griffer

very interesting to watch these trades.. thanks Paulo1 for taking the time to post.

does it work or not..hmm?

while I was in UK I had a bad back and went to see a chiropractor....he said that the muscles in my lower back were in spasm ("guarding") and that tension was causing pain and also meant that he could not manipulate me. He tried massaging and a couple of other things, and then suggested acupuncture. A woman did it with about 12 needles spaced down my lower back.

Like most people I hate needles. For some reason this needles were nothing like the needles that they use for injections. She seemed to flick my back with her finger and slip in the tiny needle and it didn't hurt. The effect was amazing.

while in Bumrungrad I had a thing called Deep Needle Therapy in the cheek of my bum..this was also to release the spasms and painful muscles after a back operation .. this is totally different and hurts like hell..they seem to try and find some nerve node and twiddle with it with the needle....

but, as I say, I didn't find acupuncture at all painful....

not forgetting that an emergency travel document which can be used for one journey is UKP 95...THB 4750..

http://ukinthailand.fco.gov.uk/en/help-for-british-nationals/living-in-thailand/our-services-fee/

will be if one of the british or irish lads wins it...

don't make the mistake of watching it on ESPN channel108...when it is on ESPN channel 136 in HD..

yep I've been on 108 for last two hours...duh...

you cannot re-order the channel list..but..you can set up a list of favourites so you don't have to scroll through all channels..

1 when you go a a channel it gives you a few seconds to add to favourite ,,by pressing red circled button..

2 to access favourites...press guide button..press green circled button (highlights "all channels" on screen)..use > arrow to scroll to favourites...or to movies etc..

I spelt his name wrongly...

http://www.bumrungrad.com/en/search-for-a-thailand-doctor

Dr. Nanthadej Hiranyasthiti

Dr. Nantadej at Bumrungrad worked in US for several years and I can personally recommend.

If you are going to do the change from HSBC remember to take with you your passport and a utility bill in your name(I did not bring this and had to return)..

also note that each account you open (I was opening Thai Baht, USD, and UKP) must retain a balance of $500 or there is a charge of $10/month..

now I've got the interesting experience of visiting BoA in All Seasons Place..cards ready in two weeks they told me.

came in yesterday from Singapore... amazing Thailand...official to check that immigration form is completed before you queue and then directed to officer.. all took about 10 minutes...excellent service...

would be interested to know if this is now the norm?

are they doing same outbound?

well, sorry to say, I'm not taking the chance...

i've been moving my money from LOS to HSBCSingapore over last few days and just leaving a nominal amount in my thai baht, UKpound and USD account here in BKK.

I want to see what happens with the switch over.. I will be pleasantly surprised if it goes well.. and hope to be proved wrong.. I've enjoyed the HSBC premier experience here..

I also looked at opening an account with HSBC malaysia and was surprised that for premier status you only require RM 200,000 (UKP 42,000) (?)...

I've had 3 spaced apart by several years...all at Bumrungrad..last one I had some dye injected which made it more expensive..12,500 baht I think...

one bonus is that you can take the MRIs away for a second opinion somewhere else..

i also had lumbar problems and would recommend Dr Golf ( Dr Nantadej) in Bumrungrad who subsequently operated on me...(he worked in USA and speaks good English)

I got this from HSBC:

"The sale has been completed and Bank of Ayudhya will take care of HSBC customers if they agree to go to Bank of Ayudhya. The services will be provided through Exclusive Banking, Bank of Ayudhya.

The HSBC Premier main branch office will be opened until 30 June 2012. We are sending more information about details of the impacts and changes to the customers. You will soon receive the information. "

I'm disappointed because I have global banking which links well through HSBC...can't believe B of A will be so simple..

I have bought some over the counter medication while in the UK..it is Migraleve (pink)(paracetamol,codeine, buclizine)..I have found it very effective..

I have been informed by a doctor friend that this medication is illegal in Indonesia..Does anyone know if it is also illegal in Thailand and/or Singapore..?

By illegal I think he means one should have a prescription for it..though I am not sure if he simply means it is forbidden in Indonesia, prescription or not..

thanks..

flood map

http://www.thaitravelblogs.com/2011/10/map-of-flood-risk-areas-in-bangkok/

I have had to have an ambulance called for me. My friend called Bumrungrad directly and, although I live relatively close to Bumrungrad, I was still pleased to note that the ambulance arrived in around 20 mins. It arrived with two nurses and a doctor. I had to be given pain killing injections before I could be moved and the doctor consulted with someone at Bumrungrad about this.

What I was surprised about was the cost. It was 3 years ago, and I did have to remain in hospital for 3 days, but the actual cost of the ambulance and emergency care was less than 2000 baht.

I carry a Bumrungrad card and have the emergency number on it.

Obviously this is only any good in and around BKK.

location: you go to the business centre in the new building on your left as you enter from soi 3.

I recently renewed my British passport over Christmas...

what was interesting was that I went to the new immigration centre with my new passport to move the visa to the new passport..I have a multi entry O that finishes in june 2011..

I spoke to a senior official there who informed me that there is nothing to do....nothing gets transfered across...you simply go out showing both passports and re-enter showing both passports and you get a new stamp in your new passport....you have to continue using two passports until the visa expires...

I had a thai person with me that handles the visas for Bumrungrad and we went back to the officer and double checked all this...the officer was insistent that this is correct...I said that I just hoped she was at the airport immigration when I went through....

bear in mind I have a multi entry O..not a work visa....

have others had similar experience?

crikey..that told him....

i had back pain for years...was visiting a chiropractor on and off for years..

he suggested acupuncture as a method of relaxing the muscles that were "guarding" my lower back (ie in spasm).. he put about 12 needles in 2 rows of 6 into my lower back..it was painless, only a minimal prick..

it relaxed the muscles and enabled him to manipulate me...

at a later date i still had to go to hospital (bumrungrad) and have a discectomy... excellent now.

conversation with UK visas...

"yes sir, I understand you want a visa. Exactly what type of visa would you like.If you want a tourist visa I must ask have you visited here 3 times in the last 6 months? Oh well, that's no good. I know that's ridiculous, sir. Shall we try a business visa? Ok. You need to return to your country to get the correct visa to start the process. You're not keen on going back there at the moment. Ok. Maybe we can start the visa from here. Do you have partners in your business? Oh, you don't need any because you are rich. Well, your business will have to be owned 51% by British Nationals. You don't trust any British Nationals and why would you want other people owning more than half of your business. Don't ask me sir, I only work here. Marriage visa maybe? Have you had 80,000 pounds sat in a British bank for the last 3 months and never allowed it to go less than that amount. Note, sir, that money will need to stay in the bank for an undetermined length of time because we want to check if you borrowed of one of your friends. Oh, you don't have any friends now.OK. Please don't shout sir, it is considered rude. What about an investment visa? Ah, you like the sound of that. Good. Do you have any property in this country sir? Excellent. Are more than half the people who live in you street British? Not sure.OK, well they would need to be. I imagine you could knock all their doors to find out , sir. I'm not certain how poplular that would be. You did buy the property new, did you sir? Oh, secondhand.Ah. Oh wait i forgot ,they have cancelled the investment visa. Yes sir, I do know what I am doing. May I suggest you nip on a cheap flight to Singapore,but they can be tricky, or KL, but they can also ask for a lot of paperwork,or possibly Penang, and get a single entry there.Once you get over there is an airline called Air Asia, I doubt you have heard of it. Oh you have heard of it. Please stop swearing, sir. Well they are a bit cheap and nasty, but you can bounce round on them until you find a way back. Thank you sir, but I will not do that to myself. Thank you and goodbye."

i put this up a couple of years ago in http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Thaksin-requ...ml&p=941332

seems to have come round again..asylum this time tho...

i had a discectomy in bumrungrad:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?sh...&hl=griffer

incidentally, concerning the arguement within the post, its 2008 and i am still fine.

i have had skin cancer..it was spotted, fortutnately, while i was in hospital having a discectomy. I went to Bumrungrad and saw Dr. Supanee:

http://www.bumrungrad.com/thailand-expat/P...r-A-Doctor.aspx

i felt it was excellent service and not overpriced.

go back regularly for check-ups and get any suspects spots lasered there and then..it's not painful.

the doctor suggested i did a "body map" and draw on all my moles etc....then look for new moles or discolouration.

a friend of mine's mother died through "slow" diagnosis of skin cancer in uk...once it spreads deep into the skin(the dremis ?) it can quickly spead throughout the body and become practically impossible to treat.

the preventative medical care is so easy and painless, and the downside so potentially drastic, that in this climate some form of regular checkup would only seem sensible.

for anyone staying a bit longer, this place:star suites:

http://www.hotelthailand.com/bangkok/apart...ment/index.html

is 20,000 baht/month or less long term..

on soi 15 sukhumvit..

the prices are, shall we say, negotiable....

i came through yesterday...

limo touts are still there on Arrival level..one of them offered me a ride back into BKK for same price as a taxi....she said that was 600 baht...i suggested to her that she must be travelling in the wrong taxis..

stay on arrival floor..go outside.. couple of lines outside of taxi drivers lining up (!) (never seen that before)...there are a couple of desks.. tell the guy there where you want to go.. he fills the address on a chit and gives it to taxi driver.. you have to pay road tolls(40 baht + 25 baht on the way i came)...you have to pay 50 baht more than is on the meter as that is the booking fee..make sure you got some small notes( you can change them at road toll booths) as the drivers invariably have no change...cost me 190 baht (+50 baht) on meter to Sheraton area on sukhumvit...