dundas

Two weasels. Well, that's my summary of Trump and Putin.

I had my first implant in Chiang Mai around 2013. It was $A3,000 at the time, although once the treatment had started the dentist tried very hard to upsell (I knocked back all attempts). My current Australian dentist has given me 3 implants since. He regards Thai dentists as his competitors and charges $2850 /~ THB64,000 (implant + crown). Extraction and x-rays are extra, and if you need a bone graft, that will also cost more, but it's still very competitive, and my health insurance pays about half. Plus he guarantees his work, in writing. Thailand isn't always the best value, is what I want to say.

It's not difficult to disclose any pre-existing conditions. I have a few and disclose them each time I come to Thailand; the insurance company has always agreed to cover me at no extra charge.

I'm not British, and agree with everything Nigeone said, except the notion that he should keep out of his discussion. It's good to have some views that aren't shaped by the craziness that passes for normal in the US. A stacked Supreme Court? No universal health care? Machine guns legal? Abortions decided by Republicans? Tax cuts for the very rich? A middle class that's disappearing? And, of course, bleach as a cure for Covid.

Well, Thai Immigration picked up a footballer who had fled a middle-eastern country after stating his mind a bit too publicly, and who had then successfully gained the protection of the Australian government. He had a dodgy Interpol notice against him, and he narrowly escaped being extradited to the hell-hole he had fled. My point: Thai Immigration do know about Interpol notices, at least some of the time.

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Some days (most days) I'm glad I'm not an American. Witnessing the struggle between a VP who doesn't give interviews and a former president who doesn't have any policies (beyond slogans, that is), is like listening to nails being dragged down a blackboard. All the way from now until November. But as a non-american, I really hope that Trump loses, hugely. As president the only person he would be interested in is himself -- well apart from other billionaires (like Elon Musk and Peter Thiel, waiting to feast on the spoils of lower taxes for the rich), and luminaries such as Xi, Putin, and Xi, who he seems to idolise. His presidency would mean the demise of the American middle class, already on the slide.

I remember reading an article on climate change back in the 1980s --probably in Scientific American, but I can't remember exactly where . The kinds of weather events (more extremes, in essence) predicted back then is what we are experiencing now.

Reading this thread so far (as much as I can) makes me think of Rupert Murdoch who makes his money by polarising people and politics in the countries he operates in, he's been doing that in Australia, the UK and the US for decades, and it shows in this discussion. All very vehement and opposite points of view. Not too many calls for unity here! All about dumping on the perceived enemy. I think it's true that middle America has become less prosperous over the past 40 years, and it really hasn't mattered all that much whether Democrats or Republicans have been the ones in power, middle America has been in a long, slow decline and no doubt is very pissed off, heralding the rise of blow-hards and conmen like Trump. In his first presidency, Trump tried to kill Obama-care (and with it the health cover of millions, making the US even more of a high achiever among developed countries in NOT covering its population, nothing to be proud of in my opinion). He actually succeeded in giving generous tax cuts to the very wealthy but not, of course, to the people who really needed them. If he's elected, Project 25 looks like it will continue in that grand tradition of screwing middle America and any unfortunate who's tainted with the progressive brush, lower in the eyes of some of the readership here, than the lowest form of vermin. Thanks, Rupert! You've made the world a worse, more dangerous place. I'm not an American, but if I were, voting for Trump and JD would be so clearly to my disadvantage that I can only marvel at the people who would. Unless of course, I was Elon Musk or any of his ilk (spoiler: I'm not); even before the election Trump is already doing the bidding of Musk. Electric cars NO GOOD are now electric cars GREAT. So we already know who's calling the shots when it comes to the real decisions, not the decisions about trans, not about abortions, not about the B**S*** the rich used to distract others from what's really at stake here – the big decisions about who gets how much share of the national pie, and it won't be the MAGA crowd who'll be voting for him, it'll be corporates and the very rich.

I was once asked to track someone who hadn't turned up at his destination -- who just disappeared. Yes, he went through Immigration, and yes he boarded the plane (his family had connections so they were able to get this information). Turns out he was busted for drugs on arrival and disappeared for a week or so while the police investigated. Not to join the army of online detectives here, but merely to recount the experience as a possibility in this case.

Thanks for this!

RAM seems to be coming more focussed on cosmetic approaches, and their prices have gone up over the years. I would like someone competent with sun damaage/skin cancer and at a better price.

For the last 10 or 12 years I've used Chiang Mai RAM, but I've decided to look for other options. Any recommendations for a dermatologist, who can check me for sun damage/skin cancers, etc?

I've flown on the Thai 787-8. It's 9 abreast like just about every other airline's 787 (except JAL's), meaning that seats are narrower than those on a 737 ... the legroom is OK, better than Jetstar's, let's say.

Reading between the lines of the article and it all seems a bit ... opaque. Maybe what they're really saying is: we're within a hairsbreadth of a disaster on a daily basis and if we don't do take action soon and address a list of major issues as long as our arm we might tarnish Thailand reputation as a destination. But then again, let's do the bare minimum because we don't want to spend the money.

I've stopped flying Thai anyway – their airfares are very high and their frequent flyer scheme has become miserable), so it probably won't affect me. But I agree with the comments above. Boeing is the same as any other business which gets over-run by accountants. Ultimately the cost cutting destroys the business.

Scoot-plus seating is equivalent to premium economy on any other airline, the seats are OK for recliners, but the service is pretty ordinary -- one meal and drink for the flight, served soon after take-off (presumably so that you will buy more later in the flight) Staff are focussed on making sales in economy, for the most part. Jetstar Business charge more, have similar seating, and better service. On the long haul flights I've been on, two meals (each pretty good), plus you are permitted to help yourself to anything available on the economy menu. The seating on Air Asia (via KL) is not all that roomy. I'm 194cm and had to curl up in a foetal position in order to sleep ... but the seats do lie flat (so they're definitely superior to those in Scoot or Jetstar), and that's way better than sitting up overnight. Service arrangements are similar to Scoot but the food is better and you can choose the service (first or second) for your included meal/drink. A major disadvantage is that changing flights in KL isn't all that luxurious an experience, more like one that can make the journey stressful rather than relaxing. If it was my choice, I'd take the Jetstar flight.

Thai have also made it much harder to earn points in economy -- and that, and the new higher prices, are the reason I've stopped flying them. It's a shame, I flown them since not long after their inception.

In fairness, hasn't Thailand become a medical hub? The success is reflected in the way prices have gone up in the last 10 years or so.

They've been dropping hints about 'new routes' on Australian social media. So maybe Perth and NZ will be back.

it's typical that after a traumatic event such as rape, people are unable to even think about it, let alone talk about it or take action. Anecdotally, I've heard that for the typical holocaust survivor this period was 40 years. So 20 years after a rape sounds about right (not dismissing the trauma of a rape, but for many holocaust survivors the trauma was ongoing, and in many cases, even more brutal). If you're interested in the delay many survivors experience in being able to talk about it, google the search phrase why-many-people-dont-talk-about-traumatic-events-until-long-after-they-occur.

I am 73, and touch wood, so far all my implants have been set and forget (first one was in 2012, I've had three more since). I'm probably lucky in that so far my gums haven't seemed to pose much of a problem for successful implants and on my occasional dental checkups, the implants have never been diagnosed as being in need of extra care. My gums are probably in better shape because of the implants, too. If I were in the OP's shoes, I'd consult with a dentist who knows their stuff, because some recipients of implants aren't suitable in any event, some are maybes, some need bone grafts (think extra $$$$) and are still maybes. If the implants fail, that's money down the drain and time lost waiting for an actual solution. If I knew I was likely to be a successful candidate, I'd probably go for it, even if I were a decade older than I am now. And having said that, my experience of the Thai dentist I went to In Chiang Mai wasn't all that great – she kept pushing me to agree to a bone graft; fortunately for me the surgeon she employed told me that it wasn't necessary and it was only his advice that saved me from unnecessary expense. And I've since realised that a lot of dentists are in the business of up-selling and as they're experts, it can be hard to resist their pressure and to make properly informed choices. After the CM experience, I found a dentist in my home country who is price competitive, competent and bluntly honest, and that has made my decision making on my more recent implants a lot easier. So if I'm in the OP's shoes, finding an ethical and competent dentist/dental surgeon would be top of my list before making any more decisions.

A monk told this story, that he was meditating in darkness in a cave one night, when he heard a scuffling noise, so picked up his flashlight and turned it on. The light hit on a cobra in strike pose, and he could almost see the snake deciding whether or not to attack, causing a most excruciating death. The monk's response was to spread loving kindness all around and after doing this for an interminable time, the snake relaxed and decided to go on his way. Which is when the monk noticed that despite his calm mental attitude and his ability to show loving kindness in the most adverse of circumstances, his body was shaking and that went on for a long time afterwards. We might think we're not frightened of death, but our bodies know otherwise. My mother held onto life, until she overheard a nurse saying that she (my mother) would never walk again, at which point she decided to give up. But I think her clinging onto life was more about the fact that she had never really lived it -- she was a good wife and mother, but she had never lived her own life, had never really done her own thing. I think it's easier to let go of life if you have lived a full one, a la Bangkok Barry's post above. All the more reason to cherish every moment.

The answer to your question depends on the travel arrangements for your inbound and outbound flights. The easy way: If you are flying on Thai Airways/Thai Smile on both flights and on the one ticket, for example, you can transfer airside by following the signs. You'll clear Immigration in Bangkok, and Customs at your destination airport. The minimum time for connecting in this way is around an hour. The not so easy not so fun way: If you're flying another airline into Bangkok, and then Thai on your domestic flight, you will probably have to clear Immigration, pick up your luggage, clear Customs, then check your bags in again and go back through security into the domestic part of the terminal. If this is the case then depending on the time of day, I would allow at least three hours. I should say my comments are based on my experience of a couple of years ago, when I arrived on Royal Brunei and then went to Chiang Mai on Thai. I was turned around when I attempted to transfer airside, and was told 'even if your Brunei flight has a TG number, you will still have to clear Immigration and Customs here.' In any event, I'd ask the airline/agent who's done the ticketing, which experience you're more likely to have.

From my observation, the dermatologists I've seen here are both skilled and thorough, and used to working with people from Australia.