turgid

I'm in the process of being gouged on this with delivery due tomorrow. Currently at an estimate of additional charges and duties of $500. The shipper insists that only work permit holders can get duty relief. I've complained loudly. They estimated a liability of 1000-2000 dollars. Graciously however they have been able to get it down to $250 with an additional admin $250 as a fee for actually completing the delivery. I'm a 1 year OA with plans for retirement extension. Clearly I'm being screwed over but equally clearly I have little choice at this stage. Im refusing to pay any further fees until i see my goods.

Its the different sequence of card and money emission and the fact that after a while we do everything automatically. I lost several Singapore cards. I solved it by changing the pin. If you type in your old pin you will get knocked back and that will remind you. If you type in the new pin you'll remember.

I just did my first 90 day report and decided to do it in person so I would know my way around the immigration office if I need to go for other things. They asked me to refill the form as I had the condo address but not the name. I can't imagine they would remember me as I was queue number 300 just before lunch so they are probably processing 500 to 600 per day. I will post in the future but felt this trip worthwhile.

Anyone know a good hardware store in Bangkok ? What i want specifically is those rubber door wedges to stop the doors slaming when the wind direction changes. I've treid the usual suspects like Ikea, Big C and the local bucket and broom shop,

Even though you asked for screen prinitng, I saw some T Shirts "soft printed" being sold by a vendor in the basement of SVOA Tower @ 900 Rama 3 . The girl said she could produce small volumes. Not sure what the process was but the T Shirts looked nice compared to the sometimes "vinyl" feel of screen printing. I've seen these at Chatchukak recently also so I assume there is some kind of direct to shirt ink jet technology available now. I lost her contact details but might be worth a look if you are out that way.

Anyone know where i can get the above. All the pharmacies i've tried have creams but dont stock the powder that seems to be common elsewhere in the world.

Also any sensible suggestion for clearing these up as i seem to have pretty continuous fungal type infections on my feet here that i cant get rid of.

When i lived in Singapore a week of powder in shoes and socks seemed to do it but the creams aren't working.

Thanks in advance.

Sukhumbhand Re-Elected Bangkok Governor,Defeats Pongsapat In Major Upset

My Thai friend who wanted number 11 to win told me this guy was going to win last Wednesday.

Her opinion was guy is so connected he couldn't lose. So I wonder who the pollsters spoke to.

6th costliest city in the world I sold my apartment recently for 4 times what I paid for it to an investor

I saw that 6th costliest city number.

The top six cities are Japan's Tokyo, Osaka, Australia's Sydney, Norway's Oslo and Australia's Melbourne, then Singapore.

4 of of the other cities are in two countries and in all the other countries you have the option to commute. That makes Singapore the 4th most expensive country by numbers but in reality probably the most expensive country because you cant live outside the city. Again by all the metrics I can imagine a correction has to be due. But maybe it really is a new paradigm.

I went to Laos with my Laos GF not knowing any of the above and we did OK. I tried to have some empathy for how her family and neighbours would feel about her coming home with an old white guy and acted appropriately I noticed she dressed a little more conservatively than she would in Bangkok. What she told me is her family had to check with the local police if it was OK for me to come to the village. Apparently they did and it was. She told me lots of married Thais like to have a Laos girlfriend and it tends to irritate the locals so they make it difficult sometimes. I decided to stay in a hotel in the nearest big town partly to avoid her having "face" problems but mainly because I like to keep control of my accommodation when i go to new places. I don't really understand the politics of Laos but its apparent to me that there is a system where the local police have more of a say in what can and cannot go on. Think eastern europe pre-wall but post the bad parts. I had one guy who was clearly some kind of police or security ask me why I was in Laos and told him I wanted to learn a bit more about the place and he said carry on. The only thing he seemed to be concerned about was whether I was a journalist because i was carrying a decent Nikon.

Same rules as everywhere really. Be respectful, don't be a dick and you will be fine.

I have the same concerns as the OP. I want to buy but am concerned at the current price of property. Historically boom bust in economies seems to come in 12-15 years cycles. Looking at the east west currency graphs we seem to be about due one. "The west is dead Asia is the future " rhetoric seems very similar to the "Asian tiger" words of the mid 1990's. But the game does seem to be different this time round. While demand seems to have dropped and most people I know think prices are high and are waiting, low interest rates are not forcing anyone to sell and the banks dont seem to care much about holding empty properties. Nobody seems to know how much money is coming in from China. In Singapore where there is more transparency on property transactions something like a third of all non landed properties are being bought by overseas Chinese buyers. I assume the same is true for Thailand. Nobody also seems to know the impact of Burma on all of this where either huge currency flows will come into Thailand because they now can , or go out of it as people from Burma no longer have to launder through Thailand .

I'm going to rent and wait for a year for a sign. My biggest fear is that every government is going to reach the same conclusion that the global economy is out of control and the only way to solve it is huge inflation to quietly write off the debts. In that case the poster that said buy property regardless of price is right and anyone like me with savings but no income or hard assets is going to be destroyed. My other concern is the disorientating feeling that maybe there will be no correction, the world has just changed and I don't get it. An old Chinese guy 10 years ago told me with a little anger that people like me are insane to pay S$5 for a cup of starbucks when he could buy a coffee for 30 cents. I saw a development on Wireless Road where they are selling 25 year lease 90 Sqm condos for 14 M Baht which means you have no house and no capital after 25 years. The girl told me they had two units left and foreigners were buying to have a place downtown. The million dollar basic condo has become the norm in Singapore, maybe Thailand is going the same way.

I currently feel the same sense of world insanity as that old Chinese guy.

Which two developments are you talking about?

The one with the 15M Baht corner unit and the rest of the floor vacant was State Tower . The one in Sathorn Road I'd rather not name as my friend owns a unit there and her investment is in enough trouble already.

"Also in both buildings I was told there were no maintenance fees."

This seems both unlikely and unsustainable.

I made the same point to the agent. She couldn't understand why i didn't see this as an amazing plus. I assume the bank are paying the maintenance fees now to protect their investment. Presumably at some point the bank sells all the units, or dumps the remaining ones and walks. At which point either maintenance stops or a fee gets negotiated.

I've been viewing property in Bangkok to understand the market with an intention to buy at some point . In some condo blocks there seems to be a lot of unsold units. To give a couple of examples I looked at a nice development in Sathorn Road which is probably sixteen years old. They still have unsold "new" apartments (never been occupied with brand new interiors) at premium pricing (10-20M Bht). I looked at a well known prestigious building in Silom which was built in the nineties where on the floor i visited all the corner units were occupied and the corner unit I looked at was a high price (15M Baht) but every other unit on the floor I walked by (probably 16 units) had the keys in the doors and they have never been started (no toilets bathrooms or kitchens etc). Also in both buildings I was told there were no maintenance fees.

I was told that the Banks own both these buildings and that they trickle units out onto the market to keep the prices up.

How widespread is this ? Are there any real stats for "real" occupancy and private ownership ? While i'd like to live on an empty floor and not have people cluttering up the pool , were there to be another 1997 style crisis or a bank failure presumably some of this property would get dumped. Or would you find yourself walking down from the 25th floor because the maintenance company wasn't fixing the elevators anymore and the 3 real condo owners in the building cant afford to spread the maintenance costs between them.

Spent some time in Bangkok over Christmas and new year with a friend and something we encountered several times in various bars was girls saying "1M Bht and I love you long time" after a couple of drinks.

Understanding that we may have just been the subject of a joke , or at the start of a very high priced negotiation it happened enough times in several bars for us to wonder if there is now a standard "1M Baht" package for a long term girl.

Is this something new ? If so we are curious to know what the expected deal is. They seemed to think we knew . Or were we just really ugly ?

Thank you for replies,it was expensive when I visited,but thought it was worth it as it is spectacular.

Is dress still smart and casual,booking how far in advance.

Mid week you can probably get in with 48 hours notice. Weekends and holidays can sometimes be booked up to a month in advance. I have only been able to get a table there once as a walk in. Dress code is no shorts for women or men, covered feet for men and no t shirts. I've worn jeans with a shirt and decent shoes and got in ok. Your basic smart casual. If a woman doesn't want to dress up for scirroco she probably isn't going to enjoy its posey ambience anyway.

The wine pub at the Pullman Kingpower Hotel

+1

I've been several times in the last 18 months. I like it but its very expensive especially if you add wine. You need to book if you want a decent table. And of course rain can be a problem.

In my younger days a drinking friend advised me that you never ask strangers for drugs because whatever you ask for will magically become available for whatever money you have. He had learned this from buying LSD which turned out to be blotting paper impregnated with shampoo. I heard a US comedian saying that most ecstasy sold in the US now is speed. People who take drugs are often not that discriminating in what they take so many people who sell will figure as long as it does something its worth the money.

I get this is Cambodia but does seem to indicate that such mistakes are possible.

http://www.dailymail...-honeymoon.html

Kristy Cadman-Jones, 27, died of a drugs overdose at a luxury hotel in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, towards the end of a month-long tour of the Far East .

At the time of her death in January it was suggested that she had suffered a heart attack. However, the inquest heard yesterday that she was killed by a huge amount of pure heroin.

Mr Cadman-Jones, a solicitor, claimed the couple had been offered what they thought was cocaine by two travellers they met in a bar that night. He ‘suspected’ that his wife, a recruitment agency branch manager, took some.

In his blog this week Andrew Drummond posted a further update on the performance of the London Nominees fund and its associated firms and people.

Looks like most or all of the money is gone then. Much like many alternative investments did well in the early years (on paper) and then suddenly all the news is bad when people want to withdraw.

And what actually did happen to their football fund I wonder. It just disappeared.

I bought a China brand one in Pantip although you can probably get in MBK and Fortune tower as well. I don't remember exactly what I paid but It was less than 1000 baht. Works fine. Typically I find with IT items they are cheaper in Singapore or US but for low value items the difference isnt worth the hassle of shipping or shopping around or delayed fulfillment.

I am a Singapore permanent resident. This got me a 1 Year Multi O-A Entry Visa with application in Singapore.

This will probably have a limited audience but may help someone. (THB 25 = S$1 at time of application)

Step 1: Procrastinate, whine, and moan for several months (Optional)

Step 2: Be aware of all documents required (this is the order she asked for when I presented)

a) Summary of application - 1 Copy = this list basically plus a note summarising why I wanted the visa..

b ) Copy of passport front page and Singapore re-entry permit – 1 Copy

c) Copy of Singapore PR card (both sides) – 1 Copy

d) Thai Visa application form – 3 Copies with photos

e) Thai O-A form – 3 Copies with photos

f ) Medical form – 1 Copy **see note

g) Certification of non criminal conviction - 1 Copy **see note

h) Bank statement or proof of earnings – 1 Copy

i) Letter of certification of bank statement 1 Copy

j) Proof of Expiry date of Singapore PR (online screen print) - 1 Copy

k) CV / Resume - 1 Copy

l) Return Flight itinerary - 1 Copy

m) S$250 Cash no change/no refunds

Notes from my experience

Do a general check in advance to make sure you have all the details you need for both forms specifically referee details.

I included “1 Year Multiple Entry” on the application form and my summary of application for duration of proposed stay. It seemed to work. Or maybe they were just in a good mood.

i: Medical - allow at least 2 weeks before submitting visa

I got 4 estimates varying from S$180 to S$500 for this. Nobody had seen the medical form before. Everyone wanted the Mantoux TB skin test, Chest X Ray and syphilis blood test before signing.

Other tests required varied depending on the doctor. I went to the Singapore General Hospital travel clinic and paid S$200. Nice people, it took them 3 days to process. Other places quoted much longer. The tests themselves with waiting lunch and walking around the hospital took most of the day. Take a photocopy of the medical form before you submit it because you only get one copy.

At date of this post, the template medical form on the Singapore Thai embassy site is missing words and has typos. Get the PDF form from the UK Thai embassy site.

ii: Certification for criminal conviction.

The Singapore police force will not issue these certificates for PRs since 2010. The girl I spoke to in the embassy was not aware of this so I included a copy of the notice with my application.

http://www.spf.gov.s...cncc_notice.htm

I did a statutory declaration. Process and basic form is described nicely here.

http://app.subcourts...px?pageid=10152

I created my own declaration and had that certified with a commissioner for Oaths . They sold me an additional service which will get the certification further certified by the Singapore academy of law with a nice wax seal and ribbon. Not sure if this is needed but I took it because it looked cool and very official.

Commissioner stamp and signature S$30 - (same day)

Law Academy certification S$70 (2 days)

If a lawyer creates the statutory declaration for you its probably going to cost you another S$50-S$500 depending on which lawyer you use.

iii: Proof of Expiry Date of PR

You can get that online here - you will need your Singpass

https://erep.ica.gov.sg/erep/index.do

iv: Bank statements/Income etc

I’m not currently working and I was a bit concerned about how to present this. I have 900k THB on deposit in Thailand and was able to show S$100K on deposit in Singapore. I got certified statements for both but they only wanted a copy of Singapore bank certification for the application. They said I would need the Thai one later.

OCBC Singapore charged me S$30 to issue a letter of certification and KBank charged me S$4.

v: Labelling

Put your passport number and IC number on every document you present.

vi: Photos

Note the photo requirements in Singapore - 6 photos with white background. It seems to be 3 elsewhere.

vii: Processing

I dealt with 3 different processing staff . One helpful and efficient, one brusque and efficient, and one I’d rather not deal with again. Apologise go away come back another day and 66% you get a different one.

For the application I queued at the embassy twice at opening time on a Monday and Friday. I got processed in less than 15 minutes both times. When I left there was no queue. On the “real” application I had to come back just before closing time with my flight details and PR form and there was a big queue of interesting girls who appeared to have just got up. So go early @9:30 but don’t bother to queue for opening would be my tip. Collection took 5 mins.

viii: Time

The application took 7 days to process including a weekend. I applied 30 days ahead of my trip because I need to make some other plans depending on approval status . The visa runs from the date of approval so I probably should have left it another couple of weeks.

ix: Whines I noticed in the Queue

There are no photocopying, photo taking facilities in or around the Embassy that are open before 11 AM. If you don't have it with you you will have to come back another day. They won't give any change.

The O-A Long Stay visa is the retirement visa. Do you have a one year permitted to stay from arrival date? Is you visa single or multi? entry?

Yes it is multiple entry. I haven't entered Thailand since I got it. When I applied for the OA I had the proof of seasoned funds on deposit in Thailand.

They told me I didn't need it now but would need it for the retirement visa. I take it from your response that I'm missing the pointr and when I want to extend this Visa I will need to show the local funds? What confused me was the statement made earlier that a lot of people skip the OA step.

Why don't you just get a single entry non-o visa (90 days on entry) and apply for your an extension of stay at immigration here that would only cost 1900 baht. You would need to show 65K baht income proven by a letter from your embassy or have 800K baht in a Thai bank for 60 days (first application) or a combination of income and money in the bank to make up the difference if income is to low.

That was good advice but the timing was wrong for me to take it for various reasons, the main one being that I have been procrastinating on getting this done. I'll write up the steps I took for others to learn from as a separate post. I have now been able to get a 12 month OA but it wasn't financially the most efficient way to achieve the end result. Learnt a lot though!

I just got a 1 year OA ME and have learnt a lot from this post so thanks.

I have one additional question. Is there any benefit in applying for a retirement visa before the OA has expired?

I already have seasoned money in Thailand and was assuming I would dive straight into retirement visa planning and actions. But reading this I can't see any advantage in the first year.