The Fugitive

That was an issue for me (being from U.K.). Same as many other people I only had the free short-form birth certificate which doesn't contain parents details. Applied for a full-form certificate. However, it's headed 'Copy of entry upon Register of Births'. The amphur saw the word 'Copy' and declined to accept it because they insist upon original documents only!

Initially, my amphur (supervisor) told us there were only two requirements; 1) Living in the amphoe for over 12 months and, 2) Be legally married. When both of those requirements applied we returned to be told they required a translated and certified copy of my passport plus full form birth certificate. I pointed out that we had not long since supplied a copy of my passport for marriage registration so they will either have it in paper form and/or scanned image. They said 'no good, we need another.' My birth certificate is a 'short form' (no parents details) so that wouldn't be acceptable either. Same as you, gave up at that point.

Retired to Paraguay. Many previous holiday visits and to other South American countries too. Knew about the poor infrastructure but thought I could tolerate it. The frequent outages of water and electricity (especially water) got to me. Temperatures, mosquitos and ants similar to Thailand but when you can't take a shower, wash your clothes or flush the toilet it all seems much worse. Beer and especially wine were bargains. They don't like spicy food which suited me too. Old, clapped out buses are dirt cheap but not something you would wish upon your worst enemy. No railways, trams or Metro system. Rush hour traffic in/out of Asuncion is horrific. If you never need/want to go anywhere you'll be fine!

Mine resisted for four year's by demanding more and more documents. Mrs spoke to their Customer Service Manager informally at a social event and he told them to 'give over' and I then got my Yellow Book and Pink ID Card.

Point blank refusal Mike?

Regarding debts, my Thai sister-in-law ran up three million baht on her Thai credit card(s). She now works on contracts in India. Occasionally, some guys in pink shirts with pink ties visit my wife's shop enquiring as to her whereabouts. My Mrs tells them the same each time (the truth). They then go away again.

Unless the cabin crew don't know (or have run out). Happened to me but not on a Thailand arrival flight. I was waiting for them to give out landing cards as usual but it didn't happen. The crew said nothing, probably hoping to avoid earache.

Don't know anything about Canadian public records but in U.K. the Births and Death index are available to anyone. If a British Citizen dies abroad the death is registered in the country of death. It is not required (but can be done optionally) to register the death in U.K. also. Preventing your family from being aware of your death if it was registered in Canadian public records might not be possible?

Sounds correct. Very recently had an extraction at my usual specialist dental surgery 'out in the sticks' South of Khon Kaen. They suggested I could return after a couple of months. They instal Korean implants for 37,000, German made being a shade under 40,000 baht.

Agree! I use my Huawei GR5 2017 as my back-up phone now. Unfortunately, won't go above Android version 7 so no good for apps from the newer Neo Banks. No NFC either but not a great problem.

Thanks for the info. Vietnam and India always seem to get mentioned too. Personally, I wouldn't travel for dentistry. It's something you need when you need it.

Nothing looks better than properly poured concrete with (or without) tiles ontop.

Good advice thanks! No, no extras at all. Booked with Trip.com for 7,700.

Thanks! That particular act of sabotage was some years ago now. Think I was using Crunchbang Linux by developer Philip Newborough at the time. Can now download Linux installation packages from the Google Earth website or install via terminal or Synaptic Package Manager or simply select from the list of popular programs.

I'm fortunate in that my Mrs knew of a good E.N.T. doctor's clinic in our next larger town (11 km). No flannel or rip-off's. However, you nearly always have to make an appointment because his surgery is always heaving with patients. A good sign!

Thank you for the advice. I can assure you it isn't only me that has Wifi/Bluetooth conflicts; 'Nov 17, 2022 #9 kc1di said: That broadcom card has been problematic for a few years now. This Mint thread may be of help even though it is a little old. follow the instructions give by JeremyB. If that does not work I would get the USB wifi stick. Make sure it's compatible with Linux though not all are. Thanks. BTW I've already done the step. Seems like the only solution left is to get a WiFi or a Bluetooth dongle'. I do, of course, completely agree with your final statement. For a basic user, Windows operating systems from 95 onwards have been easy to use. I remember spending a weekend trying to instal Google Earth on Linux. If you recall it was because Linux developers didn't/don't like Google so they deliberately made things awkward. You don't get this with Windows. That's one reason why Windows will unfortunately always be preferred over Linux distro's. I would much prefer to use a completely free operating system and make voluntary donations to my favourite team.

There is an argument that if certain species were not 'protected' in zoo's then the poachers would wipe them out. Concerning size of enclosurers; I visited Buenos Aires zoo and was most impressed with the areas available to the larger animals. You almost needed binoculars to see the giraffes up close!

Agree! Don't see the Blue Screen Of Death (BSOD) often these days. You can turn off things you don't want. Windows anti-spyware/anti-virus is effective and unobtrusive. Experience conflict between WiFi and Bluetooth on Linux. Understand it's because Linux drivers have to be reverse-engineered from the Windows versions and that doesn't always go well. I sometimes find the Linux versions of software I try to instal from the repositories doesn't work. Each new version of a Linux distro seems to introduce fresh problems.

Thanks for this! Mrs tells me I'm not allowed to drink coffee in the evenings because it will keep me awake! I purchased a blood pressure monitor and took readings several times a day for 7 days. No pattern emerged and the average was OK. GP said my passing out was probably due to dehydration, diet (possibly not eating enough), getting overheated etc. Nothing he could do or prescribe at that point because full count blood test was normal.

Royal Mail once gave an example of how important correct and complete U.K. Post Codes are. The sender knew the postal area was London W1 but didn't know (or tried to find out) the second part of the Post Code. W1 was read by the sorters as WI hence the letter went across the pond to the West Indies. The very helpful post office being America direction guessed WI was the abbreviation for the US State of Wisconsin. The letter was forwarded to the USA. From there it was rerouted to London W1 and eventually delivered to the correct address.

Would buy wine in Thailand but wouldn't pay more than 150 baht.

I passed out due to low blood glucose. I have since had a full blood count test (4 tubes). As all is normal my GP says I'm not diabetic. However, first thing most mornings I feel wobbly and a little nauseous. A cup of coffee with a spoon of sugar always sorts me out.

Do you feel less lightheaded after drinking your morning tea/coffee with a spoonful of sugar in it?

I'm not in Bangkok but, for the first time in as long as I can remember, for almost six months I have continuously been coughing up/blowing out the nasty green stuff. During that time it has varied in quantity and viscosity but never stopped. I now have a permanent ache around my left eye. As you say, it must be something airborne?

Today booked flights for five. Khon Kaen to Suvarnabhumi. I found a considerable variation in prices; Agoda 8,806 Trip.com 7,700 VietJet 10,358 Normally book direct with airlines and haven't noticed such a difference previously?