jacko

An example would be the Nova Park..... , I believe you can get them down to 15k (low season) if you don't have the room cleaning and pay your electricity on a per unit basis. Plenty of 'big rooms available', over beer bars advertised at about 10,000. Soi LK Metro area or one of the many Soi 13s Then cross over Sukumvit and pay even less. No it isn't hard to get a place for a month, in fact quite common.

Both BA and BM have flights at 17.05 to LHR, BA 1403 and BD 591, my guess is Etihad have a code share on British Midland. The flight duration this routing is over 31 hours.That along with the dismal prospect of going via terrible LHR, and 15 hours in Abu Dhabi airport (per your warning) might not suit everybody.

Why have you listed the 'Ethiad' 7 early evening flights via Heathrow? Is it an Ethiad aircraft between Manchester and LHR? (I would be surprised if they were allowed to take customers from BA or British Midland) Having to take BA to LHR and go through Heathrow itself would take away the Ethiad advantage for me.

I have always erred on the side of caution. With a hotel room, there is no issue, but your own place? She might just have a few boyfriends interested in your DVD player, laptop and that safe in the bedroom. Have the driver take a circuitious route. More likely you will one day have a problem with a keeper though.

The £76 sounds a little steep..... although I admit to not having done this for a while. It all depends on the 'class' of your booking and the class/code you have to change it to. (There are quite a lot of codes for economy, most of the consonants and a vowel or two). Overall it is likely cheaper than a one way bought from the UK... plus a one way bought in LOS. I end up needing one way tickets as I often get single leg awards tickets.

LHR and CDG, some sort of massochist? I prefer to use KLM, same mileage club!

Seems like getting an open return, or buying a ticket that allows you change the date is the best option. Visa and immigration issues aside, did you try shopping for that one way ticket to Thailand yet?.. They often work out as much as a return. I have bought one way from LOS, you often see them advertised on Soi Post Office, but in January, particularly early January, there will be little availability. The muslim holiday of Eid al Adha will be around 18-24 Dec this year too.

Eneukman got it right and you did too!

I was using my GPRS in Phang Ma Pha, a little village in Mae Hong Son, the Edge network there worked better than here in Pattaya, East of Sukhumvit. I think I will be sticking with this crap in Pattaya for a while yet!

How do you get the immigration official to totally ignore the (60 day) Tourist visa in your passport the first, second and third times you come in? There are a lot of other issues with this approach, one being you might not get the extensions you hope for. Even then, it is only 'up to' 1 year 9 months, not 2 years. Also, as I stated, one of the Tourist Visa (60 day) extensions likely will count against you in the 90/180 limitation. This very limitation was introduced to curb people living here based only on the 30 day stamps (it is NOT a visa). It seems they are now tightening up the loopholes on that regulation change. Apologies for the thread highjack, but I worry people plan their trips based on dubious 'visa' information.

A common mistake is to call the 30 day arrival stamp 'a tourist visa'... it is not. A tourist visa is stuck into your passport outside Thailand. You cannot 'renew' a tourist visa, you use it until it is used up (number of entries), or it expires, then you would need another. What you descibe sounds like what the visa run outfits are advertising, with a bit of the above confusion. You get a single entry tourist visa in Malaysia...enter and stay 60 days. Extend it at immigration for 30 days... Do a visa run after the 30 days and get a 30 day stamp. Do it again after those 30 days are up. Now you *might be able to do it again to reach the 90/180 limit relating to 30 day entry stamps......... Total, a 6 month stay in Thailand... * I say might because the 30 extension to the original tourist visa is rumoured to count in the 90/180 limit, of this I am unsure. But perhaps you could go to Malaysia again instead!

One of the visa run outfits is obtaining single entry tourist visas in Malaysia. Well they are advertising the fact on TV. I am also confused how you will stay in Thailand for 2 years using one triple entry tourist visa.... that visa would expire after 6 months.

Perhaps the visa run agencies pay the 'official' Cambodia visa price of $20, or 680 baht. Your extra 100 baht is probably the newer extra charge, for not staying in Cambodia! Nevertheless, with a breakfast, dinner and sitting in comfort watching a DVD, I will be using the visa run agencies. They were offering afternoon runs a while back, probably not viable in low season, plus they got back too late.

Surprised you couldn't get on one of the organised visa runs this time of year.... I would always prefer an 'organised trip'. I don't see a problem though other than the Cambodians maybe taking advantage.. and wanting 1000 baht instead of $20. But sure, you can get in and out on the day. If money is no real object I would think about driving to the airport and jumping on a budget flight to Singapore...

I thought 'food' was not an option to the owner? Any space for a microwave? A nice pie or pasty after a few beers is always nice. There is a lady does this on Beach rd near Soi 7, although she is a bit mean with the microwave timer. Good luck

Yes just had a crown fitted, I think it was about 8000 baht altogether. Dr Jaew, Art of Smile. Near Tropical Berts (famous Soi 6 area, 2nd Rd, opposite Bangkok Bank))

Or look up the Canon service agent on the internet and see who they list. It will likely be in Bangkok though, but it might be worth the trip there. I just did that with my watch and it was done in 1/5 the time at 1/3 the price that it would have been in the UK. An early start from the bus station and you can be back in Pattaya by 2pm.

My thoughts too, plenty of unskilled Thais working as carpenters here, well this week they might be carpenters! Anyhow wood is a dying building material. I am certainly hoping to replace it when the pet termites have done with it!

Sarcasm from a high horse perspective...

Getting the visa is no hassle other than being in the UK long enough. You can go in person or apply by post. It is a consulate actually, the embassy is of course in London. If that doesn't work get a multiple entry tourist visa. Read here, Hull Consulate. Interesting. Maybe they have an automatic program now on their computers to add up your days! And they decided to clean up the messy notices..... maybe not too.

Not sure why you are posting questions rather than answers.... His UK tax status would be 'liable' as long as he is still 'resident'. Qualifying as a non-resident (for tax purposes) has become more difficult recently, but by no means impossible. Determine the criteria and understand and conform. (Check on this! There are UK government web pages that define it quite well.) At most being out of the UK with no place of residence or dependents there for a specified time, should do it. Although if one has decided not to live in the UK again, I would simply deposit my money in Income Bonds, as tax is not deducted at source and wait it out. If he can live off pension and bank interest, why does he have to worry about accessing his deposit? Anyhow, at worst it would be a few months. I wouldn't consider a long term deposit, like those 5 year ideas. Might want to look at that Indian Bank...ICICI. http://www.icicibank.co.uk/ or why even close your existing account? If he is living in LOS, then he needs spending money there... and maybe 800,000 baht on deposit in LOS to qualify for the retirement visa (or he can just verify the pension income). Keep the bulk on deposit in the UK or offshore UK. You might just need to return! I don't know what the criteria are to open an offshore account these days, had mine for 25+ years. Surely the difficulty is just proving non-residence status to qualify for tax exemption. Get the account sorted first, worry about tax later. This is not where the bulk of the money will be. Good luck Ron, it isn't as difficult as you may think. You are doing the right thing posting here, but back it up with some research of your own. Start here http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/cnr/ and keep asking questions. Us guys out here love to help, we are all getting on and want to feel we are still useful.

I am surprised you recommend this, as I thought the money had to have been in your account already for 3 months. As to the alternative financial requirement, that of verified income, as of October you will need a letter from your embassy, and then another stamp from some Thai ministry verifying such letter. A trip to Bangkok or a courier needed, and of course you will pay. As to doing trips out of Thailand, on a retirement visa one needs to purchase an exit/re-entry permit prior. The advantages of the retirement visa is you do not have to do such trips, nor go back to your home country for a 'new one'. Truly preferable for people who have no desire to travel

I like my visa runs...went to Bali last time, UK the trip before. Since I like to do a trip 'home' every 6-7 months, I think the Non Imm O visa is a far easier than the retirement option. All those daft letters from banks and doctors, and 3 monthly 'reporting'. Forced into keeping a small fortune in a low interest bank account! I like to keep my interaction with Thai 'officials' minimal!

I might dispute your speeds statement. I pay about 375baht/month for 100 hours with one2call. Speed is only 'acceptable' from 5-7am! It is hardly useable at 8am (for a short spell) and early evening, likely due to busy phones! I think it depends not only on time of day but where you are physically located on the network too. I am in East Pattaya, more central areas may do better. I have even felt that the network is doing some form of prioritisation when things get busy... my cheap deal being bottom of the heap!

I have certainly not heard rumour that the 90 days in 180 limitation has been tossed! No tricks necessary, apply for a Non-Imm-O visa (multiple) from the consulate in Hull.