General Discussion

[Ping]

I'm still aiming to get back May, but I don't know. I haven't been in Melbourne for winter for many a year (although the last couple of months here have felt like it), and I don't know if I could handle it (although on the bright side, I could at least spend some time skiing, which I also haven't had the opportunity to do for many years). My daughter's bf is working back in Melb now, so they'll look after the house here (I now don't need to sell it), so only one other major bit of business to do, along with a heap of minor things. Here's hoping.

Will they ever stop mucking around with those EPs on arrival? 15 days for border run, but 30 by air. Why? So now the visa-less hop the plane to Penang? Can you imagine doing a Ranong run twice a month?

[Zpete]

Well, the booze is cheap in Ranong.

Whoever suggested the 15 days, must have shares in bus and airline companies, typical Thai.

[Ping]

Trouble with the runs is that you either don't have time for a beer or don't want one (can't have the mini bus stopping every fifteen minutes for shrub watering). I think the Thai authorities said that the 15 day bit is somehow intended to address the illegals situation - maybe I'm wrong, but too tired to look it up at the mo. Probably more to do with a desire to continue to attract genuine tourists and retain those with a quid or so, but discourage those who haven't got a pot to pee in. It seems return airfares are around AUD120 on the current exchange rate (or about $85 if the AUD returns to usual levels), and you can fly out in the morning and return the same day. Of course, you would probably be spending a fair bit of time cooling your heels in or near the airport while waiting for the return flight, but it couldn't be any worse than sitting in a mini bus... and you could have a quiet drink or three. Seems an okay option when you think about it...

[Ping]

Sorry 'bout the stutter. As I was trying to post the above, there must have been some sort of crash at TV, because pages wouldn't load and there was a message about some sort of directory conflict at TV. Seemed to last a while, so I gave up. A few more headaches for George and his team, it seems...

[Zpete]

KL accommodation is cheap, about $OZ4.00 bucks.

Cheap Air Asia to KLCC, stay a nite.

Or same day.... fare may be over 100 bucks Aust

If same day, take yer laptop and use freebie WiFi at both KL airports.

Don't forget ya power lead.

I use it when ever I go thru the LCC terminal.

Coffee bean and Tea Leaf cafe is a good place, no problems and best coffee there.

[Ping]

Yes the free wifi is available at many airports - don't know about plugging in to mains, though. I don't know about parking at Phuket airport overnight. I don't suppose it would be all that dear, but just another cost to add to the burden. Anyway, a bit premature for me to worry about those sorts of issues just yet. What do you think about KL? Never been there myself, but imagine that it would be a fairly 'dry' town without much to do of an evening.

[Zpete]

I take a late flite to KL_LLC terminal, lowest fares, when transiting.

Same again with cheap early flites out, talking Air Asia.

No decent place kip over at LCC if want to.

I take shuttle to KLIA, where soft seats abound, unlike Swampy.

Find a powerpoint, plug in and ya up and browsing immediately, fab, at both terminals.

Plenty of sockets airside too.

Cafes also let ya plug in, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, at LCC is my fave, open 24/7 except for a short time, for cleaning in early hours.

If ya stay over in KL proper, backpackers is the way to go, damned cheap.

Just ask around at b/ps, and often a group will form for a nite out sumplace.

Ask at office for type of pub, club you want.

Lotsa cheap and good eating at hawker stalls which abound, find a bar with eating attached, best way.

Certainly "NOT" dry, Ping.......hic..LOL.

[donna]

Sorry 'bout the stutter. As I was trying to post the above, there must have been some sort of crash at TV, because pages wouldn't load and there was a message about some sort of directory conflict at TV. Seemed to last a while, so I gave up. A few more headaches for George and his team, it seems...

no problem Ping. i have that same thing happen sometimes too for some reason.

the extra post has been deleted now.

donna.

[geriatrickid]

t imagine that it would be a fairly 'dry' town without much to do of an evening.

Plenty to do, not dry (trust me). Seems less chaotic and safer than BKK. You could do a lot worse than KUL. I was wondering, and forgive me for not looking at prices but what about Langkawi instead of Penang? Just as close and the island still has some charm. I used to love Penang but places like Batu Ferrenghi are just so over developed that it's like visiting any big tourist place with a single lane road with too many cars. Sort of like Patong but without the smut.

[Ping]

^^Thanks Donna.

Thanks for the inf, GK & Pete. But it's all rather academic at the mo - still trying to sort myself out in Oz so I can finally pull up stumps. Can't see myself getting back by May, but at least that may mean I'll get to go skiing for the first time in years (for what it's worth). I'll have a better idea of my status in about three or four weeks.

[Zpete]

Ping, will you be on the 15 day thingie?

Week end in KL, accommodation and booze is cheap, make up a group,,,,,, hehe

[Ping]

No, I'm aiming for a retirement visa, but will still have to do the runs every 90 days. If I can't get the retirement visa immediately, I'll try to get an intervening multi-entry cat O (other) (3 month runs), but suspect I'll be stuck with a tourist visa again [a] 60 days, then into Immigration [Phuket Town] for 30 day extension, then visa run, then back to [a]. Either way, I'll be getting back as soon as possible and will ultimately (hopefully) end-up with a retirement visa. I think only a dozen or so people - Thailand-wide - actually get naturalisation each year, so no chance of that... and I could never qualify with the fluent reading and writing bit in any case.

So my interest in the runs is more about the three-monthly ones; I cannot stand the mini bus to Ranong thing (not to mention how dangerously they drive) and I'll probably actually drive up on some runs myself and do some overnighters on the other side. But in general terms, I think some (flying) runs to other places may be more interesting (even if they cost a good quid more). We'll see...

Edited January 5, 2009 by Ping

[Zpete]

My understanding of the 90 day stuf.

After 90 days, ya hafta stay away 90 days, then come back.

Dunno, must be a better way.

[LivinginKata]

My understanding of the 90 day stuf.

After 90 days, ya hafta stay away 90 days, then come back.

Dunno, must be a better way.

No, rule change about 6 weeks back. Can go in & out of Thailand after 30 days Visa on Arrival (by air) each time as often as you like. Only 15 days VOA if by land or sea border crossing, as often as you like.

[Zpete]

My understanding of the 90 day stuf.

After 90 days, ya hafta stay away 90 days, then come back.

Dunno, must be a better way.

No, rule change about 6 weeks back. Can go in & out of Thailand after 30 days Visa on Arrival (by air) each time as often as you like. Only 15 days VOA if by land or sea border crossing, as often as you like.

Ahhhhhhh, thank you.

I musta missed that along the way, obviously.

[Ping]

The former rules/new rules for entry permit on arrival are not relevant to visa entries - but you still have to do a run every ninety days. Have uyou only been doing the entry permit on arrival thing? (Visas are far more convenient - even more so now that the land-based runs are 15 days. Crazy stuff.)

[Zpete]

The entry thing is what I am doing, yes.

I arrive at BKK, and go to Phuket, from Phuket, Singapore, KL, then wherever..... lotsa entry and exits, only, never been given a finite,"Go Home", so to speak date.

Time may come whe I do stay a long while in LoS, then if I do a 90 dat run, I will go for a trip sumplace interesting.

[Ping]

Things getting more complicated on the home front. It's all starting to get more than a little annoying.

[Zpete]

By home front, Ping, guess you are talking OZ.

Hope nuthing too bad, mate.

Good luck.

[Ping]

No, nothing serious. Just annoying. Complications to some private business arrangements I need to finalise quickly. Possible that I may (again) be having to have another lengthy 'holiday' in Phuket before being able to put down stumps. Damned annoying, because my original plans were to move there about three years ago. Delays and more delays. Oh well...

[Zpete]

Cheer up cobber, glad to hear no real bad problems.

I hope to be in Chalong for Loy Krathon again this year...... wooo hoo.

Ping, in another thread I mentioned that Kraft have cut the 450 gram Vegemite back to 400 gram.

SAME PRICE........ sheeeeeeeesh.

There is a 2.5 kilo pack, mite have to buy one and decant it into my collection of Vegemite jars, should lasy a month or 2.......hahaha

[DrDave]

No, I'm aiming for a retirement visa, but will still have to do the runs every 90 days. If I can't get the retirement visa immediately, I'll try to get an intervening multi-entry cat O (other) (3 month runs), but suspect I'll be stuck with a tourist visa again [a] 60 days, then into Immigration [Phuket Town] for 30 day extension, then visa run, then back to [a]. Either way, I'll be getting back as soon as possible and will ultimately (hopefully) end-up with a retirement visa. I think only a dozen or so people - Thailand-wide - actually get naturalisation each year, so no chance of that... and I could never qualify with the fluent reading and writing bit in any case.

So my interest in the runs is more about the three-monthly ones; I cannot stand the mini bus to Ranong thing (not to mention how dangerously they drive) and I'll probably actually drive up on some runs myself and do some overnighters on the other side. But in general terms, I think some (flying) runs to other places may be more interesting (even if they cost a good quid more). We'll see...

Ping - why don't you just apply for the non-immigrant OA (e.g. retirement) visa in OZ? You can keep your money in OZ (no need to move the 400/800K to a Thai bank when applying outside Thailand). All you need is medical and police certificates, along with proof you have at least 400K/800K baht in the bank (anywhere). Once you get the visa, you'll be granted a 1 year permission to stay when you first enter Thailand. No visa runs necessary, just report your address every 90 days. Annual renewals require the money to be in a Thai bank, with evidence that it came from abroad.

Seems much easier than dealing with visa runs, at least for that first year.

[Ping]

Thanks Dave - yes I was unsure about the border run thing. I knew about the address reporting, but than can be done by post (or it could in the past, and I trust that hasn't changed). I was fairly sure you needed to have the quids in a Thai bank (I have a Thai account ready to transfer the required amount in). Clearly, I need to do some more reading on the subject.

Pete - I should be able to get over some time during winter, so I will probably be there for Loy Krathong myself this year - for the first time in quite a few years. Unfortunately, due to the circumstances, I will probably need to spend a period of high season there this and the new year. I just love crowds of tourists!

[Zpete]

Ping, hop down to Chalong, lot quieter, better ambience than scungy Patong.... LOL

Dunno for sure, but sure wanna be there with me gal.

Mite be my only trip this year will be in Nov, to Phuket.

Hafta see wot the airfare to Manila is via BKK, with stop over.

Was a good time, as I have said in another fred.

Cheers matey, wish ya luck.

[Ping]

Well we'll probably down a few at On's, then. I hope the Oz/Kiwi $ do something to improve before then, though.

[Zpete]

Kiwi at 6 year low this week.......

Gas gone up 15c in a week....... woe is me.

[Ping]

Yes they say all the utilitities will be skyrocketing here as well, and a warning about petrol prices to boot. The exchange rate thing is more a product of the strong Thai baht, however. We were insulated from it because our currencies (Oz/Kiwi) strengthened at about the same time (as compared with, for example, the $US). As our currencies weakened, the Thai baht remained static, leavihngus in the current predicament.

Personally, I believe that the baht is too high and other currencies will regain ground against it. In any event, the Thai Government was talking about devaluing the baht, but since it is a floating currency, I don't quite see how they could do it (aside from the usual inflationary tools).

[Zpete]

Yeah, Ping, I sent $NZ100.00 to my gal in Philippines 2 weeks ago. 27.36PH pesos.

Now 24.95.

We are sinking but, NZ OZ cross basically stable.

Have to bring her to Chalong next trip cheaper, very dear in PH for accommodation.

Mind you, I hope next trip for her is MNL - AKL..........

Edited January 26, 2009 by Zpete

[Ping]

That's interesting to note about the x-rate against the peso. I may have been wrong in my assumptions - I haven't looked across SEA currencies. Perhaps SEA currencies in general - or a number of them - are strengthening against western currencies due to lesser impact of the GFC?

So you are bringing a ladyfriend from Phili to LOS? Have you been to Newcastle? (Okay, bad taste - sorry...) If she's going to meet you in NZ, don't forget to scrape all the dags from your gumboots!

Hopefully I'll make it back by high season (which is the worst time to go, but hey...) - perhaps a bit earlier, but this private business I have to do is getting more complex every blasted day and I want to get it all settled before I go. Well, we'll see...

E: Butterfingers

Edited January 26, 2009 by Ping

[Zpete]

Yeah Ping, the dosh is getting such that I may be NZ bound, 2009, possibly only one trip this year.

The thing about my gal, it will certainly NOT be carrying coals to Newcasle.

She is fluent in English a Uni grad and as such, I am able to have in depth conversations with her.

Virtually impossible with most Thai gals, no way.

Never could I live in Philippines, even tho' my gal is Filipino.

Filipina gals are the prettiest in S.E.A........ <snip>

Edited January 28, 2009 by Jai Dee
crude comment deleted