peanut

Does that mean that re-entry permit cannot be obtained at the airport anymore??? Does anyone know??

Do we have to go all the way to the Government complex????

Hi

I haven't been to Chiang Mai before but I was told it's not as easy to find a taxi as it is in Bangkok.

So, could someone please help me with this:

- is it easy to find a taxi at the airport?

- how much I should expect to pay for a 30-40 minute ride?

Thanks!

It might be a weird topic to discuss on a public forum (unlike the rest of TV discussions ) but the replies are a lot worse, I don't see why everyone is attacking Mark like that.

I have also met a few ladies here (some over 30) who were virgins (oh, and I'm a woman so no, I didn't "check" but I don't see why my friends would lie to me about it). These girls would not consider having sex before marriage. It seems all of you who claim to have been here for a long time and know Thailand so well don't realize that, beyond the sleezy part, there is also a very conservative Thailand where virginity is important and part of being "a good girl". (especially up country)

And I think that it is a real concern, if a girl (or her family) really thinks she should be a virgin until she finds "the one" then yes, it could mean a big responsibility on the shoulders of that man. I once knew a guy who had a short relationship with a girl and then her family started chasing him trying to get him to marry her, because she wasn't a virgin anymore!

Medical Insurance is what I had in mind.

I don't know which country, but I might want to leave Thailand one day and go somewhere else. The general consensus is that it's better to start one as young as possible, but if you have to cancel it when you change country and have to start a new one later then that's not much help.

TVI, what does "full cover" mean and how much does it cost please?

Hi again

I was wondering if there is any insurance which, after paying for it here for a while, you can transfer to another country should you need to move, so that you don't need to abandon it and start all over again.

So far I've only seen "international insurance" from BUPA (and I'm sure there are others) which is way, way beyond my means.

I would like to know if there is this option with any insurance that costs, say, between 10-20,000 a year.

Don't you just love a good conspiracy theory... The Pharmas are out to make all of us sick!!... a bit too far-fetched. Let's be serious, yes, of course they want to make a profit and I'm not saying it's all perfect (I,too, know of a few things happening that disgust me) but they also saved many lives with their products. Most meds that are commercially available do work. Which you can't say about the supplement companies - most of their products don't do anything and they are a rip-off.

I find it hard to believe any of that and the sources you link to don't seem too reliable.

Are you seriously telling me that someone will ban "chilli"?? How would that be possible when it's a common ingredient in Thai food.

What they are probably trying to do, if there is any truth in what you say, is to regulate supplements more rigorously, which is probably not such a bad idea - in the US at least there is no control regarding supplements - that is, they could put whatever in that pill and sell it to you as vitamin C. You wouldn't know the difference anyway. But I guess you forgot that that is also a huge money-making industry, a lot more plagued by scams?

To be honest I don't think "they're just not that into you" is the only possible explanation, although of course it's a valid one.

I had a few (slightly) similar experiences with some Thai men (I'm a female) when I was (and still am) 100% sure the guys were interested in me. Don't ask me how I know, it's hard to explain... However, when the time came to actually "go out together" they either politely declined or they accepted and then called to cancel. Or they cancelled even though THEY were the ones who asked me out.

I think some of this may have to do with people getting "cold feet", that is, they are interested but then they get scared of actually turning their fantasies into reality, maybe because we are foreigners and they are not sure how to act, or what other people would think, which makes them uncomfortable.

Did you guys actually see any benefits?

I used it for quite a long time but i can't say there was any noticeable difference.

Thank you for your replies. Much clearer now. Too late to ask them for clarification unfortunately.

Sorry to bring this up again, I know it's been discussed a lot. This is about pre-existing conditions that have been declared when signing the contract.

However, I would appreciate it if someone could explain this:

- I keep reading in other posts that insurance companies will cover people's pre-existing conditions after two years

- but after 4 years I still receive a letter stating that they won't cover anything related to my condition.

Does it depend on what kind of condition? If so, which ones are "not covered" forever and which ones for 2 years?

Or does it depend on the company?

Thanks.

I don't think that's true, I asked the psychiatrist at Bumrungrad about it once and he said they don't have it. As far as I know you can't find it in Thailand (only on the 3rd floor on MBK, they sell supplements which we don't know how if they are the real thing or not)

Thanks Sheryl - I haven't been there yet so I don't know anything about the doctors.

Can you choose your surgeon in a government hospital, especially if you're having the operation on the SS?

It's about cholecystectomy - if you know any doctors there you could recommend, I would be very grateful.

Hi all

If anyone has been to Lerdsin hospital before, could you please share your impressions?

I need to have surgery, can't really afford a private hospital, and Lerdsin is the hospital on my Social Security card.

Many thanks.

Wow I think that's very noble of you, I had never thought one could give / sell hair for charity... (it might be because mine would be worth nothing )

So... why don't you just sell it to the highest bidder and then donate the money yourself?

Whowww... come on people don't be so mean.

I think this idea of "they want to make us feel inadequate" is not really true. I do believe there's definitely more than your biology to sex, but you can't just ignore that part, it's not all "spiritual". And some people might just not have what it takes. What's wrong with giving them some help?

Congratulations to all of you who have a fantastic sex life just because you have the right partner. It doesn't happen to everyone. Or maybe some would just like to be able to "perform" a bit more because it's so enjoyable.

I for one wouldn't mind taking a pill if there was an effective one out there, just to get more of what I like. It wouldn't make me feel "inadequate" in any way, in fact that wouldn't even have occurred to me until I read that article.

Is it a "plot" of the drug companies to make us buy the products? In that case you could say that about every company there is in this world. Yeah, that's what they do, they sell products. Is that news?

As for the disdain for using chemicals to be happy, does that mean that you people never drink alcohol??? Does that make you "losers" for wanting to have a good time??

I was just wondering why my thread "Outdoorsy things to do in Bkk" was moved.

Not that I want it back or anything, but if I wanted it in the Bkk forum I would have put it there in the first place.

Are the only topics allowed here relationships and makeup??

ahhhh, I see....

not into golf so I had no idea, I just assumed it had to do with driving!

So what do you call a place where you practice driving???

Glad I could make you laugh

Now maybe you can answer the question??

Wow lots of ideas thanks...

@ilyushin: sorry if this is a stupid question but what exactly do you mean by "driving range"?

This got me interested because I used to have a licence (lost) but never really drove 'cos I never had a car... so I would actually love to go somewhere where I can rent a car and practice driving. So, if you know of a place like that please share the details!

Hi everyone,

I have been a bit bored lately. It seems that most people's idea of entertainment (well, in my circle anyway) is go out in the evenings + sit on a chair in a bar + drink.

I'd like to move my bum off the chair and do smth a bit more active and I would like to be outside. Yes, I know it's polluted, so a nice walk in the street is not really an option, but there's gotta be some things to do out there? Bicycle? Badminton? Dancing in the park? Any ideas?

May I ask what are the symptoms of scarred and enlarged tonsils and how does this get diagnosed?

Why catch STDs? haven't you heard of condoms??

Assuming you really have to get to that...

I've done it.

And my advice is: don't do it. It's not worth it. I did about 10 sessions (Bumrungrad hospital) and still did not go away completely, a lot more than I was told I need.

What's wrong with having lots of hair? Many guys would love to have that.

Besides, the result of a few sessions is unpredictable, what if you spend all that money and end up looking like a freak? You can's exactly control which hairs will go away.

In my opinion "Teach yourself Thai" by David Smythe is by far the best book for learning the script. He takes you through it in a logical, progressive manner, rather than other books that just throw rules at you. I learned how to read by myself using it and I highly recommend it.

So basically he contradicts himself and refuses to acknowledge that the difference lies not in the women (Thai vs. Western), but in his dollar power (not enough in the US, but satisfactory in a poor country like Thailand).

The point is that many women are perfectly willing to base a relationship on finances. Of course it costs more in richer countries.

No that's not the point actually, even though it's true. In his first post the OP was trying to demonstrate how Thai women are so much better because they love him even though he's old, unlike the materialistic westerners. I think the second post I quoted proves how wrong he was.