jfchandler

Just a head's up....

The Verasu shop on Wireless Road, about halfway between the Ploenchit BTS Station and the U.S. Embassy, sells both 500g spelt flour packages for 195 baht and baked loaves of spelt flour bread for 140 baht per loaf. Other than Verasu, I've never seen spelt flour for baking available elsewhere in BKK, though if anyone has, I'd sure like to know.

For some reason, the spelt flour packages are located on Verasu's first floor, along with a variety of other packaged baking mixes, next to their couple of bread baking machines. They had plenty of spelt flour packages on display today. In addition to the spelt flour, they also had packages of spelt flour-based baking mix labeled only in Thai which, according to the staff lady I asked, only require the addition of your own yeast, water, and oil or egg, as best as I recall.

But the fresh baked loaves of spelt bread are available upstairs in their Vista Cafe, where they sell drinks and a variety of baked spelt goods such as cakes, cookies, brownies, sweetbreads and such.

I stopped by there today on my way back from the U.S. Embassy just before lunchtime and bought the one spelt bread loaf they had out on display. (Toasted a slice with butter at home later, and it tasted and had a consistency that were just fine.) The last time I was there in the late afternoon, they had no loaves of bread on display.

Today, I sat down to have a drink and snack in the cafe. And later, when I went to leave, they hadn't put another loaf of spelt bread out on display. Dunno if that means the staff there is lazy (tho the place was empty of customers) or they bake only a very few loaves to avoid waste. So, if you go there and don't see the spelt bread on display on the cafe counter, best to ask.

BTW, the cafe there is actually very good, a great view from the floor to ceiling window, a range of pretty healthy but flavorful food choices of both Thai and farang varieties, and very reasonable prices, with most entrees in the 90 to 170 baht range... They bake their own sweets and make their own ice cream upstairs.

The only drawback is the cafe closes with the store at 7 pm, meaning cafe orders have to be placed well before then, making any kind of later dinner/evening meal there impossible. They are, however, open all day through lunch time and the afternoon.

Here's the link to their web site...

It's nice that the Bank of America-BKK Bank connection seems to have been restored....at least in the online sense.

But folks reading this should be aware of the other significant limitation about this approach, assuming it's still in effect the same as it was previously.

While this approach enabled BofA account holders in the U.S. to essentially ACH funds to their Bangkok Bank accounts, there was a catch.

In the past, there were numerous TV (Thai Visa) reports that folks who tried to send larger amounts for purposes like retirement visa qualification and such (I'm trying to remember, was the supposed limit $5K or $10K U.S. and over) often found their online BKKB link in their BofA online banking profile later either frozen and/or subsequently removed.

There was lots of talk about larger dollar value transfers triggering some kind of money laundering review that led to the freezings, even for very legitimate, ordinary transfers. But the smaller dollar value transfers seemingly passing through without any trouble.

Dunno if anyone wants to risk trying a larger transfer to see if those past limits are still in effect.

I know for a time a few months ago, my entire "outside the bank transfers" module in BofA online banking was dead/inaccessible. I called BofA about it, and they said it was nothing particular about my account (and I hadn't done any Thailand-BKKB transfers then.) They blamed it on a system problem stemming from them having consolidated BofA's computer systems with those of one of the banks they had acquired, LaSalle or one of the others.

But lately, I seem to be able to access that module just fine again, and my BKKB link is still there and seemingly alive.

On the BofA end, that's a one business day option to move the funds from your BofA account to the recipient account in the U.S., in this case, BKKB New York branch. Then there would be additional time for BKKB to move the funds from New York for credit to your local account in Thailand, though, not long, based on past experience.

In the case of BofA, they give you the normal ACH timing option for free, as most banks do, or the one day option for an extra fee.

Speaking as a true American, given all that I've read above, it seems to me we ought to change the title of this thread to.... in honor of ThaiFever....

...lazy, poorly paid, debt-fleeing. bargirl-crazy, beer-guzzling American men

At the end of the day, what are we left with that's safe to eat/drink???

Good point! Actually, severely calorie restricted diets are a proven documented method of increasing life span.

You mean starving yourself to death will make you live longer????

5. See nothing in the document indicating mail reporting is or is not available upcountry.

Lop... the Thai government Immigration web site on this subject is very confusing...

It specifically says 90 day reporting may be done at immigration offices throughout the country, and that reporting may be done in person or by mail. But then, under the mail section, it directs mailed reportings to be done to Suan Phlu... with no mention about the notion of mailings to other offices.

I'm presuming the above web site was prepared prior to the recent Immigration directive about people needing to deal with only their local office, instead of also thru the main BKK office. So in the past, someone living upcountry could have mailed their report to BKK instead of going to their local office???

But now, that the "deal only with your local office" directive has come into force, upcountry folks are no longer able to mail to BKK? But at least some of the local upcountry offices haven't taken up the slack by adding mail service to make up for that that was lost in BKK???

I will concede, however, the state of food nutrition science often is enough to make the sanest person a bit crazy...

Indeed, there have been (just doing this off the top of my head/memory)....

don't eat eggs, now do eat eggs...

saccharin causes cancer, now it doesn't

oat bran helps reduce cholesterol, now no.. it doesn't

vitamins are good for your health, now no.. vitamins are bad for your health

vegetables have pesticides

fish has mercury

chicken has antibiotics

beef has.... don't forget.... mad cow disease

water has... don't forget... that plastic bottle cancer causing chemical stuff...

Thai beer has formaldehyde...

At the end of the day, what are we left with that's safe to eat/drink???

True Mobile seems to have the same problem with their voicemail line.... They have the "9 for English" prompt as well, but I often seem to get Thai language recordings instead. Maybe need to try the advice rendered above...that one needs to press 9 BEFORE the woman's voice stops.... I don't think I've tried that before...

To those above who are first attacking the study and its science, and then going on to argue, just eat everything in moderation and you'll be fine...

I believe, that's exactly the message of the study. It didn't say, don't eat any red meat... It said... don't eat red meat EVERY DAY or you'll face increased risks of mortality.

I would think most of us could agree that, eating red meat EVERY DAY is certainly not doing so in moderation...

One big question is....you want to do this is a Thai people atmosphere...or in a farang people atmosphere??? That would help narrow the suggestions....

Found this English language Word document on the Thai Immigration web site listed above that details their rules and procedures on this... It's consistent in that it also references permitting mail in notifications....

Thai_Immigration_Notification90Day.doc

The web link to obtain this Word document is here...

Based on the web address, it appears to be issued around the period November 2004.

I would say it's pretty much un-arguable that in Thailand...the term "girl friendly" in connection with hotels doesn't mean they provide extra shower caps and free perfume in the room.

It pretty much singularly means.... they don't make a fuss or, in particular, charge you extra for bringing a working lady (or two or three) home at night.

There is a katsu restaurant hidden in soi 11, off a carpark I think opposite Bed, but you need to be able to read the Japanese for katsu to find it. I've never been in though as the walk to 33/1 is much more my style.

I went looking the other day for this elusive katsu restaurant, and couldn't find it...

Indeed, directly opposite Bed on Suk Soi 11, there is a large U-shaped complex of shops and a few restaurants with interior courtyard parking. We stopped by there one day just about lunch time.

I don't read Japanese, but there is a full-blown Japanese restaurant there on the left hand side as you enter, about 1/3 of the way down the road. But the Thai guards on duty said it is only open for dinner time. And I looked in through the door window, and the place was indeed empty and dark at lunchtime. They have a sign out front, but I didn't catch a photo of their nane/sign.

That said, it didn't look like a katsu shop, it looked like a fancier Japanese restaurant from the outside. Elsewhere in the complex, there were a lot of closed and empty spaces, and some Korean places.

If anyone has indeed eaten at this katsu place or seen it open lately, can you be a bit more specific on how to find it???

You forgot to mention apart from the relatives involved, about (speaking in general) the working lady then turning over much/most of her illicit earning to the (visible or behind the scenes) Thai BF so he can booze and lout about all day and night...

I've purchased one-year International Driving Permits the last couple years from the Automobile Club of Southern California (AAA) in California, when I go back for periodic parents visits.

At least in CA, the only thing AAA offers is a one-year international permit (nothing about three years), and it indicates it must be accompanied by a valid state driver's license to be valid when used abroad. They're pretty cheap and easy to obtain, they take your photo there at the AAA office and past it into the permit folder. The whole process takes maybe 15 minutes.

I've never tried actually using/showing one of those in Thailand (even though I have them) since I'm not often driving here. But I'd be curious to know if the BIB even know what they are, or alternatively, what they'd do if they found me driving here in Thailand with only my valid CA/USA driver's license.

Tick... tick... tick... tick.... BOOM!!!!!!

If someone is applying for their FIRST retirement extension of stay, isn't the required deposit period for funds in a Thai bank now TWO months prior to application, and then THREE months prior for all subsequent renewals (assuming one is relying on the 800,000 baht or portion thereof approach)???

So to complete that thought, a person entering Thailand with and/or possessing a still valid multi entry visa would not need/never need to obtain/use a re-entry permit for additional international travel.

But, a person who has already arrived in Thailand on the basis of a single entry visa and wants additional international travel.....?

And, a person who is already in Thailand on the basis of a extension of permission to stay and wants additional international travel.....?

That raises an issue I was trying to figure out today...with no help from the doctor or pharmacist...

Re Celebrex, the bulk of the discussion about harmful side effects appeared to stem from studies tracking patients who used it continuously over the period of several years, such as for osteoarthritis.

But, as best as I could tell (though there wasn't really much clear that I could find on this), there also appear to be risks associated with even short term use. Some of the warnings talked about the potential for sudden and severe gastrointestinal bleeding, even after just beginning taking it.

Would that happen with everyone?? Of course not. But even if there's a small chance of that happening in any case, if I'm taking the medicine, I'd at least want to know that.

In my case, a minor ailment, I decided the risk wasn't worth the benefit.

Jim, I wouldn't say the doctor was "right"....

He wanted to prescribe a fairly powerful drug (Celebrex) to me -- for a very minor ailment -- that has been found to have very serious and potentially fatal side effects in some cases, and he wanted to do so without telling me anything about any of those potential side effects.

It should be routine for a physician to advise a patient of any possible serious side effects or precautions to take when taking specific medication.

In almost two years of living here, and a fair number of contacts with different top-flight Thai doctors and hospitals in BKK during that time, I've received only the barest (and simplest) of verbal instructions associated with various prescribed medications. As in, the instructions on the number of times per day and with or without food, and drink lots of fluids, etc. But not once that I can ever recall about any potential health risks where I didn't first directly ask the doctor...

The pharmacy, however, should include this information with the medication; usually it is done as a printed page. It is also prudent that the patient would read the inserted package information as well.

In the U.S., with all its flaws, I would always receive a printed medication info and side effects/risks/drug interaction precautions sheet for any prescribed medication. In past years, that seems to have been standardized and computerized. So all that info would routinely be printed out for even the most routine of prescriptions in the U.S.

In BKK/Thailand, during the past two years, I've yet to receive or even see anything remotely like that. And many times, even worse, the hospital provided outpatient medications are dispensed in foil blister packs or hospital plastic vials without any of the normal (and highly scientific) product info sheets that come in original boxed medicines coming directly from the manufacturer.

It seems to me...something is missing here....

The issue I was raising was one of "informed consent"...

Glad to hear you've been able to use Celebrex long-term with no problems so far...

Fortunately, you're aware of the risks... But my feeling was doctors who are prescribing the medicine for the first time ought to be discussing those risks with their patients...

I was at Phyathai II hospital today to get checked for a minor ailment, and the doctor there suggested to prescribe an anti-inflammatory drug for short-term use. I asked if he meant an NSAID (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug), and he said yes.

I replied that I recalled there had been some serious health warning problems about NSAIDs in the U.S., and asked about alternatives. He said, don't worry, he wouldn't prescribe any of the NSAID drugs that have been recalled (that's the key word here) in the U.S.

So I later went to the hospital pharmacy, and found he'd prescribed a week of Celebrex. Now at the time, I wasn't sure and couldn't check further, but I thought I remembered Celebrex had been one of the drugs recently found to have significant adverse health risk problems.

So I asked the counter pharmacist about that, and she seemed clueless. So then I asked to speak with the supervisor pharmacist (who also spoke some English), and she likewise seemed clueless about any problems relating to Celebrex. So at that point, I declined the prescription altogether and went home.

Upon checking my trusty computer and Internet after arriving home, I discovered that my vague memory had been correct, and that the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) in the U.S. has issued warnings about Celebrex and recently mandated its relabeling to include warnings about the drug potentially causing serious heart problems and gastrointestinal bleeding, particularly in long term use cases (though it hasn't been pulled from the market).

The whole experience gave me a bit of pause... Just because a drug hasn't been recalled, doesn't mean it's always fine to use. And when there are potentially serious potential side effects (as is the case with Celebrex), shouldn't the doctor or the pharmacist be advising the patient of those???

Not that the U.S. medical system is any better.... but it made me wonder if the doctors here in Thailand are just willy nilly prescribing Celebrex to patients with no warnings of the potential harm it can cause.... or at least, without having a discussion about the risks vs. potential need/benefit of taking it...

Here is the link to the FDA web page with info about NSAID problems....

Sorry, but I'm getting lost here amid the varying posts....

I do know this....I have a similar situation upcoming, in that I will want to convert my current multi entry business visa to a retirement extension. I will turn 50 this June 20. My current one-year multi entry business visa has a use before June 22, 09 date. But I'll probably have a trip to the U.S. and then back to BKK in early-mid June 09, meaning I'll get another 3 month entry stamp (running until mid-Sept. 09) at that time, prior to the expiration of my current business visa.

So, do I need to do the conversion from business visa to retirement extension before my current business visa expires on June 22, 09, or, can I do the conversion after the visa has expired but before the permission to stay date of Sept. 09? And is there any difference in fees or process depending on which timeframe I end up doing???

Thanks very much....

And the reason for that would be????

It's real? Not an imitation?

Jeez, that makes me want to run right out and drink there....