Mr_Pedantic

I thought filling in a TM card every 90 days with my address on was informing immigration of my address. Judging from the previous posts this is not so or is it?

I've been coming to Thailand for 15 years and walked everywhere, even spent a day in the rice fields chopping and tying up the bundles and didn't see as much as a spider. The only place I've ever seen a snake in Thailand is in a snake farm.

The smart thing is to take as much information as you have. Better to have too much than too little.

You can get your certified translations from any legal office, English to Thai- Thai to English, make sure it's got the authentic red seal stamp.

Then as a previous poster mentioned take them to Ministry of Foreign Affairs at Chaeng Wattana.(Go by skytrain to Morchit and catch a taxi to Chaeng Wattana about 115-120 baht one way)Don't expect to get your papers back the same day (unless things have changed; but nothing ever does in Thailand) so best not go on a Friday.

Get everything copied in triplicate or you will waste time standing in line waiting for copying machines.

Cheaper to get married in Thailand and have the respective celebrations at her home and then yours. If she's from North/East Thailand she won't feel married until she has her own ceremony in her village anyway.

And if you've been married before don't forget your decree absolute as you can't get re-married without it - Unless you say you haven't been married before but this will be noted in the marriage documents.

Pattaya must have one of the highest death rates in the world; In a country not at war.

And there was me, thinking she didn't want any Orange Juice.

With many emails/viruses sending you to bogus websites phishing for your personal details here is a neat little bar that tells you exactly what website you are on. It's called Spoof Stick.

Download this tiny program here:-

http://www.corestreet.com/spoofstick/

If you are lucky enough to live in Pattaya. You have the choice of Sophon, Banglamung or Jomtien cable channels avoiding the need for a Satellite dish.

My favourites lately are:-

Dead Zone - UBC Series

Still Standing -Starworld

Joan of Arcadia -UBC Series

Extreme Makeover (XZyte) -(Sad but true)

Law and Order SUV - Starworld

The Practice -UBC Series(Season 5) Starworld (Season 7)

Dalziel and Pascoe (ABC Pacific)

I was enjoying 'American Idol' but Thailand are weeks behind the U.S and I found out who won about 3 weeks ago.

Very interesting to read everyone's comments. So I thought I'd add mine.

I had my first 3000 baht + electric bill last month due to using all three aircons to cope with the night heat.(Shame they don't have the reduced night rate as in UK)

My lowest bill was 1500 baht in January when my eldest daughter was up North visiting the family and of course the weather was very pleasant and cool most of the time.

In additon to the three aircons I have 2 water heaters, water pump, 3 TV's, DVD, VCD, Hi Fi and Video and Computer on most of the time.

The higher rate of use increases the tax hence the fluctuation in unit cost.

Places of business including apartment blocks have to pay a higher rate for units/tax ,so I'm told, this is why tenants end up paying 4-5 baht per unit.

After reading the rest of your comments I won't moan so much about my electric bill just have to train my teenage daughter that she doesn't need 14 lights on in the front room and reduce the hour she spends having a shower or whatever she does in the bathroom for so long.

Only 7 more games left at the 11pm kick off time(all at group stage). All the rest are at 2.45am I guess we'll all have droopy eyes by July 5th.

Haven't the Thai police got anything better to do. How about rounding up all those lottery ticket sellers encouraging people to gamble.

I don't think the multiple entry visas stoppage is anything to do with people not showing/providing their financial standings. I think it's to do with Thai immigration not making enough money from visa extensions etc anymore.

When it was 500 baht for an extra month to milk your visa it was a deal, but at 1900 baht you might as well pay 2000 baht to go over the border and come back with another 3 months. It must really be hurting them for local travel offices and the Cambodian Embassy to be raking in all the extra cash rather than them.

Solution: Stop the multiple visa, make them come back for the extra month extensions. A one year visa is of no value if you have to waste it having to leave the country after 3/4 months. No good going to Cambodia border anymore as you'll need a whole new visa. The Butterworth train will once again be choc-a-block, booked well in advance, as before, with people wanting to get their new one entry visas.

Hey Thailand! If you don't want us, just say so, and we'll make our way to a country that does. Just give me good notice so I can sell my bought and paid for house.

I've been accessing my Paypal account from a Thai ISP since I signed up (after ebay 's Billpoint was discontinued) I even signed up from an internet cafe in Pattaya.

I can see a few redundancies coming. Expensive foreigners surplus to requirement.

England welcomed my Thai wife with open arms. She could stay as long as she liked. Could get a job. When she got pregnant she got free dental charges, free prescriptions, even a free eye test. She had no holdups in the English airports as she came and went. Didn't have to check in with immigration every 90 days, didn't have to leave the country every 90 days. Héll she could even buy her own house/land if she had the money.

Thai authorities just do not want long term 'visitors', they want the foreigners who come for 2-3 weeks spend all their money and go home. Very soon they will have their wicked way as they make it almost impossible for anyone to stay on a long term basis and these people will find other destinations like Vietnam and Cambodia that are like Thailand used to be.

The difference is my sister and mother don't go to San Antonio and Magulluf trying to shag every guy in sight.

And guys, never bring your farang spouse/girlfriend to Thailand, it's like bringing a sandwich to a banquet and she'll never ever let you come back with your mates.

So lets say this 'Prohibiton' goes ahead, stores would have to 'fence off' their alcohol stocks. Bars would have to close or just sell soft drinks. Drinking alcohol in public would not be allowed; even if you bought it the day before?

Looks to me like it would be a case of get all your beer and whisky stocks the day before and party all day Sunday at home, because it's not worth going out as you can't get a drink. Now that would really dampen the government profits especially over the three day Songkran 'festival'.

I think it's just a case of the Thai government having to be seen to be doing something about reducing the death road rate- even if they don't actually do anything about it. As mentioned before, we hear it every year after New year and Songkran when the death toll figures are announced.

Thai people have no sense of danger, they will continue doing what they are doing until it kills them, but even then, why worry, they think they will be re-incarnated to a better life.

For example how many helmets sit in the motorcycle's front basket waiting for the roadblock/checkpoint to appear and then they calmy slip it on. They'll never learn or change.

At the end of the day the only people who buy pirated goods are the people who would not buy the original anyway; so who is losing out?

Looks like sh*t, smells like sh*t, tastes like sh*t

The whole Muslim thing must have come at a very inconvenient time when his mind was obviously on other, more important matters.

Walk around naked most of the day, it'll soon send her packing to another sibling.

Most importantly put the bulk of your money into a UK Bank's high interest account, that you can keep track of online (First Direct do a good one and you can do same day withdrawals). Use your parents UK address as an address base.

Take enough cash to get settled and open a Thai bank account, don't buy/pay for anything until you've been here a couple of months or until the "being on holiday syndrome" has worn off. When entering into partnerships find a good English speaking agent don't let a prospective Thai partner find you one- it is probably his brother.

3.5m Baht is nothing in Thailand, if you plan to live to the same lifestyle as you currently do in England. Especially if you think it will last you 25 years until your pension starts to roll in.

Food or drink is the easiest trade to get started in; but the toughest to make any profit out of.

Watch out for those tricky Thai people, rip you off as soon as look at you or they'll know a friend that will.

Sorry to be all doom and gloom but for most, it is. There are the very few successful people but they are married to locals making the whole visa bit easier.

Now all we need is a border immigration bus that comes to Pattaya or wherever instead of us going to the border every 3 months.

Religion is the route of all evil.

The day it is eradicated the better.

If the police didn't get tip-offs they would never catch anyone. This must be the land of grasses.

More chance of getting hit by a motorcycle.

Now where is that telephone number for the police again!