nkped

A couple of years ago in Lahaina, Maui, saw a guy who looked like Santa Claus in board shorts riding a bicycle with a parrot on his arm. If he wasn't on the payroll of the tourist bureau, he should have been.

Just got my passport back from the Los Angeles consulate with a two entry tourist visa, which is what I asked for. Their web site does seem to be accurate as to what is required. My experience was a bit more stressful than Tomcat's. I knew they had received my application on November 6 so this Monday, November 26, it had been more than the 15 days the consulate says is the minimum processing time. I was beginning to get worried even though I have a month to go. I was prepared (more or less) for eventualities, but I wanted to know what was going on. So called the consulate at the number shown on the visa application. Took several tries to get through on the main number, but then got straight through to the extension for the visa section. Keeping in mind that a key to good customer service was to be nice to the person who answers the phone, I said good morning, I wanted to check on my visa application as they had had it over two weeks. It was a guy who answered, very fluent in English but probably not a native speaker. His initial response was that it was probably taking longer due to the holidays. Not rude but I was thinking I had just gotten the brush off. Then he asked my name which I gave him and he promised to get it as fast as he could. The visa was dated November 26, so he was a man of his word.

"I see that the flagpole still stands. Have your troops hoist the colors to its peak, and let no enemy ever haul them down." General MacArthur to Colonel George M. Jones and the 503rd Regimental Combat Team, who recaptured Corregidor (2 March 1945) He was a histrionic old goat, but sometimes there is a place for that.

Thanks for sharing. I visited in 1977. I am sure there has been preservation work, otherwise it would have gone back to jungle, but it looks much the same.

Hope things are improving. I'm sure you are aware antibiotics won't do a thing for a virus. On the other hand some of them will knock out the bacteria you need to have in your gut and things will start to flow freely if you get my drift. The only time I have had prescription strength codeine was for a bad (bounce-on-the-bed) cough. During my recent bout of Thaksin's revenge, codeine would not have been a good thing as I was getting close enough to comfortably comatose as it was.

If you are in Pattaya, you are probably going to go to a Pattaya hospital if it is something not too serious or which is urgently serious (think MM's recent sojourn). If I was going to have to travel or could travel, I think I would be headed to Bangkok. My flavor of Blue Cross insurance will accept direct billing from Bumrungrad and, for that matter, Bangkok-Pattaya so it can happen.

Getting over a session of that here. Docs leaned towards thinking it was a virus and not food poisoning. On Saturday, the second day, I knew I was dehydrated and had no confidence in my ability to keep water down, so headed to the hospital. Turned it it was to the point of acute renal failure and they put two liters in me. Looks like everything is working now. Went back to my doc today and got follow-up blood tests and haven't had him call me which is a good thing. Oh yes, I have had the flu shot.

That was about what was added on for payment of the deposit by Pay Pal. As the Smelly one says, you can then get frequent flier miles.

The Dancewatcher's home page now says, among many other things: We now accept US dollars in 100 or 50 notes, Australian dollars in 100 dollar notes, UK pounds in 50 Pound. New Canadian 100 dollar notes as long as they are newer notes free of cuts or marks for your check in balance. We offer better rates then the airport also. Taking them at their word, the deposit is non-refundable, but is not that large. For my upcoming 3 month stay, I paid a 9,000 baht deposit and will owe about 106,000 baht. I'm a few weeks from possibly following up on Khun Smelly's suggestion about asking to pay the balance by Pay Pal. There would be Pay Pal transaction costs and, I have to assume, that would be non-refundable once paid. On the other hand, I really don't like the idea of travelling half-way around the world carrying over USD 3K in cash.

Have you un-clenched yet?

I wonder how many of those druggings were intentionally self-administered?

Sounds like it could be a hoot.

I haven't been able to find it via Google but I have a memory of a news report about a ceremony at the American cemetery in Manila in 1991 marking the closure of the American bases in the Philippines. As I remember it, the Admiral (Commander in Chief--Pacific Command) said that Americans would never leave the Philippines referring to the cemetery and those buried there and then saying that included his father.

Thanks, glad to hear it went well. I just sent my application off today. It would have been yesterday. I thought that I had everything together including a money order for $40. I had not followed your advice to print off the consulate's page as a check list but I did go back to make sure I had not missed anything and found it said quite clearly $40 per entry. I'm planning a side trip and a total stay in SEA of a bit over 90 days. This morning got another money order for $40 and sent the package off with two of them.

San Miguel Lite I suppose--not that there is anything wrong with that. SM Pale Pilsner would be too much to hope for.

Speaking of prodigal sons, anyone know what became of Vic?

Anybody tried the Samsung Chromebook? One of the limitations of most tablets is the lack of a USB port (as far as I know--Luddite alert). The Chromebook does have that. You do need a USB port for some purposes. It's offered in the U.S. for $249 (7500 THB). I'm thinking of something more capable than a color Nook for a 3 month trip to Thailand.

My bad on not checking the link. I would (will) go with the info on the web site. Their web master may or may not have talked to the office visa guru but the chances of the info on that page being accurate are probably better that what you would get from the person who happens to answer the phone when you call. They took the trouble of creating a page to answer our specific questions. Lacking anything better, I would go with it.

The itinerary poses an interesting question for a multi-entry visa. I'm on the verge of sending my application to the LA consulate. If you drill down a bit, there is a specific page for tourist visa for U.S. passport holders--http://www.thaiconsulatela.org/service_visa_detail.aspx?link_id=33, that does not say anything about itinerary. Also, says the fee is $40.

I like curry and I like establishments with dancing maidens. Somehow, I have a small bit of trouble with the idea of combination of the two Clearly, I have to be less judgmental.

You can increase your options if you consider hotels close to the Sukhumvit skytrain line and take it to get fairly close (20 minutes walking distance?) of the embassy.

Or a sack of rice.

Sounds interesting. Where is the Boat Bakery?

You may want to check with the Norwegian embassy to see what you would need to do to have a marriage in Thailand recognized in Norway. It can't hurt.

When I've flown in or out of Utapao on Bangkok Air, there has usually (always?) been one or two U.S. military aircraft on the ramp. The BIG ramp and the Buff size hangar on the east side of the runway appeared to be remarkably good repair. BTW Guys who were stationed at Kadena in the early 70s had fond memories of Okinawa. By the time I visited in 1981, not so much.