boriga

Please see this link on website updated overnight.

http://www.thaishanghai.com/th/visa/tourist_visa/

What "*Consular officers reserve the rights to request additional documents as deemed necessary*" means will need to be clarified. Will try a phone call, if not will just drop by and see what they want and post back later.

Shanghai Consulate has always been difficult and they seem to be playing to form.

Given your existing plan A, I would suggest you look at what HSBC can do for you in Thailand, they have been very aggressive marketing to expats in Thailand in the past.

HSBC offer very useful linkages between accounts in Taiwan, HK and China, despite banking regulatory firewalls, to gain these privileges is a matter of having enough money in one of the jurisdictions to gain the 'Premier' or whatever status. Given your move offshore you should be eligible for these services.

From personal experience it works well within Greater China, would imagine Thailand would work well also, or at least as well as BKK Bank etc.

It depends how big the kids are but if they are quite small, you could consider Sai Noi beach just south of Khao Tao, just down from Takiab, work your way along the rocks on either side of the beach. It may be worth checking out along the rocks below the temple at Khao Tao itself. May be possible also starting on the north side of Takiab, though never tried. Also, below Dolphin Bay and in the Sam Roi Yod park itself there are some rocky outcrops accessible from beaches that could be worth a try.

No one really cares, it is a typical China situation. There are 3 Levels: Legal - Not Legal, nor illegal - Things you can not do.

If you want to be 'legal' you have to deal with capricious, illogical, bigoted, outdated bureaucracy. You just do something which whilst not being legal is not illegal, then you are OK.

Western concepts of compliance simply allow the Chinese government apparatchiks to take advantage of the inadequacies in the beloved western compliance mantra.

Apply for an 'L' tourist visa, take him to the Bund or Tian-an-men and take some photos. He visits some colleagues. If you want him to work in China as an employee, not a visitor, apply for a work visa.

No one cares what he does on his vacation once he is here.

China is not Thailand.

B

Pretty sad really as we had some visitors in town and swung by the Elephant trekking place in from Takiab and were confronted by a gibbon in nappies and a six month old Tiger cub chained up until a potential punter arrives when they stuff a milk bottle in its mouth and plonk it on the punters laps for a photo shoot.

Sad exploitation of an endangered animal of the highest level.

Totally shameless and when I quizzed the ground troops they had no idea that anything was wrong other than the potential they had to lose some bonus if this crazy farang did not get out there ASAP

Will never go back and strongly recommend anyone with a conscience to do the same and let these exploiters go out of business as soon as possible. Can not blame the functionaries, its the owners who need to be stopped.

It was only in January that the big Tiger conservation ASEAN Ministers meeting was in Hua Hin. I guess this is the home grown pilot project?

As I said, I will never go back, will tell anyone I meet not to go there and respectfully suggest other forum readers do the same.

Boriga

"Had an interesting visit from an immigration inspector this afternoon. He was taking names, passport numbers, addresses, and photos of farang holding passport in front of house numbers."

emmigration don't go from house to house taking peoples names, passports, pictures - the guy claiming to be an emmigration officer was an imposter or acting on some scam. Don't be surpriced, if something bad happens out of it - burglary etc.

if anybody should do this job it would be police, security or army, and not a single inspector but a group of them.

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I had the exact same visit and assumed it could be a scam so asked a friend in a hotel who deals with the Immigration department to call and check this was not a scam. She confirmed that it was all ok and that for 'security' reasons they were taking a census of all foreigners living near the palace.

The immigration guy also said every time I come to Hua Hin I should register with the immigration department. News to me? Interesting, the chap did not even look at one visa or entry stamp, just wanted names and numbers for his note book and to take photos of the ID pages.