jaf3

well, if anyone on this thread cares....I was in Beirut this past weekend and what REALLY happened was the police, believe or not, were minding their own business and were provoked and attacked by rogue elements (read Hezbollah youth-goons) first, and the police/military responded. Those kids were lighting tires on fire and rolling them down hills towards the police/military, what were they supposed to do? in general the police/military have been very measured in their responses since the first few days of protests back in October which were admittedly rough. 

drats they were one of the few stores with men's size 40/42/44.....!

and i remember when in 1990 1.5 rubles got you a bottle of Georgian champagne in a fine restaurant....

I consulted with my accountant who also does visa work....Advice is to get the last entry before any extension/renewal (retirement, etc) done on time and correctly, before going in for the renewal. Apparently they are not tracking every time you go in/out before your renewal, or fining you for each unsubmitted TM 30, only checking for TM 30 for the last entry. So, maybe the thing to do, if feasible, is do your renewal the day after you return to Thailand and do the TM 30 on the same visit to Imm.

My question is.....For those extending their retirement visa: What if we ignore the TM 30 the entire year between extensions and just pay the fine before extending. Will they fine us for each non-reporting or only for one? When I extended at CW in June there was only 1 fine for 800. That is a lot easier and cheaper than making 15-20 reports by mail or trips out to CW. 

Ukraine Air is just fine - one advantage now is that if you want extra legroom they have an Economy Premium section or you can pay extra for an exit row seat. I use them often when flying between Kiev and neighboring countries. Quite professional compared to other airlines in the region. They are quite picky about baggage weight rules in cabin and checked, so plan accordingly - they will charge you at the gate. 

21 hours ago, scorecard said:

I just can imagine they would split the couple up. 

I have traveled with a disabled friend before - 5 people in the group but only one disabled and they let us all use the Priority arrival lane 

Last time I got bumped from biz to economy due to a similar situation I was paid $2400 and given an exit row seat - Turkish Airlines though 

Every neighborhood has a tree, if not a temple, where the spirit houses can be put to rest after their years of service. I asked a neighbor's housekeeper who was glad to help for a modest tip. 

Daesh is not an acronym.....surprised Reuters would get that wrong. 

Daesh and variants. ... Daesh is used by many Muslims, who believe it better separates the group from their faith. While "Daesh" has no other meaning inArabic, it is very similar to the Arabic word دعس‎ (Daes), meaning "one who crushes (or tramples down) something underfoot".

as long as they all have good cheap food courts in the basement I am all for them

Best place to eat good and cheaply at BKK is the employee food court on ground level at the far end of international arrivals side of airport

any ranking that puts Amsterdam at the top of safe cities list and Bangkok at the top of dangerous cities is way, way, way off - I lived in Amsterdam for 12 years and had many, many safety issues (muggings, stabbing in a park, pickpockets, Balkan mafia dressed as police and shaking people down, etc) whereas nary a single problem in Bangkok. And dont get me started on the utter uselessness of Dutch police (here they can actually solve cases once motivated to do so). 

It is very simple to make the declaration at BKK (I have no experience with DMK but imagine it is the same): go to the area on the far end of the departures hall (opposite end from THAI 1st class check-in) where they are making VAT refunds. Tell an officer you need to declare cash over $20,000USD in value. You go into a side office, fill out a form, and sometimes they ask to see the money (happened once out of over 10 times to me). It takes 5-10 minutes. Easy. 

The office is off at the far right hand side of the departures/check-in area where they are also doing VAT reimbursements. It is done with a hand-written entry log which seems very 19th century. Interesting to notice what amount other people are bringing in and out in cash and in what currencies. I recommend doing it if you are carrying over $20,000 equivalent. They never have asked me to see the cash and display little interest in why you are carrying the cash or what country you are traveling to with it. 

All EU nations require this of Thai applicants. Other nations I have visited as well. Seems like smart policy to me and this insurance is not expensive - less than 30THB per day in most cases

If she was indeed HIV+ and taking the medication, the test result could be showing an undetectable viral load which means the medications were working. Like others are saying, something missing from this article. 

I stopped flying with BA in 2004 after several issues with out of control drunk passengers and the crew doing nothing about it - their policy is lacking and they tend to liquor passengers up at the expense of a peaceful flight. 

My reading of my BUPA policy shows that HIV related illness is not covered. The necessary drugs are not that expensive anymore if you must pay out of pocket.

However keep in mind that HIV is now a very manageable disease as long as you stay on the cocktails and live healthy. A person on the HIV cocktail drugs has a viral load called 'undetectable' and poses virtually zero risk to their partners. There is lots of information on MSM/Gay/Bisexual websites in the US. You could eventually go on PReP (google it) aka ' Truvada' which would provide you another very reliable level of protection. I am 57 and, while not HIV positive myself, have many friends living with HIV for over 2 or 3 decades now. This is no longer a death sentence or a long slow road of declining health. Both of you can live long and happy lives together.

In my case, the long, looong, recovery period, about one month, was worse, and more frustrating, than the illness itself.

Supposedly the juice of crushed fresh papaya leaves helps a lot, but that info got to me too late.

Thanks guys - the septic tank vent sounds like the culprit and the easiest to try to fix first - I will report back

On that note, does anyone know a plumber who knows their stuff here in Bangkok? I will pay (almost) anything to get this done right!

I have a guest house near Sathorn Soi 1, a shophouse from 1982. I installed new plumbing when I renovated it in 2006.

The washing machine is on the 6th floor (rooftop). For some reason, when someone runs the washing machine, we get sewer gas bubbling up from the toilet and/or the shower drain on the 2nd or 3rd floor - the problem moves around between the two floors.

We have emptied the septic tank. We have put the 'good bacteria' in the septic tank. Does not change the situation.

The smell persists and seems to be tied to when the washing machine is draining a load of water from the machine.

Any insight into what causes this and how to solve this problem?

Is it simply a question of ripping up the floor an installing a U-Trap?

I dont see how the ping pong ball idea (no comments pls.....) solution mentioned in this thread would help if the problem is coming from a toilet?

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/431529-sewer-gas-remidies-in-condo/

Anyone out there - retired plumbers? - I could hire to help me fix this?!

thanks,