captnhoy

Oh Dear! I hope Anonymous did not put up a page where the website should be saying - RRRRAAAnnnnnn I don't THINK SO! That would be too cruel.

And better late than never. What about the people who have made the trip in the recent past? Ckok Dee Krahp! And don't get me started on the "annual" cycle.

I really LIKE this part - "Some may question the fact that even though many people click "like" or "share" on what are categorised as inappropriate posts, only a relatively few end up being prosecuted. Responding to this point, the superintendent admitted that the police have limited resources and they cannot arrest all wrongdoers in this context."

There could be an opportunity here for something resembling a Bangkok traffic gridlock if a high percentage of people would really express themselves.

Did 2 12 pound turkeys in the bbq last year over charcoal - side by side with generous amounts of hickory chunks to smoke them good too. Got them from Makro for 1200 each. This year it was pork ribs - no turkey to be found.

A member of my family barely scrapes by financially. She regularly posts pictures of money with some slogan that if you like it or share it before you can count 3-2-1 money will come to you. Voodoo economics.

Thanks for joining in ignis. You are so right. I guess I need to find out if there is a village headman in this mooban as I see that the topic comes up regularly in other threads. After posting one clarification I had decided that some members had a certain technique for boosting their forum posting rate and I further decided not to play.

Just to clarify there is no tourist visa in this story.

Kartman - Ranong

MiclB, yes it sounds like maybe from your experience that the 2 year on the motorcycle is the norm. And Stevenl, my 2 year, 2nd issue license is also marked as Temporary. I think that is what Miclb is saying too.

Last year I renewed my Thai temporary automobile driver's license and was issued the 5 year license. Since I was all warmed up to the process I also got my first issue - temporary - motorcycle license. A few days ago I went through the process of renewing that. During 4 cycles of issuing temporary then permanent licenses, the immigration office will not issue a certificate of residence unless the transportation dept sends a letter to immigration requesting said certificate. So I have to go to the license office to initiate this and then come back a week later to continue the licensing process.

How smooth does this interdepartmental transaction work? Last year the transport office said they never recieved the document and I had to go back to immigration and they gave one directly to me. But not immediately - I had to come back for it. So this week on the 4th cycle of license issue I'm all finished and the guy hands me the new license. Another person cheerfully remarks "see you in 5 years". The guy who did the photo interjects "no, see you in 2 years". When I asked the reason the short answer was "because you are on a tourist visa". I let them know that I'm in on an extension based on retirement. The guy hauls out the letter from Immigration and it stated in the letter that the transport office should issue the license for 2 years. Is this new policy? A quirk? Or was I just lucky to get the auto license issued for 5 years last year? Anyone else had this outcome? Am I whining? Well I'm not happy about the huge amount of time and effort it takes - but I'm also reporting.

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You say leaving the country is not the same as a report? Well I have found that it is. I work abroad and have a marriage visa. I also renewed my visa at a Thai embassy abroad. The 90 days countdown begins when I arrive back. I've never had such problems in the 8 years I've been doing this.

Stop posting nonsense !

If you really have a "marriage visa" which was obtained abroad it is either a single entry "visa" good for one 90 day stay OR the "visa" is one which permits multiple entries non of which can exceed 90 days!

In neither case are 90 day reports required!

I always treat my entering and exiting the same as a report too. My extension of stay is based on retirement. I was led to this conclusion by the head of an immigration dept several years ago. She was ready to do something bad to me but then backed down when she noticed my entry date. She treated it as the same as a report. And then I always did my 90 reports based on that date.

It would not subscribe to the network.

Thanks RichCor. You have confirmed with some real specs what I only guessed at.

Anyone know how to determine if it is region or bootloader locked? I still have a week here to get this sorted.

I have a dog named "Moo" and he earned that name as a puppy.

Great story, thanks for posting.

11 months ago I bought a new Galaxy Dual Core (SM-G355H/DS). I soon took it to the US and bought a new sim card through Consumer Cellular - a popular choice for people who do not want to sign up for a long term contract and who already have a phone. Anyway, my phone never did activate and work. On a call to their support center they kept insisting that the phone was locked. No doubt true if sourced in the US. I don't see how that can be as I could use any Thai company sim in it with no problem. I'm about to return to the US for a few months and would really like to use this phone.

Does anyone know what the problem was?

Thank you captnhoy. If you could pm me that mans number in Ranong. Definitely worth a call. I'm aware of transporting licenses as we needed to get someone with one when we were moving it to its present location.

PM sent

Having had a wooden boat made here I know just enough to be dangerous. We used mai dang for our furniture and the interior floor. I suspect that it is what we call mahogany but I'm not sure of that. I was a spectator to numerous discussions on what wood is "good" as we built, finished, maintained and modified a 30 ton motor yacht. Both of these woods are premium and bring a very high price. They are sold retail by cubic volume. The supply is steadily dwindling and the price is steadily increasing. About 6 or 7 years ago I paid about 9,000 baht for enough mai dang to make a cabinet about the size of a bedroom dresser. It was not a whole lot of wood as it was just the top and the front face and the doors we bought off the shelf at Home Pro. My dining table top is made from a single piece of ma cau. It measures 5.5' x 3' x 2" and cost 20,000 baht 10 years ago. Your tonnage is worth a great deal of money on the retail market. Other comments about legalities and who benefits from the value are certainly issues to explore. If it were mine, my first inquiry would be what kind of permit is needed to transport it because I doubt that the letter you mention would get you very far. I also wonder about the possibility of your wife becoming a licensed retailer. Just thinking out loud. Here in Ranong I am on a first name basis with the owner of the largest wood retail shop. I could inquire on your behalf or PM his number to you.

As an edit I'll add that he has never been able to supply mai dang to me and as far as I know I bought the last remaining supply here 10 years ago from a smaller shop.

For what it's worth -

Today was my 8th time to extend my stay based on retirement. Here is what I saw that was new in my own experience. I had to make passport copies of my entire history of permission to stay spanning about 12 or so photocopies. Previously it was only for the prior year. I had to sign 3 documents that I had not seen before - 1) a statement that I understand the rules of staying, 2) permission to share my details and 3) a statement concerning any involvement in criminal justice system or court cases within Thailand. I have no history with law enforcement but for people who do there was space for writing the details, case numbers etc. I provided the usual 2 photos and they proceeded to take my photo using equipment the same as at the airport which I had never seen before. Also new to me I had to provide a hand drawn map to my residence. Unlike some other offices I did not have to wait fro approval from some other location. After about an hour of processing I did walk out with a new stamp good until this time next year.

I took the Admiral with me (Thai wife) and the office staff spoke to her about being excited about their upcoming days off. They said to her that the Ranong office would be closed for sure on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th. They were hoping that the PM would also give them the 1st and were waiting to see if that would happen. Perhaps this is because Ranong is not so big but I think it underscores that your mileage may vary depending upon where you report no matter what the official news is.

10 years ago I HAD to come here and build a boat. If not I would have moved to SE Alaska, at least for the summer months. Now I summer in the US midwest and winter here. Leaving in 2 weeks.

I take back cashews. My friends all ask for those dried guppies with chilis in them too for beer-thirty. On return I stock up on coffee - much better and cheaper than here. Toothpaste, shave cream, blah blah blah

I got a tour of the Ao Nang Princess engine room some years back when she was out for maintenance. Not sure about that number 5 designation though. The one I saw was very impressive for a Thai vessel with big V-10 (?) Volvos. Everything was spotlessly clean and meticulously installed. Her cruise speed was 20 knots or more. This is a real tragedy, and if the same boat a surprise.

I know of a similar story in my small city. The farang did have a small quantity in possession. The judge sentenced that person to a 5,000 baht fine and a month or 2 of "probation" being piss tested. So the court was reasonable. HOWEVER the local police extorted her for 70,000 baht or they would "take her to immigration and have her deported". Heresay, but from a reliable source close to the offender.

I lived in Portland Oregon for 35 years and what a treat that was for beer. My steady research led me to cherish a good IPA.

This article says there are over 70 brewpubs in the city and that Oregon is the microbrew capital of the world. To my taste, Bud is like making love in a canoe. &lt;deleted&gt; close to water.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/daniel-bortz/bottoms-up-drink-your-way_b_1217263.html?

Your assumptions about mild winters are not always true. I lived there for 35 years and have seen cold spells up to 2 weeks in the TEENS with a bitter east wind. Frozen pipes, icy roads and all of that. Mostly it just rains but you never know when it's going to change. When the weather is nice it is unbeatable. There are numerous Asian supermarkets with just about anything she'll want for the kitchen.

500k and no debt is jack shit these days. Depends how old you are I guess. If you're 60 plus already then it might last you the rest of your life if you watch your spending.

Don't tell her anything. Even if you're a billionaire why would you set yourself up as a target? If you want to tell her something then tell her you can afford to buy a reasonably nice house in Pattaya, but you can't afford an SL series Mercedes. She will work it out!

I retired 11 years ago with $350k. I've lived well in Thailand, bought a small comfortable house in a small city and still have $300k. Depends on Money management - and my small pension kicked in at the mid point. She does not know what I'm worth but she knows we can do just about what we want to within reason. As for a Mercedes, I was so disappointed that I could not find a 10 yo used car that I would trust at a reasonable price. Still I found a 1 yo Altis with 5,000k on it for 200,000 baht less than new.