stranger-in-paradise

Thanks guys. Very useful information. We will try another dealer tomorrow and see if we can get the original discount but have the car on white plates within a couple of months instead of 7 months. We can forego the extra discount for 7 months wait.

Hi folks.

I am buying a new car direct from a dealer with cash (for my wife). He has offered an additional discount if I accept that the car will be on red plates for about 7 months. The car will be registered in my wife's name, although the insurance will be in the name of the dealer until the white plates arrive.

Does this send any warning messages or is this just normal practice in LOS? Advice and comments gratefully received.

Many thanks.

I find Matrix is a good search engine for flights http://matrix.itasoftware.com/

It does seem an odd objective to me. A new state would be economically fragile. It doesn't look like an obvious proposition, unless it is for something else, such as to create a stronger sense of "national" identity. Fighting for an ideal, or a strong leader, is not easy. But add a "homeland" and it may be plausible. The call to arms is ominous.

Thanks guys.

A quick question.

I am intending to apply for a multiple entry non-imm O visa for a year. I understand that I will need to report every 90 days.

If I leave Thailand and re-enter say after 2 months, does that reset the 90 day clock for reporting (i.e. then need to report again only 3 months after latest re-entry)?

Many thanks in advance.

Depends on the occasion and how well you know your friend and his wife. At one end of the spectrum (newly made friends inviting you to their place for a first meal) then something of a non-permanent nature may be OK such as flowers (not red roses obviously!) or something edible. At the other end of the range (such as the birthday of very good friend's wife) then something more permanent is appropriate. A cut cut glass vase or bowl may do the trick. I come from The Netherlands, and admit to using a stock of Delft vases for such occasions (it also helps the industry back home and is a little more personal without being OTT). But that's my view. Interested to hear other replies. (BTW Don't invite me to dinner if you don't have space for a vase on your mantelshelf).

Tricky to tell from the OP photos. But this sounds like "Lippia". If so, Lippia has small white clover-like flowers. It is grown in some countries as an alternative to lawn. But it is invasive and out-competes most other vegetation. Deep tap root with spreading shoots. I had it in a lawn in Australia. Hand-digging the main tap roots, followed by Roundup was the only remedy. I would not dilute the Roundup but apply the concentrate carefully to individual leaves with a paint brush (time consuming). It seems that the water made the plant grow more than the killing effect of Roundup.

Thanks for the comments guys. No show stoppers from what I'm hearing. And several options if the built-in unit is poor. Thanks.

Hi folks,

Does anyone have any experience of the inbuilt Sat/Nav in the Ford Everest? I'm thinking of buying an Everest, but I've had some poor experience of some other rented cars with an built-in units. I've had the sort of thing that you read about in the papers - being led up dead ends, or onto unsuitable roads unless you are riding on a mountain goat. Are they reliable? Thanks for advice.

It may be good to get a price from a repair shop asap. Without seeing the actual damage, it is hard to make a recommendation. I've always been surprised how much a "simple dent" can cost to get fixed (but that's in Europe). If you know the expected repair price, you can make an informed choice, i.e. pay for the repairs before returning the car or take the car back in its current condition and risk forgoing the deposit.

Very funny! I laughed all the way through. Was I supposed to take him seriously? Admittedly he has a voice with the subtle tone of a buz saw going through hardwood, and he needs to be careful about raising his blood pressure for effect, but really funny!

darrendsd. The amount you need to pay for topping up depends on previous contributions. I am presuming that you are already living out of the UK, in which case the International Pensions Centre (link below) can advise on a case by case basis.

https://www.gov.uk/international-pension-centre

I would be cautious about Aeroflot. I am an experienced traveller with over 1400 flights to 80-odd countries including many enjoyable stays in Russia from Moscow to Siberia. In one of my own flights from Europe to BKK, the connection was missed between flights at Moscow, and we were put into a transit hotel for 24 hours. Actually we were physically locked into a special floor with guards so that we could not even move around for meals without a guard. It's understandable because we did not have any visas to enter Russia, but you need to be able to stand up to normal Russian treatment. I would have enjoyed 24 hours in Moscow, but it was more like 24 hours in the twilight zone.

Try Bangkok Insurance. Pretty good coverage at a reasonable price (though I am in Phuket).

Thanks for the useful leads folks. I'll follow up.

Cheers.

Insurance companies are reviewing their cover ... we looked at changing but the new company didn't cover earthquake so we stayed as we were. Two companies come to mind AIG ...which I think is now Chartis and AIS. I found that earthquake cover could be got at an increased price ,,, so read the small print very carefully.

SCB have declined to renew our builings insurance in Bangkok. They quoted that they have moved out of that market following the floods (not that our house was affected). Any recommendations?

Also does anyone know of am insurance company that will cover a wooden house upcountry? One of those small teak pre-assembled jobs.

Thanks.

I would suggest checking this out with a good lawyer, because dividing up assets during a divorce depends on where you were married and where you divorce. Where you were married defines the laws of how your assets were allocated at the time of the marriage. For example, in the UK both partners share all their assets on the day they marry (hence the famous words in the ceremony "with all my worldly goods I thee endow...") That is not the same in all countries. In The Netherlands, partners entering a marriage do not pool resources on their wedding day. They each have ownership separately of what was theirs beforehand.

Where you get divorced will define how those (shared) assets are divided up. Again, it varies from country to country; Spain is a better place for a man to get divorced. The Netherlands has a strict formula to be applied (almost, fill in a spreadsheet) whilst the UK seems to be more flexible and one of the better places for a woman to get divorced.

If you were not married in Oz, nor have ever "set up a household" in that fair country, nor are getting divorced there now, then I see no reason that Australian jurisdiction would apply. Your passport defines your citizenship, not the laws under which you marry or divorce. If you are divorcing in Thailand, then Thai law would apply for division of assets. I don't know the set up over there, but she may have rights to assets outside of Thailand. Worth checking with a good lawyer in Thailand.

Acker Bilk - Stranger on the Shore.

Not because I would literally be the stranger on the beach, but because I seem to have spent most of my life exploring and coming to grips with other cultures and locations.

Could be a bit too mellow, but that's a risk I'd have to take.

I'm not sure if you have already married into the family or not (maybe you are still referring to the missus as your girlfriend). If you are not married, then it seems premature to be making payments beyond the GF.

If you have married, then talk to your wife and try to find out the undercurrents inside the family. (If your family is anything like mine, that will take some time! But worth doing). At one extreme, the WG may have set the standard and the family may be expecting another 12000 from the new son-in-law. At the other end, they may feel that each part of the family does what it can to support the rest.

Either way, I would be talking to the family (and particularly the head of the family) about payments and not the WG. His payments are his business. Your payments are yours.

We have been with Bupa International for many years and have used medical facilities in Thailand on a few occassions (for emergency treatment and some preventive care). I have to say that in Thailand the service from Bupa was without fault. They have kept a careful check that we were getting the right treatment and had everything that we needed. The premiums are paid by my company so cannot comment on those. At times when things were a bit stressed, it was very comforting to have Bupa helping to solve the problems. We have a different company for travel insurance and sadly I couldn't say the same thing about them.

Not a fishing posting in particular, but my understanding of Thai is on the low side of non-extistant. But if you paste a foreign website into Google translate, it will give a reasonable attempt. Better than the old days when translating contracts from English into Spanish. The programme (not Google) translated " the parties hereby agree that....." into "the fiestas hereby agree that......"

Tight lines.

Agree with the earlier comment - do your best. And try not to get upset yourself. That has a habit of travlling into the child too.

One piece of advice, if I may. When the plane comes in to land, we all get the feeling of blocked ears. Just caused by the cabin pressure going up again. Adults can handle it by swallowing (or yawning) but kids just feel the pain when their ears hurt too much. And then the yelling starts! So give them something to drink during the last 20 minutes of the flight. Assuming that you have survived that far.

Many thanks to the posters. I am preparing to move to Thailand, and getting finance straight beforehand is always better than trying to fix things afterwards.

Referring to the comment made by Fletch

"But the legal way round this, should you choose not to do so is:

- Income remitted to Thailand in a subsequent year by a resident is not subject to personal income tax.

- Need to be able to prove income remitted is income of a prior year.

- Avoid tainting prior year income with current year income if a remittance will take place in the current year."

Are there any recommendations in terms of separate bank accounts to handle UK pension income (or separate banks?) to help in avoiding contamination?

Or is there a good tax accountant that could be recommended in Bangkok?

Thanks.

Krung Thai Bank , Internet Banking can be set up to do automatic monthly payments to 3rd party banks. Simple once you get the hang of it.

Internet banking with Siam Commercial Bank allows direct debits to be set up to Bank of Ayudhya - probably others too, but I've not needed them. The only snag is that you need to refresh them every 6 months (i.e. set them up again) but not too time consuming.