MrDream

The family said something similar about the centipedes. I didn't realize they were that dangerous. Although the families house, when you see a full grown black scorpion walking out the front door of the house, I guess thats country lol. I wanted to catch the scorpion and keep it for a pet, but grandma got to him with a broom handle before I could with a cup lol.

Tokays are really cool though. Always did like them since I was a kid. The Thai movie that makes all the family scared of them I found out, had to do with Tokays being evil spirits that got into peoples bodies and ate them from the inside out while they slept. No wonder the missus wouldn't let me keep the big guy in the bedroom with us.

Ive just moved into a house in Korat, I went to get some water out of the fridge when from behind it out jumped one of these buggers, scared the crap out of me, I've only seen the little ones before. He was about 9 inches and very noisey. I spoke to the landlady and she replied yes you have 3 in there weve been trying to get rid of them for years. What I would like to know, are or can they be harmfull as my newborn spends most of the day in the room next to the kitchen. Can they be caught and got rid of, do they bite?

Also the wife is terrified of these things and she will not go in the kitchen, not good.

Tokays are nocturnal by nature. You will seldom spot them at all while its daytime. They do bite, and they do hurt. Most of the time they would rather just get away from you though then bite you. If you poke at them then they will turn and take a nip at you. They are great to have around the house as they eat all the insects, including small scorpions. Many Thais are scared of them beyond belief, has to do with a Thai movie about Tokay geckos a little while back.

I used to have a pair as pets back home, no way to tame them, they are just too wild to handle. You can easily catch them, as I caught a 1ft. Tokay at the families house in Issan, and catch the ones a bit smaller then that monster for fun. Overall, they are harmless and good to have around. They are not going to creep into your kiddies cribs, but they are attracted to lighted areas, as the bugs are attracted there too, ie Tokay buffet.

Honestly, I would just let them be if you could. If your wife insists on getting them outta there, put up a light on a corner of a wall in the house, leave the light on all night, every night for a week or 2. The Tokays will start to see the food source from the bugs, and in turn will start to flock to that area. They are fast little guys, so having a basket with very small openings, or even a net with a rounded lip to put flush up against the wall will get them in. At some point you are going to have to handle them while catching them. I just used my bare hands, as I make sure to get a good grip on the corners of the jaws so they can't turn to bite you. You might want to get a pair of work gloves though if your not used to handling reptiles. Grab them through the net, and take them in a bag, at least 10-15 minutes away from your house before you release them. If you let them go on the corner of your street, they will most likely make their way back, as they know where their steady food supply is.

A lot of people have them as pets in the states, they are kind of like poisonous snakes, beautiful to look at, and watch hunting their live food, but people will never be able to handle or tame them. Good luck with them my friend. Here is a pic of my big guy I caught for you lol.

If it did drop that low, I probably wasn't watching it too much at the time. I only really ever pay attention anymore to the exchange rates when I stop at the bank now, just to see how everything is faring. If I was in Issan at the time, which is probably the case, then yeah would have had no clue what the rates were at for a little while.

Let me see what I can think of off the top of my head here. Entertainment license, Thai music license, Copyrighted music license, un-copyrighted music license, tobacco and whiskey license. That pretty much sums it all up as far as your licensing is concerned. Wouldn't recommend getting any of the license in a falang name though, thats just asking for trouble.

Then you need to worry about setting up an actual company in Thailand, probably in your wifes name, so that you can get your VAT certificate to pay taxes with. This of course would probably be best to do before actually getting the licensing involved with a venture like that.

My friend, the dollar has been over 35baht-1D for over almost a year. We had a 1 month period where it was at 34.90, but given the length of time that it has stayed up while other currencies have gone down, the dollar has held up pretty darn well. If your comparing it to what the exchange was, say in 2006 when it was as high as 42-1, doubt we will ever see that again of course. But the dollar lingering around 35, is going to set that way for a decent while.

I haven't seen any signs here to show that its gonna drop dramatically in the immediate future. The fact that it is up sometimes over 36, is just better news for the guys changing money at that time. I look at, like we are overdue for a downturn, so I'm happy that we've gotten a run as long as we have. Those of us changing money back over to $$ from Baht on the other hand, this is great news for the guys that bought in when the dollar was over 40.

Take it to a few years further back then 2006 though, 25baht to the dollar, just be grateful we aren't in that position lol.

On tv, there is a man who runs a business called "The butcher", might be your best bet at buying fresh from him. You also have Friendship Supermarket, can't recall if they have black pudding though. The butcher I am almost quite certain he will stock the stuff. So watch the Pattaya News, or Pattaya TV channels, and you will see the commercial over the course of the day.

Wouldn't hurt to stop and ask a few of the guys that have brekkie joints in the area, such as Canterbury Tales, Robin's Nest, or even the Queen Vic on Soi6. I felt the same way about bacon when I stayed in Issan, managed to find a butcher at the market that cut me some super thick slices that made me happy. Try those places, as I am sure you will get an answer from one of them.

Are you sure it's not a plasma TV, apparently they use a lot more electricity than LCD and CRT TV's but look the same. Most of the really large 50"+ TV's are plasma from what I understand.

I've often had a 6000-7000B electric bill when I am in Thailand, I have a computer with two monitors and 2 AC units which I leave on pretty much all the time although I turn the living area AC off when I sleep. I am billed directly by the electric company, so I pay the standard Government rates.

When I'm not there is goes down to a negligible amount due to the refrigerator/freezer being the only thing left running.

jeeze dude this is the rent of my condo almost! sure everyone in your condo hasn't tapped into your meter...

2 baht per unit is the going rate for electricity..

It sounds like your electric is about spot on. I have to pay 6baht per unit in my apartment in BKK, since we don't pay direct to the electric company. The aircon is the single biggest thing that will juice your bill. TV, fridge, and other electronics won't use near as much as the aircon alone does.

ANY Bangkok applicants can confirm this?

does it really take 2 weeks?

i thought it was FREE is that true?

i need to colect my car tomorrow so i would love some up to date info on what docs required?

I will let you know tomorrow. I have to head down there myself for my Thai DL. I'm thinking I might try the 400Baht approach to ensure I get it immediately lol.

From what I am understanding via the new laws if I'm not mistaken, if you have to apply for visa extensions in the area in which you live now. IE, you can't get extensions in Pattaya if you live in BKK, I am to assume, the same would be said for a residence certificate.

If thats not the case, then I might just skip the visit to the BKK proper office, and wait till I return to Pattay in 2 days.

Alrighty, in BKK, 4 days to get mine. I was told I could come and pick up the papers after 2 days, but I got there later in the afternoon, so after this weekend should be golden. Can't do on a tourist visa for sure, that I asked them. So its Non-Imm only, doesn't matter what status, b-o-marriage-or work permit.

Yeah, something doesn't sound right about the no visa thing. You should have at minimum, a visa on entry good for 30 days. You do not want to risk a serious overstay as those fines get hefty and can lead to jail. No visa, if that is the case, you would be looking at jail as soon as someone reported you, assuming they didn't try and blackmail you first.

For the bank account, you need your passport with a valid visa. Even a tourist visa is fine. And then you just need a letter from where you are staying, saying that they are your current address. You can even talk to your landlord and the bank can call them while you are there to verify that information, but need a letter at minimum. Kasikorn Bank is the easiest one to go through, as you can get a foreigner's account with the info and documents I had just stated.

GET YOUR PASSPORT AND VISA CHECKED ASAP!!!!

I had a pretty nasty case when I first moved over here. It lasted about 2 weeks. I didn't take any medication for it, just made sure I always had a bathroom readily available. I just stayed away from Thai food for the most part, and stuck to the fast food places, and 7-11 pre-packaged non-perishables.

Maybe not the best way to handle it, as I guess I should've seen a doctor after a week or so. Mine more then likely was brought on by a street vendor that probably had mixed the cooked food with the raw at some point. It takes most of our stomachs, a long time to adjust to the food here, if your eating nothing but Thai food all the time. You seen a doctor, which was the right thing to do and thats all that matters.

As far as the clinics go, try the Palam Song Hospital. Not sure if thats the right spelling, but thats where i take my stepson and my missus, since they are covered under the insurance here. If you were in Pattaya, I actually know a few more doctors and extremely cheap well run hospitals there. As far as BKK goes, thats where I generally go as well. The costs are so inexpensive for a doctors visit and tests, its less then most people spend on any given night out here.

You might be better off dealing with a curtain and blind company. I know in Pattaya, my friend had his entire house done with blackouts, including 3 sliding glass doors, for 16k baht. Will try and get the number for them and see if they can refer a BKK company, of if they will do work in BKK for you. He gets back into town in 2 days, hopefully thats not too much of a wait for you.

I know I had the same problem myself, and found the prices to be insane at HomePro. I ended up going to a street market in Pattaya, and found my 2 blackout curtains for 380Baht for the pair for my slider.

ANY Bangkok applicants can confirm this?

does it really take 2 weeks?

i thought it was FREE is that true?

i need to colect my car tomorrow so i would love some up to date info on what docs required?

I will let you know tomorrow. I have to head down there myself for my Thai DL. I'm thinking I might try the 400Baht approach to ensure I get it immediately lol.

From what I am understanding via the new laws if I'm not mistaken, if you have to apply for visa extensions in the area in which you live now. IE, you can't get extensions in Pattaya if you live in BKK, I am to assume, the same would be said for a residence certificate.

If thats not the case, then I might just skip the visit to the BKK proper office, and wait till I return to Pattay in 2 days.

Perhaps I am a meanie but this doesn't seem to mesh with stuff on other threads about deep discounts in response to the recession.

Why would taxi give a discount? They have fewer customers so now have to charge more to make the same income. Fewer sales = higher prices. But they will call them 'discounts' if you like. They could be charging 1,000 baht.

Not necessarily true. For Pattaya and BKK based transport companies, most of us have a sufficient number of customers coming in, so our prices are able to stay fixed at a competitive rate. I cannot speak for individual drivers, but many of these guys are doing the same thing the meter taxis are, they are waiting in the airport arrival area, trying to give you a flat rate when they are slow. Of course most of these drivers, and meter taxis will shoot you a highball price, but you can easily find a driver for smaller money if you take the time to look.

Why not take an Airport Limousine Service? Unless you are a very frequent traveller the extra baht might be worth it. Alternatively pre-arrange a pick-up.

I think I am right in saying the rapid overhead light railway link to Bangkok begins in August 2009. Anyone?

The simple answer re limousines is because they are even more expensive (some are real rip offs) and don't all have big boots (trunks) in any case. Usually the touts will try to sell you a mini van if you have a lot of luggage. You don't have to wait for the big taxi that I described above at the public desk and this is usually an estate car or 'people carrier'. My point was just about how the price has gone up rapidly so that this isn't as good a deal as it was. On the last couple of return journeys (i.e. hotel to airport) I have telephoned the driver I'd just used and got a cheaper price than I paid airport to hotel. The only problem is that there seems quite a high turnover of drivers year to year - so that numbers on business cards that I had no longer worked

Re Lopburi's discount point, what I am saying in my post is that instead of going down or staying the same, the price on these (non-meter) taxis seems to have gone up by about a third from last year.

There are some companies out there, who have SUV's and minivans, and offer them at the same prices as their standard cars. Its just a matter of pre-arranging the pickups and specifying that you have a large amount of luggage. Transport companies all over BKK and Pattaya, run the rates pretty much the same. Find a company, that has larger vehicles, get a price, and then book them.

Dammit! Another couple of hours wasted trying to get hold of some shaving gel in a country where shaving is an alien practice.

Do what I do for short-term emergencies. Preferable -- your hotel probably gives you a little container of body cream. Works great for shaving. Second choice, lather up with plain old soap. It all works for a day or two when you want to avoid buying a can of shaving cream between flights.

Whatever happened to good old dryshaving? Seriously though, even without the cream, the hotel soaps actually work pretty good, and you can always just wet down your face and try it that way. For a short term solution that works on me, anymore than a week dryshaving like that, and it takes me 2 weeks just to clear up the nicks.

I'm a big supporter of West Ham, and while I know we are not the greatest with our past track record, Tottenham for sure takes the cake these days.

Marcus, your a braver man than I. My last time returning to Thailand, I had my PS2 in my checked baggage. My computer, cameras etc. were in my carry on, but you never would think that a game system would be something you would want to carry with you. Needless to say, after my arrival, my bags were lighter via one PS2 and accessories.

Can you apply within Thailand for a marriage visa, or extension of stay? If I am on a business visa now, but plan to switch over to a Thai spouse visa, can that be done within Thailand, or would I have to return home to get the new visa, or would the extension of stay conflict with a change in status?

My guess is that the fellas get the fillies to fall so much in love... that the fellas are essentially able to call the shots. In the language of the street... the Thai male pimp hand is strong.

I don't think truer words have been spoken. I have seen the occasional lady, whose Thai boyfriends have done as they pleased weeping their eyes out because they do love them. But many Thai ladies don't bother to intrude too much in their other halfs business, assuming their gold is still shining, their apartment or house is in order, and their motorbike or car is clean and running smooth.

Can you be more specific? It seems to go against human nature for a woman to love a male so much that she naturally just stops asking him where he is going without her at night. Is this a natural progression in a Thai relationship? Is there some sort of breaking point where he just announces how its going be from now on? Thanks.

To give you an example; My Missus' brother has his wife, along with a new baby. They live with his parents in their home. His wife has actually answered his phone a few times, to the voice of his Mia Noi on the other end. She knows he is out fiddling around, but afraid of the loss of face, of him sending her back home to the village with a divorce, that she could not bear. As well, with a baby in the picture now, I think she is afraid that he will just take off and not bother coming back.

The thing that surprised me, is that the whole family, mom, dad, and my missus, all know about his gf on the side, and they all know his wife knows, but it remains a topic of discussion that rarely comes up, otherwise he starts smacking her around.

It is true that Thai women are paranoid about other relationships - They don't want to share the money. However, many could care less about any short-time stuff, and some actually suggest it (less work for them). Thai guys pretty much have it made.

Mine is probably one of the most paranoid you will ever meet. We go out shopping, and when we get back I get the silent treatment for about 10 minutes before she lets in on me. " I know you looking lady, I know you want boom boom she!" Ok, which lady are you talking about, and when did this happen so I know what I'm getting accused of lol.

They say that Latin women are the most jealous women on the face of the earth, I say whoever made that statement has never been to Thailand!!!

Would it be possible for him to return to his home country, and then get the new visa from his local home embassy without his wife being present? I don't know if thats even an option for you coalminer, but I am interested to see if that would work.

I know I had returned to the USA for a 1 month stay to take care of family business, and renewed my visa while I was there. To my surprise, when I returned to Thailand, they counted the remaining entry I had left on my old visa, at which point I will have to go to immigration I believe, but after that, a visa run and then my new visa kicks in. I don't know if thats normal if you have entries remaining left on your visa, then you already have a different status visa from the embassy in your passport, but they seemed to allow it. Hopefully that doesn't cause havoc for me coming back from a visa run lol.

I first wanted to say hello to all of you guys, some I might know from other forums, as well as all the new people I will be meeting here.

I live in BKK, and travel back and forth between BKK and Pattaya with my transportation company. I've been living in Thailand for about 9 months, and have been coming here since 2007.

I look forward to broadening my views here with some great visa information, along with the forums, as well as contributing my own knowledge and experiences in Thailand to the board. Its a pleasure to be here, and hope you all get as much joy out of Thailand as I have.