DualSportBiker

I've enjoyed predominantly traditional Thai massage since about '96. For some reason I avoided them for the first few years... Anyhow, in 1998 I ruptured two disks in my lower back (L4-L5, L5-S1). Bumrumgrad suggested immediate surgery for a estimated 450,000 Baht. I got a second opinion from home and have yet to have surgery. I struggled with mobility for several months but after confirming with doctors back home, started to get Thai massages right next to my house. The masseuse was 10 years my senior and after eight years of massage service, still went to see her Ajaan once a month for additional training. She slowly but surely reduced all my sciatica to zero, and within six months I could stand for an hour without any pain. That had been impossible before - my legs would tighten up and I would need to lie down after less than 10 minutes standing... Long story short, I now ride around Thailand on and off-road, drive 4x4s off road and exercise quite seriously. At 55 I am apparently quite fit, especially for someone with two ruptured disks. I might have slowly recovered naturally. There may have been another way to get to where I am, but that is speculation. What I do know is that I am fully mobile, live an adventurous life, and whenever I get a twinge in my back or legs, a two-hour Thai massage will typically deal with it. In recent years the lack of any issue has allowed me to change to Thai-oil massage which still involves manipulation and focus on nerves and tendons, but includes oil and balm. It is more relaxing and although more expensive, it is my treat to myself on a fortnightly basis... Just this Sunday I found a new masseuse with 15 years experience at the Ministry of Health Head Office. She worked in physical therapy and recovery roles there. I have never had a better massage. So, is it worth it? Depends on your status. They are luxuries for the perfectly healthy, and can be life-changing for those with issues. Only you will know which camp you are in...

My wife and I have had separate and joint account for years. The only issue has been the interpretation of "and/or" where they think that means all documents must be signed by both.

Can't say I won't enjoy an extra day to travel around. Definitely driving across again so I can explore the hinterland :)

I arrived here when I was 22 and am significantly older than this guy. No explanation needed - it's nobody's business.

Hard to fathom how you get here. "Resembling foreigners" is not a crime; stealing is. Thin skin much?

My last flight with TG was from Zurich to Bkk in 2008. I was on a business trip and any Co trip over 4 hours I flew business class. Typically we'd fly Singapore Airlines as we were based in Singapore, but this was what they got me. The lass next to me was TG staff. They were overstaffed and she got the short straw for not working that leg. They put her in business class and did not upgrade one of many regular gold-card holding customers. When I asked her why she was not in economy and an upgraded customer in her place she simply asked 'Why would we do that?' In her experience, customers never got upgraded. That is the attitude you get with Thai Airlines. They were there for their benefit alone. Passengers are just along for the ride. Pay up, shut up, and be grateful for the privilege of being allowed on their ageing and poorly maintained aircraft.

From the original article: "Firstly, it helps the government keep track of the number of foreign nationals in the country and their whereabouts. This is especially important in managing overstays and ensuring that visitors comply with the terms of their visas. Secondly, it’s part of the national security policy and by keeping updated records of foreign residents, authorities say they can more effectively monitor and prevent illegal activities. Additionally, changing immigration policies can be a complex process, involving various stakeholders and considerations. The 90-day reporting has been in place for a long time, and any change would require careful planning and coordination. The 90-day report is also part of the Immigration’s administrative and legal framework. Any change would require a significant overhaul of these systems, which can be resource-intensive and time-consuming." Responding to each point above... 1. How does 90-day reporting replace the record-keeping at ports of entry? What qualitative improvement does it bring? This suggests a lack of coordination and perhaps more than one system used to track visitors (which, based on over 30 years of database and system design experience would be a design error of epic proportions). Whether one applies for a replacement visa while here or arrives on the visa that will support the entire stay, there should (must) be a centralised singular record of each visitor and visa-holder. There is no tactical advantage to confirming continued presence via an additional step. Either the visa-holder has left and that departure is captured, or the visa-holder has renewed their right to stay which is captured, or they are out of compliance with their permission to stay. The date when compliance changes to non-compliance should be updated when a renewal is completed. 2. What data is presented in a 90-day report that supports monitoring or crime prevention? Change of address is done separately. Compliance with financial obligations can be achieved in other ways. The tax department has access to inbound deposits into domestic accounts to ensure compliance with the new income tax laws, getting a simple y/n confirmation of an account's compliance with a minimum balance is not rocket science. 3. Being in place for a long time is not a reason to keep doing it. Resistance to change brings failure faster than embracing it. Thousands of old laws have been identified for review and possible removal to streamline administration. This is just one of many that need to be replaced by processes supported by a strong technical infrastructure. Complexity is an argument for rationalisation, not giving up. Those resource-intensive and time-consuming activities are learning opportunities on how to improve (should be a national goal to get better at stuff right?) and employment opportunities for the 65% of IT graduates who don't pursue technology roles due to the historically idiotic approach to IT that government and businesses have applied for years. Hiding behind a lack of will and weak excuses and old, poorly designed systems is not how a government achieves its own goals of a tech-savvy nation.

Back when I was fresh and green here, I had a meeting with a bank about network security or something similar. My colleague who had been here a while made an observation I have kept close for constant re-use. "There was only one thing wrong with your logic young man," he said. "It was logical." The application of logic to derive a way forward will only set you back...

The very first morning my Thai wife and I were in Singapore she yelled at me for walking onto a zebra crossing while a car was approaching. She was amazed that the driver stopped and did not yell at me for interrupting their drive! We were there for years so needed a full and proper reset when we moved back! Zebra crossings here are target zones! Expect to be unseen or ignored.

I changed from marriage to retirement visa three years ago. It was mildly problematic. I did it myself as the last visa agent I used during covid screwed me over. I was accused by the IO of have left my wife and therefore living illegally on a visa obtained through falsifying my application. They demanded to see my wife and talk to her on the spot and threatened me with immediate imprisonment. when I called my wife who was on a trip with friends, and the phone was unreachable, they thought they had their catch. Anyhow, they did spike to my wife and kinda regretted it, but they then issued my visa and rescinded offers of uncomfortable stay! They did explain that there is no path from marriage to retirement visa. The logic of a wife passing away did not suggest that was a mistake. Their position was that a marriage visa is easier for foreigners as the wife will do the work! Doing a retirement visa is work for us foreigners and therefore less attractive. Anyhow, my renewal the following year was seamless.

Drivers of all sorts, taxis, delivery trucks and private vehicles stop near my house. They keep their engines on while they sleep, eat, pee and leave rubbish just yards from a large bin I leave for them and 100m from three petrol stations. I guess I should be taking pics and informing the Men in Tauts.

It does indeed. Many thanks. I will sleep better as I have the 800K and no pension/overseas income to use in my claim of compliance. Cheers.

The requirement is from yesterday's posting on the Thai Savannakhet's web site - not outdated.

How would any government outside of Thailand know who is working and who is not? I've not lived at home for 32 years - the UK government has no clue what I am up to. How they would provide a government-to-government assurance that I don't work is beyond me.

I do hope you are right. My worry is that they need something from 'my' embassy which I also do not have and don't have time to get...