Damrongsak

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...."

Not sure if any low temp records have been broken, but check out the all-time lows. (These are in Fahrenheit.) https://www.foxnews.com/us/winter-storm-brings-below-freezing-temperatures-us-these-are-records-they-could-break -80 in Alaska, - 70 in Montana, -45 in California! Where I live it was 50 F one morning and 7 F the next morning. My brother in Denver Colorado said the temp dropped suddenly on Wednesday. From the CBS News: "According to the National Weather Service in Boulder at 3:53 pm it was 42 degrees and by 4:53 pm it was 5 degrees, dropping 37 degrees. Making it the largest one hour temperature drop recorded at Denver International Airport."

It boggles the mind.

I looked up "police work" in an English-Thai dictionary. It came back:

I first came to Thailand mid-March 1977 with the Peace Corps. We trained in Maha Sarakham for awhile in April. Brutally hot and dry. No air conditioning in the hotels we stayed in. Probably just as well because the houses I lived in for the next 3 years didn't have any.

For me, it's this, You Raise Me Up: When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary; When troubles come and my heart burdened be; Then, I am still and wait here in the silence Until you come and sit awhile with me You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains; You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas; I am strong, when I am on your shoulders; You raise me up' To more than I can be You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains; You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas; I am strong, when I am on your shoulders; You raise me up' To more than I can be There is no life ' no life without its hunger; Each restless heart beats so imperfectly; But when you come and I am filled with wonder Sometimes, I think I glimpse eternity You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains; You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas; I am strong, when I am on your shoulders; You raise me up' To more than I can be You raise me up' To more than I can be This is because a friend made a tribute slide show video to my elder son, who was killed in combat in Iraq, and she used this song. I look at it once or twice a year and shed a tear.

The relatively recent spread of plant and animal diseases and just general weeds and insect pests is terrible. Tens of thousands of years of evolution upset in no time flat. Sucks.

My wife has somewhere around 40+ bantam chickens, many roosters. She is going to thin the flock and probably get rid of them all, as they destroy the plantings. She now chucks all the eggs so no more will hatch. Recently one little hen seemed to inherit a bunch of eggs - she had about a dozen chicks following her! Seems like cats or something get quite a few of the hatchlings. On my recent 2 month visit to our house, I made friends with one old rooster and a couple others were getting used to me. But back on track, these moths are beautiful! I took an entomology course in college. I admire those folks who can distinguish all these similar species, especially considering regional variations and whatnot.

I saw mention that one or the other of these two species was found in England (probably an escapee) feeding on Vinca minor - periwinkle, which I believe is also toxic, IIRC.

I lucked out in Sept/Oct with the exchange rate. One time was 36-ish, the other time, 37.77 for US$.

I bought more beer from local Mom & Pop stores because they would sell a case of beer any time of the day. Got some at Bic C if my timing was right.

My wife and I didn't spend much in September and October. It was my first time back in about 15 years. No hotels or bars, only a few meals out. Mostly gas money driving to parks/mountains (Loei has some nice ones), beer and whatnot. So I was a "tourist" visiting relatives and staying in our own house over there.

Things may have changed but I went to Vietnam for 10 days at the end of October and didn't need Covid insurance. I got an eVisa.

Well, maybe they are just a bit better about it. It comes naturally ????

You might try posting in the motorcycle forum.

Well, I helped. Spent most of September and October in Thailand. But didn't spend much. No hotels, no bars, only a few meals that weren't cooked at home in Loei. Cheap Charlie for sure... Hey, I did get a really good exchange rate.

Love that expression! My wife has about 40 pet bantam chickens at our Loei house. Not much good for eggs, but plenty of "essence". Watch your step.

Methanus said "Hell, if I'd known he was a foreigner, I'd have backed over him and finished the job."

My wife's iPhone 13 has a SIM slot and eSIM. Her carrier in Thailand (AIS) said they couldn't do eSIM so she had to take out her US SIM. Maybe that was BS or maybe they just now offer it. https://www.ais.th/esim/en/ Apple confirms US iPhone 14 models are only eSIM. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213448 "iPhone 14 models purchased in the United States don't have a physical SIM tray and support only eSIM."