wpcoe

Ray, if you don't find a cooperative bank soon, and if you are in Bangkok, I know that the main office of Siam Commercial Bank (SCB) near Chatuchak will open a regular savings account for you.

I read somewhere here on ThaiVisa.com that there is a common communications failure between falang asking to open a savings account and the front-line bank staff, and I'll be darned if I recall exactly what the barrier is any more: something like the bank staff think you want a current/checking account or a high-interest bearing account, when in fact what you are expecting (and will get) is a low-interest bearing account. Maybe someone can clarify or elaborate on that again, please?

If you happen to be in Pattaya, I'd be delighted to introduce you to the bank manager at the Jomtien Soi 5 SCB branch who is MOST cooperative and friendly.

I think the OP was indicating he did a ThaiVisa.com search for info on the process at the HKG consulate, and how to get to the HKG consulate.

He could well have already visited the Hong Kong Consulate's web site, but was just looking for some first-hand experience from some ThaiVisa members who had been to the HKG Consulate?

She seems to fit the 30-day visa-waiver stamp fine:

Enter Thailand 04Jan with ticket to leave Thailand dated 24Jan.

Enter Thailand 10Feb with ticket to leave Thaland dated 19Feb.

There is no "unacceptable" overland travel out of Thailand.

Why would she need to bother with applying for a tourist visa?

Unless, of course, her ticket(s) out of Thailand are open tickets, or she is travelling overland to KUL...

This command is according to Invision support the best way to deal with this annoyance:

Click here to delete the Thaivisa Forum cookie and replace it with the new type of stronghold cookie:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?ac...gin&CODE=06

After that, login again and be sure that "save password" is ticked at login.

Hope that can be a help to at least some of you guys.

That doesn't fix it for me. I clicked on the link yesterday, logged back on with "save password" checked (it is always pre-checked when I log back in) and today, I was required to log in again.

Lopburi: What URL are you using for the Los Angeles consulate? You seem to have been able to access it at the time when I cannot. I'm using: http://www.thai-la.net

I am unable to divorce for the foreseeable future and unable to bring my daughter to Belgium to live with me for more than 3 MONTHS (That would be on tourist/sponsor visa)

Granted this may not be your preferred solution, but is there no provision in Belgian (EU?) immigrations laws to grant a daughter a status that would permit her to live with her father? Or, is it a case where the mother's consent is needed, and she would withhold it?

[edited because I clicked on the wrong button and posted too soon]: I mis-read the fact that you are married and the mother of your child is not your wife. I can now see your predicament.

Without trying to pry, I'm curious why you cannot divorce your current wife? I respect your privacy, but that part seems to be key.

Mods, feel free to remove this post. I missed a key point the poster was trying to make: *multiple-entry". Upon review of the pages I referred him to, I realize none of them specifically mention *multiple-entry* although anecdotally: a friend of mine just got a multiple-entry O-A visa at the Chicago consulate about two months ago. However, that anecdote may no longer apply?

I've not yet contracted the work, so haven't consulted with the electrician nor ceiling installers, but are there any do's and don'ts with mounting the transformers and actual halogen fixtures recessed into the ceiling that I should be alert to?

I'm planning to add a 30cm x 30cm drop ceiling (I think that's the term?) around the perimeter of each room. The walls are the standard brick construction and the existing ceiling is gypsum/dry wall. I'm concerned about the heat generated by the transformers and the bulbs. Should the transformer be mounted on the concrete wall, or is it ok to mount on the gypsum dry wall, or does it matter? Is the 30cm x 30cm area ok if they leave the existing ceiling above it, or should they bust out the existing ceiling to allow more ventilation for heat dissipation? I'm not always this paranoid, but would like to take advantage of the free, professional-level advice that's obviously available on this forum. :-)

I always add bleach when washing pillows and bedsheets, that killls everything.

And, removes the color from them.

I've never mastered the art of washing pillows. No matter if I air dry them (usually on the patio in sunlight) or tumble dry them on low (or no) heat, the foam padding inside always manages to lump up.

I have just posted a paper on domestic lighting in the topic of Domestic Electrical Wiring, which may be of some use to you but I'll post it here anyway.

Just a comment on the "myth" section:

Myths.

Low voltage halogen lighting is not cheaper to operate.

Fluorescent lamps do not emit dangerous UV radiation.

Constantly switching lights on & off does not save money.

Dimming lights does not save money unless a solid state dimmer is used.

It's not clear whether what you post below the heading is the true or the myth statement. I'm assuming they are the true statements, not the false mythical statements. i.e. The myth is "Constantly switching lights one & off does save money," and the truth is "Constantly switching lights one & off does not save money."

Do you receive the 10% reduction on your membership renewal ?

Not sure, as I don't know what the "published rates" were. I don't recall any discount being mentioned, but the whole renewal process was very low key -- no pressure to upgrade to more expensive package, although I did upgrade my outpatient coverage. And, any condition that pre-exists the outpatient upgrade only gets covered at the pre-upgrade level. <sigh...>

As I've said before, I'm amazed there are no podiatrists in Thailand. (Amazing Thailand, indeed)

Someone has recommended that I see an "orthopedic surgeon" for foot-related problems, and that is now on my "to do" list. I have a non-life threatening problem with the bones and tendons in my foot that have irritated/bothered me for some time. After I see an orthopedic surgeon, I will post a recommendation, if applicable.

With the sponsored marathons, with the number of elderly folks, with the dangerous sidewalks/footpaths, with all the botched pedicures, I think a podiatrist could make lots of money here.

...the local temple looks like a dog breeding center as dogs are dumped there.

Unless the dogs take a vow of chastity, it IS a dog breeding center!

BTW, the halogen "floor lamps/lights" I'm talking about do not use the "eyeball light" type of bulbs, they use the cylindrical "bulbs" about 10cm long.

I now have a question, though, about the halogen "eyeball lights" like you install in ceilings. There is a multitude of light fixtures which use a transformer, but there are also (fewer selections of) light fixtures which do NOT use a transformer and use a 220/240v bulb. Since the transformers used in the former are so inefficient, what about using only eyeball light fixtures that do not use the transformer? I am re-doing my ceilings to have a drop down ceiling around the edges and want to install such lights so this is quite relevant to me right now. Which type of light fixture is better: with transformer, or without?

I take that when you say "lamp", you actually mean "light" (or light fitting). "Lamps" are bulbs, tubes or globes.

You take correctly.

Where I grew up we called the appliance which stands on the floor with a power cord, a light bulb and (usually) a lamp shade a "floor lamp." Now I know we were wrong: it's a floor light!

Seriously, please do continue your explanations. I'm learning lots in this discussion.

This may be way off the mark, but I'll toss it out for consideration:

A roommate of mine was plagued with crab lice more than once. His doctor, in addition to prescribing crab-killing lotions to apply directly to the body, told him to launder his bedding (in hot water if possible) then put the still-damp laundry in plastic trash bags and toss them on the roof to steam in the sun for a few days.

Could the "steaming in the heat of the sun" be effective for pillows? e.g. Dampen the pillows or put wet towels in the bag and let the steam penetrate the fluff inside the pillows?

I think the strategy is to break the reproduction cycle by steaming long enough to let larvae/eggs hatch and be steamed to death before they could lay new eggs, so the steaming would have to be long enough to do that.

I've been a BUPA customer for a few years now. In general, they are efficient and make hospital check-out procedures fairly painless ... the hospital contacts BUPA for approval and then you only pay for what is in excess of your coverage.

However, they are clearly a for-profit business. They will access ALL of your previous medical records, even prior to your BUPA coverage and at any hospitals in Thailand you've used in the past, before AND AFTER settling a claim. (You may be asked to reimburse them for a claim they pay prior to completing their research but subsequently find it was not covered.)

I had surgery to correct a deviated septum at BNH hospital, and BUPA denied the claim since I was treated at Bumrungrad several years earlier for a sinus infection. It took LOTS of effort on my part, including pursuading the doctor at Bumrungrad to amend the medical transcripts there, to convince the insurance adjustors at BUPA to cover the claim. BUPA is VERY serious about the "previous existing conditions" clause that you sign a waiver for upon application.

Keep your initial BUPA application date in mind any time you see a doctor for a chronic condition. NEVER tell them, "Oh, I've suffered this off and on for years."

Overall, I'm satisfied with BUPA, but am ever aware of how thorough they investigate insurance claims. However, now that I've been reading ThaiVisa.com I've seen referrals to competing insurance companies who charge much less than BUPA. Try a forum search for threads about insurance coverage. I choose to stay with BUPA now that I have several years of coverage, since if I changed to a new insurer, THEIR pre-existing condition coverage would exclude everything now so conveniently documented by BUPA.

Where do you live? There may well be an honorary consulate closer to your home.

Here's the URL for the list of consulates in the USA: http://www.thaiembdc.org/directry/direc_e.htm

Some passports only receive 30 days for a tourist visa entry.

Can that 30-day tourist visa be extended twice for two more 30-day periods = 90 days?

If taken literally, this would seem to criminalize any activity without a work permit whatsoever (except, perhaps, sleeping).

Dunno. Have you ever notice the sleeping shop clerks at the display cases or cash register? Aren't they getting paid to sleep? And, farang, be careful about standing around in small groups "shooting the breeze" with buddies. Isn't what they pay the folks on the sales floor at Home Pro to do?

Seriously, though, the vagueness certainly is a problem. As mentioned in another thread: a homeowner threatened to be turned in to Immigrations for painting his own home?

And, certainly all the more ironic with the news articles proclaiming this last week that Thailand has the lowest unemployment rate in the world.

I, too, need to log-on *almost* every time I access the board now, whereas before I wouldn't need to type the username/password for months at a time. *Sometimes* when I access a forum I don't need to log on but about 90% of the time I do.

I am using Opera 9 (and won't be changing my browser any time soon just to humor ThaiVisa) and have cleared all my internet cache, my Opera browser cache, my temp files and cookies. The "remember me" check box is always pre-checked. Lots of reboots, too. And, just now I needed to log on.

The frustrating thing is that sometimes I don't realize I'm not logged on until I'm reading my third or fourth forum, then have to log-on, go back to the already-read forums to mark them as read.

How come, when logged on as "guest", threads are showing as having unread messages. Shouldn't they ALL be shown as having unread messages or NONE of them? It would be easier to notice I were logged on as guest if that were the case.

They have a "reentry permit" booth in the check in hall.

Do you know exactly where the booth is? That's a BIG check-in hall, and since one needs to go there AFTER the check-in process, it could panic someone who was kept waiting in queue for check-in longer than anticipated if they then had to frantically scour the terminal lobby.

Aha! A quick Google found this cdc document: "Rabies Vaccine, what you need to know." In that document:

Vaccination After an Exposure

Anyone who has been bitten by an animal, or who

otherwise may have been exposed to rabies, should

see a doctor immediately.

• A person who is exposed and has never been vaccinated

against rabies should get 5 doses of rabies

vaccine - one dose right away, and additional doses

on the 3rd, 7th, 14th, and 28th days. They should also

get a shot of Rabies Immune Globulin at the same time

as the first dose. This gives immediate protection.

• A person who has been previously vaccinated

should get 2 doses of rabies vaccine - one right

away and another on the 3rd day. Rabies Immune

Globulin is not needed.

rabies can stay latent up to two years, depending on the type of mammal...deer/antelopes/caprines have a 6 month quaratine leeway when rabies is suspected.

the shots are needed even if u are innoculated but the amount and timing is different

That's probably what the Bumrungrad doctor in the shot clinic was communicating to me.

But, then Couthy said "Innoculation stops the initial nerve/viral attack." If the vaccination stops the nerve/viral attack, why would post-bite shots be needed in any amount or timing? Maybe she (the Bumrungrad doctor) meant that the amount of shots would be less in that no rabies shots would be required, just shots for tetanus or other infections? <shrug>

added later: I just remembered that the Bumrungrad doctor had recently administered a tetanus booster, so that again makes me wonder if she meant that rabies shots would still be required post-bite, even with the vaccine she was injecting into me.

Growing up in America in the 50s and 60s, this is what a caravan was to me:

Now, I think most Americans would think of camels or a Dodge vehicle called the Caravan?

Let's not hope herds of camels are descending on Da Nang! Imagine the cleanup behind them...