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Getting ready to make the move to Thailand


rsokolowski

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Op wish you all the best!

I moved to Thailand in mid 90's and enjoyed ever minute of it. So much to see and do in Thailand and then Thailand is a good point to travel around

Southeast Asia. Thailand has changed allot in the past 20 years, it can be as advanced as any western country but then turn around and still be a third world country.

Just to give you a heads up on somethings. Thailand still has allot of corruption. Police can and will stop you for no reason and make up excuses to extort money out of you.

Unlike the USA the police in Thailand setup check points, most of time I'm waved through. Sometimes they are looking for "tea money" so when I travel by car I only

keep 100 Baht cash in my wallet the rest of my cash is in my pocket or luggage. When stopped by the police and they are asking for a donation the only money I has in

my wallet is the 100B unless they want to go to an ATM, which then never do.

If you end up having to do any boarder runs the guys in Cambodia always want a fee. Just tell them no, that you never pay. They will wait you out a few minutes

and then give in and stamp your passport. Never accept the first price with a street vendor for items other than food, always negotiate it's expected.

I'm sure your wife is up on all of these things. Welcome to Thailand!!

Looking to traveling within Thailand the first year or so. I have experienced the same issues with the police. 100 baht is alot cheaper than the 127 USD i paid for my last speeding ticket in Hawaii (12 miles per hour over the limit).

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Do you have an account with USAA? I've found them great to work with while here in Thailand. Easy online money transfers to Bangkok Bank.

Setting up financial accounts is sometimes a problem if you are over here. Especially trading US based mutual funds. Get direct deposits setup before you leave. Go online with as much as you can. Makes a huge difference.

What are you going to do about your mail? Just some quick thoughts....

We use Navy Federal Credit Union and already have direst deposit. Online money transfers via Bangkok Bank (New York office) are fast and easy. I have received some excellent information about a mail forwarding company in the Seattle area (forwards the mail for $3.95 plus tax and actual postage cost) that will solve this issue nicely. We use USAA for insurance and a couple of car loans, but not banking.

I use this for our mail. It allows me to see the mail and decide if I want it forwarded to just save it as a PDF. I have been happy with it.

http://www.virtualpostmail.com

I will check it out. Thanks.

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The other sort of major issue that we will need to figure out is getting our dog into Thailand. Plenty of posts on TV about this topic.

There is a very good thread about this. I followed it and it worked out OK. Not cheap and at times frustrating. Especially when getting NO response from Thai officials at the airport after submitting documents. Getting a reply 48 hours before departure is a bit unsettling. What kind of dog?

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Since you are retired US military you might be eligible to join the VFW which is big in Thailand. 5 Posts and almost 2000 members. There is a Post in Korat with about 140 members so you should check them out. Here is a like to their website,http://www.vfw10217.org/

No problem with the dog, just make sure he/she as all their shots. No quarantine period in Thailand. My neighbor brought 3 cats from the states with no problems.

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The other sort of major issue that we will need to figure out is getting our dog into Thailand. Plenty of posts on TV about this topic.

There is a very good thread about this. I followed it and it worked out OK. Not cheap and at times frustrating. Especially when getting NO response from Thai officials at the airport after submitting documents. Getting a reply 48 hours before departure is a bit unsettling. What kind of dog?

She is a Labrador Retriever, German Short-Hair Pointer Mix (about 62 pounds), well trained and loves children.

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Since you are retired US military you might be eligible to join the VFW which is big in Thailand. 5 Posts and almost 2000 members. There is a Post in Korat with about 140 members so you should check them out. Here is a like to their website,http://www.vfw10217.org/

No problem with the dog, just make sure he/she as all their shots. No quarantine period in Thailand. My neighbor brought 3 cats from the states with no problems.

I am eligible and have copies of my DD214 (US military discharge paper).

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Your dog will have to be in the cargo hold. I'd do some research on the various airlines and how they deal with animals in the cargo hold. Some seem better than others. We were lucky and could bring ours on as carry on luggage.

Be prepared for problems on arrival. It's well discussed in that thread in the pets forum. Not always a pleasant experience.

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I realize that people who spend 6 months here and 6 months there like to say that they "Have the best of both worlds" but, to me, it means that they don't don't have enough going on to fill up the entire year in either.

i love canada in the summer and hate it in the winter. I certainly have enough going on.

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I am eligible and have copies of my DD214 (US military discharge paper).

Great. Come to a meeting once you get in country and bring a copy of your DD214. They meet the 2nd Monday of the month at the Sima Thani Hotel in Korst. Bring your wife as the Thai wives have a club and meet the same time the VFW is having a meeting. Great way for the wife to meet other wives with American GI husbands.

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You may want to consider buying secondhand transport, reasonably low mileage, rather than new. No doubt there will be some Buriram residents who can advise you on reliable servicing.

Don't know how much Thai you've acquired from your wife; however, it is worth learning as much as possible so you can communicate effectively. Good luck.

We have a second hand Isuzu 4x4 pickup truck that is lightly used by her brother (real brother) it is nothing to look at but it runs well. We are considering a formerly expat owned, lightly used (and well serviced, and documented) truck, but we have budgeted for a new one if needed.

My Thai skills are very basic and I would like to look into formal classes during the first year. Cambodian is also spoken in my wife's village so it has been harder (for me anyway) to pick up Thai. I have attempted the Rosseta Stone program for Thai several times and have gotten pretty far through it, but I always ended up stopping and then I very shortly forget everything I have learned. It started to get very difficult when I was required to match a sentence written in Thai to the correct picture (no audio).

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Where will you settle? I moved here 12 years ago at the same age and have had no regrets at all. Just stay away from negative farangs and you'll be fine.

I will have no problem staying away from negative farangs. Negative attitudes are a recipe for failure, even if your current situation is less than optimum you should always try to look at the positive and always remember that it is very likely that your situation is much better than others have to deal with.

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I realize that people who spend 6 months here and 6 months there like to say that they "Have the best of both worlds" but, to me, it means that they don't don't have enough going on to fill up the entire year in either.

i love canada in the summer and hate it in the winter. I certainly have enough going on.

I am originally from Washington state (Tacoma) and feel the same way. It is wonderful in the summer and suicidally depressing in the long, damp, cold, and cloudy fall/winter/spring.

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Aloha & Sawasdee Khrap

FYI: I am writing this as I stand at my Kiosk in front of the Food Court at Ala Moana Center in Honolulu, Hawaii.

(Leave Jan. 6th for Maui & then to BKK. My Thai wife is in BKK now.)

The LEAST of your concerns should be learning the language.

Living in the ISSAN area of Thailand, you will learn quickly. Very quickly.

+ When I am in the "Homeland" - Tha Bo (west of Nong Khai) NO ONE -- and I mean no one speaks English. I learned very quickly. If you want to talk to anyone, you will learn the language.

++ Courses are good, but learn from the Thai people. Learn how they say things, not how an instructor "thinks" you should learn.

+++ My Thai Wife and I have "THAI DAYS" -- where only Thai is spoken between us.

Trust me. When it's the only language around -- you'll be surprised how quick you re-learn!!!

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Aloha & Sawasdee Khrap

FYI: I am writing this as I stand at my Kiosk in front of the Food Court at Ala Moana Center in Honolulu, Hawaii.

(Leave Jan. 6th for Maui & then to BKK. My Thai wife is in BKK now.)

The LEAST of your concerns should be learning the language.

Living in the ISSAN area of Thailand, you will learn quickly. Very quickly.

+ When I am in the "Homeland" - Tha Bo (west of Nong Khai) NO ONE -- and I mean no one speaks English. I learned very quickly. If you want to talk to anyone, you will learn the language.

++ Courses are good, but learn from the Thai people. Learn how they say things, not how an instructor "thinks" you should learn.

+++ My Thai Wife and I have "THAI DAYS" -- where only Thai is spoken between us.

Trust me. When it's the only language around -- you'll be surprised how quick you re-learn!!!

Thanks for the confidence builder, but I will feel better after I can speak and eventually able to read the language.

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I lived in the Denver, Colorado area for 5 years and left because I could no longer take the winters no matter how good was the skiing (and weekday skiing at that). I would never consider that I actually 'lived' in Colorado if I only spent the warmer months there.

To each his own.

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Where will you settle? I moved here 12 years ago at the same age and have had no regrets at all. Just stay away from negative farangs and you'll be fine.

Sometimes negative Farang have reason to be negative and you can learn from them. Thailand is not all some of you optimistic folk like to claim it is. Right now is a particularly bad time to be here. Human rights are at an all time low... But what do I know? I've only lived here for 10 years. [emoji17] oh... And stay away from negative Thai people too. Easier said than done.

I'm not much of a fan of certain things, been coming here for 30 years, been here for 3 coups, and nothing changes, same, same. The human rights situation is easily liveable, and doesn't bother the average law abiding citizen. As time goes on things will get back to the way they were. For me this is the best country in the world to live. I have a fantastic Thai wife and adopted family, great farang friends, and the weather I like. However I will admit most years we have a spell of 3 to 6 weeks, when it is too cold for me and I wish I could afford to go to Bali for those weeks, but I guess I can't have everything.

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Wading in a litte late but, if you need any sort of regular phone service to the US and Canada, you might want to consider getting a MagicJack.

I have had one for several years and can call anywhere in the US/Canada, talk as long as I wish and the only cost is the annual fee of around $35.

It operates off your computer so it will require internet but I am presuming you will have internet access.

The initial cost is $60 for the device and one year service.

I use it regularly and have had no problems.

Check out the web site if interested. http://www.magicjack.com/index.html

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Wading in a litte late but, if you need any sort of regular phone service to the US and Canada, you might want to consider getting a MagicJack.

I have had one for several years and can call anywhere in the US/Canada, talk as long as I wish and the only cost is the annual fee of around $35.

It operates off your computer so it will require internet but I am presuming you will have internet access.

The initial cost is $60 for the device and one year service.

I use it regularly and have had no problems.

Check out the web site if interested. http://www.magicjack.com/index.html

I agree with the Magic Jack I too had one for several years and worked like a charm. However I did migrate to Skype just for the convince to be able to use it on my cell phone

and not be tied to a computer. It does cost more I think I pay $10 a month. Plenty of options out there.

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Wading in a litte late but, if you need any sort of regular phone service to the US and Canada, you might want to consider getting a MagicJack.

I have had one for several years and can call anywhere in the US/Canada, talk as long as I wish and the only cost is the annual fee of around $35.

It operates off your computer so it will require internet but I am presuming you will have internet access.

The initial cost is $60 for the device and one year service.

I use it regularly and have had no problems.

Check out the web site if interested. http://www.magicjack.com/index.html

I agree with the Magic Jack I too had one for several years and worked like a charm. However I did migrate to Skype just for the convince to be able to use it on my cell phone

and not be tied to a computer. It does cost more I think I pay $10 a month. Plenty of options out there.

Skype for me. No equipment needed, no monthly charges, the calls are amazingly cheap, and if you call someone else who has Skype, the call is free. We also use Facebook FaceTime when possible.

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I use Skype and it's ridiculously cheap. Most friends also have Skype, so the calls are free. Can do it from the PC, Laptop, tablet or phone. And from anywhere you can get a connection. I was at a gas station in the middle of nowhere in Lithuania and was able to get wifi and call my wife for free here in Thailand! LOL

Line works, Facebook, FaceTime, etc, etc, etc all have the ability to call for free if you have an internet connection.

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Hey ---

I am long-time T*Mobile Customer.

When my Thai Wife goes to Thailand, I call T*Mobile.

She left Thanksgiving Day. I called and there are now two (2) options.

1. $10.00 USD not unlimited to her cellphone. Only to land line.

2. $15.00 USD Unlimited to her cellphone.

I took option 2 this time.

When she comes back in February, I will call T*Mobile and turn it off.

Easy to do.

Last year, I had "Thailand Only" on my T*Mobile plan.

They've changed it a bit lately, but it still works great.

FYI -- For some reason, Sunday night (Hawaii Time) is a bit "fuzzy".

Good luck and best wishes.

Steve

c /

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How much is a cell phone call to the USA from Thailand? My current phone is with T-mobile (Hawaii) and the charges from Thailand to USA are 0.20 cents a minute (about 6 baht a minute).

,

With Skype the calls are a few pennies per minute. A few years ago we used to purchase electronic, on line calling cards and they brought the cost down to about three cents per minute. They were a pain to use because we had to enter these long numbers each time we wanted to make a call. That was the major reason for moving to Skype. $.20 per minute can get very expensive.

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I am sorry. I did not fully read your question.

What I described is from USA (Hawaii) to Thailand. She can be anywhere in Thailand.

You are correct, calling from Thailand to a T*Mobile cellphone in the USA.

Suggestion If You Can: Phapassorn calls me and lets it ring twice and hangs up. No charge. I see her call

and call her back. It's cheaper USA to Thailand, so when she wants to talk she calls me and hangs up. I call her back.

We've been doing this for over 2 years, when she is in Thailand.

Sorry if I confused you with my earlier answer.

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How much is a cell phone call to the USA from Thailand? My current phone is with T-mobile (Hawaii) and the charges from Thailand to USA are 0.20 cents a minute (about 6 baht a minute).

To call the USA from Thailand using AIS, True etc it's about 5-6 baht a minute, but there are calling card available which offer better rates, dont know the rates as I used Skype.

I too use T-mobile in the USA. I added the $15 a month for unlimited worldwide calling and my wife calls Thailand all the time. Also with T-mobile you get free data when roaming which works very good in Thailand.

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