Where My Whimsey Takes Me – Page 6 – Travels of a wandering retiree …

September 4, 2012January 27, 2016

Getting a Residency Certificate and Buying a Motorbike.

This is mostly to remind me of what is needed to get a Residency Certificate. The certificate is needed when purchasing motorized vehicles, or when getting a driving license. In the case of this entry, I’m going to be documenting buying a scooter in my own name rather than taking the easy way of listing the vehicle in my Thai partner’s name.

1) Go to Immigration, Soi 5, Jomtien and apply for a RC. I needed to fill out the application, have three photos (one for application, one for each RC requested. I’m getting two.) Also needed is a copy of my lease, or other documentation to prove my address, and copies of my passport information page, current visa page, and return card. I needed to have my original passport with me too, not just the copies. Each RC is 200 baht, and are available to be picked up the following day.

2) Go to Jomtien again to pick up the completed certificates.

3) Decide on the bike.

For a while now, I’ve been debating about a Honda PCX150 or a Honda CBR250; scooter vs general purpose street bike. When I was at Immigration picking up my RC, I was able to talk with a guy who owns a new CBR. He said ‘buy the PCX’.

As “cool” as the CBR looks, if I think with the big head, it makes much more sense go with the PCX. The PCX has far more storage for things you want to carry. The PCX is a very comfortable bike. The PCX has a more upright riding position, so less pressure on the wrists when riding. Now, if I rode more in the countryside, the CBR would come into it’s own, but I stick pretty close to the city, so my riding is more of an in town commuter. After talking with the guy who has the CBR, I’m going to go for the PCX.

4) Buy the bike.

I’ve actually purchased two motorbikes. I bought a new Honda PCX150 from a Honda dealer at 3rd Road and Pattaya Tai, and bought a used Honda Click-i from my friend Mark at Kessaya Motorbike Rental. The PCX was 73,500 baht but by the time taxes, licence, insurance, and fees were added in, it was 80,000 baht. All the paperwork was handled at the Honda dealer. The PCX will be in my name.

[nggallery id=5]

For a used bike, the Honda dealer was also able to process all the paperwork. I did not need to go to the Land Transport Office or any other agency. The Click-i from Mark was 25,000 baht, and the dealer charged 1,200 baht to do the transfer, taxes, license, and insurance. The used bike has a bit over 13,000 kilometers on it and is a 2009 model. The bike was licensed to a Thai national, and I was able to transfer the title over to myself.

[nggallery id=4]

August 2, 2012October 12, 2012

Moving to the Darkside

I think I’ve found a good place to stay for a while. Earlier this year, I was having coffee at Boonthavorn with Teacher Maria, and Teacher Donna. While I’m not sure who started the conversation, we did start talking with this guy named Addy, who had a resort out on the far side of Sukhumvit.

It took a few months but I’m living out on the far side of Sukhumvit Road — about 3 kilometers out to be exact. This is the best place so far, not too expensive, and you get a lot for your money. The best part for me is the calm and quiet aspect.

A Flickr photoset of the apartment at Holland Tulip Resort.

March 13, 2012

Reporting my address – First time.

Because I have a 12 month Retirement Visa to Thailand, I don’t have to do the ‘border-boogie’ where I need to leave the country to renew my Visa. With a Retirement Visa, it’s just a matter of going to the nearest reporting station, and reporting my current address. With travel time to Jomtien, and time waiting in the queue, all it takes is a couple of hours on an afternoon and I’m done for the next 90 days in country.

Oh, and that 90 days in country is an important point. Right now, I’m good until sometime in June, but I’m flying back to the US in April. My 90 day clock goes to zero as soon as I depart Thailand and it starts at one as soon as I return to Thailand. If I happen to leave the country again before I reach my 90 days, then I don’t have to report. So, if I were to use Thailand as a base to explore SE Asia, I might not have to report again, depending on how often I explore another country. And if I do reach my 90 day reporting requirement, the address reporting is free. On a budget, it sure beats needing to plan a across the boarder run.

What I needed today was my Passport, a copy of my passport info page, a copy of my visa page, a copy of my departure card, and a copy of my rent receipt (or lease if I was leasing instead of renting). All in all, pretty easy. If you’re ‘old’, a Retirement Visa is a very simple way to go.

January 5, 2012

An Afternoon in Jomtien

When I first applied for a visa to Thailand, all I could get was a three month Non-Immigrant “O”. I tried to get a twelve month visa from the Embassy in Washington, DC, but for volunteer work that is no longer an option. My three month visa expires on January 16th. The last day of class at the Foundation is March 30th.

There are several legal options; I can take a bus across the Thai border every two weeks, I can fly to another country and apply for another three month Non-Immigrant visa, and finally, being over 50, I can apply for a 12 month retirement extension. I went for the not leave the country 12 month extension. It was very easy, and straight forward–even easier than I had been told.

After I finished with class today, I took a motorbike taxi to Jomtien, Soi 5, Immigration. It cost 100 baht ($3.34). I brought along my passport, a TM-7 form, copies of my passport information page, my passport visa page, a passport photo, and my “exit card”. I also had all my rent receipts, a copy of my health insurance card, my K-Bank passbook, and a pension income letter from my embassy. The pension income letter cost $50, and a trip to Bangkok, since the US Embassy outreach does not come to Pattaya until February. If timing had been better I could have skipped the trip to Bangkok.

At Immigration, there is a British guy that works for Immigration who will pre-check your paperwork if you ask him. He’ll also sort it into the proper order for the Immigration Officer. Forms sorted and stapled, I waited for my number to be called–about 10 minutes. Check, check, check, stamp, stamp, stamp, 1,900 baht ($63.00) please. I wasn’t asked for two copies of everything, or for my residence receipts, or my bank book, or for proof of health insurance. If I were just going to finish teaching at Father Ray and go home, I’d be done at this point. I want to come back, so that requires a re-entry request.

The thing about the retirement extension, without a previously purchased re-entry stamp, the first time you leave Thailand for any reason, your twelve month visa is done. Without the re-entry, when I return to the US in April, I would have gotten three months and change out of my twelve months, and the visa would become void. So, there are two options, a single re-entry for 1000 baht ($33.34), or a multiple re-entry for 3,800 baht ($126.67). I would really like to use Thailand as a base to explore other parts of Asia. I could go back to the US and return to Thailand in the single entry, but if I want to see Angor Wat in Cambodia, and several other places, I would need to keep buying single re-entries. I went for the multiple, meaning I have to make at least four jaunts to make it pay off. I know I have many more than four places I want to see, so I don’t think that will be a problem. A side bonus is not needing to keep going back to Immigration to apply for the single re-entry stamps.

The only problem I had was that the queue for re-entry was the same queue for tourist visa extensions. That queue was several hours waiting for my number to come up. Then, TM-8 form, passport, copy of passport information page, a passport photo, copy of NEW visa page, copy of OLD visa page, check, check, check, pass papers to the another desk, 3,800 baht please, and it was back to wait in a chair. Getting the final stamping of my passport only took another ten minutes or so and I was out the door.

Coming back home to Pattaya, I caught a baht bus on Jomtien Beach Road, and rode it all the way to 2nd Road and Pattaya Klang for 10 baht ($0.34). The rest of the way home, I just walked. Mission accomplished and a nice evening for a stroll up Pattaya Klang, and down Soi Yumi.