hawksway

We all know the dangers posed by mini bus transport. This is a terrible shock but after a few days most will forget and got back to Visa Runs. The only solution is for Foreigners to share car hiring. At 1200 Baht a day plus fuel it should not prove prohibitive. Just speak to each other or set up an on line group, make an Excel Spreadsheet and kill off this dangerous trade.

We are looking to exit Thailand and cross into Cambodia on the International Bus to Phnom Penh. Does anyone know how quick it is to get Vietnmam Visas at the Consulate there to travel on to Ho Chi Minh by Mekhong Express Bus?

Thanks for any advice.

Put an end to this sham democracy, appoint a technocrat Government led by Singapore, make corruption a 20 year sentence without parole and abolish most public holidays.

Then the Country just might be able to afford high speed trains.

A very good idea, but the introduction of metered taxis can only come about if the Phuket Provincial Administration does not meet with serious opposition from established taxi groups and the mafia gravy chain fed syndicates. Unfortunately history shows, they lack fortitude.

Unfortunately, Immigration Officers in Singapore have wide powers of discretion and it seems that an appeal to a Senior Officer is pointless. Very unfair this but understandable given the large numbers of Thai Women entering the State and bound of Geylang Immigration do not always get it right.

Outrageous, but it's what the Market will bear!

BTW bring your own sandwiches

Hardly matters does it? Thai Drivers are in a class of their own, able to drive on the left, the centre, the right and even the pathway when it's the only way to squeeze through!

You have to obtain the rules from an Immigration Lawyer e.g Siam Legal in Bangkok or online.

Everyone has to bear in mind though that the granting of a Thai Visa and entry into Thailand is purely at the discretion of the Consulate and the Immigration Officer. In your present position it might be worth renting a cheap apartment in Malaysia or Cambodia then try again in a few weeks.

Ah, it seems that Thailand is following the lead of the UK in clamping down on bogus students and schools.

When their eyes are bigger than their bellies and a Farang is paying the bill, expect this behaviour as norm.

Surprisingly, auto repairs in Thailand are usually of a high standard and it's normal practice for the work to be carried out by the Insurance Company's Authorised Repairers. Being an authorised repairer means that that Insurer has considerable leverage in the event of unsatisfactory quality of repair. You seem also to have chosen a good company to insure with so have no worry.

No problem at all. Plenty of companies at Chiang Mai Airport. One there (can't remember the name of) took cash only and I rented a Honda Jazz for 4 days. Be very careful driving to Pai and prepare to take 3 hours. Many of the hair pin bends can be treacherous at all times and lethal in wet conditions. Some heavy trucks on the way and overtaking needs considerable patience.

A great place when you get there and well worth parking up and renting bikes to ride around the country lanes either side of the Pai River. Night Market is very colourful and good. It's another side of Thailand.

The futility of efforts to restore Pattaya's once golden beach is almost beyond belief. Dumping sand is simply a waste of time. Even the pathway girls will not bring back family groups year after year as it once did. The only way to make Pattaya swimmable again is the construction of artificial lagoons 200 metres out to Sea together with structured access for water sports. A similar approach needs to be taken at many points along the Gulf of Thailand running well into the South.

Global warming is home to stay and the reluctance of Civic Management to take this seriously will cost Thailand dearly.

With so many of Thaivisa.coms experts on hand for the investigation and analysis the Government should seriously consider having such People to call on!

A Slingbox is the most popular device - Slingbox HD - allowing capture in the UK. Using Slingbox's tuning Software along with router call forwarding software on the remote PC enables UK TV programs to be received in Thailand. Make sure though you a good DSL connection in Thailand. See the website for further details. http://slingbox.com/ . Make sure you do the setup before LEAVING UK

Provided She retains a Thai ID card there is no problem but my guess is that the Lady has spent time abroad and let it lapsed or lost it?

Just get you Wife to apply for a new ID Card. Provided the land is being bought with money she has earned it's O.K. It's not legal though if She is acting as a nominee and the money is coming from you or another Foreigner.

Ridiculous and racist. Thai Authorities seem to only clamp down on Foreigners while allowing their own to get scot free of almost any criminal activity.

If these Foreigners were only building their own boats then this cannot be construed as work. Work is engaging in employment and according to the reports this was not the case.

I've bought this brand from Makro Krabi for a couple of years on and off but they are gaps, sometimes months apart in the supply chain so well stocking up when it's available. Pollack although a nice fish needs very careful cooking since it breaks up very easy. Back in the UK it's used for making fish fingers and held together with a good measure of binder. Sometimes you may also see Emborg Pacific Cod and this is good. make sure there's not a thick crust of ice around Makro's frozen offerings since they frequently fail to keep the products in a frozen state but allow them to thaw and then re-freeze. A sort of Mai Pen Rai!

Palm Oil is used everywhere in Thailand and South East Asia, It's cheap, heavy in saturated fats and not at all healthy. Olive Oil is now available at all Big C, Makro and Tesco-Lotus stores but not normally ay 7-Eleven.

Use Rape Seed Oil if you can find it as being very low in Cholesterol. Sunflower Oil is low in Cholesterol and the next best thing. you will find it at the same places.

My Thai Wife avoids Palm Oil like the plague but is well enough educated to know about these things.

Strange Tax system in Thailand. It's call Value Added Tax (VAT) as called in the European Union. Each time a bottle of Beer is sold or resold the VAT is applied, but seemingly, in Thailand, it stops being applied when the shops or Wholesalers sell it on.

This is one investigation that will not be covered up despite all local attempts. Information from the Flight data and Cockpit Voice Recorder will be filed internationally. In the event of human error some feedback will be made available quite soon, otherwise mechanical problems will take longer to be revealed.

One can harp back to the Boeing 737 incident during the Taksin era when the aircraft exploded while parked on the stand. At that time the Thai Government for the sake of good P.R quickly put out the story that the P.M was about to board the plane and blamed the incident on a bomb. Boeing Accident Investigators leaked the results prematurely blaming an overheated air conditioner only to be swiftly rebuked by the Government because that would not suit the P.R. However, some time later the Boeing results were accepted by the Government.

Marmite and Weetabix or Waitrose equiv.

Cheaper of course if you go to Costco Wholesale www.costco.co.uk where you can buy a 1KG tub of Marmite enabling survival in Thailand for a year.

My Thai Wife is for sure my best friend also. Even after 26 years of marriage She shows me that not all Thai Women see their Spouses as meat on the table. Thank God for bringing us together all those years ago. Every day is a big bonus.

About time too. Foreigners have been getting a much poorer deal for some time due to the high value of the Baht.

Net it's better for Exporters who can now sell their goods abroad and for Tourists who will find Thailand more affordable.

Rich Thais will still be able to afford expensive handbags in Paris.

Is this Thainess?

Even with the best will in the World, it's real villains the public is confronted by and only a punishment centered approach will work. Confiscate their jet skis, apply the full resources of the law and put them in the slammer!

These criminals will not respond to gentle persuasion. Their needs come along way ahead of Thailand.