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Wife spent a couple nights in a private hospital (Vibharam) nea Huamak station for thyroid surgery last month. Room rates: VIP 3850, single 3150, double 2550, 8-bed 550. Thai social insurance pays 550/night for room. We requested a single, but don't know availability until day of surgery. All rooms were booked, so wife was placed in the 8-bed ward. It was fine. Clean, quiet, good nursing staff. Curtain dividers, no TV's, limited visiting hours. We had no complaints. Single rooms have a sofa for relatives to sleep overnight. I wound up staying at a new hotel 5-minute walk from the hospital. (P.Park Residence at 650/night)

I'll assume you don't know how to use bluetooth to send a photo file from your phone. But what can you do? Do you know how to email a photo from your phone? Can you download photos from your phone to your laptop? Do you have a digital camera, and can you download to your laptop?

Online 90-day report was rejected. Drove to Korat immigration, spent a total of 2 minutes at the 90-day window. I had all the documents required: TM-47, passport ID page, visa page, entry stamp, visa extension. Since this was my first 90-day at this office, and I recently moved from Bangkok, I took everything - bank books, marriage cert, wife's id and house book, TM-30, and more. Disappointing really. The nice lady behind the glass only wanted to see my passport with 90-day reporting slip and the TM-47 form. No photocopies needed.

This should be easy. Have your SIL download the immigration Section 38 app onto her cellphone. She can upload her ID and proof of ownership or rental, and get her condo registered in the system. Once approved, she can use the app to register you as living there. Then have her take a screenshot of the TM-30 successful registration for you to print off and take to immigration in the future as needed. In place of a rental contract, just have your SIL write a letter stating you are residing in her condo, signed and dated. Take along a copy of her Thai ID and ownership paper, also signed. I did the same when staying in girlfriend's rented condo in Bangkok, using her rental contract.

Did they specify what they meant by "big border"? Poipet maybe, or Khlong Yai?

Non-Pattaya related.........Can anyone recommend an online seller for western style cargo shorts? NOT the Chinese abomination pictured above. All the local brands are knock offs of knock offs, too tight in the thighs and hang down a few inches below the knees. Tailoring not an option.......thighs too tight, and shortening to a respectable length would cut the cargo pockets by two-thirds. Looking for khaki cargo shorts designed for normal western dudes. 6'2", 180 pounds. Something more like this, with about a 6" inseam.

Just did a first 90-day report online, two weeks before due date. Took about five minutes after figuring out how the dropdown menus work. Submitted and got an email TM-47 confirmation within a few minutes. Current status is pending. If no joy in a week or ten days, I can brave the one hour drive to Korat immigration. Make a day of it and visit the hot spots: DoHome, Home Pro, Global House.

OOPS!........I was mistaken. Took all my passbooks to the bank today to update at the machines outside. Savings accounts showed only actual transactions and dates. Fixed account did a forced balance forward with today's date. Apologies for any confusion.

That depends on the bank. Bangkok Bank can do a passbook update, either inside with the clerk or using the automatic machine outside, without any activity. No small deposit or withdrawal required, both savings and fixed accounts.

How is this different from the "accepted" method of using agents and dodgy language schools to bypass immigration regulations to secure visas and extensions for those who don't meet the published requirements? The only difference I can see is them operating their own schools and cutting out the middlemen.

Lazada https://www.lazada.co.th/products/luxury-christmas-tree-package-shopping-mall-hotel-holiday-decoration-i4170257175-s16391231587.html?

No longer necessary, but if they've been vaccinated, their hospital or clinic can print off a certificate for them, in English, with their passport number that shows vaccination dates, vaccine type and lot numbers. May be useful for the return trip. They can also get a cheap PCR test and a lovely certificate in English from their local hospital. Both of the above may be required to board the plane in China..... And of course, they will probably have to quarantine when they return to China.

Are we reading the same article?

Says the wife who called her lover and pals to stop by and murder her husband. p.s.: He neither, as he is dead.

I've used Wise for a couple years now, never had any problems. But I'm new to the intertubes banking thing, meaning financial service companies without a physical presence. I never leave more than a few dollars in my Wise account. When I transfer money in from a bank or brokerage, I send it out to Thailand within minutes. Only reason I can see for parking funds there is their option to place an order to send when the currency rate hits your specified target.

Looks like the husband got the last laugh. Wife won't be going out again for a long, long time.

Congratulations! I suppose it depends on which bank and which branch and which employee on which day. I was only looking into it for the convenience of having a card here where I bank. Fortunately, my Navy FCU card with 1 million baht credit limit and 5.99% interest and no foreign transaction fees accepts foreign residence addresses and will mail cards to Thailand.

Bangkok Bank lady offered me a credit card, 50K on account, with a 25K spending limit. Seems worth it though, as they would only charge me 28% interest on my own money.

No idea. You can get coverage details and an online quote here: https://www.healthcareinternational.com/ I've got the Emergency+ plan, ex-US, with $2K deductible, $1700 annual. YMMV

I have a policy with them. No problems setting up the policy with automatic annual payments via credit card. No claims yet.

Would be too much trouble (for me) to lug a bike through airports and train stations and bus terminals for an around-town ride. And too much worry about damaging the carbon frame under piles of luggage, or potential theft. In this case, I'd pick up a cheapish folder that could be easily transported, then donated at the end of the trip.

Why upgrade components? What do you have now, and do all the parts function correctly? If you can wait to upgrade, parts should be cheaper in Canada. Spares for high-end parts likely will be unobtainium. Are you planning to tour by bike, or take your bike on trains/buses and mostly ride around towns? If touring, does your carbon frame have rack attachments? If not, carbon limits your bike-packing bag options. If stowing it in bus/train baggage compartments, expect to have sacks of produce loaded atop your bike.

Be careful what you wish for! If UK with 65 million gets one vote, then China with 1455 million,........????

There was a recent thread referencing a YouTuber named "Chocolate Man" recommending a visa agent in Pattaya doing cash-in-the-bank O-visas for 5000 baht. Not sure about the charge for extensions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cua_Pr79H_Q&ab_channel=ChocolateManInThailand

Got it. So far, 5% (of the track length?) is built but not yet in operation. The reporter gave no indication of the completion status of the remaining 95% (of track length?) The remainder could be 95% complete, or 50% complete, or still in the planning stage.