wpcoe

15 hours ago, Sheryl said:

For the diclofenac gel, apply hot soaks first until the skin is very red.This dilates blood vessels so you get much more local absorption.

Sheryl, is that a good rule of thumb or any topical medication?

9 minutes ago, Thailand J said:

$0. Fido has just dropped the SWIFT fees lately both domestic and overseas.

I use SWIFT at Vanguard and Charles Schwabs , also free to me. HSBC or Chase as intermediary at $2 most.

Thanks for the good news.  So, if necessary, I can switch from the ACH transfers I've been using to SWIFT, still with no Fidelity fees.  Oh, wait, does Fidelity need an intermediary for SWIFTing to Bangkok Bank?

I've wondered about the taking of Zentel (or similar) as routine prophylaxis.  What if you have one of the infestations that requires a prolonged period of treatment?  Is it like antibiotics where if you take less than the required complete course to obliterate a bacterial infection, that the infestation would be able to build a resistance to Zentel?

e.g.  I've been taking Zeltel for years, usually once annually, as a precaution.  What if I have, say, Neurocysticercosis -- which requires twice daily treatments for 8 to 30 days -- would periodic one-shot prophylactic 400mg doses of Zentel make the Neurocysticercosis grow resistant to it?

22 hours ago, Suradit69 said:

No, it's not a domestic transfer, which is why my broker charges me $10, whereas with the ACH transfer it was free.

On the form supplied to me by my broker I indicated that transfers would be going to Bangkok Bank Thailand and included my Bangkok Bank account number and the SWIFT code for Bangkok Bank Thailand.

But my broker, and many US banks, has no direct connection with BB Thailand, so they required a bank in the US to act as the go-between, aka a correspondent bank.

So I chose to use Bangkok Bank in New York. They have a different SWIFT. Code from the one for BB Thailand. I don't have it right now, but if you need it,, PM me and I'll find it.

There are other US banks that can be used as correspondent banks if needed when sending money to Bangkok Bank Thailand, but some of them tack on a hefty charge.  I think I read somewhere that BB New York was cheaper and I've had excellent results using them with ACH transfers so they seemed the safer choice. Some US banks choose the correspondent bank they want to use, so you might get stuck with an expensive one. Luckily my broker allowed me the choice.

 

so basically I get the same results as before for the same charges as before, $5 and baht 200 as far as Bangkok Bank is concerned, but my broker now pockets $10 and the transaction is recorded as an international  transfer to keep the US government happy rather than simply a domestic transfer as was the case previously with the ACH transfers.

 

P.S. the SWIFT codes for Bangkok Bank Thailand and BB New York are 

BKKBTHBK

BKKBUS33

 

respectively.

Thanks a lot for the details.

I'm surprised, though, that your broker can't do a SWIFT transfer directly to BKKBTHBK.  My credit union with somewhat basic options was able to do SWIFT transfers directly to SCB bank in Thailand without an intermediary, although it was a few years ago and maybe things have changed?  I wonder what is different about Bangkok Bank vs SCB.  

Thinking out loud, I wonder if it's possible to do a domestic SWIFT transfer to BKKBUS33 (NY branch) and use the account number of the account within Thailand, like we currently do with the ACH process.  My credit union charges $50 for an international SWIFT and $25 for a domestic SWIFT.  I'm not sure what fees my broker (Fidelity) charges for any SWIFT transfer.  I've been using Fidelity for my ACH transfers (since my credit union was unable to get them to work) and am waiting to hear back from Fidelity if they use the IAT format for ACH before pursuing possible SWIFT transfers with them.

9 hours ago, Suradit69 said:

Yes I was using the old ACH method and then changed to using SWIFT.  My broker required that I choose the correspondent bank and I chose Bangkok Bank NY.

 

For making monthly transfers of around $2000, using the old method my broker charged nothing, Bangkok Bank NY charged $5 and Bangkok Bank Thailand charged Baht 200.

That's interesting.  So, instead of using the ACH system to transfer money domestically to Bangkok Bank's New York branch, you use SWIFT to make the domestic transfer?  Do you use the SWIFT code for the New York branch and simply put the Thailand Bangkok Bank account number on the request form and they automatically transfer it to your account in Thailand?  (What is the SWIFT code for the Bangkok Bank New York branch?)

I used to SWIFT transfer directly to SCB in Thailand, but my bank started charging US$50 for an international SWIFT transfer.  Domestic SWIFT transfers are "only" US$25, which makes it more palatable.   So, I want to make sure I'm understanding correctly the exact method you are using.

What's the significance of B499,999?  Why not an even B500,000?

On 12/17/2018 at 6:34 AM, KhunFred said:

There is no excuse for dumping a child....NONE.

Assuming she voluntarily dumped the children.  What if she is being held against her will someplace or, worse yet, lying dead in a forest someplace?

Regarding not selling you the floor model: The store cannot sell the floor model because it's not theirs to sell.  The floor/display model (sometimes?) is property of the manufacturer (distributor?)  and not the store.  Hard to understand the reason, but it was confirmed to me at a couple stores.  This was in Hua Hin at Power Buy and HomePro a few years ago, but I have no reason to believe it's not the same situation here and now.

Agreed that Grab has become more expensive in Pattaya than it (and Uber) used to be, but still cheaper than taxi, with no negotiating.  And, they are available to summons pretty much 24/7.

2 hours ago, sirineou said:

 

 I am on business now in NYC...

I'd think there are plenty of places nearby to buy melatonin?  Even CVS, Duane Reade, Walgreens.

2 hours ago, bbi1 said:

 

Thanks. Is Jomtien Immigration on JomtienSaiNeung Soi 5 as per Google Maps? Basically Soi 5 off the road off the beach? So they're open Monday to Saturday 10am to 6pm or what's their hours?

Not sure of their exact hours -- I think they open before 10am, and close at 5pm? -- but pretty sure they are not open on Saturdays.

Depending where you are coming from in Pattaya/Jomtien, it might be easier to approach the office from Jomtien Second Road, as the office is closer to that than from Jomtien Beach Road.  (If you are driving, probably not an issue, but if on foot, it might be.)

7 hours ago, Briggsy said:

@Langsuan Man

 

Non-Imm O-A are far more tedious and expensive to obtain in the UK than they are in the U.S.

But, they still are expensive/tedious to obtain for a US citizen with no real ties in the USA.  e.g.  How cheap & easy is it for a stranger (with no US health insurance) to walk into a doctor's office in the US to obtain a notarized copy of the medical statement?  With the litigation-driven medical care system there, any reasonable doctor who doesn't know the patient well will administer the battery of tests to verify that they don't suffer each of the conditions.  The cost of those tests adds up. I believe in some states it's relatively easy to get the criminal history check, while others aren't. 

If you have a long-time GP doctor and share doughnuts with the local police force on a regular basis, I think it'd be a lot cheaper/easier, but for someone who hasn't actually live there for a few decades?

18 hours ago, wayned said:

Isn't the primary mission of an Embassy to provide support of their citizens living in a foreign country or am I missing something?

 

11 hours ago, Ginkas said:

No, it isn't and never has been.

The primary function of an embassy is to represent their country's government in the host country, and provide a link from the host country's government to the embassy's government.

Supporting their citizens was never their function, but over the last century or so they have taken on some of this work (or been "lumbered" with it, as they would say).

It used to be that if you chose to be in a foreign country it was up to you to look after yourself, nothing to do with 'your' embassy or government.

It seems that many countries are now trying to get back to this original state of affairs.

I learnt all this (and more) in discussions with a Foreign Office official when I worked for a different government department - was a bit of an eye-opener as to what can reasonably be expected.

 

According the the official US Department of State web site:

The primary purpose of an embassy is to assist American citizens who travel to or live in the host country.

source:  https://www.state.gov/discoverdiplomacy/diplomacy101/places/170537.htm

What happens if they come and nobody's home for repeated visits?  e.g.  I sometimes leave for two to three months at a time.  Do they care?  I live in a large condo, own my own unit, and I'm sure the front desk has no clue to my comings and goings.

I have a computer running licensed/activated Windows 10 Home.  If I buy "Windows 10 Professional ESD (Electronic Software Download) - License Only" will it *upgrade* my Home installation (i.e. keep all programs & settings) or is it going to require a fresh installation and I re-install all my programs and tweak all the settings anew?

On 11/6/2018 at 7:53 PM, Nyezhov said:

This is Thailand. I have learned after 25 years of coming here the following: I carry tp in my bag, and if no bag, a pocket. Just roll and fold to hanky size, put in a ziplock, unobtrusive. And a bandanna. And hand sanitizer.

I always carry TP when I travel, too.  Removing the cardboard tube makes it plenty compact.

It's been a few years since I lived in Hua Hin, but when I did there was a retired American doctor who was kind of a farang ambassador at Bangkok Hospital-Hua Hin and was a go-between for foreign patients and hospital staff.  I asked him for a recommendation for a doctor to use as a "GP" and he recommended Dr. Narawadee in Internal Medicine. 

I used her as first point of contact for several years until I moved from Hua Hin.  You can check to see if she's still there and if she'd be willing to fill that role for you.  Her English is very good and she's very compassionate and understanding.

On 10/13/2018 at 11:10 PM, lopburi3 said:

More likely your kidneys caused the gout - allopurinol often helps prevent or lessen damage to kidneys is current thinking.  

 

That's possible, but in my case Allopurinol did mess with my kidney and liver function tests.  My doctor monitored a bunch of blood level statistics while we searched for the best treatment for my chronic gout.

While my kidney function numbers only slightly elevated with Allopurinol, the liver function numbers went up quite quickly and quite high.  My AST went from 17 (normal is 0-40) to 56, and my ALT went from 28 (normal is 0-40) to 132 (!).  She immediately took me off Allopurinol, and put me on another treatment drug which also elevated my liver/kidney numbers, but not quite so bad.  We ended up on Sulfin which I've been taking for over a year now with reasonable kidney/liver function test results.

It's all a matter of YMMV, I think.

30 minutes ago, wpcoe said:

 

I'm out of the country until the night of 12/27, so I hope the US Embassy will offer appointments for 12/28 and/or 12/31 .  The Embassy web site hasn't opened up appointments for December yet, so I'll just have to wait & see.

15 minutes ago, sfokevin said:

I have an appointment at the CM Consul on Dec 20th thru their online appointment system ...

And, what's that got to do with the price of fish?

(a) Even if I wanted to go to Chiang Mai, their latest appointment date is 27-Dec, which is too late for me

(b) Bangkok Embassy is only accepting online appointments right now until 30-Nov

I think the little fella needs a bigger (or, at least thicker) watch.  

15 hours ago, Scottjouro said:

Er no they dont get issued a fast track card anymore, that stopped a while back need to present your business or first class  boarding pass to the IO, one presumes too many fast track passes were ending up in the hands of those on the other side of the curtain

15 hours ago, Scottjouro said:

There is no fast track "hall" at swampy, when you get to the arrival hall, business and first class turn left, but it all in the same hall 

 

It sounds like you are quoting the procedure for THAI passengers.  Passengers of other airlines do get a card and proceed to a separate Fast Track area between the two main immigrations halls.