July 27, 2023
Day 14 Bike: Runaround on Wheels
It was going to be a wild goose chase for sure, so the only thing to do was get a solid night's sleep, hop on the bike, and get cracking.
The hotel was a fail since they wanted my passport as a deposit. I checked out early and bounced. The advantages of minimalism meant I could simply pivot to a new hotel.
First thing was bike to Pattaya City Hall and pay tax. My neighbor had warned me the penalties could be upwards of 300 euros (10k baht) so I went in search of ATMs along the way to take out wads of cash. That backfired because the one I picked for whatever reason timed. Now the bank in Canada suspended my cards and I need to call them.
Somehow I got some cash and paid the tax. It was ridiculously simple. It wasn't expensive either and the ATM run was unnecessary. Damn it. My neighbor had exaggerated things big time.
The lady at the counter looked disappointed and said "3 years you no pay tax." Well geez, what do you expect, you introduced this law during the pandemic when nobody could pay. I was expecting a massive penalty but it was only around 500 baht so I could stomach that.
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It was really strange that they seemed blind to the fact that nobody could travel in or out in 2020-21. Or if they did, that's when they passed all the rules and changes we condo owners could no nothing about. Then they had the audacity to scold us for not keeping up.
That errand done, next was the electricity bill. Google maps sent me on a wild goose chase. I knew something was wrong when it took me up the Pratumnak Hill in a sweaty mess and I arrived at the electricity substation itself. Bloody hell. I then did another search and all the offices of PEA were closed except the main office way back in Bang Lamang.
There were no issues paying the bill except for some dirty looks they gave me for being the delinquent and they told me to cough up 1500 baht. Well it could have been worse.
Next, an attempt at the bank. While biking 10km in the opposite direction to reach my home branch of Bangkok Bank at the Big C in Pattaya, the clerk didn't even smile. She just snapped "This account already closed." It happened in 2021. I asked what to do to reopen and she requested these documents:
1. Letter from immigration
2. Some sort of long term residency visa
3. Blue book for condo owner
4. Thai drivers license
I was pretty pissed at this point and told her that the only thing this country is good for is spending money that you earn from somewhere else.
By now I had to take a food break otherwise I would lose my mind.
Next I wanted to get some information from immigration about this letter the bank requested. But the long queue and unfriendly attitude from the front desk had me turn tail and bike the opposite direction back to City Hall where I was the first time.
Over there I inquired about how to get a copy of my blue book for the condo and it was a nightmare. They gave me a massive list of documents and said the earliest I could apply for an appointment was April 26 in 2024. This was insane. The documents they wanted would be impossible to get. Just like the bank, they were doing this on purpose. Officials themselves even admit they make impossible requirements so that people will give up.
The reality is you have to know the right people and pay off the right pockets to get things done around here. Thais would never admit it but that's truth.
There was nothing else I could do at this point. I decided to hit the beach first and forget about all this shit for awhile.
It became pretty obvious that selling the condo was going to be a long arduous effort. This trip alone would just be about trying to get things up and running again.
My contact explained that prices are still 25% below pre-covid levels and slowly increasing. If there is a market rebound it'll be easier to find buyers, particularly smart ones taking advantage of a market dip.
The hope was that the economy would take off after a new leader was democratically elected. But we just aren't seeing that now.
Today's ride: 52 km (32 miles)
Total: 1,627 km (1,010 miles)
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