Pearlgirl

We were just at our visa assist company and were informed that the TM30 is absolutely needed now.  Immigration are saying you may have difficulty in renewing your visa without the receipt of this form.  The leasor is responsible for applying for it.  You as the leasee can be fined by the police, if stopped, for not having it as well.

We are going to spend a couple of nights in Lampang and are looking for a pet friendly hotel that will allow our very well behaved and quiet dog to stay there with us. Can anyone recommend any place there?

Thanks everyone - its a place to start. pearlgirl

Can anyone out there recommend a lawyer they have used in the recent past that can handle family law, wills and possibly represent a family in court regarding a will intestate for a deceased relative who never had a will, or at least never had a will here in Thailand? English speaking would be a great asset too. Thanks

They were very professional and came to see us. Unfortunately, they were unable to provide a saltwater pool that is suitable for our Labrador to use too, due to a couple of things. They primarily do vinyl lining pools, which probably isn't a good idea for the dog to swim in due to potential damage he could cause the lining. They did offer a tiled pool, but due to their filters system, upgrading that to being saltwater was quoted at 320,000 alone.

Siam Pools today quoted me a price that I can live with for a saltwater tiled pool, with the spec I want. So, as long as the price and designs all come together ok, ill be going with them. I was quoted about 6 Weeks for the build, upto 2 months. I suspect due to the time of the year. But I can live with that.

Thanks for the input folks. I also agree that the desjoyaux company was very professional and nice to discuss our requirements. I felt bad bringing them out to the house when I realised they wouldn't be able to build what I need on budget. They took it in their stride and didn't try to hardsell or push alternatives on me. Highly recommended, just not the right fit for me.

We used Siam Pool for our pool build and were very very happy with them.

We also upgraded to their magnesium pool water - it is fairly low maintenance but a little more costly initially - but well worth it. And good for the dog too - really notice a difference between the magnesium versus salt or chol. Siam were and are very helpful and professional - they have another branch in Hua Hin as well. Really happy with their work and after service. I can't remember exactly how much the pool cost because we had so much going on at the same time - we extended the sandwash cement around thepool, built a sala at one corner, planted gardens, etc. etc. We also use them to maintain the pool weekly - which is a fairly easy thing to do I gather but we are away so often that its nice toknow that we won't come home to a green pool or if anything goes wrong while we're away, they can fix it immediately. Anyway, without further rambling - good choice.

I guess it depends on the area you stay in - we stayed in a high density tourist area. BTW, the taxi scammers I'm talking about had genuine decals and what looked like genuine meters. As it turns out, after some advice from a couple of restaurant owners, there are certain groups of taxis to look for and ones to avoid. I'm assuming that PattayaParent goes to Vietnam for other reasons than we did so therefore doesn't encounter the tourist traps that we would have. Of course, that's just an assumption because I find it extremely hard to believe that anyone could go there and not be scammed at least once.

how much is a taxi from HAN airport to the city?. We have been quoted US$18 from a pick up from the airport to the city, I think that there are metered taxis at the airport and that they are marginally cheaper. There are metered taxis but be prepared to be hit upon by taxis who will quote you a price far in excess of what the real going rate is (upwards of 900,000 VND)

Also, is there a departure tax for HAN airport, as in BKK?. Our ticket, for a couple of weeks time shows a fee of 640 Baht for Airport Tax and other charges included in the ticket price, they used to charge you at the airport but no longer do so.

A magnet for hustlers - not really. We are fairly seasoned travellers and did our research before we left, but when you get scammed by legit taxis with legit meters because they take you the long route, or y ou take a tour with a legit tour company and their "new" guide turns out to be a little scammer too - its pretty hard to avoid. As for the shoe shine guys - they are totally a nuisance and are on you all the time, even if you're wearing cheap plastic flip flops. Living in Chiang Mai we seem to be immune to all these scams - you can at least bargain with the taxis and I've never seen shoe shine guys downtown and if you buy something here, you can at least bargain for it without a huge hassel. And as for the smiles - they only smile at you when they want to sell you something, otherwise they are not very friendly at all. But, as I said, travelling to Vietnam is defintely worth the experience, just be prepared for a lot of noise and lots of scams - otherwise its a great place to visit

Just got back from Hanoi - so glad to be back to Thailand. What I have to say here sounds like we had a nasty time in Hanoi - we didn't, but it was exhausting and the city really has a lot to offer in the way of things to see, shopping, and the food - there are some e xcellent chefs and restaurants, even better than anything I've had here, especially the french cuisine (no offense to our fine french restaurants here but these chefs were mostly over-the-top inventive)

I've read and heard people say that the Vietnamese people are much friendlier and more apt to smile than the Thais - and they do, mostly, but they only do it when they want something from you and you will more easily find the Thai's that are friendly just for the sake of being friendly. Seriously, everyone, and I mean everyone in that city wants your money and they will do whatever it takes to get it. I read up on the scams before we left but that didn't prepare us nearly enough. Have you ever had a massage here where the girl point-blank asks for a tip then says the tip isn't enough (25% of the massage)? Have you been approached by shoe shine people at the rate of 10/hour here, or have you been continuously scammed by taxi/pedicab drivers, even when there's a meter running or you have an agreed-upon price? Now I know that the taxi scams are well-known and there are a lot of "legit" taxis there, but even those guys try to scam you in the end - take longer routes, ask for a tip, turning the meter off at destination then back on and asking you to pay the 10,000 VND because now he's responsible for the meter reading and he can't afford to pay it? It was 6 days of non-stop scamming. It got very tiring after a few days. Even outside the city in places like HaLong Bay - I could go on and on, but as I said it was tiring.

Now mind you the City and surrounding areas are very pleasant to site-see in, as long as you can keep your driver away from those tourist traps that sell everything from marble statutes to embrodiered pictures where the prices are way way overboard, you'll enjoy it. Its very different than here, they even wear helmuts! And if you're going to hire a travel company to take you to different places, be aware that a lot of them are either fakes and give you bargain priced rides/accommodations, etc. when you pay top dollar for it.

And, don't take Thai Baht thinking you can exchange it for VNDong - definitely can't do it at the airport and there's only one Bank in Hanoi that "might" exchange it if they have any (that's turning the VND back into Thai Baht). We arrived thinking the airport would exchange the Baht to VND - definitely not. So the next morning, after our higher-end hotel refused to exchange the currency for us, we found a bank that would but you had to sign away your life. We ended up using the ATM for money although half wouldn't let us access our account in America and each transaction cost anywhere from $5 US to $10 US. You're better off taking US dollars and either using them there or exchanging them at a bank or your hotel. When shopping, more than half the stores post their prices in US dollars. Its definitely a tourist city.

And then there's Bangkok's airport - what a mess. As a friend of mine said, its like having to go through your elbow to get to your backside. $15 US dollars for 2 burgers and fries - seriously (only had the burgers because it looked like the fastest option and even with 3 hours at the airport, barely had enough time to eat and find a smoking room? Asking directions from airport staff there to help you and being sent in the wrong direction?

So, beware - you've been warned but its a city and part of the country you really do want to go and see

We've eaten there and the corned beef is the absolute best. They even make their own honey mustard. We bought a half kilo of the corned beef to take home and a jar of his homemade dill/garlic pickles - honestly, the best! Hard place to find though if you don't know the area.

We have eaten there several times - excellent food: all home made, salads to pizza to home made pasta, burgers, even his bread is home made. Toni (really good guy) was the owner of Happy Pizza but sold and now has moved to this new location - easy and ample parking and good food. I/we highly recommend this restaurant - the music is really good too on Wed. nights.

no more BKK . im now living in chiang mai and miss the driving range !! i lost everything in the flood even my golf clubs .we can go to driving together if u let me borrow ur clubs too

im just the beginner and never getting better coz havnt play it regularly.....

Hi

Welcome to CM although not the circumstances. Sad to hear you lost so much because of the floods. There are several driving ranges in and around Chiang Mai - what area are you living in? You could even take lessons if you want at the driving ranges and I think some of them have rental clubs as well.

Thanks i live in san sai near meechock plaza. this fri my hubby is goging to BKK to see all the damage and see if we really got anything left to take up here. i reccon my clubs still there but might have to have a good clean and change some part. do you know any shop that fix the clubs?

thanks

Hi

The one that Iknow of is called Star Dome - its a driving range and a golf course in the city (almost). There are several stores there and some that refurbish clubs, handles, etc. Also Lanna golf course in Mae Rim - they also have a number of stores selling golf equipment, clothing, etc. and probably have a shop that does the same as Star Dome. If you go into the CityLife magazine website, they have a golf map of almost all the golf courses in CM. There's a nice little driving range in San Sai as well - one of the older ones in CM and I think its called Avenue Golf now - they very well may have a shop too. I've only been there once as its not very convenient to us as we live in the Hang Dong area. I hope you get your clubs back, as well as some of your treasured belongings. When we lived in North America we lived beside a small river/stream, but one spring it flooded and a water reserve at one of the local golf courses broke so our whole valley flooded and we have to evacuate for a week - we lost everything we had stored in our basement, including all our luggage, old and new Christmas decorations (from past generations as well), and some antique furniture, so I know what you are going through.

no more BKK . im now living in chiang mai and miss the driving range !! i lost everything in the flood even my golf clubs .we can go to driving together if u let me borrow ur clubs too

im just the beginner and never getting better coz havnt play it regularly.....

Hi

Welcome to CM although not the circumstances. Sad to hear you lost so much because of the floods. There are several driving ranges in and around Chiang Mai - what area are you living in? You could even take lessons if you want at the driving ranges and I think some of them have rental clubs as well.

Does anyone know of a place that rents out costumes - Santa Claus to be more specific? Or, does anyone know where I can buy one? Or, does someone have one that they are willing to sell? We are doing a Christmas party in our village this year and are handing out gifts to the children, both Thai and farang.

Hi

Welcome to CM - once you've lived here you probably won't want to go back to BKK. There's a house to rent in my village - big big yard, 2 bds and 2 bathrooms, brand new kitchen (2 months and not used yet). Furnished. , No one has lived in the house as the owner lives out of country but has decided to upgrade the house and rent it out so essentially everything inside is brand new. I'm not sure of how they feel about a shorter term lease but it wouldn't hurt to ask. I think the asking price is somewhere around 15-18,000/month. The village is outside of the downtown area but very convenient to all shopping and downtown and very quiet. If you PM me and are interested I can give you a contact number. The village is about 40% foreigners and 60% Thai's - very nice place to live.

Pearlgirl

Oops - I didn't read far enough down the thread and didn't realize you had found a house.

Hi

Welcome to CM - once you've lived here you probably won't want to go back to BKK. There's a house to rent in my village - big big yard, 2 bds and 2 bathrooms, brand new kitchen (2 months and not used yet). Furnished. , No one has lived in the house as the owner lives out of country but has decided to upgrade the house and rent it out so essentially everything inside is brand new. I'm not sure of how they feel about a shorter term lease but it wouldn't hurt to ask. I think the asking price is somewhere around 15-18,000/month. The village is outside of the downtown area but very convenient to all shopping and downtown and very quiet. If you PM me and are interested I can give you a contact number. The village is about 40% foreigners and 60% Thai's - very nice place to live.

Pearlgirl

I saw a shop at the airport plaza mall, in the bottom level on the way to Tops. Unfortunately though it was all women's costumes.

Sausage King

Do you have a better map to your shop than what's on your website? We have GPS but still can't find it? Or maybe written directions?

Thanks PS I was unable to login as a member - I did register sometime ago but haven't been able to get back in????

PG

Hi,

Thanks for the reply s. Map Guy, why did you move from H.H.? If you miss it so much why don't you move back? Sounds like you have more change in temps there, are there good places to rent up in the hills out side town?

Seesip, we have no flooding issues what so ever here, in fact, it hardly ever rains here. We keep waiting for monsoon season to start but yesterday was sunny and about 85F/30 C. Today we finally see a little drizzle and overcast skies, but most of the time, this time of year, we get sun until about 3 and then we see some clouds come in and sometimes it even rains! It is the driest part of Thailand. The beaches here are crap tho, better to get to one of the islands near Choumpon about 3 hrs away.

Still unsure about the move up North.........

Hi

My husband and I moved to CM about a year and a half ago - we haven't loved anywhere else in Thailand, but I can tell you we love it here. We've been coming to Thailand for about 7 years and decided to finall make a permanent move here and chose CM, so I can't really compare with the south, but I have been south a number of times and different times of the year and I absolutely confirm that the weather here is much much nicer than the south, although this year we seem to be getting a lot of rain.

The people here, Thais and farangs, seem to be much friendlier and more sociable than in the south, the food/restaurants are plentiful and a lot of very good ones - cheap and expensive. There's always somewhere to go and tour around, its a great place to have visitors come and stay with you because there's no shortage of things to do. There's a lot of rental properties available in all sorts of areas here - inside walled moo baans or out in the hills and the rents vary widely depending on what you want and where you want to live. Of course whats missing is the beaches and ocean, but CM has a lot to offer. Everything you could possibly want or need is available here as well. If you're really having some doubt about moving here, maybe come to CM for a month or so, rent a furnished apartment and try "living here" for the month - get involved in some of the many clubs/social societies, travel around the area and get to know them a bit better, buy and cook some of your own food, try out the many restaurants, sitesee, etc. etc. As for the pollution, we live outside the city and are surrounded by rice fields but really haven't noticed much pollution. There is the usual field burnings at differen times of the year but even that seems to have changed.

Good luck with your decision. Give it a try though - I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

I think this is better in our Thai Visas Forum. Topic Moved.

Thanks. After I posted it I thought maybe I should have put it there.

We are thinking of going there in a couple of weeks - we live in Thailand on a retirement visa, will we need to get a re-entry permit to do that shopping trip? I'm asking because I've heard from others than no re-entry is needed for some weird reason? I know that leaving the country changes your 90 checkup, but wouldn't you still need permission to leave and re-enter the country, regardless of where that happens on a retirement visa?

You should try golfing at the Hang Dong golf course - there are loads of farangs that play there and many are at your level. Its easy to meet up with guys playing alone or just two you can join them easily. Even though you say you are a rookie - I find that playing golf with a higher calibre golfer usually makes me golf better and most really good golfers, or better golfers, are patient with "rookie" golfers.

Rim Ping used to carry it, but haven't had any in stock for a few months. Does anyone know of somewhere to get imported Crest toothpaste?

cant golf too often coz its expensive hahaha

Not too expensive at the Hang Dong golf club?