eddiemonster

When does it become more favourable to use swift in relation to charges please, ( debit card ) if any ?

Convenience wise it is of course easier to make use of the ATM facilities relating to time, i reckon.

Thank you

Depends how much your bank charges for using swift.

If Nationwide are going to charge 1%, (others are 2.5% but all vary) then to withdraw, for example, £1000 is going to cost you £10. If you can transfer £1000 over for less than that then use swift.

There is a farang guy around these parts who passes himself off as a project manager.

Unfortunately, as far as anyone can tell, he has never managed to see a project through without falling out with the owner, leaving them poorer and clearing up the mess behind him.

The sad part is that, generally speaking, farangs wishing to build are scared of going it alone with a thai (for many reasons) so customers keep coming.

As one of the first posters said, just waiting for the next gormless farang to walk through the door.

Sure there must be good farang project managers out there, but beware.

I also spoke to the UK Nationwide help desk last night and they informed me that all ATM withdrawals in Thailand ie.both visa debit and cash cards would be subject to the 1% charge. I hope this info is incorrect but if not I guess opening a Thai bank account will be the cheapest way to transfer large sums from the UK but I would be grateful if someone could confirm what commission the Thai banks charge for cash withdrawals by ATM or over the counter.

Many thanks

Some banks charge, some don't, usually 20 baht if they do. Siam Commercial Bank don't charge if withdrawn over the counter.

Much cheaper than withdrawing from UK bank accounts (in Thailand) but you need to factor in the cost of bringing the money over.

.... as the old saying goes.."never invest more than you are willing to loose"...in Thailand

Thats very good advice for anyone, doesn't just apply to Thailand though

The old renting or buying argument always comes down to personal situations.

Anyone, got good recent experience on any construction in Krabi?

No, I am not Flemish, but I have Flemish friends.

Good luck with the 'country'

Hi

I realise that a sponsor's letter may or may not be actually needed in a non-imm O application at Hull consul but I am trying to cover all options.

Does anyone know what needs to be included?

Does it have to be written by a Thai/Thai resident?

Does it need to be in Thai?

Any other things need to be considered?

Does anyone have an example that they would be kind enough to share?

Thanks,

Eddie

Wow. When did Flanders become a country?

for sure I've made quite a few assumptions but anyone know the real story ?

maximise profit would be my guess

I was told by a salesman, selling lots of different brands, that Hp is a good make as they only make computers (so do Dell)

Just shows, you can never trust a salesman

Lots of reasons to buy in UK as mentioned. Price being the obvious one.

I am a fan of eBay but you have to be careful of copies and knock-offs

Saw in a travel agent yesterday, 3 nights Phuket 3* hotel accom & flight, 199 gbp. That is cheap. OK they wont come for 3 nights so they will bump up the cost with extra nights stays & the tax for the flights were excluded & there were probably some other hidden extras but that is still stupid cheap.

As you say "199GBP" is this UK-BKK-Phuket? Where did you see this? If this is real, I would book it just for a one way flight ticket!

Air asia cheaper than that for a one way.

Not much in it and probably not from Stansted and definitely not to Bangkok

Saw in a travel agent yesterday, 3 nights Phuket 3* hotel accom & flight, 199 gbp. That is cheap. OK they wont come for 3 nights so they will bump up the cost with extra nights stays & the tax for the flights were excluded & there were probably some other hidden extras but that is still stupid cheap.

As you say "199GBP" is this UK-BKK-Phuket? Where did you see this? If this is real, I would book it just for a one way flight ticket!

I too am about to start building in Krabi, so RIchard from Krabi - any recommendations would be very much appreciated - especially architects and contractors...................in fact, any advice!

Whats the deal with driving back and forth to Malaysia with a Thai licensed truck? What kind of insurance do you need and how long can you stay in Malaysia, is there a time limit like two weeks? What about associated fees and costs involved?

Can you just drive over and stamp your Visa and come back? Sure would like to hear if anyone is doing this.

You can park the truck at Sadao and walk or get a motorbike over and come straight back. Takes 30 minutes

A few years ago we drove down to the border in a rented jeep, went across to Malaysia, had a coffee, turned around and drove back into Thailand with a new stamp. Not sure about the legality of it, but it worked then.

The AA website has been painfully slow all day but I persevered and got two flights back to the UK at the end of the year for 31k bht, thats just under 16k bht each. Add on the 3k BKK to KUL return and 19k seems a pretty good deal these days.

Are they return flights to UK or one-way?

Hi Keo

Good luck with the tree.

I have a mango tree about half the size of the OP and all the leaves have 'browned out'. Is it beyond help?

If anyone can offer some tips on general care for these trees I am sure it would be much appreciated - how much water, sun/shade, fertiliser, soil etc. Then I might be able to take better care of the next one

I have already moved a lot out of the GBP, taking a massive hit, and tomorrow will see the last letter going off to move all the rest of my GBPs that I can access, out of GBP's.

The only thing that anyone can be sure of, is that we will all be a hel_l of a lot poorer in six months than we are now.

I don't know about all of us being poorer but you sure as hel_l will be . And you complain about "inept twits"?

Doesn't really matter whether the snake is poisonous or not, I don't think anyone wants to be even bitten by a snake. Must be pretty painful. As usual, most killing (of any kind) is done out of ignorance.

I am no expert (had never seen a wild snake 3 years ago) but I have now got a snake hook and catcher and it is very easy to hook/catch them and put them in a box.

Have a few practice runs first then try it out on a tiddler, or in my case the cat. Who wasn't very happy about it.

All those people worried about their children - fair enough. But also think about what you are teaching them or you are happy to perpetuate the ignorance and killing?

However, my home is my home and if I really had no choice I would kill it, but I have always thought it much safer to drive it away with a hose from distance than getting close enough to kill it. Don't forget - if you try to kill it, and fail, it is going to be mighty p1ssed off.

Why do idiots have to kill these wonderful creatures?

Because it is the will of God:

14 So the LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this,

"Cursed are you above all the livestock

and all the wild animals!

You will crawl on your belly

and you will eat dust

all the days of your life."

Well, he got it wrong about eating dust didn't he? (I know, just a metaphor! )

everyone realises this is from 2008, yes?

I live in Phuket but am taking a trip to Trang. I have been told that in Phang Nga it is quicker then in Phuket.. less people etc..

I already have a expired international license.

My other half was worried that Phang Nga or Trang Dept of Transportation mighrt not know how to deal with farang paperwork required for the license.

Any experience? Success stories?

Will I get banned for life if I also post this in the phuket forum too?

Don't know about Phang Nga or Trang but lots of people have got them in Krabi. Don't know how bothered they will be by the IDL being out of date

Hope it lasts longer than the previous version.

NattyMat: I'm sure you could review ALL the bars in Ao Nang and still get your handicap down

Charge Thais more, foreigners less. Just once. Please.

i went for polished concrete, love it.

Hi t.s

I just want to say the polished conrete looks great. Can I ask how long has it been down and have you had any problems with cracking and/or spillages?

Hi guys, I bought 3 tourist visas from the Thai consulate in UK, Liverpool. I did a visa run to Hong Kong which means taking up my second visa. I'm a Hong Kong resident aswell as holding a UK passport.

So my question is, what can I do after my 3rd visa is finished? Does this mean I have to stay out of Thailand for a certain period of time before I can return? Or is there a way to get around this?

Cheers.

If you want to get another tourist visa you will have to go to a Thai Embassy/consulate but only Cambodia and Laos of the neighbouring countries will even give 2 entries on a tourist visa. For a 3 (or 4) entry tourist visa I think you would have to go back to UK.

The good news is the embassies/consulates usually issue them overnight so, in theory, you only need to stay out of Thailand for 1 night, assuming you dont arrive on a friday evening!

In practise, this is usually a minimum of 2 or 3 nights because of flight/bus times etc.

What documents do I need to show at the KL embassy to obtain the visa?

After the 90 days I can extend the visa? Where so I go? Can I do it in Thailand itself?

After the 90 days you will need to repeat the process - go to another Thai Embassy/consulate.

Don't forget to take a photo and cash (110 ringgit).

ArnoJaco

Thanks for a great report