to be clear (no pun), it's the burning from the cambodian side i was referring to.  here is the view from the escarpment, from inside the temple grounds, looking south over cambodia.

i didn't think the temple itself was that impressive, but that was just after visiting angkor wat.  the view from the escarpment is supposed to be spectacular, however  smoke from farmers burning off fields (and clear-cutting forest) reduced visibility.

you might consider wat phu an option, similar distance from sisaket, in laos just south of pakse.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vat_Phou

OP, sorry but i don't think you should do this.  it is illegal, and although you would probably "get away with it," you never know.  if anything happens, you have no legal protection.

you're not going to provide anything particularly useful to them.  you didn't mention any specialized skills, so assuming just a warm body  "feeding, cleaning, petting....."

apologize for my attitude on this, but i consider this more for you than for the animals.  you want to feel good about yourself, of course, but your contribution won't accomplish anything. 

you don't have to feel guilty.  if you really need to "do something" you can donate to reputable international animal welfare organizations, or directly to a recognized local charity when you arrive.

i would suggest a donation to an ngo that provides rabies vaccinations in rural areas, or that provides spay/neuter services.

9 hours ago, joe china said:

....This will certainly make it all easier. They can carry two bags on the first leg, spend a week in Thailand and then travel light to the UK and return to Thailand 2 weeks later with the reentry permit....

all this for extra luggage?

mail a couple boxes from china and be done with it.

SAL will take about 3 weeks.

ask for "shui-lu-lu" (水陆路) at china post.

think about 250 rmb for 10kg.

i sent 8 boxes this way when moving here last year.

all arrived unopened by customs.

no customs fees, no questions.

you missed:  june 06 - with 5 days left before the summit, trump's personal lawyer insults north korean leader...

Rudy Giuliani claims Kim Jong Un begged 'on his hands and knees' for meeting with Trump

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/ny-pol-rudy-trump-north-korea-summit-20180606-story.html

3 hours ago, CharlesSwann said:

Judging by the way it is scattered, they obviously trashed the room deliberately - presumably after an argument with the landlord. Or else the landlord did it himself after the argument for the sake of some anti-Chinese publicity.

the "sanook" link takes you to the article with 20 photos.

this is not garbage strewn about by filthy pigs.  there's a lot of stuff;

appears a bag of mostly clean, dry litter was spread around.

but no real filth - no food on the floors, no stains on the walls, no

likker bottles, no cigarette butts.

looks carefully placed by someone for the effect.

and the real clue....an untouched takeout box of fried noodles on the

nightstand.  chinese would take it with on the plane....

saw a DIY lumber-scooter in laos...

if you don't pick up your bags, they are taken to the unclaimed luggage point in the center of the massive carousel area.  it's still inside the restricted zone of course, and has an attendant 24 hours.  no problem leaving your bags there until you are ready to pick up bags, go through immigration, then to counter to get your next boarding pass, and back in through immigration.

i've many times flown into changi around 6pm and stayed airside until the next morning.  there are a couple of free quiet lounges, low lighting, no tv speakers, and recliners.  most of my stuff is checked, just have a small bag with toiletries and valuables.  (i'm thinking lounges are in E section, one around gate E12, the other at the end of the hall).

my baggage was often a bicycle box and one large duffel bag of riding gear.   i would have dinner in one of the fine restaurants, catch a movie or two, use the internet on one of the thousands of public terminals, sleep in the lounge, then at 5am go through immigration (<3mins no lines), pick up bags, back in, quick breakfast, catch 8am flight to bkk.

changi has a good website with loads of info, and the staff will respond to emails. 

it wasn't the chinese characters on his forehead that got the chinese characters in the bar all riled up.  as noted by @balo, he had " a Taiwan tattoo on his forehead and a Taiwan independence flag on his chin".

chinese can be insanely nationalistic.  get 'em in a group, feed 'em liquor....last thing you wanna do is mention the three T's!  (taiwan, tiananmen, tibet)

correct me if i'm rong, but aren't the coins themselves, well, worthless?  there are a thousand coins out now, another couple thousand next year.

blockchain technology....awesome stuff.  there's a future in that for sure, as governments - with gdp's and militaries to back 'em up - are getting ready to develop their own.

but silly little coins that can be reproduced at will with public domain software?  any fashion model or rapper can make their own coin, so what's it worth when you have thousands of coins backed by nothing but

publicity?  digital beanie babies.

i can see the technology being used to store something of value....like

deeds or copyrights or titles, maybe even fiat currency for transfer or payment.  the coins?  23rd century digital pneumatic tubes.

i believe this was just a stunt to gain publicity for the "resistance."

do a quick google search for images.....check out the way the guys are

dressed.  seems they went out of their way to look like stereotypes.

they sit in a busy starbucks (full of white folks!), looking "out of

place,"  after being asked several times for their order, they refuse to buy

anything.  when asked to leave, they refuse.

according to the new york times, they were waiting to meet another man

to conduct a business meeting to discuss a real estate project.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/02/us/starbucks-arrest-philadelphia-settlement.html

really?  dress like thugs for a business meeting?  plan to invest in

real estate, but don't have $5 for a coffee? 

obvious set up. 

amazing what people will do to be "pretty."

friends back home ask why thai ladies love foreigners.  they assume it's because of our bulging wallets.  no, i explain, we don't spread snail snot on our faces.  would you wanna kiss that?

there are scientific polls, and then there are amateur bias-reinforcement exercises.

consider.......i poll 300 customers at KFC and fin:

89% like fried chicken.

9% are there for ice cream and/or free wifi.

2% just need to go poo.

thanks, i missed that .

according to the official website, police clearance forms take up to four weeks to process, and require much documentation.  if the clearance is to be used for a work visa, applicant is to provide a copy of the work contract or work permit.  difficult to do if the foreign employer requires a police clearance first.

can someone recommend an agent who can get a police clearance for a thai person quickly and with fewer documents?

how much of the fine should i expect to receive if i report the local cops who ride two-up without helmet on the sidewalks near me?

2 hours ago, Jingthing said:

They are actively threatening me to either freeze or close my account....

i got caught up in this.  after ten years of swift xfers to china, then linking to bangkok bank, somebody figured out i wasn't in the us any longer.

no freeze or closure here, but account is now restricted.  cannot purchase

mutual funds as they are for sale only domestically.  can keep the ones i have,

and reinvest dividends into the funds, but no new purchases.

no interest on cash held in core account as the fdic sweep is done to a money market mutual fund.

no restrictions on etf's.

the benefit?  i've already completed the process....got the visa, the extension, address in the system.......

will be out for probably two years (maybe three), with a couple trips back each year.  return trips likely for 6-week intervals, meaning a trip to immigration each time for visa waiver extensions.  getting the retirement extension renewal and reentry permit only requires one visit to CW.

planning to return for "retirement" afterwards, so why do it all over again?  you never know when the rules will change for o-visas.  maybe no longer offered in country, maybe need to return to home country, maybe bank balance requirement raised to 2 gazillion baht but current holders grandfathered.

thank you.

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