Ratsima

For those interested in diving rarely visited Thai dive sites, you might consider a trip to Losin and Koh Krah. These are isolated islets in the southern Gulf of Thailand; southeast of Koh Samui and northeast of Songkhla. I've done this trip three times now and am planning to go again this September/October. The trip is only done a few times per year.

Unfortunately, the company doing these trips is oriented toward Japanese customers, so they do little or no marketing in English. However, the dive guides do speak English and are willing to accommodate non-Japense divers.

I don't know what the rules are on posting business names or links, so unless I hear otherwise, I'll assume it is prohibited.

If you're interested in one of these trips, send me a PM.

I'm in no way affiliated with the dive operator, but if they don't get enough divers, they won't sail. My only interest is in seeing that the boat is full enough to make the trip.

I went last month and there were only four customers on the boat and we were the only dive boat in the area. It was quite nice. Last October we saw a couple of whale sharks at Koh Krah.

I don't think I've ever kept it a "secret" that I don't speak Thai. In fact you, Mole, have helped me before with things that I don't understand. I've always tried to make it clear that I just don't do spoken Thai.

I did say:

it is entirely possible that I have written what she says incorrectly.

So, you're telling me that I should only ask questions here if I am absolutely sure about what I've heard and that I must fully disclose in the OP that I don't speak Thai?

In this case I have listened to this lady say the same thing for months. I didn't post here until I was fairly sure about what she said. And, of course, I asked my wife first.

I can read and understand some Thai and I know how to use a Thai dictionary. In this case, knowing the words and what they mean didn't help me much.

Next time I'll seek help elsewhere.

My wife was also baffled.

I probably just heard wrong - as usual.

This is in Korat.

Keep in mind that I do not speak or understand spoken Thai. I have heard this lady say the same thing every day for a long time, but it is entirely possible that I have written what she says incorrectly.

You've already done that before.

In other words she's commenting on the fact that I run by her home every day?

Thanks.

Every morning on my run I encounter a woman who is sweeping the street in front of her house. She always says to me:

ไปก่อนแล้ว

I know what the words mean, but I can't figure out what she's trying to say to me.

She never says anything else. Just that. Every day.

If you read the OP you will see that I wrote: "Although my wife and I have driven to Lao many times...."

On this trip we are doing a river cruise that begins in Luangprabang. I don't have time to drive all the way from Korat to Luangprabang (again), so we will fly from Vientiane to Luangprabang.

Is there some place safe and secure to leave one's car in Vientiane or at the airport? If so, I'd consider driving. Otherwise, I think it's probably safer and more secure to leave the car on the Thai side of the river. Plus, our Thai car insurance will cover us if something happens to the car while parked. That would not be the case if we left the car parked in Lao.

Thanks. This sounds perfect for us.

Ah, this is perfect. Is it easy to find the secure parking area?

Easy to get from there to the Lao visa office on the bridge?

Thanks. I guess we'll do bus to Nong Khai, then bus to Vientiane, hoping my visa on arrival doesn't take too long....

Although my wife and I have driven to Lao many times, it has been decades since we took public transport. We need to get from Korat to the airport in Vientiane from where we will fly to Luangprabang.

(Yes, I know we could go to Bangkok and fly to Luangprabang from there, but flights from Bangkok to Luangprabang are about three times as much as flights from Vientiane to Luangprabang.)

The train is not currently a good option as the line is being repaired and you have to take a bus for part of the journey.

There is no longer a direct bus from Korat to Vientiane.

I suppose we can take a bus to Nong Khai, take a taxi to the bridge, shuttle across the bridge and then tuktuk to the airport.

Is there any easier way?

Continuing the OT banter....

I first went to Koh Samui in 1977. I spent two weeks on the beach at Ao Thong Takian (between Lamai and Chaweng).There was no electricity, no running water and the road was just a muddy track. But, the sand was soft and clean. The water was clear and gentle; the snorkeling good fun. Fresh seafood from the fishing boats anchored in the bay was magnificent. Home-brew lao cao in old Coke bottles was 5 baht.

I had a marvelous time.

Last week I spent a few days on the same beach. Yeah, there's more development and lots more people, but the sand is just as soft and clean as I remember it. The water is clear and the snorkeling still fun. (I even spotted a good-sized grouper just sitting on the bottom in less than a meter of water.) Although the seafood is a bit dear, it's still fresh and delicious. The 5 baht lao cao is long gone, but the beer is cold and there's ice for the G&Ts.

I had a marvelous time.

As has been noted, Thais navigate differently. Most Western men navigate by direction. Most Thais (and many Western women) navigate by landmark.

Have a look at the "maps" that accompany most Thai advertising, including brochures. These "maps" resemble a transport diagram more than they resemble a map: The scale is off and directions are arbitrary. All streets and roads go perfectly north and south or east and west. But, these diagrams do work with navigation by landmark because they show the absolute relationship between objects, even thought the distances and direction are way off.

Thais have been doing this forever. Look at an ancient Thai navigation chart and everything is in a straight line; as if you could sail from Bangkok to Taiwan without ever having to turn.

Any credit card when used in a currency other than the one it is issued in, attracts a fee, which varies from one country and one bank to another.

Not so. I have a credit card from Capital One bank in the US that charges no foreign exchange fee. I use it for non-US purchases both online and in person.

Thanks. I've driven all over Lao, but have always wanted to do this boat trip.

Ranong vs. Rayong

The Nation article headline:

11 bodies found floating off Rayong

The first line of the article:

Eleven bodies believed to be from Myanmar's Koh Song province were found floating off Ranong province Sunday.

Now, if even they can't get it right....

It turns out I'm too stupid to learn Thai. After 16 years of trying and failing miserably I concluded that my time was better spent learning how to survive here without knowing the language.

The "city" water Homeland gets is from the Tessaban, even though we are out of the Tessaban jurisdiction. That's why it's so expensive: he's paying commercial rather than residential rates in order to get what he claims is better, more reliable water. Unfortunately, he used a six in pipe that is supposed to feed Homeland 1 & 2 and all of Homeland 3. No way that small a pipe is going to be sufficient once Homeland 3 is fully occupied.

The other water is not directly from the river, but from the Or Bor Tor, which does pump it from the river and processes it at their plant in Baan Mai. That water is priced at the residential rate.

But, here's the ultimate irony: It was recently discovered that our six month long water woes were caused by someone inadvertently mostly closing the feed from the Tessaban and then chaining the valve shut. It was fully opened a couple of weeks ago. None of us has had to use our recently installed pumps since then. What a cockup.

this is just another crazy law to make it difficult for us farangs... thais can buy land in any country the locals can, i mean civilized (usa/europe)

You have to remember that in the West we're trained to question stupidity. In Thailand you're trained to lie down and let it trample you.

I really don't have any confidence that Bangkok Bank could sort this out. After all, it took me nearly seven years to get Internet Banking from them.

I've thought of a better solution. Between now and the time the actual transfer takes place (15 months?), I will live on the money I have saved here and leave all my current income in the US. When transfer time comes I will have more than enough in US banks to cover the condo cost. I'll transfer it here in one lump sum, get the required Foreign Exchange Certificate and be done with it. No double transfers or flimflam required.

You can't pick and choose which law / regulation / policy that serves you best. If you want to keep citing the Condominium Act then you must follow all the steps listed in the act. And saving money in a Fixed deposit here in Thailand to take advantage of the better interest rate is not part of the act

Anyone can buy anything here in Thailand, either outright or by taking advantage of certain loop holes, what you cannot do is repatriate the money if you should sell at a later time without a Foreign Exchange Certificate that is attached to the Chanote by the land office and becomes part of the official transaction. You are given a copy of the certificate by the land office after the Chanote is issued

You certainly wrote a lot but you didn't really answer my questions.....

You are missing the fact that the land office will let you purchase the condo using the money here in Thailand but will not issue the Chanote in a foreign name without the Foreign Exchange Certificate

In what Thai law or regulation can I find this rule? AFAIK, it is not mentioned in the Condominium Act.

And it doesn't help your case that these funds were invested into a K Bank time deposit account, not something that a condo purchaser would do

Unless the prospective condo purchaser was saving up money for a condo and taking advantage of higher savings account interest in Thailand than in the US.

Another question:

This condo purchase involves the payment of a reservation fee, a deposit, 18 separate monthly down payments and a final balloon payment of about 75% of the purchase price. Does each one of those 21 separate payments require a separate Foreign Exchange Certificate?

Agree all, first time pressure is low or non-existant, you'll be glad you did it.

Indeed. I spent 26 years on Saipan dealing with tanks, pumps, cooking gas cylanders and generators. I had hoped that by moving here I was leaving at least the tanks, pump and generator behind. No such luck.

When we bought this house the developer had one of those huge water tank towers and beefy pumps; promising water 24/7. As soon as the development sold out and he started a new one; there went the tank and pumps leaving leaving promises unkept and lots of angry homeowners.

However, greng jai rules, so our only option was to install a tank and pump. I did it myself. 700 liter tank. 150 watt Hitachi pump. (I bought a small, 700 liter tank because it "just fits" in a little nook in the carport. If we ever get really dry I can add another.)

Clumsy plumber me had lots of leaks at first, but those are all sorted and it now works fine. Plenty of pressure for the garden sprinklers, shower and, most importantly, the washing machine.

Total cost was around 12,000 baht. Well worth it.