Patong - The Wake

[HighPriority]

Certain bars require certain types of girls…

The girls in the Aussie Bar in Bangla don’t humbug for drinks or chatter to you when the footy is on.

They are usually on the ball when you need a refill too, they get paid better than some other bars to NOT humbug.

[xylophone]

21 hours ago, xylophone said:

Regarding Soi Banzaan, that old half constructed building was pulled down a few years ago and they have done nothing about the narrowing of the street, which as you quite rightly say, causes terrible traffic jams at times. However I believe I read that this is a "private soi" so it doesn't come under the council's jurisdiction, hence the reason nothing is done about that road problem.

I thought I would update that piece of news with regards to the narrowing of the Soi and why nothing has been done about it since the building was demolished.

 

 I had a look at it yesterday and when that abomination was being constructed, to accommodate its incursion into the Soi, the electricity providers installed two concrete "posts/pillars/pylons" to enable the power supply cables to circumvent the would-be building and now the electricity supply cables are supported by those, along with a whole myriad of other telecommunications cables. And they are actually in the Soi/road themselves, so to get the Soi back to a normal size, the posts would have to be removed/dug out and the cables rerouted, so that is quite a major job – – and because of this I can't see it ever happening.

 

Having said that somebody has decided to put some tarmac in the Soi where it merges with the "middle road" to at least make it usable now – – as for the rest of it, well it's still an abomination.

[xylophone]

On 8/3/2024 at 2:43 PM, HighPriority said:

Certain bars require certain types of girls…

The girls in the Aussie Bar in Bangla don’t humbug for drinks or chatter to you when the footy is on.

They are usually on the ball when you need a refill too, they get paid better than some other bars to NOT humbug.

Good observation HP, and as regards getting better paid........ 

 

More on that later, but trying to get over my broken coccyx (which is still painful) I decided to go out with a couple of friends on Friday evening to eat at Blue Beach and PERHAPS take a meander up Bangla, not that walking is that easy at the moment, but I thought I'd give it a go anyway.

 

Strangely enough although I hadn't eaten all day, I my appetite deserted me at Blue Beach and I only had an entrée size meal and I didn't feel completely "on the ball" for some reason?

 

Bangla was relatively busy although I can't say that the bars were particularly crowded, so we stopped at Blue lotus bar for a drink and I caught up with a lady I hadn't seen for quite some time who was working at the bar and she explained that the girls there got no salary, but were paid something relative to the amount of drinks they were bought, a sort of commission I suppose? And I've heard this is somewhat of the norm in many bars, sad to say for the girls, who will pester you for a drink, mainly because their livelihood depends upon it. Perhaps that's one of the reasons why there are fewer pretty girls left in the bars?

 

Anyway after one drink I felt a little off colour so decided to walk up Soi Sansabai to my condo and by the end of that Soi I was feeling extremely tired as it has been my first long walk in four months since the motorbike accident.

 

However it was probably not the long walk which affected me the next day, because I couldn't stop shivering and shaking, sometimes quite badly, and I got back into bed for a few hours to see if it would abate, but to no avail. The next day I knew I had caught some sort of virus because about 14 years ago I had dengue, and this resembled it in some ways, but not entirely, so I decided to do some Googling and came up with the Chikungunya virus which seemed to fit the bill.

 

Judging by events since that day I would say that's definitely the case because the shakes and shivers continued for just another couple of days as well as the profuse sweating at night (including soaking wet bed sheets) and the joints in my hips and knees hurt like nothing I could ever have imagined – – so onto the paracetamol.

 

The worst part about it was but I couldn't support my weight so getting out of a chair was a major challenge is was trying to get into bed, and I fell out of bed on my first effort and had no power/strength to get back in, so considered sleeping on the floor.

 

Coupled with that is that I couldn't get off the toilet and was stuck there for more than three hours because I hadn't the strength to lift myself off – – what a useless creature I had become, and frustrated that I could do nothing.

Eventually I did manage to lever myself off, but not without a lot of pain.

 

So the past four months have been the worst I've ever had since I've been here what with the motorcycle taxi accident, broken coccyx, severe concussion, dizzy spells, and now chikungunya, and I sincerely thought that it would be better if I left the country and went back to either NZ or the UK.

 

All this got me thinking about why I first came here, and it was the nightlife and the atmosphere with it, which I revelled in, and in those days the traffic was nowhere near as bad, nor were the crowds, but now the whole situation has changed and I find it a nightmare. Of course not forgetting that I retired early because I had a pre-cancerous condition in my throat caused by stress so was advised to get out of my stressful job by my brilliant NZ doctor, so here seemed ideal......back then.

 

I really don't know what I saw in Bangla all those years ago, because now I see it as just a place to drink/get drunk, for old men to grope and chat to younger women and for some women to look for the ultimate sucker, and I've seen a few of those in the past.

 

Perhaps it was because I was younger that I saw it with younger eyes, but now whatever it was has faded and I will consider moving out of Patong after I've done a bit more research as to what other area is less crowded and friendly, on Phuket – Rawai perhaps?

 

Getting back to Patong, as I mentioned in another post, someone has managed to fill the holes in Soi Banzaan with tarmac, but it's only temporary and will soon disintegrate again, and the state of the roads here in general is abysmal.

 

On the subject of Banzaan, someone has decided to open up a "Monster eightball (or is it billiards) Hall" and the venue is large, so it wouldn't be cheap to rent the place, and although I'm not an expert in this particular art, I immediately thought to myself that they either have some insider knowledge, or they are desperate to lose some money? Time will tell.

 

Yesterday I decided to make my way very gingerly to a Thai lady-friends massage shop to try and massage my legs back into some sort of functioning entity, because this virus was playing havoc with my leg muscles, and they were very good, as they always are, as I've known them for quite a few years. However they mentioned that they were struggling for business, and the only business that "almost" came their way was when small groups of Arabs enquired as to the price of a massage and then tried to beat them down from that price, which they didn't like one bit.

 

It would appear that these people came from Kuwait, and were certainly not favourites for the massage ladies, come to that nor were the Indians or Pakistanis, and the boss lamented the fact that there were fewer and fewer "farangs", whom they could put up with. Tough times for these ladies.

 

And I would suggest that it's tough times for many farangs as well, because a couple of days ago I got a message from someone on Facebook, whom I had no contact with for years, asking for a 3000 baht loan – – right out of the blue. I thought about it, and wasn't too sure whether it was a scam or genuine, so put my mind at rest I blocked him. It was something I would never consider, especially as I only knew the guy many years back through a girlfriend of his, and we had nothing in common then, and I wouldn't know if we did now, because of no contact over the years. He must have been desperate.

 

And on that note that's about how I'm feeling at the moment, so I will do some research on other areas on the island which are not too crowded, have decent accommodation and decent restaurants.

 

As I have mentioned before, I am wondering if it's time to call this thread to a halt, because the "Wake" has long since passed and now it's business as usual with its ups and downs, scams and scandals and bar-flies.

[London Lowf]

43 minutes ago, xylophone said:

Perhaps it was because I was younger that I saw it with younger eyes, but now whatever it was has faded and I will consider moving out of Patong after I've done a bit more research as to what other area is less crowded and friendly, on Phuket – Rawai perhaps?

 

I'm in my 70's now and I still enjoy people-watching and the buzz of Bangla - I spend 50% of my life on Phuket and, although I could never live there, I ride into Patong six nights a week (there's a great band on in my local bar on Thursdays). I have a few  favourite bars and chat with a couple of the girls in Blue Lotus (and your favourite pole dancer) and tip them in cash but never buy lady drinks or takeaways.

 

It's going to be difficult to relocate - rents have gone crazy in the last year or so even if you’re well in with some locals (I am, fortunately) but I have recommended Kamala to you in the past.

 

[Agusts]

3 hours ago, London Lowf said:

 

I'm in my 70's now and I still enjoy people-watching and the buzz of Bangla - I spend 50% of my life on Phuket and, although I could never live there, I ride into Patong six nights a week (there's a great band on in my local bar on Thursdays). I have a few  favourite bars and chat with a couple of the girls in Blue Lotus (and your favourite pole dancer) and tip them in cash but never buy lady drinks or takeaways.

 

It's going to be difficult to relocate - rents have gone crazy in the last year or so even if you’re well in with some locals (I am, fortunately) but I have recommended Kamala to you in the past.

 

 

I have been meaning to ask you for a while, aren't there any police checks between Patong and Kamala late at night...? 

 

I used to go to Kamala and even Rawai from Patong, the opposite of your direction, just once or twice a week for something different. But not for the past couple of years, as I heard there are usually many police checks nowadays, looking for you know what...! 

 

[London Lowf]

2 hours ago, Agusts said:

 

I have been meaning to ask you for a while, aren't there any police checks between Patong and Kamala late at night...? 

 

I used to go to Kamala and even Rawai from Patong, the opposite of your direction, just once or twice a week for something different. But not for the past couple of years, as I heard there are usually many police checks nowadays, looking for you know what...! 

 

 

There is invariably a check on beach road at Lama Park on the way home at 1am/2am but I have never been pulled over there.

 

I've recounted this in the past - Once or twice a week there is one on the approach to Kamala but, the only time they stopped me and asked if I had been drinking, I told them "Only beer, no whiskey!" and they were happy with that. They now wave me through once they recognise me with the occassional "Go Papa!".

 

There are (very few) advantages to being an old guy!

 

 

[London Lowf]

Oops - Loma Park not Lama Park

[Patong2]

Sorry to see the problems you are having Xylophone.

We have had our share of mobility problems too and it definitely gives you cause to consider whether Patong is the best place to be.

Are in New Zealand for the past two weeks and already finding it cold (8C as I write this) and boring.

Stuck here for treatment for at least another 8 weeks and it is certainly not a long term option for us.

We will be happy when we get back to Patong.

The thing with Patong is there is such a variety of things that are interesting, challenging and even still exciting (if you find it still exciting to look at attractive women who dress to be looked at).

A walk at 6am along the beach is equal to anywhere in the world.

Supermarketing, restaurants and cheap eats are available easily.

We eat at many restaurants around the island and because of my wife's limited mobility choose places we can park close to the venue. Lots of choice of so many different tastes. 

A short walk down to Soi Sansabai and you can have a ringside seat and a good meal at Summer Breeze or The Yorkshire and others, to a constant parade of, dare I say it, the good bad and the ugly up and down the street for as long as you like.

Having spent periods of time living in places like Ko Khaeo and Cherngtalay, we just find them too quiet for our liking. Nice to visit but not to stay long term.

Patong ain't what it used to be, but it is still pretty darn good.

[xylophone]

15 hours ago, London Lowf said:

It's going to be difficult to relocate - rents have gone crazy in the last year or so even if you’re well in with some locals (I am, fortunately) but I have recommended Kamala to you in the past.

Your comments are well noted LL, and I know you recommended Kamala to me in the past, and I have been there quite a few times when I had friends who lived there, but it did absolutely nothing for me and I always considered it a "one-horse town". Also a couple of those friends have moved out and another one has died, so even less attraction for me to move there.

 

There was a time when I quite liked sitting in Smiley Ban watching the world go by, but that view is now blocked by the dancers at the front, attractive as they are! Also my other favourite bar in that Soi, Island Bar, is now no longer the same as it was, as it was sold out from under the previous owner by his then "girlfriend", when he was visiting his home country, so he returned to having "no bar". The perils of owning a bar in Patong!

[xylophone]

7 hours ago, Patong2 said:

Sorry to see the problems you are having Xylophone.

We have had our share of mobility problems too and it definitely gives you cause to consider whether Patong is the best place to be.

Are in New Zealand for the past two weeks and already finding it cold (8C as I write this) and boring.

Stuck here for treatment for at least another 8 weeks and it is certainly not a long term option for us.

We will be happy when we get back to Patong.

The thing with Patong is there is such a variety of things that are interesting, challenging and even still exciting (if you find it still exciting to look at attractive women who dress to be looked at).

A walk at 6am along the beach is equal to anywhere in the world.

Supermarketing, restaurants and cheap eats are available easily.

We eat at many restaurants around the island and because of my wife's limited mobility choose places we can park close to the venue. Lots of choice of so many different tastes. 

A short walk down to Soi Sansabai and you can have a ringside seat and a good meal at Summer Breeze or The Yorkshire and others, to a constant parade of, dare I say it, the good bad and the ugly up and down the street for as long as you like.

Having spent periods of time living in places like Ko Khaeo and Cherngtalay, we just find them too quiet for our liking. Nice to visit but not to stay long term.

Patong ain't what it used to be, but it is still pretty darn good.

You also make some very good points Patong2, putting forward your view of Patong from NZ, and the thought of being in a place where it is 8° C now fills me with dread!

 

Yes, you are quite right, there are a lot of things to do in Patong and even in my "sick/poorly" state I have managed to get down to Big C to do a little shopping and many of the girls there know me from the years I've been shopping at the store, so I'm greeted with smiles and helping hand if I need it, which has been necessary after the fractured coccyx.

 

I had forgotten about the Yorkshire as a place to eat, although years ago I had a few good meals there, so must put that back on my list of things to do. However these days I do spend more time in my condo cooking my dinners, than eating out, but then again the options for eating out, as you quite rightly say, are manyfold.

 

As for a walk along the beach at 6 AM – – hmmmm, not for me I'm afraid, and anyway walking at this moment in time is "difficult", let alone at 6 AM!!

 

Thinking about it, the fact that I've had a rough four months, what with the motorcycle taxi accident, fractured coccyx, concussion and now Chikungunya, has quite probably clouded my view of the place, although nothing can take away the fact that the traffic here is bloody horrendous, not to mention dangerous, so perhaps I should have a rethink.

 

Having said that, it's probably time to have a look around down south, and not Kamala as mentioned in the post above, as I've never really explored the south, so that something I will put on my bucket list.

 

Meanwhile I'm hoping that things get better, although I'm not sure that I will ever be a regular visitor to Bangla again as I was only ever a regular visitor to a couple of bars, both of which were owned by friends, not to mention having a singsong at Red Hot, which I did enjoy!

 

I will end by saying thank you for your words of encouragement and for giving me a different and positive view of Patong. Good health my friend.

[simon43]

IMHO, you should never close this thread Xylophone!  It's very interesting to read about the changes (good and bad, mostly bad it seems), in Patong and on Phuket Island.

 

I left Phuket some years ago and have been bouncing around mostly in Burma and Laos for some years.  But as I approach my UK retirement age next year (66), I have been trying to find somewhere to live in Thailand that I can afford, and which is beneficial for my health.

 

As we get older, realistically it's all downhill as far as health is concerned.  I was forced to visit the UK last February for some cancer tests, and I did seriously consider returning to live in the UK.  However, my pension income would only allow me to rent some dingy room, and I would be condemned to 'waiting to die' in said room.  Since my bad luck (if you can call it that), would see me living to 99 years old, the thought of 33 years in that room put me right off returning to the UK!

 

I have been sounding out living in Krabi and currently am in Koh Lanta.  But both locations have very high humidity levels ('cos the clouds from the sea can't get over the hills behind the coast).  So it's not very nice (for me).

 

I can't afford to rent in Phuket, but perhaps next week I'll drive over to Takua Pa or north Khao Lak and see what I can rent.  The sea breeze in those locations makes for a pleasant temperature.

 

My ex-wife #3 is still managing her small airport hotel, but it makes no profit to speak off, mainly because of the competition from other hotels and guesthouses (which didn't exist when I built it in 2012).  We are very good friends, and it maybe that she throws in the towel and comes to live with me and perhaps opens a small food business/stall. 

 

Note that #3 ex is the sane one, #2 ex who is completely mad has offered for me to live with her again in Phuket, but I would rather slit my wrists!!

 

I hope you get over your accident and fever Xylophone. If you need any help getting off the loo, then I can send mad ex #3 over to help.... 🙂

[xylophone]

2 hours ago, simon43 said:

IMHO, you should never close this thread Xylophone!  It's very interesting to read about the changes (good and bad, mostly bad it seems), in Patong and on Phuket Island.

 

I left Phuket some years ago and have been bouncing around mostly in Burma and Laos for some years.  But as I approach my UK retirement age next year (66), I have been trying to find somewhere to live in Thailand that I can afford, and which is beneficial for my health.

 

As we get older, realistically it's all downhill as far as health is concerned.  I was forced to visit the UK last February for some cancer tests, and I did seriously consider returning to live in the UK.  However, my pension income would only allow me to rent some dingy room, and I would be condemned to 'waiting to die' in said room.  Since my bad luck (if you can call it that), would see me living to 99 years old, the thought of 33 years in that room put me right off returning to the UK!

 

I have been sounding out living in Krabi and currently am in Koh Lanta.  But both locations have very high humidity levels ('cos the clouds from the sea can't get over the hills behind the coast).  So it's not very nice (for me).

 

I can't afford to rent in Phuket, but perhaps next week I'll drive over to Takua Pa or north Khao Lak and see what I can rent.  The sea breeze in those locations makes for a pleasant temperature.

 

My ex-wife #3 is still managing her small airport hotel, but it makes no profit to speak off, mainly because of the competition from other hotels and guesthouses (which didn't exist when I built it in 2012).  We are very good friends, and it maybe that she throws in the towel and comes to live with me and perhaps opens a small food business/stall. 

 

Note that #3 ex is the sane one, #2 ex who is completely mad has offered for me to live with her again in Phuket, but I would rather slit my wrists!!

 

I hope you get over your accident and fever Xylophone. If you need any help getting off the loo, then I can send mad ex #3 over to help.... 🙂

Thank you for your kind wishes Simon43 and I do remember your posts from way back when you were building your "hotel/guesthouse" in Phuket – – such a shame you had to leave it.

 

If ex-wife number three is still managing her small airport hotel, is there any opportunity to move into a room there to act as a handyman or suchlike?? Just a thought.

 

For the record, there are rooms (Thai style, but clean) available in the likes of Nanai Road for around 5000 baht per month, and probably less, and provided one stays away from the likes of Bangla and a couple of the other roads which are more like nose to tail traffic jams, then maybe things will improve, if indeed that's what you want.

 

Whatever transpires, I wish you all the very best in your endeavours Simon.

[zzzzz]

go live at turtle beach with Steve Rosse

FYI:
its very easy to live on phuket island with less than $1,000/month ( even for 2 of us) 
we eat well, dont drink or bar hop and mostly cook at home

[simon43]

Xylophone, thanks for your kind words. Both ex'es have offered me space to live, but their locations (and your suggestion of Nanai Road) don't fit into my requirements to accommodate my ham radio hobby! I like to live in rural locations, so will drive over next week and leisurely look around in Phang Nga for suitable accommodation.

 

Note that I'm not 'on the bread line', but it's wise to find lower-cost accommodation, since my future income is likely to reduce, not increase...

[hansgruber]

After all this time it's funny how nothing really changes at all.  If it does it always for the worst.  

 

[xylophone]

2 minutes ago, hansgruber said:

After all this time it's funny how nothing really changes at all.  If it does it always for the worst.  

 

Hmmm, hansgruber, I think you are about right with that comment, and I will agree with the fact that "if it does it's always for the worst".

I can't think of much that has improved over the years I've been here, if anything, and certainly there are areas which have become worse, if not pitiful now: –

 

– The heavy traffic which is nose to tail on some of the roads.

– The condition of the roads themselves, which has become downright dangerous in places esp for m/c drivers.

– The policing which was always poor, but is now laughable to non-existent, and this allows poorly maintained vehicles on the road, motorcycle drivers with no helmets (both Thai and farang) and downright dangerous drivers.

– Patong Hill, after the slip was repaired, coming from Kathu to Patong is a dangerous joke because once it rains the Toyota passenger vans cannot get any traction and slip back onto the cars behind, and sometimes skew sideways. Of course poor driving techniques don't help one bit.

– The tour buses are full of ill mannered Chinese who can make life a misery when trying to shop. Visa free trip?

 

However, one thing which seems to have improved is the fact that in talking to a Tuk Tuk driver to ascertain the cost of a trip from one side of Patong to the beach road, he told me that the cost of every trip within Patong was now 200 baht, which surprised me and is a far cry from being ripped off in the past for a short trip!! A bright spot in the darkness here!

[xylophone]

Nothing much to write about as I have only been out a couple of times in the evenings over the past months, but have managed to get out and about a little during the day.

 

I mentioned the poor state of the roads roads in a previous post and that certainly hasn't changed and because my coccyx is still sore/hurting, I feel every bump and pothole, despite trying to steer around them. The roads are a disgrace, and some workmen have been around plonking tarmac in some of the holes, and the one in Soi Banzaan has had some more tarmac dumped in it, but because the ground has given way under the concrete road, it still keeps falling and no matter how much they put in, it still remains a hole of some description or another!

 

Jumping around the place, the bar at the top of that road, "Blue Sky Bar" actually in Soi Nanai, seems to have opened over the past few days because there have been a couple of girls sitting in it – – no customers, just a couple of serving girls, and it won't be long before that closes again much the same as its previous incarnations have done. One would think that the people opening the bar and paying the rent would realise that it has been a failure ever since it began, and wonder why that was?? Not hard to ascertain, however I won't go into it here.

 

Further down Banzaan, in what used to be a bar/part-time guesthouse called "Canada House" and has been remodelled into a bar, which incidentally I have only ever seen one customer in, is for sale (again). Apparently the owner has it for sale on Facebook for around 3 million baht!! It appears that price is negotiable folks if you want to rush in and make an offer – – yeah right!

 

I haven't seen any punters going in or coming out of the Monster Billiards establishment in Banzaan, but maybe I've missed them, and in reality it's absolutely packed out, day and night?

 

Was nearly involved in a little prang a few days back when a Toyota taxi in front of me had to screech to a halt to avoid hitting a couple of Chinese people who had decided to wander into the road without looking, as they are apt to do, but luckily enough I was following far enough behind to be able to stop before hitting the back of the taxi, but it was a close thing.

 

The lady owner of a massage shop was bemoaning the fact that customers are in short supply and that those that do stop to enquire are usually of Arabic or Indian nature and want to beat the price down, and she refuses to do that.

 

Wandering a little bit away from Patong, I have discovered some wonderful frozen Indian food at "Food for Foreigners" in Chalong, and it is amongst the best I've ever tasted whether frozen or otherwise, so my freezer is now stocked up with it.

 

Coming up for the retirement extension next month, so had better remember to get into Bangkok Bank EARLY to order the account print-out so that they can prove I've had the 800 K in there for the year, because they can take well over a week to 10 days to be able to produce it for me to pick up, and the time before last there was a delay and when I went to immigration I was charged 1500 baht overstay for the three days that the account information was delayed. TIT.

[Kopitiam]

3 hours ago, xylophone said:

Coming up for the retirement extension next month, so had better remember to get into Bangkok Bank EARLY to order the account print-out so that they can prove I've had the 800 K in there for the year, because they can take well over a week to 10 days to be able to produce it for me to pick up, and the time before last there was a delay and when I went to immigration I was charged 1500 baht overstay for the three days that the account information was delayed. TIT.

Why wait until the end of your extension of stay when you can do it 45 days before expiry in Phuket?  You don't lose any day when you do your extension early.  While you are preparing your document, do remember that all copies must be in portrait format. I gave them a google map to my condo in landscape format for easy reading. No, they wanted a small portrait format one eventhough you can hardly read it.  I usually provided a photo of me standing in front of my condo as there is only a plain door going into my apartment.  This time, the IO asked me to print out the house number (as given in the address of my unit) in large font size (150), paste it on the door and take a photo of me standing in front of the door. He put a note on my pile of document stating that I should provide this photo when I collect my new extension. Every year, new surprises.

[ChasingTheSun]

8 hours ago, Kopitiam said:

Why wait until the end of your extension of stay when you can do it 45 days before expiry in Phuket?  You don't lose any day when you do your extension early.  While you are preparing your document, do remember that all copies must be in portrait format. I gave them a google map to my condo in landscape format for easy reading. No, they wanted a small portrait format one eventhough you can hardly read it.  I usually provided a photo of me standing in front of my condo as there is only a plain door going into my apartment.  This time, the IO asked me to print out the house number (as given in the address of my unit) in large font size (150), paste it on the door and take a photo of me standing in front of the door. He put a note on my pile of document stating that I should provide this photo when I collect my new extension. Every year, new surprises.

Imagine how good that is going to feel once you need to start paying tax in Thailand on your WORLDWIDE income in 2025.

[Agusts]

16 hours ago, ChasingTheSun said:

Imagine how good that is going to feel once you need to start paying tax in Thailand on your WORLDWIDE income in 2025.

 

I'm amazed how people get so excited about this, including my close friends. Firstly it's not worldwide income, it's foreign income that's brought into Thailand... (they have zero chance of finding total foreign income) , secondly implementing this will be a hell of a job, imagine banks having to report to tax office and vice a versa, then somebody has to go after them..., there are so many laws in Thailand but hardly any of it is implemented, think of red traffic light, or helmets or buying houses and land under company name or etc. etc. ....! 

 

This law was specifically brought in for some rich Thais/Fireigners who are tax registered, and have huge businesses abroad in shady countries that avoid paying millions in tax altogether...., the usual run of the mil retiry living in Thailand brining a few thousand a month for living expenses are not the target... 

 

Finally most retirees from western countries already paying tax in their home country with double taxation treaty with Thailand, pay a lot more tax there in fact, so it's totally deductale and they know that too... 

 

But it still amazes me that people are so worried about this, and keep brining it up to create drama, it will be decades before they can even get their act together on this...

 

Finally with Wise transfer it's possible to choose a money transfer that looks like coming from a local bank, not abroad...! Let's see how Thai banks can detect that as money coming from abroad... 

 

Nothing to worry about this at all, unless for some people with dodgy dealings...! 

 

[Peterw42]

2 minutes ago, Agusts said:

 

I'm amazed how people get so excited about this, including my close friends. Firstly it's not worldwide income, it's foreign income that's brought into Thailand... (they have zero chance of finding total foreign income) , secondly implementing this will be a hell of a job, imagine banks having to report to tax office and vice a versa, then somebody has to go after them..., there are so many laws in Thailand but hardly any of it is implemented, think of red traffic light, or helmets or buying houses and land under company name or etc. etc. ....! 

 

This law was specifically brought in for some rich Thais/Fireigners who are tax registered, and have huge businesses abroad in shady countries that avoid paying millions in tax altogether...., the usual run of the mil retiry living in Thailand brining a few thousand a month for living expenses are not the target... 

 

Finally most retirees from western countries already paying tax in their home country with double taxation treaty with Thailand, pay a lot more tax there in fact, so it's totally deductale and they know that too... 

 

But it still amazes me that people are so worried about this, and keep brining it up to create drama, it will be decades before they can even get their act together on this...

 

Finally with Wise transfer it's possible to choose a money transfer that looks like coming from a local bank, not abroad...! Let's see how Thai banks can detect that as money coming from abroad... 

 

Nothing to worry about this at all, unless for some people with dodgy dealings...! 

 

 

Thank you,

Literally the best and most sensible realistic comment, on the Tax situation, I have seen.

[ChasingTheSun]

20 minutes ago, Agusts said:

 

I'm amazed how people get so excited about this, including my close friends. Firstly it's not worldwide income, it's foreign income that's brought into Thailand... (they have zero chance of finding total foreign income) , secondly implementing this will be a hell of a job, imagine banks having to report to tax office and vice a versa, then somebody has to go after them..., there are so many laws in Thailand but hardly any of it is implemented, think of red traffic light, or helmets or buying houses and land under company name or etc. etc. ....! 

 

This law was specifically brought in for some rich Thais/Fireigners who are tax registered, and have huge businesses abroad in shady countries that avoid paying millions in tax altogether...., the usual run of the mil retiry living in Thailand brining a few thousand a month for living expenses are not the target... 

 

Finally most retirees from western countries already paying tax in their home country with double taxation treaty with Thailand, pay a lot more tax there in fact, so it's totally deductale and they know that too... 

 

But it still amazes me that people are so worried about this, and keep brining it up to create drama, it will be decades before they can even get their act together on this...

 

Finally with Wise transfer it's possible to choose a money transfer that looks like coming from a local bank, not abroad...! Let's see how Thai banks can detect that as money coming from abroad... 

 

Nothing to worry about this at all, unless for some people with dodgy dealings...! 

 

You underestimate the revenue incentive and ability of the TRD when it comes to sharing information with foreign governments. 
 

Its easier than you think.

 

If you are mostly relying on a foreign pension to survive, and are already taxed on it overseas, then you can probably sleep well.

Everyone else with foreign income and cap gains will be in for a shock when the Thai tax man cometh for them.

 

 

[atpeace]

On 6/26/2017 at 12:56 PM, Prometheus33 said:

Yep, full of these Chinese and you know what?! They spend a great deal on their trips to Thailand (and elsewhere) .......... at hotels, restaurants and shops. Today, the Chinese tourists are a major contributor to the Thai tourist industry (and to global tourism as well ........ check relevant data at locations France, Germany, UK , USA etc) .. So,  "full of Chinese" , really ?! ........  and they "haggle" too ?!  

A request, please do not belittle any race , nation or colour ..

There are some good people here at Aseannow but there are also fools that have no idea how insulting other races is disgusting.  I just mostly let it go.  Empathy applies to losers too!

[xylophone]

On 9/12/2024 at 6:53 PM, Kopitiam said:

Why wait until the end of your extension of stay when you can do it 45 days before expiry in Phuket?  You don't lose any day when you do your extension early.  While you are preparing your document, do remember that all copies must be in portrait format. I gave them a google map to my condo in landscape format for easy reading. No, they wanted a small portrait format one eventhough you can hardly read it.  I usually provided a photo of me standing in front of my condo as there is only a plain door going into my apartment.  This time, the IO asked me to print out the house number (as given in the address of my unit) in large font size (150), paste it on the door and take a photo of me standing in front of the door. He put a note on my pile of document stating that I should provide this photo when I collect my new extension. Every year, new surprises.

Thanks for the info Kopitiam and the only reason I wait(ed) until nearer the date was because a good friend went to Immigration about a month prior to his renewal date and was told to come back nearer the renewal time!!! So a wasted journey and out of date paperwork for him...........which he had to do again!!

 

However I will go 3 weeks or so prior to my renewal date, just in case but it still gives ma a bit of leeway. Thanks again.

[zzzzz]

10 hours ago, ChasingTheSun said:

You underestimate the revenue incentive and ability of the TRD when it comes to sharing information with foreign governments. 
 

Its easier than you think.

 

If you are mostly relying on a foreign pension to survive, and are already taxed on it overseas, then you can probably sleep well.

Everyone else with foreign income and cap gains will be in for a shock when the Thai tax man cometh for them.

 

 

come on!!!!
they cant even get their own people to pay tax!!!

FYI:
i always do my renewals a min 3 weeks before due, in case i need something new, that wasn't required the year before 

[ChasingTheSun]

9 hours ago, zzzzz said:

come on!!!!
they cant even get their own people to pay tax!!!

FYI:
i always do my renewals a min 3 weeks before due, in case i need something new, that wasn't required the year before 

The thing is, there are many thousands of foreigners residing in Thailand who have far higher incomes than 95% of Thais.

 

As such, foreigners can supply a HUGE easy new tax revenue source per capita vs Thais.

 

It’s easy to force every foreigner to get a Thai tax ID in order to maintain their visas.

 

Foreigners tax situation will be vetted at every 90day immigration report, or at minimal once per calendar year. 
 

Now foreigners will need to pay tax in Thailand, and they will get nothing for it. 😢 

[xylophone]

Well, I took the advice of @Kopitiamand ordered my bank statements early, got their letter signed and trundled off to Phuket immigration to get my Retirement Extension, which went very smoothly, and I was delighted. I think this was mainly because they had some new frontline staff (younger) who were very keen on helping, rather than some previous ones who were rather keen on being inflexible!

 

I had drawn a map of my location, but they said this wasn't good enough and I needed a Google map print off, which I will have to remember for next time, although they accepted my copy this time. Although I had a pic taken of me standing outside of my new residence, they said that wasn't sufficient because it didn't have my actual room number, so I did provide a copy of my health insurance policy which had my address and room number on it and although they were reluctant to accept it, they did – – and this is what I mean about the younger more helpful staff at immigration, because they made it easy for an old (and injured) guy like me!

 

Mentioning my new residence, after my accident I decided to move out of my then apartment because the drive was far too steep, and eventually moved into a condo in Phuket Villa which was twice the cost (and some) of my previous place, but a good size at 64 m² and I thought I was set up for some time. BUT it's not the best place in the world to be because the sound of ambulances and police car sirens going off all hours of the night makes a good nights sleep very difficult indeed, so I will probably look around for a new location once this contract is up next April.

 

I did make a rare trip out to Bangla and beyond to catch up with three friends at Blue Beach Bar and Restaurant and because the weather wasn't conducive to outside dining, there were very few diners there. So after eating we decided to walk up Bangla, although I wasn't too keen on having more to drink, but we did stop at Blue Lotus bar for one, and looking down Soi Freedom from that vantage point I could see that it was just about empty, although it would appear that some of the bars have changed hands.

 

We went to another bar in Soi Sea Dragon to catch up with an old friend from years ago, and it was good to see her again.

 

From there we shot across the road to another bar which was full of girls, and I think it used to be called "Heroes Bar" (or maybe it still is and I didn't notice?). I got chatting to a very nice young (24 years old) girl and she was the same age as my daughter and had just finished university, but couldn't find any work, so decided to opt for working in a bar, and was at pains to inform me that she had a US boyfriend and didn't go with customers, which wasn't of interest to me because in my current state of health, and age, I wasn't interested, although she made pretty good conversation which was a nice way to spend a little bit of the evening.

 

My friends decided to go bar hopping, which is not for me these days, so I said I would walk home, which I did, but whilst walking up the "Arab quarter" (as designated by my friend) I was aware of the huge amount of Arabic style restaurants, with a Yemeni restaurant which I hadn't seen before, and was quite expecting to see a Houthi restaurant nearby (only joking). But suffice it to say that Soi Sansabai seems to be a popular place to open an Arabic style restaurant!

 

Back to more mundane matters: – Halfway Inn has now closed as the owners have moved to Hua Hin and I haven't seen any movement with regards to something new opening yet, even though the previous restaurant and bar occupied quite a large area.

 

Every time I drive past the Rock Bar and see the owner sitting on his own at the front of the bar, looking a little forlorn (IMO) I feel sorry for him because when he bought the bar it always had a few punters in it, but nowadays (no hab!) Probably because the previous owner was an amiable Aussie who could relate to the Aussie punters who would come to watch the footie or similar, and enjoy some decent food and Aussie style banter– – but now not so much perhaps.

 

Although my fractured coccyx is still giving me a little pain, it's not enough to stop me going out on my motorbike to pick up a few things in Big C, which I did yesterday and driving slowly north out of the entrance to Big C, into traffic which wasn't that heavy, I slowed down for some people who were on the pedestrian crossing, and as I was slowing down I checked my mirrors to make sure there was no one right up my ass who would crash into me, and there wasn't, so I slowed down and came to a halt to let these people cross, only to be overtaken (whilst I was stopped at the pedestrian crossing) by two motorbikes and a car, who were all travelling at a fair speed. Luckily enough they missed the pedestrians, mainly because the pedestrians saw these idiots coming and stopped on the crossing to avoid an accident.

 

So the driving is still pathetic and appears to be getting worse, and certainly won't improve whilst there is no police enforcement of the road rules here.

 

Nothing much on the agenda although it will be good to catch up with my daughter who is at the moment in Bangkok waiting to pick up her degree: – Bachelor of Education with First Class Honours, from the sister of the King and I am so very proud of her for achieving this, and she is very appreciative of my support for her education here. Now she is on the lookout for a job .........to be continued!
 

[xylophone]

On 9/13/2024 at 9:31 PM, atpeace said:

There are some good people here at Aseannow but there are also fools that have no idea how insulting other races is disgusting.  I just mostly let it go.  Empathy applies to losers too!

In answer to this post, I don't insult other races, I just post as I see it and experience it, and if it is insulting to them, then so be it.

 

 I'm not sure how mentioning the fact that a Chinese guy was clipping his toenails on the small table in Starbucks is insulting to that race, it's just what it is – – a filthy habit and pure ignorance. There are other instances, all relating to the habits of certain races, including pure rudeness and disrespect to other people, but I won't go into them here.

 

I will however share an incident which happened many years ago when I was on a bus in Malta, having taken a holiday there after working in Nigeria for a total of 17 months .......on the double seat in front of me were a couple of Nigerians who were being very rowdy and suddenly one turned round to me and asked where I was from, so I told him, and he asked me if I'd ever been to Nigeria, because it was a beautiful country. 

 

I speak as I find, so I said to him that I had lived and worked in Nigeria for some time and I considered it to be a "sh!thole!" of a country and I would never go back. He turned back to his friend and never bothered me again! 

[stuarty]

Would expect nothing less from  a Kiwi.

[xylophone]

The truth often hurts.........and as it happens I was born in England and lived there half my life, so it's probably that coming through. Still bearing a grudge from my post about wine all those years ago, I see stuarty!!

 

Back onto ignore you go.