gk10012001

My friend flew one of the Thai airways non stop flights from Los Angeles back when it was available. 17 hours non stop on a plane is just too much. I have no problem making a stop in Taiwan and most of my trips to Thailand were on EVA, once or twice on China Air and they were from LAX ~12 hours of actual air time, 2 or 3 hour layover in Taiwan, then ~< 3 hours on to BKK. I am OK with a break in between. A few extra hours for the trip is preferable to 17 hours straight on a non-stop

But you won't get a one hour foot massage there for <10 US Dollars

I been 15 times since 2004. Haven't been since 2019. Finishing up this contract job next week. Good, bad or indifferent I will be heading to Thailand in the next month or so as will two of my buddies. One used to spend more time there than I did. The other will be a newbie. Oh if only it could be like it was back around 2004-2008 years. But there is still plenty of an attraction for me

Agreed. I have monitored the situation for years

I did check out Safety Wing. Vastly over rated and not for me in my opinion

I must admit I had no problems with low season in past years (2004-2010). I went to Thailand in between jobs and never really planned the time I went there except a few times I did target the USA winter time. Thanksgiving and Christmas in warm Thailand really was pleasant. Remember all the girls dressing in red? In Pattaya you could actually easily cross beach road without getting run over. Soi Bukhao was peaceful. Soi Yume was barely paved! High season was nice also as it was a break from the cold winter weather if I had just finished working in a cold state here in the USA. Low season and hot was fine with me. Hotel pool, used to be able to swim in Jomtien beach water without getting sick. Too much runoff there now the last decade or so.

Well I believe you answered all my questions. Thank you. I went to Thailand 15 times starting in 2004 but have not been since 2019. I always loved it because traveling to there was seamless and easy and did not require any advance planning. My contract jobs often ended in un-predicatable ways so being able to just arrive at BKK and get visa exempt was why I first chose Thailand. I usually could not plan a trip very far in advance, apply for visas, get advance bookings etc. Now finally semi retired.

So if flying from the USA out of Los Angeles, LAX, connecting through Taiwan, arriving Bankok BKK. Do I need to do the online TDAC thing and bring something with me in order to get on the planes? More importantly do I have to go to some Evisa site and get something in advance before I travel? Or am I mixing things up? This will be the nominal Visa Exempt on arrival, not any special tourist visa.

I am 68 now and about to spend a lot of time in Thailand. Being an American I am also on Medicare. Sadly Medicare doesn't work overseas except in some cases for some emergency treatments. So it is quite a conundrum. Very difficult to get any Thai health insurance at my age. And if I could get Thai health insurance, if I then stop paying my USA Medicare, if I should ever start Medicare again, Medicare would charge me 10% more for each year I was not on Medicare.

Yes. I am on medicare now. The problem with living overseas is medicare in general does not work over there except some supplements may process some emergency treatments. If one discontinues medicare,, medicare charges 10% more for premiums each year you don't keep medicare. So if you later restart medicare, say you return to the USA you would now pay a substantially higher premium.

Mile swim in an open lake when a boy scout circa 1974. 22 mile run one afternoon that started as routine distance training run for high school cross country but I just kept running, circa 1975 72 hour live poker playing marathon Hollywood Park Casino circa 1994. Still working various engineering jobs today June 2025 after numerous engineering jobs, Air Force Captain, etc. First job was at Burger Chef in 1972. So working 53 + years, not counting earlier snow shoveling, mowing lawns, raking leaves jobs etc. in the 1960s. Holding various security clearances continuously and contiguously since 1982. Going on 43 years now. I think Hyman RIckover may be the only person with a longer run than me on that one! One entire year of only eating organic vegetarian foods, not one soda etc. At 5'7" weight got down to 132 pounds. Felt like a superman. Ran a 5 minute mile at age 47.

well some information is shared. Just watch those border security tv shows, and often they have or can look up some travel records of some people and see they were refused entry at other countries. I have no real knowledge of what databases or info

makes one wonder about the security and checks on what is in checked luggage doesn't it?

All I really want is for the USA embassy to issue income letters for retirement visas again. Man, since my first trip in 2004 I planned to spend so much time in Thailand. But the options now for either deposit 800k baht or monthly hassle of $2,000 USD transfers and bank book hassles and checking that the transfers are properly shown as foreign in, etc. Things I can't control but have to deal and check on constantly. Of course I would have time to do that, but it is annoying

Same for me. I don't face time, endlessly chat, load up subscription apps, spotify, tube or whatever. Occasionally use the googl map as I do go to places I am not familiar with here in the USA. An occasional internet search. Do check my hotmail email now and then when I am not at home on my computer. I have seen people pay so much for the jazz and hype of apple products. I have had my motorola G7 Power since 2021 and paid around $200 for it. Big screen, easy to read. Goog play store has all the apps I need which are very few

You're kidding surely. Not kidding. Most people that get flu like symptoms never go to a doctor. I have not seen a flu test kit. If they are out there I doubt people are buying or using them. They might get a covid test kit but that just says if you got covid or not (assuming they are effective test kits). And say covid comes up negative but you have flu like symptoms,,,, do you assume you have the flu?

Absolutely not worth the money to me. I have a Motorola G7 Power I bought in 2021. Cost $240 as I recall. Plenty of memory for my purposes. Plenty of battery for my purposes. Google Play store has all the apps I need which are very few. I do not rely on my phone for much as I prefer to use my computer for the few online things I do which are some basic banking now and then,. The Etrade app has come in handy as I electronically can deposit checks. What checks you ask in this day and age? Well slot machine jackpots from some casinos I have been to either pay in cash or check. I take the check and electronically deposit very quickly.

At first glance that photo reminded me of Andre the Giant...

So what?

How do they know the number of flu cases? I have never seen an actual flu test.

so went in to get a drink but did not bring his wallet in? How was he going to pay?

Up to you. That is less than $1,000 USD a month. Straightup girlfriends do cost anywhere in the world assuming you treat them, take out, travel, and whatever. Are you being played? Possibly. Unless she lives with you and see here day to day activities all the time it is possible she has more than one benefactor. That certainly is not unheard of. Are you getting what you paid for? Again, up to you to decide.

I used an agent once in Pattaya to get a 30 day extension to my visa exempt. It was my second visit to Thailand and Asia and I was less than sure of the process and forms and Jomtien etc. Which agent I used I don't remember. It may have been the old Key Visa? Gave em my passport, answered a few questions, one form or whatever. Paid what I thought was a reasonable fee for the convenience of them doing this. The next day I went back to the agent office and picked up my passport. I didn't see anything wrong or improper or skirting of any rules. Maybe things are different now and the immigration people want to see you in person, or things like this can't be done by proxy or by a runner, but not from what I have heard

21 is her metric age. convert that to English units and you get 46?

She may move from hotel to hotel and was checking out of the initial one so took all her stuff with her.