watgate

I might be looking to buy a used car in the not-to-distant future. I was wondering if their are any reputable and honest dealers around,I have always been leery about buying a used car because you never know how well maintained the car was. Also I have heard stories about turning the odometer back to make it appear that the vehicle has less miles on it. Any info about buying a used car and the best way to proceed to try and ensure one can purchase a decent used car at a fair price would be appreciated.

They must ban large knives and only allow small dull knives so they can stop the killings.

I had a great experience at Mungkala Clinic several years ago. I came to Chiang Mai and was having problems with my si joint due to many miles I had ridden on my bicycle. I made an appt to see the Dr there and met with a very nice middle-aged lady Dr. Her name escapes me. I told her about my problem and she smiled and said I didn't need acupuncture. She said to take advantage of being in Thailand and get some great therapeutic massages which would go a long way to resolving my si joint problem. With that she gave me back my money and over time my si joint problem was fixed. The Dr was great and I really respected her for being so honest and forthright with me.

I am planning to go to Vietnam this June or July and was wondering if there are any tours to Vietnam from Chiang Mai. I am also considering putting together a trip myself and was wondering if anyone has gone  there recently. I realize Vietnam is a large country and trying to do Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in one trip might be stretching oneself a bit so am exploring different options or itineraries. I understand a major thai airlines is going to be starting direct flights from chiang mai to I think Hanoi this coming March so this is an option. Also there is vietjet which I understand is a very good airline. Any info on visas for Vietnam such as being able to get one upon arrival in vietnam or should one be obtained before departure. I am a US citizen and I know my thai g/f does not need a visa. Any ideas or info on sight seeing in vietnam and any experiences you have had there would be appreciated as I develop an itinerary and decide whether I want to take a pre- arranged tour, providing you can get one from Chiang Mai or go the independent route. Any suggestions for hotels or places to visit would be appreciated also. I am hoping to go for 5 - 6 nights so what would be feasible and realistic to see in vietnam during that time frame? Lastly should one bring US currency to exchange there or use the atm's? Thank you for any info or input you might have about exploring vietnam.

I think anyone with an open mind knows how precarious and completely insane driving in Thailand really is. My best way to sum up the insanity is what happened several years ago when an individual,who had literally driven around the world on his bicycle and was still intact and alive, was finishing up his world bicycling tour in Thailand, and lo and behold, was killed by a driver in Thailand. To me that sums it all up. A bicyclist had remained virtually unscathed during his around the world bicycle tour only to be killed on his bike while riding in Thailand. Driving in Thailand has gotten worse and worse and there is no end to the madness. 

Watching this sickening video brings back memories of several years ago when a bicyclist was finishing up a round the world bicycle tour in Thailand and was killed by a Thai driver. It is truly a gamble and a crapshot every time you take to the roads of Thailand. Thailand deservedly so has the title of the world's most dangerous country to drive in and it is unbelievable that nothing is being done to try and combat this nightmare scenario. Anything goes in this country, there is little or no enforcement of reckless driving or speeding and it is pathetic what goes on in this country on a daily basis. I wonder if anything is ever going to be done or is the insanity going to continue ad infinitum,  I guess time will tell.

Carib-Your posting Albert Einstein's quote was brilliant and I wholeheartedly concur with it. Well done.

I want to be able to wire funds from my Charles Schwab account in the US to a thai bank and need some sage advice from some knowledgeable financial folks. First off I need to open up a thai bank acct and after that is accomplished I then have to link my thai bank acct to Charles Schwab. Now for the questions. It was explained to me from a Charles Schwab representative that the best way would be to do an international wire from my acct at Charles Schwab to my Thai bank acct. The representative at Charles Schwab said that the funds would leave as US dollars and would arrive as US dollars in my thai bank acct. I always thought that when you wired US funds to a thai bank acct the funds would be converted to thai baht. Do some thai banks in fact receive US dollars from an international wire and those funds are deposited in your bank acct as US Dollars or are the US dollars converted by the thai bank to baht and deposited in your thai bank acct? What I am looking to do is to get the best exchange rate for my transferred US dollars to a thai bank acct and do some thai banks give a better exchange rate or are all thai banks governed by the same uniform conversion rate? I hope this makes sense and if anyone can clarify the best way to transfer US Funds to a Thai bank so as to get the best exchange rate it would be most appreciated.

What does international EMS mean ?

I am still perplexed because a friend told me he has a group medicare advantage PPO plan and he said the handbook states if you are away from their service area for more than 6 months you will be terminated from the above mentioned plan.

What about if you are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage Plan?

Is it correct that a US citizen can not reside in Thailand for more then 6 months so as to not become ineligible for Medicare once you turn 65?

A cashless society is the ultimate goal for the central planners on a world wide scale. This way, with interest rates having been kept artificially low for quite a few years now to ostensibly pull the world out from the financial melt down in 2008-2009, the central banks have now run out of bullets so to speak. The economies of many countries, contrary to what the masses is being spoon fed is not that good and we are headed for a recession in the not to distant future. In the past, interest rates would have been lowered to combat a recession but with interest rates at historic lows, the central banks are left with few options. What they intend to do is to lower interest rates into negative integers and depositors will eventually have to pay their banks interest for the privilege of keeping their hard earned money in the bank. With a cashless society, individuals will not be able to withdraw their funds when the banks start resorting to negative interest rates. Just like the Federal Reserve has fueled the stock market to all time highs with their insane printing of money, when the stock market implodes and world economies tank they can then resort to another financial scheme to steal more money from the masses with their negative interest scenario which will be brought about by a cashless society.

55JAY Yes I have a credit and debit card from a bank back in the US. My concern going forward is if I decided to live in Thailand full-time and I was unable to get my renewal cards then I would have a problem. I therefore am investigating alternative solutions. Unable to get my renewal cards because they were lost or stolen in transit, or the bank would not send them to Thailand since I was residing there full-time. I realize this sounds a little paranoid but am trying to assuage any concerns  I have going forward.

If one were to apply for a Thai Credit Card at a Thai Bank how difficult would it be to get a credit card? Are their maximum limits based on your income? What about if your card is stolen or someone fraudulently uses your card to purchase things. Are you liable for the whole amount of the illegal purchase or are their limits as to how much you would be responsible for in the event the card was illegally used? I assume the card would be in thai baht and if you were paying a bill online which was in US Dollars I take it the current rate of exchange would be used for the payment. Is my assumption correct?  Also, I would need a credit line at least large enough to purchase an airline ticket or book some trips and are credit lines typically large enough to handle these expenditures?  In the US you are protected in the event of a credit card being fraudulently used and I am wondering if there are similar safeguards with Thai credit cards or is it more credit card user be aware?

Arkady thank you for the info. You have put my mind at ease. 

Amen to that. Good for you Gonzo to mention this Day of Infamy which must never be forgotten.

A gentleman I know said that the thai gov't is constantly checking thai nationals for money in their bank accts. He said that many thai woman put their money in their mothers or someone else's name because if the thai gov't sees a big balance in their bank acct they can confiscate the funds based on money obtained illegally. If someone gives a thai national money as a gift and the money remains in their name, can the thai gov't confiscate that money even if it is explained to them that it was a gift?

Hopefully as the police are making their rounds to check the bars for intoxicated patrons they will also visit some of the well known places in chiang mai where the tuk-tuk and songtaew drivers like to congregate to have some pops. I have witnessed on many occasions the drivers sitting around at night drinking round after round so they should be checked also to ensure public safety.

People don't kill  people. Trucks kill people, Therefore ALL trucks should be banned to prevent this carnage from happening again.

Make sure you disarm US citizens and make them easy prey for the criminals and terrorists who thrive on the liberal utopian society. All the while the Hillary Clinton's and Michael Bloombergs will be parading around with their armed guards preaching for the disarmament of law-abiding citizens. Obama has flooded the US with 100's of thousands of muslims to try and duplicate Europe's hopeless situation whereby the muslims have become so emboldened in some countries they are publicly stating for the record that it is only a matter of time before they have a majority and will create Sharia law. The answer by the left is to disarm law-abiding citizens as they continue their assault on individual rights and freedoms.

It was raining so I ducked inside the Fueng Fah Restaurant across from the Meridien Hotel and lo and behold there was a 5 piece band with 2 singers playing there. I must have passed this restaurant at least several hundred times, and if not for the rain, I probably never would have gone inside and heard this band. They had a male singer who was quite talented doing some Elvis Presley songs and a woman who had a really lovely  voice. Upon hearing them perform for a little while it got me wondering how many other places are there in Chiang Mai that have great music. I am really not into heavy metal or hard rock but more into pop music, soft rock, jazz, and 50, 60, and 70 type of music. If anyone knows any restaurants or clubs or other venues that play this assortment of music and are impressed with the bands performance, let me know and I will make a point to check them out.Thanks,

I find it pathetic that money can be found for all sorts of big ticket items but no money can be found to keep competent lifeguards at their posts to ensure swimmers safety at the beaches. 

So of course, now that I am due to leave for Myanmar, and specifically Yangon next week,  a study comes out stating that Yangon is the second most dangerous city to live in, in the world. Any idea why Yangon was ranked number 2 in the world, right after Karachi Pakistan?