Greetings From Central Thailand

[william3rd]

Been pretty interesting so far this trip. I will be up here in Udon thani for another week. I have lots to talk about- everything from medical procedures to various legal processes. When I leave here this trip, I will have the right to buy land, enter into Thai contracts including automobile purchases and have the right to long term visas. And a Thai driver's license. SO I am no longer fish nor fowl as far as Thailand goes. Sort of like being 3/5 of a human being. . . .

First- various impressions- The recession is here- just starting to be felt. A lot of large homes are for sale at about 1/2 price. These are mostly homes owned by foreigners living abroad. For a foreigner to finance a property, they must put 50% down and the bank will finance the balance for 10 years.

The new house next door to me is for sale at about $100,000 US dollars, smaller than mine and less designed, it is still a pretty good deal-except for the neighbor!! This development is almost finished with only about 10 of the 65 homes still to be sold and only 3 left to be built.

NEWS- the Thai government has refused to bail out the Thai car industry. The free enterprise system requires that businesses are subject to the free market and if they fail then they fail. So, no free money.

Inflation is here- the old ten baht noodle bowl is at 25 now. Toll fees are doubled and taxis are up 10% since last summer. A ride from the new airport to the old used to be about 350 including tolls and is now about 450. The good news for us is that the baht has been allowed to float against the dollar from 30 to 36, a 20% bump for the dollar.

So that airport ride still costs about the same in dollars.

There is also a tendency to "round out" prices. The use of the satang-equivalent of the US cent- is almost completely absent except for use in paying taxes-sound familiar???

GAS prices- about half from last summer. high was 42 and price is now 22. Baht per liter. 

Big news right now is the revelation of the secret CIA prison conveniently located about 5 miles from my house over at Air Wing 23. The only thing that the Thais want to know is if anyone was actually tortured here in Thailand. If the answer is yes, there will be substantial repercussions here in Thailand. Prior military officers have utilized torture here and the Thai view is that the cancer must be removed entirely from this country. This will probably be bad news for the former prime minister deposed two years ago as he would have to had approved the operation. While Taksin is currently enjoying life abroad with his ill-gotten gains as a "refugee," a change of his status to that of war criminal would pave the way to expedited arrangements for his return home.

A side note- went to buffet at Charoensiri Hotel. Saw a passel of US troops. They are on a joint mission with Singapore and Thailand forces to advance into the hinterlands of northern Thailand, invading small villages and subject the children to. . to . . .  to haircuts, dental work, and basic medical examinations and treatment. Good job- score points for the good guys.

Next up- Marriage in Thailand- How to painlessly finish the process in one day- or 5 days if you want to be cheap about it.

[william3rd]

First things first- read the embassy website under US citizen services for marriage in Thailand. You can forget alot of it but it has a couple of addresses.

Second- bring copies of final decrees of divorce with you-however many that may be. It may not be asked for but a failure to have a needed documentstops the process dead in its tracks.

Third- staying in the right Hotel is important for this so I get to plug for the TK Palace on Chaengwattana Rd. It is the perfect place for this operation. Located near the old international airport, it is ideal.

Have a nice buffet breakfast and then take a taxi to the US embassy. BRING A PEN OF YOUR OWN. Do not arrive before 8AM and make sure that the US citizen services are open that day. US citizen services do not open the doors until 730 but more important is that the translation services in the area are not open until 9 or 10AM. So first in line comes to a screeching halt. I told you all previously that this is the PAINLESS method.

The consular office will enquire as to your needs- USCS handles passports, births, tax returns AND marriages. You get one affidavit if you are single and two affidavits if you are divorced or widowed. You will fill out the affidavits. Both are one page. Who you are, what you want, dates of prior marriages and divorce,etc.

FILL out the forms and then pay the cashier 700 BAHT. Slide the papers, receipt and US passport through the slot provided. When you are called, you will be sworn and examined, the affidavits then are signed and stamped. Total time- about an hour or so.

TAKE the forms to a translation office-there are three within a block. Do NOT go with the chinese guy out front passing out cards. You will pay alot more if you go with him. Translations should take an hour or less. It should cost 500 baht.

You will then take the forms to the legalization office on Chaengwattana Rd. It is 3 blocks from TK Palace. Taxi fee is the same- another 300 baht. Third floor. They will look at the papers and the passport and ask you if you want regular processing or express. Express is 1600 baht. TAKE THE EXPRESS SERVICE. Regular service is two full business days and express about 2 hours.

You can now return to your hotel for an excellent buffet lunch (5 star and costs about $9) and freshen up a bit.

So far you have paid about 2900 baht and about 5 and 1/2 hours.You are now ready to marry. Take a taxi to the Laksi Amphur.  It is 5 minutes from the hotel and will cost you about 100 baht round trip by taxi. You will spend most of the afternoon there. A thousand baht expedite "tip" will make sure you are done in only a couple of hours.
You will need translation here for your examination by the registrar. Hopefully your wife to be has some Anglit.

At some point in time, a paper comes out of the printer and teh clerk says "Congratulations." And you are married in Thailand!!!

[Ray]

Did William just tell us that he got married??

Congratulations and best wishes to you and Mrs 3rd! 

So what ever happened to the K-1?

Ray

[michaelb]

Kind of looks that way, doesn't it? Either that or he's giving very detailed instructions to somebody who may want to.

So, William, if the former, best wishes to you and her.

[william3rd]

6 K1s are too many for IMBRA/VAWA. Currently they have "lost" the K1 file and the continued delay was interfering with the overall program. I could have filed a mandamus action but I didnt want to take the unpaid time to do it.

I will have a complete set of Thai documents in a few more hours so this route is well worth it.

BTW-Republican Congressman David Dreier is completely useless in consular inquiries- the consulate has no fear of him at all

[william3rd]

Today I get my yellow book and right after that, my driver's license.

Yellow book shows that I am HERE, that I am not just a visitor, that I have substantial ties to Thailand. No pun intended.

I have an address, a registration book, a wife, banking and insurance. Even though I am an illiterate here, things can now operate much smoother.

This also means that I have a place to GO. No more hotels or the like. I can function lawfully in another country for long periods of time. Since I am intending to be an expat in 8 more years, this all is real important. Next up will be qualifying for employment here but I dont need to worry about it now.

The yellow book allows me to contract to buy land ( a recent legal development), enter into commercial contracts on my own (I would need a Thai cosigner before), qualify without conditions for longer term visas and not be subject to the new 90 day rule for foreigners (90 in and 90 out)

The fee is only 200 baht-with an 800 baht expedite "fee" if you want it done in the same week.

FIRST- you need a Thai wife willing to sponsor you
SECOND- You need legalized copies of your marriage documents
THIRD- You need a translation of your passport face plate
FOURTH- You need the affidavits of the village headman (we live in the suburbs) and a government official of high stature (I met a tall one a few years ago) to swear that they know you well and they recommend your registration be approved.
FIFTH- You need to be examined under oath. Translator required

The payment of another 1000 baht ensured that the village headman or in this case the headwoman of Baan Jan district Village #1 was a great fan of mine apparently knowing my family for many years- I am kidding- but she did state that my whole application was true and correct and made the trip to the district office with us.

My friend Bob, a high official in the education ministry, who does know me well vouched for me. It will cost me a Bret Favre jersey and a Packers hat -he was a Packer fan when he was in the US for his masters program a few years back.

MORE LATER- have to go get my book.

[william3rd]

Got the book AND the drivers license. THe book only took five minutes to collect. Well worth the 25 dollar expedite fee. We were done in 36 hours and this guy from Germany was justfinishing up the 5 business day processing time-five FULL days so that means the EIGHTH day.

On to the Thai equivalent of the DMV. We have to drive about thirty miles outto the main office inthe province. The first license is always processed at this office. Renewals can be done at local offices. The foreigners usually go to AEK Udon Hospital- the hospital for the farang. There is a special office there. . .

More in a while, the wife wants to go swimming.

[william3rd]

so- we go to the driving office. Because I had a valid California driver license inmy possession, I DIDNT HAVE TO TAKE THE TESTS!!!! No written test that I couldnt read and no driving test on the wrong side of the road.

Found out we had to get a medical certification for me to get the license. Conveniently, there is a recommended doctor only a couple of miles away. We drove there to a small clinic and the doctor was unavailable. I have a feeling that the doctor is never there. We paid 100 baht fee and the receptionist signed my certificate of medical eligibility to drive in Thailand.

After arriving back to the Driving office, I had to undergo 2 tests. The first test was one where the examiner pointed at colored circles and asked me to identify the color. There were three colors. Red, Yellow, and green- just like a stop light.

The other test was more interesting- a pedal and brake assembly on the floor. push on the gas pedal until a green light turns red and then slam on the brake. I passed.

Pay 205 baht and off I go.I promptly hopped behind the wheel of a right steered vehicle and backed up, not realizing that the security system had disabled the brake and almost had an accident. After getting that under control, I finished backing up and then drove the wrong way in the parking lot. It would have been the right way in the US, darn it.

Scared my wife, I dont think I will get to drive much this trip and I can figure out how my son is feeling since we started driving around a little last week.

The license is good for one year so I have to be back here to renew it or I only get another 1 year permit. Next one is a five year license that I can get at the hospital

NEXT UP- Medical examinations or more impressions

[piglett]

he he he
I once worked for a guy who had an old mail jeep & it was right hand drive
it took a bit of getting used to but had a good time with it
but i Was still driving on the correct side of the road
maybe it's best to let your bride do the driving
mite be safer 

piglett 

[Ray]

Damn it William! You almost made me choke with that description of your driving test...



What do you have to do to get a commercial license to drive a bhat bus? Do you need a license to drive an elephant on the public roads?

   

[Simoni]

At some point in time, a paper comes out of the printer and teh clerk says "Congratulations." And you are married in Thailand!!!

Congratulations, William!  You did it!

We wish you the very best!

[william3rd]

Damn it William! You almost made me choke with that description of your driving test...



What do you have to do to get a commercial license to drive a bhat bus? Do you need a license to drive an elephant on the public roads?

   

To get a commercial license-

Actually SEE the doctor;
pass a written test- in the Thai language.
drive your truck on the thai driving field next door- looks a little like motocross but you drive a truck on it
Have proof of a right to work in thailand- a blue book.

BTW- I am eligible with my thai driver license to be a chauffer in LAOS!!! Ohhh boy!!!

As to the elephant, it is illegal to operate an elephant, licensed or unlicensed, on the city streets in most provinces now. The penalty is 200 baht which is paid to the police officer making the stop. That is what you get for 6 bucks now.

[william3rd]

Banking in a Thai bank is usually pretty painless- unless you forget both the passbook and the readyteller card that they give you when you open your account. I had left mine on my desk at home next to my laptop- just plain forgot to stick it in my brief case.

I had sent a pretty large sum of money over some months back and decided to check on it. Found out that the interest rate was only .5%. Not good. Found out that I could lock in 90 days at 1%- but not really since although I had to agree to leave my money there, they could reduce the amount of interest paid depending on the continued breakdown on the world economy.

They also shared with me some whole life insuranceplans-REMEMBER THIS- THE THAIS ARE ADDICTED TO INSURANCE POLICIES!!!. life, accident, health. Cancer- if you are diagnosed with cancer then the insurance immediately pays 100,000 baht. For the going away party I guess. Just like hitting the Lotto!!!!!!

Then they tell me that they would not do anything unless I could show my book or card. . . . . We sent an emergency call to Bob, who comes right over to translate

SOOOOO- let me see if I get it right, you have my money. . . .YES.
AND, unless I have card or book, you will not let me move my money. . . .YES.
AND, I will lose interest on my money because I dont have the card or book for you. . . YES
AND, this is my actual branch. . . . . . YES
AND,you know I am your customer. . . .YES, wait, let me call Bangkok for direction.

FIVE MINUTES LATER. . . .  OK,we can move 95% to a new account at the higher rate. 5% stay until you bring in the book

AND- now I can move 95% of the money out if I want. . . . . perplexed look- YES.
BECAUSE you give me new account book.. . . . YES.

I didnt move the money because I will be back in 4 months and I dont want to lock in long term in the current economic climates.

BTW- the money is taxed before I get it. 15% tax on the interest is deducted first.

IF THIS HAD BEEN RUSSIA, I would have been stuck early with just losing the interest until I showed up with the book. In Thailand, they try to find a way to help work things out.

But- they still want to sell me a whole life insurance policy that is not advantageous to me.

[PainfullyObvious]

NEWS- the Thai government has refused to bail out the Thai car industry. The free enterprise system requires that businesses are subject to the free market and if they fail then they fail. So, no free money.

I wonder if this will include corporations, insurance companies and banks owned by the royal family? 

[william3rd]

I wonder if this will include corporations, insurance companies and banks owned by the royal family? 

I would wonder myself but I could care less. I am writing on my experiences here. Perhaps you would like to come over and ask the crown prince yourself?!?!?! I am sure that either he or Princess Sirindhorn are very concerned over your sense of wonderment.

[william3rd]

I have been here off and on for over 20 years now.

And ray- I remember the Pattaya baht bus . In those days the streets were full of tuk tuks and it was 1 baht to ride the bus. no licenses, no insurances, no helmet laws, no cell phone laws, no seatbelt laws. Now they have laws.

No Tuk Tuks in Bangkok anymore- the metered taxi has taken their place.
Tuk Tuks all over Udon, no metered taxis.


I was reading the complaints of farang visitors about always getting stopped by the police in the last couple of years all the time- and getting fines.

We have run into many many police road blocks lately. They are aimed at the motorbikes. The rule still seems to bethat the maximumnumber of people that you can put on a motorbike is the number that you can drive down the street with. I have seen six (babies and children included) on one bike.

BUT- they have to have helmets on. And the driver needs a license. So- shortly after the stop- the officer calls out cheerfully- "Song loi" in reference to the fine that will be paid on the spot. They also stop students alot- most students dont have licenses for either bike or car so. . . . .  Song  Loi!!!! And farang- many do not have licenses for motorbikes. Naturally they are stopped and then. . . .Song Loi!!!! Because the farang are more likely to be carrying enough cash for the fine. . . SONG LOI!!! And farang dont wear helmets much so. . .  SEE LOI!!!!! thats 400 baht for two violations. No discount. . . . sorry, farang.

A breakdown of vehicles here in Udon- for every hundred vehicles in this city. . .

About 40 are motorbikes
1 is a mercedes
1 is a BMW
1 is a US made vehicle
15 are a Toyota
15 are a Nissan
10 are a Honda
5 are a Mitsubishi
3 are a Subaru
and the rest are Volvo, saab etc.

In Bangkok, the motor bikes drop by about five and the MB and BMWs triple and the US cars triple

Flight to Udon one way special restricted fare- 45 dollars. From Udon- 48 dollars.

It was cold today- there was actually a wind CHILL factor.First time I have ever felt COLD in Thailand.

Thailand's Immigration Solutions-
Thai developer hires illegal aliens
Illegal aliens build project
Developer underpays workers holding back part of salary as "security"
Workers finish project
Developer reports presence of illegal aliens to Thai immigration
Workers arrested by Thai Immigration and deported to their home country.
Developer goes on vacation with worker's salary,congratulating himself on his business acumen.

King's granddaughter lives and works in Udon. She does something for the Thai Court System- nobody seems to know what. At about 815 in the morning, the highway is blockaded and a police motorcade appears. There are about eight police cars involved-two crammed full of officers. In the middle is a BMW-driven by the Princess. The motorcade pulls into the parking lot, the princess parks her car and walks into the Court building, the streets reopen, the motorcade goes out to seek out students without helmets and life moves on. SONG LOI!!!!

The housing development here is almost done. The developers really want to get out of here. Complaints are rampant over the building of this development. Typical Thai workmanship. For the construction, the work is well done and good quality. It is the finishing work that is a problem. Fortunately, my wife's mother was on them like flies on  KEE. We got a lot of sloppy stuff fixed-until they offered to give us our money back. Take it or leave it. We took it- As it is, I will probably have my staircase redone when I move here. Incredible hand made and hand varnished upstairs floor but a crappy staircase. 100% complete or giving 100% to Thai is about 98%. Mai bpen rai. . . .

[william3rd]

Got my dental appointment finished. Full exam and cleaning is 15 dollars.
Got my complete medical exam done- I mean COMPLETE- $150. SO no cancer but they found some health issues. When I come back in July, I get the 30 dollar blood urine, xray to see if diet improved the situation

[michaelb]

Thailand's Immigration Solutions-
Thai developer hires illegal aliens
Illegal aliens build project
Developer underpays workers holding back part of salary as "security"
Workers finish project
Developer reports presence of illegal aliens to Thai immigration
Workers arrested by Thai Immigration and deported to their home country.
Developer goes on vacation with worker's salary,congratulating himself on his business acumen.

Where have I seen that business model before? Oh yeah, now I remember: Timing is everything, Chief, be sure your INS officers to show up after they have the peaches in, but before we pay them. ................It's called 'drying out a wetback' and used to be quite prevalent in California during the 'Bracero Program' of the 1940's and 1950's. Heck, it didn't even matter if the wetbacks in question were legal, just so long as the growers were finished with them, throw them on a an overloaded and poorly maintained DC-3 and get rid of them, one way or t'other.

[william3rd]

My house is 1900 sq feet plus or minus-

It costs 18 for electricity in a cool month and 60 in a hot month to cool the house
Water is about 35 a month; the landscaper waters a lot
Landscaper- crew works three hours a week maintaining the plants and a worker comes by to water for 2 hours  4 days a week. Cost- about 65 a month
No gas costs- if there were, it would be for propane delivered in 5 gallon tanks. In the US, for barbequing; here, it is for inside cooking.


car wash- 3 bucks. Wife spends about $20 a week on gas.

catered multi course brunch for 100 guests plus 9 monks for bai sri ceremony- 375


Shopped at the night bazaar for gifts- about 70% shoppers as compared to last summer.

Busy week for the Thai Air Force- touch and gos  3 hours a day for four days. They are flying Gryphons now. The first order of 6 arrived.

UDON International Airport- 10 commercial flights a day and two flights from Laos a week.


This is it until after I get home. Got lots to talk about and pictures to send in. . . . . .

[william3rd]

Had time for one last post before the farewell luncheon. Skipping breakfast for sure- Thais love to eat, and eat and eat. .

Had a couple of visitors yesterday. A couple of USAF officers over from Korea. A doctor and an A10 driver. One of the local translators had some  time to kill and brought them over. Common in Thailand for folks to drop by. It was nice to talk to them about their duty in Korea.

There is not much middle class in this country. If there is a middle class, it has to be the governmental employees.
There is an elite class-the royalty and their progeny for the last few generations and the super rich, there are the people in the upper class, I fit in here by virtue of my dollars. THere is also a tremendous lower class which probably includes over 80% of the country.

Here are some financial numbers-

median income is about $320 per month
minimum wage is about $3 per day.
Thai work week is 6 days


Socks- $1
Banana Split- 1.75
Pepsi 60 cents
pants- 6 and up
Tailored shirts- best shop- 25
Tailored suit- japanese materials 170
2 for 300
Telephone- 16 a month- we only use it for internet
Cell phones- pay as you go and cheap.

Sukiyaki at MK for 6 with beverages- 50

Motorbike- new- 1000

GOOD NEWS- you can get an Xlarge in most stores now that will really be an Extra Large and not a large with a XL tag. You can even find some XX that are that size. The times they are a changing!!! That means I dont need to bring any clothing over. HOWEVER, no size 12 or larger shoes.

Had ants in the kitchen. Ants are to be brushed outside with a broom. no sprays or stomps. Looks of horror when I suggested a spray.

Had dinner the other night with several other expat couples- the mix was 2 US, 1 Denmark, 1 Sweden, 1 Brit, 1 German. Wives all Thai/Isaarn of quality families.This city is the number one expat destination with 20,000 foreigners registered. Hell of a lot of Australians and New Zealanders here. . .

See y'all in a couple of days!!!!

[Jeff S]

Congratulations on your wedding, Bill and thanks for the great reports.

[Dave H]

Hi William,

Congratulations to you and your wife! Great trip report!

Dave

[william3rd]

Thanks for all of the congrats & wishes.

More news- the great airport debacle continues. Thailand has two intenational airports-Don Muang is old and could comforatbly handle 30 million passengers. Suwanabhumi is new and was designed for 45 million. They could have added on to DOn Muang but the corrupt former PM built the new one on land that he had a piece of. He is gone but now they realize that the new airport cant handle all of th traffic since before the crash, they were already doing almost 45 million. All domestic has been sent back to Don Muang.

Here are the options-

ONE, they could move some of the international back to Don Muang such as Thai Airways. This is what the savvy tourists and most people that know what they are doing, think is the best way. It costs me one overnight in Bangkok every time I go over now because of the split air operation. When it was all at Don Muang, I could land at 10am and fly to Udon at 1PM without visiting Bangkok at all.

Two, they could expand Suwanabhumi further, adding terminal buildings for domestic flightswhich wont really fit in and then move all air operations to the new airport. This will require that funds be budgeted in a poor economy OR they can can borrow the money from foreign sources

Here is what the government intends to do-

Effective the end of the month, they will terminate all air services at Don Muang. All air services will then center on Suvanabhumi. I imagine that they old airport will then be promptly sold to friends of the old prime minister and turned into a shopping malll

The government intends to close all air operations completely at Don Muang. All domestic flights will be housed in the existing terminals with the international. The only bright spot to me is that I can then fly into the new airport and on to Udon on the same morning again and fly back to Bangkok on a morning for a noon flight home. Advantage to me either way but not an advantage to Thailand in my opinion.

The government will then create money out of thin air to build new terminals. Or borrow it . . . . Perhaps they should think more about the existing runway problems at the new airport before closing the old airport. 

Successful US companies in Thailand-

AMWAY- yes folks SCAMWAY is alive and will in Thailand. everybody from the lowest food cart operator to the biggest shop owner counts their BV and PV in hopes of going to the Amway Mecca- a visit to Ada.

SEVEN- ELEVEN- The hottest ticket on the market. I have seen intersections with as many as three corners with 7-11s on them . Franchise fees are up to about $50,000 per store.

KFC- The infernal colonel is hugely popular in Thailand. They have successfully bridged the spice gap. They have these potatoes there- MEXICAN POTATOES. The advertising shows a Thai guy with a big bushy moustache and a sombrero on wearing a big grin. Mexican potatoes are supposed to be spicy. No word on if they are going to add refried beans to the menu.  (Keep in mind that this is a country where the top selling toothpaste in the country is a brand that until ten years ago was called DARKIE- with a picture of a black guy wearing a tophat showing off some gleaming teeth.  Now- it is called DARLIE and the guy is looking white with half of his face shadowed.)

PIZZA HUT- Now the Pizza Company. They are actually changing culture here because picking up pizza was verboten- low class.

DAIRY QUEEN- nuff said. Ice cream. Catching on here.

Had a great flight home. Picked up an upgrade. More later. I plan to write about marriage ceremonies, bar girls hospital treatment. And, unfortunately about IMBRA. They have started to push the more than two lifetime rule.