VR333

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...

You sure about that? https://www.nationthailand.com/news/general/40048300 In an exclusive interview with a small group of Thai media on Thursday, Colonel Y, an officer with extensive experience in handling natural disasters worldwide and leader of the Israeli team, shared insights into his team's tireless efforts to locate survivors and recover those tragically lost beneath the rubble of collapsed buildings. "Something inside told me, I know I will get the phone call," he said, explaining their proactive preparations even before the official call for assistance arrived on Saturday morning. Within hours, the team was en route to Thailand. Since their arrival on Sunday afternoon, the Israeli team has been working “shoulder to shoulder” with Thai authorities and other international rescue delegations.

Tesla sales plunged 13% in the first three months of this year Tesla reported that it delivered 336,681 cars in the quarter, compared to 386,810 in the first three months of last year. The Wednesday data represented the company’s worst sales in nearly three years, a drop of 50,000 vehicles from a year ago. https://edition.cnn.com/2025/04/02/business/tesla-sales/index.html

They don't for Singapore. They don't for Malaysia. Why would Thailand be any different?

It will probably be like what happens in Singapore. No problem boarding. On arrival at Changi, there is an area with tablets you can use to complete the form, then you enter via the automated gates. For those who do not know what a tablet is and how to use it, there will be airport staff who will assist, just like supermarkets with self-scan only checkouts.

A two thousand baht phone will suffice; otherwise, there will be alternative options, just like they have at airports in other countries using similar entry procedures. A lot of people in these threads getting all worked up over nothing.

The only people you will be holding up are folk like yourself. Everyone else will use the automated immigration gates. Anyone who has visited Singapore, Malaysia etc. in the last couple of years understands why the new system will be easier and faster.

From the Europe sales data you posted... 2025 Jan-Feb sales down 42.6% year on year from 2024. 2025 Jan-Mar sales when the antics of Musk will really kick-in will be an even better indication of the direction Tesla sales are headed in Europe.

Like most everyone else in this thread, all I see in Bangkok are loads of BYD, MG and some Neta, very few Tesla models. Every time I've driven past my local BYD showroom, there are always people inside looking at the cars. I see Mitsubishi, Ford, Toyota, Honda dealers all over the place, but I can't recall ever seeing a Tesla dealer. I find it hard to believe Tesla could have a 39% market share in Thailand.

I recently installed the SCB app like my local (excellent) branch staff kept suggesting. In three months I've had to attend my branch three times. Got locked from the app twice for no apparent reason. The call center said I needed to identify myself in person. The other time my app was blocked due to a suspicious transaction. The call center couldn't tell me the problem; they just said I needed to go to the branch. I spent nearly an hour at the branch with three staff going through my transactions for the last three years. Finally, they told me there was a suspicious transaction from overseas... when I showed them it was me transferring funds from overseas to my account, just like I had done multiple times for years, they gave up and unblocked the app for me. When I went in to the branch, I was seen to immediately. By the time I finished, there were about twenty people waiting to see a staff member... not my fault.. 🙂

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The big problem with high PM2.5 levels, is most people do not understand the damage you can do to your lungs living here for years. By the time you do, you are on your way to having COPD.