dddave

The problem with many "Boots" is that they seem to share a single pharmacist among a group of stores. More often than not, when I go into a Boots, the pharmacist is out and a curtain is drawn over the pharmaceuticals. often, only a 2 hour window per day. Even then, at one Boots in Pattaya, the sign said the pharmacist would be there at 2 PM, She showed up at 3:15.

Look for large "Mr. D.I.Y.", Ratanakorn is market behind.

I buy veggies at Rampo every week. No, definitely not as cheap as inland markets much further away but hardly a "rip-off". The vendors in Rampo pay higher rents and the veggies I buy there are always clean, high quality and fresh, a cut above what I find at Makro and Lotus's's's's. I don't mind paying a bit more for the convenience of having the market 5 minutes away rather than having a long drive.

I have severe knee pain from arthritis, especially when walking. Tramadol helps more than any other OTC medication. I did do research. Most medical sites recommend no more than 100mg/day for regular usage. I buy ULTRACET OTC. The capsules are each 37.5 mg tramadol and 325mg paracetamol. I get moderate relief from one tablet and that is what I usually take if I am going out and will be walking short distances. I will sometimes take 2 capsules, 1 hour apart if I will be walking a lot, like shopping at a Makro. I never take 2 capsules 2 days in a row and try to not take it at all 2 or 3 days of the week. I have never had any adverse reaction I'm aware of there has been no noticeable diminishment of effectiveness over time. I remember when the Thai government banned the most effective antihistamine in sinus medications because kids were abusing it. Corrupt hospital officials were buying huge quantities and selling it to drug dealers. I hope they don't do the same with tramadol.

You didn't ask for Sciatica advice so I apologize in advance but I suffered from sciatica last year and know how debilitating and painful it can be. These 2 guys are goofy but they really know their stuff. I followed their exercises and it really helped. Especially helpful was laying on the bed on my stomach with 2 pillows under my shoulder/upper chest area but with my chin overhanging. I seemed to relive the pressure on the sciatic nerve. Simple exercises, like from this position, head down: lifting the head slowly so looking straight ahead 6 times. Pushing your self up with arms only, very slowly, letting the back bend and finally, slowly lifting first one leg; down, then the other about 6 inches, Repeat 6 times. After one week of doing this routine several times a day, my sciatica passed. I later engaged a physical therapist who worked with me developing simple stretching and strengthening exercises. No recurrence of the sciatica since.

There are services in the US easily located on Google that can usually find a person if you provide full name and date of birth.

Both sound unreliable enough that were I you, I wouldn't take the risk of arriving here and finding I had no accommodations.

My condo building just had a thankfully minor fire in a unit. It was caused by a rice cooker left unattended using a 7-11 style extension cord. The outlet portion of the extension cord first melted, then set fire to a rug is was sitting on. A lot of smoke but caught before major flames erupted. Good thing a neighbor had a sharp nose because no smoke alarms were tripped. Now signs in all the lifts warning about substandard extension cords...like there was any standard in the first place. I use all industrial grade ex. cords I buy at Thai Watsadu.

I have 2 Xiaomi air purifiers, one in living room and one in the bedroom. They seem to do a pretty good job. I buy filters once a year through Lazada, under B1000 each which I consider reasonable for a years use. The only time I hear them is when I am cooking and they detect the additional smoke in the air. They automatically go on high speed until the smoke clears. Both were bought through Lazada. Under B4000 each.

The structure of the condo is finished, just interior finishing going on now. There is a new project just starting nearby: groundwork for the Monorail projected to open in 5 years. As far as breakfast goes, several decent restaurants very close by: Wombat Kiwi Bar and restaurant, an excellent Dutch place next to that. Both have great breakfast options. Both just at the end of soi 9. I live in Jomtien beach Condo, overlooking that area.

Thank you! I've been trying and failing to remember his name. To say he was a "character" does not do him justice. "Wild man" comes closer.

This place is very nice, good location. https://www.jomtienbeachpenthouses.com/

Cambodia and Laos both have for many years charged more when paying for visas in Thai Baht rather than US$

Friends stayed at THE GRAND JOMTIEN PALACE, at the corner of Beach Rd and Soi Wat Boon Kanchana and liked it very much. Lots of food nearby, right on songtao route. Rated 3 star. If they are interested, suggest they try to book direct and ask for front rooms looking out on the water.

Google says Huawei safe mode is F8.

I was actually wrong, 3 hours work, not 5. Still, a bargain, especially when you consider she does his laundry.

There is actually a shortage for that type of labor going on. Hotels and restaurants are paying increasingly higher wages and clamoring for the government to allow more Myanmar and Cambodian workers to enter the workforce. Most referrals on Pattaya Facebook groups are minimum B500/day though more frequently it's by unit size: Studios under 40 s/m, B500, up from there. A friend found a cleaner by asking one of his buildings maintenance staff for a referral, still costs him B500 for about 5 hours work.

Probably less than half the flights arriving at Suvarnabhumi are right on schedule which makes immigration queues very difficult to predict. Two 15 minute late flights along with a on time arrival can suddenly fill the immigration hall that 5 minutes before was half empty. There are 2 main immigration areas for international flights, one servicing gates A thru D and the other gates D thru G. If the immigration area you come to first is backed-up, look for a TV monitor at the base of the ramp that shows both areas. If the other area is uncrowded, keep walking in the same direction about 3 or 4 minutes and you will come upon it.

Has anybody reading this ever been a patient in a Bangkok-Pattaya Hospital ward rather than a private or semi-private room? Would you share your experience? Positives? Negatives? A friend was hit by a car in Pattaya and is currently in BPH ICU. I am helping his family gather information to aid in decision making down the long road ahead of him. Insurance resources are limited and lowering the cost of long term care will become an issue at some point. It may happen that at some point, a private or semi private room may be too expensive for long term care. (Please stay on topic. I've heard way too many rants about Thai drivers: the driver who ran the red light at the pedestrian crossing was not Thai, BTW. He was British)

I always get this confused. If I go to a local exchange kiosk and give them Dollars for Thai Baht, am I "Buying" or "Selling"? Then, would the converse be if I give Thai Baht, wanting Dollars in exchange?

I was able to see 1/2 the course from my balcony, including the straightaway. Fun to watch. They do get some speed up on the straightaway.

Over a dozen 90 day reports at Jomtien over the last several years and I have never been asked for any document besides my passport. When handed the passport they do a cursory check for the notice from the last 90 day report to make sure you are within the due date frame. I have never noticed them checking the TM 30 at that point however the passport is out of sight when the stamping is done so maybe checked at that time.

At Jomtien Immigration, there is a separate 90 day report area on the right side immediately as you enter from Soi 5. No need to wait in the Immigration line. When I last did my 90 day at Jomtien 2 weeks ago, no documents were required. Just hand them your pp and they give you a number. You then wait 15-20 minutes, they call that number and you are on your way. Perhaps the TM45 mentioned is required for the 1st report? The copy shops next to Immigration on soi 5 can give you any form for B5.

I think the realities of living in Thailand impact case/form factor choices. Many members here live in smaller condo/apartment units where space is at a premium. A tower unit usually requires a dedicated computer workspace in a fixed location. Mini-computers like NUCs and monitors are easy to put on small portable desks or stands which are easier to tuck away when not in use.. With the rise of video streaming, NUCs can also fit comfortably close to the TV, negating the need for long HDMI cables running across floors.

"Freezes to death" is a hugely misleading term. "Hypothermia" can happen at 15C. Many climbers have died on low mountains when caught in cold rain and no rain gear. There have even been cases where people have died in rooms where the AC had been turned too low, especially among the elderly who's perception of temperature can become very confused. Basically, if one gets cold enough that they are shaking uncontrollably, that person is on the cusp of hypothermia.