Saltire

Sincere condolences to you, very tricky situation to be in, I hope it works out for you in the end. 

9 minutes ago, Father Fintan Stack said:

My ex played the online slots and was totally convinced she could make a primary income from doing so.

 

She chastised me for mocking it and wanting her to keep records of money put in and winning returns.

 

She did not seem to realise these games must turn a profit and have to limit payouts to a certain percentage.

 

Typical Thai stupidity-lazy-fantasist nonsense which I enjoy debunking with aplomb.

Agree and I have said win or lose in todays local lottery, it's her last. i don't mind her wasting a few hundred a month on the national lottery but as this is a new fad for her (gambling) I feel best to nip it in the bud. Time will tell.

Continuing from my earlier post (11) .......

Yesterday my gf chose her carefully thought out numbers, about 10 entries and paid the local 'agent' 210 Baht.

This morning (the day of the draw) the 'agent' and all other agents, returned any stakes made on the number 10 saying they would not be covered. My immediate reaction was 'unfair rigged odds'.

Turns out there is a sole village  'kingpin' behind this lottery and all the agents are on a commission but he pockets the majority. Let's just say he is well connected. To me this is like a horse race where suddenly you are not allowed to bet on the favourite. Seems that everyone had bet on number 10 for the 10th kings coronation. He is obviously trying to limit his risk. However as we know this does not change the odds as 10 is still as likely to come up as not. If it does there will be many people upset.

I have everything crossed now that 10 is a not a winner, serve them right.

A very timely post for me ???? today.

Been with my gf 3 years in her village, all good so far. In that time we have only bought about 3 x 80 Baht tickets between us in the national lottery with no success. 

However a month or so ago she staked 150 Baht in the local one with a neighbour and won 5400 Baht, and her friend with a lower stake won 600 Baht. The owner of the scheme barred her from playing again but there are many others running the same in the village. 

Now they are obsessed. The following fortnight she staked less, 50 Baht, but still won 1200 Baht while her friend staked 1200 and won 10,000 Baht. Now they are convinced they can win every time, and are now buying the national lottery tickets in the hope of winning millions as well as a stake in the local one.

While it would be great if she won (apparently she will gift me 1 million ???? ) I am pretty sure they won't and I personally hope they don't win so the winning streak can be viewed as just that. 

It doesn't help that 2 years ago her brother who lives with us now, left the local temple after being head monk for 15 years, bought his first ticket ever and won 500k Baht off the bat!

All she is talking about today is how she will spend the winnings. I wait with baited breath!

Another downside is she is now viewed as 'lucky' and several people are asking her to pick their numbers, this may not end well!

I live in Kanchanaburi near the Myanmar border. If I am driving my own car I get waved through the many checkpoints every time. If I am in a minivan, in 3 years I have never been asked to show my passport, while everyone on the bus has their ID checked rigorously. A smile would be enough for the policeman to ignore me. Until 2 months ago when an obviously more senior policeman asked me for my passport on a minivan trip.

He looked at everything, not just a glance. Checked my next 90 day card and TM30 slip, as well as extension. Gave me back with a smile, but my gf and I were a little stunned after years of never being asked. In that area I believe they are looking for illegal workers and drugs.

1 hour ago, nchuckle said:

Be aware that as it’s not been your main residence for over 18 months ( shortly to be reduced to 9) you will be liable for CGT on disposal (Capital gains tax) for any profit on a proportional basis related to time you didn’t live there. The 40k lettings allowance is also being scrapped.Obviously this is greater on a higher Value house and you do have about 12k CGT allowance. Look into it. I’ve only been here 4.5 years but because of the gain on my house i would lose tens of thousands in tax if I sold. You are still liable for that proportion even if you move back in and subsequently sell. 

Yoir only escape  is when you die (that tax liability dies with you) !

Hi I am pretty sure CGT won't apply to me, and if it does it will be a small amount. Even after buying it 8 years ago it is unlikely to make a profit, so no 'gain'. It is also my only property, but I have never actually lived in it. You are correct but I think more relevant to expensive properties in expensive areas of the UK, not for a 1 bedroom flat in Scotland. 

Lots of good (and some bad!) advice here. I have been a big fan of keto for 2 years now.

I was diagnosed Type 2 diabetic 10 years ago but did not take it seriously as i had no symptoms - until 3 years ago. By then I was 95 Kg (at 170 cm tall) = obese. Then I got tingling in my left foot (neuropathy) and had been put on statins and metformin. 

Since starting keto I am down 20 Kg, walk 4/5 miles a day, came off the meds and feel better than I have in a long time. My morning readings are stable, and I know what I can't eat (fruit for 1). I can't shift the neuropathy which means I have to take extra care of my feet now. I have since realised I am for real a sugar addict. I have no cravings for carbohydrate but always had a sweet tooth. Fighting that is the same as alcoholism, one day at a time avoiding chocolate, ice cream etc. I still have the occasional Chang but will never return to drinking 50 cent beers in vast quantities like I did when i lived the previous 5 years in Cambodia. Gin and tonic for me nowadays.

Eating out can be a challenge but there's nothing I really miss. Besides there are no western restaurants in a 3 hour radius so not such a problem, as I cook every meal keto by myself. Thai restaurants just pile in the sugar. The highest by far reading I have had was after a Pad Thai. Off the scale.

Good luck and for reference check these out. They have helped me immensely.

www.dietdoctor.com and www.diabetes.co.uk

18 hours ago, cheeryble said:

Really? I think they should loop.


Sent from my iPad using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

Yes it loops sorry for my wording. What was 'wrong' was my choice of SD card.

18 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

I don't recall any report of them wanting medical certificate. Best to ask them if it is still required.

I am also in Kanchanaburi and i have needed the medical certificate last 2 years. I go to the local hospital, wait for a few hours and pay 200 Baht, the doc asks me if I am healthy and have any problems - I say yes, and no and he prints and signs and stamps. I get it about the week before my application, which I do about 30 days before expiry incase another new piece of paper arises. I needed it last November.

I paid just over 1000 baht for mine and its worked for 2 years now.

It's very basic though and only forward facing. I would definitely get a forward and rear setup next time, as you say.

I also went for the 4 Gb SD card thinking 'it loops round when full' so why pay more. Wrong.

I had a near miss recently and looked at the content on my laptop for the first time a few days later just to see 'how close' to death I came. I soon worked out that a 3 or 4  hour journey filled the card, so my 'incident' was not on the card at all. While not a huge problem in hindsight i would opt for a larger card as it would be better to be able to look back at least a few days.

16 hours ago, Letseng said:

passiondelivery delivers frozen to outside Bangkok. They did advertise this service. I have no experience as I live in Bkk. Contact them.

As my post says I have used passion delivery many times and yes everything arrives frozen. As does paleo robbie.

5 minutes ago, Saltire said:

Yes online - I live in the sticks near Sangkhlaburi and mail order or a monthly run to BigC or Makro in Kanchanaburi City 3 hours away is the only way I can do real keto. Where I live many basics are just not available such as cheese, olive oil, ghee etc. With meat I have a choice of pork or chicken and no point in looking for bacon either ???? . My main problem was finding someone who could/would deliver up country with the food arriving still frozen or at least chilled.

 

Actually your last point resonates too as after 5 years eating like a pig in the hundreds of restaurants in Siem Reap, I now really enjoy cooking. Being retired I actually like sourcing ingredients and eventually trying a new keto recipe. If I say so myself, I really enjoy what I make (and it's a great excuse not to eat the wife multi-chilli explosive food.

 

For me the best thing about keto is once you get going you are not hungry, can eat 2 meals a day, incorporate intermittent fasting, and generally not miss the carbs. Missing sugar however is a bigger challenge for me but fortunately I have still to find decent chocolate in Thailand!

 

By the way I didn't like using coconut flour its not easy to cook with (very dry and absorbent), but almond flour is a better choice. 

 

Just remembered www.healthfoodthailand.com is another good one but I can't personally vouch for them as I haven't used them yet.

For food and health tips the best sites are dietdoctor.com and diabetes.co.uk forum

54 minutes ago, kenk24 said:

Thanks for the encouragement...  I think somewhere I have seen things like using coconut flour or somethings like that which would fit with the diet... I assume all above recommendations are online services... now, I just need to find someone who enjoys cooking!!

Yes online - I live in the sticks near Sangkhlaburi and mail order or a monthly run to BigC or Makro in Kanchanaburi City 3 hours away is the only way I can do real keto. Where I live many basics are just not available such as cheese, olive oil, ghee etc. With meat I have a choice of pork or chicken and no point in looking for bacon either ???? . My main problem was finding someone who could/would deliver up country with the food arriving still frozen or at least chilled.

Actually your last point resonates too as after 5 years eating like a pig in the hundreds of restaurants in Siem Reap, I now really enjoy cooking. Being retired I actually like sourcing ingredients and eventually trying a new keto recipe. If I say so myself, I really enjoy what I make (and it's a great excuse not to eat the wife multi-chilli explosive food.

For me the best thing about keto is once you get going you are not hungry, can eat 2 meals a day, incorporate intermittent fasting, and generally not miss the carbs. Missing sugar however is a bigger challenge for me but fortunately I have still to find decent chocolate in Thailand!

By the way I didn't like using coconut flour its not easy to cook with (very dry and absorbent), but almond flour is a better choice. 

14 minutes ago, kenk24 said:

Thanks 99 great post - - Where does he buy his food? If in Thailand? I think I am going to need some baked goods if I am going to make it... 

49 minutes ago, Jip99 said:

 

 

Good link.

 

I haven't adopted a keto diet yet, although I do steer towards low-carb.

 

The motivation has to be there to eat less/better and exercise more. Keto helps many people to achieve that - other methods work for other people. Sticking to whatever plan you choose is the secret to success.

 

A friend adopted keto 15 months ago and has dropped from 118 kilos to 78 kilos with a target of 70 kilos. He has reversed type-2 diabetes, his cholesterol is good and he no longer needs medication for hypertension.

Been on Keto for 2 years and found the best way in Thailand is to do all your own cooking. I am in the same position as Jipp99's friend and will never go back to being obese.

I get 'supplies' from paleorobbie.com, passiondelivery.com and ideas for recipes from youtube - if you like Indian food check out Headbangers Kitchen youtube channel. Good luck  not sure what you mean by 'baked goods' though.

I lived in Wuhan for 2 years around 15 years ago. Back then there were only about 2000 foreigners in a city of over 10 million, so we were more a curiosity than anything. This was the real deal with no provision for tourists whatsoever. Never seen an English menu the whole time.

However I could easily type up to the TV maximum characters with similar stories to the OP with regards to Beijing and Shanghai and a few other places my Chinese wife and I holidayed to.  

However I look back at these 2 years as some of the the most fun-filled times, where I met many great people I am still in touch with.

After years of telling my wife 'no one spits in the street in my country' (UK) we eventually moved there and the first week we were out she gleefully pointed out an old guy hacking up and spitting! 

Thanks for the comments, as long as the cousin doesn't disappear I will be fine to continue here! Incidentally in my 3 years here I have never encountered a situation where tea money was paid. Previously in Cambodia, different story.

Have a great weekend 

3 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

Has immigration stated you need the rental agreement.

Most offices would accept a statement form your girlfriend you are living in her house with a copy of her house book and ID card  signed by her attached.

Yes on my first application to change from Tourist Vis to Non-im O retirement i was short this piece of paper and a medical report. The rental agreement I got from a stationer shop, its just a pad of pre-printed, generic pro-formas.

They have I reckon the longest list of all the offices. I also have to give a police check obtained each year from the UK and the usual fabian baan etc.

This is for Kanchanaburi office, which is great to deal with actually. Everything is above board and friendly, actually presenting the paperwork and leaving takes 30 minutes. My puzzle is why no one is keen to sign a perfectly innocent document (including the village chief and his wife who live next door). Even the home visits are very pleasant and good humoured.

I am in my 3rd year in the same home but it's still a challenge every year apart from this year as I managed to get the  builder (one of the few in the village not a drunk actually) to sign one for next year while he was here ???? . He is also one of the few very well educated residents and gave me a very good price to build my home, so I am not complaining, just curious.

Every year when I renew my retirement extension, one document is a 'rental contract' for my girlfriends house, just a simple one page (in Thai) saying who the owner is, and my details. It also needs a witness, basically to say we both live there permanently.

The village has many of her relatives within walking distance, but every time I need a new form signed nobody wants to sign it. I try to explain they are not signing anything for which they may be liable for or has any financial implication. Only one cousin is happy to sign it, but only in return for 2 large bottles of Chang. He is also the only one who we can call when the immigration turn up for a home visit, 2 more beers. 

The last home visit we couldn't find him for ages as they came unannounced. He is a very busy builder, he built our house and did a great job, he's friendly but I still find it all a bit strange. Of course my GF finds this 100% normal.

What's the reluctance to sign a simple document?

I am keeping may fingers crossed that the retirement extension criteria don't change too much for the worst. OK  am an optimist. Best advice I got before moving here was enter on a TV, change to non-imm then apply for annual extensions. Leave 800k in the bank and forget about it. So far this has been good advice and i have had minimal immigration issues.

What makes me shudder more is the thought of trying to re-settle in the UK. Before I left the UK in 2012 i deliberately bought a one bedroom flat for 3 reasons. 1) a bolt hole to return to ONLY if needed, 2) a source of income by renting it out through an agency and 3) an asset to sell if i needed to self fund a large medical bill. The only thing I miss from the UK is the National Health Service, which, even if i had to return for medical reasons, I understand it's not free for at least 6 months as you have to prove you're back permanently. Not much point in rushing home for serious treatment to have to pay anyway. I have insurance but who knows if they will pay or if I will be able to afford it in the next few years.

So far I have had a continuous tenancy of my flat but if I went back to live there i'd half my income after throwing my tenant out. I doubt if i'd be able to afford UK council tax, gas/electricity, insurances, or a car, not to mention climbing to the fourth floor! I just have to survive 2 more years so collect 2 pensions which should make life easier.

Thankfully my girlfriend has no desire to visit or live in Scotland. She has a blanket for watching TV as I have the air con on pretty much at 22 every night ???? (summer in Scotland).

I used to suffer back pain from about 2010 and over the years got gradually worse but never so bad that I needed medication. I tried a chiropractor and osteopath in the UK but was just a waste of a lot of money.

I moved to Cambodia in 2012 where it really got bad, to the extent I went to the RAM hospital in Chiang Mai where they recommend an MRI. The MRI was pretty inconclusive with nothing obvious to the consultant on the MRI scan or an Xray and so the only diagnosis was painkillers. I don't recall what, but just normal over the counter stuff.

6 Months later I could barely walk more than 50 metres with sciatica down the left leg and lower back so this time, back to Thailand and Bumrungrad in Bangkok. It took me 40 minutes to walk from my hotel in Nana to the hospital which should have been a 10 minute stroll. Recommended another MRI and as before, the consultant says there was nothing obvious. This however did not stop him recommending a spinal fusion op to remove a disk and bolt the 2 vertebrae together, at a cost of roughly $25k +++. I considered this but after a bit of research decided against it.

Administratively and facilities wise both hospitals were excellent but what let them down in both cases was the 'specialists', neither of whom inspired any confidence and did not even feign an interest in my condition.

On my return home to Cambodia, now a bit desperate from the debilitating, worsening condition I clutched at straws and went to a Swiss lady trained in acupuncture in Beijing. 7 sessions later and I was almost pain-free, and still am today 7 years on. I walk 4 to 5 km every day and feel better than ever. If I overdo the walking i can get a dull lower back pain but it's nothing. I should add I am the biggest skeptic on alternative medicine, but I am well sold on acupuncture.

Just a suggestion, it could be worth a look if you get to the bottom of this, and get over the worst of the pain.

Good luck, get well soon.

PS Any massage nowadays comes with a 'don't touch my spine' warning before starting..