redwood13

Hours are 11:00-22:00 and as "Anfield" said, it's inside Top's at the entrance nearest Beach Rd. -redwood

Just a caution - be sure you know what you're getting for your money Friend rented an apt. on Soi 4 but - for whatever reason - did not realize that he'd have to buy sheets, towels, duvet, fan, waste basket etc, etc, for his stay -redwood

Posted yesterday on thaivisa a guy does as you describe. He deposits a check drawn on his US credit union into his Thai account and is given a receipt. He says that this has been acceptable to Immigration officials where he lives. Total cost: 203 baht See posts #10 & 13. http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?sh...105702&st=0 -redwood

Some sort of statement of entitlement for X dollars per month issued by the military at your retirement should be satisfactory. The US Embassy only requires you to affirm that you receive a monthly amount from the US Government and/or other sources. They don't require you to show any evidence of the amount you claim to receive. The British Embassy does require documentation. However there have been reports on thaivisa that at least in the case of Bangkok Immigration there have been demands to see financial documentation to satisfy the requirements for retirement. This has been for all

".........Foreigners may not generally own land in Thailand....................The right to own land is not included in the Treaty. Thus Americans are in the same position as others foreigners in relation to land ownership." http://www.bia.co.th/006.html -redwood

What I think most retired Americans do here is transfer funds from their US bank account into a Thai bank saving account, (I use Bank of Thailand) using a repetitive wire transfer agreement. This agreement has to be initiated in the US. I request transfer by a telephone call to the US using a security code. I believe some US banks will process the transfer using the Internet but mine will not - this is once the agreement is in place. Dollars are transferred and then changed into baht, as you have a baht account, in Thailand which gives the preferred rate of exchange. You can then access f

A single entry N-I O Visa is only valid for a stay of 90 days. The reason you need a N-I O visa is because what you're going to be doing is requesting that Thai Immigration extend that visa to a full year. And you'll be requesting that they do this on the basis that you meet their qualifications for retirement. That is, formally speaking there is no such thing as a "retirement visa", even though most all of us use that term. Similarly there's no "marriage visa" - your extension is based on supporting a Thai - in this case a wife. From what I've read on thaivisa.com I very much doubt t

"Apart from the purchase price of your property, the following fees will also have to be paid. In most cases, the seller will pay, but sometimes the seller will ask the buyer to share the costs or pay them all, depending on the final cost negotiated." Property business tax = 3.3%. Transfer fees = 2% Stamp duty of 0.5% The above is from http://www.mlsasiapacific.com/thailand-property-fees.php Also see http://www.siam-legal.com/land/taxes_Buying.html -redwood

Seems to me if you don't have a foreign currency account with SCB then the funds would be deposited into your Thai baht account. To me the most conservative thing to do would be to put the money into your Western bank account and then once you're in Thailand and ready to buy the condo SWIFT the foreign currency into your SCB Thai account. -redwood

"For DStv and CAtv (Digital) subscribers, UBC-True will temporarily suspend our signal during 01:00 to 06:00 on 16 January 2007 (the night of Monday 15 January) in order to process a re-numbering of our channels. During the aforementioned hours, no viewing of UBC programs will be possible." http://www.ubctv.com/eng/channelrelocation.aspx -redwood

I believe I’ve seen something on thaivisa that indicates some guys do use direct deposit in a Thai bank for their SS benefits. I wouldn’t do it. For one thing, as you’ve seen from what happened last Monday, you simply never know what the Thais might do in the future re currency controls. I have my check deposited into a bank in California and using a repetitive wire transfer agreement I send money over by SWIFT every few months. Re Medicare I’ll take this opportunity to add to the discussion. I declined to enroll in Part B when I initially signed on for Social Security benefits an

Here's a thread from another board re Rates to Go and the Bella Villa: Bella Villa Pattaya Problems -redwood

You'll have to be in Thailand to open a bank account here. Don't know how it works with Canadian banks, but in the US to send money by SWIFT you'd need to set up a wire transfer agreement with your US bank. In my case it's a "repetitive wire transfer agreement" which allows me to initiate the transfer of money from my US account to my Bangkok Bank account. ("repetitive" in that the agreement is valid for 10 years.) I telephone a number in the US and give them instructions re the amount, the currency I want sent - always US dollars, not baht - and my code number. Money arrives here in 1

The bar/restaurant facing Beach Road is officially named the Beach Cafe I believe, but is called "Charlie's" by the locals mainly because it's owned by a Thai-Chinese scamster named Charlie - duh! He owns the building (inherited from his deceased father) which runs from Beach Road back to the money changer next to the Mandarin. The Stone Oven, whose menu items are available at Charlie's in addition to its own space on Soi 6, is owned by a Danish guy who leases the space from Charlie. Charlie's also has its own separate menu with Thai and farang offerings. Thai food is ok as is the

If I request by telephone a SWIFT transfer from my Wells Fargo account in the USA to my Bangkok Bank account around midnight the money is available that afternoon. -redwood

As of a month ago per the folks at reception - book a double and a "guest" is ok. 1000 baht will be added to your bill. -redwood

The 85K exclusion refers to foreign earned income. -redwood

Yes, Stone Oven. Looks like it's closed. Good pizza I'm told - but probably a poor location. -redwood

This customs job requires extra fortitude Agents fighting a cyber war on internationally trafficked child porn must wade through the images in building cases against makers or users. By H.G. Reza - Times Staff Writer November 7, 2006 Jorge Guzman looked at the photograph of the Asian girl with concern and revulsion. The child looked about 8 years old. Her arms were tied together, and so were her legs, and a man was having sex with her. "There are some things in this world that are not meant to be seen," Guzman said. "This was one of them." Guzman makes his living lookin

The consensus on the thaivisa board is that nobody knows. However after 1 Jan. we'll start to see folks who have been in Thailand for 90 days try to get additional days via border runs or by applying for 60 day tourist visas or whatever other means they can think of and only then will we know how Immigration is going to deal with all this. -redwood

Your mileage is likely to vary given the wide range of experiences on this recent thaivisa thread on the subject of internet banking. Internet Banking Thread -redwood

Per thaivisa it seems they're once again sometimes, maybe wanting to have a look at your boarding pass, either as you leave the aircraft or as you stop at Immigration - so hang on to it. -redwood

I'd apply at the Honorary Consulate in Houston. Last I heard they were issuing double entry tourist visas and are generally very user friendly. ROYAL THAI CONSULATE-GENERAL 600 Travis, Ste. 2800 HOUSTON, TX 77002-3940 Tel : (713) 229-0636 Fax : (713) 228-1303 E-mail : jrichardson@tindallfoster.com Honorary Consul-General, Mr. Charles C. Foster -redwood

The requirements for obtaining an extension of an O visa on the basis of supporting a Thai wife have changed as of 1 Oct. 2006. You now have to have a letter from your embassy (as per the extension for a retirement visa) confirming that you have an income/pension of at least 40,000 baht per month. You cannot use money in a Thai bank account nor a combination of income/pension plus money in a bank account to qualify. The 40,000 baht monthly income can be the combined income of both spouses. Anyone who's had such extensions prior to 1 Oct. can continue using money in the bank or a combina

Suggest you do a search on thaivisa.com as there have been several threads there re various educational options in the Pattaya area. -redwood