PatinBKk

No problem but it may cost him a 2,000 Baht fine when he next reports.

I know a guy that didnt report for 3 years, this year he went and had to pay a 2,000 fine and no other problems......he was actually at immigration getting a re entry stamp...left the country and came back all was OK

how many other people have gone elsewhere because of either the rain or bars being closed......

rain? its not raining in KPN and hasn't for a few days. it is however presently cool.

I was referring to the rainfall about 1 month ago..the main route on the mainland was closed at Surat because of a landslide and that put the stop to an intended trip then

Maybe thats why Cha am is so busy, everybody going there instead...beautiful blue sea

Now I like Cha-am but it's not renowned for it's BLUE sea. Mostly the water has lots of churned up sand.

Not this time of year...its really quite beautiful

For that amount you may as well take it in your pocket and change it at a bank when you get back rather than paying transfer fees etc

Hi there,

My partner and I are coming to Samui from 25 dec till 10 March and are looking for somewhere to stay.

We want to be in Bophut Fishermans village.

We have a budget of 50 000 a month and are looking for something modern to stay in.

Anyone got any ideas?

Cheers in advance

For this sort of cash you can afford somewhere beachfront. Some good apartments are available but I would stay at the Lodge.....lovely views!

Whatever you do book early as the place will be full (and expensive) when you arrive.

Aint no recession this year...everything back to normal I suppose

Did anyone else see that 6 page double sided spread on the Bangkok Post on Tuesday for the SCB Beyond Platinum card? It looked quite interesting, upgrades from domestic to business on TG amongst other things. Anyway, I called and was told, "sorry no foreigners". Does anyone else find it amusing that they took out a massively expensive ad in the leading English paper newspaper and they accept applications from Thais only? And even if you see logic in that that I do not, I wonder why they don't allow high earning foreigners with work permits to apply...

Unlike the British that ruled over 30% of the world through their Empire and have offered to the world democracy add that to the numerous inventions in aviation etc...the Thais are a very proud nation that sing the National Anthem twice a day, have never had a victory or offered the world anything but copy DVDs......the account surely is specifically for them and not second class foreigners!!!

Maybe thats why Cha am is so busy, everybody going there instead...beautiful blue sea almost 5 miles of lovely sand...cheap hotels and reastaurants, no tuk tuks or touts......just hope it dosent get the same way as Phuket because of its new popularity

Legislation was brought in April 2007 so this really is churning very old news......shame on the Times...off shore accounts offer very low interest and are not covered by the government compensation scheme, so accounts with these mutulas and also larger banks such as HSBC really are a bad deal compared to other lucrative off shore funds

I hope the OP gets his extension without too much trouble.....when I read the post I did it with Harry Enfields character Stavros in mind...did any other Brits think the same speak

I have been looking forward to a trip to samui for a few months, work permitting I was going to go but then we had the rain and lanslide in Surat so didnt go, I was about to makes plans to come this weekend but have now decided against it as I wanted to relax for a few days...just booked a really cheap flight to Singerpore so will spend my money there instead....how many other people have gone elsewhere because of either the rain or bars being closed......

I previously work for the Pru on the annuities dept and was certain that it could not be transferred to Thailand, however a recent post stated differently...the O.P. said he had talked to a guy named Scott in Scotland who said he could.....the annuities dept is now based there, you could probably get the number from their U.K. website and although they can not recommend a company they would be able to point you in the right direction.

I wouldnt bother booking a ticket...the rail network in the U.K. is in a mess, worse that it was 100 years ago......if you book your ticket you will probably find the train is delayed by about 3 hours or even worse...cancelled.....best just pay at the counter same as anyone else and then you wont be charged any differently either....

All you have to do is show proof of residency and you will be charged the same as a Thai.

Not so Im afraid.... me, wife, nanny and 3 kids..BKK-Cha-am Thais go free....I could prove residency but was still asked to pay 50 Baht....so, I then paid for a taxi to Sai Tai terminal and also bus fares to Cha am at a much larger cost than the 50 Baht....not cutting my nose to spite my face, I will not be treated that way.......this thread is about train fares in the U.K. anyway....

the Thais hate foreigners full stop.

Not the Thais, but, the people who own and run this country.......the Chinese.

absolutley

When a bag of cement is approx 100 Baht a bag, PCC bricks 18 Baht each, roof tiles 11 Baht each....windows, doors cheap, even marble and granite is only approx 2000 Baht sqm....how can anybody have the nerve to charge anything above 4-5 million Baht for a property...OK, land cost may be expensive for sea view but still dosnt equate to 30,40,50 million Baht houses....

What a totally bizarre statement! How long is a piece of string? And how big is the house you are talking about? And how many Rai at 6-8 million baht a rai ( Prime Seaview ) or 20 million baht a rai ( beachfront ) does it stand on?

If thats his thoughts on the property market i can only imagine what his thoughts on the art market are.... 400 baht bit of canvas... 200b worth of paint.... Mona Lisa as valued by Patin.... 600 baht.

Bit of a difference between fine art and cement

Land at 8million, still leaves 20-30 million Baht for building materials, do the maths, aint such a bizarre statement.

Greed is the main problem

They are doing this in the hope the nasty foreigner will buy some beachfront land to build a villa while his kids are being educated just so they can then take the land back as nasty foreigners shouldnt have land

Get some decent builders and am sure they can get the ceent for you

What is wrong with foreign investment???.....if it wasnt for that foreign investment most people in this country would still be walking everywhere rather than travelling in their Vigos etc......the Thais hate foreigners full stop.

When a bag of cement is approx 100 Baht a bag, PCC bricks 18 Baht each, roof tiles 11 Baht each....windows, doors cheap, even marble and granite is only approx 2000 Baht sqm....how can anybody have the nerve to charge anything above 4-5 million Baht for a property...OK, land cost may be expensive for sea view but still dosnt equate to 30,40,50 million Baht houses....

has anyone been following the TV news about all the problems with land west of HH? Nong Phap is one example but there's a lot of problem areas west of HH and Cha-am.

much of that land is owned by the queen and is designated for farming only but a lot of developers have been moving into the area, getting upgrades via 'some mechanism', splitting and selling on for a profit.

its been on the TV news for several nights now. the government is reclaiming land and in some cases bulldozing houses. be very careful if you are thinking of buying over there. i got offered a great plot with nice views in Nong Tapot, near Cha-am for only 50,000/rai but the chanoht had a note on the back saying that it could not be sold on until November. this was a while ago and my wife said the deal sounded fishy so we didn't bother. looks like we made the right decision.

steve

How did the orignal owner expect to sell if there was a note on the back saying the land could not be sold until November...??? if the owner couldnt sell how could you have purchased anyway???...seems a bit strange...why not contact the owner 1st November and see if they want to sell for 50,000....very much doubt it.....which channel were the reports on??? where exactly in Nong Tapot,?? I drive through there on a daily basis and have not seen any houses being bulldozed, quite the opposite, construction everywhere...can you clarify exact locations, would be very useful???

Although not exactly cheap, still not a bad price for a direct flight at that time of year, cant believe they are doing Manchester but not London!!!

Anything too good to be true, always is....50,000 Baht for a plot of land when in that area normally at least a three or four hundred thousand Baht should set alarm bells ringing and leave it alone....Nong Tapot is becoming increasingly popular and there is a shortage of land for sale in that area.....almost as soon as a plot becomes available it is sold...just along the road I know of 2 plots under a rai that sold for 3 million Baht each.

That place really isnt Cha am....its miles away and half way to Hua Hin......it is quite there, if thats what you were looking for you made the right choice rather than being in busy main Cha am

Cha Am is starting to be discovered. I found it by accident a couple of years ago. Driving through the main road it is not at all impressive but once you get off the main drag and down toward the beach it is quite nice. The beach is long and clean (Not talking the main city beach now). Several very nice 4 and 5 star resorts have gone in and people that stay in them discover the area.

Selfishly I would like to see it stay just the way it is now, but unfortunately it's just a matter of time until it becomes overbuilt like Phuket, Samui and Pattaya and lets not forget Hua Hin which is having a hard time making the infrastructure keep up with the development.

Being close to BKK (2hrs+ -) and having a lot of thais spend weekends and holidays in Cha Am makes it popularity grow.

Patinbkk nice to hear about Burger King, they should do well.

I just spent a week in Cha-Am at what I thought was a very high quality condotel (if a little dated). I was the only occupant of the whole place which I loved. ChaAm was like a ghost town as far as tourists were concerned, but I'm not sure what the normal level is. Anyhow, I like the vibe there loads better than Hua Hin.

Thats very peculiar becauase any day of the week but especially the weekends you can walk/drive along Cha am beach from anytime in the morning to late evening and it is very busy.......you mention 'Condotel'....that place and many other condos although come under Cha am isnt actually in the main part of Cha am so you were probably based somewhere further along the coast nearer Bang Kwai which is like a ghost town...pleased you enjoyed your stay though

Thong Lor Soi 55 about 5.00pm onwards around Starbucks always has a few Porsches and other Marques in the car park while the owners sup their cappucinos and lattes