InternationalTraveler

What i have also noticed just recently is that the taxi driver from Survanabhumi covers the meter with a towel so you do not see the end result at your destination...crafty bastards.... i think i saw around 800 baht in Pattaya. I guess it must be compulsary to put the meter on when leaving the airport. I am not looking for a Fortuner... only a fast car

I do not see the point of booking your taxi from Survanabhumi....looking for the driver, where has he /she parked/ waiting/waiting...when the standard taxi rank price to Pattaya is the same 1500 baht. The last 2-times i have come out the terminal and got straight in the taxi and no need to wait. Now you press the machine and get an automatic ticket to the taxi rank number. Surely you need to be competitiveto get business????

Visa Category Visit 6- months Trendy Office Building Soi 13 Sukhumvit Road Bangkok Having filled in the on-line form from visa 4 UK Paid for the Standard Service Fee of $129 (processing time around 15-days) and picked an afternoon appointment time which only involves the GF and the interview is conducted in Thai. The Visa application form which has to be signed by the GF and the appointment form are checked at the left hand side information desk in the foyer which has flags of UK, Australia and Canada. Her appointment at 14:20 was duly noted and crossed off the list and the appointment page stamped and was summoned to the lift up to the 28th floor. An hour later she came back down and was smiling. They basically only asked her who was paying for the trip. They gave her a number and she waited in the queueapparently the staff was running around like headless chickens. And they took all my supporting documents. She had to go to the biometrics counter to have her fingerprints scanned and 2-camera photos, one at normal level and the other at high level which she had to look up at. What is that all about? A charge of 250 baht for courier service was paid for return postage track and trace back to Pattaya. Looking back The most difficult part of this application was getting all her parents info as her father died 30-years ago. Also had to put some fictitious birth dates on the form as the application form is mandatory and will not accept a N/A or N/K (not available or not known) in the box and will not print out the application if it is not fully completed. Key Visa will also tell you it is all about presentation, documentation and impression. Some of my document package may not have been necessary but there was enough info to convince the Embassy that it was a genuine application. There are enough funds for the visit and the GF is going to return to Thailand. For example, I was told by one of my friends that a visa company he used said that phone records were the most important requirement and that if he did not have any then the agent could produce some for him which were vital in procuring the visa. In my case I did not have and did not produce any phone records, any Facebook or other interactionis it just a myth or more BS banded around by some of the visa companies? I have previously used Darren at Key Visa for my British Embassy Verification of pension and have attended when he has been the main speaker at the Pattaya Expat Club. He says he has a good relationship with the Embassy. But I would not be paying him 30,000 baht for something that looks a relatively simple process. It would be interesting to know exactly how much influence some of the visa companies have with the Embassy if any at all? Also every document I supplied was a copy and not an original document apart from the ATM receipts. My sponsors letter and additional documents VFS Bangkok Visa Application Centre 24th March 2015 Dear Sir/Madam Re: Application for a visitor's visa for xxxx I write in support of xxs application to visit the United Kingdom. Brief background Him I am a British National. I am xx years old and an xx for a global xxx company. I moved to Thailand in 2011 because I can live in Thailand and use it as a base to commute to anywhere in the world and spend on average around 7- months a year here and 5-months working. I rent a house in Pattaya and have now been living in Thailand for more than three and a half years. I am planning on retiring in Thailand (full time) sometime in the very near future. I have been divorced for more than 15-years and have 3- grown up sons which live and work in the UK. Her xx is a Thai National and is xx years old. She has not been married nor had any children and used to be a professional xxx. Her home is in xxxx near xxxx where her family live. During my trips away overseas she visits her mother and relatives to help out on the farm. She also owns some land which is used for growing rice. Our circumstances I am currently employed by xxxx UK and have worked for them for more than 26-years. My basic salary is £xxxx per month. With overtime and overseas payments I will normally earn more than £xxxxx (GBP) per year. My salary is paid in UK Pounds into a UK bank and I pay tax and National insurance and my pensions in the UK. I am employed as a xxx and have travelled and worked in many countries around the world sometimes for a few days or up to 6-weeks at a time. I get 25-days official holidays per year of which 10-days will be allocated for this trip. I own a 4 bedroom property in xxx UK which is paid for and I use it during my return visits. It is unoccupied but my 3-kids also use my house when they are visiting friends and family. I met my girlfriend around 4-years ago on one of my Asia trips and she has now been living with me once I rented my first apartment outside of Pattaya in August 2011. I originally stayed in Thailand on a 1-year multi entry visas until getting a retirement visa last June 2014. We have been to many places in Thailand together including Bangkok, Koh Chang, Hua Hin, Ayutthaya, Sukhothai, Chiang Mai, and recently drove my car over the border into Laos and around the Mekong into Issan. I have made 2-visits to her mothers house to see her family in xxxx near xxxx. xxx is unemployed and is supported entirely by myself. Travel My plan is to bring xxxx with me to England for a 2-week period in June. My eldest son is getting married and I have an invite to the wedding. I also have to be there as I will be financing part of it. We will be staying the majority of the time at my house in xxx and will have visits to see family, friends and down the South of England to Portsmouth for the wedding where my son works for xxx. Then we will spend a few days in and around London. I can finance xxs visit to the UK out of income. The cost of flights, hotels, spending money will be paid by me. I have also deposited 100,000 baht in her bank account in the case of any emergency. She will also have a few hundred pounds spending money for anything she needs to buy. Reasons why xxx will return to Thailand at the end of her holiday xxx is an unemployed woman with Thai values. Given her background and the length of our relationship I would suggest that it is highly unlikely that she would do anything to jeopardize our relationship or for any future applications for entry clearance. xxx has no friends in the UK and will be staying with me during our trip and this will be a once in a lifetime holiday. She will want to return to Thailand for many reasons. Not only because of the Thai food but she also has to look after her garden, see her friends and family and eventually to look after her mother. xx will not be seeking work in the UK and will not need to. I enclose with this application some documents which I hope will be of assistance in considering xxs application. Yours faithfully xxxxx date xxxx Document Package Passport Face Page Last Entry Stamp & TM6 card Latest Retirement & 3-Previous Multi-entry Visas Pattaya House Rental and copy of last months paid rent Previous rental agreement Bank statement showing last 3-months UK house Council Tax and Utility bill also shown on bank statement Statement from British Embassy pension/salary (last years retirement visa) Tax statement 2013/14 3-months pay slips 2-UK Bank accounts showing funds TSB/Nat West 2-Thai Bank accounts showing funds Kasikorn ATM printed slip & copy of bank books Deposit of 100,000 baht into xxs Bank account ATM printed slip & copy of bank book Official Land deed document copy showing farmland in xxs name Some previous years monthly deposits into xxs Bank account Some photographs 10-photographs of previous trips/ dates from 2011 and my UK house photo from Google. After the interview Six days after visiting Bangkok, got an e-mail stating only that they have made a decision but they do not tell you if you have the visa or not. YOUR UK VISA APPLICATION DECISION IS READY FOR COLLECTION : please read below UK Visas and Immigration has made a decision on your visa application and this email explains how your documents will be returned to you. THAILAND APPLICANTS: your passport/documents will be ready for collection from the Bangkok visa application centre on the 2nd working day after you receive this email. Collection times are Monday-Friday 10.00 - 16.00 and Saturday 08.30 - 12.00. ALL APPLICANTS: if you paid an additional courier or postage fee, documents will be sent to you. On day 11 got the passport courier delivered to the house with a UK visa. To summarise TOTAL COST OF VISA Visa $129 4,200 baht Courier/Postage 250 baht Passport photos 100 baht Hotel & night out in Bangkok OPTIONALor just send her on the bus.

Over the last few years I have read many things about our mayor...going to do this and that Now I take it all with a pinch of salt...most of it is all 'Wind & Piss' This proverb comes to mind....Never believe anything you hear and only half of what you see.

I was in Bangkok on Tuesday when the heavens opened plouging through waves of water to the Trendy building on Sukhumvit 13. This is where VFS Visa services are located on the 28th Floor. I applied for the GF myself on line to the UK Visa & Immigration...under Apply for someone else Appication form Declaration signed Made Appointment Made Payment...cost $129..approx 4000 baht Printed Application You do not need to attend and they tell you to wait downstairs...(there are 2-bars on ground floor) And i am expecting......well i hope i am expecting her passport to arrive by courier in approx 10-days time with a UK Visitor Visa. I will post a review of what documentation i produced if i am successful

And as for the beach....or in this case what is left of it...nature at its worst Some of the trees are pretty precarious

Butch, Last week was a strange one as some of the bars i was in had more customers than at Christmas...yet other bars were empty. As for Songkran...or as i call it Songkhraam...meaning WAR. Last year i stuck it out for 3-days purposely dodging Sois 6 7 & 8, beach road and Soi Buakhao...even on the back streets got soaked whilst riding the motor bike. Generally after 7pm it tends to quieten down a bit.....but even then...a dry night of your clothes cannot be guaranteed. As for staying in...Nah....are you crazy...a little water ....whilst i am still vertical i have to go out. Yes 3- days of ducking and diving was enough for me so took a slow drive down the coast and the ferry over to Koh Chang for a change of pace.

Peter Rental cars cannot be taken out of Thailand. I got my Laos visa at the boarder..paid in $$$ it was cheaper than in baht. Used dollars in Lao for everything..never changed any money into Kip. You have to queue about 30-45 minutes for visa so to save time it would probably be better to get one before. I think you can get one in Nongkai...costs a a little bit more money.

Martin No rental or cars on hire purchase....car has to be owned by yourself. You need a Purple book obtained from LTO...it is a car passport which is stamped in/out like a normal passport. I made a list at the time what was required...you may think it was a lot of trouble to go through..but what the hell...i am the adventurous type. PURPLE BOOK INTERNATIONAL VEHICLE PERMIT NOV 2014 Requirements for obtaining a Thai International Vehicle Permit (Purple book) I obtained mine from the Chonburi Provincial Land Transport Office, Banglamung...First turning after the Regents School on Highway 36 towards Pattaya The requirements for the LTO are: 1 Vehicle Blue book 2 Certificate of insurance (original) 3 Certificate of residence from Immigration now 300 baht...or Tambien Baan. 4.Passport and copies of face page and TM6 departure slip 5 Form from reception desk to be filled in at the LTO, Typical that the girl on reception desk was new and did not know what a purple book/Passport was. Fortunately another guy was on hand to point her in the right direction Form was in Thai and I had to guess the details ...Name, address and Nationality a brief description/purpose of your trip. Just entering 'Holiday by Car to Laos' worked for me. Go back to reception for a ticket number. Return the following day and collect your Blue book along with Purple book and ‘T’ FOR Thailand stickers for front and rear of car. Fee was 285 baht and an official receipt is given…..if you go early it may be possible to return same day. Purple book was issued 7th Nov 2014 and expiry 18th May 2015 approx 6-months validity Renewal can be done at the LTO and is much cheaper as the period of validity is extended. If the car is older as 7 years it must be tested in a testing station. With the certificate you can renew your road tax in the LTO and renew the Purple book. Mind: if you enter Lao you MUST buy Lao insurance…office on right hand side once passed through with car First entry for your car will be only 7 days. Next one 14 days Cost of insurance in Lao for Lao is 240 baht. Immigration require the following to issue the Residency Certificate: - Copy of Current Passport and Visa - Current Utility Bill showing address or Rental Agreement or copy of Blue House/Condo Book - Passport Photo - Fee of 300 Baht

Hey Jacko, I thought you were trying to do a stickman... if so you need to be giving out prizes of vouchers for SUNRISE TACOS and a HAMBURGER. I guess if its down from the golf range it could be the Garden Resort. As for the restaurant near Holywood i am sure i have eaten there a few times with my girl. Everyone knows Soi 'oily wank' Honey... But as for the rest keep guessing ??? answers by end of the week please.

On my Thai phone i also have a dual sim both TRUE MOVE and AIS...a few months ago after a trip i came back into Thailand and the TRUE MOVE was dead...no signal even tho i had over 1500 baht credit. Went to TRUE next to Tuc com and they gave me a new sim card with my original number....5- minute job. I did have to show a copy of my passport.

Many choices... could rent a car in Bangkok and drive the 850 km approx 10 hours....although not advisable in one day...but the roads up there are very good. Fly Nongkhai and rent a car at the airport or get a bus. Or spend more than 12-hours on an overnight bus or train from Bangkok....cheap option. There are numerous trains & buses up to Nongkhai and onward to Bungkan. Also if your not used to driving in Thailand...that could be a problem...its a learning process.

A pleasant 28 degrees C here on Masbate island in the Philippines... Yes i have seen the one, small bar going down on the left, stilletos and fishnets...now heshe could definitely write her name in the snow...the mind boggles.

Tried repeatedly to book a Thai Air flight to Manila Philippines but the web site was down again. No wonder this company are in the shit with debts and need to shed 5000 staff. In frustration booked with Philippine Airlines. Cost 3970 baht one way.

Have mentioned the sea erosion on a previous post but spotted a bit of salvage work on beach road today. Saving a transformer Watch where you walk I guess it will not be long before the walking street end suffers the same fate Around the top end of beach road where the damage is taking place there is a spot with 10 seats. These seats are thinly distributed along beach road and from Central road down to Walking street there is only one seat for half the beach...i realize now that they must have run out of money

The past couple of weeks or so have taken me all the way up to Nongkhai and along the Mekong around the North East clocking up around 2,500 km in the process. First stop was the Phi Mai Heritage site, just North of Korat to see the ancient Khmer ruins which are small scale compared to Seimreap in Cambodia and also in the town is the largest Banyan tree in Thailand. Then on to Khon Kaen, Udon Thani and Nongkhai, before taking the car over the Friendship Bridge into Lao. It was way back in 2005 that I last visited Luang Prabang a small town in the North of Laos so it was time to try another taste of the Laos hospitality. Vientiane is approximately 20 km North up the Mekong. Stayed in the Intercity Boutique Hotel overlooking the Mekong, a hotel not plush in luxuries, probably a 2-star at best but with a large room and a quality view overlooking the river for the evening views. Room was around 1700 baht/night. Had a night market opposite and was close to bars coffee shops and restaurants on streets nearby. Hotel also had artifacts on every floor making it somewhat like a museum. A drive around town can be easily done in a few hours taking in all the monuments, statues and views. The road into Vientiane was pretty good and the traffic around the city is nothing like Bangkok. Probably the smallest capital city in Asia but a pleasant relaxed change from Pattaya and with Beer Lao at 40 baht for a large bottle in most bars, it is worth the trip for the beer. Also stopped at Bungan, Nakhon Phanom, Mukdahan and Ubon Ratchathani. South of Ubon near to Kantharalak is a Hindu temple called Preah Vihear which is in disputed territory. The relations between the Thai and Cambodians are not good at present and there is no entry into the temple grounds which are perched on the end of the cliff with Cambodia many thousands of feet below on the plain. Spectacular views but hidden amongst razor wire are Army and numerous military bunkers but then again under the camouflage could be a 7-Eleven. A hundred baht gets you into the National park and the closest you get to the temple is the viewing posts a mile away.

Russian Ruble has definitely gone tits up....i was working in Russia in October and the exchange was around 64 to the £ now i see it is 114 and has lost more than 20 roubles in one day...do you feel sorry ??? They can say goodby to all those deposits they paid for on condos...maybe there will be some fire sales after all.

Hate to disagree... but the UK is now a third world country as the influx of foreigners have fcuk@d up both the health service and the education system...quality tourists... wherever they come from are only quantified by their bank balance.

The only thing that changes here is the skyline....new condos and hotels. Same shit.....different day.

This latest news from thaivisa for a 30-day extension almost contradicts the original plans by immigration to crackdown on foreigners on short stay visas. I guess if the Thai authorities ever did get their act together it would surely be based on money. Yes, for many it would be a great idea to nip down to Jomtien and pay to extend any type of visa instead of the 5am race to the border...but will it ever happen? BTW a good report on this subject by Stickman this week. http://www.stickmanbangkok.com/StickmanWeeklyColumn2013/Thailand-visa-run-crackdown.htm

My expat weekly news included this info. News... It has been announced on 1 July to Key Visa's visa run Agents that from the 1st July 2014 all Nationalities who enter Thailand on a free visa exemption e.g. 30 days standard if they wish to travel to the Thai border and return by land you will only be stamped 7 days, not 15 or 30 days like they did previously 7 DAYS AND THAT IS IT. It has also been announced once you have been to the Thai border by land and had one lot of 7 days you cannot cross the border again if you wish to stay longer then you have to travel outside of Thailand to a Thai Consulate to obtain a Thai tourist visa or something similar and the you can return to Thailand on a visa type. The only exceptions at the Thai border are people with Non-Immigrant visas multiple entry and double or triple entry tourist visas obtained overseas or from a Thai consulate around Thailand. So it's getting harder guys, if your stay is going to be over 30 days then I suggest you consider obtaining a visa from a Thai Consulate in your home Country before arriving in Thailand. No visa, if you cross a border expect only 7 days!!!

Two weeks ago returned from a longer than expected stint in China. At Swampy the lady at immigration flicked through my passport and uttered the words.no visa smiled and gave me the 30- day visa on arrival stamp. My 1-year multi entry O non immigrant visa had just expired by 3- weeks. I have been living on non immigrant multi entry visas for the past 3- years and previous to departing Thailand had tried to get a retirement extension at Jomtien but was told I was too early (5- weeks remaining) Told that you can only get an extension within the last 30- days of the visa. However a quick ride down to Jomtien immigration and all my worries disappeared as the very nice man took my passport, altered the documentation dates on the paperwork that I had made out 8- weeks previously changing entry dates and TM card number. Paid the 3900 baht (2000 baht Non Immigrant, 1900 baht Retirement) Came back in the afternoon to collect my Visa extension 90- day reporting. Although it took another 2- full pages in my passport I can now relax in the knowledge that I will not have to depart the country or return to the UK to jump through more hoops. I guess I was at the discretion of the immigration officialhe must have been having a good day. I would like to extend my thanks to this guyI was told he was from Belgium and helps out everyone down there. Two more pages of stamps.

I find that not engaging in conversation works even better

Conspicacy theory 5- passengers miss the flight...how strange....In Heathrow ..yes they are oil workers and have not had a drink for a month....pissed and do not want to leave the bar....this is Malaysia how in this day and age can a plane vanish from the sky.... the Bermuda triangle has moved....no....waiting for info..watch this space....???

From the BBC news there are now questions over 4- passports which are thought to be suspect.....the plot thickens. How long before the Jemaah Islamiyah group come up in conversation. As a regular traveller the faster i get through immigration and security the better it is for me..... but.after travelling to Israel on El Al Airline a number of times every other countries security pales into insignificance by their standards.