SamSanuk

I rarely smoke, but when I do, I partake with a very weak sativa strain that is hard to find these days. So when I pass by a weed shop, I stop in briefly to see if they carry this strain. This time, I was in a Santitham neighborhood.

A nicely dressed young couple was inside looking to finish up a purchase. By their English they seemed to be Eastern European. The young man had a $1000 baht bill out and on the counter were a few small plastic bags of weed. All seemed well, they looked happy with their purchase, when the seller brought out a single sheet of paper, explaining in broken English they needed to show their passport, fill in their names, passport number and sign the document.

The couple paused, said a few words to each other in their language, then said that sadly they couldn’t consent to the purchase. I spoke up and said that Thailand is changing its recreational weed laws, and this is part of the new process.

The young lady turned to me, and very nicely said that weed is illegal in her country, and they couldn’t take the risk of this purchase showing up on their passport upon returning home. They apologized to the seller and left the shop.

Now, imagine this happening all across Thailand, and the chilling effect is very much there. I’m American and could care less what Uncle Sam thinks about my purchase of weed in Thailand. But for others from countries that frown on weed with repressive laws? It might be too much a risk. 
 

And so it goes.

I recommend Dental World as a start. I met some great dentists there, as they travel around the city to other practices. 

Quick update: I have run the water for about an hour, and the cloudiness is gone. So I imagine it was air bubbles that got into the system.
 

Much ado about nothing, I guess. 🙏

In my hotel, post earthquake, they had to shut the water off for about 24 hours on the top floors of my hotel. Water was turned on the next day.
 

Today I noticed if I pour some tap into a glass, there is a cloudy sediment (?) which clears up in a few seconds. The hotel said to run the water for a time and see if that helps.

Just curious if anyone has insight into this? I just shower with the water and use a Brita for tap water for cleaning and steaming vegetables. The rest of the time I use bottled water. 
 

I did read about aeration bubbles, which seem to be the case as the sediment rises and clears.
 

6 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Officially they say expect a wait of 6 to 8 weeks but reports generally say it's more like a month.

HOWEVER, nobody knows yet who's still working at the passport office after the Musk-Doge effect.

ALSO, the government may be shutting down soon.

So there are some Twitter "X" factors in play that haven't been before the election.

Good points. I have some time so I will then wait to see if our impeccable government will shut down.

3 hours ago, adisornc said:

we are in the process of renewing my passport now. Following the instruction from the embassy web site is not accurate. There is NO courier pass back envelope per se that you can buy from any post office. I went to 2 post offices and they did not know anything about it. You have to buy it from the Thailand Post online using the link provided in the instruction (mailing the passport section). Once you paid the 100 Baht, at the bottom of the page, the purchase invoice number will appear (starting with  THP...).

 

You then write this number in the "check list" page that must be included in the package that would contain all the check listed items and send by courier to the embassy. Courier must be either DHL or Thailand Post only.

 

I hope this helps. I wasted two trips to the post offices plus one more trip to mail the package.

Very helpful. You probably saved me some trips to the Post Office. 😊🙏

Two questions:

*The 100 baht fee covers the postage on the courier pass back envelope?

*Thailand Post Online sends the envelope to Bangkok?

I will be renewing my US Passport shortly and I understand that this process requires mailing my passport to Bangkok.

I was curious if there is any services in Chiang Mai that help you complete the process. 
 

If not, it does seem rather straightforward BUT I did get confused by the Courier Pass Back envelope. Can I go to my local Thai Post and get this envelope?

Also, a passport CARD is offered. Any reason to get this?

Any suggestions or advice is appreciated. 🙏

9 minutes ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

Is it not a dehumidifier? 

 

I can't see why any one would want more humidity 

When you run an AC and Air Purifier, the air can get quite dry overnight. A humidifier gently adds moisture to the air without raising temperatures.

I have a fairly inexpensive Xiaomi Humidifier but it’s causing havoc with my air purifier. 
 

Was wondering if anyone bought a better model humidifier THAT FILTERS out minerals/particulates, given that I’m currently using tap water.

Also, on the subject of proper water, would bottled water make a difference? 
 

Or do you use distilled water? And if so, are there delivery services for distilled? 

1 hour ago, Briggsy said:

There are rarely any updates to any story. The press have a symbiotic albeit lesser role to the police and follow them around rather like cattle egret following buffalo.

 

The police allow them access to crime scenes (breaking news, pictures and clips) and people involved (victims, perpetrators).

 

The police in return are much more able to control the narrative and what information is shared and what is not.

 

Every day, on to the next new stories.

 

This allows police to resolve, finalise or even dismiss cases in a way that is best for them and the press know not to ask for follow-ups unless they are proactively shared by the police.

 

In traffic cases even involving fatalities, provided whoever is deemed to be at fault (if in doubt it will be those surviving, with the most money and least connections) has the means to pay their way out, nobody goes to prison, nobody is prosecuted, nobody loses their licence.

 

I expect this is what happened here after all is said and done.

Truly incredible and sad. But makes a whole lot of sense. 

6 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

There has been no updates reported in the Thai media.

 

Which normally means 2 things, it is either going to court, which can take months or years or it was resolved with a compensation payment, which may only later appear in the home country press, if at all.

Thank you. Given I’m an American in CM, and many a time see foreigners acting like idiots on motorcycles, I was curious if this fellow was high or drunk, speeding, reckless, etc. I guess I may never know.

Well, it’s been one month, and not one update. 
 

Kinda frustrating since I was curious how this situation resolved itself.
 

Prison? Fine? Both? Neither?

The Lotus Hotel behind Kad Suen Kaew Shopping is closed. Today I went to the hotel and bumped into one of the partners. Here’s what I learned.

The closing of the hotel has been in the works for about a year. It officially closed a few days after 1 January 2025. If I heard correctly, roughly 250 employees were employed at the time.

The rather gorgeous Olympic size outdoor pool on the seventh floor is also closed and now drained . I swam there last December sadly not realizing it would be the last time. I think at one time it was the largest pool in Chiang Mai. ฿100 for entry was a great deal, including a towel. 

The gentleman I spoke with said that both properties, hotel and KSK, would be sold together because they share electrical and mechanical systems . He seemed to suggest it would be a good spot for a casino, but obviously the buyer would have to have deep pockets for renovation. Plus I have no idea of the politics involved.

21 hours ago, Bill97 said:

Doctors are what it is about not clinics

Lot of truth to this. 
 

With this in mind, the owner of Dental World , I think, is an implant specialist. 
 

Also Dental 4 U is owned by an implant specialist, I think. 
 

My suggestion is make an appointment with such a doctor, feel them out for how your questions are answered, look the shop over, etc. An initial appointment is so cheap.

Just in case anyone is interested, stopped in one tailor near Thapae Gate and had a nice discussion. Tailor recommended a linen, silk and wool weave (after saying pure linen wrinkles too much) and quoted me 5800 baht for entire process. 

22 minutes ago, Bill97 said:

Kermit Tailor

Little more specific? Not coming up on Google Maps. Thanks.

Just a sports coat, looking for a recommended tailor in CM.

Specifically a very light material, something that would look nice with jeans.
 

Have no idea  on price I should expect, for fitting, materials and out the door. 
 

If you have a favorite tailor, any ideas on material (Linen? Silk blend?) and a rough approximation on price, I thank you in advance. 🙏

Curious to see the menu and prices. 

Wondering if anyone has recently had a sleep study done here in Chiang Mai. 

I’m also curious if you, upon sleep study results, purchased a CPAP machine here in CM. 
 

Thank you in advance. 🙏

8 hours ago, FolkGuitar said:

 

With many drugs, less is more. If you take 4-5 Vallium it may make you MORE agitated and hypertense rather than putting you to sleep.

 

For many people, 3-5 DROPS of CBD oil is an effective sleep aid, for others half a dropper full does it, and for others a full eye dropper dose.  There is NO 'standard' dose. You have to discover your effective dosage by yourself over the course of a few nights.
"Mellow Organic" company online sells a reliable product. It works well.
I go to bed at 11:30 pm and sleep through until 6-7 am when my bladder wakes me up.

Thank you Folk G., they sell the product in CM stores. I will give it a try. Can I ask what dosage you use?

I may be heading towards a first time root canal and would be interested in a specialist in that area, someone you actually went to for the procedure here in Chiang Mai. 

Thank you in advance. 🙏

One question: It’s my understanding you first receive a temporary DL, and that you have to wait for one or two years before it can become permanent.

However, if I went back to the US with a temporary DL, do you think that would work with car rentals?

6 hours ago, marin said:

5 year Thai license in English and you are good to go. I have used mine the last 3 times home. Going on Thursday and picking up a car from Dollar, no worries. 

Did you get the license in Chiang Mai? And if so, where did you go? Thanks in advance.