CM451

Interesting subject coming from many of you. I predicted this would happen months ago, and more is yet to come starting this July. Shortly thereafter you will be seeing a mass exodus no doubt. If you want to know why, simply ask Immigrations for the answer.

Some of you has hit the nail in the head. With the long term visa's, getting one around here will be very hard indeed and paperwork with tea money will not suffice. You will be forced to really leave the country and return to your origins to get the long term visa eventually. Now once there finding such consulate may become a daunting task, because they too are under the noose to comply with their orders as given. Also with this they now want to see a few more things to confirm your income and banking and earnings and all will have to match accordingly before such is going to be issued out. Sad to say, yes they are beginning to pry into our private affairs, and they also are going to want to know a lot of your private incomes and how much you actually have etc. Besides weeding out the tricksters, backpackers etc., and of course the hidden nomads that exist here.

So many of us expats now have to really think hard and look into the mirror and review your incomes and prospects of long term stay here. If any of you cannot comply with the new rules that are about to take effect, and if you are married and have familys here, and have homes here or businesses, you might be literally forced to leave and to sell etc, if you cannot meet the new criterias so set forth by the Government. If this is the case some of you might want to start making the plans right now while you can and have such opportunity and get your family secured and all set to go with you on your exodus just to be together etc. rather than be leaving them behind. To me the family is important. On the other hand some of you might be able to make it for another year or two, but what happens after that when they again increase their criterias which they do plan on doing within the near future. This is only the beginning.

Nothing we can do but grit our teeth for the worse is yet to come.

Daveyo

So many of us expats now have to really think hard and look into the mirror and review your incomes and prospects of long term stay here.

If you are not married to a thai, not needing to work, not 50 years old, you really have no legit request for a visa (other than tourist). I guess the million B card is for this group? I just wanted to point out you don't have to be a backpacker or a under-funded guy married to a thai, or some guy working under the table to be S.O.L. in the L.O.S.

Today they come for you- tomorrow they come for me.

A friend got back from Penang in April with a one year multi-entry no problem, one month later another friend showed up with the formerly required paperwork (same visa agent) and got three months. Reasons now adequately explained in other posts.

On a different track, Increased requirements- nobody grandfathered in, so I guess when the retirement deposit requirement goes from 800,000 to 1.5 million then to 3 million the Farrang retirees of Thailand will be S.O.L. or grandfathered in? Don't leave home without your Thai privilege card! (no, they would never raise the retirement levels...just kidding)

Good news TAT, tourist arrivals are increasing every month! The touristification of former "O" and "B" visa holders has begun.

More good news other countries are looking like better places to live and Thailand is still a nice place to visit! I can't blame them for shaking the tree a bit, and

I'm not saying this isnt one of the greatest places to live, but gosh darn it, I still get to decide where I spend my money, and I just made a new decision. The countdown has begun.

Any yet still it seems safer than the USA, is my comment.

Good idea!

You want to be a bit careful. A lot of these Karaokes are clip joints. This is especially true of the empty ones with lots of girls sitting outside. A few of these joints in Chiang Mai Land are owned by Japanese "businessmen" and are money laundering fronts.

You'd probably have no problem if you stick to the places that seem to be popular, as rip offs are usually empty.

Amen. A tourist friend and I went to one of these places it worked something like this, they get 200 B (or so) per hour for a girl to sit with you and drink, my friend bought a bottle of 100 Pipers, the bill there came to about 1800 B (by my calculations should have been about 850 B total for girl company and booze. They said the girls can't be bar fined. Next we moved over to the Karaoke section for one hour, no booze purchased this time, (bottle moved with us) and the bill was another 1600B for about 1 hour more (that bill should have been about 500-600B).

I want to point out I did my duty at the beginning of the adventure by saying it was a rip-off and was only persuaded by the magic words "my treat". A funny thing, I remember was all those beautiful girls sitting out front and they tried to select the girls for us, and they sure weren't top of the line. A truly bizarro world. By the way clientele is 99% Thai I was told.

My friend liked his girl, saw her outside the club, and went back two more times before he left Thailand.

here is a damb good dam link.

http://www.undp.org.vn/mlist/envirovlc/052001/post19.htm

What is fantastic is how the economy can be booming folowing the SARS thing, chicken flu, and now a drought.... it truly is a miracle.

You must be a real gormet, I usually buy mine from the lady inside the entrance to Kwan Viang, I've had it in Ubon, and Pattaya and it tastes as good to me. Of course mine is customized... extra spicy no crab and substitute extra tomatoes for the egg plant.

Hey, here is something to try, break up a packet of dry ramen noodles and mix it in.... great. Also try the Northern Thai style using the giant grapefruit instead of Papaya.

varierty and spice.

Hey,

A friend of mine did what you are talking about. He went out to Ban Tawai (off Hang Dong Rd. ). Take someone along that speaks Thai, and you should be able to visit the factories that produce whatever you find there at the best prices.

I've seen things there that cost 5-600% more in BKK.

Va a buscar Ban Tawai por los precios mejor...

Yes it does seem the Thai driving License works as good as a Passport (I guess unless your in some deep crap).

Sometimes I think things are suspect until they are written in Thai.

Henrick,

buy a shovel and dig a hole and you will save money on inoculations.

One of the first bars I went to in Pattaya, I was there for about one beer when a guy eating some sort of fruit given out by the bar started choking. After a bit of this 4 or 5 Brits picked him up and held him upside down, face to the floor, shaking him much to the amusement of the bar girls. Unable to dislodge the obstruction in this manner (only pocket change)they set him down on the floor. I walked over and tried to do the heimlich maneuver, but that also didn't work, and got even bigger laughs as they thought I was trying to ride him like a horse. finally somebody threw him in the back of a B-Bus and then off to the hospital I guess. By the end of my 4th beer he was back in the same spot drinking again but not making eye contact with any of us would be saviors.

Rent,

If your worried about the exchange rate go ahead and exchange a couple of years rent into B.

Boom? I wonder what it's based on... plenty of "1/2 and never to be finished" houses around. If it's booming because money is cheap to borrow and you are paying cash...... sucker.

in closing..... Rent.

I just had some chicken from KFC and I'm sure not scared of the bird flu, but it was the worst over-cooked piece of bird I have ever eaten. I guess I am supposed to be re-assured that if you cook it into rubber it's safe.

Ok I'll wait until next week when the FLU is all gone.

Yes, I think you will be able to find something short term for that price. High speed phone service is now going in-one area at a time (I just went to sign up yesterday and my area is on a 2 month wait) , so you will have access to high speed internet but chances are not "in" your short term rental, but at one of the internet cafes around.

I recently read an article that said when they looked at the brains of people who speak tonal languages, the part of the brain used for that function was using the same part of the brain we non-tonals use for music. Well, thats a good excuse if your not musically inclined.

Anyway, I need hear the thai phrases over and over (like a parrot) before I can learn them. I've started carrying a tiny digital recorder around and using it to record in English the everyday things I wish I knew how to say, whenever I notic one. I then get a Thai friend to record the Thai phrase, then burn them onto CD's or MP3's.

I'm willing to share some homemade mp3's by email to any CM locals that might want to try and/or build on this format.

Cheers,

email [email protected]

I like CM. I have lived from North to South in Thailand and find it the best. I don't live close to town, I live south of the airport and the new city bus service from here is excellent. It's big enough to have everything you need and small enough to not be a crazy city. I've met some very nice Thai's and Farrang.

When I first came to Thailand I visited CM and stayed downtown, I wrote it off as a mini BKK, so I can understand the negative comments, the next time I came I saw it lot different, driving myself around instead of doing a tourist type visit.

As far as driving goes, it's not bad at all.... the drivers will use the horn more than other places I've been in Thailand, (it's a CAR place) but all in all it 1000% than a Phuket for example. (where the roads suck and are populated by way too many motorcycles.)

In CM I found a beautiful, two story, quiet,new (never been lived in I should say) house, convenient transportation and close to great shopping.... for 5000b rent a month, less than 1/2 of the next cheapest place I've lived in thailand.

The weather kicks ass too. Yea, I guess I like CM

CM451