zackxx

If you have purchased a condo in Thailand AND live in it when you visit/stay in Thailand then you will also have, or should have, applied for a Yellow House Book from your local district authority that will also have your name in it (in Thai). You will also get a Thai "Pink Thai ID card" with your name and condo address on it (all in Thai) together with an ID number. This should satisfy immigration of your address in Thailand but to be absolutely sure have a recent letter signed by the juristic manager of your condo development that states you both own and live in the condo. Also draw a map of the location of your condo to give to immigration if asked for it and bring those condo title deeds too so you are fully prepared should immigration ask. Bring your TM30 form as well!

TM.47 refers to the Thai immigration form for an "Alien to Notify of Staying Longer Than 90 Days," While back I did my 90 day reporting online direct to Thai Immigration website ( https://tm47.immigration.go.th/tm47/#/home ) and got an email back to "immediately" report to my nearest immigration office. That was BKK for me. So I went to Chaeng Wattana and got a queue number. After a 5 hour wait (yes FIVE hours) I was called up. I was processed in less the 5 minutes. Paid a fee and was done. The long wait was painful so now I just leave the country before my 90 Days and then return to get another 90 days. What I did wrong was leave my online application too late as "Applicants can submit this online application within 15 days but not less than 7 days before the due date of notification." TM30 is a mandatory notification form that must be filed by a landlord, house owner, or property possessor within 24 hours of a foreigner's arrival to report their stay. This MUST BE DONE each and every time you return to Thailand after leaving it. As I live in my own Bangkok condominium I do this myself online at this website: https://tm30.io/faq .

So they install automatic immigration control e-gates thereby reducing staff costs then say we need more of your money. Go figure!

On a recent trip to Lao I saw a lot of farang women tourists wearing "hot pants" and "spaghetti" string tops exposing a lot of flesh. Yes it was hot but contrasts to the local Lao women who dress conservatively. And maybe these farang women attract unwanted attention from local Lao men- "only Lao prostitutes dress like these farang women". When in Rome the saying goes, so dress conservatively like the locals. Men, don't go walking around in public topless. Even wear longs when in public, especially in a urban environments.

As a farang in Thailand for 32 years I have had no incidents of violence and only one incident where something of mine was stolen. I was pickpocketed. Having said that I have been scammed, paying exorbitant amounts for very poor service. But that's another story. I use common sense so try to avoid situations or people that could get me in trouble. That pickpocket incident happened over 10 years ago in Soi Saladaeng near the tourist area of Silom Road, Bangkok. A 10-12 year old boy carrying 4 or 5 plastic bags containing loaves of bread wanted me to buy a loaf from him pressing the loaves, and his hands, against my thigh. Unbeknown to me one of his hands slipped into my jeans' pocket and helped itself to the money inside. Due to his constant thigh pressing I didn't notice this and I continued walking on my way not buying any of his bread. Fortunately, I soon went into a 7-11 around the corner on Silom Rd and when I went to pay it was then that I noticed all my money was gone. I went back to the boy, who was still there and demanded my money back. He said "how much"? I said "all of it". I got my money back but while talking to this kid a Tuk-Tuk driver came up to us and offered to translate for me, not knowing that I was already speaking Thai fluently with the kid. It appeared to me then that the Tuk-Tuk driver, parked across the street was the kid's "minder" and in cahoots with the kid to pickpocket tourists in the area. After all we farang just love bread right?.

Correct up to the point before a debt to them is incurred. After a debt is incurred they must accept "Legal Tender". Typically they they get around this by employing a system where you paying BEFORE you incur the debt, like at a pre-pay coffee shop. But if you pay after you get your coffee then they legally must accept cash.

I note the the Thai cryptocurrency exchange Bitkub has a policy that you can only deposit a minimum of THB 50,000/time. With the transfer fee this comes to THB 50,000.30. I can't make the deposit because it's over my daily maximum transfer allowance.

On 9 August 2025 I got hit by a motorcycle while I was on a pedestrian crossing walking across a road in Bangkok. Cars were waiting for the lights to change so had stopped on the crossing forcing me to walk in between them. That's when a motorcycle "superbike" zipping through these parked cars hit me. Luckily he stopped suddenly to avoid running me over so I survived unscathed but it could have ended very differently. This episode reminds me of the student doctor that got killed on a pedestrian crossing 3 years ago on Phayathai Rd here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/s9cSP8k4ujpBgkzAA?g_st=al She was run over by an off-duty policeman riding a "superbike". Her nickname was กระต่าย ("Rabbit"). A more recent incident at the same pedestrian crossing after they installed traffic lights in the wake of Krathai's death. https://www.nationthailand.com/nsews/general/40045605

So I went to buy a coffee at a cafe in Bangkok but they didn't accept cash or payment by credit card. Only by some "app" you can download to your mobile phone that would scan their payment QR code. I left decaffeinated! I attach an image of what is printed on every Thai bank note "ธนบัตรเป็นเงินที่ชำระหนี้ตามกฏหมาย" (Banknotes are legal tender). So my understanding is that legally, cash must be accepted for payment for any good or service. By going cashless are businesses breaking the law? I suppose they could argue that they hadn't yet served my coffee so I was not yet in debt to them. They just refused to serve me, period. Having cash on you means you are in control. If digital, the banks are ultimately in control of "your" money, or more correctly, your means of exchange i.e. currency. Then there are those apps on your phone that they "force" you to use that gather/sell all your private information. As I'm very bad sighted I cannot clearly see the small screen on my phone preferring my home PC that has a very large monitor so see clearly all things that involve money. Being a PC there is no phone number connected to an app to prove your identity nor can you download the Android or iPhone app to your PC.

A recent story in The Nation newspaper about that crossing I mentioned: https://www.nationthailand.com/nsews/general/40045605

Sure it's good to know who your mother is but she would have moved on with her life and probably has more kids with another man, Jeffery's 1/2 brothers or sisters. She might also ask Jeffery for financial support which would burden Jeffery even more. "The emotional search intensified when Jeffrey's father was diagnosed with cancer. During his father's final days, Jeffrey and his brother visited him daily. Jeffrey asked, "Do you want to see your mother one last time?" But his father remained silent and passed away without closure." I believe they meant "my mother" instead of the father's mother.

Good luck "educating" those Thais! You will only have another 71,801,279 more to go! And that's it really it isn't it -you have the ability to change your behaviour but trying to change the behaviour of others is an endless, and exhausting, story. That's why a public relations campaign is required to "mass educate".

The pedestrian crossing that Dr Waraluck "Kratai" Supawatjariyakul died on while hit by a policeman (out of uniform) who was riding a "superbike" is right in front of my Condo. Kratai used to live in the same building. That crossing now has traffic lights to stop traffic while you cross. Pedestrian crossings in Thailand do not have the same "road rules" as in western countries. Stand at a pedestrian crossing without traffic lights in Thailand waiting to cross and it's up to motorists to decide whether they want to stop or not. Overseas it is commonly compulsory, by law, to stop. And in Thailand, even if a car, or cars have stopped there's always the chance a motorcyclist comes whizzing though those stationary cars. My attitude in Thailand while crossing a road in Thailand is always give way to motorists whether your at a pedestrian crossing or not. If you don't do this you may be the party to lose out, maybe with your life.

It's never worked for me and I speak fluent Thai, have a pink government Thai ID card and Thai drivers license. I have also worked in Thailand for 25 years paying Thai government tax (that gets used for maintaining national parks...) in all that time. Nope! I need to show them a Thai National ID card (บัตรประจำตัวประชาชน) otherwise I pay the "farang" rate.

That only one building in Bangkok collapsed may be partly due to the fact that it was still being constructed and that high rise construction in Bangkok is largely sound and buildings there are designed to withstand moderately sized earthquakes. Newly poured concrete never stops curing. It continues to get stronger as time goes on. It takes at least 2 months for concrete to reach a strength where you can start building on top of it, longer in very hot weather. I've heard also that the collapsed building was designed and built by the Chinese "The Only Building to Collapse in Bangkok’s Earthquake Was Built by China"

Much of this air pollution is from rice farmers burning their rice straw after a harvest when the straw is dry - aka the hot season. Three rice harvests per year can be done in certain parts of Thailand. The ashes return nutrients to the soil. Rice farmers are generally poor so government edicts that make their lives more difficult are often ignored. Should the government collect the straw for free and compost it returning the compost back to the farmers for free? Thai Jasmine rice is a major export earner for Thailand.

I know homosexuality is certainly genetically related. I'll believe it's environmentally related when the science on it is done. Not holding my breath!

Lao khao เหล้าขาว (Thai) or ເຫຼົ້າຂາວ (Laotian) translated into English is "white spirit" and distilling in Thailand must be licensed under the Criminal Activities Act which was introduced in the 1950s. This regulation was passed after a spate of lao khao of poor quality being produced, which resulted in methanol related poisoning. The methanol was produced as a by-product of the spirits reacting with tin and aluminium stills used. The metals were switched out with stainless steel when the Thai government took over all distilleries by 1960. Not sure what the story is in Lao.

No you don't actually need a Pink ID card but it can be helpful. How? 1. You can get the cheaper Thai price at some establishments. 2. Use the Pink ID card as ID for your Thai bank accounts as the this ID is valid for 10 years whereas your passport (and passport number) change when your passport is full and you get a new one. Saves the hassle of keeping all your old passports for use as ID when dealing with a Thai bank in which you opened an account with years ago with an old passport. As for the Thai Social Security for those that paid into the system when they worked here, you elected what public hospital annually you would prefer to be treated by for "free" if something happened to you. Upon retirement in Thailand you can elect to A) receive a Thai pension paid monthly or, B) retain all the hospital benefits that you had when you worked in Thailand by paying only THB432/month. Hospitalization is also "free". So it serves as very cheap health insurance. Note that it will be a Thai public hospital and not a private one.

Or a skydiver could fall into an airborne hot air balloon basket? The skydivers will hit the ground before their plane does, even if it does run out of fuel. Planes can glide right? So when the skydivers hit the ground, aka the value of these fiat currencies becomes valueless, the value of gold will skyrocket up.

Yes physical gold is money (also physical silver) whereas all those fiat currencies you mention (and all fiat currencies used in the world) are just that: 'fake money", currencies (not money). The rising "price" of gold in a fiat currency, like in your chart, just shows the value of that fiat losing value, or purchasing power, over time rather than the gold increasing in "value". Never save in a currency, but in real money. A simple analogy is a plane full of skydivers: the skydivers represent currencies that bob up and down relative to one another after they jump out of the plane. Gold on the other hand is the plane that follows a level course. Eventually all the skydivers reach the ground, like currencies with a value of zero.

Countries all around the world are doing this to reduce their costs and increase their tax take. Counties like New Zealand are incrementally increasing the number of years one must live in NZ before being able to retire at 65 and get superannuation. It was just 10 years since one turned 20 years old and will be the same for those born on or before 30 June 1959. But if born from 1 July 1959 - 30 June 1961 now it's 11 years, from 1 July 1961 - 30 June 1963: 12 years, 1 July 1963 - 30 June 1965: 13 years, etc. They should do an incremental increase in Thailand too so that those at 54 years old, thinking they are turning into the current Thailand retirement age of 55 are not suddenly told you have to work another 10 years.

Except that nowadays many countries, including Thailand, have automatic departure passport control lanes like at Suvarnabhumi where Immigration Inspections will be accessible to visitors with foreign passports and you don't actually meet with an immigration official who puts a stamp in your passport. This has become an issue for countries like Lao and Cambodia who use to always check arriving passengers for the departure stamp in their passport of the country they just left.

Exactly! But the THB10,000 giveaway is the cheese used to lure unwary and poor people into the trap. It's a step towards a CBDC that banks (and governments) around the world are pushing us toward. With a central database it's much easier to control people. https://www.ft.com/content/9194ca11-7788-4a1d-a6cc-cffea18d0c9d

Just to clarify, I needed to be on a Non-Immigrant Visa (any category) before I could apply for an extension of stay. In my case I had been working in Thailand for 25 years on a Non-Immigrant B (business) visa and wished to extend my stay here after I retired (aged over 50 years) so needed to apply for a Non-Immigrant Retirement visa. The attachment I post below shows that I am now legally in Thailand on a Non-Immigrant Retirement visa.