VR333

The majority of older taxi drivers I encounter still do not wear glasses. It likely explains why so many sit so far forward with their nose almost pressed up against the windscreen. Plenty of Thais wore masks before covid. Not as many as the Japanese, but it was quite common on trains and buses.

The main reason hospitals appeared empty was, unless you were really sick, why go to a place full of people sick with an easily transmittable illness? Keep in mind that even doctors with full PPE were getting sick and some even dying, from coming into contact with patients. I did need to go to a major hospital in Bangkok in early covid. All the entrances on each floor direct from the car parks were closed except one. The only other entrance was the main hospital entry. You had to complete a questionnaire and have your temperature checked before entering. This was long before covid tests. It was very quiet inside simply because most people didn't want to be even in the same building as anyone with covid. My wife has annual tests she put off for six months for this exact reason. You didn't see people in hospitals with covid because they were kept in isolation wards away from general visitors. In my mooban, five people I know of died from covid within three hundred meters of my house, three I knew well enough to say hello to. Two women in their fifties, and a sixty-year-old lady. They seemed outwardly healthy, but maybe they had some underlying chronic disease I wasn't aware of. A cousin of my wife also died; he was only forty years old, but he was type one diabetic and overweight. Try: Thailand + Covid + Carpark + Hospital This January, where I live in Bangkok, about half the people wore masks due to the PM 2.5 risk. I can remember it being the same in the months just before covid. It was one reason masks were in such short supply even from the very start of covid. I sometimes wonder if the people who deride ever wearing masks because they have healthy immune systems have spent much time in Thailand when dust levels are 100+ for days on end. In ten or twenty years' time, don't be surprised at the increase in people with COPD, due to not taking the simple precaution of wearing a mask when outside at certain times of the year, more so if they engaged in strenuous outdoor exercise.

FWIW, the doctor doing my checkup up at a different Bangkok hospital told me it was not necessary for me to have a stress test (walk/run/incline 12 mins) every year. It may be different if you have a heart condition etc. that needs monitoring, but I don't. I think the cost component for the stress test made up about 5k baht of the total cost, so I found a cheaper package with add-ons, as Sheryl suggested, was a better fit for me.

if you have a moment, read again the last two lines where you quoted me, right above your reply 🙂

I've got two small coffee shops near my place in Bangkok suburbia that ask customers to remove their shoes on entering. It's why I rarely visit them, despite one being quite nice. There are also a few office-like places and a barber shop near me that request the same, so it does still happen. It's annoying if you're wearing shoes with long laces.

I make sure I only go to cafes with all female staff....

They might, or they may be like me. I have normal home internet and often use the wi-fi at coffee shops. I mostly use my internet data for Google Maps or reading the news when out and about. I'm not streaming games or media, so 40GB a year is plenty.

In Australia, Tesla sales were down 62 per cent in the first four months of 2025, from the same period in 2024. April year on year sales were down 75 per cent, so Australian sales are only getting worse Twice in the past year when renting a car, I've been asked if I wanted a Tesla upgrade. I was driving long distance, so I went with a hybrid Camry, with no concerns about where to find a working charging station.

As anyone who has ever been there knows, the place is small. It only held a few hundred prisoners. They'd need to demo it and rebuild it to modern standards. It would cost a fortune. Then there is the loss of one of the most iconic tourist attractions in California. It brings in more than fifty million dollars in revenue a year, so it would be idiotic to throw that away for a small prison that will cost a mint to run. There is plenty of land in Nevada where you could build a new, larger supermax for way less.

State terms are four years, while federal terms are only three. Mark Latham... 🤔

That looks even more expensive than Australia. The only item I buy now from McDonalds in Australia is their McSmart meal. You have choices but you can get two small cheeseburgers, small fries & small drink for 6.95 AUD (4.50USD) https://www.frugalfeeds.com.au/2025/deal-mcdonalds-new-695-mcsmart-meal-with-small-cheeseburger-meal-extra-side/ A full Australian McDonalds menu here: https://www.frugalfeeds.com.au/mcdonalds-prices-menu/ (1AUD = 65c US)

The first opposition leader in Australian history to lose their own seat at a federal election. Held the same seat for twenty-four years.

I think you're forgetting that materials like titanium are used in most implants. Titanium costs a lot more than 350 baht. While you can save on labor costs in Thailand, titanium, like gold, is pretty much the same price worldwide i.e. expensive.

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.