joekicker

After you make the visa application, you can spend your 800,000 baht - that evening if you wish, and please invite me to that party if you do. Bear in mind you'll need some next year, check with immigration to GET THE LATEST INFORMATION on how many days/months before re-application (next year) that you need to have the money showing in the account again. Believe it or not, sometimes they reduce the requirements, although usually any changes are against you. To be clear: You will have to re-declare a financial position each year when you re-apply for a re-extension to your retirement visa. The requirements change way too often, so check well in advance of your one-year visa expiration to get the latest, exact requirements on bank balance and/or monthly income and/or any other requirements. You must report to immigration after 90 days of each arrival in country, and every 90 days thereafter from that date. The reporting date, as indicated in the first, excellent, answer, depends on your latest arrival only - nothing to do with previous arrivals OR visa extensions so it's not difficult to keep track. You also need a re-entry permit (exit visa if you prefer) to travel. If you don't get a re-entry permit, your hard-fought visa will be cancelled when you leave Thailand, no appeal, no drama, it's just gone. In my opinion, you should get a re-entry visa the very day you get your one-year visa extension, so you'll always be prepared. The re-entry visa is good for the life of the visa extension. You can get a single re-entry for 1,900 baht or a multiple for more if you KNOW you'll be making a number of trips in the coming year. The re-entries expire at the end of your current visa limit and can't be carried over.

I'll take that answer for three points and a bonus for knowing it's leftovers. Please select the next category. Actually, though, I know that American Fried Rice was invented much the same way, near the gate of Takhli Airbase, and served to a couple of airmen returning from town. The guy (it was a man) threw together leftovers, which is why the hot dogs and chicken combination - and added the ketchup as a "well they're Americans" moment. Little did he know there is a country where people walk upside down where "tomato sauce" could fittingly be called Australian nam pla. I've never seen a country that uses more of it per capita. Yes, I think you read that wrong. Chop suey was certainly in the US in the 19th century, but I think it went "back" to "China" (Hong Kong) in the 1960s, and probably Americans took it there, too,, rather than Chinese.

Buffalo, American fried rice has ketchup, but it's not quite "any fried rice". It has to have a fried egg,it has to have a ham slice and it has to have a chicken part at the very bare minimum to be American Fried Rice. It is a full-on Thai food now, accepted everywhere in Thai restaurants worldwide. Chop suey was invented in San Francisco and around the 1960s was imported by Hong Kong. It has spread a bit since then but you don't get it in many places.

I presume that they take UBC, since UBC owns all Thai rights to EPL. Up until last year they could take a cable service that offered Star Sports. UBC/TrueVisions is generally more expensive than the small, local cable outfits, it runs around 1,500 a month for decent channel selection. It's almost only delivered by satellite, small dish. Even most of the larger hotels seem to prefer Sophon cable instead, but there certainly is Truevisions service in Pattaya if you want it.

comma, and the best of that is free. I still have NC.EXE, heh. 65,840 bytes, 15 May 1986.

UBC is now rebranded TrueVisions. It is Thailand's biggest pay-TV service. It is not all that common in Pattaya.

Peter Norton has had nothing to do with any of that stuff since the last century. No one except an IT Deparment should install anything with the name Norton or Symantec. Why an IT Department WOULD do it is beyond my limited reasoning power, but at least they get paid for it. It is not good software. It is very badly behaved software. It does not protect you very well. It does not work very well. On the other hand, it is almost all bloatware and slow as service in an embassy visa section.

All depends what your definition of "swinging couples" is. I actually agree with you, because the people who describe themselves as swingers that I've met are all serious, dour-faced, counters - they count how often, and that seems to be their total life. In fact they CALL it "the lifestyle". I find it pretty sad, although I have been known to, um, meet them from time to time - not often. Finding couples to... well, have fun with isn't all that difficult in Pattaya, probably easier than other places although it's not all that difficult elsewhere, certainly including Bangkok. The Internet sure has helped with that. These folks are up for dinner or whatever, and see what happens. The attraction here is not "let's put a notch in the bedpost" but having fun.

Shilo: You arrive in Thailand, you get a 60-day stamp in your passport. Within 60 days you must leave, or you can go to immigration and for 2,000 baht get a 30-extension, after which (total of 90 days) you must leave. So. You go out of Thailand. You have used your first entry-visa permission in entirety. It is gone. But you have another one. You come back to Thailand and begin exactly the same thing again, no difference in any manner. You stay for 60 days or less, or you get a 30-day extension and leave in less than 91 days. If you have a visa there is no other day-counting, there is no such thing as "total days". Each discrete, different, separate stay begins the day you arrive and it is totally finished when you leave. You must leave in 60 or 90 days, and the visit is over, finished, done, never again considered. You may be confused about people who arrive with no visa at all. They have to worry about a "total day" rule which does not in any manner, at any time, affect you or anyone with a visa. You're not wrong but you are off-topic. This thread is about someone who has done the crime, done the time.

They can get laid a lot. Mrs Kicker and I can even guarantee that, at least for a short time no pun intended. What else can you say? They can live okay on their income, not wonderful but they have enough to rent a house and get laid a lot. They can't work in Thailand but they can do all kinds of businesses while they get laid a lot - it's 2008 in Thailand, too, and they can sell on eBay or write stories or sell their pictures of getting laid a lot. They don't have enough money for a real visa, so they'll have to do visa runs every three months out of the country, but in Laos, Cambodia and northern Malaysia they can get laid while they renew their visas - a lot.

Almost all current US airlines will be in existence in 12 months. Flat statement. A couple or five won't be. Do you think it is assuming a lot that.... lessee, lessee... oh, say, Delta Airlines will be in existence in a year? Would you bet me more than 25 satang that it won't be - even money? I strongly believe you've stated this bassackwards. It's not that "any one US airline" could go TU - on the contrary, almost none of them will and most of them definitely will not and there are dozens and dozens which can be named as "definitely will be in existence in 12 months". If you'd said it the other way, that another couple or three US airlines might tip over within a year, who could argue? But then I don't get the second sentence at all. Why wouldn't they fly if there are passengers in the terminal who want to go? My balls aren't made of crystal of course, and if I knew the future I wouldn't be here writing speculation. But pax loads into Bangkok from the worlds to the east HAVE BEEN close to 100% for quite a while now. I can see higher prices, for all kinds of reasons, but "fewer flights" doesn't compute. I can't imagine fewer frequencies in order to surive. That doesn't even make sense. I can see fewer frequencies ONLY if there are fewer passengers. That's not survival, that's business. And of course airlines are a weird business, too. At the moment, it costs almost exactly twice as much to fly from Bangkok to the US and back, as it costs to fly from the US to Bangkok and back. THAT could change - probably will. But fewer flights for the currently increasing number of passengers? Why? Anyhow, so far as Bangkok, there are actually very few American airlines that actually, physically fly to Thailand so it is almost academic anyhow, unless United goes TU. The important question on this subject right now is whether Delta WILL continue flights to Bangkok that Northwest is flying, or whether it will just expand code-sharing.

His wife can sponsor him, there is a specific immigration category for that, and the Chiang Mai immigration office will fill him in. He needs an income, however of (I think) 45,000 baht a month, something in that area. The deal is: She sponsors him in return for which he has to support her, that's the law. It's a one-year non-immigrant visa, which you can roll over very, very easily after you get the first one. There is no need to leave Thailand, ever, if that's what he wants. There are many other ways to stay in Thailand, including getting a job and so on, but they all are conditional. A "spouse visa" aka "Thai Wife Visa" is a clear-cut one. Again: There is NO problem with his previous overstay, whatever and however long it was. I must add that someone is already giving him TERRIBLE advice about this. Number one, you said he married this girl in South Africa, so that means he's married, period. He can do any ceremony he wants in Thailand including legal marriage, religious or whatever, up to him. But legally, by your description, he is married under Thai and just about any other law. Number two, you most certainly do not need a relative to be married or re-married in Thailand, that's ridiculous. Finally, his mother and him will be two different cases at immigration. There is almost no (pardon the pun) relation.

Do you mean overstay is not a wise move? Well, agreed about that, but people do lots of unwise things, and overstay in Thailand isn't the worst of them by any means. Once it has happened, though, you have to deal with it.

20,000 baht is not at all steep if you overstay 40 days or more; it's exactly right. In answer to the next question: Because, eventually you can't get an extension and overstaying seems such a good idea at the time, without a bit of worry for 40 days or more, until the very, very end. A long overstay is kind of like a leap off a very, very tall building: For a long, long time, all you think is, "Well, this isn't so bad."

No you won't.. I mean, your friend won't. It's a minor offence. Once you've... er he has paid up and made amends, there is no further problem. In Thailand, overstay is like a parking ticket - not reckless driving. Even a long overstay is just overtime parking.

Another sports star: Kevin Kaesviharn

Google Images is your friend. http://images.google.com/images?q=boonie+h...sa=N&tab=wi The other great thing about a boonie hat is you can fold, roll it or just mash it and put it almost anywhere (yes, even there, I suppose). It's much harder to lose than any comparable hat.

Straw's great, and widely available. Panama gets more chicks. The boonie hat is wonderful because it's indestructible - wear it into the pool or sea. I'd just point out that the back of the white person's neck is a real sun magnet. A lot of folks worry about a shirt with a collar before a hat, in fact.

It's the holidays, marcortez. So much anger is not good, and not good karma. Perhaps that is what wearies you? That personal advice aside, I'm sure you can explain why you are entitled to write something that is totally off-topic and certainly not worthwhile - but "people like me" should not? It seems most anti-democratic.

Self-answering questions. There's a good step forward for the board.

What threats exist that you might want to protect against? You seem to warn of a threat of Internet monitors looking for gamblers, is that right? Do you have more information about WHAT the threat/s is/are?

Any idea how often things like that actually happen to online gamblers? Like one out of every three gamblers? One of every 728? How about... never? Does "never" sound about right? What's your opinion about why all the big UK gambling sites that facilitate soccer betting and WHICH ARE BANNED have Thai-language versions? If you are in Thailand, just try this: http://www.ladbrokes.com/ If you are not in Thailand, have a look at this, which is what we in Thailand get automagically when we type the above because Ladbrokes wants our trade and pays out immediately. http://www.ladbrokes.com/home/th You are right of course that these things are against the law and some or even all of those things you say could, in an alternate universe, happen. I'd just note that what you recommend to the poster is absolutely illegal under Thai law and he could wind up in prison for 20 years if he is found utilisting those distractions you think he should go after.

IN a lot of ways, Vietnam is like Thailand in the... oh, 1980s? A bit of a frontier, a bit of a frontier SPIRIT, a long way to go to get where they're going. I'd go to Taiwan. Sounds boring but I have some family who have done very well there striking out on their own and breaking the mould. There is a lot of opportunity there.

Both engines were involved. The engines were not shut down. Gee, you know, this is three months later. Putting out bad info is not helpful. Nor is it necessary to cite rumours when we have facts on record. Initial Report Update 23 January 2008 As previously reported, whilst the aircraft was stabilised on an ILS approach with the autopilot engaged, the autothrust system commanded an increase in thrust from both engines. The engines both initially responded but after about 3 seconds the thrust of the right engine reduced. Some eight seconds later the thrust reduced on the left engine to a similar level. The engines did not shut down and both engines continued to produce thrust at an engine speed above flight idle, but less than the commanded thrust.

My opinion is any of them are fine, plus there are other really good places even though you have already made your "final" list. Each place has its strong and weaker points, yet none of the three places you list are horrible enough to stay away from. In this case, it really is Up To You.