Lee4Life

Thanks for all of the good info. I guess the place to start is to have a water test done, the nearest town is NongKhai but it seems we are having to head to Udon fairly often to get things done that are not really "run of the mill". Any tips on where we should look as far as having a test done? As far as language goes my Isaan is o.k. but my Thai is not all that great and my wife is not Thai, that's why I am asking.

As far as water consumption, we have a 1,500 liter storage tank and a couple of weeks ago there was a problem between the well and the tank, it took only one day and a night for us to run the tank out.

I live in a rural area of Isan and rely on a 30 meter well for water (we purchase drinking water). The problem I am having is that the water has a type of white substance in it that the locals call "poon". One that spoke English told me it is calcium. If there is a small seepage after a long period of time it creates a thin layer of white cement-like substance. It also coats the internal toilet apparatus' and plugs the shower nozzles over a period of time. I have been dealing with it by disassembling these things and cleaning the stuff out every so often, or replacing parts. I have tried a few different types of filters and none seemed to help, then one of the guys at one of the big hardware stores told me that nothing they sold would help  this problem.

      I am thinking this is probably not an uncommon problem, has anyone else had any luck in dealing with it?

I have tried most of the stuff they sell at the big hardware stores here as far as what you pour on and let soak, spent a lot of money but haven't had any luck at all. Also tried bleach and bathroom cleaner (not together!). The only thing I have found to work was the pressure washer. I am going to give the chlorine idea a try though.

3 hours ago, ezzra said:

 

So being married to a Thai and farming pigs didn't do it for her,

will cooking Pad Thai will?.... the choices people make....

come on now...tell us about some of your choices?

It's great to hear news that's not about foreigners killing each other, drug busts, rapes or road rages. But I'm sure there will be some who will rip her up.

22 hours ago, Bluespunk said:

"Some people pointed out she also photoshopped herself to work in first class. Hey, what's wrong with flying coach?"

 

Everything.

HiSo wannabe?

I was at one of the government sponsored "return happiness to the people" concerts here at NongKhai with my wife and was approached by three officers in plain clothes, one was wearing a badge on a neck lanyard. They didn't ask me for I.D. but did record my name and even took a picture of me with a tablet before they left.

         They asked where I worked (I don't) and where I live and how long I have been here. I thought it strange as I had been here many years and never run into anything like that, but it didn't really bother me. I did like that they were nice and polite and I didn't feel in anyway threatened.

6 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

Having a yellow house book does not exempt you from doing a TM30 report.

Thank you, probably saved me some grief in the future

Hmmmm....I thought foreigners with the yellow Tabian Ban book in their names didn't have to file the TM30, guess maybe I was wrong?

Not so sure I would want it back

I was talking with some of our Thai friends a while back and they were completely shocked and in denial when I told them that in the ten years that we have been here I have noticed that the Thai people in general have become more impatient and in much more of a hurry. I don't blame them for not seeing it, things like that change slowly and if you don't have the chance to step back you don't even notice it....especially when your life changes along with it.

good to know, I kind of wondered if the mailing time listed was their "worse case" estimate.

9 hours ago, SpokaneAl said:

 

 

Since I am on the west coast I always use the LA Thai Consulate via the USPS. They are very professional and always give me first class service.


Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect

 

I just got our O-A visas from them last month. I did it in person as they say on their website that it is at least a two week wait plus mailing time if done by mail. I saw the backlog of mail-in applications piled up on their counters when I was there...it was huge.

I Know I don't do it the Thai way, but when I am making a left turn I often merge into the motorbike lane before the turn, forcing any motorbikes who are coming fast behind me to pass me on the right, and preventing what happened in the video. 

19 minutes ago, Lee4Life said:

I am a bit confused by your post, I am here on an O-A multi-entry retirement visa issued at an overseas royal consulate. Are you saying that if I choose to apply for a new O-A Visa at the same consulate next year instead of applying for an extension here in Thailand and then do border crossings rather than 90 day reports that I am doing something incorrect?  Please explain.

Never mind...I see that you explained your view already in a later post.

On ‎11‎/‎14‎/‎2016 at 5:53 PM, Maestro said:

 

If you had started with the retirement extensions 14 years ago the financial requirements for it would be much lower. Presumably, you made an informed decision when you chose the visa route but a change to one-year extensions remains open to you, albeit at the current conditions. It is up to you to decide which route you find more convenient and practical.

 

From a legal point of view, the retirement extensions would be the correct type of permission to stay for you, not back-to-back entries with visas or visa-exempt.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Thaivisa Connect mobile app
 

 

I am a bit confused by your post, I am here on an O-A multi-entry retirement visa issued at an overseas royal consulate. Are you saying that if I choose to apply for a new O-A Visa at the same consulate next year instead of applying for an extension here in Thailand and then do border crossings rather than 90 day reports that I am doing something incorrect?  Please explain.

Have ridden our little Honda wave 100 on several long trips, (such as NongKhai/ChiangMai in one day) and then moved up to a Honda phantom 200cc, which is perfect for mountain roads but not really big enough for the multi-lane highways. If I had the money I would once again move up to something around 400cc or more.

       So much depends on the speeds you like to travel at and the roads you plan to take!

22 hours ago, sirmud63 said:

walk away . its only going to be more dead money down the road if you try to pursue it .

the above advice is exactly correct, there is no "small claims court" here and filing a lawsuit could very well be more than what you will recover.

1 hour ago, yankee99 said:

Yes and know.  

 

Lots of products come in duty free and are ridiculously priced such as products from countries under the free trade agreements.  Its called greed

 yes...protectionism only works if the country produces similar items, the other part is greed

19 hours ago, 4MyEgo said:

I will be doing my first retirement extension in February @ Sakon Nakhon and will go prepared, e.g. map of where we are, photos of me in front of the house, in the bedroom, in the living room and in the bathroom, so as to be prepared, just in case.

 

Thanks for the heads up. 

Make sure the house address is visible in the picture of the applicants in front of the residence, this was one of the stipulations given my friend that just got his o-a extension at NongKhai.

It just depends on the person you hit. (or "rolled into" ). I have taken care of these kinds of things before and they are usually less expensive than I figured they would be. As for me, it was worth it to have a clear conscience. If they do go to the authorities then you can be certain it's going to cost you a lot more.

The source article states "the photos show how it remains untouched". They must be looking at a different set of photos than those I saw!

You must have Lao insurance on your vehicle when you drive in Laos, not just Thai Insurance (as others have already said). There are no signs at the border telling you of this requirement but it is a law. I was stopped on the Lao side near the NongKhai-Vientiane Bridge and the officer actually let me go when I told him there was no sign informing people of this at the border crossing and promised him I would go back to the border and purchase insurance at the Tokyo Insurance office there.

On ‎10‎/‎15‎/‎2016 at 8:42 AM, NamKangMan said:

 

Makes you wonder how much she would have demanded from a farang tourist or expat????

doesn't make me wonder at all, and it shouldn't make you either

The advantage of getting it in the U.S. is that you can use your U.S. bank account as proof of funds if you don't meet the minimum monthly income statute,  if you are going to use the proof of monthly income then that's different. When it comes time to renew you can't do that in the U.S. though...you would have to renew it in Thailand or else just re-apply for another new visa in the U.S. using new documentation of police background check, medical check, proof of funds etc...