mamborobert

Here's the situation.

For many many years I have obtained a Non Immigrant O at the consulate in Perth (now closed).  I know I have had a good run I have no Thai wife and no property in Thailand.  Do have along term GF (5 years) and rental and will get married no doubt in a few years but not just to get a visa now.

The visa has allowed me to live 6 months a year (in two trips) in Thailand for the last six years, with little or no hassle for border runs, get licenses, buy a bike open  bank account, not have to deal with Thai immigration etc.

Went to another Thai consulate in Australia (after shopping around a bit) and got another year long multiple entry O from March 2012.  The consulate made it bloody clear that Perth were soft and they would give me the visa this time as I reach 50 in Feb next year and they were enabling me to get on the "right" visa.  So Retirement visa is the go as far as they are concerned, and its pretty much what i thought.  I had a good run, the run is over..

I will not be retired for a few more years (by choice), I have a good seasonal direct employmment job where I make more than enough in two lots of three months to support myself being off in Thailand for two lots of three months.  Basically I am three months work, three months holiday.  Always paid out of Australia but do a lot of work offshore, never Thailand.

I can put the money in a Thai bank account no problems but can I get an income letter instead from my embassy if I am still working?

Does anyone know if the Australian embassy will do an income letter based on pay slips (or say ten years worth of group certificates).

Or, do you have to be retired and on some income stream to get an income letter?

I do not want to muck around with other visas and border runs and a retirement visa will still allow me to do that on the odd accasion where I make a 4 month stay.

Ideas?

As this Saturday marks an important cultural date in the lives of Irish people everywhere I was wondering if any venue (or venues) have anything planned.  Something beyond green beer would be nice,  good band would be even better (i live in hope).

Tiocfaidh ár lá

Firstly I want to apologise if anyone is offended by this post.  That is not my intention.  I hold no views on the subject matter I am posting on.  I seek neither to inflame a sensitive issue or be an advocate or appologist for the subject matter content.

I read through a number of Chiang Mai webistes, some of which are Thai, and have the same broad cross section of views (and the odd loon)  that one would find on boards in English.  There are a number of Chiang Mai web sites with odd views, but I am not suggesting that the website that I refer to is odd.  I have found it both useful, informative, and interesting.  Today I was on the Islamic web site for Chiang Mai and it had a link from an article to a very recent, and in my opinion, very interesting and well put together documentary in an article titled " 9-11 from the perspective of Thai Muslims".

The doco is 20 minutes or so long, professionally put together, with good english subtitles and can be found at http://www.youtube.c...u/1/XnU4Op84_Mc

I found it interesting and thought others might also.

Wifey has only one battered photo of her deceased mother that is some 15 years old and looks like its a copy of a copy on some almost vinyl like material.

It seems like it has been doubled in size so a lot of the clarity or definition has gone....as a side it really makes you appreciate how advanced digital cameras have become

I would like to get it restored, or scanned, and tarted up quite a bit.  

My wife is very attached to this photo so understandably do not want it damaged in any way, but is anyone aware of a place in CM that can scan and restore/enhace at all to a good quality.

As this is a suprise for her I would rather that it was done quickly (as she will certainly see its not about) so I need to do it when she is out of town so maybe will only have a day or two to play with but really want to get the best image I can so if it takes a little more time I will have to fudge a bit or "unsuprise" her.

thanks

A bit of context.  I have been renting in a small soi on the East side of the Ping for the last six months.  Now I see plenty of farangs when I am cruising around, or shopping, but as for walking in my neighbourhood,, nope, nil, nada unless they are hopelessly lost.  Every now and again this does get to me as I would like to have a bit better people watching opportunities and a general yack with a passer by or exchange pleasantries at a local shop.

My question is this, are there any condo complexes or soi's or areas of CM where you would find a higher proportion of farangs (ie condos at the percentage limit).  I am not talking about the talking in tongues mob, or the singlet and Leo 10.00am heart starter crew (my appologies to Veerachai Court et al), just a group of  normal everday folk representing a broader cross section of the farang community as far as age, nationalities, socio economic backgrounds etc.  Likewise there are some condos that seem to have a lot but they are just the one condo in an island of nothing else.

Again not so much the housing estates more the condos and sois in CM proper (say withing the first ring road).  Is there are higher number around the CMU or Canal Roads, or are there upcoming areas such as around Payap?

Do farang now have a multi ethinic ghetto/sanctuary/haven/pod/fantasy island  in CM yet? And if so (or not) would you want one, realising that it can never be an exclusively farang area or even a majority (and thats not what I want by any means which is one reason I tend to avoid some "estates"), but is there an area or few sois where there are "more" in the general flow.