ericg1953

What kind of car did you buy?

Thanks..I will go to BKK and order it with all the extras they promised me...I guess that it is a good deal

First thing you had better take into consideration is how long it is going to take to get it

I visited several dealers in both Pattaya and Rayong and the earliest delivery I could get was mid May and this was three weeks ago

I opted for a Toyota, Vios, delivered in three weeks

The sales person in one Pattaya dealership was so proud that she could offer me a free Honda key chain if I ordered through her despite the wait

I was told I could get the car in July which is ok for me as I will be travelling most of june/july...I did go to the Motor Show and they were talking about 12,000 baht in accessories for free...also stopped into a dealer in BKK at Suk and Ekamai and the gal there offered me the following...window film,rubber mats,floor mats,door visor and plates for the door jams, tailgate spoiler and registration fee which she said was 2600 baht...once again July delivery

I am well aware of how the pricing here is mostly not negotiable..I was wondering what kind of extras/accesories you can get from the dealers here. I live in Pattaya but don't mind going to BKK if someone has a good contact for getting good deals.

Price is also affected by the condo being under "foreign ownership" or not..meaning you can title it into your own name. Only 49% of the condos in the building are in "foreign ownership"

Craig,

You are 100% correct about trying to save the tooth. As I mentioned before I grew up with a father who dedicated his working life to saving teeth and as an endodontist that was his calling. People have a tendancy to "just pull it" when there are other options available. BTW..my Dad is now 91 and still has all his original teeth...I just found that out the other day in casual conversation with him and was impressed.

I still think dentalhospitalbangkok would be a good choice. They have a full staff of specialists that ought to be able to get you sorted out. I have a dentist there that just does fillings and when I needed an onlay they offered me a prostodontist who put in a gold onlay and did a great job. I have been to BPH and my experiences were not good. I know alot of people who go to Dr. Tapasit there and like him. But he is a crown/bridge dentist I believe.

Agreed..Sheryl is just fantastic....Thank You

If you need a root canal you need to see an endodontist...if you need oral surgery you need to see an oral surgeon.. Don't let a general practitioner talk you into do the procedures with him. The endo and oral surgeon have received special training in these specialties are are much better equipped to handle it. I have used dentalhospitalbangkok on Suk 49 in BKK and have been very happy there. I live in Pattaya and feel its worth the 2 hr trip. BTW..my father is an endodontist in the US

Residence Garden Hotel...nice suite rooms ...2 tvs...small kitchen..nice pool and centrally located, It is on Thappraya Rd near the 3rd road overpass...residencegardenhotel.com

smokie36 - glad to be of service to enlighten you in to the meaning of "all day breakfast" - there are many places here that do all day breakfasts - if you need to know I will start a thread on breakfast times for you all ;P

I would love to know a good place for a continental style breakfast with decent hams and cheese etc. Oh and I prefer to eat it at breakfast time if you know what I mean.

O'Gara's at Tara Court...soi 5 Pratumnak

I have glaucoma as well and continue to be treated at Rutnin and although it is very busy there at times I have never felt either rushed or hurried thru in any way. I dont think at this point I would go anywhere else for eyes problems.

I have been to see Dr. Prayuth...he is very good and has good command of the english language. His education is top notch and his bedside manner is fine. Good Luck

I am looking for a kitten...preferably a siamese or Wichen Maat as they are known here in Thailand and I live in Pattaya...does anyone have a good source for me.....Thanks

I really want to thank everyone that responded to my post. The TV Forum can be a great source of info for those of us lucky enough to live here.

Thanks

Eric

Last August 2009 I returned to visit family in California.

Used my Thai driver license to rent a vehicle from Alamo at LAX, and was prepared to show it had I been stopped.

The IDP, IDL, (whatever you have) is just a mickey mouse piece of paper, that states that some issuing authority (a local auto club, a gov't entity, a pushcart on Khao San Road) perused your REAL driver license, and is issuing this additional document as a witness. That's it. It's just like the consular letter where you swear under penalty of perjury that you receive 65K B/mo. in income.

It doesn't mean anything, it's just a testimony-type document. My understanding has always been that the IDL/IDP has to be backed up by a real, current and valid license from somewhere. And available for display, when asked for.

Sure, there will always be the story of the guy who walked after waving one of these easily forged docs at some copper who didn't want to admit he couldn't read it.

Not where I come from....

Quick edit: I assume the OP has a new style Thai license- mag strip, imbedded photo, English and Thai. He should be fine with that in Florida.

Old style: get an IDL/IDP. How many Florida State Troopers read Thai, and understand the year 2553?

Thanks for all the great replies..I do have the new type of thai driving license. My father is calling his insurance company in florida just to make sure the car and myself are covered should something happen.

I will be driving in Florida only

Find an endodontist(root canal specialist) either here at BPH or in Bangkok at one of the leading clinics like dentalhospitalbangkok.com......an endodontist has received alot of special training in root canals and should be able to deal with any problems that might arise. My father was an endodontist in the USA and he only did root canals.

I take the Ultracarbon X by Merck and it seems to work very well. If I am having any kind of diarrea I will use this first and the symptoms seem to disappear.

I will be travelling to the USA for a 2 week holiday and will be driving my fathers car while there. Is my Thai Drivers License legal while I am there and will his car insurance cover me while I am driving around?

I live in Pattaya and am trying to find a school or private teacher who can help me learn about meditation. I have hypertension and some problems sleeping and thought this would be a good place to start to relax about it all.

Areca Lodge

When you rent be careful, pay your rent only one month at a time if you have a Thai landlord/lady. I have a friend who rented a house for 8000 baht a month. He was with a Thai girl and they had a baby but he has to keep going back to the UK regularly so he paid his rent up for a year in advance so he would not need to worry about it, or so he thought. He also signed up for cable TV and again paid up a year in advance. This was a big mistake!

One month after he paid the rent the roof starts leaking and and water enters the house. He reports it to his landlady and she immediately arranges for it to be repaired. He therefore thinks that his landlady is a gem and a decent, honest, conscientious person, that is until she presents him with a bill for 8000 baht to repair her roof! His immediate reaction was to refuse, demand his year's rent back and seek alternative accommodation. But he did not realise this is Thailand and the falang always pays. Obviously she refused his request and more or less told him where the door was if he was not happy with the situation. When he moved in he thought the sun shone out of her arsehol_e!

So he forks out the 8K. Then the kitchen sink starts leaking and gets another bill for 1000 baht to repair his landlady's kitchen plumbing. Now he's learned to keep his trap shut about any problems and is biding his time till the year is up and he can move out. Many Thais look at us as mugs and that's how they will treat you. And remember there is no consumer protection here in the LOS.

This is a distinct advantage of renting a condo in a reputable building. The owners maintenance is paid 1 yr in advance so most repairs to your rented unit are included in the price. It is true that a major appliance like a fridge or aircon can blow out and then it is up to the owner to repair or replace. I try very hard to repair things immediately and give my tenants what they are paying for. I find it keeps people loyal and happy and they dont hesitate to refer me to their friends.

Ive had 2 thai landlord and one Farang (not including the current), Never had an issue getting the bond back, I as per my lease agreement give them 1 months notice that iam vacating, on the said date the landlords have come round to inspect proerty and have never hesitated in returning my deposit........guess im just lucky.

Pay no more than one months rent as a deposit. If its a farang landlord then you probably won't get it back. If a Thai no way in hel_l. A lot of people do not pay the last month and recoup the deposit that way.

I have some condos for rent and I have ALWAYS given back the deposit. If you broke something then the cost of repair or replacement is deducted from the deposit. I have never had a tenant upset at me as I understand the market and try to treat people as I expect to be treated myself.

I have been using Dr. Visuit at Bumrungrad and he is excellent. He is also Chief of the Cardiology Dep't. and his english is perfect.