orientalist

How did you manage to do it in the end? My local branch was adamant that if blue tabien baan wasn't on their list and I hadn't previously had an account with them, I couldn't apply.

Yes, I was surprised too. The yellow tabien baan was on their list, but not the blue one. So few of us have PR that at times it seems like a curse. Anyway, I now have my old SCB passbooks so I'll go back and try again.

I tried to sign up a few months ago but they refused me because a foreigner with blue tabien baan and PR is not on their list of allowable applicants. <deleted>. Also they couldn't find my previous SCB account in their system. However, I just found my 1990s SCB pass book so I might go back and spit in their eye. Or maybe try a different branch. My former Thai colleagues told me they don't feel comfortable having an account with no passbook but there is usually a way to print your own records. Does an EZ account allow you to request a statement via email?

LH Bank currently has a special interest rate of 12 months at 1.20% until the quota is filled.

I have no say in what the gf does. If I withhold money she just borrows it or spends what she has and then tells me the granddaughter has nothing to eat! I have tried to stay away from the birds to show my disapproval but a previous parakeet bit off all its tail feathers out of frustration, a small cage and lack of attention. I got a big cage and toys for it but by then it was biting everyone, hard, and died soon after. Then again after i said "no more" they bought a ring-necked parakeet which wasn't affectionate or active (as is normal for the species), rarely uttered any sound, became afraid of humans and then died. The gf just does not get that a bird is not a toy to pull out of the box when the kid has free time. They need a LOT of attention and proper care. Anyway, I told her the ghosts of all these dead birds will come back to haunt her...

Right. I believe the last bird was a green-cheeked parakeet. I don't live with the gf since she's such a witch, and she eventually bought it the wrong food (for a bigger parrot) and it died clearly in great pain.

It seems the gf may have been lying to me and they fell out of a shop at Chatuchak market rather than out of a tree. All the previous pet parakeets bought for the granddaughter have died due to lack of proper care, so I said "No more." But as usual the gf just does whatever she wants... Anyway, thanks for the info, everyone.

Anyone know what these birds are? Their nest fell out of a tree.

Our 9-year-old got Covid 5 days after her first shot of Pfizer. In Western countries she could get her next shot 4-6 weeks after recovering but I'm told it is 3 months in Thailand. Does anyone know the rule here? I can't find the info in English.

I last owned a car 40 years ago but I still remember turning the aircon off when the battery was dying. Years before that I remember push-starting my 60s-era manual gear car, often on my own. Life was simpler then!

Ma Dee Battery. Perfect, thanks.

Against my advice the gf bought a Honda Jazz 2019 on the never never and hasn't a clue how to maintain it. It now has a battery that keeps going flat. Is it best to get a new battery from a Honda dealer? Presumably that's the most expensive option. Otherwise is there a particular spec to look for or shop to buy from? This is in the Bangna or Bangkok areas.

Meanwhile, the cannabis oil I get from a famous hospital contains 2.7% THC and is technically illegal. But this is Thailand, after all.

Yes, there is actually a long backstory to this and there have been multiple Great Escapes over the years. I don't actually live with The Witch and I endure her ranting only because we are raising her abandoned granddaughter, who fears being without a family. Usually the escapes involve me getting out of my condo in a hurry if I know the gf is on the warpath and likely to show up. The neighbours have complained about the shrieking late at night. So I have safe-houses (guest house, Airbnb, etc) around Hualampong and MorChit for quick getaways upcountry. Loy Krathong was different as the extended family travelled to Jomtien with us in several cars. The Witch probably has Borderline Personality Disorder and anything can set her off. The shouting started around 1am in the hotel room so I grabbed my small shoulder bag and walked out. I keep a survival kit in the bag with masks, tablet, earphones and various medicines. Normally I keep the phone well-charged for such emergencies but taking photos had left me with only 20%. I used Google Maps to locate some cheap hotels along the beach road and had no trouble walking into the first one and using my driving licence as ID. Since the family's plan was to spend Saturday at the beach I was a bit worried I'd be spotted if I walked around too much - and I'd forgotten my hat. Anyway, I got away OK and The Witch lost face with the family. However, it's a lesson that won't be learnt...

Yes, I did make it, thanks. I managed to book a ticket online (thanks to the link posted here) with the last gasp of my phone coinciding with entering payment details. I then loaded the Google maps route to the bus station on my wifi-only tablet and switched on GPS so I could see where I was going. After checking out of the hotel I'd holed up in I walked a fair way along the beach road before I found a motorcycle taxi who charged me 60 baht to the bus station. Apparently, the aircon bus service had just restarted on the 19th - 130 baht to Swampy only. No need to book online as the bus was only half full. But a comfortable ride of about 1hr 45 mins, then Rail Link into town.

After a bust-up with the gf I find myself needing to get back to Bangkok or Suvarnabhumi by bus or minivan and my phone battery is almost flat. I am in the Jomtien beach area around Soi 12. Where is the best place to catch a bus? Google shows a place marked "airport - pattaya bus 389 office" on Thappraya Road. Is that still in operation?

I tried today. "For Thai citizens only..." And I had to fill in a Covid self-declaration before they would let me enter the office. <deleted>.

Has anyone managed to open a Krung Thai Next savings account? I have a regular savings account and applied via the app but at the end of the process it said I should go to a branch for further verification. Sounds like the runaround I got with the Kasikorn and LH e-savings accounts. The NEXT account offers 1.50% at present.

I just spent an hour at SCB trying to open an EZ account (or any account) but could not. As often happens, their regulations for documentation don't include the case of PR. Migrant workers, retirees, etc, yes, PR holders, no. Two months ago I opened an account at Krungsri no problem. So, in 40 years in Thailand, SCB is the first bank to completely refuse me an account. Ironically, I did have an account with them 30 years ago, but they couldn't find it in their system. Krungsri offers 1.00% interest but I'd still like to put some funds in a 1.5% account.

I have a pink card and have had LH accounts for years but I couldn't get the Pro-fit account. When you try to apply via the app it says "new account opening function available for Thai citizens only."

But where is this elusive CBD oil? I've been waiting for 2 years and all the clinics can give me is 1.7% THC oil - not what I need.

They have already ruined the natural look and feel of Railway Park by planting beds of lotuses where there used to be a meadow. Good for selfies I guess.

No idea really as I have PR and am not living in CM. As for applying for the account, I don't think they were any more difficult than other banks. All banks seem to be difficult if we don't have a work permit!