dddave

Probably in MJCM's link, but you need a "Carnet", essentially a passport for a vehicle.

Para-motors look benign but like with all flying things, one little mistake can be costly. I was on my balcony a few nights ago and noticed a bunch of low clouds moving across the skyline. They were moving surprisingly fast even though it was not windy at all where I sat. It made me realize how fast upper level wind can be, even not that high-up. They run para-sails off Jomtien beach. One guy in the air hanging from a 'chute, one guy driving the boat; no spotter. Looks like an accident waiting to happen. Mai phen lai.

If you don't mind travelling to Jomtien, Collingbourn Auctions has weekly auctions at their Chiayaphreuk Rd. warehouse. Items listed on their website. I went one time, nothing special but that was last year. https://www.collingbourne-auctioneers.com/

A good friend was hit by a car in Pattaya and later died. His brother will be here next week to handle his local affairs. He had a new i-phone 13. The brother want's to gift it to a friend of his deceased brother. He has been told if he goes to an official Apple Store, bringing a copy of the death certificate and passport, that the store can re-set the phone so it can be used again. He is not trying to open the phone and view the contents. Is there an official Apple store in Pattaya where this can be done? If not Pattaya, Bangkok?

Is that roadway actually officially one way? I have never noticed any signage indicating that. I think there are times, and this is one where there is actually no "good" solution. It certainly would help if parking rules were enforced but as every major city and resort finds out, enforcing strict parking rules creates it's own problems. I remember once my home city opened a "Bike Lane" along a major thoroughfare. Of course, cars constantly parked in the bike lane "just for 5 minutes". Bicyclist complained so the city announced all cars parked in the bike lane would be towed. The towing program began and guess where the tow trucks parked while waiting to tow the illegally parked cars? In the bike lane, of course. Widening the beach road probably won't help either as it will simply attract more cars and not solve anything. I'm sure the local residents are outraged but hey, you buy or rent a house on a major beach in a major tourist town during high season, just what do you expect? In a way, it probably works as well as it ever will as it is now. It really is kind of self-limiting. The worse the traffic becomes, the more drivers will decide to park or drive elsewhere.

These two physical therapists are goofy but their advice is excellent. Huge help to me when I had sciatica. The simple position they advise of laying on your stomach with pillows under your chest was amazingly effective for me.

"DEE MONEY" was recently acquired by or merged with another company and their old app no longer functions. I had used them for 2 years for frequent transfers to the Philippines. The replacement app, "Dee Money Neo" has been impossible for me to sign in on using my old account. I was told I had to come in person and present many documents including work permit, residency certificates and several more items to use the new app.

I think chair vendors provide a very useful service. Several years ago, Pattaya enforced Wednesdays as "chair free days", the vendors closed down and it was a joke. People had no place to sit. Short term tourists aren't going to go out and buy beach chairs and carry them from their hotel rooms. I have watched many chair vendors along Jomtien beach from Dongtan to Na Jomtien at closing time. I have never not seen them raking the area, picking up any trash and usually sweeping the adjoining sidewalk as well.

His wife certainly does; she's a niece of Queen Sirikit.

Surakiart is my neighbor in Phra Khanong. His fairly modest, 4 level mansion is on Pridi14, directly under my 10th floor balcony on Pridi 16. When I first moved into my unit, almost 20 years ago, there was an open field next to his home and in that field were parked 30+ Mercedes-Benz limousines, mostly from the 60's 70's & 80's along with a couple of Rolls-Royces and various other cars, many from the Royal Family. (His wife is a niece of Queen Sirikit). Later, he built a warehouse sized shed on that lot which holds the collection, sadly now out of sight. I never could figure out such an obviously "Hi-So" couple living in the decidedly "Lo-So" neighborhood of Phra Khanong.

One of the best forums exclusively for FUJI X series cameras is on REDDIT. 16,000+ members. https://www.reddit.com/r/FujifilmX/

I have a Celeron Intel NUC with added SSD and 8gb ram. I run Windows 10 and use it for TV streaming and light internet browsing on my big screen TV using HDMI. Like Stocky, I control with a wireless mouse/ Keyboard combo (Logitec) It's pretty much the perfect set-up.

Note that "Visa Exempt" is currently 45 days. No way to know how long that will stay in place.

This looked really promising but it appears you need 1000 subs before you can live stream from a mobile device. I have 5. Great suggestion, though. Thanks

Thanks for mentioning the time limitation. I presume the service will be fairly short but delays could happen. Thanks

A friend recently died. A cremation service at a local Thai temple will be this Sunday. His brothers and sister in the US can not attend but they asked if I could live stream the service to them. I have WhatsAp, LINE and FB Messenger. While I have done direct video calls to other phones, I have never done it to multiple phones at the same time. The family is spread over 3 different states, some I-Phones, some Android. I don't know what messaging apps they have. I know 2 have LINE. Obviously, we would need to settle on a single app to use. Is it possible using LINE to send live video to multiple phones at the same time? How is that done? Is there another app that would make it simpler for everybody that both I-Phones & Android can download? Only 2 days to organize this with a 12 hour time differential.

I live at JBC also. Probably one of the better managed condos I've lived in. Not heavy handed but they keep the place in great condition and enforce sensible rules. Actually, more than 30 years old, built in the early 90's

I would never buy a Samsung AC unit again. I bought a 21K BTU inverter unit, purchased from major retailer. Problems were always referred to Samsung Service Center. Usually several hours of hold/call back to even get a CS agent. Usually one to two weeks for appointment, then normally 2 plus weeks for parts to arrive then another week for those to be installed. No part I needed was ever covered by "warranty" . Finally started using an independent repair shop, not great but better than Samsung. Probably B3000 to B5000 per year maintenance over the 6 years I owned it. Finally replaced it with a Mitsubishi consumer unit 3 years ago and so far, not a single repair.

Just like a lot of home improvement stores in the west, retailers in Thailand often use independent contractors to do installations and it's not unusual for their work to be shoddy: untrained installers, no supervision and very difficult to get problems resolved. They usually just send the same incompetent person back.

I don't want to sound like a nanny but the sad fact is that many people have died for the simple mistake of mixing ordinary household cleaners. A restaurant manager near my home town died from toxic fumes when he mixed 2 different floor cleaning products. There was only a small amount in each bottle so he decided to mix them. Fortunately, other workers were in a different part of the restaurant but he collapsed and died from the fumes. A lot of strong cleansers do not play well together. The best known is mixing household bleach with household ammonia. The result can be CHLORINE gas which is deadly and many have died as a result of this mixture. Drain cleaners can be deadly as well. Hardware stores sell bottles of sulfuric or hydrochloric acid to unblock drains. They also sell cans of DRAINO and other lye based products for the same task. Mix the two and deadly fumes can result. There have been instances in apartment buildings where a tenant on an upper floor puts a lye based cleaner in a common drain, then a tenant on a lower floor pours in acid. The two mix in the main drain and deadly gas results. People on lower floors, especially young children and elderly have died in this situation. In Thailand, they sell bottles of very strong floor and bathroom cleaning products. I would be very careful of ever mixing any of these because the ingredients are written in Thai and no way to know which chemicals you are putting together.

I have a B600 helmet purchased at Big-C. Feels tight and solid, has EU and Thai certifications. Comfortable and well vented. Haven't tested it against a curbstone yet. Be sure to try any helmet on before you buy. Snug fit is essential. I found that even with the same model, marked the same size, there were significant variations in the fit.

Baking soda on it's own usually works, liberally sprinkle it around the stinky areas. DO NOT mix it with vinegar as another poster suggested. Vinegar is acid, Baking soda is a base. Mix them and get a big, foamy mess

I know it's a hassle but if you live in the Pattaya area, having your account opened at the Bangkok Bank Jomtien branch will be to your advantage in the long run. These banks operate on very old systems and when it comes time to get bank documents, having home branch handy really helps. I live in Jomtien now but my account was opened in Bangkok which is a different province. That means I have to pay a surcharge with every deposit and every time I need a full account print out it takes a week because it has to go through Bangkok. Just go to Immigration about 3pm. The lines are short by then and things get done more quickly.

I usually have a clear view of Koh Larn from my Jomtien Beach balcony. Little bit hazy at 8am this morning, by 3pm totally obscured. This is the worst air I've seen in the past year.

Not to mention many flood bikes on the market. An acquaintance buys used bikes at auctions for rentals and he said that flood bikes are very common and difficult to spot. Electrical issues the biggest problem.