My US bank won’t process wire transfer requests on weekends and holidays. The fastest I get wire transfers sent from the US and then deposited into my Thai bank is about 18-20 hours.

Once my US banks the money then you have to wait for your Thai bank to deposit it into your account. That also might not happen on weekends and holidays.

The drivers license and motorbike license are two different licenses. Get them at the same time. I got the drivers license one year and then the motorbike license the next year. Since the first license is a 2 year license I ended up at the Bang Chak office 4 years in a row. Watched that movie 4x.

I also just used my California license. No IDP.

@Steve ******

The 1 year permission to stay stamp comes from the Immigration officer when returned through the airport. 1 year extensions were done at Bangkok Immigration.

I arrived with an OA in February 2017. I took a trip to Cambodia in November 2017. Like you, not understanding the visa, I went to extend in February 2018. Immigration told me to come back in November 2018. From then on I extended every November.

When they implemented the insurance requirement in 2019 I always synced my insurance dates with my November extension date.

I think I paid $1,800 round trip Bangkok-Hartford last June so $2,500 at peak high season sounds about right. I flew west, 1 stop in Korea.

I recommend that you get a couple of floor fans. They will substitute for the AC a good deal of the time.

@David *********

This was the ceremony for my wife's cousin

@David *********

Absolutely. My wife’s cousin married a Thai man in the same family home that my wife and I were married. The marriage ceremony was exactly the same including the Sin Sod.

Yes Sin Sod is a tradition in Thailand. Western culture also has traditions. Like western society today, how you approach this tradition varies all over the map. Some people do it, some not, and there are variations in between. Remember that you are in Thailand, not in your home country. There are no set rules but leaning toward the culture of the country you are living in might be a consideration.

My perspective is that you look at the big picture. If you do it then only do what you can afford. It’s no different than westerners deciding how big and expensive and elaborate their wedding ceremony will be.

Note that this is not just something they foist on westerners. Thai families practice this too. I witnessed this at my wife’s cousin’s wedding.

Sin Sod is actually a part of the traditional wedding ceremony. The specifics of the tradition vary around Thailand and by family circumstances and status. So whether it is real money given or money to be returned, there will likely be a part of the ceremony that focuses on Sin Sod. Not unlike throwing rice or flower bouquets or whatever is common in your country.

Big picture - consider the total cost of the wedding. There are going to be costs for decorations, food, photographers . . . and then there is the Sin Sod. How big a % is the Sin Sod really? Even with the Sin Sod the cost of my wedding was a fraction of what the wedding would have cost in the west. It was a forgettable line item in a much better and more beautiful wedding than my first marriage in the US.

By asking this question you have entered a black hole of expat divisiveness. 😳