5davidhen1

I don't generally suffer from reflux. My sleep pattern is interrupted because my nose blocks which wakes me up through lack of air/oxygen.

Hi Folks, I have a long history of nasal/respiratory problems. I have undergone 3 polypectomies, the last one being 30+ years ago. I had a head scan a year ago for an unrelated reason (checking for early-onset Parkinson's disease) which showed that I had chronic sinusitis. This was not news to me and, until now, I've managed my condition using saline irrigation and Betamethasone nasal drops. However, my nasal passages are now almost constantly blocked and this interferes greatly with my sleep and consequently my general well-being. I'm not inclined to return home to the UK and surrender myself to the shambles which the NHS system has now become, so have decided to "bite the bullet" and pay for any procedure which, hopefully will improve my condition. Any recommendations for a hospital, particularly from anyone who has undergone an ENT procedure in or around Pattaya, with a similar condition would be greatly appreciated. When Covid was ongoing, I had my first 2 jabs at Samitivej Hospital, Sriracha. I was impressed with the service I received but, of course, it was part of a government initiative and was therefore carried out free of charge.

Hear Hear!

Two years ago, on BOXING DAY, I had lunch at The Caddyshack, Pattaya. It was delicious, almost identical to the one which had been served on Christmas day --- and half the price! AFAIK Christmas isn't celebrated in Thailand (previous respondents have referred to it being a work day or a school day) so why should a meal in a restaurant cost extortionate amounts of money. Back in the UK, one would expect to have to pay staff a large bonus to encourage them to leave their families in order to serve a load of strangers a Christmas lunch/dinner. I don't suppose Thai staff expect, or receive such a special bonus?

Just a small (perhaps insignificant, perhaps not) addition to this thread: I know from personal experience that HMRC talks to DWP. So, if there's anything you don't want DWP to know about, make sure not to inform HMRC.

Many thanks to all respondents --- especially Hotandsticky's generous offer. However, I discovered that I was able to send the documents electronically via email attachments, so all has now been resolved. David.

I will soon need to send a non-valuable document to the UK. The importance will be on speed, rather than anything else. Can anyone recommend a company with, if possible, a price estimate? The consignment will be no heavier than a simple letter inside an envelope. TIA.

One more "advantage" is that with cardless, you now have 2 ways to withdraw cash, in case one of them fails --- e.g. lost/stolen card.

Are you saying that Thai immigration (Jomtien?) is accepting the tax summary from DWP (HMRC gateway personal PAYE tax a/c) as proof of income to enable the annual extension of stay based on retirement, in lieu of the THB 800,000/ 65k pm method? Provided, of course, that the annual funds exceed 12xTHB65k.

On Soi Buakhao, near Diana Estate, used to be a restaurant called, I think, Crazy Monkey. It closed a year or two back and the site is now occupied by, I think, "The Sports Lounge." I can't remember how much I paid for the fish and chips which I had but, it was not expensive --- I think a little over THB 100. The fish was so delicious and IMHO sweeter than cod. I asked the Indian owner if it was John Dory, but he said no, it is called PANGASIUS, which apparently is a member of the shark/catfish family. To reiterate --- it was delicious!

Please does anyone know of any availability to join a local bar's pool league team. I've asked in 1 or 2 places around Jomtien but most venues already have full membership. I'm currently on "Playhouse's" (Rompho) reserve, but this means that I am only called in the event of a permanent member's unavailability. I would personally rate my playing as good, i.e. I generally win more games than I lose. TIA. David.

In 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016, my late wife and I entered LoS on 90day non-imm Os simply to avoid the hassle of visiting immigration. We stayed for 2-3 months at a time from the UK. I now reside semi-permanently here on annual extensions of stay (based on retirement) on the back of my most recent non-imm O visa, obtained in January 2020. I have never experienced any problems either in Thailand or in airports. I do currently use an agent for my extensions, but am looking to try doing it myself next April via the 65k pm method. I asked on another thread if Jomtien Imm would accept evidence of the simple act of money transfers, rather than proof of the total 65k originating from a pension. However, I am yet to receive any comments on this. If anyone has personal experience of same, I would appreciate the reassurance of its acceptance. TIA. David.

From reading some comments on this thread, It appears that for the 65k method, one only needs to prove the monthly transfers from overseas, regardless of the source. I was previously of the understanding that the transfers must come from my (UK) pension. My UK pension(s), state and occupational, which are paid into my UK bank a/c currently fall a little short of the 65k. Please, can someone who already annually extends their stay using a monthly wire transfer (I use Wise into my Bangkok bank a/c) assure me that this method is acceptable to Jomtien immigration? Until now, I've been using a very good agent but, if it proves not too difficult using the 65k method, I'd like to "give it a go."

Please can someone explain the THB 65,000 pm option? I thought that the funds had to be shown/proven to come from pension receipts, but from reading this thread, it appears to be OK to simply show proof of a monthly transfer into BBK.

About 2-2 1/2 years ago I visited a German-owned restaurant in Bang Saray. I think it was called "Fisherman's Garden." It was almost the first restaurant I encountered when entering the beach road. My GF and I ordered meals and drinks, with ice. The drinks came from a different part of the restaurant from where the food did. I had to pay separately for the drinks --- and was charged extra (THB 10 I think) for the ice. Cheap Charlies, in Jomtien charges THB 20 for a very small portion of mint sauce, so I now take my own jar when having roast lamb. Unfortunately, no matter how many times I ask them to cook the veg a bit more (I'm sure that they just "show the veg some hot water" before plating it) it has never improved. My allegiance has largely now moved to "Gold Monkey" at the beach road end of Chaiyaphroek Road. This venue was formerly called "Gold Monkey 2" (GM 1 was in the Jomtien Beach Condominium complex) but has been under new ownership/management since earlier in the year. Their daily specials are all THB 99 (no loyalty card payment required) and are excellent value. They don't currently offer roast lamb but their Sunday roast, consisting of pork and chicken is accompanied by a variety of properly cooked veg. A particularly nice part of the meal is a crispy Yorkshire pudding (CC's are always soggy) filled with cauliflower cheese.

I have had 3 polypectomies (removal of nasal polyps), the last one being 30 or 40 years ago. I was told that they can regrow, and in my case they did. After my last one, the consultant prescribed nasal drops for me, telling me that they "may" stem the need for further operations. I have been using the drops ever since and while they do not cure the problem, they greatly alleviate the discomfort. I was stranded here in Thailand during Covid and ran out of the drops. I tried various other pharmacy-recommended alternatives but none of them did the trick. I couldn't find the original drops (locally) which I had been taking and was beginning to experience life well-being affecting breathing difficulties. Since I wasn't intending returning to the UK at the time, I asked my daughter to send over a stockpile of drugs (which I had built up over time, and included my drops, by repeat ordering online from my GP). My daughter periodically collected them from her local pharmacy and kept them for me. Within 3 weeks of restarting the taking of the original drops, my breathing had returned to near normal levels. My breathing has never been perfect and is actually a bit iffy at the moment with my left nostril, but that is sometimes down to the weather/humidity I think. But, it's most definitely better than it would be without the drops. The generic name of the drops is betamethasone sodium phosphate. The drug contains some sort of steroid and I think it is this element which sets it aside from all of the other drops which I had tried and found to be ineffective. Like I said, it is not a cure, but it sure improves my quality of life.

If this happens to me when perusing a menu outside a restaurant, it only serves to encourage me to move on and find another place. If I am already seated inside the restaurant, I will order a drink, then when it comes, tell them I will let them know when I am ready to order food --- if at all.

I think the UK's late, great comedian/magician Tommy Cooper had the best idea when it came to tipping. When exiting a taxi at the end of his ride, he would stuff his hand into the breast pocket of the cab driver saying, "Have a drink on me." Later, When the driver put his hand into his pocket, anxious to find out how much Tommy had given him, he pulled out ….. A teabag!

Please can anyone offer any insight to my dilemma. A year or so ago I was riding an old m/c (engine size I think was 110cc) which I was able to handle quite well with my g/f on the back, even though I had not ridden a m/c for over 40 years. A few months ago I splashed out on a brand new Honda Lead 125cc scooter. I handle it quite well when I am riding solo, but with the g/f on the back, I struggle to keep balance at low speeds. I am wondering if it has anything to do with the fact that my scooter has smaller wheels, affecting centre of gravity/dynamics. Or, could it be that my g/f (who doesn't ride) is not the best of passengers for sitting still. But, I don't recall a problem with the m/c, which brings me back to the different sized wheels possible reason. Maybe someone out there has had similar experiences when changing from m/c to scooter --- with, or without a passenger. Any suggestions?

I always report in person (I live in Jomtien) during the week following the 90 days but, I'm curious --- If I report online, do I need to have access to a printer in order to put a hard copy in my passport, or is it acceptable to just keep the digital certificate in my phone?

Firstly, I don't think that checking any particular box for "reasons for the transfer" influences the time factor of the transfer process. What DOES influence the time factor is which method one opts for to action the transfer. I believe that the debit card method is instantaneous (I used it a couple of years ago) but if one opts for the bank transfer (UK sterling bank to Wise, then onto my BK bank) the money arrives about 1400hrs the next day. This is the cheapest method of transfer. I've recently been paying Wise about half a percent for this service. Regarding the photo (selfie with I.D.) verification: The only time I have been asked to provide this was quite recently, but only because I was changing some personal detail (phone number I think). Wise quite prudently needed to satisfy themselves that it was indeed ME who was making the change.

Right, I've let you all have sufficient time to rant on. Quite honestly, I'm amazed that so many of you responded --- and many did so without grasping the "message." I did begin my post with "With apologies to the UK's Daily Telegraph's Matt." For the benefit of those who are unaware, Matt is a cartoonist who posts daily cartoons in the aforementioned newspaper, which are always of a topical nature. Sometimes they refer to a recent news story, sometimes they are political, and frequently they are satirical. NOTHING happened to my wife --- the "supposed" incident never occurred! I was quoting a recent cartoon by Matt. The joke behind the cartoon was a follow-up to the recent (bank holiday Monday) air-traffic fiasco which caused chaos for many flyers. It affected innumerable delayed and cancelled flights into, out of and even overflights of the UK. It was very clever of Matt to not only use the NATS (National air traffic services) story, but also a "light-hearted" reference to the (now infamous) Spanish footballer's "unsolicited" kiss. To those who "got the joke", well done. To the other respondents --- I strongly suggest that you "get out a bit more!

With apologies to Matt, at the UK's Daily Telegraph.......... When our flight home to the UK was finally called at Malaga airport, my wife was so happy that she kissed one of the airport officials --- and got herself arrested for sexual harassment!!!

The thing which amazes me is the removal of rear light bulbs on motorcycles. They are more afraid of ghosts following them home, than of being rear-shunted (and possibly killed) by an inattentive following driver.

Got it! Thanks Dmaxdan.