mstevens

This new system is supposed to come in to effect on March 19, 15 days from now. When can we expect embassies in USA / Europe / Other Places to announce it? This week? Next week? You'd hope they would announce it soon so people were aware and could apply using the current system and prices.

I have tried a few different types of Melatonin for sleep - different brands and different dosages. This one works well for me, and is cheap. I like it because it helps you to fall asleep AND stay asleep. And the latter was my problem. I would often wake up a few hours after falling asleep and struggle to get back to sleep. This has really helped with that. https://www.lifeextension.com/vitamins-supplements/item01786/melatonin-6-hour-timed-release

This is only partially true. The RDI of magnesium for a male is over 400 mg. A banana has around 30 mg. 100 grams of durian has around 30 mg of durian (so you'd have to eat 1.3 kg of durian to reach the RDI of magnesium). The amount of magnesium in broccoli and guava is even lower. For sure, it's great to get minerals and vitamins from food and a balanced diet is definitely the way to go. However, if you're deficient or simply wish to load up on magnesium to help relax and potentially help with sleep, then supplementing may be the way to go.

Of course it’s not a New Zealand only thing. There is absolutely no reason why it would be. It was simply that the Thai embassy in New Zealand announced it first. New fees are coming soon to an embassy and consulate near you!

And you can guarantee that visa fees will increase by a similar amount as has been flagged in New Zealand. This will be worldwide. Guaranteed.

Magnesium can help to make you feel relaxed. It's also a useful supplement to take as many of us are deficient in it. From all that I have read, the impression I get is that magnesium is often a part of sleep supplement formulas - but often just one of several other ingredients. Whether magnesium alone is enough to help you sleep, I am not sure. But certainly, 200 mg of Magnesium Glycinate should not hurt! How is your liver health? TCM (traditional Chinese medicine) says waking up at 1 AM - 3 AM can be a sign of a congested / overworked liver. Of course, this might have nothing to do with why you're waking at that time, but it's something to consider.

Read somewhere that he lives with his Mum and Dad as he can't afford to rent his own place. What a life!

How long has it been since the visa extension fee of 1,900 baht increased? It is many years, right? If that went up 600%, that would take it up to over 10,000 baht. I think there will be a lot of very unhappy people if that happens. With that said, that visa extension fee is handled by a different government depart to visa fees at embassies and consulates.....but you would expect that at some point that 1,900 baht visa extension fee is going to go up too.

Check around March 15 or 16 and you'll probably see an update then.

So what is the reason for this increase in New Zealand, and seemingly not elsewhere? There are a few possibilities: 1. The price increases are indeed worldwide and the embassy in New Zealand jumped the gun in publishing the new prices. Consulates and embassies elsewhere will follow with announcements in the days before March 19. I strongly believe this is the case. Let's not forget that there have been changes to visa policy in the past that has been announced just a few days before the change came in. 2. The new prices reflect the rates Thais have to pay for a visa to visit that country. If that were the case, expect adjustments elsewhere around the world and visa fees to be different, depending on where you apply / what your nationality is. 3. New Zealand is a test case to see what sort of change there is to visitor numbers if visa fees are hiked significantly, with this used as part of the decision-making process to determine how much to increase fees by elsewhere. New Zealand has been used as a test market for some products released by major Japanese manufacturers such as Panasonic, so you could say there is precedent for this, even if it seems unlikely. My money is firmly on number 1. The Thai embassy in New Zealand jumped the gun and published the new visa prices early. I maintain that come March 19, wherever you are in the world you'll be paying the equivalent rate for a visa in your local currency.

That was abolished 24 years ago, after New Zealand changed the rules on Thais who until that point could visit New Zealand visa free for 90 days. When NZ changed the rules on Thai passport holders, Thailand did the same to NZ passport holders.

For me, a big part of the appeal of Thailand was that it was a very cheap place to visit and when I moved there, a very cheap place to live. And by that I mean a Western standard lifestyle. Nowadays, it just doesn't feel to me like the bargain it was. Sure, compare it with some places and it's still cheap but it's nothing like it once was. When things were so cheap, I was able to overlook some stuff that I wasn't really comfortable with. Now that it's a pricier place, I find it harder to overlook some stuff. As Thailand becomes pricier, I think it changes the mix of foreigners who choose to live there, to some extent at least. Probably visitor numbers will just go up and up. But because it's not the bargain it once was, it becomes a less attractive place for someone like me to live.

I think it's simply a case that the Thai embassy in New Zealand jumped the gun and posted the new fees before it was officially announced. With forum moderator George coming out and saying the MFA will be announcing new WORLDWIDE visa fees on Tuesday, you can take these new fee rates as Gospel.

I would expect that the price to extend a visa in country of 1,900 baht will jump by a similar amount. Before it was 500 baht, it was 1,900 baht - so it increased by almost four x. Could that happen again? Could it become 7,500 baht or thereabouts to extend a visa?! Oh, this is going to hurt a lot of people!

Thai embassies and consulates around the world standardise the price of visas. So if a visa costs NZD 50, it will be around USD 30 in the USA, UK 25 etc which is about the same price as NZD 50. There will be slight differences due to fluctuating exchange rates but they work out to be roughly the same price. This is nothing to do with New Zealand being an expensive country. Assuming these visa fee increases as posted at the Thai Embassy in New Zealand are for real, you can expect similar price increases in all Thai embassies and consulates around the world from the same date, March 19. These price increases are very steep!

When Omeprazole first came on the market it came with warnings NOT to use it long-term. I seem to recall the recommended time of use was 6 - 12 weeks, maximum. Omeprazole reduces stomach acid. The problem with that is that stomach acid is an important part of your digestive process and a lack of stomach acid affects digestion. This can mean undigested food which can result in bacterial overgrowth, malabsorption and other GI issues which can cause a cascade of increasingly serious symptoms. I know acid reflux is not nice, but perhaps it might be worth hunting for a doctor who can identify the root cause of the acid reflux and treat that - and not just treat the symptoms which is what Omeprazole does.

In this case, Campbell is but the interviewer. As for Campbell being an opportunist, you do know that the money he makes from his channel goes to medical facilities in Africa to help people in rural areas. He has done countless videos from the clinics he supports in Africa. Campbell is not someone living high on the hog. If you disagree with the people Campbell has interviewed then so be it. That's your right. But no need to tell fibs about him.

I gather neither Sanuk nor Stickman are American.

22 degrees all night long for me!

Really enjoyed this one!

I have tried it a few times although the last time was several months ago. It's good and if you enjoy seafood, lovely ambience and eat a lot, it's worth it. The restaurant, Edge, in the Hilton, is very nice with tables spaced well apart, a really nice ambience and a gorgeous view out over Pattaya Bay. Do consider that there are other seafood restaurants in the area and you might prefer to order specific menu items to your liking. 1,500 baht x 2 = 3,000 baht. Spend that at one of the seafood restaurants and you'll get a lot of food. I think it's one of those things you should try at least once. Plan to go again when I am next in Pattaya.

It's not that bad, but then it's not good either. If you drink alcohol, take a break from it for a few months. Ditto soft-drinks. Lower your fruit consumption, especially fruits particularly high in fructose. Lower your consumption of processed carbohydrates (pasta, bread, cakes, muffins etc). Feel free to eat lots of good quality meat, cruciferous vegetables, healthy fats. Within a few months you should see improvements. If you follow these suggestions, I'd retest in 3-4 months time and see how the levels look then.

A long shot, but could it be an electrolyte imbalance? Take some electrolytes or coconut water....might help.

I would like to come at the issue of food intolerances from another angle. People often develop sensitivities to foods over time i.e. something you used to eat and had zero reactions to now causes a reaction. This is often due to gut issues. It could be anything from IBS to dysbiosis to SIBO to fungal / yeast overgrowth to leaky gut to something more serious like Celiac or IBD and the likes of Crohn's or ulcerative colitis. When you say, "From what I can see all im left with is meat and veg and rice", this is a classic presentation of people with a messed up gut! Thailand has plenty of gastroenterologists but I am not aware of any specialist gut clinics that take a functional medicine approach to gut health which is often what is needed in cases like this. When you're next in Australia (presuming from your post that you're an Aussie), it might be worth scheduling an appointment with a gut clinic and going from there. This is one area of medicine / health where Australia is light years ahead of Thailand. A quick medical history along with a breath test and comprehensive stool test can identify many issues which conventional gastroenterologists simply don't test for. Identifying such issues and treating them (often with a combination of practitioner-only supplements, herbal anti-microbials and perhaps antibiotics and / or anti-fungals) can resolve issues. With the gut fixed, your food tolerances disappear. I really don't think testing for food tolerances is the way to go. Find a really good gut clinic or functional medical doctor who specialises in gut issues and go from there. The root cause will be identified, can then be treated and following that you should have far fewer issues with intolerance to food.

Err, if you're going to cover your face you should probably cover your boarding pass too. Those large files can be displayed at full size and there is a name on the boarding pass.....