DiDiChok

For me, the word "unaffected" simply does not mean much. I think that most people know what a "Bank Run" is, so I'll leave you to look into that further if you need to. This "unaffected" could possibly mean that there are no lines of people queueing to get their money out of a Bank. However, there is something called a "silent run" that is equally devastating and applies to Thailand. A "silent run" is when depositors reduce their balance in an institution to the guaranteed or insured amount. You may remember the Thai Government slowly reduced the guarantee for Bank accounts down to ฿1,000,000 per depositor per institution from a much higher level over the last few years. This guarantee comes into force when a Bank collapses to provide certainty that depositors are refunded up to that amount. I think Thailand reduced the amount because most have less than ฿50,000 in the Bank as shown by a recent survey. You may note that SVB covered $US250,000 and the UK covers £85,000. What depositors do with excess money to keep it safe is answered by how much they have. If there are enough Banks so that depositors' money can be spread between them to guarantee repayment in full, it's fine for the depositor. Otherwise, assets must be held outside the banking system in other tradeable ways such as gold, property or art. If enough money is moved in this way it is the same as a bank run with the same deadly consequences. Remember that nobody will tell you when a "silent run" is taking place but the Banks' risk evaluators will know and will alert the management. Being prudent, I did "silent runs" in the UK back in 2006 before the big crisis hit there. When the crisis happened, the UK Government decided to guarantee all deposits and averted catastrophe so my plan wasn't actually needed, but it could well have been. So "Unaffected" only means keep calm really and you should make of that what you wish. That's fractional banking for you.

I don't drink Chang any more because of what I call a "Changover". It's a kind of muzzy in the head feeling the next day. I've always assumed that there is an additive that's making that happen. It would be nice if someone analysed some to find out.

For cataract surgery, the price will depend on your prescription. Are you astigmatic and do you want that fixed? Shall we install fixed focal length lenses? Do you want to be a teenager again and for us to install the variable distance lenses that have the new "reading" component as part of the lenses so that you don't need reading glasses any more? Should we do "Limbal relaxing" to correct minor astigmatic faults? and so on . . . I simply asked for a successful outcome and the best job that they could do. I had top of the range everything done in 2021 and paid ฿250,000 in total for everything for both eyes, and I was astigmatic, short sighted and 71. 20 minutes for each eye and everything has been brilliant since. The biggest surprise was the colour restoration to my vision as I used to be a heavy smoker. The surgeon said that the original lenses had gone really brown. I've been told since that I paid too much and could have got it done more cheaply, but I am so grateful and pleased with the end result that I don't care. I had thick spectacles from the age of seven.

It's not so much the statins that I don't like, as I experienced a lot of trouble when I took them. After a month or so, I had terrible muscle pains and was confined to an armchair all day. Even trying different statins made no difference. My brother always took them in the morning, but I had to tell him that they had to be taken in the evening as that was when the "Bad cholesterol" was at its peak. It's pointless to take them in the morning. What I don't like is the way that the bad cholesterol is "Measured" because that isn't what actually gets measured. Two other things get measured and then the "Bad" level is computed. It's a right old fiddle. What's more, it depends on the time of day that the levels were measured. As I understand it, the "Bad" level is low during the day but starts to rise in the evening with a peak overnight. From early morning on, the level drops again to near nothing. To reduce the high level overnight, Statins must be taken in the evening. So if in the past you always got tested in the morning, try to get a test done in the afternoon and you'll be surprised by the "level" reported. I'm not a conspiracy theorist but when the pharmaceutical companies earn so much money from statins and throw money at Doctors to promote Statins, it's no surprise to me that they shut all dissenting voices up. I agree with the dissenters because I found Statins to be a poison. I'm fully vaccinated and have had Covid but I won't take Statins ever again.

I was in a similar situation except that the passport number Kasikorn had got for me was from two passports ago. Nevertheless, they updated everything and the address using the current passport only. However, as I used to use online Banking on a PC, they had to be asked to change that address, the one used for the phone app plus any others. It seems that depending on how long you've had the account, things may be recorded elasewhere on previous systems. At the same time, I discovered that they were now able to record lots more information as there were new fields on their screen. I was able to add my UK address and so on. If you run into difficulties and they try to persuade you to go back to the original branch where you opened the account, simply ask them to call the call centre. There are also "Customer Service Captains" available if you've a thorny problem.

While noting that the OP didn't mention using an IDP in Vietnam, I'd observe that: If Jeremy Clarkson (see Top Gear - Vietnam episode) could get a Vietnamese Driving Licence (maybe only at the upmteenth try) then you should be able to as well?

Oh ****, you're quite right. There's the 7% VAT on my bill and I got so engrossed with the UK bills I missed it. As it's a 5/15 supply I can't complain as I've had the discounts and so on.

When I'm in Thailand I always think the electricity is very cheap. In the UK I pay 27.86p / ฿11.94 a KwH and my gas heating is 7.37p / ฿3.16 a KwH. Goodness' knows what the prices will be next year though. ฿4.72 / £0.11p a KwH really is cheap after all, and there's no VAT on it either (5% in the UK).

I'm surprised and then not surprised that they told "Qman" he couldn't renew. Yet again I think you must be careful about which office you go to and how you conduct yourself while there. I renewed mine in Pattaya when it had expired 2½ years before. Yes, an agent told me I had to go back to square one as it was over a year. But I just went to the desk in my best suit, white shirt and tie. I asked no questions, had everything ready and said "I've come to renew my licences" and they did. It really doesn't help you to ask any questions at all in Thailand and to remember that the default answer is "Yes" to everything. Ensure officials are always in charge and be extra polite. There was an article I read that said while the emergency decree was in force because of the pandemic, that you could renew expired licences up to when three years had passed. Lots of regulations were side-lined and the pandemic is still going. Even the Police and Insurance companies were treating expired licences as valid as well. That may have ended but I don't think so as I haven't checked. If it was me, I'd just ignore the fact that I'd been refused and just go there and try again or better, try at another DLT Office. I only got my Thai Bank account by persisting in the same way at loads of branches.

Now we're geting somewhere thanks to "FriendlyFarang":

I am all for refuting misinformation but the way to do that is to present concrete facts and not pleas. Is there anyone (maybe you?) able to scan the front and rear of a pink ID card so that we can run it through a translator? Has you or anyone got a link to the relevant Thai laws about these cards? I think this information is needed rather badly.

Friend of mine threw his pink "ID" card away when he found out it wasn't ID and wasn't accepted anywhere. Plus when you have one, you're not supposed to leave the Province of registration without the Governor's permission. It's more of an Alien's card for workers and he said it says on the card that it is only valid in the Province it was issued.

Where to measure it from is always the 'biggest' question. Well, mine is eighteen inches . . . from the back of the settee.

Got sent to gaol for fiddling with little weed.

You may find these advertising flyers useful: Cataract-and-Prelex.pdf

I too have always dealt with "Mai Pang" (translates as not expensive) motorbike rental in Jomtien Complex. The nice lady there (Tik) and her daughters always find me a nice bike and I pay for 'their' extra insurance which covers replacement of the bike. Then I teamed up with someone who lives here and bought a couple of old bikes that they lend out to other farang plus ensure that I've got one to ride when I'm in Jomtien. If they crash one and it is unrepairable, then they promise to give us ฿15,000 but to date it's never happened. Minor this and that, but generally OK. If you're here for any length of time, you can always buy a personal accident policy fairly cheaply. They usually double the cover when you have an accident involving a motorcycle, and I think that's a brilliant idea. I've been here 20 years, spent a lot and never had an accident despite all the doom mongers, so I've wasted a lot of money.

Well, yes - you can be refused IOLs if your prescription is out of the range for the accommodating lenses but you can fall back to fixed IOLs as their range is wider. Retinal damage, diabetes and various other conditions can also be a reason for refusal. In the UK the NHS only pays to fit the single vision type and then gives you reading glasses when you have cataracts. The NHS also does its best to hide the information that they only fit single vision lenses. Personally, I find that a disgusting way to save money but then I was able to buy a better outcome. As with everything, there is a limit depending on your prescription but improvements to what is now 20 year old technology are being made every day so do not give up hope. The progress is being made not only because of the huge money to be made from the operation but also the excellent outcome rate for the operation. It sells itself too as word spreads of the benefits. If you have the operation done in your mid 40's then you cannot develop cataracts plus your eyesight then becomes 20/20 and may be even better. This is why it is called 'Supersight'. I advise seeking information from everywhere you can plus from more than one consultant, as they can get "tied" to one lens manufacturer depending on discounts and their desire to try newer treatments. I don't know who made my IOLs and was very wary but as I said personal recommendations about the results from the Consultant I saw by the Grandmas I met convinced me to follow his advice. I have not been disappointed. To get back to your original request, I always photograph all documents in Thailand as soon as they are put into my hands for any reason. This has been beneficial to me in many ways. Below is a cropped photo of my card from the Optician. You can see the left eye deteriorating plus I stopped having the variable focus lenses in my glasses as they no longer worked. It wasn't until the cataract became vision obscuring over a few days and I saw a Consultant that I knew what was going on and realised that I had been stupid. I am still unhappy that the Optician kept denying that I had cataracts but then they wouldn't have been able to sell me glasses if they had told me earlier! The Consultant told me that advice previously was to wait until the cataracts had 'seasoned'. Nowadays, existing lens removal by the 'phaco emulsifier' method now used is much easier the earlier it is done plus it has a better outcome. You are advised never to wait nowadays.

I would beg you from the bottom of my heart NOT to have Lasik or any other "single vision" (fixed focus) corrective surgery if you are 60 years old or in fact anywhere over 45 and have sufficient money. It may limit your future options for truly corrective surgery. The cataract in one of my eyes developed over only two weeks into clinical blindness and the other was on the way. I had the "Prelex" or "Supersight" surgery where they implant a new lens and now have 20/20 vision in both eyes, plus I do not need reading glasses any more. I was also astigmatic and that was sorted out with toroidal lenses and something called 'Limbal relaxing'. The IOLs (Intra Ocular Lenses) are of the tri-focal type and allow me to focus at distances from about 5 cm to infinity. One eye was operated on and the other two weeks' later. It did take about a month for everything to settle down because of the astigmatism corrections but now it is gobsmackingly wonderful. In addition, I can see brilliant colours again. I'll leave you to search Wikipedia and Google to get some medical and detailed answers. I had to have glasses from about age 8 until last year at age 71. It is so nice to be free of spectacles at last. If I had known that they could have done these particular operations years ago, I would have had it done. I could have avoided getting the cataracts as well. I always felt any single vision correcting surgery would be wrong for me and ran the other way. Like everything medical, there are downsides. The operations did cost me ฿250,000 and they were suitably terrifying but pain free, and only took 20 minutes per eye under local anaesthetic. Most health insurance excludes cataract surgery costs and no cover at all is provided after the age of 70 on all the policies I have examined. I now see a kind of halo around certain coloured point lights at night but you soon get used to that. Most can see straight away after the operations but as my prescription was complex, my vision was not so good at the start but then improved daily. This being Thailand, it is "up to you" but I hope that a consultant will steer you down the right road. My operation was done in Chiang Mai at a hospital recommended by the local Grandmas who live here in Lamphun. I now know why you don't see Grandpas up here wearing glasses any more!

Well 'Mr Liverpool Lou' you don't believe it then? I'm not telling lies either. Here's the text of Lazada's email to me - and I refused to do it as it would give anyone all the information needed to conduct a fraud. Then I deleted the card and added it, after which it worked perfectly again: Dear xxxxx xxxxx, Warm greetings from Lazada! Thank you for contacting us of case number 20500000477NNNNN This email is regarding your concern about Debit card payment rejected We do apologize for the inconvenience caused. Please kindly provide me the evidence to proceed further investigation. - Picture of ID card or Passport - 6 first digits and last 4 digits of credit card - Picture of credit card (back & forth) - 1 month statement After receiving all of the above evidence, I will co-ordinate to related team taking 3 - 5 business days. Then I'll update you in your registered email with Lazada. Kindly reply to this email back within 48 hours otherwise your request will be automatically closed by the system. Should you need further assistant, please contact our customer service via live chat 24 hrs. or call 02-018-0000 From 08:00 - 18:00 hr. Monday - Saturday. For more information, visit our help center here Best regards, Lazada Thailand

Following advice, all I had to do was to remove the card I'd got registered and then add it again and go through the verification process. Something must have been upgraded somewhere, so before cancelling your account you should really try delete/adding the card first. Fixed it for me and my friends who were suffering.

I bought a new 2021 Honda City RS last March. Got free insurance but I said I'd pay the asking price once they said I could have it in 14 days time. They delivered as promised and I paid up on the day by transfer using the Kasikorn app. They did say they've no incentive to give a discount for case as they' rather you went on the drip and paid every month, as they get more money that way.

I know what the OP means and it wasn't until I found that there were lots of things being hidden from me because the Thais thought I wouldn't like them. Like Kai Yat Sai which is an omelette formed into a case like a pie containing lovely minced meat, gravy, vegetables and potatoes like in a shepherd's pie. The cheap battered fried chicken and sticky rice sold by the road is really nice for breakfast. Breaded fish with vegetables in oyster sauce is lovely. They do have children and they don't eat much spicy food. Then there are regional variations of dishes that can make Thai food suitable for our palate. I've had wonderful pork leg in gravy with spaghetti and noodles, some mixtures are amazing. Sweet and sour anything is nice as is fried rice with meat or prawn. Most sweets are sickly sticky Indian type items but if you persevere, there are plenty of edible ones with fruits. Make lists of what you do like and what you don't. You'll be surprised by how many nice things there are. Mind you, I dislike cheese intensely so the Thais' aversion to dairy products suits me very well.

What a lot of misinformation! I got given a piece of paper after the first vax while doing the 20 minute wait to see if you're all right. Being anal retentive, I always photograph everything immediately. When the 20 minutes was up, they came and collected that piece of paper. When I got home, lo and behold I couldn't find my 13 digit ID number that people were saying I needed. But when I looked at the photo of the paper I'd given back, there it was. Now I've had the second Pfizer vax plus waiting for an hour and a half afterwards, they gave me the "Thailand National Certificate of Covid vaccination" (13 digit ID number on it, starting 6000 ....) with the QR code to the MoPH page for confirmation. All not so easy for those who didn't wait or didn't look closely at everything they were given. Google Translate from camera & photo is so useful at times.

Great news I wanted to share. I've volunteered for the latest vaccine trials for Covid-19 in Sattahip, the vaccine having been made by a Russian Pharmaceutical company. A successful outcome will mean worldwide recognition of its effectiveness. I received my first shot and wanted to let everyone know that it’s completely safe with иo side effects whatsoeveя, and that I feelshκι χoρoshό я чувствую себя немного странно и я думаю, что вытащил ослиные уши !

I registered on expatvac.consular.go.th on 3rd August. I was vaccinated with Pfizer on Friday 27th here in Lamphun, Lamphun Province about 25 Km from Chiang Mai and the Lamphun Government Hospital. Really efficient and smooth process indeed considering the place was packed with people. 2nd vax organised for 17th September too. While I have no underlying conditions, I am also 71 and so that probably helped. While you may think that this doesn't help you, I have posted this elsewhere and the comments received are that large population centres seem to be being attended to first so that big numbers get vaccinated. I've also seen a report in the Bangkok Post that 90% of Bangkok residents have received their first inocculation. Don't give up hope, I think they'll get around to everyone in due course providing your name's on the list, which you've done.