3 hours ago, Danderman123 said:

I usually bring a Thai lady with me, so I haven't gone with a garota in years.

A friend who made two business trips to Brazil every year would usually take his Thai GF as well.  She loved it and fit right in there.  Most of their time spent in the provinces as  his business involved the pulp-paper industry.  She especially loved the variety of fruit but he would always have to buy a little portable gas stove and a wok because she found local food boring and distasteful.

13 hours ago, josephbloggs said:

At the risk of going off topic I took a few people to Raffles 11-12 years ago and said they had to try the Singapore Sling as it was the birthplace of the drink, all that history etc.

£17 per glass and they just poured them out of a big bottle - they weren't even made fresh and they didn't try to hide the fact they had giant bottles of the stuff pre-made behind the bar. So disappointing. Nearly £100 for five glasses of pre-made rubbish.

They recently opened a "Raffles Hotel" in Boston of all places. Super high end in a city legendary for high room prices.  A local reviewer noted the same as you: Singapore Slings out of a jug, poured 10 at a time at over $25 a pop. 

It appears that the most successful beer bars around Jomtien are targeted at a specific nationality and serve as a local base for visitors from that country.  

On 6/9/2024 at 2:39 PM, steven100 said:

The only person who makes money from your bar is the local Police Sergeant ....

Many years ago, I bought into a piece of a NanaPlaza bar.  When going over the financials with the owner, I noted there was no notation about local "Public Relations":, ie, greasing police and other's palms.  I was honestly shocked when he told me in his three years of operating the bar, he had never once been asked for any kind of bribe.  The local cop who patrolled Nana Plaza at the time would stop by from time to time and perhaps sip a complimentary drink or two, but that was it. 

Same with two person's I knew who had Pattaya bars, one near soi Buakhao and one in Jomtien. Both told me they had never been asked for any kind of bribe.  Again, maybe a few free drinks when officials stopped by, but never a brown envelope.

1 minute ago, petermik said:

HDD drive not SSD....not good.

ASUS 2024 Laptop ต้นฉบับใหม่ RAM 16GB + 1TB SSD 15.6 นิ้วแล็ปท็อปโลหะ Ultrabook Intel Core i7 Windows 11 แล็ปท็อปการเล่นเกม 5G WiFi

"A Rose by any other name would smell as sweet"

"Rose" is a popular name used by many local women.  OP will perhaps need to narrow it down a bit more.

This looks like a pretty good buy. ASUS with excellent specs.

I don't know the seller but it's ratings are not too bad.  Always with a grain of salt, though.

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/asus-2024-laptop-ram-16gb-1tb-ssd-156-ultrabook-intel-core-i7-windows-11-5g-wifi-i3947737144-s16793357864.html

17 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

That doesn't look like the North Pattaya Bus station bus which goes to/from Ekamai or Mochit

Hard to tell from the front view but it looks like it might be one of the mini-buses running the fairly new Jomtien-Bangkok route. Some also run from S. Pattaya Rd to Bangkok, not stopping in Jomtien.

I've taken it once each way: Jomtien-Bangkok and both times the drivers were pretty smooth, not speeding or changing lanes often.

SIGNAL has always been noted for it's tight encryption. Problem is, very few use it.  You'd have to convince your frequent correspondents to download it.

Viber is very popular in the Philippines.

I opted out of "Plan-B" when I started receiving SSI in 2009. I was living full time in Thailand and had VA Hospital eligibility if needed in the US. 

I have pretty severe osteoarthritis in both knees.  While the VA was willing to perform knee replacement, the waiting list was long and the procedure was not the latest.  Since I had Medicare, I started checking with local orthopedic hospitals in Boston.  What I found out was that without "Part-B", no hospital would touch me.  It was explained that medical billing has become so complex that there is no way that they would receive full compensation without the availability of Part-B.  Apparently, the lines between Part "A" and "B" has become blurred and interdependent. 

That is definitely something OP should consider.  Should the need for surgery or complex treatment arise, he could find himself locked out by the reality that both "A" & "B" are equally necessary.  

6 hours ago, NowNow said:

The halogen bulb going on and off is an annoyance

There are some models of halogen oven in both BigC and Lotus's with a stainless steel bowl rather than glass, thus no light pollution. Also much lighter and easy to handle.

4 hours ago, KannikaP said:

I have no idea what kind of temp you'd use in an air fryer for something like fresh broccoli florets.

Roast broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, carrots, beets,  onions, red & green peppers and many other veggies roast very nicely in both air fryer and halogen. First, I toss them in a little oil so they are lightly coated.  I've tried the oil sprays but don't like them.  Again, the secret to roasting but not burning is distance to the heat source, in this case, as far away as possible. If a larger amount that half fills the container, I'll lower the temperature setting and toss a bit from time to time.. If the broccoli has heavy stems, I sometimes microwave if for a few minutes prior to the AF.  Garlic cloves also roast nicely

1 hour ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

Can you offer an elaboration on how the cooked food emerges from the air fryer vs the halogen oven? And whether one or the other is better for cooking certain types of foods?

There is actually little difference in how foods turn out using either appliance, once one has learned the various tricks and limitations of using them.  For instance, a nice pork-chop or steak, crispy on the outside, juicy inside requires a learning curve. Distance from the heat source is critical as is timing.  I use small trivets picked up at 20 baht stores to raise the level of metal cooking dishes, also sourced at said 20 baht stores,  to a higher level.  I usually cook on the highest temperature setting and check in 5 minute increments.  An instant read meat thermometer is really helpful. The top line air fryers often come with built-in thermometers that will shut it off at a pre-set point.

Temperature of the thing being cooked is also a critical factor. If an item is just out of the fridge then the center will cook slower than if room temp.  One of the things I really like about both is one can take an item like a frozen chicken leg or thigh out of the freezer directly into either of the two and be eating it within 30 minutes.  One trick to learn is that if slightly elevated on some king of rack, food tends to cook on both sides so side 2 usually needs less time to cook through.  I hate the smell of fish cooking, especially salmon so I simply put the air-fryer on the balcony for the duration of cooking. Fish is really easy to over-cook so 3 or 4 minute increments at first. Air fryer clean-up is very quick and easy.   If cooking for two people, I'd suggest a larger, 8+ litre unit. You can even do a small 2kg whole chicken in one.  Lots of YT videos showing the best techniques.  The only real advantage of the halogen oven is it's capacity and ability to do a round, 10" pizza.  I also sometimes like to do braised meats in a small Dutch oven which fits inside the halogen oven for very slow cooking. The major inconvenience of the halogen oven besides it's overall size is dealing with the lid which incorporates the heating unit...always a challenge where to put it when opening to check the food.  BTW, while most halogen ovens on the local market have big glass bowls, there are a few available with stainless steel bowls. My first halogen had the steel bowl and though one couldn't see the food being cooked, it was much lighter and easier to handle and less prone to breakage.  It was also nice to be able to transfer it to a stove top after cooking a roast and make gravy directly from the drippings.  I liked that one more than my current glass bowled unit.  Also, as one other poster mentioned, one isn't bothered by the light going on and off.

Both are a learning curve and YouTube can be a big help.  I think whichever you choose, you will find it a very useful device.

20 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

Probably scam of the umbrella handlers

"How much Baht for one chair, 4four people?

19 hours ago, KhunLA said:

2023 ... I wouldn't mind seeing a breakdown of those, and guessing, many, like the OP, were user error

I know that 4 of the 18 deaths were from a single fire.  An E-Bike shop, located in the ground floor of an apartment building caught fire in the middle of the night.  All four deaths were apartment residents.  Most of the other fires were in apartment residences were bike owners had brought their bikes upstairs, into their rooms as is customary for all style of bike owner in theft prone NYC.

2 hours ago, steven100 said:

yes ....  further development on EV batteries is being addressed as there potential fire risk becomes more prevalent.

 

Japan is a world leader when it comes to EV battery technology ....

 

 

 

 

I made this same point in a similar topic not long ago but it bears repetition: In 2023 in New York City there were 250 fires and 18 deaths attributed to E-bike batteries.  

On 7/20/2024 at 4:52 PM, John Drake said:

I guess the MRT must be different from the BTS. I haven't ridden on either for several years now. But I remember when I hit Thai retirement age and went and asked for the senior pass on the BTS. Supplied them with ID, visa, and work permit. No good. Not Thai. Didn't have an idea that I could have used one on the MRT--apparently until last week.

The BTS senior discount has always been Thai citizen only.  MRT has been 1/2 price for seniors for more than 10 years, regardless of nationality.  To bad it's been changed.

OP here.  Went to Immigration Jomtien today at 1:30 pm, done and out by 1:50.  TM47 was required as was an active TM30.  I always stop first at the copy shop adjacent to Immigration and they make the necessary copies: B15.

Thanks for the responses.

My 6.5 kg Toshiba automatic top-loader lasted 15 years, one small repair in that time.  I had to replace it not because of mechanical failure but because it had been exposed to the sun every day, the control touch panel degraded.  That's on me.   Replaced it with the same updated model: B6000, same as 15 years ago.

If OP is handy to Bangkok, Dr. Wicharn at BNH interpreted my Nerve Conduction tests for me in very clear terms.  Excellent English. 

Title says it all.