VR333

https://www.youtube.com/@WeirdExplorer - exploring the world of fruit Who knew the history of nutmeg could make such a great video. https://www.youtube.com/@JagoHazzard - London transport & history https://www.youtube.com/@DieselCreek - Repairing heavy equipment https://www.youtube.com/@MatArmstrongbmx - repairing wrecked cars

Nice body... shame about the face...

Is there a police force in the world whose serving or former members are in the news almost daily for poor behavior? If they're not shooting their colleagues over some perceived slight, then they are drunk driving and road raging.

Why, when a complete stranger approaches you on the street, asking to see your foreign money, would you stop to talk to them for even one second? Ignore, and continue on your way, surely.

We have these. https://www.powerbuy.co.th/en/product/PHILIPS-PureProtect-Mini-900-Series-Air-Purifier-65-sqm-White-AC0950and10-302367 Thailand cost is x1.5 the price in Australia. An important feature for me is low noise. Ours has three noise levels, and on the sleep setting you don't notice it running, even in a quiet room. We found a very noticeable improvement in the air quality. It also has an app so you can control it from your phone. Ours cover a decent area, but you can save money with cheaper models if only using them in a smaller room. There are better, hospital-grade purifiers you can buy, but at some pretty steep prices. Check reviews to see what other people think of noise levels and filter replacement costs for any model you are interested in. At the end of the day, fresh air from outside is my preference, but in many places in Thailand, it's not practical. Right now in Melbourne, Australia, the AQI is 8, not a figure you often see in Bangkok.

Healthcare in Australia is free to a certain extent. You still pay less overall than in many other places around the world. Less than $100 is what you would pay if you had to pay out of pocket. I quoted that amount as a guide, as I don't know the cost in Thailand. The test and a vaccine for chickenpox, if you find out you've never had chickenpox, is going to be a lot cheaper than 2x Shingrix in Thailand.

If you want to be 100% sure whether you had chickenpox as a child, you can get tested. I was sure I had never been vaccinated against it and didn't think I ever had chickenpox, but there was no one left for me to ask for confirmation. I didn't want to pay, at the time, 2x $300+ for a vaccination that I might not even need. As it turned out, like most children of my era, I did have chickenpox when I was young, but I have no memory of it. In Australia, the VZV test is less than $100.

Unless you are staying in the one place, few people would book five weeks of accommodation in advance, especially young people. When I was a backpacker, my plans would change depending on whoever you met along the way. America seems to treat people they refuse entry to more harshly than most countries. Numerous reports where people are handcuffed and thrown in a cell, sometimes for days on end. Just refuse them entry and put them on the next suitable flight out if you doubt they are genuine tourists. No need to be heavy-handed. The first time I arrived in the US at LaGuardia, the immigration officer was disbelieving when I said I would buy a car and spend months traveling around the US. I had the correct visa and a stash of traveler's checks, but it still took a ten minute interview before I was stamped in. Even a long time ago, they kept pretty good records. A few months later, crossing the border from New Brunswick to Maine, I was pulled aside for more questioning. Back when I first arrived, I had put down my cousin in LA as a US contact. When later asked if I knew anyone in the US, I forgot to mention my cousin, as I hadn't actually seen him for years. The second officer looked up from his computer and said, "What about your cousin in LA?" Luckily they let me in again eventually. Right now I would not risk entering the US (for various reasons). Some friends who have been on a few skiing trips to the US have said, not in the next four years. Japan or Canada will have to do.

No idea, however, the commonly quoted risk factor is that there is a one in three chance of getting shingles in your lifetime, with the risk increasing the older you get. If you feel your natural immune system or having had shingles previously is enough to prevent you from getting it in the future, then you may decide not to get vaccinated. Personally, having seen a couple of people close to me have a very bad time with it, my choice was to get Shingrix, which is now free for older people in Australia.

It sounds like he could be referring to the older Zostavax vaccine, Shingrix, the current vaccine, is more than 90% effective from what my doctor told me. If you do an internet search, do check the date of the information to make sure you're not looking at pre-Shingrix info.

No, but you can still get chickenpox if you were never vaccinated for chickenpox.

I know a few people who have had shingles later in life. All said it was some of the worst pain they had suffered. One took four weeks to recover and said it was the worst pain she ever had. My cousin delayed going to a doctor, and it affected his eyesight. He lived for another two years (he had cancer), and despite seeing several specialists, the blurred vision in one eye from shingles never went away. Like most people have said above, two to six months after for the second dose in Australia according to the information sheet I was given after the first dose.

All good. Valley Mills Elementary School is now set to lose all government funding over its LGBTQ+ pride curriculum. The teacher involved to be suspended and fired. An invitation to the White House coming up for Carrie. 😉

A question for American expats retired to Thailand. Do you, as US citizens residing in Thailand, receive any federal assistance? If you do, aren't you worried about being the next target of cost slashing by the current administration? Someone like MTG would probably happily refer to you as traitors.

Heard Island and McDonald Islands are uninhabited...