El_D

Excellent discussion folks!

I was brought up in an extreme Christian Protestant environment, my mother taking me to church a minimum of 3 times a week (many times 7 or 8 times a week when a revival was in process) for the first 18 &1/2 years of my life.

This went on from the time I was born in May of 1967 till February of 1986, when I finally got the nerve to tell my mother that I was going to the Daytona 500 one Sunday instead of church with her (my Dad never went).

Anyhow, I sat thru innumerable hellfire & brimstone sermons delivered by fiery preachers that yanked their ties off and followed up every sentence with "ah-HA!".

I've seen folk "speaking in tongues" and flopping around like fish at the alter--all in a predominantly caucasian church nonetheless.

This was all in Florida.

Since that February of 1986 I've been to church on average of about 2 times a year.

Yes I believe in the Bible, but I've never been to a church where there were people I could relate to. IE: most of them are just "strange" folks-----to me that is.

My mother THRIVES on it though. I just get the impression that most of the folks I've seen at church are living out of touch with reality.

In my opinion, just living life in the real world, trying to be as good-hearted as possible, treating others with respect and dignity (no matter what their status), having a good spouse (and kids eventually), enjoying your life in a relatively wholesome way that is not detrimental to others, and occupying oneself with some type of gainful employment that you hopefully enjoy, are just the things that make it all worth while.

I'm not perfect. I smoke, I drink I cuss.

I also work hard, take very good care of my wife, son and daughter, and here recently have been helping my brothers take care of my mother finacially, and strive every day to do better for them all.

I have many good friends who would do anything for me because they know I can and would do the same for them.

SO----------Am I good Christian? I don't go to church, I don't try to convert others, but I do believe I'm a good guy.

On to Bhuddism and where it plays into this.

Last time I was at church was about a year ago (last July), and my Thai, Bhuddist wife was with me. My mother has moderated to Baptist churches these days, so that's where we went with her.

It was a little redneck church out in the sticks with a congregation of about 20, uncomfortable wooden pews, stain glass windows, no air con---the lot.

I asked my Thai wife (as my understanding of Bhudism is rudimentary at best), if it was OK for her to go to a Christian church.

She just laughed in her sweet way and said "It's OK. Bhudda nott care. It's good I come here with you and Mom, besides, they sing songs and clap hands and it's fun"

Having said all that, I'm on the verge of claiming Bhuddism as my religion of choice, as it doesn't seem to conflict with my considering myself a Christian at the same time, AND I DO believe it would do me nothing but good to study the teachings of the Lord Bhudda further.

El Dummy

the som tam lady says the biggest problem with the card is the after sales service

Sorry BlackJack, but my som tam lady says that the root of the problem lies with the pricing. She did the math for me, and counted it all out using bonk-bonk-bonk's of her mallet into the som tam bowl, and it makes a lot of sense if one follows the bonk-bonk-bonk train of thought.

By the way, I bet my som tam lady can beat up your som tam lady...........

I always missed the comics section of the papers in LOS............Duh! Just read the headlines. They have Charles Shultz beat hands-down!

Any time the cops (especially traffic cops) are bugging you for big money (more than 500 baht) always offer to follow them to the police station and pay it there.

They'll inevitably start back-pedalling, as, the way I see it, if you pay the money at the police station then the corrupt bugger that's trying to fleece you will see none of the money.

I had a speeding fine rapidly drop from 2,000 baht to 500 baht when I smiled real big and said "NO PROBLEM! I go with you to police station. I pay there." Even if you're in a God-awful hurry and don't actually have the time to go to the police station, don't act like it. It's worth the bluff.

That was with an International driver's license though. Not sure how it would turn out with a Thai license.

I was only asked for my passport once in the past 3 & 1/2 years, at the Eckamai bus station, and I politely explained that it was at my apartment on Lat Prao Rd. I showed my US driver's license and let him poke around inside my overnight bag, and that was the end of it.

Great thought Taxexile!

Bigspuds, if you could give us her email addy, then maybe we could all help out & book appointments promising BIG BAHT.

She could print those out and show them as compelling evedence to return!

JUST JOKING MATE!!!!!!!!!

I know she's not like that. My ex-BG isn't.

Really, she isn't.............

I mean REALLY, she isn't!

-------------------------------------------

All joking aside, I've got an absolute jewel of a 30 year old (I'm 37) beautiful 99 lb, 4 ' 11'' wife of 2 1/2 years that is as good as gold, and I must confess, I met her in a bar. Tina Bar, on Sukhumvit, Soi 22 to be exact. I wouldn't trade her for anything.

She'd been working in the Superware plastics factory for 11 years, making a pittance, and her cousins talked her into coming to work the bar scene.

The story I got was that she'd only been working there 1 month when I met her, and that's been pretty well verified in my mind over the 3 1/2 years I've known her. Soi Cowboy is just around the corner from Sukh. Soi 22 and she'd never heard of it.

The past is the past to me. I don't dwell on how many blokes she may have shagged before, nor does she dwell on how many sheilas I may have shagged.

She & I are happy with each other, and do our best to do all we can for each other any way we can.

If, God forbid, she and I ever do part ways, it will have nothing to do with her stint as a bargirl, nor will it have anything to do with me shagging everything in sight back in my own younger days.

I think it would have been cool as ###### to have had tons of Asian women come to the bars in the USA when I was in my 20's and want to shag my brains out and then flip me $25 or $50 on their way out the door the next morning!

While I'm at it, I have to admit that a short-time with a woman 15 or 20 years my senior was as good as any to me when I was in my early 20's. I actually preferred them as they weren't so giggly and fickle.

They knew what they wanted, just a shag, no strings attached.

Why many Westerners want to feel that Thai BG's are scum will remain a mystery to me.

I guess maybe most haven't seen as many different cultures as I have, and think the "American Way" is the only way. I can look back and see that fault in my own attitude when I first became an ex-pat 6 years ago.

Much like my wife, I never went to University, but I'll top six figures USD this year, and my wife is a very smart lady that is instrumental in a burgeouning business I'm setting up.

I have to agree Lopburi.

Having a few previous visas in her passport, showing that she actually does honor foreign country visa requirements would be a BIG plus.

My wife had been (with me) to the UAE, Malaysia and Cambodia before she applied for a US visa.

I put together a 1 inch stack of related paperwork, which included a recently signed 1 year lease on a house in Pattaya, our marriage certificate from 8 months previous, and various other business related documents that showed I had business interests in Asia.

She turned in her application one morning, and picked up her passport the next morning which had a 10 year multiple entry visa in it. She's allowed to stay in the USA for 6 months at a time.

I seriously doubt she'd be able to pop over the border into Canada or Mexico and pop back into the USA 30 minutes later like I've done numerous times to Cambodia though.

I'm quite certain that having a few other visas in her passport helped though with getting her visa so quickly without an interview. I doubt she would have passed that "Nervousness" test, even though there was absolutely nothing untowards with her application or intentions.

I WISH I could get a 10 year, multiple entry Thai visa that would allow me to stay in LOS for 6 montha at a whack that easily.

It's different everywhere one goes though.

Get her paperwork together properly. Either research online or visit your embassy and get the info you need in order to do it right the first time. Don't just toss some BS together. Do it right and present it professionally.

Show COMPELLING evidence that she has reason to return to Thailand (property, young child(ren)/elderly parents she supports etc..)

If she has relatives in the country you're applying for then you'll probably have a harder time as the consular officer will immediately be suspicious that she may want to go shack up with her aunt/cousin/mother/father/brother/sister.

If, however, one of her reasons for visiting your country is to visit a relative, then be open and honest about it.

Try to get any and all pay records from the bar she works at. 10,000 baht a month is a pretty good job in LOS for a young Thai girl, and some BG's may be able to document making that much. You never know till you ask.

Get a return trip itinerary for her from a travel agent on their letterhead and include that with the application.

Sure, you can write up a letter of financial guarantee that you will pay all costs associated, but if you have any business interests in Asia, and/or a lease agreement or rent receipts that show you spend a lot of time in LOS then document and include that as well.

I'm inclined to think the latter/letter would have more effect if you and she are living together, and you can also show evidence of that.

Make sure she doesn't show up in her Soi Cowboy finest outfit when she delivers her application. If she's that immature, then she deserves to be shot down.

Above all, be honest.

Kind of off-topic, BUT------

If you're in Japan and need to get money from an ATM with a non-Japanese issued ATM card, then the ONLY place I found where I could get Yen was at the ATM's located inside of the local post offices, which are only open 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM on weekdays.

Luckily I had a VERY nice taxi driver that agreed to return to my hotel the next day (after a lot of jabbering between he and the VERY nice hotel clerk) to collect his $150.00 USD fee for the one hour trip I took from the Hiroshima train station to the Hiroshima airport hotel.

I had pre-paid the hotel bill at a travel agent for 2 nights, so they were pretty confident I'd be around & able to find an ATM the next day, which I did, in Yokohama, with the help of a Swedish ex-pat I stopped on the street.

I was beginning to think I'd have to call my boss and have him send the money to me via Western Union!

I've been to 55+ countries since 1998, and aside from Cambodia, Yemen, and Bangladesh, I've never had problems finding an ATM that would take my US issued ATM card, so I was quite suprised to find that it's like pulling teeth in Japan.

I've got a friend in LOS that uses only Mac's.

He says there's a big place to take care of Mac users in BKK. He's lived there for about 3 years, so you should be OK.

Not sure where this Mac place is, but there is definitely one in Bangkok.

I think the "P" in Thailand stands for "planning", and the "F" stands for forethought.

The "L" stands for "laws" and the "E" stands for "enforcement".

Yes, without US citizenship you'd probably have to have a US company in order to get a US bank account, and then be able to get a US, online merchant account.

Not sure where you're from Asinah, but I have a US paasport & bank account & got my merchant account thru www.charge.com They're an agent for Linkpoint.

Hope this helps,

El D

I never tried a Thai Post office, but I have Mail Boxes Etc. account. Costs something like 300 baht a month, no questions asked.

They have MBE's all over Bangkok. I've even seen one at a Skytrain station.

> > It started out innocently enough. I began to think at

> > parties now and then to loosen up. Inevitably though,

> > one thought led to another, and soon I was more than

> > just a social thinker.

> >

> > I began to think alone - "to relax," I told myself -

> > but I knew it wasn't true. Thinking became more and

> > more important to me, and finally I was thinking all

> > the time.

> >

> > I began to think on the job. I knew that thinking and

> > employment don't mix, but I couldn't stop myself.

> >

> > I began to avoid friends at lunchtime so I could read

> > Camus and Kafka. I would return to the office dizzied

> > and confused, asking, "What is it exactly we are doing

> > here?"

> >

> > Things weren't going so great at home either. One

> > evening I had turned off the TV and asked my wife

> > about the meaning of life. She spent that night at her

> > mother's.

> >

> > I soon had a reputation as a heavy thinker. One day

> > the boss called me in. He said, "Skippy, I like you,

> > and it hurts me to say this, but your thinking has

> > become a real problem. If you don't stop thinking on

> > the job, you'll have to find another job." This gave

> > me a lot to think about.

> >

> > I came home early after my conversation with the boss.

> > "Honey," I confess, "I've been thinking..."

> >

> > "I know you've been thinking," she said, "and I want a

> > divorce!"

> >

> > "But Honey, surely it's not that serious."

> >

> > "It is serious," she said, lower lip aquiver. "You

> > think as much as college professors, and college

> > professors don't make any money, so if you keep on

> > thinking we won't have any money!'

> >

> > "That's a faulty syllogism," I said impatiently, and

> > she began to cry. I'd had enough. "I'm going to the

> > library," I snarled as I stomped out the door.

> >

> > I headed for the library, in the mood for some

> > Nietzsche, with a PBS station on the radio. I roared

> > into the parking lot and ran up to the big glass

> > doors...they didn't open. The library was closed.

> >

> > To this day, I believe that a Higher Power was looking

> > out for me that night.

> >

> > As I sank to the ground clawing at the unfeeling

> > glass, whimpering for Zarathustra, a poster caught my

> > eye. "Friend, is heavy thinking ruining your life?" it

> > asked. You probably recognize that line. It comes from

> > the standard Thinker's Anonymous poster.

> >

> > Which is why I am what I am today: a recovering

> > thinker. I never miss a TA meeting. At each meeting

> > we watch a non-educational video; last week it was

> > "Porky's" Then we share experiences about how we

> > avoided thinking since the last meeting.

> >

> > I still have my job, and things are a lot better at

> > home. Life just seemed...easier, somehow as soon as I

> > stopped thinking.

I took my wife to get her first driver's license some time back in Surin.

I got to watch about a dozen Thai's taking their driving test.

I don't know whether to call it amusing or alarming.

They had these 3/4 inch blue PVC pipes about 5 feet tall set in 1 gallon coffee cans of cement to use as harmless things to run into (that you're not supposed to run into) while taking one's driving test.

I saw at least 6 out of the 12 people taking their test knock these things over, my wife included, yet they all got their licenses nonetheless.............

I asked my wife how/why she got it & you guessed it! 600 baht in tea money took care of it.

I've since "tested" & instructed her on her driving skills extensively myself and she's a pretty decent driver now, but I paid for it with a few thousand additional grey hairs.

Thanks Lukamar.

I found quite a few freight forwarders at http://www.azfreight.com/azworld/az25905.htm

Just wondering if anybody's had a particulary good (or bad) experience with any of them in particular.

Guess I'm lucky.

I've done that border hop a dozen times at least, and never had a problem.

Nice beaches nearby

Be careful at the deserted beaches there. I stopped at one for an hour or so my last trip back from down there, which was about a month ago.

I went for a dip in the ocean, and explored some possible camping areas along the beach under the trees.

Not sure what it was, but it's the equivalent of what Americans call a "chigger" or "redbug", which is a micrscopic little bugger that you can't see.

I must've had 250 of the bastards all over me. They feel like a hellacious mosquito bite & it takes about 3 weeks for them to stop itching. You don't even know they've gotten on you till about 4 hours later.

Can anybody recommend one?

If so please give their contact info.

What should I expect to pay to get 1,000 kilos of textile material from Korat to Kuala Lumpur by truck?

I can send it via UPS (I haul it from Korat to the UPS office & box it up) for about $2.87 USD/kilo. Gotta be cheaper to do by truck.

Thanks for any info.

El D

Sorry! I tried to edit the topic title but couldn't. This is an ExpoRt Question, not an Expot Question :0.

=====================

I'm confused.

Am I required to pay the gov't the 7%VAT of sales I make to foreign customers?

I've read that once I qualify for certain conditions as an exporter, that I can apply for a VAT refund.

Is this a refund of (1) the VAT I paid my supplier, or a refund of (2) the VAT I charged my foreign customer.

I'm inclined to think it would be option (1) as that makes sense to me.

Any clarification would be appreciated.

I THINK 2.5 rai = 1acre.

see http://www.thaiproperty.com for clarification.

Hey Camel Jockey,

Gotta say that my (my primary job) company's penchant for keeping me in Sandland and in airplanes flying across bleak deserts where few people bathe and most folks stink to high heaven, and the women dress like Halloween spooks was the true jist of my entrepreneurial endeavors, & yes, I've ridden more than one camel but never professionally

I've been to 50+ countries but just can't stop comparing them to LOS.

Shoot me a PM & we'll chat.

Best,

El D

Thanks Guys & Gals,

This thread's been very helpful.

I opened a website earlier this month & advertised it on Overture, hoping to get lots of smaller orders and thus stay under the radar till I had enough $$$ to go legit.

My first order has come in, from a manufacturing company in Kuala Lumpur, to the tune of 2.2 million baht (of which I'll get to hang onto 600,000 or so).

Got another inquiry into a 20 foot container (FCL) of a slightly different, but related product which will be in the 16 million baht range (of which I'll get to hang onto 2 mil or so).

Not sure if the India order will go thru, but I just returned from KL and a visit with the customer there, and it's all but in the bag.

Anyhow, some of the ideas on this thread have given me some ideas that I think I will be able to use to get this first deal thru, then I'll have the $$$$ to capitalize and go legit.

I think I'll temporarily transfer ownership of the website over to my wife's Visa card account to help establish her with some type of export "potential" so she can get the "Hard Card" as a sole proprietor, do this first deal, then go legit with the proceeds and get my own card.

I'm glad I wasn't scared to jump in there and test the waters. It's amazing what a potential 600,000 baht profit can do for the creative grey cells.

Chok Dee Krap,

El D

So far I know, THC can be tested for

THC= Total Hangover Cure, or so I hear.........

Yeah I picked up a used P800 at MBK recently and am still learning the ropes with it.

Would love to hear some more tips & tricks.

Hi Jeff,

There's a net cafe in the Royal Garden Plaza shopping center where you can plug into their DSL line for 120 baht an hour.

Also, a friend of mine has one of the Hutch cards. He paid 18,900 baht for it and pays 1500 baht a month for 300 megs. It works quite well.

The guy he got it from claimed he would buy it back for that same price if he ever got tired of it, and he has no long term contract requirement and didn't need a work permit to get it either. He just pays the guy in cash every 3 months.

He got his from http://www.logcorp.com/aircardindex.htm

Good luck!

If you live in Thailand , you cannot get a PayPal a/c. 

Actually if you live in Thailand, but have a bank account and banking address in a country that Paypal works with with, you CAN get a Paypal account. I got one after moving here.