Damrongsak

I got an IDP for a recent visit. My US license is for a car, but I had the guy also stamp the motorcycle endorsement. I do have a Thai motorbike license I got in 1978. It's still valid as I paid for the lifetime license.

Me too. I drive a 25 year old Toyota Tacoma pickup truck. I use it to haul money to my bank. I don't want attention. I had a 1964 VW bug that got me attention when something blew inside the engine. I had to add about 3 quarts of oil to limp home. It was spewing oil all over the engine and out the vents in back, creating a pretty good cloud of smoke. People were pointing at it as I drove by.

http://bangkok.emb.mfa.gov.tr/Mission/ShowInfoNote/122066

In October, I went to Loei hospital ER with gut pain. They did 3 x-rays and a CT scan. I stayed over one night as a precaution. 16,500. One line item was 14,000, presumably the CT scan & x-rays. They told me in advance that the scan would be pricey.

That picture should be captioned "Show us your watch!" Or perhaps "Watch out, Prayut."

I read these forums and sometimes the bickering and nastiness seem to come through. Poster against poster, name calling if you will. I just don't get it. One thing I learned in Thailand 45 years ago is to get along with others. It may not always be pleasant but life goes on.

Some 20 years back my son went to the emergency room in the U.S. with a bad gut pain. We didn't have health insurance at the time. He was there about 4 hours. Not sure if they did a CT scan or whatever. We got a bill for somewhere around $20,000. (USD). Due to him being under 18 and no income, most was forgiven. Still, the Doc on duty that night cost us a couple thousand $. And he probably didn't spend more than 1/2 hour total. Contrast that with my visit to a Thai emergency room in October last year. ER, x-rays, CT scan and an overnight in the Loei government hospital - about $425. at the exchange rate then. It was an interesting experience.

You mean the "Hotel California" song? It was released the month before I went to Thailand as a Peace Corps volunteer in 1977. Oddly, we stayed in San Francisco for a couple days at the California Hotel.

Septic tank? I use one every day. Have to have it pumped out every 5 years or so. Last time it cost around $400. (USD).

No, it's my Thai wife, her relatives and friends, but only when I'm riding in the car with them for an entire day in a small car.

Back in early September a buddy of mine and our Thai wives used the Thai line which was empty. Perhaps one of the gals asked if it was OK. We both had eVisas. When I returned to the U.S. I had to wait in line over 2 hours at Washington Dulles airport. There were hundreds of people in each of two lines. The line for citizens/permanent residents had ONE officer. The line for foreign visitors had about 3 officers.

Not just speech, but dress, demeanor and so forth. Or smell ...? ????

I so wanted to retire there and open a roadside stand selling grilled field rats. SIGH.

70,000 cabs, wow! New York City has about 20,000. (Though they may have as many as 40,000 "other" for-hire vehicles.) I saw mention of Mexico City having 100,00 but I can't substantiate that.

Aluminum alloys that have been heat treated to a high degree, such as 6061-T6, don't take kindly to being bent/formed.

My Dad grew up in the Great Depression in the USA. Oldest of 11 kids. He used to say that "Money wasn't everything, but it sure helped" (his sense of humor). Worked his butt off all his life and was eventually successful. He wasn't obsessed with money, just provided for the family. Very frugal. But he didn't profit from real estate bubbles, he earned every penny and banked it, and passed it on to his family so that they could live securely and, in turn, their heirs. He started a business about age 55 and worked until he died on his 80th birthday. I have benefited from this and will pass it on to my son in turn. Anyway, it's not how much you have, it's just having enough to meet your needs. And if your needs are reasonable, it's not a big deal. Get by as best as you can.

But, but, but the last couple years hardly anyone in China died from Covid and there weren't many cases! /S. How can anyone believe what they say? They being the CCP, the controller of 1.4 Billion people. What is going on now behind the curtain?

I'm headed to the store today to buy beer and lottery tickets.

And they do it every time. Practice makes perfect.

I suppose it depends on what they had for dinner last night.

I like 'em. And the price is right. ????

Better yet, this one also opens beer bottles.

I had to try about 5 times because it didn't like one file/answer (format? Browser?). It would hang up. As for accommodation, I stayed at our house in Loei. I had my wife write a letter of invitation and copied her ID card. I might have added a copy of the house registration (tabien ban). We used her sister's local phone number.

Regarding cost in a Thai government hospital, I happened to go to the ER at Loei Hospital in the middle of October for an intestinal issue. No ICU or special stuff, but I was in the ER quite awhile and had a couple X-rays and a CT scan. I stayed overnight as a precaution. The bill came to 16,500 Baht. 14,000 of that was the scan/x-rays alone, I think. They did tell me that would be pricey in advance. Everything else was dirt cheap.

Not just Chinese tourists, anyone who has been there recently. Details here: https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2022/p1228-COVID-china.html I like this part: "...CDC is announcing this step to slow the spread of COVID-19 in the United States during the surge in COVID-19 cases in the PRC given the lack of adequate and transparent epidemiological and viral genomic sequence data being reported from the PRC. These data are critical to monitor the case surge effectively and decrease the chance for entry of a novel variant of concern. CDC will continue to monitor the situation and adjust our approach as necessary...."