orientalist

This week LH has a promotion of 1.50% for 3 months. Just until the end of the week, I think. And I discovered that foreigners can now apply at branches for the Pro-fit Digital account and get 1.50% for the first 3 million baht. Minimum balance is 2,000 baht. I seem to recall when they first rolled out Pro-fit the 1.50% was only available if the account application was done online - but that required a Thai ID card so we were out of luck. Now that has changed. They give foreigners a passbook for the Pro-fit digital account because, they say, we don't have a chipped ID card. But SCB and the old Thanachart had no-book digital accounts... Anyway, with a 3 million baht range for the 1.50% it seems to be the best "digital" account in town.

That would be my second question: Which banks allow me to install the app on a second device, in my case a wifi-only tablet?

I'm about to change phones and want to get the banking apps moved as quickly as possible and preferably without visiting a bank branch . I'm pretty sure moving the K-bank app to a new device (same phone number) was hassle-free when I did it a few years ago but I'm wondering about: CIMB Thai Krungsri LH SCB Citibank Thai (True Money)

SCB in Terminal 21 at Asoke BTS were friendly to me after another branch rejected me.

This is from early September.

A few months on and they do appear to be Pacific parrotlets. I now believe one of the neighbours had some of these birds, which had chicks they couldn't cope with and they just dumped them under a bush so that a compassionate passer-by or a monitor lizard would find them - according to their karma. I got them a bigger cage and some toys, and they do seem to enjoy human company although one is very pecky. The one which had an injury to its head has never flown. Not sure why. The other one escaped one time but just sat on top of the cage instead of flying away. The gf walks around outside with them and they stay on her arm. So, last week they both started spending a lot of time in their felt box and then the female laid three eggs on the cage floor before getting it right and laying two eggs in the felt box. I thought these birds didn't reach sexual maturity for a year? Anyway, we are not sure what to expect. Sterile eggs or chicks we don't have space for. And I read these birds can breed 2 or 3 times a year. Argh!!

Yes, no problems with the full spectrum oil so far. Am about to start with the cheaper CBD isolate.

The legal oil is Raksa from Golden Triangle Group. Very low THC. Also the full spectrum tincture from CBD35. But both are expensive compared to similar products in the UK. I just can't afford the 50mg a day I need for severe nerve pain. Mellow Organics has a cheaper CBD isolate, 1250 baht for a 30ml bottle with 900mg of CBD. I'm about to give it a try. Like Raksa it comes from Thailand. I went to the government clinics right from the beginning, but initially they only had THC in miniscule amounts and then after 2 months they said they couldn't give it to foreigners. Aphaiphubet Hospital in Prachinburi was the best. They eventually gave me 1:1 CBD:THC as part of a clinical trial but again in miniscule amounts (like 1gm CBD per day). The GTG people have a legal dispensing clinic on Sukhumvit somewhere (maybe Soi 13) where you can buy 1:1 oil prescribed by a doctor. They have all advertised on Facebook at one time or another. Then you order via Messenger and transfer the money to their account. A bit clunky but it works.

However, when I talked to the doc at the clinic she said the vaccine wouldn't help with internal eye infections like uveitis. It WOULD help with an external infection on the skin around the eye and also reduce the pain of post-herpetic neuralgia. She thought Shingrix wouldn't be available here for several years.

I went to the Mediplex branch yesterday for a consultation. Very professional and friendly, though a bit slow as there seemed to be only one doctor there. After the usual vision tests, including a nasolacrimal duct flow test, and an examination of my retina, the doctor quoted 40,000 baht for one eye (monocular) and kind of recommended the blue-light blocking lens. Researching this a little, the jury seems to be out as to the benefits of BL blocking lenses. There is a queue of 3-4 weeks for the op so it'll end up being after New Year for me. Prior to surgery they want me to do what amounts to an annual checkup plus HIV and Hep B tests at a hospital. I suppose this is because they are a clinic rather than a hospital and they don't want any surprises. The consultation and tests cost 1200 baht.

Shingrix is recommended for those who've already had Zostavax so I will do that if/when it becomes available in Thailand.

Anyone had a cataract op at Chulabhorn or Ramathibhodi hospitals in Bangkok? The latter has good doctors but none of the admin or nursing staff speak English and can be unhelpful at times. I am looking for somewhere cheaper than Rutnin, which recently quoted me 80K+ for one eye.

They have been saying that for many months. My virtual card expired in April and I still can't renew it. In the meantime I signed up for the True virtual card mainly for ease of ordering small items from lazada. It's simple if you already have True Wallet.

Yes, sorry, I meant the universal healthcare system. The problem is we don't have a tabien baan where we live. Every member of the family is on a different tabien baan scattered over Bangkok and the nearby provinces. From what you say, upcountry Thais working in Bangkok would have to head back home for anything other than emergency treatment.

Thanks. A very comprehensive article, and it does mention that the vaccination helps protect against zoster-related eye infections. It's weird that a very successful vaccine like Shingrix is used in so few countries, but it doesn't look like that will change anytime soon. So I guess I'm off to the clinic next week.

Anyone had this in Thailand or researched it? I recently had an eye infection (uveitis) likely caused by the chickenpox zoster virus. I assume a shingles jab might help prevent a recurrence although I can't find any info on this. It seems the UK NHS recommends the live-attenuated Zostavax jab but the protection is only 50% for those in their 70s and doesn't last many years. Zostavax was withdrawn from the US market and the 2-shot Shingrix vaccine (protection 90%) took its place. Shingrix is recommended even for those who have had Zostavax. In Thailand the Thai Travel Clinic used to offer Zostavax for 5000 baht but now has a Korean vaccine called Sky Zoster for 3600 baht. It is an "inactivated" vaccine but I can't find any efficacy statistics for it. I just wonder if it is worth it, either for shngles or zoster infection of the eye.

Anyone know how to re-register a Thai's Gold Card social security in a different province. We need to re-register the granddaughter where we live rather than in the province of her tabien baan. Where do we start?

I used the K-Bank virtual debit card for years, mainly for small purchases on Lazada. I liked that you could set your limit to anything including zero to protect yourself from major fraud. The purchase record appeared in the statement of my K-Bank savings account. The service seems to be suspended now pending a relaunch. The True virtual debit card (MC) is set up to take money from your True wallet so you have to keep topping up the wallet. That's an extra hassle for me. The great advantage of True Wallet is that you can link it to your credit cards so that purchases from 7-11 show up on your monthly bill. But other vendors like Makro and Lazada will reject the transaction unless the amount is present in cash in the wallet. I guess they don't want to pay the 3% commission.

I had a Kbank ATM outside a Kbank branch eat my card and display an error message last weekend when I was not in my home province. This is the first time it happened to me in 40 years. They could not simply open the machine and give me my card back. Instead they got onto their call centre and reported the problem and ID of the machine. Then they handed the phone to me and I was asked some security questions. They said they had to cancel the card and issue a new one. I said OK but I would not pay anything. So the process is I have to take my passport and pass book to any branch to get a new card. The 50-baht fee will be waived. I will pay the new 200-baht annual fee, but they will refund the pro rata amount of the already paid annual fee. All fair but a bit inconvenient if I didn't have other cards and cardless withdrawal as backup options. Cardless withdrawal is a bit slow but I think I'll use it in future.

The end to this ridiculous story is after a day of tears and recriminations I sent a photo of the clasp to the MBK repair shop and they said they could fix it. Then the same day we were walking past some random gold shop at Imperial Samrong 1st floor and we saw a whole row of clasps. They had one the standard size for a 50-satang necklace and after trading the old one in for a new one the total cost was 232 baht.

Very likely "Jewelry Clinic" on the 3rd floor. I found their details. many thanks.

Do you recall which floor or which shop? I've been told that gold repair shops as opposed to gold sellers will repair a clasp, but I guess in Bangkok that would mean a trip to Chinatown.

By ornamental gold I meant 23K gold jewelry as opposed to gold bullion. The necklace is a status symbol for the gf so she would never agree to a "fake" clasp. As someone mentioned, Thais aren't really sentimental about possessions, and even less about the possessions of others.

Their explanation was that any new clasp would have to make up the original weight of the necklace but I still don't see why they can't make a custom clasp that makes up the weight. And what do they do with a beautiful and unique necklace that is traded in - melt it down and start again?

I have a gold necklace (sentimental value) that the gf wears. The big clasp for pendants has broken and a bit of it is missing. The gold shop we went to today said nobody sells those clasps and they can't make one. Doesn't sound right to me. They wanted us to trade our necklace in for a new necklace with clasp and pay 1,500 baht. Anyone know of a Bangkok shop where I could just change the clasp or have one made?