wwest5829

I think just following international local custom is warranted. Here in Thailand (actually prevalent throughout many Asian countries) a facemark is used by most.

A previous GF was from Loei on the border with Laos. Pot is a rather accepted ingredient in area cooking, no bring deal.

11 years retired in the Kingdom. While I don’t have 800 Euros to have in the house I can’t identify with being robbed. The 3 rental houses were in Moo Baans where all house have metal widow protection and my condo was on the 4th floor. Maybe I appear too poor? Sad to see anyone robbed.

5 hours ago, TimBKK said:

Like taking candy from a baby, me thinks.

Ha! Yes, but how does it work when the “candy” took the candy?

1 hour ago, Sydebolle said:

When you need bread, see the baker, when you need veggies, see the farmer growing it. 

Do not compromise on anything around your eyes, www.rutnin.com is a dedicated, highly professional eye hospital on Asoke/Bangkok and they do, over seven, eight floors, nothing but eye-related care. 

Call 02-639'3399 or 02-639'3300 for an appointment; I can highly recommend Dr Roy Chumdermpadetsuk, bilingual in Thai/English with decades of experience in the US.

I ended up there after two completely wrong diagnosis by the leading hospital in Pattaya and, likewise a second opinion by the leading hospital in Sriracha - I am not naming them for legal reasons. Both suggested multi-focal lenses against cataract whereas a third opinion at the Rutnin hospital found a macula degeneration which got successfully diagnosed and treated by Dr. Roy. And, ten years after, I still don't have a cataract problem and my macula degeneration retracted as well. 

The LASIK can be done anywhere I assume but get a proper diagnosis first; it is not always what you see ........ Pricewise Rutnin is even less than those top VIP-shops in Bangkok or along the Eastern seaboard .

Agreed. Rutnin Eye Hospital replaced my natural lens with prescription lens. 

6 hours ago, lopburi3 said:

A salon cut will indeed cost about that much (or more).  Most male just get a haircut at a barber shop which will be about 60-150 baht and takes about 10-15 minutes.  

Agree. I did, once, pay at a salon. Have gone to the same barber shop for years now. He charges 80 baht so the 100 I pay is, I think, a fair exchange for the trimming. I have joked that I should collect the trimmings and glue them to the back of my head where I have, evidently, been scalped.

While I am and have been in Thailand since before the COVID debacle, I am still waiting to exit and re_enter in order to change my Visa due to the hoops. I may have to wait yet another tear, I suppose.

I fear any reaction to any medicine is heavily influenced by an individual's body chemistry. My first two shots were Pfizer vaccine provided my the USA. I could cite some effects but nothing more than minor and I would be hard pressed to prove that those were directly caused by the vaccine. Early on, we had paid for two Moderna shots so ... I used one shot for my booster and Da will use the 2nd paid Moderna shot for her booster in early May. I recall no affect from the Moderna booster.

7 hours ago, nitehawk42 said:

You left out the decimal point.

 

Correct. .32 equal to 1 Thai baht.

3 hours ago, IAMHERE said:

Can these Thai companies use their Morals; not the Morals dictated by Crist and the western authorities ?  

They might apply the Eightfold path: Right Understanding, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration.

5 hours ago, Soikhaonoiken said:

It is time Thailand moved like the rest of the World is, 

The World has got to live with Covid.

Agreed but ... live or die with Covid (and long tern affects).

Les Miserables comes to mind …

On 3/2/2022 at 10:55 AM, AustinRacing said:

I’m a bit confused. I thought Russian banks are sanctioned not the Ukrainians. Why are the Ukrainians having money transaction problems? Enlighten me.

My guess concerning Ukrainians would be more affected by Ukraine air space being closed by the Russian invasion. airlines they came with not available for their return.

On 3/2/2022 at 9:44 AM, StraightTalk said:

Did anyone seriously think that Cuba would ever have invaded USA...

No more than Latvia invading Russia. The threat then, as you state, has to be NATO invading Russia. In the case of Cuba ... it was Russian missiles not Cuba that was the threat.

On 3/2/2022 at 8:55 AM, StraightTalk said:

Yes, but NATO is!

I cannot disagree. NATOs purpose is to defend against Russian military actions such as the one currently underway in the invasion of the Ukraine.

On 3/2/2022 at 9:04 AM, StraightTalk said:

Precisely. Neither had the Americans under JFK, LBJ, Reagan and the Bushes etc.!

Thank you for relieving me, an American citizen from all responsibility and wrongs done by the USA ... wait, what? Doesn't wash ... sometimes actions are warranted and plenty of wrongful actions can be cited in many countries over time but ... The citizens of each country are responsible whether they support or acquiesce to the leadership's actions. Citizens everywhere can overwhelm and throw the bums out ... if they get their bellyful. This too can be seen in history.

On 3/6/2022 at 4:19 PM, arithai12 said:

No it's not justified, bunnydrops already said that.

The point is that many on this forum subscribe to the convenient narrative that all Ucrainians are innocent, peaceful, democratic people who were invaded for no reason, while all the Russians are a bad lot that must be punished in mass. In fact, most Ucrainians are innocent peaceful and would like to be democratic, and so are most Russians. There are violent, nationalist, corrupt, oligarchic people on both sides of the border. A truth that is conveniently ignored by most of the western press and that does not suit NATO very well.

And I repeat for those who cannot read: the invasion is not justified.

Agreed. I think in reflection Putin screwed up ... big time.

17 minutes ago, Thaijack2014 said:

Probably, but most of the countries you mentioned have never belonged to the USSR. The Ukraine has and it got it's freedom. But slowly the Americans liked to put missiles in the countries around Russia. There seem to have been agreements that the Ukraine (which borders the major southern part of Russia) was not supposed to get those missiles. But the States likes to put their weapons and dominance all over the world. This time they went to far. That doesn't mean I agree with a war. Far from that, but maybe if those agreements would have taken seriously it would never have come to this.

 

Each pf those countries cited were part of the Warsaw Pact, the USSR countermeasure to NATO in the democratic countries. Hungary in 1956 and Czechoslovakia in 1963 showed they were not free but under Russian domination. I do find a bit of irony in the Kievian Russia being the cited "Russia". should we view Ukraine as part of the USSR or Russia as part of Kievian Ukraine. I suppose you could make the same argument about Poland having been part of Russia. History is great but I have problems with overreaching ...China in the South China Sea, Russia in Crimean Ukraine. Biggest issue for me is a unilateral seizing of/invasion of a sovereign nation (recognized by Russia pre-Putin). It is up to the Ukrainian people to decide if they wish to join the EU and/or NATO. I am hopeful for a forced/agreed withdraw of all Russian military asset from the Ukraine nation, that include Donblas and Crimea. I would not be surprised if Ukraine offered to stay out of Nato in exchange. As to the Crimea ... I had favored a treaty with a long term lease of the Russian naval bases in return for guaranteed fuel from Russia. This would serve both their needs but , that is a matter for them to decide. As long as Russian military is in Ukraine, I am hopeful of overwhelming humanitarian and military supplies to better allow Ukrainians to defend their independence. With Putin overstepping, he has caused a backlash supporting a greater need to protect against Russian military actions (esp. Ukraine and Georgia). I also do agree with NATO staying out of any "no fly zones" but want Ukrainians being given Stingers and Javalin misses to shoot down the Russian air aggression. While we all need to be mindful of propaganda, well with massive social media from Ukrainian citizens the world is witnessing the Russian actions ... this will not be of benefit to Russian interests.

33 minutes ago, fredscats said:

Exactly,  Head of imm informed  no transferwise is acceptable now, only bank to bank,with confirmation from home country of pension is acceptable(his words)

Wow! Fortunately not applicable to me here in Chiang Mai. As an American, I do not receive any "pension". I draw on my own invested retirement funds, plus my SS (SS under 65K baht a month).

6 hours ago, LatPhrao said:

Thank you for that advice.  Would you know, assuming all the transfers are successfully logged as international, if the money once in the account is free to be withdrawn and there are no balance requirements either during the year of depositing or at the end of that period when applying for the retirement visa based on 65K method?

I entered over a decade ago on an "O-A Visa" granted in the US. I have only ever used the monthly income method as my funds are invested and earning me money so I do not think parking 800,000 baht in a Thai bank is the wisest choice for me. Every month, I transfer $2200 USD from my US bank to my Bangkok Bank Account via Wise ... on the Wise website, I always "check" the reason for the transfer as "for long term living expenses in Thailand". That assures that Wise will directly deposit into my Bangkok Bank Acct. The bank logs it in as an FTT which is what immigration here in Chiang Mai wants to see for the extension of stay as funds coming into Thailand. I spend the 65,000 baht every month so I assure you there is no remaining balance needed to be shown, nor any "pension" letter needed. I do have an additional Thai bank account for savings but this plays no part in my annual extension of stay documentation. I want to change to an "O" Visa once the borders open but that is another subject.

3 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Gee, great, thanks for that irrelevant information about your equally irrelevant education, academic capabilities and political bent.  

Thanks for the reminder from Dickens that ignorance and want spell doom …