Thomas J

I am going to be traveling to Spain.  I will need an International Drivers License to rent a car.  I only have a U.S. drivers license.  Is anyone aware if there are any locations in Pattaya that can issue an international license or am I going to have to take my chances with one of the online services.  

I have T Mobile and it works just fine here in Thailand.  Phone calls to and from the USA.  I would suggest you download Viber to make calls back to the USA.  Only $1.99 for a month of unlimited calls back to the USA.  That is not true if you use T Mobile and use your cell phone. 

I am engaged to a Thai woman who was previously married in Norway.  We need to get a single certificate.  She has an original copy of her marriage certificate and divorce decree but they are in Norwegian.  Does anyone know what the procedure would be for presenting this to the Amphoe?  I would assume the procedure is the same irrespective of which foreign country.  I am merely guessing that the documents would have to be translated?  Does that have to be by the Norwegian Embassy or can any translation service translate and certify.  Do the papers then have to be legalized in Bangkok at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or can that be done elsewhere.  Any help would be appreciated. 

I have tried but never could I get an SMS message even with a VPN that showed to be in the  USA

23 minutes ago, billd766 said:

I opened an account in my name in the BigC branch of Bangkok Bank in January this year. I took my passport, yellow house book and my Thai driving licence plus an old account book from BKKB in Sukhumvit Road BKK that I thought was dormant.

 

With some help from the call centre for me to explain why I wanted an account there it took about 1 1/2 hours to open. I had to sign lots of paperwork and I walked out with a new account, debit card and internet banking all set up.

 

It cost me 1,000 baht, 400 for the opening and 600 as the balance credited to my account.

 

Other posters have mentioned problems opening accounts at some branches then went to a different branch and opened an account no problem.

I think in Thailand banks are like the immigration bureau.  They have the rules DeJour.  I went to the same Bangkok Bank in the Big C and was told I had to have a $3,500 baht insurance policy to open an account.  At a different Bangkok bank it was a $1000 baht insurance policy. 

If they are moving to Latin America, let me know their names.  Perhaps I can purchase life insurance policies on them. 

7 hours ago, miamiman123 said:

Somebody is manipulating the baht...those vacations, expensive USA cars and university fees are soooo high 

we gotta do something... hehehe 

I bet you believe in the Wizard of Oz also.  Currencies are a commodity just like oil, wheat, corn, soybeans, pork bellies, and orange juice.  The price fluctuates based on market factors.  The U.S. dollar is weak right now.  So are many other currencies.  That means the supply of those currencies is high relative to the demand. There are numerous factors for that.  The central banks of various countries do have the ability to influence a weak or strong currency.  Weak currencies help exports and curtail imports by making their products cheaper to sell overseas and products made overseas more expensive to buy.  No one is controlling the baht. 

Dont know where you are located but we are using a service called Termite Tech based in Pattaya.  They use a chemical that only has to be applied once a year.  No smell and safe for pets.  We used another service last year.  Had to come monthly and we had to leave the house.l  Did not do any good.  They did not get rid of the termites.  Termite Tech gives you a one year guarantee and includes quarterly inspections. https://termitetech.co.th/

There are several facts about Medicare that are never publicized.  Medicare fraud is greater than the combined profits of all of the private health insurance companies.  Medicare is "not a funded program"  Medicare premiums go into a Trust Fund and are immediately borrowed by the Treasury and replaced with Treasury Bonds.  That means that the U.S. government owes the Medicare Trust fund for the borrowed money.  It is estimated that to cover all of the obligations already incurred it would total 70 trillion dollars. There is nothing that is more inefficient and wasted than when you have third party bureaucrats spending taxpayers money on other people.  Politicians in any government program are loathe to ever limit it and promise ever increasing  benefits to garner more votes.  In talking to people who live in countries with universal health care systems like Norway and Canada they all describe huge delays in receiving treatment. If you want to control costs having the purse strings in only one persons hand like the government is ripe for manipulation and fraud.  You need to go back to a system where the "patient" makes choices.  Mandate that like social security each persons pay has a deduction for a medicare reimbursement account and a portion of that money goes for a major medical policy with a large deductible.  When someone goes in for treatment, they use the money in their account to pay for that service.  If they don't use the money in their account, the patient gets to keep it.  That puts people in the position of shopping for their treatment and not overusing health care.  Major medical policy kicks in when the bill exceeds the deductible.  You insure your car and home for major losses not to change the oil or cut your lawn.  In health care we cover sniffles when the  person goes to the emergency room. https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnmauldin/2017/10/10/your-pension-is-a-lie-theres-210-trillion-of-liabilities-our-government-cant-fulfill/#7164079865b1

I am from the U.S.  I have found Mimosa good for Italian, Condums and Cabbages for Western Food, and Mulligan's Pub by Central to have a good selection of Western Food and sandwiches. 

I am 69 and have been on a Low T therapy in the USA for several years.  I use the injectable every 3 weeks.  I went to the Ocean Drugs in North Pattaya yesterday and they only had a tablet.  I understand the tablets are riskier due to liver damage.  Before trotting around every pharmacy in Pattaya has anyone found the 200mg - 250mg capsules available anywhere in Pattaya and at what cost.  Dr. Oliver shows that they are currently out of stock.  I am reluctant to go to one of those Low T clinics thinking that they might be dosing something other than real and safe Testosterone. 

Affidavits are still considered valid for 6 months following their execution. 

7 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

In this case I support the Dems 100%.

The US health system, from my perspective, is terrible and all about profit, when it should be about people needing health care. 

However, they need to take care it doesn't become hijacked by the politicians, bureaucrats and management as the NHS has been.

Edited 7 hours ago by thaibeachlovers

One of the reasons for the costly U.S. healthcare is 'third party pay'  Those insured don't shop for healthcare.  When the "insurance company or government" is paying for it they misuse and over use health care.  Hospitals, Doctors, Clinics, Pharmaceutical companies all have using as much of their services as possible to increase profits so they too are complicit in over prescribing.  In normal transactions the customer limits their purchases based on cost and value.  Take lasik surgery which once cost over $5,000 per eye.  Competition and consumer selection have driven the price to as little as $250 per eye.  Irrespective, the cost of Medicare for All is estimated to be $32.6 Trillion.  That amounts to approximately $200,000 per family in the USA. That is ludicrous. 

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/study-medicare-for-all-plan-touted-by-bernie-sanders-would-cost-32-6-trillion/

On 2/20/2019 at 1:03 PM, ubonjoe said:

I have been checking to see if they had done one yet. They must of posted it recently.

Direct link for it is here. https://www.ssa.gov/forms/SSA-1199-OP107.pdf

Now we need to know which banks will be doing them and the conditions for the account.

I have an account at Bangkok Bank.  Is there an advantage or disadvantage to filling out the SSA 1199 Form to have the funds deposited directly to the Bankgkok Bank here in Thailand?  For someone who is currently having their Social Security deposited to the New York branch of Bangkok Bank is there a delay or a fee when it is transferred to Thailand?  Do you just use the ABA routing and transit number and the account number of the savings account here in Thailand and BKK New York automatically credits that account? 

I have a toilet that needs a new wax seal.  Can anyone recommend a plumber that is competent and reasonable?  Huay  Yai  area. 

17 hours ago, Murka said:

I told him I don’t have enough cash with me I need to go ATM. After I sat in car I decided leave police point without pay anything but he still keep my Thai driving licence . What can happened ?? What does it mean for me ?  I did not sign anything he have only my DL. 

I believe i would go to the license bureau and declare my license lost. 

14 minutes ago, KittenKong said:

Surely these ultrasonic scaling devices used by dentists go back 20 years or more? My dentist in Europe was definitely using them then. All dentists I have used in the last 20 years combine the ultrasonic tools with the scraping tools, as neither technique is perfect for all types of plaque deposit.

Well in the USA they are just starting.  Also here in Pattaya I found only one dentist that was using ultrasonic tools for cleaning. 

3 hours ago, atyclb said:

azada has personal untrasonic scalers for around 300 baht

Those are essentially tooth brushes.  Takes a professional unit that only dentist can operate to truly scale teeth during cleaning. Thanks I found a dentist. 

1 hour ago, Spidey said:

Even longer than that in the UK.

 

Not found a dentist in Pattaya that uses one. Probably born out by the lack of replies to this thread. I use Khun Warin on Pattaya Klang, probably the most recommended dentist in Pattaya. No ultrasonic scaler.

http://www.pidcdental.com/  Found One.  Very good experience.  $800 to $1,000 baht for a cleaning. 

1 minute ago, whatevs said:

I'm assuming that as you cannot access your disk from recovery mode to repair-it won't let you erase it either?  If you have a backup you may as well see if you can erase the disk and reinstall the operating system

From the recovery mode it says the disk can not be repaired.  I tried to back it up to a flash drive but as mentioned it will not allow that either.  I have an external dock.  I may just pull the drive and see if I can recover some if not all the files.  There are not many files on it.  Thankfully I did not use the Mac as my every day computer.  You work with Apple.  As mentioned they may be a superior product but they certainly corral you into having only Apple products to pair to.  Far more difficult to work around than a windows product when something goes wrong.  Thanks for trying though. 

On 2/12/2019 at 1:20 PM, webfact said:

Thailand is still among the most affordable destinations for expat retirees

I am from the USA.  While some things such as condo's are relatively inexpensive and labor here is ridiculously cheap other costs are expensive by USA standards.  Healthcare in Thailand is cheap, even at private hospitals like Bangkok Hospital compared to the USA. Meals at most restaurants are 25% to 50% higher than comparable meals in the USA.  Food at Makro can be anywhere's from 50% to 400% more expensive than identical products in the USA.  Alcohol is very expensive in Thailand.  I can buy a very nice Malbec for about $10 for a 1.5 Lt. bottle.  Here I can buy a very poor quality 10% Australian 3 liter boxed  red wine from Australia for 1000 baht which is with today's exchange rates over $32.  Candidly, if you buy a home in low tax states like Tennessee or Texas I think you could live for about the same cost as Thailand. 

3 hours ago, hobobo said:

Get me the same price on BKK-LHR and I'll give you a handsome bonus.

Why is it that the price on a round trip ticket from BKK to anywhere is substantially more expensive than the same flights in the opposite direction?