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In my new blog, I'll choose a different subject for each entry with a lot less focus on me |
| It's been an expensive few days. On Monday, I renewed my retirement visa. The application appears, at least on paper (yes...Thailand still does things on paper), to be complicated. Yet, the official cost is relatively low. It's when there are 'complications' that things get messy/expensive. In my first application, the visa agent I used deposited 800k baht (US$24k) into my brand-new Thai bank account (a necessity in order to get the visa). Then, once the visa was granted, they withdrew the money. Unfortunately, the moment they did, I was in breach of Thai immigration law because the funds must remain in the account for at least three months after the visa is issued. I thought I only had to maintain 800k for three months before renewal, but I was wrong. Technically, this can be grounds for deportation. Fortunately, this is Thailand, where money talks louder than words. In hindsight, it is almost worth having some kind of technical issue when dealing with Thai immigration. They will search for one anyway because they make more money grifting foreigners than they do earning a salary. The 'fine' for the misdemeanour was 10k baht (US$300). There was another issue that added a further 5k baht in unexpected fees, and in total, the price to spend another year in Thailand was 25k baht (US$760). Yes, it is a scam, proven by the fact that the receipt they gave me afterwards was for 10k baht. Taking the cost of getting my visa into account, it is still worth living here rather than in Australia. Rent, food and amenities are 50% lower than in Oz, and I have built myself a comfortable life here that I won't easily walk away from. I had to have a tooth removed a few weeks ago, and yesterday, I had an implant to replace a tooth I lost before I left Australia. In total, it will cost 65k baht (US$2k). A lot less than if I had the procedure done in Australia. Last night, when the anesthetic wore off, I had two Tylenol, which took the edge off the pain, and I slept relatively well. In two weeks, I will have the stitches removed. Then, in three months, the crown will be put in place. I'm still debating whether to replace the tooth on the other side. It isn't the pain or the cost, but the inconvenience and discomfort of having my gums operated on that is the main concern. Nada and I are still getting along well, and life is good here in the land of smiles. |
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