MrBrad

NOTE:  I just received this email from the Secretary of State:

Drop off Ballots: U.S. citizens may drop off their voting materials during normal business hours at the U.S. Embassy Bangkok or at the U.S. Consulate General in Chiang Mai in the voting boxes located at the American Citizen Services security entrance.  Bring your U.S. passport or other photo ID to show the guards when you arrive.  U.S. citizen employees of the Department of State are responsible for the handling of all ballots.  Please make sure your envelope is signed, sealed, and addressed to your district office.  It also must include U.S. postage, or use a postage-paid envelope.  You can find postage-paid envelopes available for download at this link: https://www.fvap.gov/eo/overview/materials/forms.

Pro Tip: You can print the postage-paid envelope on regular paper, then tape it to your envelope when you are preparing your ballot to be sent. 

17 hours ago, moontang said:

I got my ballot a few days ago... What hours can you drop off at Embassy?  Do you need ID and/or passport? Is there a simple solution to printing out their postage paid envelope?  It only took them two tries at my cmu copy shop, but now I am in bkk.  Thanks. 

In Chiang Mai, I don't know about Bangkok, you can drop off your ballot at the guard's window at the Consulate 24 hours a day (maybe daylight hours would be better though).  No ID or passport is needed.  Just hand your envelope to the guard at the window.  Make sure that the envelope is addressed to your polling place in the States, and that there's sufficient US postage on it or that it's already postage-paid, in which case no additional postage is required .

To muddy the waters a bit more:

• If you personally hand-deliver your ballot to the Consulate or Embassy, you should use 2 envelopes.
  • The envelope containing only your ballot should not have any address or name on it.  It is a secret ballot which the election officials should not be able to connect with you by name. 
  • The envelope as described above should be inserted into a larger envelope, either postage-paid or having US postage stamps affixed.  This larger envelope will be addressed to your voting place.  You will or may also include your return address on the outside of this envelope.  Along with the smaller envelope containing your ballot, you may be required to submit a voter registration form inside the larger envelope.  The form will be used to verify your eligibility to vote.  (This is how it is done in Minnesota; your state may differ.)
• If you use Thai Post to deliver your ballot to the US Consulate or Embassy, you would need a third envelope.  That one would contain the two envelopes as described above.

On 8/20/2020 at 12:54 PM, unblocktheplanet said:

We should be reminded that Thailand Post is NOT sending airmail overseas. Thus we risk our ballots being uncounted. I am so dedicated to this pursuit is that I will use a $100 courier, if necessary.

 

For what it's worth, it appears that as of a couple of days ago Thai Post is again providing international airmail. 

On this link, the first page or so is in Thai, but English follows:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OGkBLRXkgaOuA-x2N-I2fLe0faBrUXeu/view

I've found that firecrackers and bottle rockets work well to quell unruly dogs.  You don't need an arsenal of pyrotechnics to accomplish the desired outcome; just an occasional one should do the job.

As for the $2,000 you mention regarding Cambodia:

Apparently lots of others have been through this, and felt that taking the chance (whatever that entails) is worth it.  If you had to forfeit that amount or more, would you still make the move?  Keep in mind that no matter where you go, there will be costs involved, and relocating to some countries could very well cost more than $2,000 in all kinds of unexpected expenses.  It's a sum of money that none of us cares to lose, but, all in all, it's not a ridiculously unaffordable amount to part with, if it should come to that.

At this time, Thailand requires 800,000 baht in the bank or a steady monthly income of 65,000 baht.  Coming up with and stashing $27,000 in a Thai bank is a bit more oppressive. 

Why is dropping dogs off at a temple the solution?  Most temples have enough dogs already, to say nothing of the temperament of those dogs.  So shifting the problem to someone else is the answer, it appears.

As inferred above, go to one of the better hospitals and inquire if they can do it.  If they do not have the capability on site, they will send a blood specimen to Bangkok for analysis. 

Being an avid bicyclist, I appreciate a quick tap of the horn when someone's approaching from the rear.  I do have and use my rear-view mirrors, yet I'm always appreciative of the quick horn tap, especially in cases when I'm caught unaware.  This is a foreigner speaking, though.  On the other hand, Thais seem to be very offended by the sound of a horn; I guess they think it's rude...rude to be the honker, and rude to be the recipient of the honk.

A related and even more potentially disastrous situation is when I am mowing the grass alongside the road in front of my place.  I have to continuously check for cars on my otherwise rather quiet road; it's a local road, not a main thoroughfare by any means.  Too many times, though, a car will appear supposedly out of nowhere, and the driver will see how close he can come to me without hitting me as I'm stepping to and fro into the road.  With the overpowering sound of the mower I cannot hear the cars.  These are my neighbors.  I think that they pretty much like me, but they will never alert me to their oncoming presence.  I always breathe a sigh of relief that I escaped death again.

If befriending an ill-mannered dog doesn't work, perhaps wasp and hornet spray will help to change its attitude, at least long enough for you to move on.  It causes the eyes to smart, but even on humans does not cause long-lasting damage.

A paucity of detail here. 

In 1994, I and ten others studied at Chiang Mai University for one year through the University of Wisconsin, working toward the completion of requirements for bachelor degrees.  The program was totally independent study with consultation and monitoring by instructors at CMU.  Credits earned were transferred back to Wisconsin.

The bug bomb, ARS Kwan, can be bought at Home Pro.

This was in 2012.  The cost was around 60,000 baht per eye, one week apart.  My new lenses are called Alcon Restor Multifocal.  With the multifocal lens you will not have any adjustment period trying to get your brain to zero in on peripheral vision. 

Also, some people go for a combination of having one eye for close vision and the other for distant.  That, to me, sounds like a real challenge, even though it's a cheaper option.  I am not at all sorry that I spent the extra cash for what has given me restored vision to what I had when I was a kid...or close to 99% the same as then.

By all means take the time to compare prices.  As for expertise, scary as it may be, there are several qualified doctors in Chiang Mai.

It must be 7 or 8 years ago that I had my cataracts taken care of by Dr. Paradee Kunavisarut at Sriphat Medical Center.  Phone 053-936-900 or 936-9001.  She knows what she's doing, and I highly recommend her.  She also works at Ram, but that hospital's costs are higher than at Sriphat for the same service.

Other than their saying it's "in the Bueng Buakhao area, in Chiang Mai's San Sai district," one would think the reporter would give real information as to where this is located and how to get there, even if it's completed and open for business yet.

Does anyone know the location?

On 7/2/2020 at 9:59 AM, wotsdermatter said:

The monks in Thailand could well learn from the monks in different European countries.  None go out begging for food on any day.  Many monasteries are self-sufficient, or nearly so as they grow much of their own food, and a few are well known for producing wine, beer, and/or liqueurs which are sold and are famous around the world.  Thai monks could do with a good shake-up as most seem to be in it for doing nothing, although that will never happen as long as people keep providing them with the essentials, like they do the soi dogs.  Good examples to comp[are them with are the monks, etc., in places like India where they provide food on a daily basis for themselves and sometimes hundreds of people every day at no cost.  Could go on but you get the gist of my meaning and it has all been said before.

'nuf sed

They are not begging.  I've never seen a Thai monk begging.  Any "monk" who is begging is a charlatan; few that there are, they exist.   As I understand it, the early morning walk with alms bowls gives the community the opportunity to make merit and receive a blessing.  Everybody wins.

Can anyone identify the critters that just a few days ago have come out by the hundreds.  They're coming from my neighbor's property which is deserted at this time.  I noticed a mass of them on the garden wall, and went to investigate--actually, spray with วาลิท 35 which is cypermethrin, and found them climbing up the sides of some out buildings next door.  The spray slows them down, but I don't know if it really does them in.  Day after day more appear.

What are they?  (Other than across the wall) Where do they come from?  What do they eat?  And what do they become in later stages of their lives?  Oh, and is there a more suitable chemical that will eliminate them?  I suspect that if they're not killed off, they will only multiply.  A few have even managed to find their way into my kitchen which is enclosed and well screened. 

Thanks for your help on this.

6 minutes ago, Mahseer said:

Certificate of entry is what you are referring to:

 

http://www.thaiembassy.org/abudhabi/contents/files/news-20200609-205147-781608.pdf

I and most of the rest of us retirees are not addressed in the PDF above.  At least, that's the way I read it.  This PDF refers to only two groups of people:

• 1. Staff of diplomatic, consular missions, International Organizations, or representatives of foreign governments performing their duties in the Kingdom of Thailand
• 2. Persons with work permit or permission from Thai Government agencies to work in the Kingdom

On the north side of town alongside Highway 11, the Superhighway, just east of the river is this shop.  It's on the corner, under the trees in this streetview.  They've professionally replaced body parts for my motorcycle right down to decals and chrome trim at an affordable price.  I'm sure that they can fix you up.

https://goo.gl/maps/LuRYZThxEhGb2oUt5

Just FYI:  The Thai word for this material is also gypsum, though the G is pronounced as a Y as in Yipsum.

I don't know about Prince, but at Dara, which is a Christian school with some affiliation with Prince, the class size for younger (pratohm) students is around 25.  When they enter junior high, however, the class sizes double to around 50.  It is at that time when I transferred my student to the public school for roughly the same quality of education at a fraction of the cost, and there are generally around 40 in his classroom now.