Thailand – Page 2 – Where My Whimsey Takes Me

October 26, 2012October 27, 2012

Overnight to Koh Larn

[singlepic id=39 w=320 h=240 float=left]Friday we joined our friend Jean and Mon for a trip to Koh Larn. They did a day trip and we did an overnight trip. For location information, take a look at this map file. (kml file for Google Maps, or your preferred GIS mapping application.) Here’s a photo page for Tien Beach.

We all met at the Bali-Hai Pier around 9 am to catch the foot ferry over to Koh Larn Island. There are lots of people trying to sell tickets at the top of the pier, but all you really need to do is walk down the pier to the ferries, and pay 30 baht (about $1 USD) per person for the 20-30 minute ride. The ferry will take you right into the main town on Koh Larn.

Once you get to the island, there will be a bunch of motorcycle taxis available to take you for some variable price. A better way though is to walk the short distance to the Song Tow (Two Seats) group taxi/pick-up truck and pay another 30 baht per person to get out to the Tien Beach trail head. Fortunately, or unfortunately, you cannot drive directly to Tien Beach; you need to either come in by sea, or walk along the foot bridge to get to the beach. If you enjoy looking at Wats, there is a small Wat just across from the taxi parking area.

[singlepic id=60 w=320 h=240 float=right]The beach area is a beautiful white sand beach. Beach chairs are available for rent. There are beverage and food vendors there. There is also a hotel at the far end of the beach. We like going to Tien since it’s a clean, and for the most part, quiet beach. The slope on the beach is very gentle, so you have a good amount of water before you get too deep to still be able to stand. The people who work at the beach do a very good job of keeping the water, and the beach area clean. Another nice thing is that unlike Pattaya area beaches, you don’t have someone walking by every fourteen seconds trying to sell you something. All in all, it’s a great place to go for the day to relax.

[singlepic id=81 w=320 h=240 float=left]If you decide to stay, there are plenty of places on Koh Larn. If you want to stay right on Tien Beach, there is a hotel at the far end from the foot bridge. The facility is simple; for a room with an attached bathroom it was 800 baht (low season). There are also rooms above the restaurant with a shared bath facility for 600 baht (low season). If you’d like something a little bit different, there are two land locked boats that have been converted to two bedroom hotel units. Be sure to bring a book or other entertainment option. The rooms don’t have televisions, and I was unable to get a data signal for True on the beach.

The other reason for bringing your own entertainment is that from about 6 pm to 9 am the next morning, you will probably have the beach to yourself, or nearly to yourself. Since you’re on an island, and the last ferry is around 6:30 pm, everyone who doesn’t want to get a room, heads off into town. Likewise, people don’t start showing up in the morning until after the ferries start running.

Leaving the island is the reverse of getting to the island. Take the foot bridge back to the end of the road. A Song Tow will be along at some point to bring you back to town. You also have the option of taking a motorcycle taxi back to town. When you get back into town, walk out on the ferry pier. The passenger fare is the same going back, 30 baht, payable right before you get on the boat. A short ride back to the Bali-Hai pier, and you’re back in Pattaya.

Here’s a full gallery of our stay, from Bali-Hai pier, out to the island, and back.

[nggallery id=7]

October 11, 2012October 11, 2012

Dinner with Jean and Mon

Where are we? [singlepic id=16 w=320 h=240 float=]

Last night Bua and I went to visit our friends Jean and Mon in Jomtien. Jean is another volunteer at the school, who I met during last term. Right now, he’s splitting his time between France and Thailand–summer in France, winter in Thailand.

We got to Jean’s rented condo at around 6 pm, well before the evening rain storm. Jean owns a condo in the central portion of Pattaya, but he’s renting a studio with an awesome view of the bay out in Jomtien. I’d love to see the view sometime when it is sunny, I think it would be amazing.

[singlepic id=18 w=320 h=240 float=left]After some catching up and socializing, we set off for ‘the seafood restaurant’. I still don’t know the name of it, but there is a huge statue of a crab out in front of it. With the sky getting ready to open up we were fortunate enough to get an inside table after a short wait.

[singlepic id=19 w=320 h=240 float=right]The food at ‘the seafood restaurant’ is great, and not that expensive. We filled the table with selections, and the total was only 1400 baht for four plus one child. (about $46.00 USD) We had a hot and sour seafood (shrimp, squid, fish, etc) soup, stir fried seafood with glass noodles, steamed mussels, oysters on the half shell, gigantic prawns, grilled squid, curry crab, and some other dishes I can’t place on the other side of the table.

We ended up eating through two separate rain squalls. By the time we finished, the roads were still wet, but it was no longer raining.

To get to ‘the seafood restaurant’ go out to Beach Road in Jomtien, and head south. The Soi numbers will be increasing. About Soi 15 or 16, the road will narrow. Keep going down Beach Road. Maybe around Soi 22 (at a guess) the paved road will turn into a dirt road. You are almost there. Look for a giant crab on the left side of the road. That’s the restaurant.[singlepic id=23 w=320 h=240 float=center]

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]

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.