Canuckabroad

Good!(?)

I’m tempted to say that. I don’t want to, because I know from experience that losing your job and income is awful. Undoubtedly worse in a country’s without a safety net.

But I also want Thailand to realize how important tourism is for their economy. It’s 20-25%! I’ve go to countries where tourism is 5-10% and the locals are a million times more friendly and hospitable than Thailand.

“Labourers”... that’s rich...

All these Thai “labourers” returning from Korea are young to not-so-young women working in massage parlours and as “entertainers” 

On 1/20/2020 at 5:10 AM, Vietem said:

I still got a sticker in my passport, an in and out stamp and a ‘used’ stamp on the sticker, which totaled half a page. Like I said, time-wise it was just the same.

That’s too bad. I don’t mind paying the extra fee for a Cambodian e-visa because it saves a full passport page, but there’s not any point on doing the same in Laos if they still give a sticker.

On 1/20/2020 at 11:44 PM, MarcB said:

Yeah like i said, a difference of a few hundred baht.

But thanks for letting us know you always pay in $

A really constructive post.

Do they care about the condition of baht currency?  In my experience, Lao border officials insist on new and crisp US dollars.  If they are at all faded, you might have to use a nearby currency exchanger (there’s always one standing nearby) to get newer bills.

She needs to speak to a Canadian lawyer.  I’m not a lawyer so take what I say with a grain of salt.

There aren’t any easy options for her.  Canada and Thailand don’t have child support reciprocity agreements, so she can’t file in a Thai court and hope to have it enforced in Canada (or vice versa).  She will need to talk to a Canadian lawyer who may advise her to file a claim in an appropriate province and make a case for child support.  (She should file in the province the father lives or works in, although technically it could be filed in any and enforced across Canada, but the father will certainly seek a change in venue.)  There are some sample international child support cases if you search on canlii.ca.  Since the claimant is outside Canada, the normal rules for awarding support will not automatically apply.  The father’s lawyer will first almost certainly insist that she be questioned on the stand, which means she will have to travel to Canada at least once and probably on multiple occasions, which could result in delays as she gets the paperwork necessary for a visa.  His lawyer will probably initially argue that the province should not have jurisdiction.  Usually they determine that they do, but not always, especially if the father can convince them he has paid in the past and intends to return to Thailand, where the children live and where it could be handled more appropriately by a Thai court.  If he is found liable for child support, payment amounts might be lower than what he would pay if the children were in Canada, and then adjusted further down by his (lack of) income.  He could retaliate by seeking sole or joint custody of the children, which might indefinitely put her claim on hold while he files cases in Canada and Thailand for that.  She will also need to pay for her flights, lawyer and courtroom translator out of pocket and likely only recover a portion of those costs if she is successful.

Again, I’m not a lawyer and the above is pure conjecture based on court cases I’ve read and the experience of a friend.  She needs to speak to a Canadian lawyer.

I think TheDutchEngineer is right to pursue this.  Unless people (or policies) are held accountable then two-tier pricing and gouging will just continue.  And this is the worst kind of exploitation too, of sick and injured people.  If the extra money was going to hospital coffers then it’s a policy issue.  If the directors were benefitting financially then it is criminal corruption and they should be punished.

On 8/19/2019 at 9:18 PM, Longcut said:

That all depends on which political party you ask.

 

Places Americans say are allies

	AMONG...
	DEMOCRATS	REPUBLICANS	INDEPENDENTS
Australia	4th	1st	2nd
Canada	2nd	2nd	1st
Britain	1st	3rd	3rd
France	3rd	9th	5th
Ireland	9th	6th	4th
Italy	5th	4th	9th
Israel	28th	5th	17th
Norway	11th	13th	6th
Sweden	6th	10th	12th
Germany	8th	12th	7th
Switzerland	7th	7th	18th
New Zealand	10th	8th	8th
Netherlands	12th	14th	10th
Denmark	16th	11th	1

Differentiating between 1st or 2nd or 3rd is just splitting hairs.

The big outlier is the difference of opinion over France.

If this was Canada, where the maximum sentence is life without possibility of parole for X years, murderers like this guy spend the first half of their parole ineligibility mocking the victims and declaring they are the real victims here.  When the possibility of parole is on the horizon, they become remorseful and enthusiastically complete their rehabilitation programs.

2 hours ago, EricTh said:

Stolen passport is useless in modern times with fingerprinting and face-recognition software.

 

The stolen passport won't match the buyer's face and fingerprints.

 

The most valuable stolen passports have photos of East or South Asian men or women of average height.  They still have plenty of use going between borders outside the region they were obtained in, and if it's good enough onto a plane to UK, Canada or Australia they can flush it midroute and request asylum.

On 8/5/2019 at 9:14 PM, jesimps said:

Stupid, flowery language, uses ten words to the English one. Takes forever to say something

The Chinese probably say the same thing about English.

1 hour ago, LosLobo said:

Rabies pre-exposure prophylaxis (3 shots) has been proven to produce an effective antibody response in humans even after 14 years.

 

Booster doses are not recommended for travellers.

 

After a potential exposure HRIG (GRIP) is not required.

 

Two booster doses are required on day 0 and day 3.

 

Lab workers and bat handlers who are routinely exposed to rabies have their titer levels of rabies virus neutralizing antibody (RVNA) (serotonin) tested.

 

All rabies contacts should be evaluated/treated.

 

https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/vis/vis-statements/rabies.html

Thanks for the corrections, I wrote my reply at the gym and going by memory.

I remember reading that many people who survived contact with rabies years after their vaccinations were still left with neurological damage.

CDC doesn't recommend boosters for travelers because they are expected to be returning to first-world healthcare infrastructures.  Their vaccinations are meant to provide safeguards that delay the onset of symptoms until they receive further medical care, unlike researchers and animal workers who might encounter it with more frequency.  Long-term residents in countries where rabies is widespread are in a higher risk group than travelers.

For rabies, my doctor told me if I went a year without a booster then I should get the entire 3 shot schedule all over again.  You are still recommended to get GRIP and booster shot treatment after a potential exposure.  Lab workers and bat handlers who are routinely exposed to rabies have their serotonin levels checked annually, and sometimes they need more than the usual 3 shots for full immunity.

What the rabies vaccination provides you is a level of backup and safety.  It gives you time to delay getting postexposure shots (so you don't ruin your vacation) and a line of defense if you don't treat a rabies contact (like if the animal looks domesticated or if a child doesn't report a bite).  Rabies is the most lethal virus known to man, it's 100% fatal once symptoms start to appear.  And the shots are dirt cheap in SEA so you should get the full course.

9 minutes ago, dtag said:

 

A lot of personal info on that visa, I suggest you delete the picture.

2 hours ago, Catoni said:

 

 IXIARO, JE-VAX, IMOJEV and one or two other JE vaccines

   The IXIARO requires two shots 28 days apart. 

   JE-VAX requires three shots. On day 0, 7, and 30.  

  Both are very effective.   I don’t know much about IMOJEV. 

   I think there is a one shot JE vaccine produced in China, and possibly France. 

   Not sure. Maybe someone here can fill us in. 

The one I got was IMOJEV, and that seems to be the version now advertised at all the clinics in Thailand.  It’s just a single shot.  This link says that protection in adults drops from 99% to 84% after 5 years, so maybe a booster shot is needed:

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sanofi-pasteur-launches-imojev-first-single-dose-vaccine-against-japanese-encephalitis-in-australia-182744251.html

I used CM MediClinic, where it cost me about $20 (and the British receptionist and English speaking doctor were fantastic).  While Googling I found another place in Bangkok that charges $16.

I find myself agreeing with some views on both sides of this argument

1 minute ago, Valentine said:

Maybe he was blacklisted previously

Maybe he tried entering near Poipet

On 1/22/2019 at 6:57 PM, pegman said:

Trump has already stated she could be used as a bargaining chip. Canada should not be involved in this charade. She needs to be sent back to China. If not Trudeau will pay a very heavy price in all those west coast Chinese ridings. 

I will be very pissed if Canada has to send her back to China because Trump made this political.  China has tried to bully its way through this, and there’s nothing I want more than to give them and Chairman Winnie the Pooh the middle finger

8 hours ago, Darkside Gray said:

Tet in Vietnam is a night mare would steer well clear most expats depart for other locations.

District 1 in Ho Chi Minh seems to get deserted during the Tet, with many people visiting their hometowns.  Transportation in and out of the city is crowded but (if I remember correctly) the accommodations in the city are less booked than usual.  Overall it might be a good time to visit if you want to get away from the crowds.  Businesses and restaurants in D1 will still be running, though in other parts of the city there might be closures.  There will always be activity in the Japanese enclaves in the north or the backpacker and market areas in the south.

The Saudis have acted like this contract was a gift to Canada. And maybe it was a strategic investment that could have easily gone to another country.  Trudeau is playing along by acting ungrateful and hoping the Saudis will cancel it themselves, thereby releasing Canada of whatever the immediate cancellation fee is.

As for any lost future opportunity cost, screw it, we don’t need business partners like Saudi Arabia.