Oscar2

Update: country-wide curfew in effect 22:00-5:00.

oh well....another coup. military music playing right now in Sansai. all news channels off the air.

The brands you listed can be found at Mega Bang Na.

High end brands can be found at Siam Paragon.

i agree. BKK is the place to go for things like that. Not Chiang Mai.

Central KSK has a large selection of designer brands; Pierre Cardin, Arrow, Calvin Klein, etc. Many others as well.

A foreigner getting married in Thailand pays 30bht, same as everyone else.

If you think that's expensive, you shouldn't be here.

Get a VISA or go home.

just for your information as you are clearly a not too well informed character, the cost of getting married in Thailand goes way way further than paying the paltry 30 baht, which is wrong as we paid 200 baht, so your first point is wrong, good start!

Their are other such ''minor'' things such as buying a house and paying dowry.......i paid more than 1 million baht, but i don''t need to explain that to such a knowledgeable chap like yourself.

I will entertain you further by telling you i do consultancy work all around the world, and there is a good chance i could pay for a 1 year visa and only stay 1 week before my work calls me away, it can also work out the opposite way as it has this time round while its been 10 months since my last bit of work.

Kevin

paying a dowry??? people don't actually do that do they? isn't that what internet forums are for? to help gullible foreigners know that is only for the uninformed! also you don't have to "buy a house". that is optional.

Get a visa!

Good News , a step in the right direction if this can bring stability to a heavily divided country .

Seems like even new elections would not solve Thailands problem .

Another coup and soldiers stay for long would be the best .

yes sure like the other 20 coups in the last 80 years and the dozens of innocents brutally massacred by those power thirsty monsters who keep their masters 22 families in power forever while 65 million Thais in virtual slavery.

Where are you from ? North Korea ? Because promoting coups and massacres sounds like North Korean.

huh??? what are you on about??? "...65 million Thais in virtual slavery." huh?

The army is in full control of Bangkok.

What about Thailand? Or does Thailand end on the outskirts of Bangkok?

why would the Army need to be in areas outside of Bangkok?

Last time there were soldiers at CNX.

nothing new there. there are always soldiers at CNX (and bomb sniffing German shepherds too).

ahhh the old fashioned chemist shop. there are still a few of them in the States where they will mix up elixirs, cough and skin preparations, etc. prescribed by the doctor. i know of a few in Europe as well. i've seen one or two in Bangkok - years back. but i can't recall seeing one here to be honest. considering CMU Pharmacy is run by 20 somethings i doubt they would be much help to you either as they were trained on computers, not beakers and mortars and pestles. Bangkok may be your best bet. i wish i could recall exactly where i saw the shops but it was years ago... good luck.

Get your facts straight. The charge is for the lift, not the temple.

didn't know there was a lift, but we took Japanese guests there 3 times over the last few months and were never charged a Satang to get in. but the Japanese all bought 2 or 3 amulets each so the temple did better than the price of an admission.

keep the business card(s) handy for the towing service. there are many of them. i've called as late as about 23:00 before and they are radio dispatched. guy was there in 20 minutes. towed the car to my mechanic and parked it right out front of his shop and hid the keys. about 650 Bath from Hang Dong to the city.

oh wait...motorcycle. don't know but would imagine there must be many similar services for motorcycles in C.M.

Anyone had a "650 Baht" Chalachol haircut from Promenada? Be interested to know if they got "satisfaction".

Never seen a soul in there myself.

there is one place in the Promenada which charges 2,500 Bath for a men's haircut! never saw a soul in there myself.

update: the wife was in Promenada yesterday, she just said that the shop with the 2500 Bath men's haircut is closed up and out of business. no surprise there!

having said that, there are many, many places where 650 Bath is common in Bangkok and they are filled with Thai men.

Personally, I was unaware that any Bank ATM card Account conferred any sort of Health/Accident Insurance to the Account Holder--is this true??

Also--surely the idea of 'Accident Insurance' is that it is to be used 'After' and Accident--not, surely, 2 months later?? Isn't that more follow-up 'After-Care'?

OP-- after a couple of years here I realized that it is always better to try to stay as calm as possible when in a dispute with Thais--when in the right--and definitely when found to be in the wrong.

no, not "any" bank card. you can buy accident insurance at most of the banks and then you get a combined ATM card/insurance ID card. i think they are about 2,500 Bath at Kasikorn. most of the other banks have them too.

yes, i agree. that is indeed follow up after care - 2 months later. OP is lucky they didn't bounce him for attempted insurance fraud.

yup...it's called jai yen yen.

Thanks for clearing that up-it's an 'added' service offered by banks--got it.

I guess, really, when looking to buy financial services--go talk to a bank--BUT, if looking to purchase Insurance, then go talk to an Insurance Broker--correct??

for health insurance, yes. but those accident insurance policies that the banks offer are pretty good value IMO. they are not expensive, offer some coverage, and i believe there is also a death benefit with a decent amount of coverage.

edit: here it is - or one of them at least http://www.kasikornbank.com/EN/Personal/Insurance/Generalinsurance/AccidentProtect/Pages/AccidentProtect.aspx

Personally, I was unaware that any Bank ATM card Account conferred any sort of Health/Accident Insurance to the Account Holder--is this true??

Also--surely the idea of 'Accident Insurance' is that it is to be used 'After' and Accident--not, surely, 2 months later?? Isn't that more follow-up 'After-Care'?

OP-- after a couple of years here I realized that it is always better to try to stay as calm as possible when in a dispute with Thais--when in the right--and definitely when found to be in the wrong.

no, not "any" bank card. you can buy accident insurance at most of the banks and then you get a combined ATM card/insurance ID card. i think they are about 2,500 Bath at Kasikorn. most of the other banks have them too.

yes, i agree. that is indeed follow up after care - 2 months later. OP is lucky they didn't bounce him for attempted insurance fraud.

yup...it's called jai yen yen.

about the time they changed the format, the quality of the offerings declined. don't know how one is related to the other but... there are many other places to find 2nd-hand goods that are much better, facebook groups being one outlet.

I have had success while on tourist visas as follows:

Bangkok Bank Chang Klan Road--yes, using just the address of where I was staying for my one month visit at the time

Bangkok Bank Nimmanhaemin-- yes (speak to the manager, Ariporn, lovely lady and speaks English). They go out of their way to advise me of higher interest rate promos on time deposits.

Kasikorn Bank Nimmanhaemin-- literally didn't even give me an opportunity to sit down when I said I wanted to open an account. Returned to same branch a few months later on another visit, with my husband (who wanted an account there) and a Thai friend who had an account there, and no problem! Now when we go there they all know us and greet us happily and give my daughter goodies. Go figure.

Regarding "evidence"; they required only my passport, an address I gave them verbally (no proof of address was requested), my phone number and email.....and of course, cash. I even opened one at Kasikorn for my daughter who is a minor and her only documentation was a passport and a valid tourist visa.

My point is, as with most things in Thailand, sometimes you must ask repeatedly (and in this case in different locations) to get the answer you desire. As in most places, good manners, a smile, decent hygiene and not showing up in the wrinkled clothes you slept in, also makes people more amenable to helping you when rules need bending. Best of luck!

don't know what "rules you needed bending" or what country you come from, but very soon it will close to impossible for Americans to open an account in Thailand (unless you follow the rules and sign a U.S. tax form of which the banks already have stocks of).

Jok Somphet, busy 24 hours

as has been said, Lemon Tree at Uniserv is always busy.

how did it get up to the 2nd floor? i've never considered that may happen. i always read about villagers getting bitten by banded kraits as they slept on mats downstairs. banded kraits are known to come in the bed and bite victims.

If you want an idea of what height a structure could be built to under the current zoning without a variance then look at the yellowish building near the corner.

it was built about 4/5 years ago and zoned the same as hillside 4 adjacent lot.

You can draw your own conclusions.

Screen Shot 2014-05-15 at 6.45.35 PM.jpg

is that the Spanish style building on the immediate left as you come around the corner from the Super Highway? i think it is. they tried desperately to rent the place out for the longest time but it appears they gave up and that it has been sitting empty for the last 4/5 years. could you imagine the stress of trying to pull in your driveway with almost no warning time for a turn signal and speeding cars coming at you from behind? no wonder they can't rent it out.

the staff always put items with Thai language facing the customer.

considering this is THAI-LAND how is that unusual???

I bought one for 1200 baht in Chinatown 6yrs ago. Still works fine, made in Taiwan.

i'm guessing that means somewhere along Yaowarat Road? i'm pretty sure a number of them can be found in Ban Mo as well.

seen them many times in shop windows in Bangkok. many different models. why not wait until you're in BKK and pick one up there? you re bound to do better than a Chinese mail order.

Interesting. I had a quote from the big, popular hospital in bkk, I forget the name. Their price was well over double what you paid. Just curious, how has your recovery been? I had one done here in California, the recovery was long and painful, though I did notice gradual improvement for 2 years.

I had my op January 18th this year. I was banned from using the stairs or driving for some weeks so slept downstairs. After 4 weeks I was driving again and taking the stairs slowly. It's now 4 months and I am walking normally, no problems. The prosthetics used are supposed to be one of the best there are. Yes, it does set off airport security alarms. Tell them why. It helps.

The medications all have a reason, and pain relief was one, antibiotic, anti inflammatory. Finished after about 5 weeks. I hardly used the walking stick, and it had the local dogs bluffed on my morning walks.

I had some fluid build up in the first 2 weeks but that was drained off in the Dr's room.

re:"The prosthetics used are supposed to be one of the best there are."

Hi Masuk: Could you kindly name the prosthetic they used as these are technologically updated often nowadays? Cheers...

just a guess of course... Zimmer Holdings. I know the company as it was one my most successful stock picks ever.........and I often see the Zimmer Holdings vans driving around cities in Thailand including Chiang Mai.

http://www.zimmer.com/en-US/hcp/hip.jspx

i also recommend going to a doctor and having the right medication prescribed for your particular condition. there are more than 100 medications for high blood pressure out there; some old and some new. what's good for one individual may not be good for another.

many years ago i suddenly was having high blood pressure. my doctor prescribed Inderal. i took it for a couple of months and indeed my blood pressure returned to normal. but i also started to notice a very bizarre feeling come over me. it was like i could not express myself, if i was angry i could only sit there and hold it in. i couldn't recall names, i missed appointments and other strange things. by the time i had my follow-up appointment with the doctor 2 months later, i honestly could not remember anything that happened in my life during those couple of months -- to this day. i complained to the doctor and he said "oh, it had that effect on you". he went on to tell me that they used the drug on soldiers returning from Vietnam to literally wipe out their memory from war and reduce the symptoms from PTSD. i never took it again (or any other blood pressure medicine). my blood pressure returned to normal where it still is today, 20 years later.