Gary

Frosty, I signed out of the new account and logged in with the original Gary member name. Everything is there and looks good. Thanks a lot.

I have not stayed in my Jomtien condo for a year or so. My wife was very seldom with me. While at the condo, I always used Panda food delivery and was never disappointed. I found their service excellent. I think their drivers are likely poorly paid so I always gave them a fairly generous tip, nothing too generous but usually around a hundred baht. Food delivery is not a very good job and also dangerous so I don't mind tipping. Maybe in the past year the service has deteriorated, I don't know.

I'm not irritated. I give my opinion to those who use agents because I consider it a risk. It is illegal and could come back to bite them. Up to them.

I have irritated some guys who are using agents. I'm convinced that this is not legal. The immigration rules very clearly state the financial requirements. I am also of the opinion that if you cannot afford to have 800,000 baht in a Thai bank, then you can't afford to live here. I'm by no means wealthy but I am financially comfortable and don't have to live on a tight budget. Being retired here in Thailand is great "IF" you can afford it. Living here on a tight budget is not a happy retirement.

Years ago I used to get my extensions from a company called Thai Visa. Yes, the same name as the forum. It was located on the small soi at the end of Soi Cowboy. For several years there were no problems. I was due for an extension and went to the office. There was a big chain and padlock through the door handles. Fortunately I still had my passport. I bit the bullet and went to Bangkok immigration. The immigration officer had a big stack of passports on his desk that they had confiscated from Thai Visa. He checked over my passport and told me that the stamps were legal but had come from Aust

I was wrong about the latest rule changes. I had thought those changes would put the visa agents out of business. That obviously did not happen. Using an agent is definitely illegal but it has been going on for many years. Money talks and bullshit walks.

I considered myself a fairly skilled rider but after nearly getting hit by a speeding idiot driving way too fast, I decided that it only takes ONCE to get hurt or die even though it is not your fault. After many years of enjoyable riding, nearly all on big bikes, I gave it up.

While living in Jomtien, I had a 175cc Kawasaki and a pickup truck. If going into Pattaya, I parked the bike or the car in Jomtien and took the baht bus. I would NEVER ride the Kawasaki into Pattaya. I would take the pickup if I needed to haul something. Finding a parking place in most Pattaya areas is simply a pain in the ass. I nearly got hit on Jomtien Beach Road by a speeding pickup truck. I did drop the bike but didn't get hurt. After that, I sold the Kawasaki. It's simply not worth the risk.

Having health insurance sounds great, BUT, Health insurance is simply not available for us old farts. What will we do if it is mandatory? I have lived here full time for 26 years. Is the government going to throw me out after all these years when they know no company will insure us?

The health care insurance policy was for a maximum payout of 1,25 million baht. I just couldn't see paying the huge premiums. Since I can cover more than that, I could see no reason to make that company any more money. All the years I had that policy, I had one claim for an appendectomy. They did pay with no questions asked. They did deduct one item. It was for a Coke for my wife.

Thanks for that. It never hurts to have a backup.

I got an answer to my email within a couple hours. She did remember me and yes, she is still in business. She quoted me 1,400 baht all in. She is such a nice lady and has such good service that I am not going to quibble over a couple hundred baht. My wife will be busy cutting rice, probably in late November, so she will be happy to have me out of the way for a couple of weeks. I hope by then things will be back nearly to normal.

Thanks a lot, that's her. I sent her an email. Hopefully the flights will be back to normal next month. My wife likes to get rid of me during her rice harvest.

I lost the telephone number for my lady taxi driver. She was a good safe driver with a nice car . She charged 1,200 baht from the airport to the front door of my Jomtien condo. Does anyone know of a reliable driver?

I no longer fly international and only fly domestic once in a while. I always searched for the cheapest ticket and whatever model plane they used was OK with me. I have no brand loyalty regarding airline or airliner.

It took me quite a while to find a condo that I was happy with and I bought it for the long term and not for investment or re-sale. My friends told me that I paid too much and would never get my money back. I patiently explained that I didn't want to live in a shoebox and I insisted on a separate bedroom. Mine is a corner unit of 60 square meters with a lot of built in storage. I intentionally avoided beach front units mainly because of the salt air corrosion problems. I also hate high rise buildings. My complex is five story buildings and open in the center. Mine is on the third floor. I

Is the Walking Street wiring jungle all nice and neat now?

What's wrong with you? Pattaya's flood problems have been solved. That is, at least, until the next big rain.

Our condo complex (Soi Chaiyapruk) has always had water with no restrictions. I'm not sure where the water comes from but it is amazingly soft. That makes me think that they draw water from the huge swamp behind the complex. Compared to our village upcountry, the water is so hard that the shower head clogs up with minerals on a regular basis.

Whatever happened to the huge pipeline they were building from the Bang Pakong river. I well remember seeing the work along a highway going on several years ago. At the time, I scoffed at the pipeline but maybe they knew their business and could see the future.

I have a long irritating story. I had my money in a local Thai farmers bank that paid good interest. It was approved by immigration before I moved the money. It was fine for years until immigration got a new boss. She wouldn't accept that account even though I could get the money out anytime I wanted. I finally agreed to put the money back in a SCB savings account. That wasn't good enough because she said it had to be in my savings account for three months. What a miserable bitch she was. She said I had to leave the country. To make a long story short, I went to the US Embassy and got an incom

As for myself, I would smell a rat having to deal with just one bank official. It would definitely jump out at me if other bank branches saw problems with my account. I deal with SCB and they pay me absolutely no interest on my 800,000 baht that is required for my visa.

My bedroom balcony is quite large. I have a table and chairs and still have plenty of room for the drying rack. That balcony overlooks the swimming pool and I like to have my morning coffee out there. There is a rule that you cannot hang clothes on the balcony rail. The living room balcony is small and it too has a drying rack but it is too small for sheets or blankets. I do use it to dry small floor rugs and to store mops, mop buckets and cleaning supplies. Only the 60 square meter corner units have two balconies. Most other units are 40 square meters and their balconies are the full width of

I have a drying rack that I unfold and put on my larger bedroom balcony. It is no hassle to hang my wet clothes on that rack. My condo also has a small balcony off the living room where I have my washing machine. With the living room curtains closed, you wouldn't know it was there. The condo complex has a laundry service but I find that more hassle than doing it myself.

I'm always surprised that the condo developers are for the most part building shoe boxes. Maybe it's only me but no way could I live in a 26 square meter room. Most hotel rooms are bigger than that. My condo is 60 square meters and is barely livable. Living in a studio is maybe OK for guys on holiday but living like that full time would make me stir crazy. I did find a corner unit on Soi 7 Jomtien that was 52 square meters. It at least had a sliding door hiding the bed. The day I had to make up my mind, the electricity was off. I asked the owner when the emergency generator would come on