fittobethaied

Don't do it!!!! A few months ago, I had prescription meds sent from India to Thailand by EMS Post, and they were delivered directly to my home by the local post office with no questions asked and no request for custom's tax. On the next shipment I was given a notice by the post office to pick up my meds at the custom's office in Nong Khai. It was there that my wife was informed that it is illegal to import prescription drugs into Thailand for personal use, but she talked them into allowing her to keep that shipment after the tax was paid, both custom's tax and VAT. We were advised to visit the Thai FDA office up the road to request a special permit to import meds for personal use. At that office they attempted to confiscate the meds that Customs had just allowed us to keep. We were told that so long as there is a local supplier of that medication, it is illegal to import drugs for personal use, and they would not give us a special permit to import. They were able to pull up the name of that medication on their computer and tell us full details on the local suppliers. They also warned us that my name is now in their computers for having imported meds from another country on two separate occasions, and If I attempted to import again, they would catch me and take me directly to jail in Nong Khai. I could be fined up to 50,000 Baht and imprisoned for as long as 5 years, and they were dead serious about it. Therefore, I suggest that you shelve the idea of importing any meds from China or any other country.

If she doesn't have Thai family or friends in her inner circle that will loan her 50K, then what does that tell you? They probably know they will never get it back, and she could very well already be in debt up to her neck with them with no way of every paying them back. Friend or no friend, my default answer is always "I'm sorry, but one of my core life principles is that I never loan money, and besides, all of my money is tied up in Fixed Deposits, and I pray that you will understand.

Has anyone using online banking with Bangkok Bank every ordered the 12 month statement off of their App? They will send it to you by email, but I haven't tried it yet. I'm wondering if Immigration will accept that in lieu of a statement from the bank with a bank signature on it. Also, how long does it take to get the statement by email.

Hereforgood, did you have to go into the bank and arrange to use the Intn't Transfer on the mobile app, or did you just do the transfer straight away off your phone with no questions asked?

Todd, for the 400K to be in the bank two months before submitting the application for the extension of stay, does Immigration go by calendar months or calendar days? For example: I show up at Immigration on April 17th and I count back 60 days to Feb 17th and deposit my money on that date. Or, I show up on April 17th and need to have deposited my 400K sometime in January.

This is the very reason that I gave up on trying to learn Thai after my first year in Thailand. Every time I tried to speak Thai to a waitress, I got that "deer in the headlights" stare and then had to revert to hand gestures mixed with English to get my point across. I once tried to order breakfast one morning, and I asked for a cup of hot water in Thai. I'm quite sure that I pronounced it correctly, but in the end, she brought me a dinner salad. Any person with half a brain would know that even if I didn't pronounce it correctly, I certainly wasn't asking for a dinner salad; and simply by process of elimination she could have figured out what I wanted if she had taken the time to "think". It's so frustrating for me that it just isn't worth the trouble to learn Thai. Others say that knowing the language will go a long way in learning to assimilate into the local culture, and I can make some meaningful relationships. Well....guess what? The last thing that I want is a relationship with any Thai outside that of my wife. I wouldn't give you a plug nickel for the whole lot, so I finally figured out that my life is so much more peaceful now that I try to insulate myself from the locals. Now I'm happier than ever!!!

The OP is overreacting and panicking for no good reason. Google is a reliable source, but only if the websites it sends you to are reliable. I always look for The Mayo Clinic or The Cleveland Clinic or The American Heart Association. You haven't told us your age, but I am assuming 60's or 70's. Your heart rate is perfectly normal for your age. I am 76 and have asked these questions numerous times to at least 6 cardiologists, even 2 from the Queen Sirikit Heart Center in Khon Kaen. My heart rate remained at 42-44 for a couple of years until they took me off my BP pills, now it is around 50-54 daily. So long as you are not dizzy when you stand up, then you should be okay. If you are functioning normally and don't notice the low heart rate, then don't worry about it. The Echocardiogram is not necessary unless you just feel like spending the money for peace of mind. But then again, you could be opening a can of worms unnecessarily. Once you give some of these doctors a look under the hood, they will take advantage of you and run you through a whole host of unnecessary diagnostics. They need the revenue to guarantee their job security, plus some of them actually get a commission from the various diagnostic stations that may be operating as independent contractors for the hospital. Loosen up and enjoy the ride!

That's laughable! Biden doesn't have the scruples to come up with a plan like that all by himself. It's all done behind closed doors by a Demonrat think tank, and it will never succeed. The GOP is not running scared. What you're seeing is the Trump campaign's "think tank" doing political posturing to gain the upper hand. It's all just one big game, and if the truth be known, the elites have already decided who is going to win the election, and Trump and Kamala are just ponds on a chess board.

Your heart rate increases every time the phone rings because it's probably a telemarketing call or a scam call. You finally accept the fact that you are going to be charged double at many places because you are a "gullible" farang. You finally accept the fact that Thais neither like nor trust farangs, and all the smiles are fake.

Read what the Book of Proverbs says about a "virtuous woman", then readjust your priorities and look for one of these. The Virtuous Wife 10 Who[a] can find a [b]virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies. 11 The heart of her husband safely trusts her; So he will have no lack of gain. 12 She does him good and not evil All the days of her life. 13 She seeks wool and flax, And willingly works with her hands. 14 She is like the merchant ships, She brings her food from afar. 15 She also rises while it is yet night, And provides food for her household, And a portion for her maidservants. 16 She considers a field and buys it; From [c]her profits she plants a vineyard. 17 She girds herself with strength, And strengthens her arms. 18 She perceives that her merchandise is good, And her lamp does not go out by night. 19 She stretches out her hands to the distaff, And her hand holds the spindle. 20 She extends her hand to the poor, Yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy. 21 She is not afraid of snow for her household, For all her household is clothed with scarlet. 22 She makes tapestry for herself; Her clothing is fine linen and purple. 23 Her husband is known in the gates, When he sits among the elders of the land. 24 She makes linen garments and sells them, And supplies sashes for the merchants. 25 Strength and honor are her clothing; She shall rejoice in time to come. 26 She opens her mouth with wisdom, And on her tongue is the law of kindness. 27 She watches over the ways of her household, And does not eat the bread of idleness. 28 Her children rise up and call her blessed; Her husband also, and he praises her: 29 “Many daughters have done well, But you excel them all.” 30 Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised. 31 Give her of the fruit of her hands, And let her own works praise her in the gates.

In 2010 I met a lovely Thai government English teacher on ThaiCupid.com after going through a brutal divorce from my 3rd wife in the US. After 2 months of talking daily on Skype, I made the journey to meet her in person, and that tipped the scales for me. I returned to the US after a two-week vacation, retired and was back here and ready for marriage in only 6 weeks. The marriage is splendid, and I love my wife more and more with each passing year, but I have never adjusted to living in Thailand. Year after year I have waited for a love affair with Thai people and their culture to emerge, and it just hasn't happened. I have been on the verge of moving back to the US, but with all the nonsense going on back there, my patriotism for my home country is "out the window" and may never return. Now, I only stay in Thailand for lack of a better place to lay my head. In my mind I have built a virtual wall around my little piece of paradise that I call my home, and nobody but my immediate family gets in. That's the only way I can maintain my sanity in this place.

Easier said than done for those of us who have mopped ourselves into a corner. It's complicated!

Let's just say that I can attest to the resiliency of the human body, soul and spirit. After 14 years in Thailand, I now know what it's like to live on death row!

Hi Chris! I moved here in 2010 and was very optimistic and hopeful that I would be making lots of new friends as easily as I did when I lived in Manila during the 80's. I quickly discovered that all Asian's are not the same. I am a Christian, so for me the easiest way to make a friend was always to show myself friendly and to give gifts as is encouraged in Scripture. However, that doesn't go well in Thailand because most people see that as a sign of weakness and naivety, and they tend to only gravitate towards you if they think they can gain something from you. I tried for several years to blend into the society here, but I found no peace until I finally decided to just give up on the idea of making everyone my friend and focus on simply "blending in" with my new family here and finding contentment in that. I keep myself fairly well insulated from the Thais and have found solace in the relationships with my immediate family members and the occasional expat, and I am at peace with that.

Back in the US, I wore my Presidential Day-Date Rolex with diamond bezel and diamonds at each number on the dial valued here at around 2 million baht. When I moved to Thailand in 2010, I quickly discerned that I'd best just leave it locked up in my safe rather than wear it out in public. Let's face it....the only reason anyone wears a Rolex is to impress other people. You'll never impress anyone in Thailand with a true Rolex because most wouldn't have a clue what it is, and anyone familiar with a Rolex would only think you were wearing a fake Rolex. Today you can buy a 100 Baht watch with the same functions and which keeps better time. My Rolex never kept good time. Once I finally dealt with my own ego and decided to humble myself and get off my high-horse, I kissed the watch goodbye and sold it. I suggest you do the same thing other than risk losing your life over it. And it will do you no good being locked up in a safe unless you just want to keep it for memory's sake. It's all vanity anyway!

I have seen good looking Thai ladies with some of the ugliest farangs imaginable. As long as you have "deep pockets", you can find someone to tag along behind you.

So, what else did she expect to happen to her purse? I see this all the time. Employees at Dairy Queen or any kiosk playing on their phones and placing them right in front of customers, then turning their backs to do some work. The worst is the terrible fad habit of putting a phone in one's back pocket with half of it protruding out of the pocket. Don't they realize that it could fall out so easily, especially when riding on a motorbike. Or, the obvious result would be to lose it to a pickpocket. It would be an easy target for even an unskilled pickpocket. The joke here is that the victim refuses to take responsibility for her own lack of responsibility.

Same thing happened to me except I met my future wife on Thai Love Links website. Thank God I hit the jackpot, and it has been smooth sailing ever since 2010. For me the key was having a very discerning eye and looking for inconsistencies in her tales and behavior. If she is a flake, it will show up sooner rather than later if you have a keen eye. Don't be naive, and be on the lookout for the red flags. If they start to pile up, then run for the hills as fast as you can before she steals your heart and your money. I would say that the odds are not in your favor that you will find a good one on the first go around.

It's not a matter of privacy and personal choice. It's a matter of "where did he get the money". He's the temple secretary, so did he embezzle the funds, or were they personal gifts from well-wishers who made money from the monk's advice or superstitious predictions. I know someone who got a lucky number from a monk, and this guy told the monk he would give him 10% of the take if he won in the lottery. He won 16,000 Baht and felt honor bound to keep his commitment to the monk. The entire religious system is flawed and perverted!

Exactly correct!

So now the police are looking for criminal in churches. Sure, that's where all the really high-profile criminals hang out. Ha! Their time should be more wisely spent fixing that broken tile floor at the entrance to that Immigration office before some poor innocent soul trips and breaks his neck!

Can't say that I've had much luck with it in the past, but I do firmly believe in female manipulation! Ha! Actually, several years ago I went to a famous Chiropractor in the US who was the Chiropractor for the city's professional hockey team. First, he took an X-ray of my neck and returned with what looked like an old X-ray that he probably shows to every patient in order to justify needing to see me for a series of future adjustments. What a quack! He had other tricks up his sleeve which obviously had perfected with practice over the years, and I caught him right away, but I didn't say anything. The biggest gimmick of all is to have the patient believe that the sound of a "crack" is an indication that he has fixed something that was out of whack, which isn't always the case. The more cracks he can make, the more he can justify charging an arm and a leg for his services. Walking out of the clinic feeling like a new man is akin to taking a placebo medication and thinking that it has helped you. Your mind can temporarily convince you that you're actually feeling much better, but then the pain returns within a short period of time. A proper alignment cannot be established in one visit, but it requires a series of follow ups. One is seldom fixed in one visit. The typical Chiropractor is primarily a marketing guru and lastly a fixer of your problems. The idea is to keep you coming back for more, so beware of the BS.

Personally, I don't think the Thai men even give it a second thought. Most farangs choose bar girls or girls in their 30's and up who have been previously married and have kids or have kids from a Thai guy who ran away from them and no longer provide for them. It seems like we farangs only take the leftovers that your average Thai man wouldn't think of even dating.

The study doesn't seem to differentiate between patients that has Covid and a vaccine jab and those who got Covid and had zero jabs. How could they possibly tell if the drop in IQ was due to Covid or the jab. Of course, they don't want to talk about that because they are still pushing the vaccines and will continue to do so with fearmongering about other pandemics to come.