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And you are coming to Thailand to avoid all of these things? Have you ever been to Thailand before?

Yup. Spent 2.5 years there in Pattaya, BKK, and Koh Samet before Phils. It's perfect for me.One of my meds for Parkinsons is $150 in USA, $500 in Phils, and $40 in Thailand. When you have Parkinsons, most of the above issues make you very ill (noise, improper food, irritations, stress...) 2 of my other meds are not sold in Phils because they have gone generic. There are alternative meds for those but despite being 5 years old have not been approved by Phils FDA. Even if meds were available and affordable, I would be unhappy here.

Well thats it then.......................no point in me going to the philipines,sounds terrible. Seriously though what about all the beautiful islands,surely they cant all be like you describe?

Phils is great for some people. Some of them, yes, just swill the beer that is 1/2 the price of Thailand, and the younger girls are cute if no rice belly, but most do not and are happy. Islands are nice, but filthy as squatters gather there so the sand gets black from filth (old timers talk about when it was white and good sea food.) If you go to a resort, multiple people are blasting music from their cheap speakers and the food is bad. Getting to those islands by bus and boat is nasty compared to LOS, but if airport only 1/2 as bad. The farm areas can be nice, but I can get that in Thailand along with the other benefits.I surveyed a lot of expats here... newbies are happy, oldies are either leaving, moved to the farms, or wonderib what to do. Some feel stuck because they married here. I did too, but my wife understands that with Parkinsons I simply can't live here and be healthy.

I'm in Philippines the last 13 months and am going back to LOS on Sunday. Frankly, Phils is NOT for me. Here is what I will not miss - just a rant amungst friends to get it out of my system, no offense intended...

Noise and women who pick their nose, burp, glug up throat snot, and spit EVERYWHERE they go is on my mind right now as I TRY to enjoy a cafe...

1. Generic medicine is illegal, branded medicine is higher cost than USA cash price

2. Internet sucks even at a shop

3. Poverty even in hotels

4. Food so bad for me that I get sick

5. Crowds

6. "(wait) awhile” is the National Phrase and is considered customer service

7. "no stock”

8. Few places to go and most of those you pay to use the facilities which are poverty-like

9. Pay for activities but no parks except rancid urine smell and beggars litterally harassing

10. Burping, spitting, loud people that are crass

11. Most dress like ditch diggers - pants and old t-shirts - all the time everywhere

12. NOISE everywhere of “personal” music so loud everyone can hear it 'clearly' on the tinny, cracked speakers - cafe music so loud can't talk

13. NOISE everywhere of racing of engines

What do you not miss of where you are from or where you have been?

Jimmy Dean's Country Sausage. It took me 5 minutes to make. Now I'm cooking eggs

Good on ya, bro! Takes 5 minutes to make a batch of the sausage from scratch and you can fine tune the spices. PM if you want to get together and make a batch for the freezer.

I prepare my own daily.

Thus I get what I want,not what someone wants to give me.

For our understanding, before you came to Thailand, back in your home country, did you cook (almost) everything yourself, as you were not happy in the home country 'what someone wants to give you'.

Or, is it only in Thai that you have this approach to food?

Not having a go ... just curious.

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Me too curious. A lot of my friends and family have a lot of disposable income compared to the rest of the world (a so-called virtue of USA.) They eat out 2 meals a day and anything at home is quick, processed food. Those that cook for real say they save 70%, but their food is fresh and whole. I cooked all my own when there, then when I got settled in Thailand cooked again, but in between the Thai food was so healthy and tasty I didn't suffer (processed food makes me insufferably ill as I have Parkinsons.) To each his own, but having come to like whole food taste and amazing good health, I don't miss my old diet. Sadly, when eating a processed diet, my whole family, kids and all, fell in to the trap where the foods can never satisfy, neurochemistry suffers, and we all got fat and agitated :-) Hard lesson, and hard to break the habbit as the processed foods give an Opium-like drugging. Do miss that part :-D

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I don't go to extremes.I just don't eat Thai cooked food.I prepare my own daily.Thus I get what I want,not what someone wants to give me.

Fresh pork,I buy from the slaughterman.You can even watch if that's your wish.Then butchered to order.Chicken,duck,goose the same,although goose rarely as they are good house guardians.

So... putting 2 & 2 together here... you are advocating the consumption of raw Thai pork from the slaughterhouse freshly served to order, raw chicken, ... and maybe house guardians too? No franchise of The Slaugterhouse Restaurant in USA goes to that extreme. No fair! ;-)

Each villa has things another doesn't. fun to go looking at the isles and discovering new food delights to try and old favorites I had forgotten about.

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My thought too, but with that being so near Victory and also passing Sukhumvit will that really work?

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So many cool, interesting things on that site! Bear in mind some things as I used it and others before the move from USA and looking now compared to Cebu...

Apples to apples? NOT! For instance, a midrange reataurant in Cebu is a dump and a mall restaurant will be higher than BKK, not lower in price. Midrange in BKK is Fuji or Sukishi where anything that nice in Cebu is P1000 for 2, not P660.

Same for apartments. I keep a great(!) B5k place a block from BTS On Nut, not an overpriced condo with almost the same quality. In Cebu, the price listed on their site is a dump with roosters crowing all night. YMMV.

Could be an over-zealous dentist. More fillings = more money.

BTW you really should be flossing, too.

Over-zealous dentist? Happens too often in Thailand and often in USA too.

Yes, floss! That is where cavities form, but seldom on surfaces.

Do you drink alcohol more or use AC? Dry mouth gives less saliva that kills bacteria.

But, statistacally, age is at the point you will begin to have problems. Do the above, seek out a fair dentist, and suck it up age wise. Sorry

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Yes, I should floss more.

I rarely drink alcohol and can easily go a couple of months without having a beer or wine.

Interesting you mention AC, I would never have thought this could be a contributing factor. We use the AC most nights.

Dry mouth is a killer. You can poison urself with Colgate Total at night or read up on other methods of preventing dry,mouth.

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Could be an over-zealous dentist. More fillings = more money.

BTW you really should be flossing, too.

Over-zealous dentist? Happens too often in Thailand and often in USA too.

Yes, floss! That is where cavities form, but seldom on surfaces.

Do you drink alcohol more or use AC? Dry mouth gives less saliva that kills bacteria.

But, statistacally, age is at the point you will begin to have problems. Do the above, seek out a fair dentist, and suck it up age wise. Sorry

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You're not wrong! The ones you gave me last week have already doubled in volume.

Will PM you later to let you know how it's going.

There doesn't seem to be many people in Pattaya interested in kefir. You're the only person in Pattaya who wanted free grains. I'll have to start eating them instead lol.

Think I might have a go at doing the water Kefir as well or having a look to see what else can be made with the grains as I'm the only one that likes it so going to have far too much soon!

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Ouch

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I must say after 6 years here in Thailand that thaifood is awful and both smell and taste REAALY

bad!! I have now use for it.....

I still miss the fat gravy with potatoes and a nice meat on my plate.. nothing fancy, I just

miss to eat it....

Glegolo

Man, potatoes and gravy are really easy to make.

On the good tasting beef note... my buddy owns a restaurant on the beach in Ban Pae. His wife buys a beef loin at the local market when she needs steaks for the grill. They are quite good if you think Sizzler or Santa Fe are good.

What tv chef was it that said, "You haven't lived until you have had fries cooked in baby seal blubber"?

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I just took bread pudding out of the oven made with bread, Thai fruit and coconut milk and palm sugar. At lunch I ate ham salad made with pickled ginger, cilantro and spring onions. I grind my own hamburger from Aussie beef and mix it with my special ingredients and freeze the patties.

I don't recommend imported beef its just silly.

A. Its Frozen

B. Its not fresh

C. No matter how good Aussie meat is.. its never going to be up to par when its been frozen.

I hope you will consider using more fresh ingredients as it is key to any fine dish.

Thai beef is seldom grass fed and seldom has a nice marbling. For cheap (meaning in this case price, quality of taste, quality of what we refer fo as 'wholsomeness') beef, go Thai and it will be good for what you can do with cheap beef from usa, aus, nz, etc. Import good, highland, grass-fed, dry aged beef? Worth the price if you like and appreciate steak. I am wondering if maybe, like my sister, you don't have an appreciation for good beef. That's ok if so, but please don't tell me I should not. Please respect that others have a right to other views.

On thw topic of cook it myself, I agree fresh ingredients are best, but maybe 'natural and whole' or 'unprocessed' are also good qualifiers of the better tasting, better quality, better health foods?

Often the things we go to extremes to get are not wholesome, though, and are junk foods we miss I'll pay extra for Cheetoes once a year and for Dr.Pepper and real Pepsi once in a while

I often pay for quality cheese or make my own. Would love to have a milk goat.

Hard to know when at Nasa Vegas area, no? Can't see BTS, Sukhumvit taxis, bus linea, etc. from there. Maybe bus or taxi to Sukhumvit then decide?

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Anything you miss and want (that is legal and lawful), I will get it for you or make it at 15% over actual cost (and show you the receipts).

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On Jan 13 during ths shutdown, I need to get from Nasa Vegas (Ramkhamhaeng at the Airport train station) to Sukhumvit Soi 10 an back. What is likely my best option of travel?

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I met this woman 14 months ago. She's now 30 and I'm 45. When we first met I was reluctant about online dating to a point but open in the sense that you never know.

We talked for about 4 months and decided to meet. I flew to CM to meet her and spent two weeks there. Met her mother, her daughter, and a portion of her family. We fell in love during this trip.

I then flew there later again last year and we became engaged.

She is a wonderful woman and a good mother. She has a 5 year old daughter. Father isn't around. She had a quick marriage before daughter was born for birth certificate reasons. Then divorced later.

Sinsod is now becoming the major issue we deal with. We are engaged and love each other very much. I love her daughter as if she was mine. I've been supporting all of them including her mother for over a year. 1500+ usd each month. Sending extra at time to help keep her daughter in a nice school etc. the 1500 has been sure and she can count on it.

Now that we want to marry her mom insists I pay Sinsod. I mKe make good money and overall I can deal with paying it. This issue I can not do it all at one time. It's haRd to save for a big Thai wedding and Sinsod. She believes mom will deny wedding if Sinsod not paid in full full at wedding. I suggested maybe over 3 months.

Fact is I cannot keep us together sending her 1500usd on top of my bills and save money for a wedding. I love her and she loves me but seems Sinsod is going to end us.

Any insight from anyone?

Yes: You and fiancee read Thailand Fever. The same copy of the book is in Thai and English (right page and left page reapectively). Every gf I had read it and used it to help,her family understand, and it also helped me understand. from there, communication is much easier. Most bookstores in LOS have it.

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Rajab, we Americans use sarcasm a lot. Likely the 'soaking' comment was tongue-in-cheak knowing some people don't appreciate the sacrafices that military veterans and government workers make. I doubt he feels he is personally abusing the system. He knows he earned it legally and lawfully ;-)

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Sukhimvit 77 and Ban Pae. Love it. Everything I need. Rent 5k in well maintained, luxurious building. Tesco walking distance. Street food galore and markets. Happy, happy Oh, crud... I left that for Philippines vacation and ended up 1 year here. Back to LOS Jan 12, 2014. Sweeeeet!

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I go to food land. Not enough. Some people here told me they cook it themselves, like tortillas. Man please don't let me get to that point.

Example, pozole, where can I find it? We are from different countries. What is your local food you miss and wish it was here not expensive of course. And what is the name of the restaurant that satisfies you! ,

Not everyone loves to coom from scratch, but try it once. The taste and satiafaction - sense of accomplishment - really is addictive.

TheLongShot & others: Root canal PHP2000 in Philippines. Crown PHP4500. Subtract 25% to get the price in Baht (roughly.) May be worth the trip? Yup, same quality as Thailand and USA.

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hey guys...... re the assessment the dentist in hua hin gave me telling me i needed 17 fillings....

i am now in uk and have just returned from my NHS dentist here...... her analysis is that i need one filling

i cant believe the lady in hua hin wanted to carry out all the work when it wasnt needed...... i know in her practice one has to pay by the tooth facia, so a corner of a tooth can count as 3 fillings (as it consists of 3 sides of the tooth), but even with that in mind she was going to do work on 6 or more teeth......

i wonder how often this will happen at other dentists, and also down at the doctors.......

Answer: depends completely on the scrupples of the dentist regardless where you are. Same happens in USA. Just get 2nd opinions, or alrernatively, get panorama x-ray at hospital then go to the dentist of your choice. The most successful dentists charge the most and do the most per patient while having very nice offices with little waiting.

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