mstevens

4 hours ago, KarenBravo said:

He should have sold the site when he had the chance.

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

8 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

How about the depth of focus (not sure if that is the correct term).

Would you be able to take a picture like this on a mobile phone?

 

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.

2 hours ago, placeholder said:

Well, maybe it's difficult to get enough Vitamin D in your bloodstream merely by sunbathing? Clearly, the question should have been addressed. But  anyway, whether it's through sunbathing, or as a cheap supplement, it's very good news. As for Pfizer or other vaccine manufacturers working to discredit the study, got any more conspiracy theories to share with us?

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.

13 hours ago, StayinThailand2much said:

Do you know, whether I can also use it 'everywhere' in NZ, Oz, and online?

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. 

20 minutes ago, StayinThailand2much said:

 

Can tourists open a bank account there? If this were possible, I'd like to do that, just depositing the money in Auckland, withdrawing if I needed it in Dunedin...

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.

On 1/27/2022 at 7:36 AM, thaibeachlovers said:

As for the Thai public system, I had a far better outcome re diagnosis of problems than I ever had from western public health systems because I could be seen by a consultant any time I wished, so long as I was prepared to wait a few hours to do so. Cost a fraction of what it costs to see a GP in NZ and the chance of seeing a consultant here is extremely poor. I've been trying to have a chronic problem diagnosed for years, without any success.

So YES, the Thai public service is better.

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.

6 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

It's always ......

1. girl problem.

2. no money problem.

3. legal problem.

4. Health problem

I pick it’s #2. 

8 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

Dr. Panon at Samitivej hospital. US trained specialist in GYN oncology 

https://www.samitivejhospitals.com/doctor/detail/panon-kasemsarn

 

Sounds like this is cervical and not endometrial cancer?

 

If so depending and if it is early  stage there are indeed less invasive options.

Thanks a lot - this is exactly the sort of info we were after. We're going to make an appointment to see Dr. Panon right away. We're very grateful for this info and the recommendation!

As for whether it's cervical or endometrical, I THINK it might just be cervical at this stage.....but not 100% clear with some things lost in translation!

1 hour ago, big dendrobenaes said:

go siriraj  hospital or bumrungrad

Appreciate the hospital recommendations but really looking specifically for a recommendation for a doctor / surgeon.

My wife's sister has just received the bad news that there is a cancerous growth in her "lady parts", confirmed by a biopsy. She has been given a couple of options being the removal of a small part of her lady parts where the growth is or what sounds like a full hysterectomy. The advantage of a full hysterectomy is that cancer will not come back down there.

We'd like to get a second opinion before proceeding and are looking for recommendations of any respected doctors / surgeons in this field. She's in Bangkok. Any recommendations of a top doctor in this field would be much appreciated!

7 hours ago, Tropposurfer said:

I buy mine from Central Food Hall. New Zealand free range (not farmed, and sustainably caught). It's not always for sale there so I always grab a few more kilo's when it is. Delicious and as fresh as flown-in fish can be. The Aussie (Tasmanian) salmon they sell is also delicious but also not sold all the time.

Last time we bought, it cost something in the order of 2,000 to 2200 baht a kilo. They also sell (most often Alaskan salmon fillets) for about 2000 a kilo day in and day out.

I hate to tell you that here in New Zealand wild salmon is not available commercially. Sure, you can go out and catch wild salmon yourself but as for buying wild caught salmon at fishmongers or in supermarkets, good luck. I'd be wary of any vendors in Thailand saying that salmon imported from New Zealand was wild caught. That's not to say that farmed New Zealand salmon is bad, rather that what you're getting up there is most likely farmed and not wild-caught. For reference, see point 7 from the website of this New Zealand salmon producer: https://www.regalsalmon.com/nz/blog/top-7-salmon-myths-busted/

14 hours ago, Leaver said:

I was under the impression that the vast majority of fully vaccinated people recover within 3 to 5 days from covid.  Hope his ok.  

Hopefully he is ok. His general health may not be great - he had a heart attack a few months back and like many business owners, the uncertainty must have caused him much stress and anxiety. Here's hoping he's ok.

Go out to one of those stores that sells maid uniforms and buy one. Then go to the top of Soi Nana, outside the Nana Hotel where there are a lot of Thai ladies looking for work. Take the uniform along, show it to her and - remembering some of these ladies have little English - say, "You can be my maid for 9,000 baht?" If she nods her head in approval or says yes, odds are she will be willing to start there and then so take her back to your apartment, let her change in to the uniform and she can get started.

7 hours ago, jaiyenyen said:

I've just been told that all bars in soi 7 have been closed due to a covid outbreak

 

Was inevitable....and one would expect that bars in other sois like Soi Nana will follow.

Given the likely trajectory of Omicron, I'd say bars - as in the whole industry - will not open up until around the middle of the year. An Omicron wave is coming and will last a while....and then there will be nerves following it as things settle down. Hopefully that will be the worst of Covid over and with it, bars will finally get the green light to open. Best bet? Mid-May - June.

18 hours ago, RAZZELL said:

That's bad form! ????

 

RAZZ

It sure is bad form to only offer 1/3 of what someone else is offering!