onlycw

Hi All,

Savannakhet a few weeks ago was terrible. Hundreds of people queuing in the heat. The crowd being rocessed till after 1 pm.

Yours truly was denied (they wanted proof of funds. Q: how much for a solo traveller? 200 k? 

- Show them a down payment towards a motorcycle rental in Chiang Mai? Just wondering.

Where to go?

Hanoi? Phnom Phen - where they use agents and dislike dealing with tourists, a trusted friend told me? Kota Bharu?

Hope to hear how much to show in the account, as this is quite annoying. Would be nice if they had said HOW MUCH they want to see?!!

100 k, 200 k, 300 k? 20 k "cash in hand" seems silly.

Thank you in anticipation!bbbbb

You are luckky when it runs away - I've had cockrroaches i. touch me and ii. fly onto me. (There you are, watching a movie at midnight. Then such a thing may fly into your face!

Bump.

Some companies claim, a work permit is required before... Others never collect contributions, thus avoiding having to "match" them. 750 THB savings every month x the number of employees. Every little helps! ????

Well, I got comped for a Detox place costing thousands a night. Why not DIY? 

I would recommend buying lots of mineral water (not the usual rubbish). Try Creatine fror stamina. Do work-outs, get a daily massage and mind what you eat!

* Colon irrigation? Try PSYLLIUM HUSK in cold milk, let it turn into a pudding... Eat with fruits.

* Take protein powder, milk and fruit to a coffee shop and pay it to make a health drink for you.

* 80% is the diet, 20% the exercise.

Like the beach? Like Chiang Mai and the mountains?

Nan, Pai, an island?

If you have the money, you can design your own program!!

...

Drink before every meal... We are often just thirsty and mistake thirst for hunger. 

Good luck!

Avoid Penang!! Kota Bharu is the consulate to go to... 

Regarding foreign exchange (forex), some folks mistake the different exchange rate calculations in TH vs MALAYSIA :D =.788 vs 12.68 555

Years ago, a high school sent 2 teachers to the Labour Dept. En route, we had photos made. The Thais insisted that the biggest size be bought. Turns out, the smallest size was needed. That was 2014.

A friend has such a "monster photo" in his WP.

I just ordered a dozen regular passport size head shots.

...

Now, admin demands "2 x 2", whatever that means. 2 x 2"? The lady showed me a shot of the upper body. Oh, the Thai embassy is now interested in applicants' beer bellies?!???

The all important FACE is less clear than in my passport size head shots. 

Thais like to make up rules. A lot of people wish to avoid some unnecessary additional purchase of silly photographs.

Hope someone knows?

Thai embassy or consulate & Labour Dept. & ... ? Work-related stuff. B-VISA, then the Work Permit etc.

Thanks. 

Well, last week, I went from the North to the deep South. 

• the fare for Chiang Mai - Bangkok went up by 109 THB within an hour. I ended up paying 904 THB and got a new wagon, but SRT has yet to learn about dimming the lights at night.
• Bangkok to HAT YAI was a nightmare @ <800 THB. 
• SRT is apparently corrupt - they have all these conductors and armed security guys but the 3rd class passengers flood the 2nd class wagons at night with impunity. Am waiting for the day that some freeloader will climb into my bed...

No sign or announcement upon arrival in Hat Yai. The staff disappeared... And some "architect" thinking adding different levels to floors is a good idea, should get flogged and branded.

Find out the age of a train and do bring eye shades and an alarm clock.

On 9/14/2018 at 7:46 AM, ubonjoe said:

1. If you were terminated without cause or notice you are entitled to severance pay.

2. You should contact the local Department of Employment office of the Labor Ministry to make a complaint. It may not have to go to court.

Joe is  t h e  authority in VISA questions. Here, I beg to differ respectfully:

The Labour Dept. is a waste of time, period.

Go streight to the LABOUR COURT. Bring a translator or bilingual friend.

Bring your documents and get the ball rolling.

The Thai labour court will set a hearing and give you an attorney. Bring the translator again!

Trust me, the court will push very hard for a settlement (=> severance pay). You might give and take a little, as is normal in negotiations. Not sure how long you have been working here and whether you may get 6 months, more or less severance.

The Labour Dept. may say "give us 6 weeks, we will respond in writing by say November 18th".

...

NO LAWYER NEEDED for Labour Court. But if you show up without a translator, they won't help you.

No fees. And the hearing will take place within a month.

Good luck!

On 8/14/2018 at 7:01 PM, Psimbo said:

So you or your landlord failed to register your address as required by law and you feel aggrieved? Son nam na!

 

It can be done online.

Yes, it can and was. But after a VISA run, one has to do it again or the landlady will get fined 2,000 THB. 

a properly registered address is not enough. Be in Laos for a day? => Go back to start.

5 hours ago, BkkWonTon said:

Thanks for the replies.

 

I agree a tourist visa would be the best way to go, and I have done that in the past at the Thai consulate in Vientiane, but am returning home in 2 weeks so hoping to avoid that if possible this time around. Great to know the consensus thus far is that I should be ok, but naturally anything can happen. I am going to try to ask an officer about this issue on my way out of Thailand to confirm.

I would have proof of the flight home... it may tip the scales in your favour.

7 hours ago, Peterw42 said:

OP doesnt mention being married so its her house to do with as she chooses.

Oh ahh - I fear there have been forms the OP signed stating that all assets used in the building have been the wife's or something like it.

There will be someone who appreciated you, I'm sure. Once there is open dislike, it's over, JMHO.

On 7/20/2018 at 5:45 PM, poanoi said:

cambodia only ever has low quality foam mattresses,

i broke my back after a single night in the first shithole,

i bought the most expensive spring mattress i could find

for the 2nd shithole, but it was still no quality.

its also a possibility that i broke my back so hard in the first night so nothing can change it back,

i cant even tell if a mattress or chair is good or not, for i never sense comfort

Go see a top chiropractor PDQ, pretty darn quickly!!! 

It was in Incheon, korea where I encountered a hotel bed which was much harder than anything I ever encountered before...

Go get a water bed

Well, I try to live on 10,000 B. Half goes towards rent, utilities, gas and the mobile phone.

Tips: #1, avoid supermarkets, buy bananas and stuff at open markets. #2, learn to live without that aircon being on 24/7.

AFAIK, yes. The limit is "2 land entries" p.a.

Update: TNT is charging 87.xx GBP

Howdy,

could you please recommend some affordable parcel service. No problem if the shipment will take a month or two. But Parcelforce's 137.xx GBP is way too much for me.

Online searches produced courier services at much higher prices.

Recommendations, please!

Cheers!

Got any friends in Thailand, who might help with that? May I ask how heavy & bulky the stuff is?

My problem is the cost of large parcels from the UK. PARCELFORCE wants 137.xx GBP for 15 kg. TNT 87.xx GBP. 

Can wait a few weeks...

Are the Thai authorities now checking African documents? I've come across many a blatant forgery. But hey, some government schools hire a 21 y.o. who claims to have both, a degree and work experience as a teacher :---) https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/nov/28/the-true-story-of-the-fake-us-embassy-in-ghana 

I hear you, OP. My last 2 landladies have been fined 800 THB each over this. When I will return to my rented condo for a few nights' stay, hell knows what the law requires. 

Q: Why can't they offer health insurance and perhaps deportation cost insurance and make the purchase of both compulsory? Then let folks buy their Visa at Immigration.

All these Visa runs to neighboring countries. Surely there would be a better way, benefiting Thailand?

Thanks for sharing. In June, I was swindled by an online company which took the money for a "1 hour VISA". VIETJET was anal about it and after I paid, they said they would process it like 6 hours later. I wouldn't have purchased it if I had known this...

Years ago, a perp at the Cambodian embassy overcharged me and lied to me, then skilfully pocketed the over-payment. Unbelievable! 

Pay in USD $ and avoid forex scams they also play in Laos. $ 30 / $ 35 vs 1,500 THB.

This is now my 3rd attempt at getting a B-Visa converted. 

Few people were at the Airport Immigration place in the afternoons, so it looked so deceptively good. Then I was asked to return "at 6 am" for a queue ticket. &lt;deleted&gt;?

• Can't they hire more staff?
• Respond to customers' needs and numbers, (also at BKK airport, where not every booth is manned even during peak hours)
• raise prices if money is the problem?

Doubt that I will want to continue this hassle for lousy 25 grand. And if I can't get it "sorted" today, I might resign. 

^^^

Apparently, they have hundreds of applications there with numbers but the people are no longer hanging out for hours and hours at the Airport Immigration? Yesterday, I counted just about 4 when they returned to their desks at 1 pm.

I saw a shop in Lamphun selling new gym equipment. OTOH, you should check out your neighborhood as there are 10 Baht-per-day gyms all over Thailand. Those may not be fancy, but I've had bad experiences with junk equipment cluttering one's home. 

On 8/23/2016 at 4:58 PM, ubonjoe said:

There is no minimum number of days left on your 90 day entry to apply for an extension of stay. I think you are confusing it with applying for a non immigrant visa that requires 15 days remaining on your entry to do.
There should be plenty of time left for them to get your work permit.

Indeed, that was on the back of my mind as well. The paperwork has been just sitting there, awaiting the big boss' signature. No sense of urgency... Like last time, when due to not having a photocopy of the boss's ID card, I had to book a flight to Bangkok and then out of the country. 

With less than 6 weeks on a Non Immigrant B-Visa left, my employer hasn't even sent off the application.

Immigration won't do anything when there is less than 2 weeks time left on the B-Visa, I recall. These are scary times!

Q: Do you think I might get that WP on time? Or does it mean "go back to start"?

Thank you All for taking the time to post helpful answers!