SunsetT

This is how Capitalism works. Advertising and easy credit is designed to entrap and enslave you to a life of craving, debt, work and stress. And you wonder why the Thai smile has disappeared!

Dont use the Wise shortcut. Choose 'pay manually' and 'pay later'. Then go to your bank account and transfer the payment to Wise. Or pay it to Wise manually before you make the transfer.

Dont you have online banking in the US to enable instant online transfers (We call them 'faster payments' in the UK) from your US bank account to Wise? It is cheaper too, than paying by card.

Me too. Dont they have online banking in the US to enable instant online transfers (We call them 'faster payments' in the UK)from a US bank account to Wise?

Ganja!

Yes. A retired acquaintance returned during Covid when everything was locked down. He couldnt pay for accommodation even if he wanted to as everything was closed.. The Sally Army took him in, in Durham I believe. He ended up with a council flat (Now Housing Association), thank you very much.

Despite your missing nerve, dont your energy levels drop telling you to eat something to keep your blood sugar up? I sometimes used to go all day eating next to nothing if not hungry, but as I get older if I dont eat reasonably regularly I feel drained mentally as well as physically and I can actually feel quite unwell, e.g., late morning after a light breakfast.

I have noticed the same in observing Thais over the years outside of tourist areas. Many, excepting the men chatting up the pretty things pouring their beer, hardly look at or interact with waiting or supermarket checkout staff. They just place their orders or pay at supermarket checkout otherwise totally ignoring them (unless they know them personally). The latter without even any eye contact. And sometimes it is as if waiting staff expect to be treated like this adopting a grovelly disposition and seem flustered if you smile and attempt to interact with them and scuttle off not knowing how to respond. Or occasionally young staff do the opposite adopting a condescending slightly mocking attitude as if to say 'How dare you ask about the menu in a friendly manner! Dont you know this is not done in Thailand! I have concluded that it is a normal part of 'Traditional' Thai culture. I say 'Traditional' as I think it is the older and perhaps wealthier generation that I have noticed most ('nouveu riche' comes to mind). Maybe this is changing with the younger generations coming through. It could be a residue of the Indian Caste system as Thai culture and Buddhism evolved out of Hinduism and these kinds of class/caste attitudes and behaviour are sadly still alive and well in India. Regardless of this, my cultural and personal disposition is to try to be friendly and polite and treat all people as equals regardless of there role in life. I will not change this behaviour just to fit in with Traditional Thai culture.

They need to start by ensuring retirees are treated, as they deserve to be, in a polite, respectful, helpful and friendly manner at their immigration office. At the moment at some offices it is a degrading experience and I personally know some who choose other visas rather than have to deal with them and endure this. I wish there was some customer feedback mechanism to expose them for what these Immigration Officers for what they are.

Especially when it is clearly stated in Thai and English on the immigration Bangkok head office website that the requirement is 2 months for Retirement Extensions.

But some dinosaur immigration offices, e.g. Nakhon Phanom, insist that this 800k 2 months prior to retirement extension rule only applies to the initial 1st extension application and not to extension renewals. They insist that for renewals the 800k must be in the bank for 3 months before the renewal application date.

Oh no! I hope you get the pension sorted and the curse is lifted soon...555

Nowt to worry about mate. The village fortuner has obviously put a curse on you...????.

No problem! Just keep those donations rolling in!

Tragic! I wish ages were posted not Grades, Mors, mathyums, or forms. These differ from country to country and many of us, without kids have no idea what age kids they refer to.

I think you, like so many others, need to take your blinkers off: https://uk.news.yahoo.com/killer-domestic-cats--bbc-presenter-chris-packham-says--there-are-too-many-cats-in-the-uk---171602889.html

Cats are not wild animals. WE have domesticated them and are keeping them unnecessarily now as pets when they do so much damage. As for mankind? We are the 'wild animal' that is killing all other fauna and flora, and, as we are so short sighted, we will kill ourselves too.

China invades Taiwan. USA has sworn to defend Taiwan. War breaks out between China and USA; potentially evolving into WW3. Who would Thailand side with?

Are you not aware that many species of small mammals and wild birds are endangered species and cats kill thousands every year? But hey ho! who gives a s h i t when we are destroying all other species on this planet at an alarming rate!

Yes. I have noticed less mosquitoes too. We are destroying all other species on this planet.

I heard it was trying to get into the Guinness book of records.

So this thread is referring to the airline's fast track check-in lane and not at immigration?

So who is eligible to use a 'fast track' lane?

Dont you mean North west?

I thought that Thai owned ThaiSmile already.