superal

Education is happening at a high level but mostly , only to children of the aristocracy . For those that manage to study in a good western uni , they will receive a decent education and probably a genuine qualification that is difficult to attain in Thailand . As did my ladys niece who studied geology in the UK on a 4 year course , plus she now speaks good English and understands the workings of the outside world . BTW her family are not rich but did make many sacrifices to fund her education .

Air Asia are still flying ? They stopped their daily service to and from Don Muang to Buriram which is a pain as there is now only Nok Air operating a reduced schedule . 3 months ago I flew Phuket to Don Muang with Thai air and had to show vax certs .

Indeed a case of Damage Done . Plus given the track record of governments putting countries on their red list with making a task of getting home within 48 hours at an inflated long haul airline cost or face 2 weeks quarantine in a <deleted> hotel at a cost of £ 2 k . Imagine a family of four having to face that . That is a potential nightmare that only the foolish would consider.

Extract from Anutins speech He continued to advise practical measures like social distancing while completely understanding people's reticence at being around the unvaccinated . I went to my local gov; hospital yesterday for my booster jab but was refused cos I was 2 weeks early i.e. 5 months 2 weeks since my last jab and not the 6 months .UK state at least 5 months since last jab as do some other countries . OK my fault , I will return 1st December , I said , but I was then told , they are not getting another delivery till the last week in December and will have run out of this current supply by the 1st December .Give it to me now I said , they said sorry you must wait for the 6 months . I gave up and left . I then had to go to the general outpatients for change of medicine .We'll , talk about the lack of social distancing , packed in like sardines with 1 patient accompanied by at least 2 relatives . The hall was hot and humid with ceiling fans circulating the moist static air . This was the perfect storm for covid infection . I did not stay . Talk about double standards . Absolutely zero control on this outpatients hall .

Thanet Supharothatrangsi, chairman of the Chonburi Tourism Business Association, echoed what people online have been saying for weeks if not months. The gentleman is appealing to the government on behalf of entertainment business owners in Pattaya . He is not in with the in crowd because otherwise he would be using other channels . He must be aware of the government plans to transform mainland Thailand , redevelop Pattaya and to concentrate the entertainment trade to Phuket . He will be at risk , along with others , of losing big money and this statement is his last roll of the dice . The government should at least be compensating businesses for loss of income due to their prohibition laws . To those who think the government have shot themselves in the foot , I have no doubts that they know exactly what they are doing along with the effects it is having on folks who make a living from the tourist trade . It would be better for all if the Thai government came clean and shared their plans with the nation . However that would drive up the values of closed down business premises . As it stands the values of property in Pattaya must have fallen big time and the vultures are circling .

Sounds complicated but not too bad really . This " E " learning was introduced this year to help mitigate the covid infection rates that would happen in a crowded room with many people watching the 1 hour long video . So now you can do the video watch and questions at home and take the brake and colour test at the DLT office . I am not sure if you have to retest if you renew your licence without a lapse . I had a 5 month lapse . Does anyone know the answer ?

If you flag a cab or even a Grab you are taking pot luck . Not so bad on short in town trips but longer journeys you need to be more attentive cos you do not want a maniac "tour type driver " going flat out causing the passengers much stress . In your case you are looking for a safe and reliable driver who will take care of your g/f as she is travelling alone , to be commended . I made a similar post on this forum about 3 or 4 months ago and was contacted by an American forum member who recommended a private hire driver to me . He was the owner of a 1 year old " tour type vehicle with fold down seats to the rear that could take any amount of luggage . He was very polite and a very steady/careful driver . Drove from Don Muang to Surin area ( approx 6 hours ) , stopped 3 times for refuelling and rest etc . I have used many taxis on long trips but this guy made me relax and even allowed me to nod off and I will be using him again next week when I go to Bangkok . Fare was 4500 baht for the 430 km trip.

Will I need a referral ?

Stats , every day there are 5 children who drown in Thailand . That has been ongoing for many years . Small towns rarely have swimming pools or sporting facilities . The money is available but is spent on commodities that are not necessary but will yield a pay off to those with the purse . Thai education needs reformation ( I am told by skilled and qualified English teachers ) .A Thai relative of mine has just taken up a post as an English teacher ( Uni taught ) . However she struggles to hold a simple English conversation with me . The lower classed Thais are a suppressed people . I know a few young Thais who speak English well , having gone to Oz , USA and the UK to study. These young people know how backward the Thai education system is compared to the outside world .

Thanks Sheryl , I searched on the hospital web site with professor Wicharn but nothing came up but I searched on the hospital spine unit and this name came up Asso. Prof. Wicharn Yingsakmongkol , same man I guess ?

Many thanks Tofer , I will follow up .

BNH ? is that Bangkok hospital in Bangkok ? I do not have my xray or mri films so I suppose I would have to go through that again ? Today I had a quote from the Vejthani Hospital for an MRI at 18500 to 25000 without contrast plus doctor fees and they know I do not have insurance, told them too expensive . They said , sorry take care . Do people pay these prices ? Sorry about the print style , cannot change ,have to turn off and start again.

So according to question 2 and the addendum it can be covid 19 insurance or general health insurance ? do you agree ? cos that is a game changer for the seniors .

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1020599/PHE_12073_COVID-19_booster_leaflet.pdf

I am in the same boat , I have had 2 AZ , last one in June in the UK , so I am due a booster . Today I Googled the question and below is the answer to what boosters you can have . Seems like a mix and match is OK . However , where can you buy it in Thailand is another thing . Also important to get a certificate of the booster cos as far as the UK are concerned the booster will become part of the vaccine compliance cert that may enable you to fly . Probably true for the USA and other countries too . Which COVID-19 vaccine will I get? Most people will be offered a booster dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine or Moderna vaccine. This means your booster dose may be different from the vaccines you had for your 1st and 2nd doses. Some people may be offered a booster dose of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine if they cannot have the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccine

That sounds about right cos my UK NHS surgeon was reluctant to give a definitive diagnosis , would not comment on the prognosis nor operate on me , which in turn has left me with no confidence in him . For the layman , it is not easy to be able to select an appropriate surgeon . I have just looked at the directory of spinal surgeons at my local UK NHS hospital . It lists their training / education / experience / awards , prizes and research papers . My surgeon is listed as a spinal consultant and is a member of the British association of spinal surgeons (BASS) . All of the above does not aid me in a selection for a surgeon as it means little to me but to a person with a medical background it would make easy and informative reading .

I watched the game this morning ( San Marino v England ) on ITV with no vpn and this time it was perfection with no buffering , 10 - 0 to England with 3 good goals disallowed by VAR ( wrongly in my opinion ) . What a one sided game , a pointless charade with a forgone conclusion .

Took mine 2 months ago and it involves watching a video that is about 45 minutes long . During the video you will be asked a simple multi choice question about three times . At the end of the video they will confirm that you have passed and then on the screen will appear your unique ref; number plus a Q.R. code for you to keep in your phone . Take all the paperwork mentioned previously in other posts to your local DLT office . You will be tested on braking reaction and traffic light colours . I would advise on watching the video on a reliable source such as a laptop rather than a mobile as if you lose the signal you will have to start all over again . https://www.dlt-elearning.com/Home

Many thanks Sheryl for taking the time to write such an informative post , really appreciated .

Thanks for the link which I read and hope you are OK that I have copied and pasted a small part of the report in italics . All I can say is that they must have a top of the range crystal ball . Transforming Pattaya—a former recreational playground for U.S. servicemen during the Vietnam War with a sleazy reputation as a sex tourism destination—seems like a high-stakes gamble. But Wallappa doesn’t think so, saying she believes that a new international airport proposed to be built by 2023 and planned rail links connecting Pattaya to Bangkok’s two airports, plus a monorail that will run right by the AWC Center, could turn it into a global getaway like Phuket. One thing that was not mentioned is the inclusion of a casino but I believe this will happen .Pattaya is to become a resort for the rich people within the next 4 years or that at least is the plan and if its bars and ladies that you want , then it's off to Phuket .

So true and any western h&s inspector would have a field day . Pavements with big drops , deep open holes , vendors selling their wares taking most of the pavement and lamp posts in the middle which often mean you have to walk in the road . Hardly conducive to wheelchairs or handicapped folks . There was a good opportunity during this covid event to reconstruct walkways but appears to not have happened . I did suggest over 1 year ago , when the authorities said they were going to make improvements to beach road , that they make beach road into a promenade and pedestrian only for most of it . ( leave access for baht taxis with deliveries to be made at a certain time of the day . Now that is a H&S consideration .

There is no consideration given to long term farang stayers , many of whom will have wives and children built homes and generally support their families . These farangs should be considered in retrospect but the new health insurance laws will exclude them from ever returning to Thailand if there was a need to make a trip abroad . No thought has been given to the fact that the farang has supported his family for many years and his exclusion will probably mean he can no longer afford to run two homes and thus the Thai family will suffer but does the Thai government care ? The situation is easily resolved by placing the farang on the Thai health system at a reasonable cost . Those who say if you cannot afford to stay in Thailand go home are just as inconsiderate as the Thai government and just because they may be younger or well off financially and the insurance costs are low does not make them safe cos there may well be other new laws to be introduced that could effect them . I choose my words carefully cos walls have ears and the foot is in the door .

Some fancy words that I Googled to understand . Does that make me ignorant or a person of low class ? kriengjai ? why not say empathy , or mores ? why not morals ? I believe you fail to understand that Thailand is an emerging country that has yet to catch up with the western traits of living . There is little doubt that western countries followed the same path of development that Thailand is . Education , not only schooling but social behavior have a long way to go but that comes from the top and a reversal of the suppression on Thai folk who know nothing better .

You ask , what is the nature of my problem , the UK surgeon thinks spinal stenosis in my lumbar region .Now that you mention it the UK surgeon spoke about epidural injections but said only 2 a year and that there was no guarantee that they would work ( must be an accurate point of injection to the problem area ) . The spinal stenosis , surgeon says the cause is degenerative bone disease . Below is an extract that I found in a search . If it is accurate what is the point of having epidural injections that are pain killers and are masking the problem which if left untreated can be terminal . Do you agree with the statement below ? What happens if you ignore spinal stenosis? It occurs from spinal stenosis that causes pressure on the spinal cord. If untreated, this can lead to significant and permanent nerve damage including paralysis and death. Symptoms may affect your gait and balance, dexterity, grip strength and bowel or bladder function

Taxes ? What are they for ?