mstevens

This is absolutely not the reason it was built. That motorway was built to connect with the port at Laem Chabang so all of the freight that moves between there and parts of the Eastern Seaboard as well as factories and warehouses far and wide could be transported smoothly with less delays. Tourist trade was absolutely not the reason that motorway was built, although tourists travelling in that direction from Bangkok, and vice versa, do benefit from it.

They were still there a couple of months ago. Great store and very knowledgeable owner!

Go for it, Chuck, and come back and tell us how it works out for you.

I favour Aura water. It's not about the taste, but the minerals and electrolytes. Aura is more expensive than many other local brands, but not by a lot....a few baht per bottle. As spring water, Aura has minerals and electrolytes which you need to replenish if you spend a lot of time outside / sweat a lot. There are other brands of spring or mineral water which I imagine are just as good.

Dr Damian Corca is a famous sleep doctor and has a lot of good info on her website about the many different types of sleep problems along with hints and tips to overcome them. The difficulty with sleep issues is determining just what the root cause is and then treating that. You might find some helpful info here : https://www.damianacorca.com/blog

I lived in Thailand for many years but eventually moved back to my own country of New Zealand. It wasn't an easy decision but Thailand eventually wore me down and my personality type is one where I place great importance on security and certainty. In that respect New Zealand beats Thailand. I don't like uncertainty and as the years rolled by, there always seemed to be one issue or another in Thailand. I look at the banking issues some friends have had to deal with recently and I just don't want to face that crap. To me, retirement should be easy and hassle-free. Of course I miss Thailand, but we go back for holidays frequently. Undoubtedly there are many aspects to life in Thailand that beat New Zealand hands down. The variety of food, the lower cost of living and the sense of fun are all near the top of the list. For my wife who is still working, she can earn much more money in New Zealand than she ever did in Thailand, and can save north of a million baht per year. Maybe one day we will move back to Thailand but as things stand currently, we have a good life in New Zealand and it is our preference to be here.

We use a diffuser from time to time and have a few different oils that we use. Lavender is pleasant and makes the room smell fragrant. Tea tree oil makes the room smell fresh. These are the two we use most often. Do note, however, that pets can be very sensitive to the scents and cats in particular can get very sick if exposed to certain essential oils. Tea tree oil is particularly toxic to cats. Also, some people can be sensitive to these scents where a small amount / limited period of exposure can be pleasant, but a longer exposure can make you feel unwell. As such, start slowly, and try oils for a short period of time and see how you feel. On a related note, simply running a decent air purifier in a room can make it smell much more pleasant and clean.

I've been a Mac user for about 12 years. I currently run an M1 MacBook Pro which is coming up to 4 years old and it still performs like the day I bought it and does everything I need perfectly. It really feels like a premium machine, everything from the brilliant screen to the keyboard to the trackpad to the speed at which it does everything to the operating system which I find really easy to use and intuitive. I also really like the way my Mac syncs seamlessly with my iPhone and iPad and how multiple apps sync across all the devices. Prior to buying a Mac, I had used Windows-based machines and it seemed like every so often there was a problem of some sort. I have never had any problems at all with my Macs. Granted, Macs aren't cheap and a similar-specced Windows machine may well be cheaper. If you're on a budget or a budget-conscious, it isn't always easy to justify a Mac. But if you want a premium machine that is just so nice to use, I'd recommend a Mac. And you don't have to pay sill money - the M4 MacBook Airs are powerful enough for whatever you throw at it. Honestly, I wish I had gone Mac even earlier than I did!

Much of this article is based on an article that originally appeared in the Scottish Sun, October 28, 2024, hence October.

I didn't know South Korea and Japan were 3rd world.

I heard he sold it for something like 50k baht. Then something happened to that guy who left Thailand and another guy started writing it. You can see how it has changed and its definitely not the same guy writing it. Its changed a few times.

Honestly, I have no idea how much a doctor's visit and treatment would cost. A consultation with a doctor 1,000 baht, perhaps? Perhaps they will take a sample and analyse it? Another 1,000 baht for lab work? Or perhaps they will just go straight to an intra-muscular injection of antibiotics. I honestly don't know how much it would cost but if money is tight, I understand Pattaya City Hospital or Pattaya Memorial Hospital are cheaper than Bangkok Pattaya Hospital. I hope this helps. Good luck!

From Google, "Zithromax-resistant gonorrhea is an emerging and serious global health threat." Do you really want to risk taking a very strong antibiotic that might not resolve this? Seriously, go and see a doctor in any hospital for a confirmed diagnosis.

If you haven't been to see a doctor, how do you "know" it's gonorrhea? Many STDs have similar symptoms. Also consider that you might have contracted more than one STD. Go to any hospital and they will be able to diagnose what you have and provide the appropriate treatment.

My feeling is that depression amongst foreigners resident in Thailand has a lower incidence than the general population in the West. Depression is widespread in the West today, especially, interestingly enough, amongst younger people. Most young people I see in Thailand seem to be having a great time. Amongst us older folks here in Thailand, I also don't see a lot of depression. Plenty of grumpy folks, but full-blown depression? Not so much, at least that's why I think. Just my observations as a regular Joe who doesn't pretend to be able to recognise depression.

There are a couple of mobile phone vendors that also do foreign exchange on the soi that links Sukhumvit soi 5 with so1 3/1 in the Arab quarter. The soi is just a little further up from Guliver's and the outlets are about 40 or 50 metres in to the soi, near soi 5.. They'll exchange USD of any vintage, although the rates are a bit lower for older / damaged banknotes.

He came across on the report from the border as an unbalanced muppet. I hope Cambodia didn't pay him a lot of money because every last $ was wasted.

If you suspect you might have pre-diabetes, get an HbA1c blood test to confirm / rule it out. If you are pre-diabetic, adjusting your diet and lifestyle can reverse it. That's preferable to taking any pills or potions. If you're considering Metformin, you might like to take a look at Berberine. It's a herb that has many benefits, some of which have been compared to Metformin. There's a lot of good stuff online, including on YouTube. Google "Berberine or Metformin for pre-diabetes" or similar searches and you'll find heaps of info out there. Some doctors and practitioners recommend Berberine over Metformin for blood sugar control. Personally, I avoid pharmaceuticals. If I had a medical condition, I'd always look to natural products, like Berberine, first. But the best thing to do is to make lifestyle and dietary adjustments to address the root cause.

Err, but we're only 7½ months into the year!

I wonder what his employer at Windmill A Gogo thinks of their employee's behaviour? Probably couldn't care, at a guess.

What a heart-breaking story. Poor Willie's life has been charged forever. Thoughts go out to him.

This is a strong antibiotic and should really only be taken when a bacterial infection has been confirmed. It could be that she has a fungal issue in which case an antibiotic won't be helpful and an anti-fungal like Fluconazole might be required.

Some of those who used to provide really good info are no longer on the forum, and it feels today that it is dominated by jokers and people who wish to argue over politics. For those who like joking around and arguing over politics, it's great. But for learning about navigating life in Thailand, I don't think this forum offers anything like the same quality of info that it used to. And that's a shame because the owners have done a good job with the server and the forum itself is faster than ever.

Good to see a review where someone gets it that there's so much more to Pattaya than the nightlife and how that is just the icing on the cake.

Nervous nationalities like the Japanese and some other Asians will stay away. The Thai baht will take a hit and more Westerners will visit. So Pattaya will have fewer Asians, and more Westerners. In other words, a return to the old days.