phuturatica

I seem to be having trouble finding clothes that actually fit me here in Bangkok? I wouldn't call myself overweight but I'm definitely not skinny and petite like a lot of the Thai women here.

I'm a total sucker for fashion but I can't seem to find any real nice clothes that actually fit me! It's mainly my lower half I'm having problems with as I unfortunately have quite a large ass!

Anyone know anywhere, specifically in Bangkok where is good for nice clothes for those who aren't petite? Say 34" hips?

(My apologies if this should be in the Bangkok forum, I thought seeing as I'm lady asking for advice on fashion, the ladies forum would be the best place)

I have this massive urge for hot crumpets with some melted butter... However I have never seen any available anywhere in Thailand.

Has anyone else seen anywhere that sells crumpets? Especially in the Bangkok area? I'm willing to go on a crumpets mission!

All should have the brand name Zyloric (which when I used years ago was quite expensive for what should be cheap medication). Only larger places will have non branded version as is sold in very large bottles so most would not be able to turn over in time so do not stock.

I've asked for Zyloric and Allopurinol but they always say "mai mee" and try to give me Colcichine (spelling?) I've been to over 10 pharmacists now. I may just have to take a trip to Bangkok hospital and use the pharmacy there.

...take a tuk tuk. Maybe 30 baht or 15-20 minute walk.

Thanks for the rest of the post anyway. It was good info and very welcome. Thanks also to Carib. I love taking the boats to get around.

One question, though. How do you get a tuktuk for 30 baht to anywhere? I can't seem to get one to take me from here to the next corner for less than 100. If it's more than a block, the minimum seems to be 300+. Or do I have that "sucker" tattoo written across my forehead?

Well, with tuk tuks it can be hard to not get ripped off. A meter taxi from Samsen to Panfah for example is only 35 baht so you SHOULD be able to get a tuk tuk for 30, although they might not want to do it. What I do is wave one down, say my destination and the price I want to pay in Thai, and see if they agree. Don't ask how much, act like you know what the price is already because you do it every day. Easier to just take a taxi most of the time, but I do use tuk tuks for short 20-30 baht trips sometimes. If you're not Thai some just basically refuse to take you if you don't pay more though, especially ones in a tourist area.

Cheers for the info guys. As for tuk tuks. I act like I get them all the time and when they give me a ridiculous price, I laugh and say "woah peng mak mak!" and walk off! It means "very expensive!" Sometimes they will say "ok how much pay?" and then I'll give them a price and they either take it or leave it. I only get tuk tuks for short journeys or motorbike taxis for short journeys.

I tend to find that it's hard to get taxi drivers to put the meter on. Instead they try and quote a price to me and I refuse. Sometimes I have to let about 8 taxis pass because none of the will put the meter on! Very frustrating!

I seem to be having a problem finding Allopurinol in any pharmacy in Bangkok. Any one out there know of anywhere specifically in Bangkok where I can purchase 100mg dosage?

I have to get to Wat Thepleela Pier tomorrow from Samsen Soi 4. I have absolutely no idea when it comes to using the boats. Where would I get the boat from which is nearest to Samsen Soi 4 and roughly how long does it take to Wat Thepleela Pier and how much?

Any help or useful links explaining more about the boats on the canal would be muchly appreciated, thanks!

Thank you very much for all the advice guys.

I have taken some steps to change my diet and taken a few tips from the ones mentioned above.

• I have now switched to mineral water rather than distilled and oxidized water and doubled my intake - Although I need to be careful of this because I am on a fluid restriction due to my kidneys. (I am only supposed to drink 3 litres a day max.)
  
• I am only have one portion of meat in one meal a day. I don't eat organ meats anyway. (Urgh!) and I am limiting the shellfish to every so often. I actually had shellfish the other day and the next day I had a gout attack in my foot (different foot from last time)
  
• Doubled my fruit intake.
  
• I'm trying to eat all vegetables which are put on my plate with every meal I get rather than leave them - This is an ongoing food disorder I have had since I was a child and it's about time I get over it as I'm sick of it at my age.
  
• I'm not drinking any beer at all.
  
• I've cut down my drinking to one night a week only.
  
• I've ordered some black cherry extract. (waiting on delivery)
  
• The vinegar/molasses drink sounds interesting - However I am already taking an herbal remedy drink from the Monks - which tastes horrible so I'm not sure I could handle another bitter tasting drink that I'd have to drink every day!
  

I'm with Natwest also and I can sympathize with you at how unhelpful they are.

Two weeks ago, they cancelled my debit card with no warning and I was unable to withdraw money from the ATM in Thailand. They said they had sent another card to my parents address which they didn't do so I had to request another card to be sent out which can take up to 5 working days. Then I'd have to wait however long it takes for the post to arrive from the UK. So I was going to be stuck without cash for some time...

So I transferred the money to another account I had with Natwest but I didn't know the pin so they sent out another pin to my parents address which takes 3 working days. After 4 days, I ring my family to get my pin as I'm desperate for cash and the pin hasn't even arrived! Then when I spoke to them, a new pin hadn't even been requested on the system!

I have been 2 and half weeks without any access to my own money now. Furious is not the word!

Also, as for the card reader - if you know anyone who has their card reader with them here in Thailand, ask if you can borrow it. I have found that any card reader from any bank works with every card. I use my Natwest card reader for my other bank accounts in different banks and works fine.

My friend uses Barclays and hasn't had one problem in all the 6 years she's been living here so I would consider Barclays if I was ever to open another account in the hope it would be hassle free.

Early January I had some kind of flu virus. Started off with aches everywhere, headache, feeling like death etc. But then it developed into a cold and a cough - one of the worse I have had in years. I didn't get no rash on my face though... That doesn't sound very flu-like to me.

Hope you feel better soon, whatever it is!

The fact that you get a gout attack at age 24, have high uric acid levels, take daily doses of 'bicarb' and have been prescribed Allopurinol idicates you have a problem worthy of professional help. See a qualified specialist doctor before you are crippled with white puss oozing out of your toe joints. Sorry, but that's the reality.

I already know I have health problems. I am a kidney failure patient and high uric acid is in CKD patients is common but my diet has also not helped since being here and my uric acid has gone up.

I found out my high uric acid result from seeing a renal specialist. So I'm one step ahead of you!

Live your life the way you want to! If that means drinking soda then let it be! What are you? The health police?

Troll.

I am already prescribed sodium bicarbonate and have been since 2008. I take it twice a day, morning and evening. Surely I wouldn't need to take baking soda too?

So far I have found the information on this board extremely helpful and I've only had one attack of gout so far in my life. To be fair - I am only 24 so I feel like I'm too young to be suffering from this but high uric acid is sometimes common with people with kidney malfunction.

My diet is extremely poor and rubbish and I'm embarrassed to say what I eat sometimes. However I was diagnosed with an eating disorder when I was 13 years old and I'm still suffering from it slightly. I don't like textures of alot of foods and most of them being vegetables.

My diet mainly consists of meat, fish, bread, rice, pasta and cheese...

Over 50 years old and I've met more people suffering from gout in my last 7 months in Thailand than the rest of my years combined.

Is there something about Thai food (and other food you'd eat here, Thai or not) that brings on gout, or is it a case of overdiagnosis? Or maybe few people in the west suffers from gout because it's caught sooner and treated? Or perhaps I'm just a poor listener?

The doctor informed me that high uric acid is very common here in Thailand and it is mainly to do with the amount of alcohol intake and diet. Then again after looking at what purine is found in... It pretty much is most things that I love eating and a very common diet in Thailand.

I have also been prescribed allopurinol so hopefully it will help. I'm going to have a hard time changing my diet as I'm a very fussy eater. I used to see a food therapist in the UK.

After my check up at the hospital I have been informed that my uric acid is quite high and I've been told to alter my diet with less Purine in it.

It also explains the foot problem I had recently... It was gout, not cellulitis.

Does anyone have any tips on what diet would best suit someone on a low purine diet? I don't even know what purine is found in!

Is this first hand knowledge or are you passing along rumors? Just a question as you mention you were here as a nun.

And only for a few days....[??]

Who here referes to a wat as a monastery?

First hand knowledge as I saw them. The Monks live in living quarters by the Wat but the Nuns live in quarters much further away from the Temple and as my boyfriend has informed me, it's called a Monastery. Maybe his translation from Thai to English isn't accurate but that's what he called it anyway.

I went to visit a Monk in Nakhon Sawan and then I stayed in the Monastery for a few days but I had to stay with the Nun's as men and women are separate so I had to conform and abide by Buddhist Nun rules. The monks weren't strict at all but most of the Nun's were.

I only stayed there for 3 days.

There is never a shortage of beer in Bangkok.

The only difference is that some bars may only have small bottles rather than large. The price of beer for bar owners went up because of the floods so not all bars have been stocking up on big bottles.

Apart from that I would say everything is already back to normal.

It seems it disappeared after the flooding and isn't yet back in the country. I have seen a few Tesco Lotus' and Boots stocking them though. My friend is severely diabetic and can only drink Coke Zero. She said it was impossible to find these days.

SD Bookshop on Soi Rambuttri in Banglamphu have a good selection of many different languages.

There are 3 different kinds of hair extensions: Mircorings, Glued in, Clip in...

I used to run a fake hair/extension business in the UK before I moved out here and microrings are by far the best in terms of looking the best and more professional and less noticeable. Especially during the hairline. Clip in extensions work really well if clipped in at the bottom underneath and they add much more volume.

The main problem is finding the right colour (I'm ginger so it was a nightmare!) also it depends on what your natural hair is like. If you have thin hair and it's very dry, it will be noticeable as it'll be different from the sleek extensions. Also if you have curly hair like me, it's near impossible to find extensions which match your natural curls. I used to have to have mine quite wacky and backcomb the extensions because my natural curly hair was quite hard to tame and make look the same as the extensions.

Foxylocks extensions is a great clip in hair extension website and I have used them many times if you're thinking of doing it yourself.

There is no such thing as a six month tourist visa. A tourist visa allows an entry of 60 days for most nationalities and can be for one, two, or three such entries (marked on visa). The visa can be valid for 3 or 6 months to make all entries.

Yes you must exit Thailand, enter another country and return for a new entry. For most that will involve buying a visa for the other country. Thailand makes no charge for entry.

Sorry my apologies... I have a triple entry which is valid for 6 months. I got the terminology wrong. Thanks for clarifying everything for me.

When I was in Nakhon Sawan being a Buddhist Nun in a monastery for a few days (I was paying my respects) I was quite surprised at the monks that were at the Monastery. Most of them smoked, had playstations, laptops, music hifi's, ate out at restaurants and spent most of the day chilling amongst each other having a laugh. One of them even had a bottle of Sangsom in his room. Not really strict at all.

Also I know someone who was a monk for 12 years and then went on to be a hitman and then spent 7 years in jail for murder... He's still a very religious guy after spending time in jail though... But it does make you wonder.

I guess there are very committed Monks and those who like the idea of it and feel better in themselves for doing it.

I have a 6 month tourist visa, however I was told that I need to go to the border every 60 days. I was informed that I could extend each 60 days for a month at Thai Immigration which I have done, however now I am nearing the end of my 1 month extension... Does this mean I need to do a border run? Also will I have to pay to enter another country or is it just a case of showing my visa at the border?

I think its illogical that they would offer a 6 month tourist visa but then require you to leave the country and pay to get into another country just to come back again when you have originally paid for a 6 month visa. I'm fine with going to the border but not too sure if I will have to pay to get into Cambodia at Poipet.

If anyone can shed more light on this type of visa it would be most appreciated, thanks.

I'm a CKD Stage 4 kidney failure patient and I need to get my kidney function tested. All this takes is a simple urine and blood test.

Does anyone have any nephrologist recommendations in Bangkok Hospital?

I'd recommend getting a pro to do it. It's cheap, and hopefully, they know what they are doing.

Where are you located?

Also, there's a nasty cold going around. I was sick for 2 1/2 weeks, and I know others that were out of it for 3+ weeks. Worst cold I've had in years.

Yep " caigt " is right had a cough for three weeks just on it's way out, thank's to " tiffy ".

The heat of the day then a very cold air-con room will make you cough anyway.

Recommended to clean air-cons at least once a year, I do mine myself but you can get someone to do it at very little cost as said.

Yeah I've had a head cold and nasty cough for going on 3 weeks now and it isn't getting any better. I've been stocking up on the Tiffy but it just doesn't seem to be shifting!

Looks like I'll get someone in to clean the air con filters. The guys paid a visit for maintenance about a month or so ago but I'm not sure they actually cleaned the filter. I'll chase up with them.

Glad to know I'm not the only one with this nasty illness.