Old Curmudgeon

I second that recommendation from @Mahseer for Norden restaurant. I can recommend the "Fish Duo". With fish cooked to perfect tenderness -- not every restaurant fish cooked perfectly like that. Meatballs excellent, too. Tasted home-made (but I'm no expert). Lingonberries not overly tart. Even the essential mash potatoes were good taste. [Photo from FoodPanda delivery service -- which I use frequently. I don't know price in the restaurant.]

Yes, exactly. A simple search of EMF effects may change your mind.

Wish I could agree, but their hummus is terrible. Okay, we are on the other side of the earth from the land of hummus, but with a name like that you'd expect better. Just a can of garbanzo beans thrown into a blender. Hardly any garlic or tahini by the taste of it. If any olive oil it was cheap-cheap oil; mostly corn oil, soybean oil etc. with zero taste or aroma. I say don't waste your money on the Hummus from Hummus Restaurant. Ironic, isn't it. Hummus Ingredient Quantity Chickpeas 1 can Tahini 1/4 cup Lemon juice 1/4 cup Garlic 2 cloves Olive oil 2 tbsp Cumin 1 tsp Salt To taste Water [recipe courtesy of an A.I. Bot) As needed

"Will Crypto Transform Expat Migration into Thailand?"

@JBChiangRai misunderstands "spend". Not necessary at all to off-ramp into Thai Baht. Instead, so easy to ... Ah, but this thread topic is "transform expat migration", not "understand crypto". So, back to the topic ...

I concur with that post above from @fittobethaied. I, too, bought an EMF meter. Lights go red anywhere near the Wi-Fi router. Turned off Wi-Fi in the router and connected computer by Ethernet wire cable. Much better! Be sure to buy good quality Ethernet cable or it may also leak EMF radiation. And have poor transmission speed. Most Ethernet cable sold retail in Thailand is Chinese garbage. But good cable is available, just must pay the rpice.

Brand new mobile phone. Want to remove Android and put in GrapheneOS. Or LineageOS would be okay -- that is what I have now on old mobile phone. Far beyond the capability of average mobile phone shop. Any chance of finding somewhere in Chiang Mai that can do it? Thank you. - Old Curmudgeon

Crypto (like Bitcoin and Ethereum) have made it easier than ever to bypass banks and government regulations when transferring money. Now people can more easily their money from less desirable countries to places with better living conditions. So, will we see more "crypto expats" moving to Thailand than to the past? I believe we will. Many younger expats, especially from Russia and Eastern Europe, South Africa, South America, and now parts of the Levant (Syria), are using crypto to transfer their money out of those regions. With fewer restrictions and easier access to their wealth, they are choosing to relocate to more attractive destinations around the world. Including, of course, here. This is even a large and growing Internet forum specializing in such topics. Discussion welcome. ---------------------------------------------- Disclosures: 1. This post was partially prepared with the assistance of ChatGPT. 2. My inspiration for this post came from: https://letter.palladiummag.com/p/how-cryptocurrency-will-transform

[bold emphasis added by me, not in the quoted post] Well, this is nice: Finally, I find myself agreeing with something posted here by the prolific medical advisor on this forum, @Sheryl. Usually, I avoid all mainstream, jargon-laden advice on medical topics. Especially on public, Internet forums. And particularly on public, Internet forums which are not primarily focused on medical topics. In other words, I do not look for medical advice on a forum devoted to motorcycle maintenance. On a forum aimed at expats and tourists I would look at suggestions for hospitals or clinics or even pharmacies, but, specific details about medical tests? Even from someone with very good intentions? Nope.

Thanks, @The Fugitive for taking time to post your thoughts. I don't have much faith in mainstream medical treatment -- so exactly oppostite view. I'll do almost anything to stay far away from "official" prescription medicines. As for Chinese Herbal, I don't have any faith in that either! So, what's left?? A lot, actually. Really a lot, but scattered in many places and takes some effort to search and find. The big search engines and video sites do not want to show alternative anything to mainstream methods. On the topic of annual checkups, there are alternative methods that don't involve any white-coat doctors or hospital labs. Hair and fingernail mineral analysis is just one example. Another is urine analysis research underway at the Oregon (USA) Institute of Science and Medicine by the family of Arthur Robinson.

Exactly as predicted: paying a salesman to sell you something. Paying a hospital to screen for something, for which that hospital sells the treatments. There are non-mainstream treatments for cancer that don't involve hospital therapies or pharmaceutical chemicals. You knew that, right? And it is very impolite to even hint at the idea, but I will anyway by asking this question: How many vaccine jabs did your Mrs. and her two friends get before their cancers were discovered?

Contrarian opinion from another "senior": Some say paying for physical checkups is like paying a salesman to try to sell you something. In other words, the hospital/clinic doing the testing is actively looking for "problems" to treat. And you are paying them to look. I agree. Haven't been in or near a hospital or clinic in over 10 years. If I feel an irresistible urge to get medical tests, just walk in to a store-front medical testing lab. Lest time, less aggravation, less cost. I respectfully suggest: start with one of those independent medical testing labs. IFF they find something seriously wrong, THEN go see someone in a white coat with a stethoscope hanging around his neck. - Old Curmudgeon

Now there's a good question. As a born and bred USA American (now living in Thailand), I buy from China. Ontario as a trading partner? Hah! I don't need a canoe or any fishing gear, but if I did I wouldn't order from Canada, even if I lived right on the other side of Lake Ontario. I would buy direct from the factory, in China, via TikTok or AliExpress. Talk about a major trading partner! Many, many years ago -- when I retired, and before coming to live in Thailand -- I went to Western Canada (not Ontario) to look it over as a possible retirement location. Canada was already in bad shape then -- beautiful scenery, yes, but leftist attitudes and Cultural Marxism polluting the air. I can only imagine how much worse it is today. Canada "Petrified" ?? -- wouldn't surprise me at all.

In Bangkok, Win motocy riders are everywhere. In Chiang Mai, I've never seen any. But they can make expat life so much better, more convenient. I will explain and suggest how. But first: some readers here in Chiang Mai may not have any experience with Win motocy, so I'll give a bit of detail. Most expats, when they think of Win motocy at all, think of them as a cheap taxi service. True, but they can do much, much more: go shopping at the local market, TOPS, BigC, etc. Just give them your shopping list and money. pickup prescription at pharmacy go to HomePro, Thai Watsadu, Global House to search for hardware or tools. help with moving house, (but you'll need a truck). take children to/from school or other activities take items in for repairs: such as mobile phone for new battery, fan for repairs, etc. I've learned from my years in Thailand, when I need something from somewhere, I think first of getting a Win to do it rather than go myself, because rain, traffic jams, air pollution, tourist crowds, police stops, etc. But here in Chiang Mai, no Win system that I know of. (If there are, please post here where to find them.) LineMan and Grab have motorcycle services: taxi for people plus some messenger services. Here in Chiang Mai, I've been impressed with good service from LineMan, and use them often. Mostly food delivery, but also for the kind of general errand services that I'm describing in this post. For example: On this forum a few weeks ago, one man posted an offer for a group buy on a floor sweeper. I took him up on that. When the product arrived I could have gone to his condo, paid the money, and returned home. But lazy, old, curmudgeon that I am, I called a Win to do that for me. Gave the money due to the rider -- 2,000 baht -- and said, essentially, "go fetch". About an hour later, he returned with my new floor sweeper. 2,000 baht ! To a stranger?? Aye, there's the rub: he wasn't a stranger. He is my regular Win rider. Whenever I need something delivered, instead of using the app, I contact "my rider" directly. So convenient that way. Almost any errand or shopping I can think of, I will try to arrange for him to go, instead of me. When the visa agent handled some extra paper work for me recently, my Win went to pick up the documents at the agent's office, not me. I stayed home, relaxed and air-conditioned. My Hatari air cleaner died recently. Instead of hunting around town myself for a service center or local repair shop, I just called the Win. He picked up the Hatari this morning. Where is he taking it for repair? I actually don't know. But I have enough experience with him to know he can handle it, and better than I could. So how did I find him in the first place, and how could you find a Win of your own? I use LineMan a lot. Most riders bring the food, or whatever, then, "sawatdee krap" and they're gone. But once in a while, maybe 1 in 20, a rider will do something extra, beyond the basic duty. Perhaps carry my parcel to the front door, rather than just handing it to me at the front gate. Perhaps provide plastic bags for stores that no longer offer plastic bags. Perhaps send a message saying something like, "Big accident at Iron Bridge, bad traffic, but I'm on the way.) Something like that tells me he puts some "heart" into his work. So I ask for his phone number and his LINE ID, and problem solved. Actually lots of problems solved. Could he get into trouble for taking on "side jobs" like that? Hah, this is Thailand ! If you are a lazy expat like me, living in Chiang Mai, I recommend finding your own Win rider. And, if you can't find one, or your Thai language isn't quite up to the task, I may be willing to "share" mine. He's very good and I'm sure he'll appreciate the extra "private duty" work.

Fascinating for me to watch this topic develop. Here's why: A major trend these days, all over the world, is seismic shift of social contact from in-person to "social media". This forum is an example of "social media". Most expats in Thailand are older, over 50, some well over. We grew up when "social" meant parties, lunches or dinners, BBQs, going for a beer, going fishing/hunting/camping with friends, etc. In other words, person-to-person. But now most social interaction is on-line using computers and mobile phones. I, for one, miss the benefits of the old ways, the in-person ways. For me, all my life, it has been easy to meet and talk with people. Not all become close friends, but getting acquainted with strangers has always come easily to me: In restaurants, in the next seat on an airplane, at the dinner table on a cruise ship, attending a trade show, etc. So now, living in Chiang Mai, if I see some opportunity to talk with another expat, often I will open a conversation. I've met and talked with many of my fellow expats in restaurants, in a barber shop, in the elevator at my condo, at TOPS supermarket. One time, even in the hardware section at "Home Pro". I saw another farang looking confused and said, "Maybe I can help you find something." He looked so relieved to find someone who could speak English! And I was able to translate what he needed for the Home Pro staff. That's the kind of personal interaction that I enjoy and I want to foster among my fellow expats here. Years ago I ran a two large dinner groups (but not in Thailand). Typical attendance was 20-25. The most was 28 -- and that was a big mistake, just too many. One rainy night only 11 showed up. And that was one of the best dinners ever -- with lively conversation all around. So as I thought about the "isolation" brought on by social media, I started wondering what I might do. Thus my idea to post here, and perhaps attract other expats whom I would never enounter otherwise. When I have met other expats, most are well-mannered, polite, and have interesting and useful topics to talk about. Most say they would like to meet again and most are interested in meeting with other expats, too. (Not all, of course.) So I decided to offer that idea to this forum. Oh, boy! What a shock this has been. The responses here are totally different than responses in person. Well-mannered? Only a tiny few. Polite: Hah! Interesting ideas and observations about our common interest (expat life in Thailand): almost none. Trolls: almost too many to count. Big difference between the social interaction on social media like this and the experiences I have in person. So when I read here advice to open this lunch group to anyone and everyone who might wander in, I say, No. Absolutely no. There must be a gate-keeper to keep out the riff-raff. Who are the riff-raff? For starters, everyone who has already garnered a place on my "ignore user" list here. And who will be the gate-keeper? Think about it and let me know if you have any ideas. So, I will continue meeting other expats in casual ways, as I have been doing. And a few of them, will get invited to meet again, and with a few other expats. But as for posting about it on any social media, never again. Just not worth the aggravation that has been posted on this topic. Now I will un-follow this topic, and will not receive any notice of new posts. I am certainly open to discussion in private messages, but not on this public thread with so much monkey chatter all around.

Hoax? Or not?

@BarBoy that was a great idea for a topic here. Good fun for a lazy Sunday.

I agree with @BarBoy on that topic. So I'll ask this irreverent question: If Russians and Chinese annoy us with their behavior, what can we do (within the law) to annoy them in return?? So maybe next vacation they'll go somewhere else. Possibilities: - open the door and play loud Western classical music such as Vivaldi or Brahms - smoke a turkey so that strange (to them) aroma fills the condo hall - buy a cheap bicycle with a loud bell for the young Thai boy who lives across the hall and tell him the condo hallway is a fun place to ride and ring the bell, especially early Sunday morning (or any morning, really) when the neighboring Russkies had a lot to drink the night before. But what would annoy Chinese?? Not loud noise, they are used to that. Not bad smells, same reason. Certainly not rude behavior from us, they wouldn't even notice. Only thing that will annoy Chinese is to cheat them out of some money, but that is extremely difficult because they are so much more clever at that than we are. With Russians, maybe some chance of repelling them. But with Chinese, I don't see any way. And the next question might be, how to repel young Americans? As an older American myself, I might have some ideas about that.

Very good point (and I agree) but ... people who only look at quantity will never agree with people who understand quality. So, thanks, @BangkokReady for your post here.

Good observations, and I agree with @NorthernRyland's comments. "The Public" certainly is a "jungle" for them. To practice my Thai language I talk with my Thai neighbors, my maid, my cook, with GRAB drivers, any adult Thai who will talk with me. And, yes, true, a common theme is how dangerous the world is, outside of the family home. As for the comment, "not at that level of civilization yet," again I agree, AND there is some scholarly analysis on exactly this topic, (albeit still in the controversial stage). Those interested can search for Julian Jaynes, The Origins of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bi-Cameral Mind. That hypothesis does not mention Thai culture (as far as I remember), but it explains a lot about Thai culture, such as discussed on this topic.

Another perceptive post from @Patong2021 Thank you for taking time to think and write as you did. About 15 years ago -- when the Russian invasion was in the early stages -- I was in an ordinary foot massage shop on the outskirts of Chiang Mai -- far from any tourist hot spots. Man about my age entered and sat down in the next chair. I enjoy meeting people and started chatting with him. Very strong accent, and I assumed Russian, but not sure, so asked where he was from. "Russia." I was very curious and said something like, "What are you doing out here?? Not many Russians come to Chiang Mai!" He almost spat out the words, "Good! I don't like Russians! ! " Well, as you might imagine, that became a very interesting conversation.

Thanks, @JAN, for trying to be helpful to my topic here. But I have to wonder, did you even read thru my opening post to the end? Looks to me like you didn't bother to read before you posted. Could be wrong, of course, and I welcome contrary opinion. So this question: When you ordered DMSO on Shopee or Lazada, which seller, exactly, did you buy from? You have bought, right? Not just another "shot in the dark" post, right?

Thanks @Thailand for your followup. Asking because I'd like to avoid a wasted trip to go there. Usually, if "out of stock" web site will show product and note "out of stock". But when I searched, no product listing at all. I called phone number from their web site: Number not in service. Not a good start. That's why I'm doing everything I can think of to check about DMSO at World Chemical. Did you ever actually buy DMSO at World Chemical shop?

Helpful analysis. Useful anecdotes. Thanks, @Prubangboy for taking your time to write those posts.