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Life in the Isaan Boonies.
A bit late posting. Like to post on a Sunday. But better late,,,,. It's Tuesday 17th June 2025 Yesterday, in the UK, was the most eagerly awaited day of the year for the fishermen. Anglers as we are known. Perhaps only 'Primrose day' could match it for excitement. When we were younger, 12 o'clock midnight on the 16th meant that we could cast a line into our favourite pond. Those were the days. Here in Thailand there are no such restrictions, so the big anticipation, for me at least, is looking forward to a nice cup of Rosy. If the spat in the Middle East gets serious, and Iran blocks the Strait of Hormuz, my nuts will be worth a fortune. But no cutting for another couple of weeks. We wait with interest. I'm keeping an eye on the fuel prices. The ducks are becoming brave. A week ago they were walking between ponds 3 and 4. With all the rain recently, the rice paddy with ponds 1 and 2 are the same level. It was a bit of a surprise to see them in the rice field two days ago. Looks like one big lake. Here they come. Feed them dog biscuit and fish pellet. they are growing into the most beautiful ducks. The wife's new house is finished for now. At the front, 9 glass windows had to be fixed up. Not all broken. They had just fell out over the years. A lick of paint in the dry season will be in order. Also put a new lock on the front door. Slight problem. The lock wouldn't adjust down to a narrow enough size. Was meant for a wider door. Soon had it sorted. A couple of screws made it secure. Looks the bizzo. Very professional job. Oh dear! Every three months I take pics for the record. Started in September 2020. Lost a few when the computer had an accident. So this week, Look North. Look North East Look East. Don't know what the sign says. The Mrs put up three. Something to do with telling bar-girls to keep out. Here is another. At the corner of number 4 farm. The water in number 5 was quite high. Pond next door, number 4, was lower. A little bit of pipework was in order. Rather than dig right across we only went half way to the drainage well. Length of 3inch pipe did the trick. Cover up. All done. About an hour's work. The grand new building next to Tescos is still not finished. Mrs Snaps says it's gonna be a hotel. No real clues yet. Bump up the curb to get in. Another well loaded vehicle. Seen lots recently. The huge compound is virtually fenced in now. Barbed wire and all. Gates soon. Well over 100 posts, Mrs Snaps says monks are gonna live there. Tanks in place up the water tower. Mimi and Chompy looking after me pineapple when I go out. The cross-road girl gang posing for a pic. +++++ That World Club Championship is a joke. No goals in the first two matches then 14 in the following two. Well done Northern Ireland for taking the International Darts Trophy. Beat Wales in the final. Great match it was too. Best of 19.Went to 9-9 and NI won the decider. The darting Lukes; Littler and Humphries get MBE. So too did David - lost us the - World Cup - Beckham. Will that Northumberland Park noose be taken down now? +++++ A lot of rain since mid May. The ponds don't usually become full until September. But this year, it's the second week in June. However, as wet a period as it has been means nothing. We could easily go a few weeks without the wet stuff. Climate Change is with us. Gonna start the rice this week But before we do, the later level has to go down in the paddy at least a foot. A new pipe across the road is a necessity. Camera ready. Mildred has made me proud. But has gotten herself into her mum's bad books. There were five abandoned cats at her school. Someone put them in a big box, and left them outside the security office. The word went round, and Mildred said she would take two. I went to Ban Dung this afternoon to pick them up. A boy and girl. Absolutely beautiful creatures they are. And friendly too. Mrs Snaps was not a happy bunny. She has calmed down now, but not before giving me a few whacks. Pics next post. The water went off in the village for 24 hours. Came back on yesterday just when we were down to the last stored drop. Water bill last month 205 baht. That could be the highest ever. Didn't think we had used that much more than usual. Bill is usually 140ish baht I reckon someone left a tap running and kept quiet. Who was the culprit? My left eye - the one that collided with the flying pillow - has virtually recovered. Slipped over on the wet floor in MinL's house. Hit my left elbow on the floor. A few days rest and it will be OK. Have ordered 10 white ducks. No sign of them for now. Bathroom yoga is holding up well. Up to 60 seconds for each exercise now. Iran and Israel going at it. Will there be nukes? I'm ready with the well at the farm. 7 metres deep. A tad wet gown there. And I'll need o have a dozen cases of water at the ready. Forget food. Can easily go a week without eating. The Mrs will be moaning though. Hope Mildred can get home from school if it all cuts loose. Half way between us and Ban Dung is the huge Voice of America transmitting station. Rumour has it, that it does a bit of listening also. Was a CIA 'dark' site in the past. That's it folks. Only one thing left to say; take care out there.- 3
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Non-Immigrant 0 Visa – right way to list accommodation in Thailand?
IMO you already have given yourself the best solution. Book a fully refundable hotel or two for the first 60 days and print out the documents for the IO. Plus you might need to show the IO you have enough money to cover the trip so bring in 20K Baht each just in case. Maybe you have a Thai bank account? If so make sure there is 50K+ available and print out a statement. Yes there are ME Tourist Visas. They are valid for 12 months and you can enter for 60 days at a time, several times during that 12 months period they are approved. Dont wait - get that Visa/s a month ahead - you can arrive anytime in that 12 months period starting when it is approved. Well they are available from Australia - check out the website of your country's main Thai Embassy - watch out for websites claiming to be the Thai Embassy (many are travel agents and some are scammers). -
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News Forum - What do you need before moving from the US to Thailand?
I am not sure when you went there - but I will say that 20+ years ago Thailand was 'the' place to retire. When 12 years ago I checked out all SEAsia options and Thailand was number 1 for me - given Singapore was so expensive. But what has happened in all those other countries near USA is that they have improved a lot, and they all now offer retirement visas and residence and property ownership and their medical services have improved, and they are a short trip back 'home' to USA. Those countries WANT Yanks to retire and spend their money there - that is not the case in Thailand - and it is getting worse not better than it was 12 years ago. Right now I would go to The Philippines or Malaysia (Penang) not Thailand. Dont get me wrong, I am here for as long as possible - but for a Yank coming such a long way, Thailand is no longer the best option as there are better options closer to home, and that is clearly reflected in US people's opinions and their ratings of desired retirement locations on all retirement focused websites. -
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Non-Immigrant 0 Visa – right way to list accommodation in Thailand?
First, usual disclaimers: (a) yes I’ve searched the forum about this to the point where I almost lost the will to live, and I found lots of relevant posts but nothing more recent than 2024, and (b) yes, if I’ve posted in the wrong place I’m sorry and please feel free to point out the error of my ways while moving it to the right place. When I flew into BKK in May this year I received a notably dismal ‘welcome’ from a sour immigration officer who clearly believed that I was taking unfair advantage of the 60-day TV system. She had an arguable case, for sure, as I visit often and stay as long as I can, although I wasn’t actually in breach of the rule prohibiting more than two VE entries in one year. For my next trip I’ve decided that I’m going to apply for either a METV (assuming such a thing exists now) or a Non-Resident O-type visa, to avoid any more hassle. (Please note: NOT O-A, simple O.) I’ll be using the over fifty years old route, which I’ve done before several times, without any difficulty, although that was nearly 12 years ago. My question is this: how to deal with the question of my accommodation in Thailand, which I have to verify by uploading a confirmation document? It matters, because next trip I’ll be bringing my son for his first visit to Thailand and we plan to mix ‘n match, here and there, beach and mountain, without planning too much in advance. We want to go with the flow. Obviously it would all come crashing down the IO let him in and bumped me. One solution might be to book one hotel for the entire trip, using booking.com or Agoda, with free cancellation. Does immigration check? (You have to provide the accommodation’s phone number.) At what point do they check – before or after I’ve cancelled? Or...does any of this matter in practice? As long as you have one hotel booked up front for the first week or so, is that enough to get a pass grade? People have certainly discussed these points here in the past, but Your Mileage May Differ seems to be the underlying theme and anway I'm keen to get the latest take. I’d welcome any help, thoughts, etc, people feel able to offer. All replies guaranteed a response. -
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News Forum - Drunk police officer kills woman in fatal crash in southern Thailand
This is awful. I hope justice is served.
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