ericdk

The replies to my question has been pure AIDS.

I'm curious, what would be, as a farang but also objectively as a thai, be considered an impressive income and cash savings in the middle class in Thailand now? Monthly income? Cash savings? Lets just say big cities like Bangkok and Chiang Mai.

I can see how it can get tiring after some years. It's difficult to find places to chill out. Need more trees.

I think Jomtien/Pattaya can be a decent place to live if you're fit for it and not worried about the inevitable gossiping about your residence. Pattaya and Jomtien does have a lot of stuff to do and western oriented malls, shops, restaurants etc and of course all the nightlife and fun you could want. I would want to live up on the hills near Jomtien probably.

I speak poor thai and it's just good to have a chat with people without the cultural and language barrier once in a while. I am not against your suggestion, but that's why I would sign a 6 month contract and see how things play out.

When I studied at Thammasat back in the day I walked to Pinklao, which I would not recommend to live in, but every day I walked across the bridge and look at the condo by the river, Rattanakosin View Mansion, the best view, but then again, no MRT/BTS, so you'd have to take the riverbus to Saphan Thai or drive. If you worked at Thammasat or something, maybe it would be worth it.

I think I prefer to live with more westerners to be honest.

I have considered that also, probably would prefer Soi 14 or Soi 10 because you can exit without having to go past the tourist crowds every day. Soi 2 and 4 is also an option there.

Well, I don't mean done with the good parts of Sukhumvit such as lower Sukhumvit from Nana to Phrom Phong, which is the best part of BKK imo, just I think the residential areas of Sukhumvit are very overrated and people only stay there because they want to stay close to Lower Sukhumvit, when in fact you could stay near Rama 4 or somewhere like Soi Ruamrudee and get the parks, while still being closer to Asoke. It's also why this area is easily more expensive, but Park Origin and Lumpini 24 are actually quite affordable now.

An added benefit of Soi 24 is that it allows for sort of easy access to Sathorn and Lumpini etc, which are areas that I have never really explored. I'm kind of done with the whole Sukhumvit area to be honest. I do not think the extension of the BTS has done it any favor.

I didn't notice the traffic to be honest, but that's maybe because I have lived in On Nut and Thong Lor which are both much worse (the main sois) and Park Origin lies well back from the street. I'd much rather take a motocy taxi every day in Soi 24 than On Nut or Thong Lor. As I see it, if you have a motorbike you can also quite easily go the other direction through Soi 22 and drive to the BTS and leave it there without dealing with traffic. The issue with the small sois such as on the unequal side of Phrom Phong is that it's a long walk and there are often gridlocks. If they could get the cars out of the subsois then it would definitely be the better area.

If you find somewhere with an attractive female proctologist let me know.

I'm considering giving Bangkok a try again for 6-12 months and was thinking about Soi 24, since I stayed at Park Origin in 2023. I was pleasantly surprised to see how Soi 24 has changed over the years, when I first saw it 15 years ago it was much like Lang Suan, just seemed to be expensive condos aimed at japanese business expats and nothing else. Now it seems to have changed a lot and there's really a good mix towards both ends of the soi. The Rama 4 end of the soi has a bunch of restaurants, cafes, bars etc. It's also walkable and it's easy to get to Benjasiri Park. There's a streetfood market in Soi 22 and of course close to all the good stuff near Phrom Phong. Close to Emquartier, close to Asok. Can jump on your own motobike and drive down Rama 4 to Lumpini or Siam Square. Overall it seems a very good option of you want to live centrally and busily but not with all the tourist traps right next door. I liked Park Origin except for the pool. I am also considering Lumpini 24 which has a great pool, but rooms are less well constructed.

Ari to Chatuchak is hipster and cool. It is home to the most hip coffee places and the area around Chatuchak is also a historical neighborhood for woodworking. Soi Ari is definitely worth checking out, but it is very thai with an international touch, not many foreigners. Phra Athit Road near Kao San Road and that entire area is not only tourism, it is also very artsy because of the nearby Thammasat University, which is the liberal progressive university in Bangkok.

Bumrungrad says they don't have it. 8mg is for withdrawals, not for pain, which is 0.2-0.4 mg pr. dose typically.

Thanks Sheryl, I would rather get a script in Thailand, also because the waiting time here is so long, I might not get one in time. It was very easy to get a script for tramadol last time in Bumrungrad, but they probably think buprenorphine is more serious, even though it is exactly the opposite back home.

I wrote Bumrungrad and asked about it, waiting for answer.

I have a prescription for chronic pain and long history of successful use, can I get it in Thailand? I believe you are only allowed to bring 1 month with you into Thailand.

And you're even clever enough to know when you're not clever enough.

I'm not healthy, I have chronic fatigue for 7 years and problems with pain. That's why I got the testing done.

Considering that Ko Samui is the hotspot for northern european mafia types, he is probably some biker gang criminal on the run from his pals.

Sheryl, you are clever, do you think I should do a pituitary MRI if only I have low cortisol and all my other hormones and ACTH etc are normal? Or should I wait until I get home, even though that might take a long time to get one through the public system?

My endocrine doctor recommends a pituitary MRI, which costs 30.000 THB with Bumrungrad, which I find offensive, since a basic brain MRI can be had for like 8000 THB. I do realise that it is better to have it done in the same hospital as the doctor, but this is still an obscene price. Anyone know of a place to get this done cheaper and if this is a reasonable thing to do? Or must I bite the bullet and pay Bumrungrad?

I'm not usually a gamer, but I've been waiting patiently for the Dead Space remake and would like to play it. I'll not be playing much otherwise so figured I'd buy a console and sell it again when I'm done. How do I do that with losing the least value? Looking for an XBOX Series S or PS5 ideally but will settle for Xbox One and PS4. Facebook marketplace doesn't seem great for consoles, but maybe they get bought and sold quickly? What about MBK? They used to have used console shops.

Hey, I'll be in Bangkok over the Christmas and New Years. I have hotel booked for Christmas, but is looking for a place from 25th to 31st. I'd like a place with a large pool area, so I can soak up the sun and ideally it would be reasonably close to Benjakati/Lumphini/Green Mile or Benjasiri as I plan to stay in shape ???? I want good deals though, so wouldn't be adverse to trying something further out. There's a lot on AirBnB, but seems New Years is overpriced, so may book a hotel somewhere else for that. Any suggestions?