ProThaiExpat

The sports complex certainly has the facilities so I bet they have teams practicing there all the time. Will check for you and let you know. Assume you want gymnastics facilities?

While it is nice to have your attorney experienced in the fields you mention, I suspect your problem arises out of building your own house.

If so, it is a breach of contract issue, a fairly common legal problem any competent attorney can handle.

If it is a commercial real estate or building issue, experience in those fields is certainly a must.

Bangkok Post Tuesday, June 1 has an article in the business section about this building.

My math says 51,000Baht a sq.meter, not expensive for BKK, especially if it is quality.

The average reported cost for condos is 66,000Baht per sq. meter in Bangkok. I priced the smallest unit, 45 sq. meter and the minimum asking price for the computation for this building.

and an amount equivilent to the required, in a Thai bank.

Simbo: Did you really mean to say that you have 800K in a Thai bank.

If so, you qulify without the pension, as many of us retireds do.

Go the pension route only if you have to. They will ask you about the source of your retirment replacement funds when they interview you for your one year extention and that is when you tell them about pensions, which is the income you live on, usually going into homecountry bank.

They want to see you drawing down your living expenses from your Thai bank account, (or atm receipts from your homebank account equating to your living expenses) so it must not be a fixed account. Likewise, as you draw it down, you will be replacing it to keep the level up to the minimum 800K. This way they confirm your funds are not earned while in Thailand, their main concern.

JimGant:

Speaking of mounting istructions: My American Standard toilets, made in Thailand by Thai subsidiary, did come with mounting instructions, however, Thai plumber engaged by my developer had one hard mounted before I caught him not using the wax O Ring.

It was explained to me that Thais prefer a hard mount, that is just placing the toilet over the drain pipe and setting it in a bed of some form of plaster that creates a hard bond. The danger I could see was that the toilet had no flexibility so after a number of hard "jars" from big ass farangs, cracks would occur through which discharge water would seep.

So far, 2 years, no problem with this "hard" mount. The other toilet was installed, upon my insistence, with the wax O ring, per instructions.

The cheap plastic toilet tank mechanism has failed in one of the toilets, regulator leaks, so replaced this week with the U.S. "fluidmaster" replacement kit from homepro. Expensive, but effective.

You might explore availability of temperature regulated shower fixtures. I will. The more I think about it, my shower heads were located on outside walls, by my design, to effect valve replacement, so I could replace my existing valves with temperature regulator types without disturbing my inside tile.

Will advise when my lazyness is dispelled and the desire for a "new project" dvelops.

You savy investors know about the difference between a "good" condo building and a poor one as it relates to investment.

What about the effect of investors contributing to the denegration of a "good" condo building by having too many of investors vs. owner occupied?

I have stayed away from buying a condo as most of the buildings I have looked at, are so poorley maintained as to be depressing. It is always explained to me that the Thai condo laws are so weak, that if an investor (usually the culprit) or owner chooses to not pay maintenance fees, nothing can be done.

In the west, strong condo laws ameliorate this problem. In Thailand, new condo buildings are beautiful because the developers pay all the fees of unsold units and make sure maintenance is high.

I can see a quick "turn around" investor is not concerned with maintenace for the first couple of years, but what about a condo for personal use after that, regarding maintenance?

JimGant: Thanks for the CM variation info for the medical certificate. I have alwasy payed 50baht at Rama I day care so didn't know how right on I was. This last month I found them now located on the fourth floor and a lady doctor, who actually examined me to a limited degree. Still 50 Baht.

I can't read Thai so have no knowledge what is on the medical certificate.

Anyone know what they contain, they appear to be a standard form?

One person in Thaivisa suggested it merely states you don't have any of the proscribed illnesses contained in the regulations.

Orthotics is the name of the game. Playing tennis for years without orthotics caused my metatarsal on my primary weight bearing service foot to collapse.

Podiatrists said very common. Prescribed orthotics after making mold of foot.

Problem went away aftr six months, however have hammer toe as a result of the collapse of the metatarsal.

If I don't wear my orthotics, foot pain.

Most professional tennis players today wear orthotics as a matter of course.

Finding a orthotically correct sandal was the challenge as you can't wear an orthotic with sandals.

Went to a high class walking shoe store and asked for the highest arch support sandall available and they suggested Mephisto Zonder.

Their sandal has a cork top to the heavy rubber sole that in a week or so conforms to the bottom of your foot in addition to having a very high arch support.

They are expensive but I wear them exclusively in Thailand and have no foot trouble at all, ever.

When I wear my soft Nike walking shoes, even with orthotics, my feet ache quickly, indicative that that the soft sole doesn't provide support, even with an orthotic.

I am pushing jet zip so am in the category of people with the most foot trouble, so I am blessed in finding my remedy.

Erectile Dysfunction (ED) is a physical condition and sexual desire is another condition. Viagra makes it hard, but without desire, the pleasure just isn't there.

If the desire is great, the ED isn't a problem.

Likewise, lack of emotional satisfaction from the sexual act, creates an unsatisfied emotional state causing repeat performance to the same end.

Thus numerous repeated quickies only demonstrates lack of satisfaction, not virility.

Likewise, Viagra is a waste if there is no true sexual desire.

Those in long term relationships are quite familiar with a dimunition of desire over the long haul and the immediate increase in libido when someone new is encountered.

As we get older, testosterone in the blood stream diminishes and we are better able to regulate our "acting out", thus not so many "dirty old men".

MY QUESTION IS: Why not take testosterone, like one takes Viagra, to enhance "sexual urges" ie a return to your more "powerful" days. Side effects, I suspect. Increased prostate canceer for one. Increased hair growth, not on the head. What else?

Why not?

I know most physicians won't prescribe it unless your testosterone level is tested low. Why not?

Aggression is a bypoduct of testerone in young people, the higher the testosterone level, the more agessive. Many modern marriage counselors are suggesting that young couples get testoterone checks prior to marriage as men and women with high testosterone levels fight all the time. Ideally a male with a high testoterone level pairs with a female with a low testosterone level (for a female of course) and vice versa.

I just received this reply to a post dated sometime ago from Khon Kaen immigration:

Hi ProThaiExpat

We have deleted your posting under http://www.thaiimmigration.com/inv/index.p...4&st=0#entry229

"It is quite clear that the gentleman in Denmark cannot enter the Kingdom because he has one of the diseases listed in Section 12 Para 4.

On the other hand, if a foreigner enters the Kingdom disease free, that is lawfully, and then later contracts one of the diseases in Section 12 Para 4 while residing in the Kingdom and never leaves the kingdom, will he be deported if immigration learns of him contracting the disease in Thailand?"

After doing a lot of research on the subject it has showed up that we were providing a wrong answer, and that the upper statement made by you is wrong as well. What you are stating is how some Thai Authorities are interpreting the rules in the regard of HIV/AIDS, but it's not printed down anywhere. So to avoid anybody claiming that you are giving misguiding information, we have deleted it.

Hoping it's OK with you.

All the best

Admin1

Of course my post was a question primarily, since the first paragraph was a repeat of their now acknowledged incorrect information.

JimGant: Misery loves company, so the saying goes. Thanks for your post.

Your quite right about the sacrafice. My kitchen sink is fed by the Siemens in Bathroom #1 and since I changed the wiring for shower comfort terperature, the kitchen sink temperature is just warm, not hot, as one likes for kitchen work.

The easiest way to obtain retirement classification is in Thailand in my opinion. Here is my SUMMARY based on my own experience.

Terminology is important in this area!!

Entry into Thailand is based on a VISA, obtained from a Thai consulate or embassy abroad.

Entry into Thailand permitted at the airport is an ENTRY PERMIT, difference is the latter is granted by immigration.

There is no such thing as a RETIREMENT VISA.

There is a long stay classification for aliens termed "RETIRMENT" and the requirements to qualify for this classification is well documented in the Thaivisa information sections.

Documents required according to the immigration website are:

"Application for further stay to spend the remainder of life

in the Kingdom of Thailand

1. Immigration form 7 (Tor Mor 7)

2. Copy of passport

3. 4 cm. x 6 cm. photograph

4. 1,900 bath application fee

5. Financial Evidence:

- Bank account pass-book, bank statement

- Evidence showing reception of pension accompanied with Thai translation

certified by the embassy or consulate of the country paying the pension

- Evidence presenting other sources of income or evidence of money

transferred from overseas

6. In cases of having dependents (husband/wife, children), the applicant must

provide evidence indication their relationship. Evidence must be translated into

Thai and be certified by the embassy or consulate of the aliens.

7. Health Certificate for those who apply for further stay after Nov. 14,2002.

8. The officials reserve the rights to examine or ask for additional documents, if

necessary.

Name Webmaster (203.156.96.*) [ Saturday 15 May 2004 เวลา 16:16 น ] Comment No: 1"

The easiest way to get a long stay retirement classification is to do it in Thailand at the 4th floor office of the main immigration building in Bangkok.

The difficulty in obtaining this classification abroad is the differing requirements from Consulate to Consulate. Sydney consulate told me in no uncertain terms that each Consul General had the right to interpret the regulations any way he wanted and in Sydney I needed a police clearance certificate from my home country, among many other things. Cambodia said forget it, don't even try.

The long stay retirement classification is based on a NON-IMMIGRANT O VISA and a change to this visa can be accomplished in Thailand at the 4th floor office from any other visa type, including TOURIST. However, not from an entry permit.

As explained by immigration on their website, visas are the sole province of the Consulates and Embassies, while entry, deportation and regulation of the length of your stay is the province of immigration, a police agency.

To obtain your change of visa classification at the 4th floor office of the main immigration building you need to take with you a bank letter stating you have the required funds for retirement classification, ie. 800K Baht. The letter should include the date of the transfer of the funds into your account, the source institution of the funds and the country from which the funds came. The STANDARD BANK LETTER, one that merely states the amount on deposit on any given day is INSUFFICIENT for the change of status process, while it is fine for any annual extension thereafter. This was the case with ME, others may have got by with the standard letter?

There is an option to qualify for retirement financial status through pension verification, but that is a very difficult approach, requiring an Embassy verification of the pension. The difficulty is the individual immigration officer involved may choose to explore the stability of the source of your pension. Conceivably, the pension could be terminated or suspended for a number of reasons during the year and you would then be left penniless, if no other funds were available. Thus a combination of pension and savings account in Thailand is a better approach if you can manage that.

A health certificate is required obtainable from any emergency room of any hospital (preferred) or clinic or the like. Exam may not even occur. 50 Baht or more is charged.

Signed copies of all documents including every page of your passport is required.

4cmX6cm colored photograph. (Buy more than one just in case)

No Embassy letter is required unless you are trying to qualify financial responsibility by a pension.

No police or criminal clearance document is required.

Dress very well, be extremely polite, try to keep your head at or below that of the officers involved, don't stand over them when they are seated as that is seen as very intimidating or threatening.

Most importantly, have a mental frame of mind that you will do ANYTHING required of you, including numerous trivial and unnecessary tasks when requested. Your mind set is that you are not going away, you are there to stay the course until the document sought is obtained.

Your first extension under your non-immigrant 0 (retirement) status will probably be for only 90 days. I was given two 90 day extensions and then an extension for the balance of the first year dated from when I entered the country.

Expect 30 days between the application and the approval, ie. two trips to immigration to allow for processing. After that, extensions can be obtained from any immigration office.

Dr. Pat, lopburi3 and any other "gurus" are invited to make corrections, add information or otherwise comment on the foregoing, in hopes that I can have a complete canned guideline that I will post when this question is asked again and again.

For those who have questions, please PM me if you choose not to post questions.

Hopefully, one of our really computer savy guys will read this thread and come up with an explanation so provide my experience for review.

My "favorites" had the english language hotmail pages "memorized" so I still get my English version hotmail pages.

HOWEVER, when I log out of hotmail inorder to switch to another hotmail account, I get the Thai version of msn. However, by entering my hotmail account and password in english in the same place I do in the English version but in the Thai language version, but still the same format, I get my English version hotmail

account.

Also in the Thai version of msn I get, there is an english language HOTMAIL button to click.

Nothing you have recounted so far is surprising. Your Thai boyfriend is acting just as most Thai boys in a similar situation would act.

The overriding problem you have is your inability to communicate with your boyfriend. If your English is at the level it seems to be in your posts and your boyfriend's English is as you have described it, then it is a wonder you can communicate at all out of bed.

Communication is the most essential attribute to any Thai-farang relationship as cultural barriers must be overcome this way.

Keep in mind, you have only offered this boy a couplde of weeks every so often with you, so his prospects of a long term relationship of mutual support, love and commitment are very poor with you.

If you spend money for language training, suggest you pay for him to learn Russian or you enroll in an English course with him and you both learn to talk to each other, where there is clear understanding.

My Thai of three years and I were in Pattaya a month ago, and guess who we ran into. My first Thai sexual experience, a three day "honeymoon" which was great, for a visitor. Even through his poor English three years ago, I detected evasion.

This time he explained he was from Issan to my Thai from Issan, but didn't speak the dialect, couldn't identify the village he was from, etc. Typical bar boy/sex worker "dancing". Lack of ability to speak English is also a much used evasion tactic when confronted with piercing questions that expose duplicity.

Have a great time with him during your visits to Thailand and don't try to control him when you are away. When you come to Thailand to live and commit to a long term relationship, that is the time to address the issues your are trying to resolve now. Good luck and have fun.

This post is intended for anyone interested in this topic and thus whether your a troll of not, doesn't concern me.

hongkongexpat: Many thanks for your imput.

I am preparing for my Thai for a tourist visa and your information confirms everything I have learned in a year of research and posts in this website.

In Chiang Mai, the consular office has a reception and pay window that is visited prior to talking with a counsulor officer. This is in the U.S. Citizens service section.

I don't have a clue what a Thai is faced with in their visa section.

Are you saying that a Thai visiting the Chiang Mai counsulate for a U.S. tourist visa must first go to a Thai post office to pay the non-refundable $100 visa fee and present the receipt for the payment upon supplying the documents? Will any post office do?

Since I am in effect the sponsoring party for the trip and will be paying for the trip, should I not accompany the Thai for moral support, provide a declaration of our three year domestic relationship and be available to answer any questions regarding U.S. contacts, "compelling reasons" to return Thailand together, etc.

My take on the regulations are that a committed interdependent relationship with a retired farang in Thailand, to all intent and purposes is a "common law marriage", is just another "compelling reason" to return and my presence might be helpful, ie. family ties.

Monty! Right on! I am of the latter category of user and find my XP very agreeable, was delighted when the last worm was invading all that my XP has a firewall built in and was on.

There are also many wizards that allow for installation of anything, and when I downloaded a virus protector to add to the firewall, which has an update feature, it was a piece of cake.

Likewise, Microsoft has an automatic update feature and much support for the XP, which makes we "feet up" users happy.

Your advice is so right. Thanks for an intelligent post.

RDN: You described my problem much better than I did!!

If you have your installation or operating instruction book you might check to see if they have variable wiring options. Within the unit, there may be various contact points, that when varied, give you various voltage options. I was able to lower my water temperature that way, and it is a lot better, since I use it full hot and the water is comfortably warm. Far from ideal, however.

My shower control valve is a Coto, and certainly not a temperature control model.

In western countries, there are shower control vlaves that have a temperature control feature that adjusts the temperature of the water it emits automatically as the temperature varies from the supply side. A mandatory feature when you are in large buildings where water is supplied from central water heaters and demand varies the temperature markedly. They are more expensive than a normal mixing unit.

I haven't looked locally for such a valve because to tear out the tiled shower wall to install new valves is too daunting for me. Believe me, I am so close to just buying a National luxury unit for around 5K and installing it to solve my problem. Especially when you can just connect it to the outlet pipe and connect your shower head to the heater.

I have a fixed shower head coming out of the wall, my preference, but many prefer the hand held type. Perhaps the National requires a hand held, I don't know.

Good luck and let us know developments. Thanks

Criminals exist in every country.l

Most of the Thais I know, respect government recognized rights, fear legal action by lawyers and documents filed in the land office.

In the event I am wrong and the family evicts me by force, I have nothing better to do than hire a lawyer and utilize the Thai legal system for justice.

A recorded mortgage on the property, a recorded lease with penalty provision and a right to peaceful occupancy are well recognized Thai legal rights enforceable in court.

I refuse to live in fear of phantom gun bearing relatives created out of whole cloth by the occasional fear mongering Thaivisa forum posting.

Frankly, I have a lot more fear of unscrupulous landlords, having been taken by one already in Thailand. Also, I am one of those people who enjoy a home of one's own creation, modification and freedom to make changes as desired.

Their start date isn't until June at the earliest. Information might have a telephone number for them. They are wise to not accept bookings until they are actually flying.

I am looking forward to trying them. They may offer a balance between convenience and price.

john b good: Right on! Seems like the "colonialists" have gone wrong again, after all the meat is not ground, as in wheat or other grains, but pushed through a "mincer".

On the other hand, underground trains go through "tunnels" not tubes and "knocking up a girl" requires an abortion, not a cup of tea. Cheers

When I built my house I opted for 3 phase elctrical, even though I don't understand it, as it was supposed to be better.

As a result I was pointed to a Seimens automatic electric water heater and have two installed. They work fine, PROVIDING, you have enough pressure. I didn't, so stainless steel tank and water pump bought and installed.

Then the water was too hot. Evidently, a temperature controlled water valve is required so the hot and cold water is mixed by the valve, otherwise too hot or no hot.

Out came the repairmen again and they were able to reduce the amount of the voltage to the untis so they work at half capacity and I can use the water at full hot and it is comfortable.

What I have learned, and wished I did differently, was to buy one of the many Japanese units available at different prices at a lot less than the 9k I paid, that have a temperature control knob on the face of the unit and place the unit in the shower so you can adjust the temperature. Relying on a mixer valve to mix the hot with the cold to reach a compatable temperature is just too complcated and I am not sure to this day whether it would work properly.

Emmu: Thank you for your thoughtful responses. I am impressed. The Barclay Spencer rep I had a conference with was the traditional "encylopedia saleman" who had a spiel and nothing else, didn't listen, and had no answer for subtle questions.

However, Provident seemed to be a good fit for me except for their up-front costs, ie, your commission, so like most insurance products, a four or five year minimum investment. The ATM feature and the ability to draw down on interest accumulation and tax free earnings were attractive.

Just a few month ago, I read a negative news article that they had a very unprofitable year, ie. didn't deliver on their more than one hundred year record of paying dividends. Was that correct. Do you have a comment on them.

Still interested.

For what its worth, my AIS package through 2006, obtained last year, is unlimited, I vary between 22k to 32 mgs a month.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, the system is so slow about a week a month that I can't even access websites. The other three weeks a month the system works fine.

My inaccessable time this month was from the 17th to the 26th.

Anyone else on AIS GPRS? COMMENTS?

Ajarn: and all others, here is my follow up, my internet connection down for a week as usual.

First went to the big hardware/machinery store on the southeast corner of super highway and mae rim road and found three or four heavy duty hand crank models made by Chechs.

Then went to Mackro and bought the electric one for 879. Happy as a clam until I tried to use it. The motor is too underpowerd to force all but the softest meat through the mincer. It just "hung up" when the force required was to great for the little motor.

Returned it and go full refund.

Went back to first stop, bought a mid-size hand grinder, and couldn't be happier. It is a little heavy in the lifting department, but otherwise a real grinder.

One of the shortcomings on the electric one was the corckscrew drive shaft was not machined, but cast aluminum, so the contact between the screw blades and the side of the grinder was not tight, allowing meat to get wedged between.

The Chech model has machined corkscrew edges that come in tight contact with the tube of the grinder so meat cannot get inbetween. I have even ground frozen meat without a problem. I did need to mount the hand grinder, but had a extra laminated shelf from my kitchen cabinets that works well.

Must oil the machined parts otherwise rust after washing.

Many thanks for all your help. Finding what you want and having it work in Thailand is a blessing, and only possible sometimes with Thaivisa guys help.

UBC sattelite has HBO, CINEMAX, HALLMARK, and Star Movies. as well as four sport channels and number of thai/u.s. soap channels, CNN, BBC and Discovey, History and National Geographic Channel, all in English.

There is another source of English language channels but others will have to provide info on them