@Stuart ********

Yep all correct - but the information from VFS/the British Authorities doesn't make it absolutely clear that you keep your old passport up until the time that your new one is in your hands and you have signed, approving that the new passport is correct. Then the old one gets the snip and is no longer valid, but only then. I applied for a new UK passport in May and already the process was down to 5 weeks, though 11 weeks quoted.

Depends on your nationality. Americans get preferential treatment because of Treaty obligations

@Luc ***********

Exactly. Far from over-thinking everybody is under-thinking and that includes it being as simple as getting an International Drivers Licence. Next step is driving within Thai law. Third step is your family setting up a Go Fund Me page as your Western travel or Health Insurance won't pay for the numerous bits of you being put back together given, say that you weren't wearing a helmet.

@Zack *****

But above all don't expect to make any claim on your Western insurance if you have an accident.

Americans, as said, are not a large group among expats, but they are probably large enough to subdivide, not by region of USA but a simple division between retired and working people. Among the latter presumably teachers can be found, but randomly. My sense is that you find the retired in the usual places for retired people. They are not remotely like Bangkok's commercial, legal, etc Americans and it isn't just because they are no longer working. They seem to me to be entirely different people. I assume that there must be a fair number of these commercial and professional Americans working in Bangkok. I've certainly had to learn more American English than I have had to learn Thai. I'd go without eating otherwise! Courgettes became zucchini, aubergine became egg plant, coriander became cilantro .................................... and this is at the Asok wet market, talking with Thais.

@Nongnuch *******

Another reason was that those embassies wouldn't outsource the work of properly checking. Who knows, those countries may have actually been able to show a profit on top of the outsource cost! As best I know, despite outsource being suggested, none of those embassies ever looked into the matter at all, let alone transparently. They just petulantly argued that they didn't have the staff or had other priorities (the arguments kept changing).

Yep, Pattaya is about nightlife and eats, these days some of the India restaurants quite good. But why not something totally different? Siverlake Vineyard. It produces some very good national award winners in Thailand. Definitely whites. I seem to remember including frizzante.

Might be worth noting. Chiang Mai has many copy shops. Try finding one open at weekends. Taking the trip out to Central Festival solved that for me.

I believe still 150 but the proviso is that Aeon ATMs can be a little difficult to come upon. They are no longer at Max Value stores so it is a question of is there a Mall-based Aeon Bank/Finance store near where you are staying.

In simplest terms, why on earth buy here in Thailand? I won't repeat the lengthy arguments - readily available from this site.