luicks

Are you going by car or motorbike? CK Crew (a group of 6 friends in Chiang Khan riding motorbikes) did a trip around Nan last year. If you want to follow a scenic route I'd recommend going to Nong Khai first, then follow the river to Chiang Khan and Na Haeo, then backroads up to Nan. From there you could follow the route KhunLA recommended. Very nice indeed.

I'm German with residency in Thailand and rented cars in The Netherlands, Germany, the UK and in Florida with my 5-year-licence (plastic card) without any problems at all. 

Saloon Bar is the place to go. Best on weekends. In Chiang Khan stay in one of the many guesthouses with river view on Chai Kong Road. A drive along the river road to Nong Khai is very interesting. Stop at HiSo Bannork restaurant (ไฮโซ-บ้านนอก) in Ban Hat Kamphi. Google maps: 42VC+HRQ, Hat Kamphi Unfortunately open only on weekends during lunch time but their slow-cooked ribs are spectacular.

1 hour ago, Photoguy21 said:

The first Thai licence you get is for 2 years. On renewal of that you get 5 year.

It's about my second 5-year license that I need to renew in August.

I eventually found a modern specialized eye hospital with professional staff in Udon Thani and had lenses in both eyes replaced with EDOF lenses on the same day. Cost for one eye was 35,000 THB plus a fee of close to 5,000 THB for a very thorough eye examination prior to surgery. I can recommend Chaksusathan hospital for excellent service and reasonable prices. Check it out on Facebook: จักษุสถาน อุดร : Chaksusathan Udon.

I need to renew my 5-year driving license in August and wonder if I can do so with a certificate of residence from another province, not from the province where I want to renew my license. Has anybody done this before or know if it's possible? Thank you so much in advance.

I will get a new passport through my embassy in Bangkok together with a letter asking immigration to transfer my Non-O visa and extension of stay stamp to my new passport. Can that be done at any immigration office or only at the office that issued the extension of stay?

Sorry, I forgot to ask: Did you need insurance?

Well done. 25 days is not too long to wait I think. Enjoy your stay in Thailand.

Thank you for the list of hospitals. Loei provincial hospital is overcrowded and friends had bad experiences with Muang Loei Ram. I haven't thought of Fort Srisongrak Hospital and will take a look. I'm also looking at Srinakarin Hospital (KKU) in Khon Kaen but haven't got a reply to my email and phone calls are not answered. It's more convenient to me to get to Bangkok than to Udon, Phitsanulok or Khon Kaen. Thank you all for your replies.

On 8/16/2022 at 3:20 PM, doctormann said:

I did pay extra for the initial eye examination, which was carried out at Bangkok Pattaya Hospital.  That was to specify the lenses and to check for glaucoma or any other problems.  This was less than 2000 Baht.

 

The only other expenses were for post-op medication - eye drops that you have to use for a few weeks.  Didn't cost much.

 

I had my first eye done just a few days after the initial exam and the second eye a month after that.  I had a final check on both eyes after a further three months.

 

Be aware that it does take a few days - it did in my case - before you can see clearly with the operated eye.  Immediately after the operation the eye is 'packed' and the packing is removed after 24 hours.  I had to go back to BPH for this.  No possibility of driving yourself anywhere at this stage so you need someone to assist you.  Depending on the degree of corneal swelling it does take a while for the eye to settle down.  In my case, the left eye took about four days before I could see clearly.  The right eye only about one day.

 

i found that the biggest PITA was the need to use eye drops every few hours for the first couple of weeks and needing to use an eye shield overnight.  All good now though and I am very pleased with the result.

Thank you very much for the info.

On 8/16/2022 at 11:01 PM, Sheryl said:

On 8/16/2022 at 11:57 AM, luicks said:

I'm looking for affordable cataract surgery as well. Did the price include everything like pre-examination and after care? How do they proceed? 2 or 4 weeks between operations and how long did you have to wait for the operation after the exam? I'm asking because I have to travel 600 km and don't want to waste time and money if the hospital is not for me. Thank you so much in advance for answering my questions.

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Where in Thailand are you located?

I'm in Loei province and there's nothing near me.

On 7/2/2022 at 3:33 PM, doctormann said:

Jomtien Hospital Pattaya (part of the Bangkok Hospital Group) - 39000 Baht per eye for single vision lenses.

I had both my eyes done there, earlier this year.  Excellent result!

I'm looking for affordable cataract surgery as well. Did the price include everything like pre-examination and after care? How do they proceed? 2 or 4 weeks between operations and how long did you have to wait for the operation after the exam? I'm asking because I have to travel 600 km and don't want to waste time and money if the hospital is not for me. Thank you so much in advance for answering my questions.

I want to apply for a Non-O (retirement), multiple entries at the Thai Embassy in Berlin and this is what their website says about the requirements with regard to financials and health insurance. 

"In addition, please upload to item 8. proof of overseas health insurance in 
English or Thai (2 documents in one file), which includes the following requirements 
includes high:
- valid for the entire stay in Thailand
- minimum coverage of 40.000 Thai Baht (or 1.300 Euro) for outpatient treatment
- Minimum coverage of 400,000 Thai Baht (or 13,000 Euro) for inpatient treatment (inpatient)

Financial evidence (A copy of pension statement or a copy of 1-month bank statement showing your income from pension, or 3-month bank statement of at least 5.000 EUR."

3 years ago there was no health insurance requirement. Now it's needed for the whole duration of your stay in Thailand,  3 months single entry - one year multiple entries.

 This might be a deal breaker for Stocki going the Non-O visa way as he says he's not in good health.

"Just had a cataract done in one eye ,no lense"

No lense??? How did that work?

Thanks a lot!

9 hours ago, transam said:

A Thai military hospital, they do outsiders stuff too....????

Would you be so kind to tell us where this military hospital is located and how to contact them?? 

Thank s a lot. That is very helpful.

Has anyone had cataract surgery recently? I'm looking for an affordable hospital. I'm thinking about Srinagarind Hospital of Khon Kaen University but its rather difficult to get even a ballpark figure about the cost. Any recommendations?