dddave

Most fleet taxis have a phone number somewhere on the body or rear window. Note a few of them that you see frequently in your neighborhood and put them in your phone contacts.

Nice to read about the positive experience with the police rather than the usual rants. Also considerate of the OP to give the righteous among our membership a Sunday opportunity to sermonize.

A friend was able to sell an 18K gold chain to the gold shop at the corner of Sukhumvit 10 with no problem. He weighed it, calculated the actual gold content and gave her a very fair price. This was about 5 years ago.

last time I checked, the only shingles vaccine available in Thailand was the less effective version offering less than 80% protection. The more effective version, requiring 2 matched doses, six months apart is only available in the west, AFAIK.

Great information! I have never heard of anybody getting an on the spot refund of a paid COD from a carrier as the OP did, especially from an online seller. In my own experience, COD refunds have been difficult to receive. Next time I will know to notify the carrier immediately if discovering a fraudulent product.

Bangkok detective novelist, Christopher G Moore used that Nana Plaza "Mermaid Aquarium" as a plot setting for "The Big Weird", one of his always entertaining "Vincent Calvino" mystery series.

I've written before about my friend who was hit by a car in Pattaya. Sadly he later died from the injuries. His travel insurance company is still refusing to pay, constantly demanding arcane hospital documents, etc. Eventually, it will probably have to go to arbitration for his family to get reimbursed anything.

I have been seeing orthopedic Dr. Somchai Kuptniratsaikul at BCH for four years for arthritic knee treatment and have no complaints. He speaks excellent English.

Until you get your confidence back, use a cane or trekking pole to help with support. I have bad knees which makes descending stairs difficult, especially if there is no handrail. Handrails are surprisingly scarce in Thailand, even on the steep steps of some major banks. A cane or other support really helps. "Trekking Poles" look like ski poles. They are very lightweight and most fold into 3 sections for easy storage. Many available on Lazada.

"Don't mess with other guys wives" is probably engraved somewhere on a Sumerian tablet. Some advice is never out of date.

When I first came to Thailand 20 years ago, in the night time, vendors pushing carts carrying glass vats holding a truly dubious looking liquid were a familiar sight on Bangkok and Pattaya soi's. I soon learned the liquid was "Ya Dong", basically Thai moonshine and not long thereafter, to my deep regret, learned of it's ability to produce a world class hangover. I no longer see those carts, even on the far back soi's of Pattaya's "Dark Side". Was "Ya Dong" the victim of a crack-down on untaxed spirits? It sadly seems another piece of old Thailand's mosaic has faded away. I notice among Bangkok's fashionable, small cocktail bars serving "Ya Dong" cocktails are a new rage. That's some transition, from being ladled into a plastic bag from a glass vat to stemmed glasses in Hi-Style piano bars.

My friend went to the US Embassy yesterday with an appointment. At security, among the possessions in his bag was a battery power-pack, about 10,000 mah. Security confiscated the power-pack and locked it in some kind of hazard box. and refused to return it when he departed the Embassy. No explanation given. Has anybody else experienced this at the US Embassy?

My friend died last month after being hit by a car in Pattaya. Yesterday, his brother was in Bangkok, visiting the US Embassy to get death certificates and other documents then to a company that handled the funeral to collect his brother's ashes. He got into a taxi on Wireless Rd. after leaving the embassy and went to Sukhumvit 39 where the funeral agency was. He somehow left his bag, containing his passport and $2000 in the taxi. Panicked phone calls all around. Police station for a police report because you can not apply for a replacement passport without one. Obviously a very bad situation for a person already dealing with a tragedy. Later that day, I get a call from a representative of the Indigo Hotel on Wireless Road. The taxi driver had later found the bag in his cab. Because my friend had gotten into the taxi near the Indigo, he, on his own accord, brought the bag there and gave it to their care. She had somehow found my number on a paper in the bag and called me. Miraculously, because the taxi driver and the hotel employee went way out of their way, my friend was re-united with his bag, passport and money. Both refused any reward.

My Xiaomi's are 4 and 6 years old. never a problem, running 24/7

Passport or an "approved" copy. Problem is, they never fully defined what constituted an approved copy. I still don't know if they can be laminated, reduced, be in black & white, Also, from what I hear, passport main page is not enough, needs to include visa page.

Before considering the Philippines, do some study of the health care system. In Thailand, if you need it and you are financially prepared for it, excellent health care is available. In the Philippines, even in major cities, the best health care is not even close to that of Thailand. Sad but true. The best of the Philippines doctors and nurses work elsewhere.

The wife of a friend in the US has Alzheimer's disease though only in her early 60s. He is exploring care options outside the USA. He was told that there were some good Alzheimer's care centers in Chang Mai. Does anybody have any knowledge of such care centers in CM? Anywhere else in Thailand?

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.