Nacho Libre

Thanks!

I need to go to Korat after the holidays and have been looking at bus companies. What I'm looking for is quality and safety, so I don't mind paying more if I can get better seats, a sane driver and a bus that is in good technical conditions. Does anyone have any recommendations? Happy New Year.🙂

Certainly something to think about, although up until now I've gone for one company if I found them reliable.

The taxi service I've been using for years has gone downhill so looking for another one. I regularly travel to and from Suvarnabhumi so looking for someone who turns up to the appointment on time and drives sanely. If it's reasonably priced as well then that's perfect. Thanks in advance!

I went to Krung Thai to activate the KT Next app on my phone. Had to go back three times for it to "work" and now I'm only allowed to transfer 1000 Baht even though stated limit is 50K. I asked them why and the lady proceeded to call her own KTB call center. Another teller said it could be because "the government bank is updating". "Maybe OK on Monday". At this point I left because I had reached my limit (emotionally, not financially) , and today I still can't transfer more than 1000 Baht.

Thanks for that input, you have given me much to consider. She did go and get her eyes checked because she experiences visual impairment, especially at night, but your comments has made me decide I want to ask the Dr some questions about the upcoming procedure, and if I'm not happy with the answers we'll get a second opinion.

Thanks for your reply.

So the insurance company only covers the operation and a symbolic sum for lenses (4000 Baht per eye). This means I'll have to pay roughly 85k out of pocket. We went to Payathai Sriracha and spoke to an ophthalmologist there and she said that while they might be able to do the operation slightly cheaper the lenses are imported and would come at the same price as BPH. BTW, the price quoted for the lenses (85k) is the most expensive of three lens options. The other alternatives might be OK but I can't really go cheap when it comes to my wife's eyesight.

I have a friend who bought the box/package from MONO 29 so that he can watch EPL, but he's unable to switch to English commentary even though that is selected in the settings. Anyone else with the same problem?

May I ask if your surgery included inserting lenses?

Thanks, but I'm only considering private hospitals with a dedicated eye center (rightly or wrongly) so will head to Sriracha tomorrow to get a proper quote.

My wife needs surgery on both eyes after she was diagnosed with "senile incipient cataract". It requires lens replacement and for the best lens we were quoted a price of abt 265,000 Baht at Bangkok Pattaya Hospital. This is 80,000 above what the insurance will cover so we made a call to Payathai Sriracha and they quoted around 120,000 Baht for both eye. Surely something got lost in translation. Does anyone have experience with this kind of procedure and what the cost may be? Obviously, BPH are never on the low side.

https://x.com/niccruzpatane/status/1952424332845785596

Thanks. Just started fiddling around with AI and this was the reply. In Thai spoken language, the phrase that sounds like "Tah samut wah..." at the beginning of a sentence is likely "ถ้าสมมติว่า..." (pronounced thâa sà-mùt wâa). This phrase translates to "If we assume that..." or "Suppose that..." in English. It’s commonly used to introduce a hypothetical situation or condition, setting the stage for a discussion about possibilities or assumptions.For example:ถ้าสมมติว่าเรามีเงินล้านบาท... (Thâa sà-mùt wâa rao mee nguen lâan bàat...) means "If we assume that we have a million baht..." It’s a conversational way to propose a "what if" scenario in Thai.

It's often/always used as a start of a sentence.

130 times more likely? That's a staggering number. Do you have a link for that?

It does seem like with EVs there is a bit of extra hassle compared to a standard car, but I get the impression that's more of an issue of getting used to doing things you haven't done or used before. Like getting the apps for using chargers in EV stations, keeping track of where to find these stations, planning ahead a bit more when making longer trips etc. Once you've gotten used to this it seems quite straightforward.

BYD is outselling Tesla in Europe right now for the first time, and consumer laws and recalls and safety regulations are a big issue there.

My current car's got a sunroof. That's another feature that's not very practical in Thailand.

I've scoured the internet lately for info on EVs and just saw this article on the issue of the price wars: https://apnews.com/article/china-ev-price-war-byd-fa5272aee5e75e78d0e39f09ca4c0170 Also just found this one regarding BYD's upcoming superchargers, and also mention of upcoming models: https://apnews.com/article/china-ev-price-war-byd-fa5272aee5e75e78d0e39f09ca4c0170

Thanks for all that useful info. A tyre inflator is definitively something I'll have a look at. Hopefully it doesn't come with lots of safety features that can't be switched off. I'm not a fan of those, especially the noisy variety. I did look at the spec of the Sealion 7 and the manufacturer claims you can charge from 20 to 80% in 25 minutes at an EV charging station. I'd rather not spend an hour waiting for it to charge. Having said that I don't see me needing to go farther than the 450-500 km I supposedly can get when fully charged anyway.

Thanks for the clarification. I asked for info on buying an EV in Thailand thinking I should probably wait a couple of years but it seems to me I could actually go for it. And the price for the vehicle I'm looking at (BDY Sealion 7) is really attractive (1.15 mil.). Next step will be a test drive.

"Yes, you need an app to charge, but many apps are in English, and depending on where you live, you might need to book a station." Don't really understand this one. With an EV don't I just plug the charger to the car and start charging? Or is there a need for a bank app to pay for cost of the charging?

I just put in a trip from Pattaya to Korat and there aren't exactly a ton of stations. Has me a bit worried that I might get to one and there's a queue for the few chargers that are there.

I just checked and Google Maps has that info. Does anyone have experience in using it, is it properly updated? I'm guessing yes, as GM is a great app.