pbee

Judging by the amount of interest in this thread it seems a lot of people are slipping things past customs.

I always go to the red lane and declare my excess. The officers have always seemed amused/annoyed that I bother. They never charge me duty but I see it as an insurance policy. If someone hassles me about not paying duty after I declared the items I can refer them back to the people who couldn't be bothered with the paperwork. I did everything right. I always have a few kilos of pipe tobacco and never a problem.

A few kilo,s ????? are you sure. You take 56lbs of pipe tobbaco how unusual.

Sorry my maths went all to cock, conversion metric to impierial, 4.5 lbs obviously still a lot though.

Judging by the amount of interest in this thread it seems a lot of people are slipping things past customs.

I always go to the red lane and declare my excess. The officers have always seemed amused/annoyed that I bother. They never charge me duty but I see it as an insurance policy. If someone hassles me about not paying duty after I declared the items I can refer them back to the people who couldn't be bothered with the paperwork. I did everything right. I always have a few kilos of pipe tobacco and never a problem.

A few kilo,s ????? are you sure. You take 56lbs of pipe tobbaco how unusual.

Any guitar players here? I am just curious how you got your equipment. I was going to leave my '62 reissue strat in Thailand, just to have something to play. I was also thinking what I was going to do with amplification. I was toying of getting a Fender tube combo amp and leaving it there, or even importing my Marshall half stack. I have no idea how much that would run with import and shipping costs. For anyone else that plays, where did you get your equipment? DId you bring it in, or did you buy in Thailand? From looking around the prices in Thailand are really high for the good quality stuff.

Oh yes, I was thinking of bringing in the Marshall head. I could get that on the plane, but would it be hard to buy a 4x12 cabinet. Does anyone know if you can get one locally? Thanks.

Go to live music local bar and check on equipment,get wf/gf, to ask about availability,no problem.

BBC news today,government spokesman concerned about growing obiesety in UK.

I for one am in total agreement for once. We in the UK tend to follow trends in the US,ie crime,music,finantial collapse,eg.

It seems fatness is crossing the atlantic.JJB sports is selling in the UK arsenal shirts which woulld sleep a family of four in China. Why do fat people need sports gear to waddle down to the corner shop to buy their special brew and crisps amazes me.

I believe any party who takes on these proposals would win hands down.

(1) These rules apply to anyone outside of these limits of natural growth.

(2) Male 6ft tall , 14 stone.

(3)Female N/A,12 stone

No social benifits.

No access to public transport.

No access to public eateries,especialy mc donalds.

No access to shopping area,s during peak times.

The wieght limit guage,size limit for hand luggage should be extended to check fat people.

Global warming is an issue and fat people must be held to account.

It means either 'In My Humble Opinion' or 'In My Honest Opinion'.

Please finish In your honest apinion what?

Ever been had? 5555555555555555

It means either 'In My Humble Opinion' or 'In My Honest Opinion'.

Please finish In your honest apinion what?

I have seen imho,written on manny replyes,what is imho,is it a code of some descripton or a something that the web site addes on.Probebly not important but why?

Must congratulate Steve on his enterprize. I ordered pies and curries from him on my last visit. Top of the range.I soon ordered more. He delivered them free to my home,just outside of town,but I had to get rid of the empty beer bottles afterwards . Mai pen rai. Look foreward to my next visit in Dec,and the pies.Wishing you all the best Steve, Paul

WOW !!!!!!!!! I thought my old headmaster was dead. Anyway my excuse is U KNOW ME I DONT KNOW MYSELF BUT I AM HAPPY.

sudden???????? dont get your drift.

I have read the horror stories,heard all the tales,have been told many times how stupid I am. IE; brother is husband,she has 5 farang sending money.The familly take you for a mug and steal all your stuff. I have had marriages in England which have cost me more than all the money I have spent in Thailand in five years almost.I am under no illusions ,I am the provider,this is the same the whole world over. Man works Woman makes family.If I was selling the BIG ISSUE on the high street or driving a nice BMW who would the females look at ? I do not make a big deal out of the fact that I bring in the money,and she does not bring up the fact that I do not send enough. Many bar girls want just the same as many farang want. Someone to take care off them,look after them,that is not to much to ask.If you could imagine the bullshit they have had to listen over time,you must understand they might take your words with a pinch of salt. I have had five years of happiness,I wish I had visited LOS many years ago , perhaps then I wouldent have been ripped off so much in the UK. But a word of caution to anybody who will take notice. DO NOT SPEND MONEY THAT YOU ARE NOT PREPARED TO WALK AWAY FROM. To try to reclaim anything you have bought/built or invested in is a waste of time. Be tollerant,do not get angry,be strong,earn respect, and be lucky.

The British Goverment, ie most Members of Parlement are seeking advice allegedly on how to make large amounts of money from abusing their position,and yet still remain popular with the voters. It has been revealed that a renewal of a British passport and a knighthood are on offer. Has anything been reported on Thai TV or papers ? A bloke in the pub told me.

Trust me. I'm getting emails from the UK saying the Brits want the lot of them gone, Labour, Conservative, the lot!

Is this a knighthood for Thaksin? I'm not sure I understand.

The mentality of these greedy MP tossers is unbelievable.They seem to think,after getting there hands caught in the till,they can somehow redeem themselves by paying the money back.This theory certainly would'nt help a bank robber.It's the same old shit from the ruling bodies,who have morals lower than a snakes belly.Do has I say,not has I do.Total hypocrites.

Spud 1. That is uncanny !!! The former Thai Premier reportedly issued a statement almost word for word the same as you. Apparently he does not want to be associated with them,as he feels it could tarnish his reputation , and if he wanted a passport he would not want one from a 4th world country.So this bloke said anyway.

The British Goverment, ie most Members of Parlement are seeking advice allegedly on how to make large amounts of money from abusing their position,and yet still remain popular with the voters. It has been revealed that a renewal of a British passport and a knighthood are on offer. Has anything been reported on Thai TV or papers ? A bloke in the pub told me.

I met three blokes from the UK in a bar opposite Nana Plaza. I knew two of them,lived in the same town six years previously. It seems that one of them had sub let his council flat and had purchased a bar in Pattaya. The other two had came over to visit him. According to him his bar business was booming and he was making lots and lots of easy money. This I accepted untill it came for them to settle up the check bin, trying hard to split it three ways and also making allowance for the fact that his Leo was cheaper than their Hienecan. I thought yes you surely are doing well??????????? About a year later I was talking to a mutual friend and mentioned I had seen him in Thailand, I was told that he had run out of money and came back to the UK. His flat had been trashed and stuff stolen,he faced a large rent bill plus the electricity supply had been cut off due to unpaid bills, and the council were trying to terminate his tenancy. Big Man,Big Player, I think not.

If the owner did what has been stated then he gets sent to Coventry, permanently.

One thing mentioned in debate is that they were apparently drunk and had been served in that bar to get into that state. Therefore, Mark has the responsibility for that and if he or his staff have engineered this situation or allowed it to occur when service should perhaps have been withdrawn, then the alleged actions are even worse.

If that is he way he wants to do business, he can go fuc_k off back wherever he came from. Pity as his girlfriend is up the spout but I don't k now if he gives a shit about that or not.

Sent to COVENTRY thats a bit harsh aint it ? Have you been there lately.

Thai Chi quote....Maybe you didnt see anyone getting harrased Fruity...but I can assure you of the following.... end quote...

Mate. That sentence alone would irritate the s1it out of me.

Whats amazing about your last post with you trying to put us and Fruity straight about what really happened is that Fruity was there and you were not.

I don't doubt your good intentions.

Yes I can see that Fruity witnessed this at first hand,but he is a little short on information. When he saw this shock horror,it must have been terrible for him.I can understand his reluctance to get within range of a flying baseball bat,but surely when these poor old badly behaved drunks would have apprieciated someone to help them to the nearest hospital,or at the very least make sure that they were able to get home ok. The man getting beaten and kicked on the floor must have been over the moon to hear someone in the distance Tut Tutting at the treatment he was recieving.Then again he is not the first and will not be the last stupid drunk to learn a lesson in the land of smiles.

Mark must have the ears of NIMROD to here the Bow Bells from Crawley. I have found Mark to be very pleasant and laid back,but then again I have never threatened him,his customers,or his livelyhood with physical violence.The answer to this could be the fact that they paid the bill and were then attacked, you should allways leave a TIP.

Thank you for a well written article. I like the explanation as to why you want to retire in Thailand and not take your wife back to your home country.I to have a Thai family and would not dream of separating my wife from them. I am asked in the UK why I dont have my wife live with me as I still have eight more years to work untill I retire to Thailand,sometimes I find this difficult to answer to someone who has never been to Thailand,perhaps I should keep a copy of your reasons in my pocket. I wish you and your family well. I will see my family again in the summer.

(edited) The only post that makes any sense in this thread is that sent by 'henryalleman' above. There have been several excellent posts (while I was preparing mine); I'd like to add some additional thoughts.

Sure, we retirees made a decision to come live out our lives in Thailand and in many cases our pension funds are not indexed for inflation...which hits us really hard when the baht incredibly hangs onto its value in the face of so many major problems in Thai society versus the more stable conditions and greater strengths of the West. Moreover, please don't overlook the fact that we met and fell in love with Thai women (the majority of us here) and married them. It is only fitting that we moved to the place where our wives could be happiest and live out fulfilling lives close to their families. I don't know about you chaps, but my greater Thai family is comprised of young children/stepchildren, nieces and nephews, and their close friends; it is only normal that our wives would wish to be geographically close to them as they grow up.

The biggest disappointment I have had here is the Thai governments's cavalier attitude about making prolonged stays here such a tedious and constantly changing process...after all, we are spending most of our income if not all of it on our Thai families and all of these funds remain in Thailand for the betterment of the Thai economy and its people. Collectively it would seem that our contribution must add up to a sizeable number. An immense bureaucracy known as Immigration has evolved to deal with foreigners and none of how they operate is aimed at either welcoming an expat or to reduce the stress of keeping up with their confusing policies and occasionally heavy-handed tactics. And most of us would really appreciate a sign from the Thai government that our contributions to improving the lot of our families is appreciated and to instill tangible ways to reduce the stress we undergo at an age when most of us need and want to live out our days peacefully. I will add that despite these regulations that govern our lives here, most Immigration officials I have dealt with make it as pleasant as possible for me and go out of their way to reduce the inherent red tape in the process they operate within.

So while a non-retiree who carves out a living in Thailand may be facing a tough road ahead until the global economy ameliorates, we retirees have few options to expand our incomes and it is quite possible that in the direst of circumstances those genteel pensions that comfort us in the LOS could be reduced or vanish. Some governments overseas--particularly the USA--even penalize aging expats by enacting income tax laws that eliminate longstanding income tax exclusions for earned income. Those exclusions were an important factor in my ultimate decision to retire in Thailand. There is an attitude among many Americans that a person who voluntarily decides to leave the USA to live in another country doesn't deserve equal access to benefits that all other Americans in the same age group and category are entitled to...I hope and pray that the next silver bullet to fall won't be our entitlement to Social Security and military pension payments...mainstays for many expat incomes in Thailand. This wandered a bit off topic, but I believe it merits airing to offer an additional insight as to what motivates retirees to live in Thailand and give up the many benefits of living in their home countries.