puanddavid

I just took this trip from Ekamai, and was surprised when I got to the bus station to find out this was van service and not VIP bus. There are websites that claim 1st class - air bus service from Ekamai station to Rayong City, but nobody there knew of any. Is this something that has changed over the last couple of years? My wife is following tomorrow, and dreading the idea of a van all the way. After just taking this trip, I can't blame her. Anybody know of any more comfortable solutions? No, we won't rent an entire van just for my wife, by the way:)

It does look like you are in the Red/White zone, my friend. Your front tire is on a faded red area, and less faded red is visible in the bottom right corner of the photo. Didn't you say red/white is a no parking zone?

Follow up:

We arrived at the Government Offices on Chaengwattana Rd. around 1:30 PM. We made copies and took photos there in the building, and proceeded to the Immigration Office. We took our number and waited our turn, which took about one hour. The officer was very polite, and said our papers were in order, but that because my wife's house card was from Pathum Thani, we had to go to that office for the extension. We took a taxi to the Pathum Thani Immigration Office, and arrived at 3:45 where they informed us they closed at 3:30, LOL! Luckily, the manager in charge asked to see our paperwork and agreed to process it then and there. Whew! Personally, I feel like they could have easily processed my extension at the first office...

Thanks again!

She entered on her Thai Passport. We have the official marriage certificate from North Carolina, and a copy of her house book. Thanks for all your responses, we will go to the Government Office on Chaengwattana Rd. tomorrow. Worst case scenario, I'll head to Laos tomorrow.

Thanks again!

Wayned, your reply is the easiest way to achieve my goal. We have a copy of her house card, and our marriage certificate from the USA. Will these be accepted?

Sceptic11, your reply is definite that I need to leave and reenter. Have you considered that my wife is Thai?

Hello,

I have a similar situation, except I'm already here in Thailand on a 28 day tourist visa. However, I'm planning on staying until February 24th. My tourist visa expires on Jan. 4. My wife is Thai, and this is our first extended visit to Thailand, so I'm a bit of a newbie and missed my opportunity to enter the country correctly. We're staying in Din Daeng, Bangkok, and right now I'm planning on traveling to Vientiane (leaving 1/3/14 returning 1/5/14 via Don Muang airport) to get the extension, pending info I receive from the ThaiVisa Forum.

Questions:

• Can I extend from here in Thailand through Feb. 24 at an immigration office with a fee? Or do I need to go outside the country and re-enter before the expiration?
• I don't want another 28 day visa, I need at least 60 days, what type of visa should I request?
• Should I request it on arrival back in Thailand or from Vientiane?

Thank you!

My Thai wife is a permanent resident in the US, and she is spending the winter in Thailand this year. I'll be joining her from December through February. We've always been covered in Thailand by my workplace health insurance. However, I'll be leaving my job and our coverage will expire on Jan. 1. I'm planning on buying a health insurance policy for myself, but I'm not sure what I should buy for my wife. So, a few questions:

1. Where should I buy a health insurance policy for myself. Internet? In Thailand?

2. Should I just buy a policy over the internet here in the US that will cover us both in Thailand?

3. What coverage does my wife have as a Thai Citizen, and/or should I buy a supplemental plan?

I should also mention this is only for the period in Thailand. We will have a new policy in the US when we return in February.

Thank you!

It is now July 10th, 2013. How about an update, Heavy? My Thai wife and are thinking about importing fashion handbags here to the US, and we'd like to know if you ever moved forward with any of your ideas. Anybody know of any handbag manufacturers in the Land of Smiles? To all the naysayers, don't worry - we won't break the bank.

I think you may have mistaken the 'ghost' towers as completed projects. There are some projects that went ahead with construction even though there are some outstanding issues with EIA requirements (environment impact agency). These issues may still be outstanding on completion of construction and transfer papers for the condo units cannot be processed.

Most transferred 'empty' condo buildings are still 25-30% occupied.

Well, like I had posted initially, I do have experience in this field. I was not mistaking unoccupied completed projects for ghost projects. I'm talking about 40 floor buildings that are skeletons. Exterior shell completed, but no sheating or interior work. Just wind blowing through the vacant floors. You can also tell when a building has been abandoned. There are no workers, entrances are sealed, the unpainted surfaces are faded or blackened with mold, etc.

I'm a bit interested in this thread because our plan is to buy a second home in Thailand to use when we retire. My wife is from Thailand and I'm from the US. I sell real estate as a rep. for builders or developers. I've seen the full range of appreciation in the good times, and felt the sting of depreciation when my condo in Vegas lost over a 100K in equity.

We visited BKK in April, and I was a surprised at how many vacant or abandoned condo towers I saw. Also, it seems like there's a lot for sale. That leads me to believe there is an over supply in the market. I've witnessed this first hand in Las Vegas, which you might call ground zero in the housing downturn. One month people were queing up at 6:00AM to be the first to bid on a condo, and the next month we couldn't give one away. It happened that quickly. I remember sitting back listening to buyers and realtors discussing how much they had made in equity since going under contract, and I heard similar conversations in BKK in April. Not saying the two are connected, but crazy appreciation is a scary prospect.

What I'd like to know is why are there so many abandoned condo towers in BKK? From the Amari Watergate, I could see three rather large ghost towers, and all throughout BKK I'd spot them here and there. I saw this in Las Vegas too, where speculators bought up everything and then cancelled their contracts as more deposits came due. Developers lost their funding, or simply gave up. And then there's the poor folks that listened to their realtors and lenders and went ahead and closed on their "investment" condo, only to turn around and put it back on the market along with everyone else in the building.

So, what is it? Is the BKK real estate market in the throws of a crash, or am I simply reading into it too much?

The two I got on my last trip have held up pretty good, although my waistline hasn't kept its end of the bargain. I honestly don't remember how much I paid, but it was like $600 US for two suits, 5 shirts, 5 ties (2006). My wife is Thai, and she says I paid too much. Not because she knows anything about how much a suit costs, but because I was referred by a Tuk Tuk, and got a good buzz from all the beer they served me while they were taking measurments .

If anyone recommends a tailor, please include contact details if you know them. Website would be great!

Thank you!

Hello,

Coming to Bangkok next week and I'll be looking for a good tailor with good prices. I've used a tailor in BKK before, but my wife swears I got ripped off. Need contemporary styles, excellent fabric, good price.

Thanks!