dddave

Thanks, Sheryl. Cardio check-up Friday at BCH, appointment a bit delayed because of the Monday holiday.

My nitroglycerine tablets, provided to me 9 years ago after by-pass surgery in the USA are probably well past their usefulness. Can they be purchased OTC in Thailand or do I need a hospital pharmacy with a Doctors prescription? I've been experiencing a few slight symptoms of angina recently so I plan a cardiac check up very soon but would like to have fresh nitro, just in case it's needed.

The reality is that the girls/other than girls working the beach are no different than street-walkers anywhere. They come from the fringes of society and desperate circumstances. More often than not, drugs are involved somewhere, whether themselves or a partner they're supporting. They are not having sex with strangers for fun, it's all for money and if a customer is dumb enough to leave a bundle of cash in place for an easy grab, then a harsh lesson learned. Buying sex is not the same as buying a shirt.

I fear for Bang Krachao, sometimes called "Bangkok's Green Lung" just across the river. Though not a totally undeveloped area, it is still as close to a rural, non-urban space as one is likely to find anywhere around Bangkok.

The video of this killing shown on the TV news clearly shows the perps running across the street to attack the victim. "Self-defense" doesn't hold water.

The REDDIT "Thailand Tourism" and "Thailand" forums draw a much younger crowd than this forum. Questions about ADHD and other drugs like those for depression are common there. The advice usually given is to get a prescription on the approved international form and only bring enough for the limit of the visit. I believe 90 days supply is maximum. There are Psychiatric hospitals in Thailand that can prescribe some meds, at least ones approved for use in Thailand but many common meds are not allowed.

Interesting to me as Sunday night, actually around 0300-0330 Monday, I awoke to go to the bathroom, then stepped out onto my balcony in Jomtien. I noticed a distinct but not very strong odor of diesel fuel. I wondered if there had been a fuel leak somewhere close, maybe an accident involving a tanker truck. This explains it. Dropping fuel off Samut Sarkon around mid afternoon would have allowed the evaporated fuel fumes to widely disperse in the atmosphere. By morning, the scent of fuel was gone.

Brawls like this in Pattaya used to be rarer than virgins in a beer-bar. The recent influx of the MMA/MuayThai wanna-be's seems to have kicked the testosterone level of Pattaya sois up a couple of levels.

Perhaps, but for all we know he could also be an abusive SOB. We have no clue and no basis to judge.

About 10 years ago, I was in Vientiane. There is a large arch on a boulevard in the city and I sat down on a nearby bench to take a rest and people watch. Another man, middle aged was sitting on the same bench, his children playing nearby. We began to chat; his English was perfect. It turned out he was a Hmong and had lived in Michigan for nearly 20 years. This was his first visit to Laos since departing as a refugee. We had a pleasant conversation. He did say he had to be careful as the Laotian authorities really don't like Hmong and persecute them. His kids said they were hungry so he and his kids departed. I was about to depart as well when three men in casual clothes approached me and flashed police badges. They sat me back down on the bench and started interrogating me about "my friend". They wanted to know exactly what he had said to me. They really pressed me as to whether if I had ever seen him before or if anybody had arranged me to meet him. It was really spooky. They were finally satisfied it was a chance meeting and let me go but from that point, I always had the sense I was being watched. I have no doubt this was because he was an visiting Hmong refugee.

I was on a golf course once when without any warning, a lightning bolt hit a large oak tree about 50 feet away. The tree literally exploded, sending large wood splinters like shrapnel from a bomb. In my group we were uninjured but definitely in shock. A fellow in a nearby group had a large, nearly foot long splinter lodged in his thigh and had to be helicoptered to a hospital as they were concerned it might be close to the artery.

My home city of Boston (USA) is a good example. NOBODY used to stop for pedestrians in crosswalks. The fine was like $20. Then, after a couple of needless deaths got the attention of the media, new, stricter crosswalk regulations were passed including a $250 fine. Every crosswalk got large cones with the $250 fine for not stopping prominently displayed. Word got around quickly that the new rules were being enforced and drivers began to stop. It actually worked.

When I was recently studying for the Thai Driving license exam, I was surprised to learn that the maximum fine for blocking or not giving way an emergency vehicle was shockingly low, like under B1000

I was playing a lot of golf, walking the course wearing walking shoes, not specific golf shoes. I got a painful case of Plantar Fasciitis and consulted a podiatrist. (This was in the USA) He said "walking shoes" are not really stiff enough and do not support the arch well enough when walking long distances and on hilly terrain. He said walking shoes were more about comfort, light weight, soft, shock absorbing heels and soles, Custom made insoles were very expensive but he guided me to insoles sold at larger sports stores. Sorry, I forget the brand but they worked very well and my symptoms faded quickly. They were quite rigid and had very specific arch and heel support. Maybe worth checking Decathlon Sports here in Thailand for good insoles.

Ahh...So you're advocating every automobile passenger wear a high-speed impact rated helmet, 5 point harness with head restraint, fireproof coveralls with impact padding, sit in a molded seat surrounded by titanium cage and roll-bar?

The buses are one thing but the most critical issue is drivers driving extended hours and either falling asleep at the wheel or making poor decisions. Many countries have driver apps that keep track of their driving hours. The buses are equipped with code readers and must be signed into before they will operate. Thailand needs such a system for buses and trucks as well.

How is he playing the victim here? He just wants to be left alone and make his own decisions.

Chonburi DLT allowed maximum 30 days. My CoR was 5 weeks old and was refused. This was for driving license. BTW: Same 30 day limit also applies to the medical certificate.

Tourist Visa's are for tourists You are clearly not a "tourist" by your own admission. Your luck ran out. Get the proper visa.

WILMINGTON, N.C. – An American citizen living in Thailand pleaded guilty Wednesday to threatening to kill United States Senator Thom Tillis and his staff. Eric Charles Welton, 53, pled guilty to one count of threatening a federal official on account of his duties. According to court documents and information presented in court, Welton made multiple harassing and intimidating calls to the offices of Republican elected officials and GOP organizations in the United States. Welton claimed he made the threatening calls because he was angry about the large number of unsolicited political emails he received. In September of 2021, Welton spoke with a staff member at the Senator’s Raleigh office and threatened to show up and “put a bullet through each of [their] heads.” Welton also threatened to come to North Carolina and “mow…down” the “whole [expletive] state,” and find the person who emailed him and cut off his hands. “Threatening to kill a public official and his staff is not only despicable, but also an affront to our democratic system of government,” Acting U.S. Attorney Daniel P. Bubar stated today. “Our office will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute threats or intimidation against public officials, so they can properly carry out their important duties.” “It is unacceptable to make violent threats against anyone. But when threats are directed at elected officials, it can impact their ability to effectively serve their constituents and their country. The FBI will not tolerate this type of intimidation for any reason especially when it comes to those who help run our democracy,” said Robert M. DeWitt, the Special Agent in Charge of FBI in North Carolina. Welton pleaded guilty to violating 18 U.S.C. § 115(a)(1)(B) and faces a maximum of 10 years in prison when sentenced in July. Daniel P. Bubar, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II accepted the plea. The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lori Warlick is prosecuting the case. Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:23-CR-192-M-RN. ### Updated April 10, 2025

Colombian house breaking gangs are not a new thing in Thailand. Over the last 15 years, several such gangs were busted in the Pattaya area. They scope-out housing estates, earmarking houses where the owners are away for extended periods, then show up with trucks and fake documents authorizing the "move" and literally clean the houses out of everything. It seems there is a huge market for used household goods in Central and South America. The stolen goods go directly from truck to container to S. America.

I had a severe staff infection in my foot a few years ago. The municipal hospital I was initially at didn't stock any of the very powerful antibiotics needed for such an infection. They tried to trick me into authorizing amputation. Fortunately, a Thai friend helped me get out of that hospital. It took a precious day and dozens of phone calls but we finally found a hospital that had VANCOMYCIN in their pharmacy. Vancomycin is one of the most powerful and effective antibiotics against Staff infection. It was touch and go but after 4 days of IV treatment, the infection receded and I was able to keep my foot.

Worth noting: Last time I was there. the Re-Entry Stamp office at DMK shares space with the overstay office. Be sure to let them know you are there for a Re-entry stamp. They tend to assume that everybody who comes in and sits down is there for overstay. It can be a long wait.

If you can't find a regular sulfur soap, many dandruff shampoos have sulfur compounds as the primary active ingredient. there is nothing wrong with using shampoo as a body soap if it helps solve the problem.

Pattaya Muay hai gyms are packed with over 30's, even many over 40's trying to prove how ough they are.