Many people have had their applications denied and lost their money because of the websites auto info fill. Most others instead of 2033 it writes it as 2O33 the zero turned into the letter “O” but you are the first I read that 2033 turned to 1933. They keep this up its going to turn into a class action lawsuit.

@Carlos ********

how much did you pay for the residence certificate through an agent in bangkok? I may also have to do that. Thanks

Always check the different apps like transferwise moneygram and western union. Sometimes one app will have an unusually better exchange rate. In general transferwise gives the least hassle and you will get the money in a few minutes but it will be less than the other apps. Last time western union made me call on the phone to confirm my details and had to wait a few days to get the transfer. Moneygram has better exchange rates but it may take a few days longer than the others or the app will have trouble authenticating your debit card. Transferwise is for the times when you need your money quickly.

“iF yOu doNt pAy YoU wiLl LoOk bAd”. Yes if you don’t pay the whole village will shun you by not asking you for favors and refuse to ask you to pay for their alcohol. If you do pay then you will have face and honor and people from all corners of the village will come to marvel at your generosity and shower you with their requests for interest free forgivable loans…. I didn’t pay. I don’t think I’m missing out on much. But the wedding ceremony does have a part where the sinsod is supposed to be presented. Since we did have proper wedding rings and gold is an acceptable dowry then the cultural compromise was they displayed our wedding rings for the part of the ritual where the sinsod is presented. Just talk it over with your fiancee what they expect and what you are comfortable giving

For the sinsod if they claim they will give it back after the ceremony don’t count on it. Don’t give anything you can’t afford to get back. They will probably buy alot of food and drinks on consignment for the wedding and keep ordering from nearby stores during the event, then take money from the sinsod to pay off the bill which will probably be a significant amount. Also the wedding guests will give money when they arrive and someone will write it down in a notebook which might add up to alot. Her family will probably keep that money. After the ceremony people will tie little strings around your hands and put 20-100 baht on it. It won’t add up to too much but they will probably let you keep this money.

My thai wife’s answer : “Husband is rich can give more. Husband is not rich not give more. Wedding not big just pray for grandparents can give 3000-5000 baht. Big wedding, normal maybe give 100,000-200,000 and gold.(how much gold) up to you ”

@Jay ******

yes they gave like a little receipt print out with the prescription

last year and again this year we got frames and transition lenses (the kind that turn into sunglasses) for 1500 baht from a small neighborhood store. They send the order to a factory and it comes back ready in 2 or 3 days. For the eye exam I had my prescription already, but for the second pair we went to the Big C building and asked a few glasses shops if they can do the exam for us. If you ask nicely they will usually do it for free. Three different shops gave different results. But one shop was super professional and did alot more tests so we stuck with that result and made glasses with their prescription. The glasses stores at Big C I think were charging minimum 3000 but usually 5000-7000 baht for glasses. But we only paid 1500 in our neighborhood. For normal lenses I think it would have been 500 at the cheapest but usually 700-1000. I would suggest getting your eye exam and prescription at a real doctor or in your home country and then just shop around at little glasses stores in the neighborhoods for a good deal.

@Jamie ********

a PS3 from the US might not work in Thailand, for sure the electricity is different and would need a converter and POSSIBLY the video format (NTSC vs PAL) would not work on Thai televisions.. I would say just bring the games and you can find a used PS3 on facebook marketplace. clothes is cheap here and used clothes is even cheaper, don’t bother bringing alot of clothes when you can buy here. But yes it would be cheaper to pay extra baggage fees when you fly in than trying to ship it.

Unless you are living out in the countryside a car is not worth it, just use public transportation and taxis and the car apps. For a house (as opposed to an apartment) you will probably spend 300-500 US dollars a month. Living a simple life and occasionally touristy outing will probably run you 1500-2000 USD a month