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flipflops

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Posts posted by flipflops

  1. Posted · Edited by flipflops

    I wonder what would be said if someone brought in their ladyboy gf/wife.

     

    This is one good reason to have this forum. I wouldn't expose any ladyboy to this treatment.

     

    Edit: In the amount box you could always say she is part of a "0 dollar tour"

  3. Posted

    I have a monthly 4.5 GB plan with dtac that i've used for 2.5 years. When I leave the country I make sure the balance is below the monthly fee of 399baht plus VAT. The number stays in effect and when i return a few months later, I stop at the airport dtac place and they load my sim card, top up and i'm ready to go again.

     

    If my account renews on say the 10th of the month and I'm scheduled to leave on the 15th I can still use my phone for calls, line and internet etc but it deducts from the balance. That is fairly expensive.

     

    I think (but not positive) that if you have a balance in your account the account will remain active for a year.

  8. Posted

    Thanks again! Yeah, register in both directions.

     

    I know what you mean about the bitchy farangs at Immigration, but I have some sympathy because Thai immigration (the org and the attitude) isn't exactly *friendly* and sometimes downright hostile...and frankly they sometimes don't even know their own laws, as I found out in Ranong when they told me I couldn't renew my enter-as-many-times-as-you-want 1 year visa (which has 9 months left). And then all the waiting in places like BKK and probably CM. That's why God invented earphones and music.

    God invented earphones and music? I thought the only thing God invented was the big bang.

     

    Well... immigration is absolutely no different from the DMV in CA ..the DMV in Texas or MA. Its a mundane job and the people they have to talk to are often pricks who walk in with an attitude to begin with. One good prick can ruin a whole day with the following customers. Its classic who came first the chicken or the egg. So after someone gets treated like shit once they will always walk in there with an attitude.

     

    I've watched farangs call the Thais ignorant and stupid to their faces. I watched one farang get escorted out.

     

    Granted the rules are not always clear cut or enforced well... but you know that going in to the game.

  9. Posted

    That's smart, doing it with registered mail...Then there's no way they can pretend they never received it. Or you also know it was lost in the mail if you don't get the receipt back. (if that's the way they do reg. mail here).

     

    The few times I've used it, I've found Thai mail reliable, though anything of value I'd always send registered or have received registered, eg from the United Snakes.

    I register it both ways. The post office will scan the return when they pick it up.

     

    I also send it in with plenty of time for me to actually visit immigration if things go south.

     

    The reason I hate going to immigration is not because immigration is a pain in the ass... its all the expats that bitch and complain about how screwed up the system is... how Thai's are stupid with no logic etc. Makes for a downer day!

     

    I've not had any problems with Thai mail both internationally and domestic.

    Boomerang reacted to this

  10. Posted · Edited by flipflops

    I do 90-day reports with registered mail. I don't think it is wise to use regular mail for immigration matters. I think total cost to send registered w/tracking is 36 baht. Here in Chiang Mai I can get return receipt in usually 5 days. 2 going, 1 process, 2 coming back.

     

    Yes the 90 day report resets the clock to the day you return. At least hat was my experience when I went to USA last September.

     

    Funny... when I filed my 90 day by mail in December they included a stamp on my paperwork telling me that my visa will expire before the next 90 day report comes due. Friendly reminder I guess.

  12. Posted

    I applied in my home country for a Non-Immigrant O-A (long stay) based on retirement. You can find the details for this on your country's Thai Embassy/Consulate website. The plus side to doing it this way is you have a visa that if you use it correctly you will get 2 years (minus a few days) permission to stay in the country. You must exit and return before the 'enter before date'. This gives you the second year of permission to stay. You'll need to file 90 day reports. The only downsides are: police report, medical certificate and while the first portion of the visa is multiple entry, any time after the 'enter before date' is not multiple entry, so you would have to get reentry permits if you leave. If you choose to you then apply for 'extension of stay' for the 3rd year and beyond assuming the laws don't change. Total cost for me to get this was $380US.

     

    As Youngone said Thai Immigration is tightening rules as time goes by. My guess is they are trying to curtail the people who live here most of the time on 30 day visa exempts and tourists visas. An example of this is the recent change in visa exempts. On land crossings people are now limited to 2 per calendar year. But this does not apply if you enter by airport. There are plenty of people here in Chiang Mai who could not get themselves out of Thailand and back to their home country if they needed to. I think they are curtailing the visa runners with little money.

     

    If I knew I was going to make Thailand a place where I was going to hang my hat most of the year for the next 5 years I'd go with Thai Elite. 500,000 thb and no hassles for 5 years. They kiss your ass.

     

    Remember This is Thailand. Here in Chiang Mai one can get an agent to do just about anything one might need for the right price. Probably similar deals all over Thigh-land.

     

    Thaivisa.com is a good source once you know how to filter out the noise from the signal. And there is one hell of a lot of noise. UbonJoe is a moderator there and I'd take his word for just about everything immigration related. People on Thaivisa can be assholes if you use the wrong terminology. Basically you get a visa from outside Thailand and an extension of stay inside Thailand. Some visa must be obtained in your home country.

     

    Health questions are: do you have 1) 3rd stage syphilis 2) TB 3) elephantiasis 4) drug addiction if memory serves.

    Youngone reacted to this

  14. Posted

    For some reason my connection speeds and throughput (eg download time) don't go down when I connect through Zonealarm.

     

    It's main virtue of ZA is it's free and I don't need to trust it (eg for bank transactions) I use HTTPS Everywhere (addon) anyway, which forces https connections, which are encrypted (but as others have said, not invulnerable to "large malicious state entities" (eg my government) or at 1024 bits perhaps from Mafia types. I used to know more about computer security than I do now, having forgotten most of it, and the articles....well, I'd rather read a good novel these days.

    To me it is amazing that banks and financial services do not push for 2048 bit or even 4096 bit. Plus... none of my banks offer 2 factor authentication. Disaster in the making.

     

    I'm slowly switching everything over to encrypted protocols. I'm lazy... it will take a while.

  15. Posted

    I forgot to update...

     

    I stayed at Thong Ta Resort. $25 US Free shuttle from the airport and return. Hotel shuttle area near gate 4. You will find small signs hanging on the handrails for respective hotels. You have to look closely.

     

    Nice place with restaurant and massage etc. Clean. A bit dated but very functional for transit.

     

    At the entrance of the Soi there are street food vendors. Do not eat there. I knew it was a bit dodgy, but I was super hungry. I paid dearly for it over the next few days.

  16. Posted

    Using google maps put the map right over Suvarnibhumi

    Then in the search box just type hotel.

    You shoudl see what I am an it will then flag up all nearby hotels.

    Some rooms start at £16 per night !

     

    Thanks.... why didn't I think of that. :Bonkers:

  17. Posted

    I have a return flight that arrives at 10:10pm at Swampy. There are no connecting flights to get to Chiang Mai until 8am the next day.

     

    Any ideas on cheap reasonably priced hotels near the airport? The transit hotels I find online are horribly expensive.

  19. Posted

    Interestingly, Immigration is rolling out a form that asks a lot of questions. Phone numbers, social media accounts like Line and facebook. What places you frequent. Like 7-11s, bars, temple ..whatever. Parents names too! 5555 Next time I go to Immigration I have to fill one out. For now I use the mail.

     

    Wonder just how slow the lines at Swampy will be if they do this upon arrival.

  21. Posted

    the question is will it be mandatory to install a sim card. I never use a Thai sim card. I use only Line id/whatsapp. don't feel i need a phone number at all. all communications go through wifi.

    From what I read anyone who enters Thailand and uses their own sim card (roaming) will not be tracked in this manner. The little blurb I read was the foreigner SIM card has an on/off switch for tracking the SIM location. This cannot be turned off on these SIMs. However, it is not hard to get the data of what cell towers your phone was logged into and when. Every time you move your phone into a new cell tower it is recorded.

     

    IP phone calls such as Skype etc are easily tracked. The only service I know with full encryption from end to end is Whatsapp. While I know text messages are encrypted I'm not sure vioce calls are but probably so as Whatsapp advertises encryption.

     

    My bigger worry in all of this is the Thai gov't thinking on bypassing https encryption. I'd have to reconsider living here as online banking etc is based on https security.

     

    The western countries are already doing this... they just don't tell you.

    scottie1954 reacted to this

  23. Posted

    I stayed at "Da Bed Hotel" Just a short walk from NEP going away from Sukhumvit. Any ladyboy in heels could stumble that far...

     

    I specifically stayed here just to find out what a low end room would be. It is workable... but not by much. I felt safe in the area and there are a couple other places nearby so one is not limited.

     

    I thought I did a review but I cannot find it. Barely acceptable condition for me for sleeping overnight. Clean room but old and worn out. No mold. Safe is in the lobby not the room. No coffeemaker in room. Must purchase in lobby. There is a washing machine for laundry if you need. Dryer too I think. Toilet did not have a cover over the tank and I had to reach in the water to flush it. TV was old CRT. Not much in the way of power outlets. cost about $26 USD per night.

     

    DaBed.png

    OneTrueSaxon reacted to this
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