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Thanks Mokwit!

I am looking for advice on a re-shipping company to forward packages from USA to Thailand. In the distant past I had used Shipito and had a good experience over many packages and cheap rates. Then they seemed to have gone sideways. ie rounding up to the next pound instead of by the ounce etc. I am looking for recommendations of who is good and why and those to avoid. I used to buy things off of ebay and at that time fees were only about 10$/lb. I expect they have more than doubled. I don't need consolidation as I buy infrequently and don't need a year contract, but if cheap enough I might consider it. I also do not care about speed - ie fedex, dhl - a month+ or so is no big deal. Tax free states like Oregon would be a plus. Shipito was great as you could word the customs form accurately, but vague enough to avoid theft potential as I usually I didn't care if it got lost. Then as the items were used, I could put low valuations to avoid import fees and opt out of insurance. That being said, I did send a couple of ebay laptops and cameras without issues. Has anybody used MyUS.com? With many items containing lithium batteries do re-shippers charge more for those items or do they just need to be declared while the shipping fees remain the same? Thanks *To moderator, I wanted to post this to general Thailand forum, but it did not seems possible.*

I am looking for a supplier of high quality outdoor gear making fabric & materials in BKK. I am not talking about the stuff they use for the fake Lowe Pro bags etc. Cordura, pack cloth, ripstop, YKK zippers by the meter in various sizes, Gore-tex, Dermizax, Malden Mills pile fabrics. Webbing, trim tapes, V69 poly thread, Quality flat and cord elastic, cord locks, ITW Fastex nylon buckles/sliders/ladders etc. Thanks

Thanks Sheryl, you are the best.

Hi, I am looking for a recommended foot surgeon to perform the minimal invasive cheilectomy procedure in Bangkok. Cheilectomy is where excess bone on top of the big toe joint (MTP) is removed as it causes a limited range of motion (Hallux Limitus) & gait changes. The traditional cheilectomy opens most of the top of the toe joint whereas the minimal one has 2 small incisions (single stitch each) on either side of the toe with a much shorter recovery time. My situation was caused by overuse and a toe compromised by prior toe breaks. I was doing about 2000 vertical feet in an hour on a pretty steep treadmill most mornings. I think I caught it early enough as I have no pain just an odd tightness that never goes away...then I realized too late that excess bone was being laid down in my bodies self protective attempts. Thanks

I would like to understand better some details on how the high rise water systems work in Bangkok and have a few other related questions as well. Most buildings have a ground level system that pumps water to a huge tank on the roof and then there is a rotation of user-side pumps with a pressurized cylinder/bladder to even out the flow between pump spin ups. Our building has about 5 metered lines from the street that goes I assume, to a pump housed somewhere with riser pipes to the roof tank. With a 50 story building, are there one way valves located in the riser pipes every floor or so to keep water from going down again? (would a failure is one or more of these valves tend to cause a deep rumbling at times transmitted through the concrete?) Also this building had its 8-10 inch "filler" galvanized pipes submerged in the roof tank water that were severely rusted away after only 5 years (knife edge thin) - is this normal or defective pipes? (these pipes are at the top of the tank pointed vertically down and were extended into the water most of the time). Should they have been shorter to begin with or was water level too high or defective pipes? The managers whom I don't trust at all, just chopped about 30 inches of the ends and fitted pvc pipe as the solution, but I am worried about the rest of entire building and its riser pipes... never saw such rusting away in just 4-5 years. They chopped off similar ends in the fire sprinkler tanks etc that also rusted away. I also notice that there is no sacrificial anode installed in these tanks. why not? (in the west there is a zinc rod in hot water tanks) Is this a violation of Thai construction code? I fear this whole building's pipes are being eaten away. Also in the roof tanks (which ran dry twice) How does the water level controller work? (it does not seem to be a float type mechanism (one sees in a toilet), but rather there is a vertical 2-3 inch pvc pipe with some vertical slots cut into it. Also shouldn't there be an alarm that goes off in the tech office when the water level drops below a certain point? All they said was that a relay had failed (seems like a single point of failure) - we can't have this tank that serves 1600 units run dry with no warning... Also is it standard to have 5 small meters/lines coming into a large building? seems pretty half ass. If anyone has some details and/or diagram showing from the street supply line to a pump, riser system to roof tank and controllers etc for how it is done in BKK I would appreciate it. I also could use some explanation on the high riser sewer tank system too... it seems they have multiple tanks (why) and some high pressure equipment running (why) and in general why even have a holding tank at all? as it is connected to the sewer system. Do high rises in the USA - West have holding tanks? Again thanks in advance for the answers.

I went to college with a gentleman named <removed> in the mid 1980s (Product Design - University of Washington, Seattle USA). He was living and working in Bangkok for an US furniture company both as a designer and local worker liaison as he was fluent in Thai having spent time in Thailand during the Vietnam war before going back to college in the USA. I visited him in Thailand in 1990 and later we both moved as did his parents who were my primary contact to reach him. So today even though it has been decades, I thought I would put a post out and see if anyone knows his whereabouts or ever ran into him. Thanks

Hi I have a few pages of legal documents that need to be sent from the US to Bangkok. Speed is not that important, but what I need is a signature at the receiving end and about 300$ insurance. I have received Fedex items ok in the past, but they seem like double-triple the cost of UPS Worldwide Saver. Has people had good luck with UPS? ie last mile and signature - phone alert contact in BKK? Usually tracking issues come down to last mile concerns which I am not sure USPS offers it once it leaves the US mainland. (ie you get notice it left the US and then arrived at BKK airport - ... then nothing else) Also I am not sure about the local delivery agent "fees" (charging a service fee aka bribe etc - basically holding your package hostage). I think DHL and others were notorious for this in the past. That being said, USPS has never lost anything over the years. But I never needed a signature upon delivery. Have others had any experience with USPS delivery signatures? Suggestions & advice appreciated

Is the antiviral Paxlovid available in Bangkok? Where and how much? Medisafe said they don't have it. This is a plan B response to learning that secondary vaccines to counter omicron and other recent variants are not available in Thailand. Thanks

Are there any of the new Omicron variant specific vaccines available in Bangkok? If not, any time table for availability? I checked with MedPark and BNH they said they had no info. Thanks

My Thai partner and I were married in the US. I have a certified copy of the marriage license (embossed and stamped on the back per US law). What is precisely needed (steps & documents) to have this marriage recognized officially by the Thai government? She did some initial calls and some are saying she needs to travel back to the US and get some other stamp etc which sounds like a bunch of BS. I need some first hand information rather than armchair projections. Thanks.

Update: I eventually asked Häco directly via LINE. They said, "Sorry these 2 models are out of stock. We're developing a new model following TIS standard" — Thai Industrial Standard. I don't know why they didn't meet TIS to begin with, as they are much better quality than all the others I have seen being sold over the last decade. I also checked the Thaiwatsadu website. They show only the 2 prong model at 25% discount for 24 baht, but it listing is overlaid with *out of stock* tag. I hope Häco don't change them much or put round pins in them.

Does anyone know where one can still buy the Häco brand replacement power cord plugs? They used to be stocked at HomePro for several years. Now they have disappeared from the stores in Bangkok and I did not see them at Boonthavorn in Hua Hin during a recent visit. They had both a 2 prong and 3 prong versions (see images). Great for keeping cords close to the walls with the side cord style and were of great quality. They had a small neon light inside, but it was easy to cut out if you didn't want it. My email to Häco Thailand was never answered.

We have basic True cable TV service. For foreign movies (by this I mean where the default language is not English ie. French, Italian, German etc) the ability to select audio as English track shows as an option (accessed via the TV remote audio button) but never works. Meaning the English audio track never plays. Note: These are recent films that have English as either dubbed or subtitles when released. The same problem exists for turning on English subtitles (shows as a selectable option, but doesn't work). We have their provided standard digitalHDTV CATV table top box (coax cable input ~ 4 years old - hdmi out) with a TrueVisions labeled remote. Besides the movies on channel 224 and 29, the same lack of English audio track on exists on other channels like the nature/animal channel 559 that has a fair number of foreign language content. My inquiry to True support was never answered. My question is to find out is this a known problem? or do others get English audio with foreign movies with True - ie maybe a specific conversion box issue? or does True staff never bother to get English audio tracks and subtitles configured to work as their default business model?

I have been in Thailand since before the pandemic started. I also recently renewed my visa extension (non-b) work related (March 2022, good until March 2023) and there was no medical insurance requirement for that renewal paperwork (they told me insurance was not needed as I was just extending in-country). I want to travel out of Thailand (this summer) and return with my re-entry permit based on the above non-B, but I need to know if a proof of insurance will be required of me as it seems the typical tourist rules force those entering Thailand to have proof of substantial insurance for the duration of their stay. Secondly, if insurance for my situation is required are there any suggestions for inexpensive solutions? or tactics such as I heard of signing up and then later canceling after a month etc. as I am usually in country for nearly the full year. Thanks

Two questions: 1. Is being over 60 considered a risk factor for receiving booster shots according to official Thai Ministry of Health guidelines? I remember seeing something regarding this about 8 months ago, but not sure if it was *official* or just a recommendation. 2. What are the locations where one can buy Astrazeneca, or pfizer or moderna privately? I know many hospitals are taking money for moderna reservations, with vague timelines and no refund policies due to various factors. A Thai friend said most of those are PR moves and hampered by supply issues. I would be OK with an AZ shot, but heard all of those are gov restricted as well as pfizer. So not sure why the for-profit moderna is not in the same category or am I missing something?

Hi, does anyone know if being above the age of 60 is considered by Thai Ministry of Health to be in the "risk group?" as the Jan 4 BKKpost article titled: "Govt urges uptake of booster shots as Omicron cases rise" states: "A fourth dose will be given to medical personnel, frontline workers and risk groups three months after their third shots," Due to Thai gov policy and my having already 2 sinovac doses and the moronic US "no strings attached" pfizer donation blocked me from receiving 2 pfizer doses my taxes paid for. I eventually finagled a single pfizer dose from Medpark staff, but that was over 4 months ago. Then a month+ ago Thai policy blocked me from the AZ booster (They view all shots/vaccines as being equal and the limit at that time was 3). For those that don't know Sinovac produces 1/10 the antibodies of Pfizer. I was feeling ok with the single pfizer, but then Omicron kicked in.

I know the OP stated the cause being his allergies... but cutting down on his exposure levels might help a lot (ie addressing the source). I would like to suggest consider paying attention to home filtration measures. I have an air quality meter that measures from .3 to 10 micron. (.3, 1, 2.5, 5 and 10) close to one of BKK's numerous charcoal satay or chicken stands, blows reading of over 60,000 - where they say anything over 50 is *not good* I have measured 300+ plus 41 stories up off of Samyan intersection on the worst days. (The US embassy never installed an independent AQ meter like they have done in Beijing, though I did suggest they do so) This is the reason the state of CA banned charcoal grills many years ago. I did a lot of retrofitting and window sealing (default Thai windows do not seal worth S - both for noise and pollution). Even during the worst BKK pollution I can keep our condo at 1/10 of whatever it is outside or lower. I recommend using a 70% cover on your AC units with 3M filtrete filter material (electrostaticly charged). The long roll is a lot cheaper and easier to work with than the folded packages - the folds prevent it from laying flat and makes it hard to cut. (This changes your existing AC units into an air filter. Then do a 100% cover over your bathroom and kitchen fans since most damper doors do not really seal. I also run a large quiet 3M FAP03 unit with added cheap ebay (powercord direct) digital timer that cycles it on and off each hour or so. This saves 50% of the energy as even on its lowest setting it is using 100watts. After a month or so the white 3M sheets go nearly black. I don't have any specific allergy, but this cuts down massively on baseline congestion. In the past I tried Omnaris nasal spray at night (better pharmacies sell it at 700 baht - good for a month, but at half dose (one squirt instead of 2 - 60 days), but in my opinion dealing with the cause/source is better than "treating the symptoms" as they say. I notice a rather rapid increase in congestion after being out and about that clears up once back inside. I used to spend weekends in Samat Prakan in a place with windows that did not seal and some neighbors that cooked with charcoal I was always a congested mess. This area of BKK has some really bad baseline air pollution from my readings. Then in central BKK with all the concrete construction and high rise teardowns there is so much concrete dust in the air the flat helipad on our condo has a thick layer of it and we are 1km meters away.

As others have said, being late is 2000bht with nothing more to worry about. It is easier and cheaper to send your 90 day report via EMS 15 days before due with return 10 baht stamped envelope (need passport face page, visa page, most recent entry page and TM47, usually they also want the previous 90 day half A4 slip. But if you don't they just put a red stamp asking you to include it next time. (for the passport, visa and entry images I just make up a pdf to print all on one page) Maybe this time they might overlook your missed reporting and just give you a new date slip. They aren't set up to bill you or fine you by mail that I know about. A quick trip to the post office might be safer & cheaper than a long haul to sit around tons of people. Usually about 57 baht for the EMS and stamps. This method is reliable - never failed over a few years.

In my experience, a few months ago many expat foods were being discounted because of fewer buyers. Then I suspected they reduced their orders leading to shortages. Many Villa Market places seemed to have several empty shelves covered by a front line of cans or jars hiding the emptiness and reduced stock/variety. The thing that is most annoying is that with less buyers some items have slow turnover and are stale. I have to rebake all of my tortilla chips to make passably decent nachos. Then nuts going rancid. Even at Foodland where they used to be 24 hours with full AC, is suffering from this with reduced hours. Now you have some stuff that has been sitting in a hot warehouse for a few months longer before it even gets to stores. Usually robust pickled jalapenos from a brand I trust was pretty bad due to high temp long storage.

For US citizens who managed to prior receive the low efficacy Sinovac etc they are now barred from receiving the Pfizer mRNA vaccine whose taxes funded this donation to Thailand. see attached webpic. The lack of US assurances to guarantee all its expats in Thailand 2 doses of Pfizer is a huge PR mistake with the potential for life and death consequences. How is this fair or right in anyone's book? Moreover even the Thai gov knows the low efficacy Sinovac allowed 600+ medical workers to get infected and arranged for them to follow up Sinovac vaccinated staff with a booster of Astrazeneca. So if secondary vaccines are good enough for Thai health workers how come it is not for the US citizens/expats that paid for it? The US gov first obligation should be front line health care workers and its tax paying citizens. Some corrective decision making is needed ASAP where US citizens are guaranteed doses. I mean even France and China managed to carry this out for their expats. US is lagging a distant 3rd.