carpediem

a few disconnected questions to which perhaps someone has answers: is it true that a condo rental (or even purchase) will always disallow pets (animals, that is)? how common is the practice of putting a 'to let' etc sign outside an available house - and is this practice universal (ie throughout thailand - city and countryside)? for a longish rental can one simply go ahead with putting up pictures, shelves or whatever - on the assumption that any wish to reinstate can be dealt with at the end with the deposit taken - or does one need permission item by item? again i'm asking about the general rule, if there is one. thanks for any responses. cd

hi bullfrog thanks for the reassurance about the one way ticket - just before the sting in the tail - about the nz friend frogmarched and the visa situation being 'dynamic' these days! in my case the die is cast - i've just bought my one way ticket. thanks very much also for the agent's email. i trust she's competitive with tktsw in all directions with all airlines - europe and asia. cd

whitespider, whether or not your post went off the topic i found it very useful. thanks. my gf wants me to renew her parents house (build them a new one i think, although she sometimes talks of just a new roof and some improvements). at present they live in a biggish but ramshackle wood house on stilts. she wants me to make a house nearby for us, on their land - the father will give her a hefty chunk of it. if i did this obviously i'd want to make a house i'd want to live in. and i'd like a thai or partly thai style house but with western bathroom & conveniences. on the other hand i entirely agree that if our relationship broke down i'd leave, so effectively i'd have to abandon the house. i'm surprized by how little you say your gf's parents' cost. was it a diy job, or entirely on a commercial build contract? (i don't suppose you have a pic you'd be willing to post). is there a way i can get some rough-and-ready quotes for house building? websites of builders - whatever. i too will have a similar problem to solve about providing for their sustenance - financially. apparently they have to clear a chunk of debt too. my plan is to provide a certain monthly amount now and insist that some of that goes to reduce the debt; to postpone the house-building decision for at least another year (assuming things continue to be ok) - and then look again at the question. like gary i would never put all my eggs in that basket so i must keep down the expenditure; but i would also want to live in the best accommodation i could afford - for the not that long a time one has to enjoy it all. a conundrum. but thanks for the benefit of the various experiences of you guys.

thanks for the explanation. the question of minimizing expenditure on a house is a problem if one is going to live there - and things don't go belly up. (cutting off your nose to spite your face?). especially as quite a bit of land is being offered. but on the whole i'm inclined to play safe - for now. pity no-one has offered any specific tips on that score. cd

thanks for the reassurance on the visa situation - multiple entry non immigrant o visa - and potential problem. the bad experience with air france troubles me a bit - i'm going to take qatar, but it is from paris (french counter staff). on verra. but it seems unreasonable that the airline should sell the ticket & then make a problem at the desk. but on overall response here i don't anticipate a problem. thanks for recommending the ticket price. i'm going to get it today. on a different if predictable topic, can anyone recommend an easy and competitive online way of buying international airtickets in thailand? or a phone no of such an agent? thanks. cd

i will be buying a one-way ticket, and later get returns from thailand. (this suits my specific situation vis a vis los stay, travel out, etc). qatari is offering 340 euros from paris (about 238 pounds). i reckon that's pretty good. am i wrong? presumably i won't have a problem at check in or immigration given that i have a non immigrant o visa valid to next april. cd

etihad paris office told me on the phone yesterday that their allowance is 30kg economy class. so the website and staff are out of sync. cd

bullfrog, can please you explain that bit - "insurance"? cd

to smooth probate, administration etc of a will should one make a will in every country where one has property (of any kind, including cash in a bank account)? or only/also the countries of citizenship, residence, domicile - and perhaps countries in which beneficiaries under the will live? or is this too complicated for anyone other than a series of solicitors in the various countries to comment on? i intend to establish both residence and domicile in thailand fairly soon. i have children living in two european countries. i may have other potential beneficiaries in thailand in due course. i don't have a will - yet. a mess. cd

thanks for that useful info. on my side i discovereed that qatar airways gives an extra 16kgs to their fr flier programme members. cd

thanks for setting out the situation - but may i just clarify the issue of timing? my multiple entry non immigrant o visa was issued in april 06 and my first entry on it was in may. so presumably i would apply for the conversion/extension next april (or may?). any earlier would be to 'waste' the money already paid for the remaining period to next april/may? on a final detail does "any time in the month before your current permission to stay expires" mean a) 1 year from my original visa issuance date, or when my final stay in thailand legally expires - which could be later than a) if i entered just before the visa expiry & got a 3 month permission to stay. excuse my probable lack of clarity. cd

i'm probably going to book qatar but am a little concerned that my bag will miss the 50 minute connexion in doha. is that a serious risk? they offer an alternative connexion of several hours, which i obviously would rather not take. has anyone had this problem on a quick connexion? cd

i expect to fly out - from paris - in october & want to stay away from here until next spring if possible, ie 6 months. also as i'm preparing to live in los i tend to take as much as i can with me. would appreciate suggestions on the optimum combination of long ticket validity and high weight allowance among the usual airlines. i know no economy tkt (my usual) will allow more than 20kg so i'm hoping to identify the best deal above economy class. thanks for any ideas or info. cd

thnaks, and i take your point. useful info. more, with names, maybe france-los would also be helpful. cd

i have a non immigrant 'o' visa. i intend to retire to los in the course of the next 18 months - ie have my own place with my things moved across, etc. in the meantime i'll be spending a good 50% of my time in los anyway. can i convert my visa to a retirement visa - at the jomtien immigration office? or must i do some paperwork before i arrive there? i know that i need to move 800,000 baht into thailand. is there any benefit in doing this as soon as possible? or can i just do it 'in due course', ie after i've properly moved - though that'll probably call for another year's renewal of my present visa? thanks for your comments or advice. cd