TravelerEastWest

From experience, you will have to apply for a new work permit.

Exactly.

"At 21:00 the traffic was the worst I have ever seen it in Thailand.."

Sounds like a troll post or someone who has never been to Bangkok.

Chiang Mai has far better medical care, better food and shopping etc compared to more than 20 years ago when I first stayed here.

45 minutes outside the city is mountains and farms and so on.. I live in the mountains and love it the best of both worlds.

What would I do?

Offer you my sympathy. And suggest maybe 1st class insurance next time?

Thanks man I'm just so glad nobody was hurt. At the time this rolling wreak of a Corolla came into our possession I considered the insurance options. But this car was truly a mess. The engine was shot, the transmission slipped and the lights barely worked (I believe it was a floater in some Bangkok flood), and every panel on it was covered in bondo... but it had good tires and stopped on demand. Honestly I would value it a about 1000 dollars salvage. So I opted for the minimum insurance .... hummm.

You need 1st class insurance for liability if nothing else. Good news that you weren't hurt.

You made a big mistake - unless you couldn't get 1st class insurance then it is frustrating and you have my sympathy.

If you can find the money behind the accident and the time involved is worth it go for it if not as others have posted move on as you are now losing energy over this and it is not worth it.

Two months ago an unlicensed guy in a truck delivering water rear ended my car and he admitted fault but had no license or insurance - he claimed.

One call to our insurance agent and 20 minutes later the report was filled out followed up by a visit to the local police station as a formality.

Next stop the dealer and a brand new bumper with an exact paint match. A big headache for me but no out of pocket money certainly not to the police.

One interesting note the insurance company wanted to do a repair I said no, and my insurance agent took care of it and we received a new bumper about 12,000 baht bill for the insurance company and it doesn't raise our rates.

So not only do you need good insurance but you need a good agent.

Stands to reason a 23 yr old girl will have a totally different outlook/aspect than a 40 yr old.

But in reality, I doubt many women would "understand" that situation or accept it.

Correct - actually I think the OP is trolling and can't be serious to think a 23 year old from Thailand will see the world the way he does.

Mae Rim is beautiful in the hills.

Why not rent a house near Prem and have your kids go to a school that has a green campus and good teachers.

If you like night life stay in Chiang Mai.

Promoting Thai silk is a good thing.

The finishing of Italian silk is something special and will be difficult to equal everything else can be done here in Thailand.

Silk shops that are well run exist but prices are very high in Bangkok and I don't think anyone actually shops there except those who buy very small amounts of silk.

Shinawatra and Jim Thompson for example have very beautiful silk - but it is expensive.

Knowing what is real silk and good quality silk is not difficult when you work with silk.

Weaving silk by hand is not as popular now compared to 30 years ago but talented weavers are still in Thailand

Using a stock account I can easily send money to Thailand via ACH (BBK) or pull money from a normal US bank. Has been this way for years.

Perhaps HSBC is not setup for this basic business transaction?

While at a coffee shop a couple of weeks ago the local police came in and took pictures, had us fill out forms and look at photos of other frangs to see if we knew them. I figure the local police have some pressure on them to do their job. Then last week I had my extension from immigration visit. They came, sat on my deck, filled out forms and checked on "Line" about something. Had my wife roundup a couple of neighbors, more pictures. Never asked to see my passport, and on the way out, the leading officer turned and said " By the way, What is your name?"

I have no idea if you are joking - but I loved your post - you have a great sense of humor - carry on...

Sarakitc,

​Your post is a little strange - the OP took the time to help parents and has more experience as a teacher than you wrote.

From your post it appears that you have no teaching experience and English is not your first language - although I could be wrong maybe you and your friends are native speakers of English and have 200 years of teaching experience?

Thanks again to the OP for taking the time to help parents (I have two kids in an IB school).

"I would not worry about it In small towns Immigration has time on their hands and very often make spot checks to verify a persons situation"

Sounds correct - I have a family and in 8 years have never had an immigration visit or even have it mentioned, but I don't live in the countryside where things may be different.

Scottishsaphire,

Yes and no to the above posters advice.

It makes no difference if local teachers can't speak English fluently and have little experience or skill with an expat market if that is what you are targeting.

When I learned yoga as a boy a long time ago there were no special styles of yoga that were well know or of any concern to normal yoga students also it was very rare that yoga teachers actually made a living. Basically it was free or donation based.

Maybe what you teach is special, or maybe special but not in demand, but in the end if you are an excellent teacher you may do well.

I really know nothing about the business of yoga but I do know about business in Thailand and if you already are a good businessperson doing business in Thailand is not a problem. Work Permits etc is just paperwork that you need to budget for and do correctly - don't play around with visas and work permits that are not 100% correct.

Perhaps you can be creative and come up with special vegetarian cafes that are healthy and taste good, to go with your yoga studios - this is very rare in Thailand. I am not making a suggestion just pointing out that the challenge is not doing business in Thailand but a lack of creativity and business skills - and doing business in Thailand.

Many if not most of the expats who complain have limited business skills and like to blame Thailand for their problems.

.......

Gabapentine should not be underestimated what

it can do......

Indeed not and that includes it's adverse/undesirable effects.

It is a very serious medication with some extremely serious potential adverse effects.

Agreed, also it stops working after a while if used daily...

I have 3BB premier and the speed seems to be normal.

Get your eyes tested at a good hospital..... I've also been mis-prescribed by top Charoen staff, don't know if they have real or "in house" qualifications

Exactly!

Custom duties are variable dépending on thé good most textile are 3 per cent plus à fixed price for custom handling

Very unlikely to be 3 percent as the OP seems to be importing finished goods (maybe he can be clearer)

More likely 25% VAT, plus duty... so maybe closer to 40%?

The best thing to do is get an expert shipping agent and let them advise you.

The post office is not a good option as more likely than not you will need to get a formal clearance which is more paperwork and the post office is not setup for this.

There is a government department at the Government Office Complex in Chiangmai that will do it for very little money. Can't remember the name. I suppose this service is available country-wide. Don't know about Bangkok though.

I must have been there on an a bad day as they said they can't do it for foreign documents only domestic docs.

If you can find a friendly small law office you can usually have a document notarized for between 500 to 1000 baht no extra vat - this will be one document but as many pages stamped as needed within reason.

Not all countries/situations accept Thai lawyer notarizations...

I am curious do you consider Western beliefs about virgin births etc to be true?

If so you owe her an apology for thinking your beliefs are more true than hers.

If you operate purely on logic and science then you still owe her an apology for your lack of sensitivity as it does not matter if her beliefs are true, they are her beliefs and she is your wife and the love of your life (hopefully).

In the end a thoughtful discussion and understanding combined with mutual respect is what is needed not a bribe.

In 2012 I needed a SUV for two kids, two parents and occasionally grandparents and large dogs.

I test drove most SUVs available in CM and the Isuzu was the clear winner for style and room.

I have never had even a single moments problem - I drive a mix of highway and country roads, about 4 hours a day.

Perhaps the Fortuner has better ratings longterm - I don't know but at the moment my Isuzu Mu 7 works flawlessly.

Connect a hose to the pump outlet and run a hose pipe up the hill and see if it works. Easiest way with no well or pump data.

Thank you - I like common sense easy solutions.

I found out that the pump is a Franklin and can easily handle the hill so all is well.

The nice thing about a Franklin is that I can call the American toll free number and get advice in English.

The average life of this pump is 12 to 15 years and will need almost no maintenance.

I will stay with a single phase solution.

I didn't install the pump myself and don't have the detailed specs (or manual) which is why I was posting the questions.

I will try to get a manual which is always a good thing to have.

I was able to do some research just now and found out that if we don't need speed, the smaller hp pump should be fine and that single phase may work well in Thailand - as in keep things simple.

Premium brands will need very little servicing.

A thick gauge copper wire may be a good idea.

Variable speed pumps have a built in inverter.

Sand and lightning could be issues...

I think Prem often hires at job fairs and yes the teachers have lots of work to do but they get a free apartment and the highest International school teaching salaries in Chiang Mai.