ericjt

Hi --

We're a mixed Anglo/Thai couple living in the mountains north of Chiangmai City. We speak mostly English with our daughter who is 2 years old, and we'd like her to start going to school, but we have a number of concerns:

1. We'd like her to have other children her own age to play and we'd like those children to speak at least a little English. Right now she has only us, and that's hard on both her and us.

2. We'd like her to speak mostly English for a few more years so that her English will not be overwhelmed by Thai when she starts at one of the regular schools where Thai will be her primary language. (If that happens, it's going to be difficult for Dad to talk with her.) Our goal is that she grows up fluent in both English and Thai, so for now we'd like her classes to be taught in English.

3. And finally -- (we're not too picky, are we? ) -- we'd like her to go to school someplace in the mountains north of CM where the air is a little cleaner and cooler.

Are there any other expats or mixed couples living north of Chiangmai who share similar concerns?

Maybe if 4 or 5 of us could find each other and get together, we could use our houses, hire an English-speaking teacher, and rotate clasess from house to house? At least for our pre-schoolers?

It's just the germ of an idea, but we already know one teaching couple who have expressed interest. If we could find 4 or 5 other families who were interested, maybe we could pool our resources and put together something that would be good for all of us?

If you're out there, please let us hear from you.

Thanks --

ericjt

Hi --

We live in Pongyang in an existing single family house that I think is not properly grounded -- the wiring, that is.

Has anyone had the wiring in their house grounded after the house was already built?

And, could anyone recommend an electrician who knows what it's all about and has done it?

Any assistance and/or contact information would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again --

ericjt

Hi --

I'm looking for a company that puts brochure racks into hotel lobbies in Phuket and then maintains them with replacement brochures.

I want to advertise through them.

I thought it would be easy to find the company or companies doing it, but it's not. Can anyone help me with this?

Thanks in advance --

ericjt

Hi --

I'm looking for a company that puts brochure racks into hotel lobbies in Phuket and then maintains them with replacement brochures.

I want to advertise through them.

I thought it would be easy to find the company or companies doing it, but it's not. Can anyone help me with this?

Thanks in advance --

ericjt

Hi --

I'm looking for a company that puts brochure racks into hotel lobbies in Phuket and then maintains them with replacement brochures.

I want to advertise through them.

I thought it would be easy to find the company or companies doing it, but it's not. Can anyone help me with this?

Thanks in advance --

ericjt

Let's not blow things out of proportion, folks. We all know the media carefully edit stories to scare the heck out of everyone over everything. I've been in several places that were headlined as "disaster areas" by the media, and there was very little going on. I had to look hard to find it if I wanted to see it for myself.

I also notice the courtesy and generosity of some of the protesters (feeding stranded tourists and finding places for them to sleep) were mostly ignored. Very Thai, but it might not sound scary enough, right?

I'm flying from CM to BKK next week and don't plan on changing my trip. I've lived here for 5 years, and given my experience with Thai people, as long as the planes are flying, I'll be going. In other countries I might be concerned. Not here.

I'd suggest we need to tell the people we know outside Thailand what it's really like here. Are you really scared? Would you really be afraid of going to BKK?

Really?

The political situation is unfortunate and something Thailand will have to sort out. Outsiders can't do much about that, but we can try to counteract the sensationalism in the media, and limit unnecessary fallout as much as we can.

Let's try.

Would you be able to part with another invitation to demonoid?

I am an uploader on iptorrents but can never seem to catch demonoid at a good time!

I have uploaded over 4tb on ip, someone gave me my chance on ip so i know not to burn people or do something that could get them into trouble!

Hi Pixiegirl --

I might be able to help with an invite to Demonoid or Karagarga. Can you tell me a little more about iptorrents? I went there but you can't see anything unless you log in, and it's members only now with registrations closed. Maybe we could swap? iptorrents for demonoid?

Also, I've been looking for an invite to bitmetv. Can you -- or is there anyone else -- who can help me with an invite to bitmetv?

Thanks --

I'd suggest that if there are people or groups who pull the strings from behind the curtain, then they are hosing us all over, one group at a time. And if there are no Illuminati or other shadow groups in control, then it's the market, but one way or another, we're all getting hosed. First it was the USD holders. Now it's the people holding every other major currency, with AUD leading the way. And let's not forget people trying to preserve their savings in non-currency assets like oil, precious metals, real estate, businesses, commodities, and other non-currency stores of value. We're all getting our turn in the barrel.

I'd also like to suggest that we all do whatever we can to help the situation here in Thailand and elsewhere. When business is good, life is generally better for everyone. And when business is bad and people are suffering, almost everyone's quality of life eventually gets hurt. The temporary gains or advantages enjoyed by people with savings who are able to buy things more cheaply for a while are eventually overshadowed (in many? or most? cases) by blowback from the suffering of millions of their neighbors.

I'm not a saint and I'm not above shopping for good deals if they're out there, but I doubt that many of us will come out ahead in the long run if the worldwide depression that seems to be coming actually arrives.

I'd appreciate any comments or suggestions.

Check around the Pong Yang area. To get there go north to Mae Rim and then turn left on Sameung Road. It's up in the mountains, cooler, and the air pollution at least seems a little better. You'll be almost 45 minutes by car from downtown CM, but if you want the climate to be more comfortable, it's a tradeoff. Good luck.

It's not even in your wife's name, right? It's in her family's name. So you can't solve the problem with your wife signing a will, because she doesn't own an interest in the property. It's owned by her family.

Forget about trusting or not trusting Thais. Would you have set things up that way in the US or in your home country? I don't think so. It leaves you completely exposed and dependant on what her family -- not even your wife -- decides to do if she dies or you guys split up. That's not a good position.

First piece of advice: You and your wife need to go together and see a good lawyer here. And do it soon. Maybe 2 or 3.

Think about forming a corporation or other legal entity into which you can pass title to the property. And of which you own at least 50%. Pay the taxes or other fees and get it done right, now, while (if?) you still can. I'm sure there are other ways of doing it, but corporations are one way that I know are possible under Thai law. And I'm sure there are several other ways.

I'm not sure trust law is very developed in Thailand, but I would talk with your lawyer about trusts, too. You could also discuss contracts, options, and/or mortgages where you would hold the mortgage. Even a notarized letter or affidavit from the people holding the title acknowledging that they are holding 50% of it for you as nominees or trustees would put you far ahead of where you are now. And be sure to record it with the title to the property in the appropriate Land Office. The option could give you the right to buy 50% for $100 or some other nominal sum, and it, too, could be recorded. The option would be a good stopgap in the US. I'm not sure about it here.

If her family balks at the idea of reducing your rights to paper, at least you will know now that you have a problem and how bad it's going to be. Then you need to see what you and your wife can work out with her family, and which side your wife will take when she is put in the middle between you and her family. Will she work on her family and try to convince them to protect you? And, if they say now, will she help you take your value out of the property slowly over time?

Difficult position. But address it squarely, now, and talk with at least a few lawyers to be sure you've considered all possibilities. Also the best way(s) to approach her family. That might be more important than how well the papers are drawn.

Good luck.

"Overbought" means "too high". "Oversold" means "too low". If a currency is too high, it should come down. If a currency is too low, it should go up.

Re moving USD to Thai Baht, the Baht is at about 34.5 to the dollar now. The USD has taken a sharp rise in the last 2 weeks, seemingly despite all the fundamentals which point to a lower USD. So it's anybody's guess whether the rise will continue (which means each USD will buy more Baht), or whether the USD will turn around and keep falling (which means each dollar will buy less Baht).

Anyhow, the USD-THB conversion rate right now is higher than it's been for about a year (in terms of how many Baht you get per dollar). It's around 34.5 Baht/dollar, which is a pretty good rate. Guys who are supposed to know about these kinds of things think the Baht might get to 40 or even 42 to the dollar within the next 6 months. But 34+ per dollar isn't bad.

If it were me, I'd start transferring around $4000 per month for the next 5 months and hope for the best. With an "exotic" and thinly traded currency like the Baht, it's hard to predict what it might do, but the direction right now is more Baht per USD.

Also, check around for the best currency conversion rates. There's a site that specializes in FX transfers and probably offers pretty good rates. I think it has "FX" or "FXTransfer" or something like that in its title. Google it and you should be able to find it. Or someone else here might know it and be kind enough to post its address.

Credit/Debit cards are probably one of the most expensive ways to transer funds. Bank to bank wire transfers are better, but ask them about their rates and then see if the FX transfer web site might be better. Shopping around there can save you some money.

Good luck.

What's an NDF?

Thanks --

Let's consider that the Baht is not a major currency. It is a restricted currency and not even traded by many (most?) foreign exchange dealers. Many major currencies offer much higher interest rates and are backed by much larger and stronger economies which are runnning lower inflation rates than Thailand. So the real rate of return from, say holding New Zealand Dollars and collecting 7+% interest would appear to be higher than holding the Thai Baht and collecting around 3% interest.

So why is the Thai Baht strong? If there are any underlying economic fundamentals, this writer sure can't see them. So that leaves:

1. The BOT, possibly in conjunction with a friendly US government/Federal Reserve intervening to prop up the Baht, and,

2. Perhaps the Baht has been the target of a group of hedge funds and other aggressive equity-type investors buying relatively large amounts of a currency which is traded in a restricted and thin market and therefore guaranteeing themselves a profitable investment. What do they call it? A self fulfilling prophecy? Or something like that, and,

3. Maybe the Baht is being used by investment funds as a proxy for Chinese Yuan or RMB which they can't buy. This sound pretty weak to me, but my currency guy suggested it.

He also suggests buying the USDTHB pair. (The THB will fall in value which means that the USDTHB pair will rise in value -- from 33+ now to 40+ soon.) Like one of the other participants in this thread, my guy expects the USDTHB pair to reach the 40-42 range within the next 6-12 months. That means $1USD will buy as much as 42 THB. So you go long the pair if you think the Baht will weaken compared to the USD.

If anybody else has any other explanations, I'd sure like to read them.

If it's more important to you than $10,000 to keep him/her as your friend, then don't loan the money. Give it to him/her. Tell him or her if they ever want to pay it back, that's fine. And if not, consider it a gift.

If you can truly do that with a good heart, then make the gift. If not, make it a loan, get paperwork signed, maybe take some collateral, and be prepared to lose the friend.

Last choice, tell him/her you're not in a position to give the money right now and avoid the hard choices.

Comments? Suggestions?

Anyone relying on a USD based pension has taken about a 25% hit against the Thai Baht in the last year or so, even with prices not rising. And with inflation in Thailand now moving toward 10%/year and food/fuel prices rising even faster, anyone who is retired and depending on a fixed amount of USD retirement income is dealing with a 30%+ drop in purchasing power. That's painful. Add to that any losses in equities, and there are people hurting.

It's not quite as bad inside the US, because they don't feel the drop of the dollar against other currencies, but there are other factors there, like the drop in housing values, layoffs, and the high fixed costs many people have built in to their standard of living (high mortgage payments, high car payments, many layers of taxes, large cars that burn a lot of gasoline, expensive health care, long commutes to work, etc) that add to the pain there.

There are still relatively safe ways to buy or lease property in Thailand, but I don't see anything about these 50 buyers talking with a local attorney before they handed over their money. Does anyone have any information about that?

Replying to bkkbaz --

I think you get an entry card with questions to fill out when entering the Kingdom. And if I remember correctly, they ask whether you have entered the Kingdom before using a different name or passport.

If I'm correct, and if you answer the question "no", and if the computer or photo system catches you, I'm not sure what the consequences might be.

But, in any case, good luck.

Sorry for the messed up post(s). Still learning how to use the system.

et

As a dual EU national, this is how I understand it.

You can use either passport to enter SE Asia (or anywhere outside the EU), but can't switch once you get there without causing problems due to your entry stamp being in the "other" passport. Entering eg. Cambodia from Thailand with a passport that has no record of your entering Thailand is likely to cause a lot of awkward questions.

Since an EU passport isn't stamped in EU countries, if you are refusing to get a real visa then the best method is going to be:

1. Fly from EU to Thailand on Passport #1. No exit stamp from EU since you are EU national. Get entry stamp in Thailand.

2. Do your 3x30 days on Passport #1. More entry and exit stamps in Passport #1.

3. Fly back to EU on Passport #1 after 90 days. Final exit stamp from Thailand, no entry stamp in EU since you are EU national.

4. Fly from EU to Thailand on Passport #2. No exit stamp from EU since you are EU national. Get entry stamp in Thailand.

5. Do your 3x30 days on Passport #2. More entry and exit stamps in Passport #2.

6. Fly back to EU on Passport #2 after 90 days. Final exit stamp from Thailand, no entry stamp in EU since you are EU national.

Repeat and rinse.

It's easier and cheaper to get a real visa before you come to Thailand, obviously, but that seems the best way to "exploit the loophole" if you're determined to do so.

A friend from Germany was in Thailand on a 30 day entry permit (not a visa, as far as I know), and was in a car crash. He was badly hurt and in the hospital for 30 days. By the time he got out, he had no visa and his entry permit had expired.

His wife (a Thai woman) went to Immigration and explained the situation. After she got a letter from his doctor indicating that my friend needed 90 days without traveling to recover, Immigration granted him an additional 90 days to stay in Thailand. I don't know what the document was called -- my friend called it a visa -- but, in any case, he was granted an additional 90 days to stay in Thailand.

Since permission was granted, he has since been admitted back into the hospital two more times with internal fluid build up and high fever, so his injuries appear to be serious.

Many times we see things on this Board that are troubling, but this was a situation where I thought the government agency involved was cooperative and helpful.

Dear Ulysses, Rak Sa Ngap, and Pampal (and All) --

Thanks very much for the information on spinning bikes and where to get them in Thailand. We're traveling now, but we'll be back in a few months, and your leads will be a big help.

In the meantime, if you hear of anyone who has a good spinning bike and wants to sell it and can wait a few months for a buyer, please give them this email address: [email protected].

BTW, for the people who didn't know what a spinning bike was, Ulysses was right. It's a stationary bike that you pedal like crazy for an hour or more, going fast and slow and fast and slow.

To me, it looks like it's painful and sweaty and hard work, and I don't understand why it's become so popular, but it has, and my wife wants one. She loves to spin. Maybe if I try it I'll get hooked too. Who knows? But that's what it is.

Anyhow, thanks again --

ericjt

Hi -- We're looking for places to buy a spinning bike in Thailand. We live in ChiangMai and would prefer to buy a spinning bike in ChiangMai, but we'll go to Bangkok or other places, too. Does anyone know where we might be able to buy a spinning bike in Thailand? Or anyone looking to sell a spinning bike? Thanks -- ericjt

Thanks very much, folks. I appreciate the help.

ericjt

Hi -- I hope I'm not asking questions that have already been answered, but I've looked for almost an hour and couldn't find the answer to my primary question:

1. My retirement visa expires Jan 31, 2007, and I will be outside Thailand during January. I could come back if necessary, but it would be inconvenient, so I'm looking at alternatives. First, does anyone know if it is possible to renew a retirement visa at a Thai Embassy outside Thailand?

2. If not, can my wife renew it for me in Thailand? I think the application form says I need to be present, but I'm asking if anyone has had experience with how strictly that requirement has been enforced ourside of Bangkok and/or whether my wife being there might satisfy the requirement. (This will be our third renewal and the people at our local office know us and have always been friendly and helpful).

3. Has the requirement for a medical exam really been dispensed with? Again, I'm looking for anyone who has had experience with local offices and whether they are still asking for medical exam forms or not.

4. I've seen on other posts that you are supposed to renew within the 30 days before expiration. Has anyone had experience on how strictly this 30 day requirement is enforced at local offices? If we tried to renew it, say, 45 days before expiration, do you think we would have a problem?

I know some of these questions probably fall in grey zones, but I'll appreciate any comments or suggestions.

Thanks very much.

ericjt

Thailand's Songkran water festival death toll continues to rise

BANGKOK: -- Road accidents during the Thai traditional New Year "Songkran" holidays claimed 68 lives on Friday and Saturday, while the number of injured stood at 810, fewer than earlier projections, thanks to a 10-day annual media campaign aiming at reducing road fatalities .......

Sorry guys, I don't get the joke. And I don't understand why Thailand seems to think it's a good idea to make it open season on drivers every year, encouraging kids to stand by the road and throw buckets of water (and worse) on them as they drive by.

I'm all for parties and holidays and celebrations and food fights and water fights and just about anything else people want to do when they get together to have fun. But Songkran these days is a long way from that. It's more like a week of government sponsored assault and battery.

In most places, somebody who threw a bucket of water on somebody would be given a ticket or arrested. And if the horseplay caused an accident or an injury, things would get serious.

As I said, I'm not a party pooper. I like to party, drink, and have a good time, and I enjoy it when other people are having a good time, too. But dodging kids throwing buckets of water at me all week is not my idea of a good time.

Am I all alone here, or is there anyone else who sees things the same way I do?

Cheers --

ericjt