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Gobble's Epic Countdown Thread


gobbledonk

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98 weeks, and the Gypsy Jokers have just left town.

Hopefully you're also preparing yourself for the long haul once you get here..

 

Thai lessons - from a proper Thai language teacher - so you won't have to depend on people to get things done, and not to have the wrong Thai accent. Reading skills a must for long stay.

 

Have a plan on something useful to do outside of the implied laid-back nature of your intended say - otherwise you could find yourself descending into a prolonged alcoholic haze from the lack of something better to do other than to hold a can of beer first thing in the morning for breakfast...

 

Make sure you have the proper visas for your stay. You will probably still need the return ticket for visa purposes.

 

Don't burn any bridges. Have that plan B, or C, or... X :) For now. (Though I threw those plans out a long time ago.)

 

As for the Takeoff in minus whatever, I took off and landed here back in 1988. Have yet to leave... :neener::hubbahubba: (Sorry, couldn't resist, seeing you've gone and dug up a ten-year old thread somewhere else... :))

 

Cheers, mate. You'll get here soon enough.

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Thanks for the encouragement guys. Red, I'm imagining a 'loop' right now, and its being tightened around your neck ! :neener:

 

VK, I appreciate what you are saying about a 'Plan X,Y and Z', but right now I have tunnel vision. I've never been much for the 'beer first thing in the AM', but once the sun is over the yardarm I admit that it can easily turn into a 'pissed by 6pm' adventure. Even then, I dont know how anyone can repeat that dosage day after day, but even then it can be expensive finding other diversions. I've rarely left Emporium without having eaten upstairs and usually bought at least one Farang book or magazine in the ~1K region : fine in holiday mode but not sustainable for me over a long term.

 

Visas, and Thai officialdom in general, remain my main concern, closely followed by those wily ladies of Siam. :clown:

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Tunnel vision! Ha ha, can see where you're coming from. Just don't forget, stay on the radar. By that I mean make sure you're officially staying somewhere - your name on the rental contract of the condo, for instance. Have known of someone who only surfaced when arriving or leaving the country, and no visible means of support for the duration of his stay; try that for too long and you could be suspected of doing something illegal. Hotels are required by law to inform the police within 24 hours of any details of guests staying at their premises. Condos, guest-houses all included.

 

I am married to a Thai spouse and have the necessary paperwork for the stay. I would think most of the long-timers are in a similar situation, though there could be exceptions. (This is assuming you don't have a work permit or a retirement visa). One of the few loopholes at the time for an extended stay was the 'education' visa, but I believe that the authorities are beginning to crack down on that too.

 

As for books, try the Chatuchak market secondhand bookshops, I have found many gems there for a pittance. And you can always sell them back when you're finished.

 

And I guess the 'wily ladies' you refer to are the ones who insist on calling you 'hansum man'.

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Thanks gobble - it's all good. Even though it's a way off now, over the next year or so, before you know it - YOUR trip (one way) will be closer than others' return trips and you'll be able to rub it in.... In which case I'll let you buy me a beer :xmascheer

 

Just don't go off the rails.

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Torney, you know I can only envy you. For now. Every dog will have his day, my friend, and I certainly look forward to rolling around in sheep guts in 23 months time. :p

 

Red, going off the rails is something I absolutely look forward to, at least for the first couple of weeks. As coss seems to have discovered, there will be plenty of time for sitting in an apartment wondering what the hell is going on when you rejoin the 'real world'. :stirthepo

 

Longterm, I have absolutely no idea what I'm going to do to fill in the days. I'm not even much good at drinking, and I have yet to meet a Thai woman who rises before 11am unless she has to. VK's suggestion re prowling around Chatuchak for books is a good one, as it will give me an excuse to get out of the apartment early and get some exercise. I briefly toyed with the idea of selling trinkets on e-bay, but so many people would already be doing that and I'm lead to believe that the 'genuine collector' market is saturated with people who know their stuff a lot better than I could ever hope to. Throw in the law around Thai religious artifacts and its a grey area. One of the girls I know sells shirts from the markets online, but that would bore me senseless. FOREX ? Sure, why not - just exchange lots of AUD for THB and try to hang onto my new 'investment' ;)

 

Volunteering, hanging around temples, smuggling gold into Nepal - its all been done by much younger, fitter people than me. I expect that I will go with my strengths - loitering in the food court at Carrefour and wondering how the hell anyone could spend two freaking hours looking at cheap knockoffs in the market across the road. Inevitably, beer starts to taste very good after a morning at Carrefour. :paddy:

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I am married to a Thai spouse and have the necessary paperwork for the stay. I would think most of the long-timers are in a similar situation, though there could be exceptions. (This is assuming you don't have a work permit or a retirement visa). One of the few loopholes at the time for an extended stay was the 'education' visa, but I believe that the authorities are beginning to crack down on that too.

 

 

 

Being married to a Thai spouse is all well and good as long as the marriage remains stable, if a divorce is taking place you are fucked. In order to get 12 month extension the spouse has to attend immigration with you but when going through a divorce that is not going to happen is it, I lost my Non/Imm O Marriage visa last july for that exact reason. Now if under 50 and not eligible for retirement visa you are screwed.

 

Company formation and you own WP and Non Imm B is the way to go, Sunbelt Asia and our very own BM Stone Soup can assist in this yet they require proof of the 2 Million Baht paid up capital to form the company and obtain a foreigners WP, whereas there are some Thai Companies with connections who can bypass this requirement with a few K in a brown envelope passed under the table, I went the Thai way.

 

Kong

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OK - thanks guys. All food for thought, and I 100% agree with the warning re marriage from the POV of getting a longterm visa. I was in the Thai Consulate in Brissie a couple of years back when an old bloke has limped in and been given (IMO) fairly 'abrupt' service when he asked about his visa after tying the knot with a Thai woman. I guess its despicable for an old bloke to want to live in a 'paradise' instead of just wasting away in a nursing home like he should have ...

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