biplanebluey

Ah thanks Joe for that bit of info.As you say there is seemingly no reason to require my old one and good job I did not destroy it!!!!!!!! Anyway at least I do not feel now that I have been singled out for something,and feel a bit happier.Will send report when I get Ext next month.Thanks and feel happier now Dougal

This was all done in Udon Thani.I have been doing this exact same transfer for the last 8 yrs with no trouble.Udon does it all there normaly,albeit sometimes a 1 hour Q,but due to lack of customers yesterday was in and out in 20 mins,thats why I cannot understand the sudden change and of cause asking for a "cancelled" passport

Yesterday I went to my immigration office(Isaan) to get my new 12month extension to my Retirement Visa.Half way through she asked me for my old Passport.Now that one expired last year and the new one has got its first page with a retirement stamp for July2014-- July 2015.so I do not know and could not understand why she would want the old one.Not only that but all the papers have now been sent to BKK and I have been given a one month temporary ext from 23 july to 22 Aug instructing me to ----"contact this office again in person on 22 Aug". Can anybody tell me what on earth this is all about? thanks Dougal

What would someone otherwise do, if he needs a replacement passport if he does not have :

• an original or certified copy of a U.S. birth certificate,
• an original or certified copy of a Consular Report of Birth,
• a Naturalization Certificate,
• a previous or expired passport.

They would have a big document problem. As per the linked above US Embassy Bangkok website:

The loss of a valid U.S. passport is a serious matter.

When I lost my Kiwi passport all I needed was a form of application from the NZ embassy.Everything is on their computers,they virtually only needed a copy of my signature a photo of me (2 I think) and of courseTHE MONEY.Whats the big deal with you guys.Are NZers the only people here that have an Embassy that wants to help their ex-pats.

PS Do not know who the lady was on the phone but she sounded pretty !!!!!!!!!

Bad news. There is literally nothing you can do.

Ants in the tea water/kettle/water heater is one of the many conundrums that expats face when living in Thailand.

I too have suffered your plight.

For me it became so frustrating that I stopped using the kettle, gave away the water heater/hot pot thingy and eventually stopped drinking tea altogether.

Man you give up too easy----if you cannot cope with a sensible solution to a simple problem like this,there is only one way out------- Head back home !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So simple really,An electric water jug can stand on a bowl or as mine is,on a steel rack which stands in about an inch of water in a plastic tray.ants do not like water and can not swim so no need to empty and refill every time you use----no ants can get to it.We have a couple of these in the kitchen to protect things like bread and biscuits and sugar container.Been doing this for yrs with no problems. In fact after a while,if the ants(Mot) find it a waste of time they will soon stop coming,but I still keep everything 'floating' in the pond----Dougal

Buy a bigger one !!!!!!!!!!!!!

On highways with separated tracks:

90 km/h for limousines, pickups, motorbikes.

80 for buses and lorrys.

60 for towed (?) vehicles

You see this table occasionally at such highways (for me at #12):

And it looks as though BUSES are the only vehicle allowed to go the opposite direction----thats strange eh !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Testy lot these taxi drivers! Cannot wait for Transport Ministry to raise fares in June. Typical of so many, they have no respect for the law and want to flex their industrial muscle (even though their case is under consideration) AKA bully boys. A small increase in charges may be justified but they will still play their silly games of threatening passengers, not using meters and so on, unless passengers pay more than the set fees. I have had some honest and good drivers (they get a decent tip) but I have also had some crooked ones. All their bleating about insurance and laws covering the numbers allowed to be carried etc., who would believe them? There is not much honesty in some segments of Thai society, especially when it come to dealing with tourists. And the various "authorities" seem not to have any will to enforce the laws. Plenty of talk (gum bashing as usual) and little action! About time for the military to kick some butts I think!

Sorry mate but if you knew what you were talking about,you wouldn't be talking so much rubbish

This I want to see. Taxi mafia vs. the military.

So why get a big taxi if only 3 can use it?

Wish you buggers would read the original posts--------- let me put you in the picture-They want to reject parties of MORE THAN 4 ---NOT 3.In other words if there is a party of say 5 or 6 they will not be insured and therefore will have to be rejected. If there is a party of 4 OK LETS GO !!!!!! With it now?

I feel like deliberately crashing one and testing his theory.

Why deliberately crash one------- most of the people get scammed have not crashed but did not see that little scratch underneath that will cost 20,000 to repair

TripAdvisor needs to be read with many grains of salt. Anybody can dump his/her opinion on something without the proof of qualification nor ever having been there. Many restaurant owners are being threatened with leaving a nasty comment on TripAdvisor. Some people are impossible to please (one cannot be everybody's darling) and have strange interpretation of product and/or service.

Unlike Agoda or any other product purchasing site TripAdvisor allows anybody to vent their spleen; Agoda requires that the reviewer must have at least purchased the product in order to leave a review.

It is being grossly misused; I've seen restaurants on rank 1 in Pattaya (remember "Froggies" ; upon physical visit I found a hole in the wall which got closed meanwhile and reopened as an Indian delight.

It takes LOTS of writing to get a unjustified review out again and you have to proof the reviewer wrong while the reviewer does not even need to prove their identity.

Koh Tao might have been "jacked up" by order of some TAT boys telling the staff to leave positive reviews. Wonders never seize and mysterious are the ways of the East.

On a different note; what actually happened to the Burmese prisoners who were accused of the double murder?

Syd..I think you will find they are going on trial in about two/three months time. A cooling off period the Thai authorities hope will help to keep it out of the headlines.

By the way, my Thai wife went with me to the Isle of Man in 2009. She thought it was great!. It's not on the list though.

Yes but what happened about them getting bail.The money was forthcoming but it all went quiet

I will beleave it when it starts to rain,because so far all there predictions have been nothing but HOT AIR.

Come to Udon Thani its just stopped peeing down.Temp drop from 40--28 and very welcome

http://www.accuweather.com/de/th/loei/319038/weather-forecast/319038

have a look here...... best forecast i have seen for thailand

Where the Flick do they get these figures of ---23-25-26-etc----- I live in that area and we have had 38-40 for at least the last week

I suppose nobody thought of includig farang who cannot get citizenship but still here PERMANENTLY

A 13% increase. So much for a reduction target. Evidently too many Thai drivers/riders get more stupid by the year, not less.

As do those in charge if they believe that the same tired policy of a few tents by the side of the road and the setting up of lines of cones will have any tangible effect on the carnage.

I have only done just over 200k for the Songkran period and have seen many(about 6 or 8) of those newly erected tents at the side of the road complete with the line of obligatory cones down the middle of the road. Now forgive me if I am mistaken but I thought they were there so the poor old copper could sit out of the sun and keep an eye on the naughty peoples driving.Maybe even stop a few of them as they slow down for the cones.There was only ONE manned.The rest just stood there empty. Am I missing something here----Dougal??

Two farangs flashing Thais make it a big deal, you get prostitutes walking up the street and huge ass massage parlors doting the city and with close proximity to schools, no biggie for Thais. Thais love to shame and talk about how proper and correct they are, but they always try to ignore the bigger issue which is right in front of their eyes, citing that it is something they can't do anything about.

If enough citizens protested I'm sure we can see no prostitutes or gogo bars around town.

HEY -----lets not get too carried away !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

An advice to the Thais commenting on Facebook.

You should be more concerned and examine your culture and habits before being so upset about 2 naked people.

Look into the domestic violence, rape of minors, abandonment of children and families and other wrongdoings, happening daily in your country and then start worrying about this.

Hypocrisy, comes to my mind.

Do you think just because they comment on the wrong of this that they don't care about the things you mentioned?

Rather hypocritical a foreigner coming to live in Thailand, probably with no aspiration to get citizenship or even permanent residency, and tell the Thais what and what not to do.

So, we're back to the tired old argument that you have to be a "resident" to make a comment about the country you have been living and paying taxes in for years and years? Good to know, I'll have to write that down in my little black book of "things to remember when living and working in Thailand for very long periods of time".

I'm curious to know tho how many of those Thai's that were there and that know so much about their own culture, habits and the law actually said something to the naked farangs to let them know that it's not acceptable to do what they did ... ? My guess is they did jack squat, laughed at the silly farang and carried on with their fun.

I venture to guess that they took a couple of quick photos on their mobiles before they started the protesting

Head-on between two motorbikes, and Captain Jack allegedly intoxicated ? I'm sorry, but I've got to feel more the for motosai rider if that is the case - just trying to earn a living and ends up in a coma. Messed up.

As with anything reported in the local media, I have to give both sides the benefit of the doubt. RIP Captain Jack.

Looks like Billy Joel is on his last legs too.

Havnt seen him for a long time but must admit I thought the same---- rest on your millions mate and

enjoy retirement,we will still remember you

Don't surprise me as there are much less people traveling for Songkran when economy sucks and money tight.

If you read the OP properly it says not less accidents but LESS ACCIDENTS REPORTED---------There is a difference

Amazing that Thais died, and according to the officer foreign tourists suffered minor injuries. Convenient, or they were wearing crucifixes?

The Thais were in a pick-up. The foreigners were in a large bus. Not "amazing" or "convenient" just physics.

Not just a bus---an" AIR CONDITIONED BUS"-------- WOW

3TH WORLD

3TH WORLD ?

Look at the pic again, left hand drive bus? Wrong side of the road for Thailand? Or is it just me being picky?

YES------ IT'S YOU BEING PICKY-------------- Ever heard of "Humour"

PS How the hell can you see which side the driver is sitting------------------------ Some of you guys amaze me

Am I on my own here.? I would just like to see proper side-cars made legal. Every day I see old Thai men and women riding around on a steel frame side-carred motor bike. There is sometimes 2 or 3 children sitting up on top of the side rail completely at risk of falling off onto the road with even the merest form of hard braking.I am a side-car lover.Aproper one with seat ,windscreenand crash bar circling the front and o/head and even a seat belt if needed.Why am I being penalised with the classification as ILLEGAL.The steel framed "side-car" often has no front or sides to it but is totally ignored by Police.WHY?????????????????????

" driving in the wrong direction "......who'd have guessed?

But otherwise I will have to drive 50 mts passed my turning and do a 'U' turn and come all the way back-----ridiculous !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!