Most people in your situation choose the retirement visa.

I use google voice. Works for most things but I have some issues with the more serious verification stuff. You would need to use your friend's phone number and they'll have to verify every 3-6 months.

Ao Nang is a great place to get better.

I have pulled visas from the Thai Embassy Washing DC while in Thailand. I then exit and return. You can pull a visa locally or from the US. For me it was 1 week. But that is no guarantee of entry, they have been cracking down.

I would travel to a land crossing and cross by land. I think that would be less of a pain in the neck if you get denied.

Good luck!

Keep us updated.

If you're still up-right, you ain't doing it right.

You file a police report, go to your embassy file a report and get a replacement.

I think I just paid about 30,000, maybe a little less. I did not have the 800K so the agent provided that. I had to show up at immigration one time to have picture taken. I had to show up at the agent's office 3 times, I think.

"You are not covered if you are outside the US for longer than 6 months in that year"

How do you get around that part? My US job provides insurance which I think is 100% useless to me. Currently, if I take ill and need serious medical help, I will have to travel back to the US and pretend I got ill there.

I would estimate that I have been 15-20 times over the past 10 years. Never once have I had an issue. Never have I seen anybody have an issue. On occasion I have seen 'special' people who need 'special treatment' that seem to be disappointed but most everybody seems satisfied with the experience.

I use Google Voice.

I set it up while I was here (in Thailand). I had to use a friend's cell phone number and I already had a google voice number. I think, it maybe one google voice number per cell phone number, so I wouldn't be able to use my friend's number if she was using google voice already.

Google voice works for most things, every once in awhile it won't work for verification stuff.