornings 7-10am or late afternoon 4-7pm.

My email address is [email protected]