dddave

TOT doesn't make anything easy. There is no interactive website that I know of, I've always had to go to their offices at the intersection of Pattaya Klang & 3rd Rd. There was an installation charge, around B1000, installed the next day, IRRC. My fiber line was installed into my 10th floor condo with a router provided. You can elect to pre-pay for 3, 6, 9, or 12 months of service, the shorter the term, the more the per-month cost. There is also a farang surcharge. If you have a Thai partner, you will save considerably if ordered in their name. There is no billing and little paperwork. Be sure to save your register receipt as that turned out to be the official contract. They are not very good communicators for a communications company. Unlike 3BB, never a notice or text about a projected outage, never any indication of when an outage will be restored. Outages are not frequent, maybe one every two months, sometimes during intense rainstorms. Slowdowns do seem to happen often. I had 3BB in Bangkok and liked it. If I had the choice at the same price, I'd take 3BB but not at double the price...3BB can have it's bad days as well.

While on the subject of TOT/Pattaya-Jomtien, I have no option, my building allows TOT only (fiber). For my first year and a half, I did the pre-pay 1gb down which was close to B1000/m. Maybe one service interruption every month or two, otherwise fine. I use it for internet and video streaming. This year I decided to try downgrading to 300mb down, about B300/m prepay for a year but upgradeable anytime. It's actually been just about as good as the 1gb. I haven't experienced any buffering when streaming Netflix or YouTube and web pages open as they did previously. No noticeable differences really. For my needs, 1gb turned out to be unnecessary.

I see nothing about 3840X2160 anywhere in any specs I can find so the 4K appears baseless. My error.

I help the Thai family of a former GF. They are good people. Many years ago, I gave them my old 40" TV which finally died a few months ago. I wanted to replace it for them but had a limited budget. Lazada sells a budget Chinese brand called "EXPOSE" with a 43" 4K(1920X1080P) model running Android 11, selling at around B5,200 delivered. I was skeptical but as it is returnable, I took a chance. Delivery to Khon Kaen was 2 days. The set is a very nice surprise. Very clear picture, not spotty at all. Good color and the built-in DV3 digital tuner pulled in every available station clearly. Audio is not great but I expected that and brought along an inexpensive soundbar that I wasn't using. It worked perfectly off the TV headphone jack. It has only 2 HDMI ports, 2 USB...not a surprise for a cheap TV. Time will tell but my initial impressions were quite positive. I would recommend it for somebody a tight budget looking for an inexpensive TV, perhaps something for a planned short term use.

Sometimes rubber mounts can make matters worse if they allow movement that becomes a harmonic vibration. The thicker the rubber, the greater the chance of this happening. I used to install machinery and often found a rubber washer or 2 was better at absorbing minor vibration.

The Abstract 13 website does have an English option though not everything is translated. I don't know the origin of their "Blue" variety. They do speak English so you could send them an E-mail if you're interested. IIRC, all their blends are Thai grown coffees.

Speaking of Fascino's in Jomtien, many residents seem unaware that there is a 2nd Fascino's just off Soi Chiayaphreuk. It is not visible from the roadway though it's distinctive orange sign is. If you are on Chiyaphreuk going towards Sukhumvit from 2nd Rd, close to Sukhumvit, on the left you will pass an arched entry to a housing estate. The entry to the Fascinos is the next immediate left. There will be a laundromat and Fascino's is just past it. It's been really convenient lately as the Fascino's on Trepasset Rd has been hemmed-in by road construction.

"Abstract 13" is a high end restaurant and hotel coffee equipment and bean supplier with a retail store on Sukhumvit 71 in Phra Khanong. They have a house "Blue" coffee that is excellent. https://www.abstract13.com/product-category/เมล็ดกาแฟ/

I wonder how many of the "1,272" were departing passengers at the airports with a day or two overstay?

Is this the off-season for coffee growers in Thailand?? I've been ordering from several small, single farm, Chang Rai roasters for the last few years. I really like their coffee's. Just this past week, I tried ordering from two of them and they were "not currently accepting orders." I'm assuming the last crop is sold-out and they are awaiting the next crop. Does anybody have knowledge about local coffee farming practices?

I take Ultracet (Tramadol 33mg, plus acetaminophen) 4 or 5 times a week for knee pain. My own internet research revealed that up to 100mg/day of tramadol is generally considered safe and non-addictive however it's effectiveness can lessen over time. Don't take my word for it. Do your own research and consult a doctor or registered pharmacist. I do think it would be worth it for you to take a week in Bangkok, consulting with an internist and getting a diagnosis and treatment plan for your pain.

This surprised me. The cheapest is unfurnished. figure minimum B10-15K to furnish very simply including a small TV. The problem is what do you do with the stuff when you leave? Though the furnished units are higher, still not bad.

I'm an admitted Xiaomi fan boy having owned a Note-2, 4, 5 and now for the last 3 years a Mi9T. I'm well aware that Xiaomi is able to keep it's hardware cheaper than competition by making money from pre-installed bloatware apps and lately, from "Get-Apps", though I do still have access to play store. They try to slip new apps onto your phone making it look like an update of an existing app. It is annoying and the market has also caught-up to Xiaomi with a lot of equal value phones from manufacturers such as "RealMe" so when it comes time to replace my Mi9T, I may very well look elsewhere.

A friend rents a 30/s.m. condo for B2500/m (with a/c) in Phrawat near Bang Na in a huge, very old Nirin development (identical layout to Nirin in Pattaya) so it is doable. There are condos in her building selling for under B250,000.

DIFFILINE is a local brand sold both in lotion and tablet form. I occasionally use the tablets for knee pain from osteo-arthritis. Very inexpensive.

Yet another endless beginning, joining Railroad Avenue, Pattaya Sai Song and Sukhumvit: Na Jomtien to Bang Saray.

Starter solenoid?

A friend broke an arm bone in a motorbike accident and got excellent treatment at Bangkok Christian Hospital. Significantly less expensive than others.

Are "Micro needling" and "acupuncture" the same or is there a distinction?

Be aware that the westerner you see fronting most "Western" style law firms you see advertised is most likely not a lawyer at all. Very few westerners are actually licensed to practice law here in Thailand. Even if the law firm looks western, it's really not. When the brother of a deceased friend was in Thailand a few months ago, he inquired at several of these advertised law offices and found their quoted rates to be very very high for the services offered.

Over nearly 20 years on this forum, whenever I saw the avatar of Ubonjoe, I would never fail to open it, knowing that each and every time, I would learn something. In this often contentious forum, it is gratifying to read on this memorial thread of the universal respect in which Ubonjoe was held.

UbonJoe was always the one person you could count on to give clear and accurate answers to questions regarding the ever-changing and always arcane subject of Immigration and visas. Always direct and to the point, never derisive or patronizing. There can be few on this forum for whom UbonJoe did not provide critical information at one time or another. He generously shared his considerable knowledge with grace. He will be remembered by me with gratitude and respect.

I used PURE-VPN for 2 years but became frustrated with declining service and slow connections. After checking a lot of recommendations, I settled on an excellent 2 year introductory deal from SURFSHARK and have been a happy surfer since. Easy and very fast connections, never any buffering. No difficulty accessing US Netflix and Amazon Prime. I just renewed for another 2 years.

Even better than downstairs were the sofas that lined the upstairs entryway. You could sit there in relative quiet and catch the best as they came in.

My error. I thought I recalled that the ownership of both by a single entity was an issue at the time of the corporate change.