Hawaiian

2 hours ago, jacko45k said:

Not having a valid Visa appears to be the only thing mentioned... it is possible the police were not familiar with the VOA.....

Forgive my ignorance, but wouldn't an entry stamp in her passport shown her legal presence.

2 hours ago, sambum said:

I am afraid that my experiences differ considerably from yours!

I am originally from the UK, and a few years ago I put in a claim for storm damage to the roof of my house, and the ceilings and carpets of one of the bedrooms. I had been with this particular Insurance Company for MANY years and never made a claim, but occasionally had a loose slate come off during stormy weather,(The house was built pre 1900) and always paid for it myself, as the cost was less than the excess on my policy.  However, this particular storm caused substantial damage countrywide, but the Insurance Company paid me absolutely nothing as I had "had similar incidents happen before". (I had foolishly told them of the times I had arranged for the slates to be replaced at my own expense)

Similarly, a few years ago, on one of my earlier visits to Thailand, I had to have some dental work done on a crown that had come loose which involved some fairly complicated root canal work, so I had to travel to Bangkok from Southern Thailand to have the work done at a specialist hospital. Same excuse from the Insurance Company - I had actually been paid out a few years earlier for some  root canal treatment and a porcelain crown to be fitted, so they refused to pay out for the latest treatment "as a similar claim had been made at an earlier time" So, you only have problems with one tooth in your lifetime?

I have since heard (no link or proof I'm afraid) that insurance companies have specialist departments within their organisations whose job is to find grounds for rejecting claims!

And I now find that I am too old at 77 to get Health Insurance! My last enquiry was when I was 72, and it was going to cost more than 3000 pounds annually, but pre existing conditions were not covered, so taking a pill a day for hypertension, and high cholesterol meant that I would not be covered for heart attacks, strokes etc. (However, I would probably have been covered for something like back or groin strain, unless of course, I had not had a back or groin strain before!)

So, no, I do not have a lot of time for Insurance Companies! 

In the U.S. each state regulates the insurance industry.  Hawaii is no exception.  While far from perfect, our regulators do a decent job.  We also have some aggressive lawyers, with some high profile law firms specializing in insurance claims.  The have impressive track records. 

When I injured my back my insurance company (my business was incorporated so I had to carry workmens compensation insurance) tried giving me a hard time.  I told the claims adjuster she could work with me or deal with my lawyer.  No problems after that.

As for medical coverage, I have Medicare and Tricare for life.  What Medicare doesn't cover

Tricare pays the balance.  Medicare costs me $165/month and I pay nothing for Tricare.

The not-profit private hospital I go to has never asked for a co-payment for the few times I used their emergency room services.  I rarely get sick and go to my primary care physician every six months for a checkup.  By the way, I am 83 years young.

Sorry about your bad experiences.  Take care.

8 hours ago, sambum said:

The stereotype of the one the insurance companies love - pay the premiums - never make a claim! And I do so love the word "thankfully" - you obviously understand the problems of making a claim, and the chances of getting a payout. Funny there's no such problems when you pay your premiums!

After reading your comments I checked the most recent reviews for Allianz.  Many 5-stars and and quite a few one-stars.  Failure to submit clear and precise  documentation seems to be behind most of the bad reviews. 

I am not one to file frivolous or questionable claims.  In the past, I have always been satisfied when filing homeowners, workmens compensation and auto claims.  As I have , mentioned, I have no experience with travel insurance claims and hope it stays that way.   Be prepared for the worse and hope for the best.

On 1/11/2023 at 1:36 PM, jacko45k said:

Presumably it will have to come from your home country and hence availability will vary. I certainly see enough adverts for UK insurance companies supplying policies for older travelers. Saga claim no upper age limit.

Whenever I buy my airline tickets they always offer travel/health insurance.  Thankfully I have never had to file a claim.  The couple of times that I haven gotten sick in Thailand from eating raw or under cooked shellfish an over the counter antibiotic has worked.  My girlfriend's brother is a good diagnostic physician who we both rely on for advice.  He has never let us down.

7 hours ago, hotchilli said:

Would you buy a used car that was submerged in a flood?

Why in gods name would you try to salvage a sunken ship.. just think of all the potential electrical issues for starters.

 

Exactly.  The saltwater damage is irreversible.

Not familiar with "Thai Logic"?

2 hours ago, Jingthing said:

The best neighborhood I ever lived in. Rich in culture and excitement. Riding the bus there was wonderful.

That is, if you like that kind of excitement.

3 hours ago, jacko45k said:

Probably cannot afford to live in SF proper, but there were a lot more just over the bridge in Berkely and points East. 

And Emeryville.

6 hours ago, Gknrd said:

US drug enforcement is a joke IMHO. Just big business.  As soon as this guy was put away another cartel 100 times worse is taking his  place. Might as well legalize coke in the US it would be cheaper and stop the killings IMO.  

Colombia is heading in the right direction IMO.. I lived in Colombia for a while and coke is legal and I was never once asked if I wanted any. Never even herd it mentioned. I asked the door man at my hotel and he said it's legal but nobody wants  it except the disco crowd. I went and sat in front of a disco and saw the local dealer selling to an upper income crowd. No problems what so ever. They were using it like drinking a beer and enjoying the club scene. I have never tried the stuff but I was amazed at how everyone was enjoying their selfs and well behaved. 

I had a condo there with a balcony overlooking the street and the clubs closed around 2 or 3 and the police were there making sure the cars got out and everyone was ok.  Such a strange thing to see. The young people were definitely buzzed but were not causing any trouble.

Coke, like booze can cause serious health problems if abused over a period of time.  Same with pot.  Since the lifting of prohibition  alcohol l is legal and regulated at both the state and national level.  Pot is legal in some U.S. states although still ruled illegal by the feds.

19 hours ago, Guitar God said:

It it was a straight, white male NBA player who had forgotten a vape cartridge in their luggage and was arrested and imprisoned in Russia and released, conservatives would be arranging for a ticker tape parade and celebrating.

So why don't people of color celebrate her return? 

19 hours ago, Guitar God said:

America, where everyone brags about how much freedom we have but complain if you exercise it. Don't offer your opinion on politics and don't even think about exercising your freedom to not stand up for songs.

 

What price did she pay for not respecting the national anthem? 

20 hours ago, allanos said:

Biden is very poorly advised. He is completely at the whim

of a far-left agenda which bodes no good for both the USA

and the world in the long term.

And to think the USA and the rest of the world has to put up with him for another two years, that is if he lasts that long. 

9 hours ago, scorecard said:

Recent good experience with this, on Singapore Airlines:

Sydney to Singapore, then change the flight at Changi for Singapore to Bkk.

 

Scheduled time on the ground 25 minutes.

 

- Pleasant experience getting off the a'craft on arrival at Changi (hostesses had everything well prepared, passengers well organized.

- Several golf carts waiting very close to aircraft door, loaded and moved off quickly. Ground staff very helpful and pleasant.

- I'm in a wheelchair, I was asked to wait until 90% of passengers alighted the aircraft.

- Out and into the waiting S'pore wheelchair, 2 attendants, one taking care of cabin bags etc., the other well experienced at keeping the ride smooth and fast. 

- Passengers asked politely to not engage in shopping etc. With apologies.

- On arrival at next gate all very well organized, extra gate staff on hand. Extra staff on board temporarily helping to get cabin bags into overhead lockers, getting passengers seated and buckled up and helping with any last minute issues.

- Doors closed, aircraft moved away right on 25 minutes.

- Arrived at Suvarnabhumi 10 minutes early.

- I had 4 check-in items (incl 2 wheelchairs), all arrived in Bkk on my flight, all in good order.

 

 

 

My problem is Honolulu International Airport.  Even after spending millions of dollars in improvements it is still not fixed.   For its size, it is rated the second worst airport in the U.S. 

The walk from the international arrival gates to immigration is ridiculous.  While not wheelchair bound, I use a cane to get around.  The last time we came through the escalator was broken, so climbing the stairs to the next floor with my carry on was not all that easy. Fortunately, other friendly passengers helped me.

The immigration and customs process is easy.  It's the difficulty in reaching these areas.

Other common complaints are the Hawaiian Airlines staff and the extremely long TSA lines.

HAL staff kept sending us in circles before we got our boarding passes.  Luckily a security officer who asked to see my boarding pass and noticed I might miss my HAL flight, led us to the head of the TSA line.

These are my reasons for the three hour layover in Honolulu.  I rather wait for the next flight than the face the headaches of missing it.  My traveling companion feels the same way.  She never travels alone and is comfortable with my decisions.  So far, we have never missed a flight.

On 10/21/2022 at 6:45 PM, possum1931 said:

"meaning you think that the nation doesn’t have highly educated people to run a company?"

You have people with probably an average low Thai IQ running the country, ie, the unelected PM and his sleeping partner. So why not similar running a company?

A foreigner would probably make smart business decisions without worrying about "losing face."

On 10/21/2022 at 2:44 PM, darrenr said:

I checked flights from Perth no economy but business class $12,000 AUD return , even their flights from Sydney economy are very expensive, Singapore airlines now has a stranglehold on flights from Australia to Thailand , still no flights direct from Brisbane , have to fly Qantas Brisbane to Sydney then they give you 75 mins to transfer from domestic to international terminal (in this time you have to disembark Qantas jet, collect bags , shuttle bus to international terminal , check in, clear customs ) talk about fine if not impossible 

I never book flights requiring transfer from domestic to international with less than 3 hours layover.  Same with international to domestic flights.

7 hours ago, kennw said:

I am surprise that a person of your (Rooster) "intelligence" would say "what difference would one vote make" sorry to inform you but honest elections are made up of one votes. 

Very rare occurrence, but there have been elections where one vote decided the who the winner was.

6 hours ago, Bkk Brian said:

Putin had an embarrassing moment in Kazakhstan

 

At the summit in Astana, President of Tajikistan Rahmon addressed Putin: "Please do not relate to the countries of Central Asia as the former USSR!"

 

???? not many places want Russia

It's not that they do not want Russia, it's Putin they do not trust.  Iran, of course is a different story

6 hours ago, Bkk Brian said:

Putin had an embarrassing moment in Kazakhstan

 

At the summit in Astana, President of Tajikistan Rahmon addressed Putin: "Please do not relate to the countries of Central Asia as the former USSR!"

 

???? not many places want Russia

They wish to maintain their ties to Russia.  It is Putin they do not trust.  Iran is a different story.  

1 minute ago, Lacessit said:

Russia has done very poorly in exploiting the wealth of resources in Siberia, I have no doubt the Chinese think they could be more effective. They may be right.

Exactly.  If the Russians had spent more of their money and energy in the east they could be a wealthy country.  Putin foolishly concentrated on "civilized" Russia.  The Chinese are more of a threat than Ukraine or even NATO.

5 hours ago, Lacessit said:

Putin is getting very little help from Xi, Putin is sourcing weapons from Iran and North Korea. China is not sending any, for fear of secondary sanctions.

Xi is smarter than Putin, a weakened Russia dependent on China for export income would suit his book admirably.

There is also the Amur River border, the Chinese have taken note of the Russian military's abysmal performance in Ukraine. The riches of Siberia are a juicy prospect.

According to some Xi supporters here on Aseannow, China is not interested in territorial expansion.  I can see they are not fooling you.

On 10/12/2022 at 5:21 AM, MrJ2U said:

You must be Russian.

 

Surely you are aware of the atrocities being committed by Russia and Putin.

 

However he's got every right to come and Thailand has never been picky to whom they crawl into bed with. 

He is upset that well informed people are not buying the propaganda he is peddling.

13 minutes ago, blazes said:

Oooh, scientists?  (In medieval times, the priests of the Holy Roman Catholic and Apostolic Church were the ones who had to be obeyed, often on pain of death for those who disobeyed.  Today, scientists have taken over that role, and they too have punishments they can mete out.  Instead of facing an inquisition, today's  scientists have "peer review" to censure dissenting voices.)

 

Scientists are human and are as fallible as any of us on this thread.  As academics, they must all sing from the same hymn sheet (regarding whatever the "consensus" may be on any particular subject at the moment).

 

Any dissenting voice regarding the consensus will soon find his or her research grants from government or corporations drying up.  And academic "manhood" is determined ONLY by the number of research grants you receive.

Cancellation (career stagnation) awaits those who sing off-key....

 

 

This is exactly what happened in the U.S. when independent virologists disagreed with the Covid "experts" from the CDC and its affiliated agencies.

As far as climate change goes, it is cyclical with varying lengths of cycles.  In other words, it is forever changing.

8 hours ago, Gweiloman said:

Most Americans, I would imagine, get most of their news from the local networks or CNN, FOX, MSNBC etc. Far as I can tell, all these networks are anti-China. So how do the 2 million warriors influence anything in America? By broadcasting subliminal messages while America sleeps?

 

Maybe Trump is in China’s pocket as everything he has done for the last 6-7 years and continue to do today has been very effective in destroying America, from within. He has caused Americans to hate each other, accuse the DOJ, FBI of being corrupt and fascist (or is that left’s weapon against the right), causes irreparable damage to the whole justice system and so on and so forth.

 

If I could, I wonder definitely vote Trump in 2024.

If you really want to be to be properly informed mainstream media is not the place to go.  Neither is social media.  Political bias is everywhere, but propaganda only works on the gullible.  This is why I get my news from multiple sources and attempt to sort out fact from fiction.  As a history and geography buff since childhood, I usually have enough background information to figure it out.