mstevens

Made the mistake of buying a fake pair of Levis at Pratunam some years ago. Complete waste of money and nothing like a genuine pair.

I have found that you need to be careful when the word "will" is used by Thais when talking about things they will do as part of a deal / transaction. Always insist that the things they say they will do are done before you commit / pay. Too often things are said to appease a potential customer when there is no genuine intention to see through on what was promised.

Was this told to you by an employee of Bangkok Bank or is this a new policy which can be verified with some official documents / on their website etc? It does seem rather an extreme policy, hence I wonder how you know about it?

Do some research online on "Berberine". Might be for her, might not.....but no harm in doing a bit of research about it. It has many benefits. If you're using oregano oil then berberine might be one to consider too. Good luck! Also, just thinking outside the box here, has she been tested for "SIBO"?

Many New Zealanders leave the country to go on their "OE" - overseas experience, where they work for a few years before returning home. It's almost like a rite of passage for many New Zealanders. Being a small country with just 5 million people means a smallish economy and being so isolated means relatively high costs for imported items and a higher cost of living. This can drive some people away. While many New Zealanders do seek employment abroad, a good percentage return home. Most New Zealanders are proud of their country and few consider their homeland a hole.

Ardern has lied about so many things and her popualrity has plummeted in New Zealand while the ignorant international media which lauded her seems to have rightfully turned their back on her after seeing her true colours these past two years. One of my favourite quotes (meaning lies) of hers is when she was asked why the world was vaccinating but New Zealand was not and did not have any vaccines in the country and was not expecting vaccines for many months and she said, "It's not when you start the race, it's when you finish", implying that while New Zealand started vaccinating late, but would come out of the pandemic before other countries. History shows us that New Zealand is still struggling while many others are well past the peak and coming out the other side. New Zealand is typically slow and behind the rest of the world and as a Kiwi I am not proud to say that.

I agree with what you say. I would like to add another factor. Quite simply, Thais have more money today. Many Thais love to socialise by eating out together. This can mean ordering lots of food, trying new types of cuisine, buffet restaurants etc. All this eating out might be fun, but it's not good for keeping trim!

I found real estate agents in Bangkok to be hopeless, with one exception. Most just seemed to one want to insert themselves in to a deal to make a commission while really adding very little. A couple I dealt with told so many fibs and gave the impression they'd do almost anything for money. There's much I like about Bangkok but one area where my homeland is 100 times better is real estate agents who have to be professional otherwise they will lose their licence and then won't be able to work! Don't forget that realty isn't a profession in Thailand and it's not like real estate agents have to pass exams and be part of a professional organisation.

I bought my first MacBook Pro in 2014 after using an iPhone for a while and liking it a lot. Since then I have bought another Macbook Pro, the latest 16-inch model, just a couple of months back. I also have an iPad. The way all the devices work together and the way the whole Apple system work is just seamless. I have never had a problem with any of my Apple devices - and my MacBook runs pretty much all day, every day. I have two MacBook Pros (the 2014 model has been relegated to the cupboard as a backup) and to be frank, there was no reason to buy the new 16-inch model - but boy, am I glad I did. It's wonderful in every way from being super fast, having the most gorgeous screen and is just a joy to use. As a note, my 2014 i7 MacBook Pro still works perfectly. Battery is good for 3.5 hours. Screen still looks good, and it's still more than fast enough for any task. I bought a 2021 model simply because I wanted to treat myself. Since getting my first MacBook Pro and later an iPad, I have become a big Apple fan. The devices are just so nice to use. They're not cheap - but they're very well made and they last. And remember, in certain industries like photography and graphic artists, Apple has a big majority share of the market. If you have the budget for it, the new MacBook Pros are just brilliant! Honestly, they're such a joy to use. The speed, the screen, the battery life, I could go on. I paid the equivalent of about 90,000 baht (I am not in Thailand at present) for the new 16-inch MacBook Pro and I am delighted with it. If you've got the money, treat yourself!

Am not in Thailand at present but have had two Pfizer shots and will not get any more.

The odd bar from there is now in the bar complex in soi 7.

I thought he did sell it. Now I am confused.

Depth of field is the term and no, despite what some people may say, there are many situations when a camera phone cannot do what a "real" camera with interchangeable lenses can do. That's not to say that in the right hands a camera phone cannot yield great results, because it can.

So long as you're in a sunny part of the world, you get a lot more vitamin D from the sun that you do from the "standard" vitamin D supplement of 1000 IU. Half an hour in the midday sun might get you 10 or 20 times that - although there are many variables such as time of year, your skin type etc. Some people supplement with higher doses of course with Fauci on record as saying he takes 6000 IU of vitamin D per day. For me personally, I spend a lot of time in the sun. I've never had my vitamin D levels tested but they would be high for sure. I do it because I like to be outside and find sunbathing to to be relaxing. Long before Covid came along I had read about the benefits of high vitamin D levels. If it does offer some protection against serious illness from Covid, all the better.

So a lot of sunbathing or merely time in the sun might offer a good deal pf protection, perhaps even similar protection to the vaccines? Pfizer et al will absolutely hate this and do everything they can to discredit this study....

I heard he was broke and desperate for money. Figures.

I have had bank accounts in Thailand with SCB and Bangkok Bank. I just had a standard debit card and both allowed me to make withdrawals at ATM machines in NZ, in New Zealand dollars, at decent exchange rates (but the rate is never as good as Super Rich in Bangkok). Bring some NZ dollar cash but also know that at any time you can use your Thai bank ATM card to get money locally, no problem!

One hint. Buy any New Zealand dollars you’ a to bring in Thailand. Don’t exchange baht in New Zealand as the rates offered in Thai baht in New Zealand range from bad to horrendous.

Strictly speaking, no, tourists cannot open a bank account on a tourist visa. You’re supposed to have a residence class visa or citizenship.

Cards can be used just about everywhere here in NZ and for many businesses, they prefer card to cash. There are a small number of businesses (often smaller businesses in the hospitality industry) which don't accept cash. Hardly any don't accept cards these days (a few vendors at farmers markets spring to mind but that is about all I can think of). Cash is useful when negotiating a price at smaller hotels which are often owner-operated. If you deal directly with the owner, look for a 20 - 25% discount off the rate for cash. If they won't give you that, offer to pay with your card....some will then accept the offer and take the cash.

I hate to admit that you nailed it comparing the Thai and NZ healthcare systems. It's that access to specialists which makes Thailand preferable in my opinion. I tried to get an appointment with my GP recently and the wait was 3 weeks. The alternative was to go to the urgent medical centre where the fee is $80 (my GP is $45). Ultimately I will need to see a specialist and that will take months. If I could fly to Thailand now to see a specialist, I would.....but alas, NZ makes that impossible.

I rented when I was in Thailand, always a condo, always in Bangkok. Stayed in a few different places over the years and one of the advantages to renting was that I could move without any issue. That meant I was able to upgrade easily and move to try out a new area / be closer to a new job. There's a lot of convenience in renting including being able to leave if there are problems - though fortunately I never had that issue. The other side of it though is that renting can add up if rent for a long time. I guess over 15 years I spent approximately 3.5 million baht in rent. OK, it's not a hige amount of money especially given that I lived in some nice places. But had I bought any of the places I had stayed in, all have appreciated massively and I probably would have sold and at the very least got my money back, if not turned a profit. There is no right or wrong answer as to whether to rent or buy. I don't regret renting but at the same time I acknowledge that in retrospect, buying would have been the better decision, financially. That said, these days with the situation may be a little different. If I was doing it now, I'd rent without regret.

My sister in law managed to get almost a million off a house in a new development in Bangkok which she bought early last year. Asking price was 8.8 million and she ended up getting it for 7.9 million baht. She's in sales herself and obviously knew how to go about it.

I pick it’s #2.

All this <deleted> about hookers and prostitution talking it up as nightlife and sanuk and other warm, fuzzy terms are fooling themselves and putting lipstick on a pig. These websites are dinosaurs from a time passed highlighting the worst of Bangkok. Good riddance to their demise. Here's hoping they are not replaced by others. Time for Bangkok to put that piece of history behind it.