Whacker

As an advanced open water scuba diver I need to make a slight correction. While diving on air to that depth is not recommended. It is certainly possible. The max depth on air is around 190 to 200. Deeper than that the diver is subject to Oxygen Toxicity. Also (bottom time is very important) I did a 189 ft dive on air at Trinidad, and Tabago. You can go down as fast as you can, once at depth my computer showed that I only had 5 minutes of (bottom time) exceeding bottom time can be deadly. After 2 minutes I very gradually made my way to the surface, and since I had plenty of air left I took about 45 minutes including 3 safety stops before surfacing. The only thing that I saw down there was a huge Sting Ray. I did it with the Dive Master just so I could have it logged on my dive computer for bragging rights.

I'm back in the US, but I first visited Thailand in 1967, and more recently starting around 2010. I lived with my Thai GF in Jomtien from 2015 until 2019, and during that time we traveled extensivly throughout the country, and to all the other Asian Countries. One can find girl action just about everywhere however when you go away from the well traveled girl related areas it can be difficult but really the language is the main problem not a lack of available girls. However as an example there are 4 or 5 girlie bars (English is spoken) very near the two big hotels in Kohn Kean in the center of town. There is also a fancy club with intertainment where girls expect to leave with some one. Similar to the ones of that type that are in Bankok. The other ones that I mentioned are (beer bars) with girls for hire. As mentioned in a previous post Udon Thani has a girlie area, as does ubon Ratchatani. Korot etc. I had no problem finding girls in Krabbi either. Same of course for Hua Hin which has a ton of bars. Really they are everywhere, but if your in an area where no one speaks English it can be a problem. One thing that has changed is honesty. Back in 1967 a bunch of us guys went to a brothel in Satahipp about twelve of us the only ones in the whole place. As time went by and guys paired off with girls for the night one guy was so drunk that he left his wallet on the bar. It was there all night. In the morning it was still there with all of his money in it. Different times that are sadly gone.

FYI, been going to PI since 1967, spent months at a time between 2009 and 2018, traveled all over, diving including many trips to Borneo (very close) used to fly there from Clark in Angeles for 50 bucks round trip. (think you must use Manila now) did this to get my new stamp upon entry back to PI, just be sure to have an outward bound ticket from PI to anywhere which you can cancel or Borneo wont allow you on the plane back to PI. About mugging........ walk strongly while in the street. Dont let anyone touch you or try to talk to you. Dont fall for the "you know me Im one of the sercurity guards in your hotel". Dont go with anyone who says "I can take you to a better cheaper hotel". When riding in a jeepney keep a hand in each of your pockets where you have valubles. In Manila stay away from the old red light district near the US embassy. There is only one bar thats any good on P Borgues St. In Makati its named Rouges at the corner of P Borgues and Makati Ave. Walk in the middle of the street at night if you dont see anyone around, and there is no traffic (rare) Sabang used to be great until the Koreans took it over, and now since Covid its dead. Angeles was great until around 2011, and keeps going downhill ever since. I think Barretto Ave up from the old US Navy Base in Subic is still good. Davao is ok, but dont venture outside the city because of the Musilum terrorists there. Dont ever go anywhere with a stranger.

Thanks everyone for the info. Looks like I shouldnt have a problem...

Thanks, since I can pay any amount out of pocket I was trying to find out of there was a way to avoid the insurance altogether.

I lived in Thailand for many years on a retirement visa maintaining at least 800,000 Baht in a Thai bank. Late in 2019 I brought my Fiancee to the US, we married, she got her green card, we planned on going back and forth until I died (Im 77 now), then Covid happened. We would like to go back for a month or two this year. I also have a Thai ID card, a condo, drivers licence etc. If I can show that I have more than a million Baht in my Thai bank account do I still the mandatory insurance coverage to enter the Kingdom? Would I need a letter from Bangkok Bank NYC verifing my account or could I just show immigration my account on my phone?

Sorry, I hit the send button by mistake. My question is, can I enter Thailand with my Thai wife for a month or so without a insurance policy if I can show immigration that I have at least a million Baht in my Thai bank account either with my phone or a letter from BKK Bank in New York?

I did a thread on this subject earlier, and regarding Latin America, yes a good time can be had with all the trimmings for comparable prices, and learning the language is a piece of cake. Believe it or not they actually use 1 2 3, and A B C. Most down there speak a little or a lot of English, anyway. If you want more info go to costaricatics.com. The flavor runs dark to light, blond to brunette. Avarage hotel 40 to 80 USD. Companionship 50 to 100 USD. Obviously many cities offer sun sea, and sand, and "real fishing charters" where trophy Marlin, Sailfish, Dorado, Wahoo patrol the waters. Up until I started my Asian experience in 2009 I spent most of my free time in Latin America. What brought me to Asia? Diving, started out in the Philippines, then all over Asia spent a lot of time in Cambodia, Burma, Lao, (not for diving). And of course Thailand where I met my future wife while buying a condo. Now we are stuck here in the USA hoping to get back to Thailand when things calm down if ever?

Yeah, I used to love Sihanoukville, cheap, cheap, and a lot of fun, small beach bars. Ladies on the beach selling skewers of fresh squid, and shrimp for a buck apiece. All gone now. I'm 76 now, and at least I was able to enjoy the tail end of the way things used to be in Asia. Getting back to gambling though even though lottery losers money supposedly goes to good causes in Thailand the fact is that it is still gambling, and although winning does happen, in the long term the Thai person will always be a looser. The same as the avarage Casino player so no difference really, but the Thai government is reluctant to call lottery (gambling) because gambling is illegal in Thailand, unless of course it is being run by the benevolent fathership of the government of Thailand.

I put this in the wrong forum this morning. Misread diving for driving. Anyway always been curious about the term "drink driving" Through the years I have been intrigued with the term "drink driving" in Thailand, and why its not called "drunk driving" or DUI often also referred to as a dewi. "Scenario" officer to driver, have you been drinking tonight? Driver, well yes officer I drank two cups of tea, and a glass of milk before I left home, and I drank some water when I stopped to get fuel. Officer to driver. Get out of the car you are under suspicion of being under the influence of drink driving.... I know you guys will think this post is stupid, but I just wanted to put a little light hearted chatter into this messed up Covid, Omnicron world in which we now have to live. Anyway I have always wondered why its called "drink" driving instead of "drunk" driving in Thailand. I know it's trivial, but it always sounded kin of funny to me.

I have two wells here in fl. My systems for filtration are in order of sequence 1 large iron manganese filter, 1, 3ft. long ultra violet lamp for bacteria. 1 water softener, 2 whole house cartridge filters for sediment first is a 5 micron, going into a second one which is a 1 micron. Also we have a carbon filter in our fridge . A lot of the people here don't have any filters as the underground water aquifers are considered to be bacteria free, but the water is high in <deleted>, and other particulates which gives it an off color, and taste, and is hard on clothes washers, dishwasher etc. The two main problems with proper filtering is the maintenance, and the GPM restriction. In our case there are only two of us. So no problem, but if there were four or five and two were taking a shower, and the clothes washer, and dishwasher were running running there would be a problem. In your case I would recommend two large whole house filters in series, a ten micron leading into a 5 micron leading into some type of UV setup then into your house. Use 1 inch sch. 40 PVC pipe. Hope this helps. PS, you can always experiment with the filter micron rating to reach a balance between sufficent water flow and good filtration, I change my cartridge filters every three months, if you happen to get clear filter housing don't freak out if the filters turn dark in a few days. They are just doing there job, and it's only the very first layer that you are seeing turn brown.

Some of those hiso wealthy big spender Thais should also be stepping up to the plate, and helping their brethern. Isn't there and old saying that charity begins at home? Why does The Thai government always want to have wealthy foreigners solve their financial problems? Why can't they embarress the ultra rich Thais into helping out? Maybe the government can set an example themselves by donating 10 percent of their salaries? Maybe Priwit can donate some of his watches. How many watches does he need to tell the time anyway?

Some of those hiso wealthy big spender Thais should also be stepping up to the plate, and helping their brethern. Isn't there and old saying that charity begins at home? Why does The Thai government always want to have wealthy foreigners solve their financial problems? Why can't they embarress the ultra rich Thais into helping out? Maybe the government can set an example themselves by donating 10 percent of their salaries? Maybe Priwit can donate some of his watches. How many watches does he need to tell the time anyway?

It is what it is, I was, and I am fortunate. I never really had to be on a "budget", but obviously there are those of us that less fortunate when it comes to money, and who have to play "close to the wallet", as such I'm only trying to point out that if one chooses the right places a good time can be has for less than an arm and a leg.

As much as you want, and just like anywhere else if if you are a nice guy, and not there for a week never to come back you can have a relationship. Also unlike Oz the UK, and US younger females and older men is considered normal, and not eyebrow raising.

Please don't get me wrong. I have had some of the best times of my life visiting, and finally living in Thailand, and ended up marrying a wonderful Thai girl. We would probably be there now if not for all the hassles caused by Covid. After reading from so many on this forum about the hoops, and added expenses of returning at this time I only was trying to point out that until it became easier that there were other options that could be explored for the time being, the new virus may have changed the entry requirements for some of the Latin American Countries, I haven't checked, but prior all that was needed for entry was a valid passport, proof of vaccination, and a test at the airport. Pretty easy. Anyway I for one have always enjoyed exploring new places, and in most cases there one can have a good time including meals, hotel, and companionship for 100+ US a day so it's not too expensive . I didn't set out with the intent of bashing Thailand with my other posts, however I guess maybe for some I came across that way. For those of you please accept my apologies.

Just for the record I'm not selling anything. Just trying to point out that Thailand is not the center of the universe. Check out www.costaricaticas.com I spent more time in Costa Rica than anywhere else in Latin America. Also check the 6 minute 58 second video "hotel and casino del Ray San Jose. on Utube.

Just for the record, until two years ago I lived in Jomtien for many years, and still own a condo there where my wife's daughter, and father live now.

Just for the record, until two years ago I lived in Jomtien for many years, and still own a condo there where my wife's daughter, and father live now.

Yes, true about the prices in Europe, and Japan, Singapore. However not true in Latin America. More or less about the same as Cambodia, Thailand, and Philippines. Correct me if I'm wrong, I think most of the guy's on this forum are from Europe, Oz, and the US in third place. By and large I'm guessing that the Europeans. and Aussies on this forum are low in numbers when it comes to visiting Latin America, and although obviously a lot of American men go there, in my many years of hanging out in many countries there the Americans for the most part had the attatude that they had everything they needed in Latin America, and anyway "Asia was to far to go" plus most spoke a little or a lot of Spanish. Occasionally I would run into Europeans, but few and far between. Except for on a small island off the coast of Venezuela, can't remember the name right now. Nudity was. allowed. There were many from Europe there. I believe that many people from Europe do go to Latin America, I just never saw very many myself except for on that island off the coast of Venezuela, just remembered," Isles de Margareta " Never ran into a single person from Oz while in Latin America. Probably quite a few of the Americans like me on this forum have been there. Just not the ones I ran into there who said that Asia was too far away.

???? There are many other countries besides Thailand, and the Philippines where girls, and bars cater to men who want to have fun. Although I will say that Thailand held the world record when it came to A GOGO bars. Costa Rica, (well known) Colombia, which is not so dangerous as it once was although recently I did here of some trouble there. Brazil, but dangerous, Uruguay, safe, Northern Venezuela, use Caracus is dangerous use only as a transfer point, go to Fortaleza. In general most of Latin America is accepting of play for pay, and in some countries like Costa Rica prostitution is legal, age of consent used to be 14 now its 16 or 18. I would stay away from Mexico. Also there are plenty of beautiful beaches in Latin America, the flavor of the girls runs from very dark to very blond, blue eyes, and Spanish is such an EASY language to learn. Could never wrap my head around Thai. I don't know much about Europe, but I hear there is a lot going in in the Slavic countries. BTW when I first visited the Philippines and Thailand in 1967 nearly all the Thais I encountered (at least the ones who finished a good part of high school spoke some English as it was a required subject in those days, there wasn't all this chest thumping about Thainess in those days. I seem to remember only one hotel of any size in Pattaya. Anyway there are many countries offering the things guy's like besides Thailand, and the language is sooooo much easier. And cost, about the same, and no frowning on alcohol. Two years ago I brought my then Thai GF to the US and married her so my mongering days are done, but I did have some great times in years past in The Philippines, Thailand, Burma, Cambodia, Viet Nam, and Hong Kong (Won Chi). Even had good times in Borneo.