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All well and good,wanting health insurance.

Many people can not acquire such policies, due to pre existing conditions.

Agreed - but there are many other aspects of insurance that are worthwhile when travelling, particularly (and probably just as importantly), accident cover etc.

There was someone around my estate back in London that had a daughter that had kids of her own about the same time as the mum herself had another kid

Sounds really chavy but they were actually quite nice so this kid of 4 years old is the uncle of his playmate of 3 or 4 also

Yep I can understand that. I was actually an uncle before I was born. My sister (19 at the time) was pregnant at the same time as my mother was pregnant with me. My sister gave birth to my niece 3 weeks before I was born. Mum and Dad had me a little late in life - family legend is that I was the result of one too many pints of bitter after a particularly good result for Sheffield Wednesday back in 1959!

I have a great grand child 32 and I my 2nd wife is only 28. Wake up and enjoy what Thailand has for Farangs

Strange answer from a complete Bull*****r.

Do you think I just stepped off the boat?

Go have another Chang, and don't tell me what to enjoy!

You are hosile person full of anger maybe you should see a Doctor for pills. My like post of truth showed me you are full hate towards someone enjoying life.

If you can enjoy I am sorry for you I offer you my prayers

My OP was actually a civil question with absolutely zero hatred anywhere in it.

At no point does it show any hatred, mocking or even an opinion from me. So I don't know where you get the impression that it is geared up to attack anyone enjoying life in Thailand.

However, your post that you claim is truthful, is trying to tell me that you have a 32 year old great grand child and a wife of 28?

Who are you trying to fool here?

Um....I'm guessing the granddaughter is from a previous marriage (as alluded to in his post), and his current (2nd) wife is Thai and only 28 years old. It's the same as me saying that I have a wife of 26, and have a 24 year old son (which I do), but my son is not the son of my current wife.

If you pump directly from the mains supply wont that cause the presure to drop further ? not good for the neighbours.

also you could be sucking in contaminated water from the ground around the mains pipe.

If the pressure is low then it will have a low foot head - might only be 2 feet above street level. The inlet pipe for an above ground tank is nominally at say 6 feet. So the neighbours won't be getting any water anyway - my bypass system takes advantage of the low pressure/low foot head situation and won't affect the neighbours (unless they have the same system fitted. However if you have zero pressure or your pump is higher than the foot-head at the street, my system won't work as it will end up sucking air. In the 8 or 10 times that I've had water pressure problems there's always been enough pressure for the bypass system to work admirably.

As to the ground water contamination at low pressures- yes I agree what you suggest is possible, even probable. Those contaminants will still be in the supply pipes when you regain normal pressure anyway, so it's a lose/lose situation. Also, the water supply system here even when working properly is at pressures well below what we would normally have expect in our home countries so ground contamination from loose joints or leaky pipes between you and the reservoir is to be expected even when the water supply is at "normal" pressure.

The integrity of the supply pipes is questionable at the best of times. Have you ever drained your above ground tank and looked at the silt/mud in the bottom? Even better, if you have an in-ground tank but don't have the inspection cover tightly sealed you'll find an interesting array of deceased wildlife as well as the mud.

If you have low pressure that sometimes fails to fill your tank, fit a bypass between the feeder pipe and the tank using two gate-valves (one to switch the supply directly to the pump, one to isolate the tank supply to the pump). When pressure is low you switch the gate valves so that the pump is pumping directly from the street supply feeder. I've done this in three houses and works a treat - total cost about 1,000 baht including labour of your local fixit bloke.

When normal pressure returns just revert back to normal. The only drawback is that sometimes the water can be a bit murky as it hasn't had a chance to "settle" in the tank.

Some people may disagree but have you tried using an agent?? They can often get you a good price as they know the owner and know the owners limits taking away the guesswork.

You don't have to pay them they get commission on each customer who rents.

Some folk think the office is the best place but believe me they also get commission.

Actually I have to disagree. I've used an agent and they got one month's rent as commission. The owner said to me after we had used the agent that she wished we had called her directly as she could have reduced the rent for the 6 month period and we both would have been better off. True to her word, she reduced the rent for the 2nd term of 6 months. And she was a great landlady, fixed everything promptly and even bought us a wedding present. I've rented 3 houses over the last 3 years and had no trouble with landlords/landladies at all.

But did you know the owner to start off with?

Nope, didn't know the owner of any of the places I've rented. I just drive around the villages looking for the Rent/Sale signs and call the number on the sign. It's usually the number of the owner. In my experience the owner will come and see you virtually immediately or a neighbour will hold a key and let you in. When you talk on the phone the first time the owner will give you some clues as to their willingness to discount etc. It does pay to know some Thai or have a Thai speaker with you. All my landladies could speak English but they are a little relieved when they can speak Thai. However when negotiating the rent don't let your Thai wife do this for you, do it yourself. The reason is that sometimes the Thai age/respect cultural thing becomes an issue.

35 years ago I opened an IRA account at a bank in the US with $25 minimum because they said there would never be an annual fee for life. That bank was bought by another bank, and I never heard about that account again. Last year it suddenly showed up in my Wells Fargo account that I had. It turns out the bank kept being sold to other banks that I did not use 7 times, and finally the last owner was Wells Fargo. After 35 years, with fees by the various banks being imposed, my initial $25 was now worth $31!

You're lucky you were still in credit! NZ banks will apply charges and put you into overdraft.

Some people may disagree but have you tried using an agent?? They can often get you a good price as they know the owner and know the owners limits taking away the guesswork.

You don't have to pay them they get commission on each customer who rents.

Some folk think the office is the best place but believe me they also get commission.

Actually I have to disagree. I've used an agent and they got one month's rent as commission. The owner said to me after we had used the agent that she wished we had called her directly as she could have reduced the rent for the 6 month period and we both would have been better off. True to her word, she reduced the rent for the 2nd term of 6 months. And she was a great landlady, fixed everything promptly and even bought us a wedding present. I've rented 3 houses over the last 3 years and had no trouble with landlords/landladies at all.

Why is everyone assuming the rental the OP is talking about is accomdation..?

Could be a car

Could be Thai lady...

Actually, I just realised my earlier advice could equally apply to both of these except for the reference to the missing teaspoons etc.

The rental company should offer you insurance at varying levels. "A" grade is the best and is equal to what you might know as Fully Comprehensive". I'm unsure if the driver is covered but if the driver is offered by the rental company, I would assume so - however have this clarified by the company.

However, you won't get the same coverage from a second string dodgy/private type renter, so caveat emptor. I've heard of cases where these dodgy operators fill in what looks like genuine insurance forms and take your money, but when a claim is made there is no insurance cover whatsoever.

Also, as to the hired driver - have him drive you around the block a few times before you commit. Last thing you want is a 4 day hire with a driver that's unsafe or incapable.

Edit - I forgot to add - the hired driver should be named as a "driver" in the lease and insurance doc's. Also, make sure he does actually have a license, as you don't need a license to hire a car/bike - at least, that's my experience. And keep a photocopy of his license and/or ID card in case he does a runner.

Why is everyone assuming the rental the OP is talking about is accomdation..?

Could be a car

Could be Thai lady...

So do you have any useful advice for the OP?

We got 5000 per month discount for a longer term rent. In our place in Bangkok we were paying 25k per month, there was an identical place a few floors down for 17k, so we gave notice. When asked why we were leaving we told the owner who promptly discounted to 17k. Might as well try.

That's right - done the same thing myself and rarely fails. It's a supply demand thing. There is an oversupply of rental properties especially during low season. However, you get the occasional landlord who can't do math very well. You can ask for a 5,000 baht/month discount and they won't wear it. Then you ask how long has the place been vacant - 6 months (and probably will be for 6 more months). Go Figure!

Everything and anything for sale in Thailand is negotiable, including rents. Had an American on transfer for 6 months rent a house in the same village in Jomtien as me. His secretary secured the rental online and probably thought it was a bargain by New York standards. He was paying more than 3 times what I was paying for the same standard of house, and for the same 6 month lease period.

The longer you lease, the more discount. A typical comparison using hypothetical numbers might be:

1 month - 15,000

6 months - 12,000/mth (or less, and might include electricity/water/cable TV etc, or might not)

12 months 10,000/mth ( ditto)

And the most powerful negotiating tool is your feet. If things aren't going your way in negotiating a lease, just smile, thank them for their time, and say you have a better value offer somewhere else. A counter offer will inevitably be forthcoming.

Don't forget that you will pay a bond and if you leave before the lease period, you forfeit your bond. Take photos of the inside and outside, make sure the landlord sees you doing this as evidence of damages that can be claimed later etc.

Ask for a comprehensive list of all the assets in the property and make sure it is all there. Bit annoying to be leaving after 6 months and they tell you there's a missing TV, a fan, and 15 teaspoons!!

David48, you're probably lucky that you got a letter advising you. I worked for a bank for many years in NZ and there is no requirement to advise customers there that their funds were being given to the government.

The name for the funds is called Unclaimed Monies, and every bank is required to sweep their system at 31 March every year (the end of the tax year), provide data of the name and last known address details of the depositor, and pay the combined funds to the government. The affected accounts had to be dormant from a customer transaction for a period of seven years.

Your letter may have been a courtesy type letter - if that's so, then I commend your Aussie bank for advising you and for having a policy of informing their customers.

Should be a fair sized drum-stick I'd imagine, about the size of a baseball bat.

The same happens in NZ for over 20 years but the inactive period requirement is seven years, not three as the Aussies are doing. the NZ Government through the Inland revenue Department have a website that lists all the names and amounts that remain unclaimed. There are some HUGE balances that the Government has scored. As in Aussie, the account holders or there estates can claim the money at any time.

Reminds me of the fish memory story. Fish sees a worm on a hook and thinks "Hmmm.....that looks tasty", takes a bite, hook hurts like hell but the fish escapes and thinks "Bugger, won't do that again!" Three seconds later the fish sees the same worm on the same hook and thinks "Hmmm....that looks tasty.............etc etc".

Your friend needs some serious therapy of some sort, in the same way that a kleptomaniac needs therapy. He is obviously hooked on whatever sort of "high" he is getting from his actions and from what you have said he cannot see the wood for the trees. In fact it's worse, he's denying there is any wood or any trees at all.

In a strange way he is even starting to try and act like a Thai, calling non Thai people farang when he is one himself.

giving himself a Thai nickname amongst other things.

Is the nickname he's chosen "Kwai"?

I've found that it's mainly due to the aspiration both at the beginning and the end of words that causes most of the issue. Essentially in English we aspirate, and the Thais don't. So that's why a K at the start of a word sounds to them more like a G, as said from the back of the throat.

A good example is when using the polite "Krup" for males. If you breathe out and open your mouth after the P it aspirates and sounds like our English P. If you keep your mouth closed at the P, it sounds like a B.

Let's not even talk about the Krup - Kup comparison, the R's and L's totally blow me away.

A good example is when using the polite "Krup" for males.

Krup ????

I don't understand the question.

Don't you mean khrab - khab

Don't really want to get into a discussion re the spelling of Thai words transliterated into English as it's rather a subjective issue.

The point I was making is that the word in question, being the polite particle for males, should be correctly spoken with an 'R' sound as in krap/krup/khrap/khrab and a few other variations depending on which form of transliteration you want to adopt. However you rarely hear the 'R' being used when the word is spoken by a Thai male.

Reminds me of the fish memory story. Fish sees a worm on a hook and thinks "Hmmm.....that looks tasty", takes a bite, hook hurts like hell but the fish escapes and thinks "Bugger, won't do that again!" Three seconds later the fish sees the same worm on the same hook and thinks "Hmmm....that looks tasty.............etc etc".

Your friend needs some serious therapy of some sort, in the same way that a kleptomaniac needs therapy. He is obviously hooked on whatever sort of "high" he is getting from his actions and from what you have said he cannot see the wood for the trees. In fact it's worse, he's denying there is any wood or any trees at all.

I've found that it's mainly due to the aspiration both at the beginning and the end of words that causes most of the issue. Essentially in English we aspirate, and the Thais don't. So that's why a K at the start of a word sounds to them more like a G, as said from the back of the throat.

A good example is when using the polite "Krup" for males. If you breathe out and open your mouth after the P it aspirates and sounds like our English P. If you keep your mouth closed at the P, it sounds like a B.

Let's not even talk about the Krup - Kup comparison, the R's and L's totally blow me away.

A good example is when using the polite "Krup" for males.

Krup ????

I don't understand the question.

I'm glad your not a history teacher.

Did you mean "I'm glad you're not a history teacher"?

I can't be bothered with the apostrophe and the e, it's a trait I have that annoys people.

Can you see my concerned face?

No, cant see your concerned face, and if your not concerned with it, neither am I. Apostrophes, contractions, and possessive adjectives are highly overrated anyway.

Yourauntbob - When writing posts do you watch the news or, indeed spend time reading topics on the Internet. USA and Europe are in financial sh*ts still. Have you ever heard of Greece, Cyprus or Spain? They are in Europe - did you know? It is recorded that the UK is going into a "Triple Dip Recession". Of course did you forget that this was all started by "Toxic Lending" in the US?

I keep up with the news daily. Why do you ask? My original post points to the US and EU heading for recession just as you pointed out.

What exactly with my post are you disagreeing with?????

p.s. When you post, do you try to defy the rules of grammar?

You talk about reducing GDP etc. USA and Europe are in deep sh*t now. GDP has reduced dramatically. Do you know what "GDP" is? As for your comment on "Third Worlds" their economies are doing much better right now. If I was you I would start to learn Chinese. They will become the new financial rulers of the world. USA step down and bow. As for my grammar, well as an ex-BBC Financial Expert and a communicator to the Royal Household, I would say its quite good. Of course if you are American it may sound quite different but remember, Christopher Columbus found America and he was British.

I'm glad your not a history teacher.

Did you mean "I'm glad you're not a history teacher"?

Thanks for the info, and that great translation of the long Krungthep name ......I didn't know that

No worries. The full name for Krung-Tehp is actually the longest place name in the world (or so I am lead to believe) and it also highlights one of the OP's points about the opening letter K and G in Thai. It's transliterated as a Krung in English, but the Thais speak it as a slightly guttural (back of the throat) GK cross. So if we Falang say Krung Tehp with either a hard K or hard G sound, we aren't understood too easily.

It's the same with Coffee - the transliteration is ga-fee, but of we say it as a hard K, or a C, or a G we aren't understood. I don't claim to know too much conversational Thai but I understand more than I speak, and I try hard to be fluent with the words that I do use.....but I can order hot coffee in Thai and 50% of the time I get a blank look. And I think it's 50% my fault for not being fluent enough, and 50% their fault for not being flexible in their listening/context association. It's all a learning curve I guess.

Had fun at the golf course - ordered two bottles of water and a bottle of orange juice in Thai every time for weeks at the No.1 tee. The same bloke would look blank and make me say it at least twice, and then say in poor English "oh, 2 water and I orange." One week I ordered in Thai and got the same look, so I got a little annoyed and said in English "OK clever clogs, gimme a coupla tubes o' H2O and an OJ". Blank look, so I repeated it...another blank look. I said in Thai "Can you speak English?" he answers yes. I repeated my cryptic order in English....blank look. I said in Thai " I think maybe I speak Thai better than you speak English, can I have 2 bottles of water and 1 bottle of orange juice please?". Suddenly he understood my request. He always gives me a wry smile now.