The regulations say, “In order to open an ordinary checking or savings account, Bank of Bangkok requires that I get a notarized letter from the US Embassy in Bangkok, stating that I’m a US citizen and that I reside in Thailand at a certain address. The Embassy requires an appointment and a $50.00 document fee, not including the cost of transportation to and from Bangkok, or a hotel and meals. And there’s no guarantee the bank will even accept it.”  R. Butler.

Thailand Retirement Concierge clients, of course, do not have this problem, since we act as your guarantor.

This video shows just how infuriating it can be:

New money-laundering regulations require you to establish and prove permanent residence before you can open a Thai bank account. You can imagine the Catch-22 situation this creates: how can you pay the deposit on your new place if you don’t even have a bank account?, More at paydayloansmonster.

We’ve struggled with this since the regulations came into effect and now, with the help of our angelic bank manager, have created a completely legal process that allows Concierge clients to open their permanent account as soon as they arrive.

We go to the bank together and you’ll have your ATM card and bank book when you leave. Best of all, apart from signing a few more forms, it requires no effort on your part: we’ll be waiting with the completed forms as soon as you step off the plane. Here are some simple steps that will make opening your Thai bank account a breeze:

• Except for businesses, checking accounts are not generally used in Thailand. Thailand Bank Accounts are structured a little differently, like everything in Thailand so, when you ask to open an account the bank will open a savings account without even asking you. The administration of bank accounts and the security procedures are slightly different, too, so here’s a brief primer:

  

• When you go to the bank, take your passport, your permanent Thai address and Thai cellphone number
• Joint accounts are very difficult, so get the account in one name and then get two ATM cards. Trust me, this is the better option.
• You will have to pay for your new (chipped) ATM card. Cost is up to 1,000 baht, depending on the bank.
• Ask for online banking while you’re opening the account. The bank officer will usually not suggest this (don’t ask me why) which means you’ll have to go back again later if you don’t do it on the spot.
• Ask the bank officer to show you how to navigate your Thai online account. They’re set up differently from those at home but work quickly and well once you’ve mastered the interface
• The bank will give you a savings account passbook. Don’t make the mistake I made and throw it away or lose it. Passbooks are extremely important in Thailand and are used for all major withdrawals. So keep it in a safe place.
• Update your passbook regularly. It’s your legal proof of transactions and balances. There are Passbook Update Terminals alongside most ATM transaction machines at all bank branches. When you correctly insert your passbook they will read your account number from the barcode on its cover. Ask your bank officer to show you how to use it before you leave the bank. Then use it at least once a month, and after every significant deposit.
• When you get home, start setting up online bill payment accounts immediately, so you don’t forget how to use the interface. You can pay all your regular bills online. The easiest are your Internet and cable providers, and your cell phone provider. If you haven’t opened those accounts yet, remember to ask for their online billpay account name when you’re setting up the account. Otherwise, you may need to call their customer support line to get that information and enter it into your bill pay account. You’ll only need to do this once.
• I use (and strongly recommend) Bangkok Bank. This is a link to their online banking which, once you learn the interface, is a fast and convenient way to pay all your bills. As with all things to do with banking in Thailand, the trick is choosing a bank manager. My guy works miracles for me and for clients…
• If receiving payments from a US Government Agency: Download the “Direct Deposit Sign-up Form (SF1199A)” from http://www.socialsecurity.gov/online. Complete the form to sign up for Direct Deposit with your relevant US government agency and include information which are your name and physical address in Thailand; your bank account number and the name and address of your Bangkok Bank Branch in Thailand; 9-digit routing number 026008691 of Bangkok Bank New York  Branch. Complete a “Direct Deposit Service Application” form, which you can pick up at any Bangkok Bank branch (except micro branches). You can also choose to fill out an SMS Remittance Alert Service Request Form to receive an SMS notification on your mobile phone when funds have been successfully transferred into your Bangkok Bank account.
  Submit all forms to Bangkok Bank with the following supporting documents:
  Identification Card/Government Official ID Card/Passport together with a customer identification document such as your Social Security Card, Annuitant ID Card etc.
  A document from the relevant agency giving evidence of your right to receive the payments.
  After verifying your documents, Bangkok Bank will submit your application to the government agency, asking them to approve your request to receive the funds via Direct Deposit.
  After the request is approved by the US Government Agency, your payments will be electronically deposited directly into your Bangkok Bank account.
• International Fund Transfers for Americans: Bangkok Bank ACH (Automated Clearing House) transfers from the US via their NY branch will end April 1, 2019 and online US ACH domestic transfers will no longer function after that. Bangkok Bank says this will not affect existing Social Security or other federal government direct deposits. The Bank says that, after April, Americans should use an online banking facility called IAT (International ACH Transfers), though no one seems to know of any U.S. banks that currently provide consumers online access to IAT or any U.S. banks/CUs that have announced plans to support it for consumers. Stay tuned and we will let you know as soon as we know more on this. In the meantime, for transfers of $3K or less, Transferwise puts more baht into your Thai bank account when  both exchange rate and fees are deducted.  For larger amounts use an International Wire/SWIFT. Charles Schwab gives you free transfers of $1000 per day and has modest fees, $25, for wire transfers.
• The Bangkok Bank account must be one that is not accessible by ATM so you have the hassle of going into a Bangkok Bank branch each month (any branch is OK, not just your home branch) and presenting your passport in order to withdraw the funds and move them to another account with ATM/internet access.  But, if you’re suddenly incapacitated, Bangkok Bank will visit your hospital bed and get your thumbprint to release the funds to pay hospital bills. If you’re more conscious, but still can’t make it to the hospital, they’ll give you whatever you request to pay rent, give your GF her allowance, etc. (They won’t do this if you can’t give consent, just pay the hospital bill without consent.) If you have your SS direct deposited to a U.S. account it can be a joint account, with internet access and often it’s very easy to move the money into Bangkok Bank using online ACH transfer. But, if you become incapacitated, no U.S. bank will release your funds unless a court-appointed guardian initiates the request and there is no easy way to set up a guardian for an incapacitated foreigner in Thailand.  So, if you’re using the method of manually transferring money from the U.S. to Thailand, make sure you have the process documented so that someone could do it for you should you become incapacitated.
• If you are living in Thailand, the point of contact for more information or to ask questions about SSA benefits is the SSA Federal Benefits Unit (FBU) at the US Embassy in Manila, Philippines. You can contact the SSA through the following channels: Tel: (63 2) 301 2000 ext. 9 Website: http://ph.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen -services/social-security/.  E-mail: FBU.manila@ssa.gov
• If receiving payments from a private organization. Request the “Authorization Agreement for Automatic Deposits (ACH Credits)” form or “Related Direct Deposit” form from the organization or the agency that will be making the payment to you. Complete the form to request the Direct Deposit service.
  Open a savings account at any Bangkok Bank branch in Thailand. If you already have an account with Bangkok Bank, you can use your existing bank account for this service.
  Request your home branch to issue a bank reference letter to certify your bank account details such as account type, account number, date of account opening and current balance to be provided to your agency.
  Include your name and physical address in Thailand;,your bank account number and the name and address of your Bangkok Bank Branch in Thailand;  and the 9-digit routing number 026008691 of Bangkok Bank New York  Branch in your Direct Deposit Signup Form.
  Indicate the Routing Number 026008691 of Bangkok Bank’s branch in New York and your account number with Bangkok Bank in Thailand on your “Authorization Agreement for Automatic Deposits (ACH Credits)” form or “Related Direct Deposit” form.
  Submit the form with the required information such as your Identity Card or Social Security Card, or evidence of your right to receive the payments from the company, together with Bangkok Bank’s Reference Letter. Mail the signed form to the US company asking it to approve the request and initiate direct deposits into your account.
  After the request to receive direct deposits is approved, your payments will be electronically deposited directly into your Bangkok Bank account.You can read it here.

Thailand Bank Accounts for Australians

• Look for a credit card (Mastercard) that doesn’t charge fees for overseas transactions or a percentage of the transaction and visit loans green for monthly deals
• Make sure you pay its balance off every month so you don’t pay interest.
• Only use it in reputable locations.
• You’ll find the exchange rates between Oz & THB comparable to those offered by the major banks in Thailand
• And better than the exchange rates of the banks offered in Oz.
• Incidentally, if your Australian ATM card has a Maestro or Cirrus logo it will work with Thai ATMs.
• But Visa cash advances  attract a 3% surcharge
• For larger amounts T/T (telegraphic transfer bank to bank) is quicker but costs  $35–$100.
• For larger amounts interbank is slower (overnight) but most economical at $20 per transfer, regardless of amount.
• If you instruct your bank to send Aussie dollars (rather than Thai Baht) you’ll get a better exchange rate.
• If you’re sending more than $10,000 you can negotiate a better exchange rate with your local branch manager – if you tell him 24 hours in advance.
• If you withdraw money from an ATM in Thailand, draw at least 25,000 Baht. Your fee ($7-10) remains the same.

The post Thailand Bank Accounts appeared first on Thai Retirement Helpers: Retiring in Thailand Made Easy.

If the cost of owning , insuring cars in Thailand seems steep, then consider a scooter. The cost of a good scooter ($1500) and operating it in Thailand is laughable: the 5,000K service at the dealer costs $7! My scooter days were generally great fun, but much less fun at night, in the rain, or on a freeway: those were white-knuckle times I won’t miss. Then, last year, after cheap thrills and 3 spills, I switched to a car.

I bought my Toyota Yaris, above, with 45,000 km on it, in excellent condition, with a 6-month warranty, from a farang who deals in cars, for 138,000 Baht cash. (Car loans for farangs are possible in Thailand, but require a Thai national co-signer). Since the switch I’ve had no regrets. Here are the pluses:

• It’s made in Thailand so parts and labor are very cheap.
• It’s small enough to fit through the local alleyways without scraping paint.
• A full tank, 11 gal/42l., costs 1,344 baht
• It gets 40 mpg on 91 Octane fuel so a tank lasts 400 miles.
• It’s front seats are big and roomy and the back seats are fine around town.
• It’s air-conditioned. Thailand is hot. Need we say more?
• A killer Alpine stereo (included in the price) starts playing my iTunes collection as soon as I start the car.
• I arrive at my destinations cool and relaxed, regardless of weather or time of day.
• When I have an accident (Thai roads are among the most dangerous on earth) I do not come in contact with the ground!
• It’s easier to get dates. The social cachet alone, in Thai eyes, is worth it.

What do Used Cars Cost in Thailand?

Here’s a 2014 Suzuki Swift, a surprisingly good car, often compared to the Mini (298,000 Thai Baht is about US$8,800:

What are the Operating Costs of Owning a Car in Thailand?

I’ve been taking my Toyota to the dealer for years and being ripped off. Now I’ve found a great alternative, DKT Car Repairs. Phone 053-2022-6970.  205/3 Mahidol Rd, Tambon Pa Daet, Amphoe Mueang Chiang Mai, Chang Wat Chiang Mai 50100. Mahidol is a split highway, so plan your approach carefully and be alert especially as traffic moves fast on the highway. It’s down a lane on your left, so slow down as soon as Google Mapssays you’re close. An oil and filter change with 10,000 km oil costs 1,440 Bt. I took my Yaris in at the busiest time of the morning and it was ready in one hour. They did far more than I asked and yet did not charge for it. The front clip of my car (the entire nose section) had gotten torn loose by a low stump as I reversed into a parking spot. I was planning to take it to a body shop after the oil change but, when I returned, they had replaced and refastened the nose clip and the car looked new again!

Another great service and repair shop is PRO-AUTO. Like DKT Car Repairs, above, Pro-Auto is a great place to get your car fixed. My A/C was blowing warm so I pulled into Pro-Auto in Hang Dong, on Highway 108, east of Highway 121. Fifteen minutes later, I pulled out with the air conditioner blowing so cold I had to dial it down to the minimum. The bill was 500 baht. The map is here. The phone is: 089 838 8899. Facebook page here. If you’re traveling south on Hang Dong road, pass BigC and continue south thru the intersection. Take the first U turn just beyond a 7/11, and pull over, you will be almost outside another 7/11 which is adjacent ProAuto.

Fuel costs around 30 baht/litre, or US$5.74/ US gallon based on 91 regular.  A Yaris will travel 400 miles on a single tank, making long trips both convenient and affordable. To put that into Southeast Asian perspective: you can drive from lovely Chiang Mai, Thailand, to exotic Vientiane, capital of Laos, without stopping for gas. Makes you think, donnit?

Auto insurance is affordable. My ‘first class’ (i.e., all risks, no fault) insurance cost 16,000 baht for the first year. It’s included, by law, in the cost of all new cars which is very cool. Friends who’ve made claims on these policies, though they used different insurers, all report exemplary performance from their insurers. Local Rhys Bonney, who is familiar to our Concierge clients, collided with an oncoming u-turning car and spent 3 weeks in hospital repairing the fractures to his feet, ankles and lower legs. His insurer picked up 100% of the bill and paid it immediately. Rhys is fine, now, incidentally.

Four Michelin tires, mounted and balanced, cost 12,000 baht. When I went to my neighborhood Michelin tyre shop last week the lady manager (never ask the male staff anything; men are for decorative purposes only) told me to come back when the rainy season starts because there’s plenty of tread on my tires right now.

“How do you like your car’s handling?” she asked.

“It’s pretty disappointing,” I confessed.

She laughed. “When you come back I’ll put the correct size tires on. Your tires are the wrong size. That’s what’s causing your handling problem”.

So good service is definitely not a problem! If you need a certificate of residence so you can buy a car or get a license, US citizens can download this form and take it to the Consulate to be certified. [ddownload id=”5761″].

Update March 2017: The Yaris headlights were starting to yellow from exposure to the tropical sun and there were scratches and dings on all sides so…off to my car guys to a refresh. I drove it there, they drove me home and dropped it off the next day and it’s looking quite spiffy. Here’s the itemized bill:
Front head light fixtures (L,R) 2×2,400.00 = 4,800 Baht
Labor / service charge = 675 Baht
Buffing and paint touch up the whole car = 1,500  Baht
Vehicle delivery service = 300 Baht.
TOTAL: 7,275 baht, or US $206.

The Cost of Car Insurance in Thailand

My friend Rhys had a very bad car crash last year, on a freeway, when a car attempted a suicidal U-turn at high speed. The other driver ran off and was never found and the car turned out to be unregistered. He was in hospital for weeks and hobbling around for months with lots of metal holding him together. There’s an important element to the story: in order to get his one million baht medical costs covered, Rhys had to go to the police station and admit liability! If he didn’t, then the police would have to investigate the accident, which can take months–or forever. He discovered this because my insurance broker was on top of his situation, calling the hospital, the police, and the insurer (BUPA in this case). BUPA wouldn’t pay until they’d received the completed police report then, even though the police reported that Rhys was to blame, they paid the hospital promptly.

As they were loading Rhys into the ambulance the police administered a breathalyzer test. He was clean, but he learned something valuable: if he’d had passengers at the time the police would have given all of them breathalyzer tests and, if one had tested over the limit, most insurers would have denied his claim. So remember to ask your broker (or mine) for a policy that does not contain that ridiculous stipulation. The other thing he learned was the wisdom of having a perfectly bilingual insurance broker: the guy had to be able to win the cofidence of the police and the hospital and the reluctant insurer… over the phone!

I asked my broker, who has lots of clients, whether he does that for every such accident and he said he does. In the worst year he remembers, he had 48 client accidents (out of thousands of clients) and said he really only spends 2-3 hours on the phone for each accident, so it’s not as big a deal as it sounds. But it was a big deal for Rhys. Remember this about  good brokers: they cost no more than bad brokers or no broker at all. Get a good broker!

Here’s a reminder that driving in Thailand is a unique experience:

The post Owning, Insuring Cars in Thailand appeared first on Thai Retirement Helpers: Retiring in Thailand Made Easy.

An Aussie, Michelle Hammond, writes that living in Chiang Mai saves her $23,994 a year:

Medical: Dermatologist visit without an appointment: vital signs, 10-minute wait, evaluation, CO2 removal of two pre-cancerous lesions: 996 Baht. (You didn’t think Chiang Mai’s cost of living was so low, did you?)

Two farang friends have just delivered baby girls in Chiang Mai hospitals. Each had a private room, one for four days. Their total was pre-agreed: 60,000 Bt (US$1700) each. Both were delighted by the care they received which, in one case, included an autographed photo of the entire delivery team gathered around the bed of the exhausted mother holding her baby for the first time. Another friend got bad food poisoning and went to the hospital in early July. She needed intensive care but every bed in the hospital was full so the doctor, not wanting to put her back in an ambulance, had his desk removed from his office and a bed installed for her. The bill next day was 1400 Bt (US$40). When she protested that this was too low, staff told her it was because she did  not have a ‘proper room’. A nurse called her at home that night to check her progress.

Automotive: I’ve been doing a lot of fast driving through mountainous roads lately and can assure you that even remote roads are well maintained in the Kingdom. But taking thousands of curves stresses wheel bearings, apparently, because one of mine went out. I discovered this when I went to have the Toyota’s front alignment checked after I hit a pothole (in the middle of town!) and the steering went weird. The shop fixed the affected wheel and moved it to the rear, then balanced and aligned the front wheels. They refused payment because I’d bought the Michelins (3,000 Bt each) from them and the work was covered by their lifetime warranty – a pleasant  surprise. There was no denying the wheel bearing problem (the grinding noise was obvious once they pointe it out) so the next day they came and picked up the car. It was back a few hours later along with a bill for 2,000 Bt. and the old bearing in the factory box that held the new bearing. Don’t worry too much about the cost of owning a car in Chiang Mai: it’s far less than you’re accustomed to at home.

Bathroom Installer: I consider Thai bathrooms more dangerous than Thai roads so decided to install three grab bars in case I slip. Home Pro, the hardware store that sold the bars quoted me 1,100 baht (Aimie was shocked at the price but this was too important to haggle) and sent around a man with the experience and equipment to drill tiles (a tricky business) and I showed him where and at what height I wanted each bar to go then left him to get on with his work.  Thais don’t give up any freedom just because you’re paying them and one of those freedoms is deciding how things should be done. This means you don’t always get what you expect – or want. He installed the bars neatly and professionally in 30 minutes but so far up the wall that I have little chance of grabbing them if I slip, as you can see from the height the door handle.

The garden installer came to put in some shrubs outside my front fence. All my neighbors have hedges and my fence looked naked without one. I told the crew where to break up the thin concrete outside the fence and left them to it. They had other ideas, as it turns out. Their idea is what you see in the photograph: a raised garden surrounded by bricks. It doesn’t match the rest of the street and, worse still, it gets 12 hours of direct sun in summer and the soil gets so hot that it broils the roots of anything but the hardiest weeds.

My hairdresser is an artist. He finds my ultra-short hair style an affront to his aesthetic sensibility. Every time I go for a cut – 220 Baht – he gives me the style that pleases him. Then follows a ‘yes but’ discussion during which I make excuses for the hairstyle I need (“I go swimming every day and cannot spend time drying it”, etc.). He shakes his head in disbelief and, eventually, complies.

I mention these three people not in any negative way, but to contrast Thai culture with our own: Thais feel freer to be themselves, express their own opinions, and ignore the master-slave relationship that Western employees are encouraged to embrace. And now to a different adventure:

The Plumber: I heard water running outside the house day and night for weeks, then came home to find a a water bill pinned to my gate for 9,761 baht – 30x times normal. A water inspector then showed up and located the leak in a water junction box (no the West does not have such things, and I’m not sure why Thailand does) in the yard behind the house. It was clear that someone in the past had attempted to repair it with what looked like black electrical tape, which had finally given way. The inspector sent a repairman who quickly set things right, but I was now in a tricky position: under Thai law I am responsible for everything in and around the house, but this strange box had water pipes entering it from other properties and the damage was done before I signed the lease. “Did you take a photograph of the old repair?” was Aimie’s first question. Damn! It hadn’t occurred to me that I’d need evidence. However, after some back and forth, the owner offered to split the bill.

Picked up cushions for the two Yang chairs (like the one in the picture). Total for two big cushions, cover and zipped outer covers was 3,180 baht. When I tried to pay, the lady behind the counter became concerned and explained that I had paid when I ordered the cushions. I find this kind of honesty typical in Chiang Mai. Cheating is quite rare.

Internet Bills: I dumped my unreliable Internet carrier, 3BB, and put in a direct fiber connection from AIS, whose equipment is much newer and more reliable. I’m paying 1300 Bhat per month for 30Mb fiber. Twice the speed for little more money and less down time. When you’re figuring your Thailand cost of living, you can usually get Internt free via WiFi in condos and apartments – so that’s a potential savings.

More Chiang Mai Cost of Living

Town gas is unknown in this part of the world, as is cooking with gas indoors. Most domestic kitchens are outdoors, with charcoal braziers. My house has a small Western kitchen with a two-burner stovetop with a small (15 kg) tank underneath. When it ran out last week I took it down to the local gas merchant and swapped it for a full one – enough to last me 6 months using it once a day.

Reading Glasses. After cataract surgery (below) I need reading glasses and, since I only use them at home, did not want fancy (2,000 baht) frames. Bought four pairs of reading glasses for 100 baht each and had the prescription lenses made up and inserted into them for 2,100 baht. Total for four pairs of prescription readers: 2,500 baht ($85).

Furniture: Took delivery of two yang chairs to match the big yang chair/bed/lounge (4,000 Baht each, above) I bought last month (12,000 Baht, below). These are popular locally since the sofa-style yangs double as occasional beds for unexpected guests – and unexpected guests are the most common kind here. They’re (very) solid teak and weigh a ton. I’m planning to upholster them with some fabulous silk from our local silk merchants, Shinawatra, who make beautiful stuff. Very expensive, though.

Refrigerators: This month’s shopping has been educational and fun, as usual. When we’re shopping together sales staff assume Aimie and I are married. She cracks up and tells me, “They call me ‘madam’ instead of ‘sister’ and congratulate me on having such a rich husband”. Their congratulations came when I went to buy a good quality(!) $200 mattress for the guest room (visitors have been lining up since friends learned about the spare bedroom). I was tired of defrosting the Panasonic refrigerator that came with the house and I fell for a tall silver Samsung with a separate freezer on sale at HomePro for 9,999 Baht, $330. Two guys delivered and installed it that afternoon and stayed to explain the controls – which was rather sweet.

Utility Bills: One advantage of condos is that the landlord pays the utility bills. The disadvantage is that she then charges you double what she paid. I was looking forward to saving a few bucks when my first round of bills arrived for the house but I discovered that, like so many aspects of Thai life, bill-paying is more complicated than it appears. For one thing, the bills are in Thai. For another, most companies – including the biggest – have hit-or-miss billing software. Why? I suspect it’s a combination of the facts that

1. Thais hate being told how to do things (especially by farangs)
2. They always assume that the Thai way is best, and
3. They can figure it out themselves.

One result is that my cellular carrier, True, does not bill me at all. Despite my pleas (and complaints, when my service is discontinued for non-payment) they simply tell me that their billing department is ‘having problems” and that I should ‘just remember next time’. The lady says it with the sweetest smile so I apologize and pay meekly. The water bill comes monthly on a cash-register printout slip. It’s about $5 a month and I can pay it – like most bills in Thailand – at any 7-11 store. Reassured by this knowledge, I waited a few weeks before paying the first bill  because there’s no convenient 7-11 near my house. Then I found to my dismay that I was ‘too late’ and would have to visit the Water Department on the other side of town. Bummer. The Water Department building is clearly signed – in Thai – so it took me a while to find it. I finally figured out that the building with the huge, shiny blue pipe and valve in front of it must be the right place. (Pipes and valves are beautiful, from the Water Department’s point of view, of course). Living in Thailand teaches you to look for contextual clues, that’s for sure!

Trash Bills: The trash bill is a bit of a mystery. There’s no regular trash pickup so, if I want it picked up, I must leave the bin outside the gate, in the narrow laneway, permanently. The big yellow truck roars by several times a week, but I’ve taken to carrying my trash to a local drop-off bin (a recycled blue plastic barrel) when I go out for my early morning walk. The standard trash bag in Thailand is a recycled plastic shopping bag, so that’s what I use, too. And since I started hauling  my own garbage, the bills (30 Baht/mo) have stopped. Trash collection is not going to figure heavily in your Thailand cost of living – as you see!

Rent: The least problematic aspect of Thailand’s cost of living is my rent (10,000 Bt/mo): I just transfer it from my online bank account directly to my landlady’s account with a few mouse clicks). On line bank payments are as easy here as they are there, thank God! More here..

So there you have it: bill paying is a curse that we must all endure since Adam and Eve made their rash decision to leave Paradise, and in Thailand it’s a mixed curse. But Chiang Mai’s cost of living is pretty hard to beat!

The post Chiang Mai Cost of Living appeared first on Thai Retirement Helpers: Retiring in Thailand Made Easy.

One of Chiang Mai’s Best Coffee Shops is Sweet Gardens, located here. These are the GPS coordinates 18.82920° 99.00616°. It’s on the second ring road towards the north side of town. Easy to miss because you’re hurtling along the freeway and can easily miss it.

Owned by a wealthy lady who uses it to entertain friends, it is located in her grounds, which has a huge lake stocked with enormous carp and over which she built a big beige, as you can see in the accompanying video:

Fahtara Coffee Shop & Spa

Here’s another great place to hang out in the middle of town: Fahtara Spa and Coffee. It’s owned by a wealthy Bangkok businessman (largely as a vanity project from what I can see), managed by a German, and staffed by charming people who prepare great light meals and some very original drinks – non-alchololic, though they serve alcohol also, of course. Here’s the map. And here’s the GPS: 18.86492° 98.96925° and here’s the video

http://https://youtu.be/VWvWlIDngbk%20

Natwat Home Cafe

Best coffee in Chiang Mai. Hands down. Opens at 7 am!! Cold brewed, organic Ethiopian – or any variety and brew style you can think of. The map.

Mamia Coffee Shop & Restaurant

On the banks of the Ping River in Chiang Mai. Long renowned for serving Thailand’s best coffees, Mamia Coffee hosts regular coffee-tasting events at which coffee international connoisseurs gather to meet prominent coffee-growers and taste their latest harvests. Thailand has 19,000 coffee growing plantations, a reputation for high-quality arabica varietals, and an increasingly discriminating population of coffee-drinkers. Drinking coffee by the river is a wonderful experience. Drinking the world’s best coffees in Chiang Mai’s loveliest riverside garden is a kind of heaven. And if you’re a food lover, you’ll love the desserts, made by the owner herself. GPS: 8.7816969, 99.0060884. Map here..

The post Chiang Mai’s Best Coffee Shops appeared first on Thai Retirement Helpers: Retiring in Thailand Made Easy.

British expats living in Thailand may be facing taxes they weren’t anticipating. A consultation document from HM Revenue & Customs claims that few countries in the world have such generous expats allowances as Britain and suggests restricting this privilege to those who spend at least 6 months a year in the UK. The plan directly impacts 25,000 British expats based in Thailand. The total sum the government could save is almost 400 million pounds.

The tax-free allowance is currently 10,000 pounds a year, due to rise to 10,500 pounds next year. If the personal allowance is withdrawn for non-residents without exception, then all individuals would be 2,000 pounds (100,000 baht) worse off annually, or 4,000 pounds for married couples. They would begin paying tax of 20 percent from the first pound of income, and 40 percent on income of 31,000 pounds or more. Presently, the government has not made a final decision on the proposals put forward by British Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne. British Expat Taxes in Thailand are up for grabs. British expats in Thailand have enjoyed a privileged tax status to date. Is that status threatened? Full story here.

Incidentally, we’re affiliated with one of the only agencies in Thailand authorised to represent British Citizens for receipt of Embassy services without your travelling to Bangkok.  This includes British Passport renewals; Proof of Income letters for British citizens (simply email your proof of income, a copy of your photo page in your passport and your address details before 6pm on Monday and your letter will be sent to you by EMS the following Monday; Baby’s First UK Passport – Do you have a child with your Thai partner and wish to register them for British citizenship? We can handle your UK passport application on your behalf – taking away the stress and hassle of travelling to Bangkok. Contact us for details.

The post British Expat Taxes in Thailand appeared first on Thai Retirement Helpers: Retiring in Thailand Made Easy.

The National Wage Committee has decided not to not raise the minimum wage until late next year as the cost of living remains at a reasonable level. According to Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Labor Mr. Nakorn Silapa-archa, the wage committee has resolved not to increase the daily minimum wage given that the inflation rate and the global oil prices have declined. However, Mr. Nakorn, who is also the president of the National Wage Committee, said they would deliberate on an unofficial proposal from the labor union suggesting that the daily wage be increased to 321 baht ($10, or $220/mo). Another meeting will be held at the end of 2015 to consider the possibility of adjusting the wage again. Following concerns of higher costs of living after the salaries of low ranking government officials have been increased, the Commerce Ministry will try to make everyday items more affordable for consumers, the Permanent Secretary said, adding that the prices of most products remain unchanged.

Most workers in the North are paid less than the legal minimum, and rural workers are paid even less. The men who are constructing the new condo building next door to me – hard, dangerous work – are certainly not. Here’s a video of them doing their thing.

The post Thai Minimum Wage appeared first on Thai Retirement Helpers: Retiring in Thailand Made Easy.

Option 1: Walk Around. It’s free and you can get better data from looking in person than you can any other way.
Option 2: Google Maps, if you zoom in close, will show you most places in the area. Click on them to get more information.
Option 3: Google Maps and Yelp search are useful while travelling if you have strong preferences on the type of food you want.
Option 4: Zagat or similar restaurant guide. Zagat scores things I don’t care about, but the numbers are useful.
Option 5: Ask People. What they choose is better than the average, so you’re ahead of the curve. Keep your query as general as you can and ask what’s good.
Option 6: Keep an Eye Out. Whenever people mention a restaurant in another context, that is a sign you should investigate. The context does not have to be praise–just not complaining.
Option 7:  Read Professional Reviews. The details they give you are often great. Their advice on what to order is trustworthy. Trust the details, distrust the rating.

A List of Chiang Mai’s Chinese Restaurants

Fujian Cantonese. Inside the Kad Dhara Shopping Village is Fujian, Dhara Dhevi’s renowned Chinese restaurant. Housed in a two-story mansion built in a typically Sino-Portuguese style dating back to the mid-19th century.

Yangzi Jiang on Nimmanhaemin’s Soi 5. Mee Jiang (sister restaurant of Yangzi Jiang) in the Chang Klan Plaza for traditional, inexpensive Cantonese style Chinese food. Try the crabmeat and fishmaw soup or the duck tongue if your brave!

Hongkong-Style Noodles. 90 Thipanet Rd, Mueang Chiang Mai  (small soi after the Shangri La Hotel).

Jok Sompet, Sripoom Road (on the canal). Best jok (congee) in town.

Hongkong Lucky Restaurant, 5/6 Soi 7, off Ratchadamnoen Road. “One of the best dim sum and Chinese food places that we’ve ever been to… and we’re Chinese! We went to the other location in Maya mall. The service and quality of food was excellent. You could tell that all the dim sum dishes were freshly handmade unlike other places. The owner was really humble and greeted most of the guest himself. If anyone visits and is unsure of what to order, their baked BBQ pork bun will not disappoint!!!”

Fu Jian at the Mandarin Oriental. A bit pricey but it’s awesome! They have Thailand’s best deep fried pigeons, honestly!!

The China Palace. 373/14  3 Tambon Wat Ket, Amphoe Mueang Chiang Mai, Chang Wat Chiang Mai 50000

Sunflower Chinese Restaurant Dim sum buffet on the 24th floor with great views of Chiang Mai city. The lava bun is superb and the ha-gao are some of the best in town. Just 412 baht per person too! Open 11.30am – 2pm. Duangtawan Hotel, Night Bazaar, 132 Loy Kroh Road. Phone 053 905 000

Yangzi Jiang: The lunch dim sums here are arguably the best in town with only the finest ingredients (and good prices). Open 11.30am – 2.30pm. Nimmanhaemin Soi. 5 053 225 313

Toey Dim Sum. Cheap and cheerful, a basket will cost you only 22 baht for a great variety of dim sums. Open 9.30am-10pm daily. www.toeydimsum.com. Phone 087 812 9440

Jasmine Dusit Princess. A longest standing dim sum restaurant and a city favourite. Salted egg bun are hot, soft, and aromatic.Open 11.30am – 2.30pm. Chang Klan Road
www.dusit.com/dusitprincess/chiangmai/ 053 253 900

Jasmine at Royal Princess is the place to go if you are going for Dim Sum / Yum Cha. High quality and cheap.

Mix.  Great fusion food (not strictly Chinese) and quite cheap.  Mix does a great job with service, ambience and presentation and the food is excellent. Soi 1 Nimanhemin rd. A.Muang Chiang Mai 50000. Hours: 10AM–10:30PM. Phone: 053 216 878

Jia Tong Heng. Mediocre Cantonese food. A large fronted restaurant and easily found by turning left into Sri Dornchai road coming from the night bazaar on Changklan road. After 150 metres, it’s on the left. A must for Chinese lovers and the doors open from 10 until 10pm.

Retire in Thailand

The post Chiang Mai’s Chinese Restaurants appeared first on Thai Retirement Helpers: Retiring in Thailand Made Easy.

Most of Asia does business in cash and Thailand’s no exception. You’ll need to carry cash with you at all times in Thailand unless you want to use a local debit card. Using foreign cards is very, very expensive and only a last resort. So bring cash to Thailand! Lots of cash!!

Shortly after I moved to Thailand I experienced card skimming and bank blocks on my US account. Those painful memories, though now distant, were reawakened this week when 3 of our relocation clients found their home bank accounts suddenly inaccessible and had to ask semi-strangers to lend them money. I experienced exactly the same humiliation a few months after I moved here and, as you can imagine, it’s stressful and embarrassing.
The moral of the story is:

1. Bring enough cash to cover ALL your expenses – including rent – for your first month.
2. Deposit all of it in your new Thai Bank account and don’t touch it. Instead,
3. Draw money for all your needs from your home bank account.
4. Leave that cash in your Thai account. Your bank manager will think highly of you and you’ll have a rainy day fund.

To recap: avoid frustration, humiliation and embarrassment. Bring cash when you come to Thailand. Deposit it. Don’t touch it unless you have to. Paying cash for everything is normal in Thailand. Thais expect cash and large amounts of it are commonly used for things like buying cars. Get used to cash again!

The post Bring Cash to Thailand appeared first on Thai Retirement Helpers: Retiring in Thailand Made Easy.

Yet despite all that, the streets are safe, clean and well lit, the roads well maintained, infrastructure is always being upgraded, and people are in a good mood 24×7.

Making money in Thailand is surprisingly easy because Thailand’s unemployment rate is 1%, everyone’s in a good mood,and the economy is growing at a steady 5-6%. Gross domestic product grew an impressive 19% last year. Much of that can be credited to the tremendous floods and the consequent rebuilding boom. But even so, the rate of growth surprised everyone. Experts had predicted growth to come in at 12–15% for the last quarter, but the resilient Thais blew that away. Here in Chiang Mai the signs are everywhere: building is booming and almost all of our hundreds of temples is on a major building or renovating tear. Exports are up, and so is domestic consumption. The ‘surprise’ part is probably attributable to the unofficial economy. Most Thai transactions are for cash, and almost all Thais have unreported income. When I rented a car last week, for example, the rental company refused my credit card and insisted on a cash deposit (only $170, on a brand new Toyota!).

After the USA, it’s fun to walk around in a booming economy. Normally happy Thais are now ecstatic. Everyone’s got a job, and everyone’s expecting bonuses. Friends who are hiring complain that most of the Thais who accept positions fail to show up on their scheduled first day – or ever! They’ve found better offers. Strangely, inflation has stayed low. I had an iced coffee, beef with noodles, and a large bottle of cold Singha beer yesterday for 134 Baht–$4.50. So… as the Aussies say, no worries! Here’s an Aussie video talking about exchanging money in Thailand:

And here’s more reading about money in Thailand:

• 7 Ways to Save Money Traveling in Thailand >> – Paper Planes – So we’ve covered the basic monthly expenses for living in the Land of Smiles and some surprising money sucks, now we’re on to how to save money in Thailand. While most things are very cheap, there are a few little ways to …
• Make Money while Living in Thailand for Expats | Thailand Expat … – Therefore, you will look for ways to make extra money in Thailand. This is especially true if you need to make money in your home country’s currency so that you can pay bills outside of Thailand. Thus, methods for earning …
• In Thailand Money comes first! – News from an Asia traveler – Read also: Credit card poker game in Thailand. Tags: ATM, ATM’s in Thailand, Money, Money in Thailand, Thailand · *. Home In Bangkok is an independent website that helps you find your perfect new “Home” in Bangkok.
• Cost of Living in Thailand: 1. Food | Understanding Thailand – Thailand’s culture, history, and present reality (by Godfree Roberts)
• 3 Simple Ways to Earn Money and make a living in Thailand … – Three easy ways for Foreigners to Earn an Income whilst Living in Thailand. With the western world deep in recession, lots of people losing their jobs and homes, there tends to be an air of doom and gloom amongst the …
• Travel in Thailand advice and information | TTN – Thailand Travel … – Before choosing the right time of year for a trip to Thailand, beginning with choosing the right airline that will offer the best prices. Use search engines and travel agency available on the website Thebestofthailand. The number …
• Travel Scam Asia Story And 5 Top Tips | engagingthailandtips Blog – Travel is such a marvellous thing and to open my eyes and learn the cultures and traditions of another people is of great interest to me. However whether a traveller or a tourist the one thing that must be paramount when …

The post Money in Thailand’s Booming Economy appeared first on Thai Retirement Helpers: Retiring in Thailand Made Easy.

Baht & Sold: Daniel, the expat owner of BahtSold.com designed it as a resource for individuals and businesses. Whether you are searching for the perfect home, a business to buy, a set of wheels or a stroller for the newest addition to your family – from Phuket to Chiang Mai – B&S usually has good listings.

Bangkok Post Classifieds for Chiang Mai: A traditional classifieds section from the leading English language newspaper in Thailand. Very strong Bangkok section.

CCCC Classifieds: Chiang Mai Christian Community, many of whose members are Christian missionaries in Thailand, is an excellent resource that goes far beyond its classifieds.

Chiang Mai Classified Ads: Light on listings but worth checking.

Chiang Mai Classifieds: Their website is unstable (I suspect a home server) but, when it’s working it has some unique listings.

Farang Mart: Another handy site, strong on scooters and motorcycles.

Chiang Mai Locator: A handy real estate advertising site.

Chiang Mai Mail: a re-badged Pattaya Mail site with Pattaya listings.

Chiang Mai Post: Rather weak classifieds but it’s listed here to encourage the publishers.

Craigslist Thailand: The original and still champion. I’ve had many good experiences buying and selling here.

Thai Visa Classified. An excellent resource with wide coverage and strong readership.

Make your promotion pop: Classified advertisements that use illustrations, outskirts and photographs for the most part pull in more eyes than average content just promotions. Simply check the paper – consistently there are postings that emerge from the others. Probably the most valuable elements we offer to do this are the ‘Included Ad’ and Web Graphic alternatives for your Online promotion and including a photograph (where pertinent) in Print. Additionally, keep in mind to utilize a feature that gets the peruser’s consideration.

Recognize what is imperative to individuals skimming in your characterized classification, and ensure you touch on those focuses; and utilize complete sentences – they’re less demanding to peruse than a progression of expressions and irregular words. Placed yourself in the client’s place. On the off chance that you were perusing the ordered advertisements, what might get your consideration? What words or expressions would make an advertisement emerge from the rest for you?

Quote a cost, regardless of the possibility that it’s high or low. In case you’re high, clarify why it’s justified, despite all the trouble (for instance: exceptional, extravagance thing, hand-made, and so on.), and on the off chance that it’s low, make sure to specify that it is an awesome arrangement furthermore clarify why the cost is so low (for instance: moving, snappy deal, extraordinary buy).

Incorporate a  get in touch with: Incorporate numerous types of contact, for example, a home and PDA number or your email address. Likewise, in the event that you are just accessible to answer a call amid specific hours, ensure you express that in your advertisement (for instance: call after 9pm, leave a message, and so forth.)

Determine brand names: If you are offering name brand stock, make sure to name the brand (and model, if correlated) in the promotion – specific should as much as possible. Individuals need to know precisely what it is you’re offering before they call and information should you can give, as much as possible. Consider it in the event that you are a client in a shop, would you like to know the specifics of an item or only a general thought of what it is?

Give white space access print work for you: This is an imperative format component in characterized promoting in light of the fact that the normal arranged page is overwhelming with little sort. The more “void” space in your advertisement, the more it will actually be taken note. Boxing an advertisement (including a basic outskirt around it) naturally makes white space around it, which thus consequently draws the eye.

Ask the peruser to act now: By completion your promotion with a suggestion to take action, for example, “12 hour deal,” “this week just,” or “call now, won’t keep going long”,” you include additional impetus for the intrigued purchaser to call you first.

Agenda – Every ordered ought to incorporate in any event the accompanying:

• Sale date or days and hours

• Price

• Make and model

• Size and shape

• New, utilized or reconditioned

• Service or guarantee

• Name, telephone number

• Address or bearings to area

The post Thailand Classified Ads Directory appeared first on Thai Retirement Helpers: Retiring in Thailand Made Easy.