Jezz

Am I correct in assuming the letter from my bank required by immigration for marriage extension must be from the branch where the account is held? If so, when I change location and immigration office I guess I’d need to change branches of the bank in order to get the letter the same day or day before application for extension. Are there any problems in proving bank balance and movements covering the time period required if accounts are moved, resulting with the issue of a new savings book? From memory, banks tend to open new accounts and the record only shows a single amount transferred from another branch, then new transactions made at the new branch.

I’m British, in my 60’s, on my third extension based on marriage. Our permanent address is in Sakon Nakhon province and I report to Sakon Nakhon immigration. However, we plan to live for long periods in Mae Rim district, Chiang Mai, in a property owned by the wife’s uncle where the wife will be running a business. We plan to return to our own house only periodically. Should I do 90 day reports at Chiang Mai or by post to Sakon Nakhon? Given we wouldn’t be able to collect receipts seems to make that idea risky. Also, would there be problems getting a new one year extension from Chiang Mai as the residence is not in our name etc. Each year at Sakon Nakhon the office requires our village headman to provide a letter confirming I do live at that address. I somehow feel it might be best to travel back home for 90 day reports and annual extension. Expert advice warmly welcomed. Thanks.

One of my Thai wife’s uncles is developing a new temple adjacent to Wat Phra Phutabat Si Roy, tambon Salawong, amphur Mae Rim, in Doi Suthep National Park, reached by a torturous road from Mae Rim, to an altitude of about 1600 metres. Mains electricity is supposedly scheduled to arrive in about two years. Buildings up there have generators and solar power. Me and my family will be living up there for long periods, the wife running a coffee and gift shop.

Are there any members living near, or with good knowledge of the location? I’d welcome any tips about hill life, the unlikely bonus of Wi-Fi internet signals from surrounding areas, and anything pertinent to this way of life. Also any ideas on the best and quietest generators!

I’ve spent some time up there, and being older, enjoy a quiet life without the need of city buzz, albeit we’ll be going up and down to the city regularly for shopping etc. We have our own house in Isaan, but plan to spend the majority of the time at this new location with its cool climate.

Next week I’ll be staying at a Thai friend’s house just a few kilometres north of Mae Rim. I’m wondering if it’s likely to be a little cooler than down in Chiang Mai city at this time of year?

This might be of interest to anyone planning to get a car driving license from Sakon Nakhon L.T.O.

I arrived at 8 am, having handed in the required documents the day before. Because my one year license expired much more than a year ago, as expected, I was told I needed to start all over again with the full test.

At 9 am I did the familiar colour blindness, reaction speed (braking) and, somewhat different to other offices I’ve been in, was required to line up two white pegs in a box by pulling on ropes rather like horse reins. Then I was given a copy of the Highway Code – just the road signs – in English, told to read it and come back at 2 pm for a computerised exam and an actual driving test on the test circuit.

Somewhat later than 2 pm I went with others into the examination room with about 15 ‘computers’; giant things like arcade video gaming machines. The staff set mine up in English. The test involved answering 30 questions by choosing the correct answer from 4 options by pressing a button. To pass you need to get at least 23 correct. Out of the 30 questions only a few were about road signs. The rest were made up of tiny pictures of cars in various road positions or parking positions; the idea being to tell if car ‘A’ ‘B’ ‘C’ or ‘D’ is doing it correctly. Then there followed a string of questions like ‘Which of the following vehicles are prohibited from using public roads?” A) If the horn exceeds 75 decibels in loudness. A military armoured tank. C) A racing car with permission from the authorities. D) A vehicle without a windscreen.

Miraculously I passed that bit of the test as well! The final leg started at 4 pm. On the test track I had to park close to the kerb, drive through a row of cones and reverse back through them, drive up to a ‘parking space’, reverse in and drive out. No problem!

At 4.15 pm I got a full 5 year license.