BangkokHank

I've been to both of those places - at the same time, no less.

Exactly, because it provides a false sense of security. It's better if you cross at a place that you DON'T expect to be safe - as that encourages you to be more careful.

You are overlooking the American military's secret weapon: DIVERSITY! With ladyboys in its military, the US can now defeat any non-diverse adversary. All they need to do is to make sure their enemies are wearing gold chains.

Excellent. Thanks very much.

Thanks very much for this suggestion. I bought one of them based on your comments (they can be bought through Lazada as well, which is what I did), and I am very satisfied with it. It is, as you say, a no-frills device. I consider it to be a very elegant solution to the air quality issue. After all, an air purifier is essentially a filter and a fan. I must say that it is quite noisy when it is turned up all the way, but it is fairly quiet on its mid-range setting. So I only turn it up all the way when I am out, and when I am home I keep it on half speed. It cost me around 1,800 baht including delivery, which is a fraction of what the other devices cost. And it uses the Xaomi filters, which are readily available. (Basically, it's a nicely designed fan on top of a Xaoimi filter.) Thanks again for the suggestion.

Can you provide further information (perhaps via a link) for this accessory to redirect the air from a Xiaomi air purifier? Thanks.

No they don't. They could just spend the money that they are spending now on immigrants (who will never work/assimilate) on encouraging their own people to have more children.

The brand that I use is "Hurry Up Shrimp":

I second this. I have been using Watson's razors for over a decade. And when they have one of their half-price sales, I load up with enough blades to last me for years - as they don't spoil.

I opened a bank account in Vietnam a few months ago on a tourist visa. I visit Vietnam frequently, and I wanted to keep some money there. Who is harmed by me having a bank account there?

To tax inward remittances when you want to encourage inward remittances is the height of stupidity. The Thai government will have noticed the dramatic decline in remittances during 2024 after they announced their new policy, and they are now realizing how misguided the idea was. So now they appear to be reversing it - with the face-saving excuse of "global changes".

The demand for safety deposit boxes in Bangkok far exceeds the supply. But rather than just raise the prices of the boxes, Thai banks use this supply/demand imbalance to try to extract as much money as possible from customers (while appearing to have reasonably priced safety deposit boxes) by requiring the purchase of unnecessary, unwanted, ridiculously expensive insurance. You said that your bank told you that they don't have any boxes available. Just for fun, why don't you go back and tell them that you have decided that you want the insurance, and see if a box doesn't suddenly become available. Anyway, don't fret, as there is another solution: A private safety deposit box company. Here is the company that I have been using for the past couple of years. https://www.cblockers.com I have a small box there for a reasonable price, and they are very nice and professional. It is not as close to my home as my bank is, but it's right in the center of Bangkok, which is not an issue for me as I only go there a couple of times a year. And if this one doesn't suit you, there is another such company in Bangkok, as I recall from my research a couple of years ago when I was in your situation. Good luck, and buck the fanks.

This is one of the ones I am considering buying. How is its noise level?

This is one of the ones I am considering buying. How is its noise level?

Ah, thanks for mentioning that. That is something else that is mentioned on the list of things that the dentist here in Chiang Mai will do to ensure a safe removal of my fillings. I didn't know what it meant, but now I do. Thanks. As was the case with you, I don't have any specific symptoms of mercury poisoning. But my feeling is that mercury does not benefit the human body, so I want to have my fillings removed by a competent dentist. I won't expect any life-changing improvements in my health, but I will be pleased if there are any. Thanks again very much for your thoughtful response.

I have had (mercury) amalgam fillings in several of my teeth since my youth. I have been reading lately about the dangers of having mercury fillings in one's teeth. I am visiting Chiang Mai now, and I passed by a dental clinic that seems to be very experienced in removing such fillings and replacing them with "composite resin" fillings. Their brochure says that they use oxygen supplementation, a negative pressure treatment room, etc., which gives me the impression that they know what they're doing. However, I had a brief pre-procedure consultation with one of the young dentists there (not the one who would do the actual procedure), and he said that since my amalgam fillings are still in perfect condition, he doesn't think I need to have the procedure done. I also just read that these "composite resin" fillings only last for 5-10 years (whereas my amalgam fillings have been going strong for 50 years). The only reason I would consider having this done is because I don't think that anyone benefits from having mercury in their mouth. But I also wonder if it is without risk to have my fillings removed/replaced? Or is it better to just leave things as they are? I suppose it is possible that I am and have been suffering from negative consequences from my mercury fillings for all of my life. (For example, I have suffered from fatigue for most of my life, but maybe that is completely unrelated to the mercury fillings - or not.) Does anybody have any knowledge of/experience with this procedure? Would you have it done if you had known then what you know now? Any thoughts on the matter would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Why don't you use your air quality detector to measure the air right outside of your window, and then shortly thereafter use it to measure the air inside of your apartment. If the air quality inside of the apartment is better than the air quality outside, what else could the reason be other than the air conditioner?

Thanks. Now that you mention it, the name of the place that I visited in Dalat was the Saigon Eye Clinic. When I have the procedure done, I think I'll have it done there, as I find Dalat to be a very pleasant place to spend time.

Where did you have your cataract operation done in Vietnam? (I recently had a skin cancer operation done in Nha Trang for about US$500, and I visited an eye hospital in Da Lat to get their prices for a cataract operation, which I will need someday.)

Many years ago I had a Thai doctor friend. He told me that his hospital had three different prices: The lowest for Thais; a higher one for farangs; and the highest for Arabs. He was surprised when I told him that I found that unfair.

Couldn't the Brits find a qualified Gentile for this job?

Here's another plausible explanation for the fires: directed energy weapons. https://gregreese.substack.com/p/directed-energy-weapons-burning-homes

OK. Thanks very much. Actually I can usually get by without an air-conditioner with just using a fan. Even in the hot season, I just turn on the air for a few minutes just to cool myself and my room a bit. So I think that if I use a 12,000 BTU TCL together with a fan, that should make my room cool enough for me. As a comparison, whenever I travel, I set the thermostat in hotels at 26-28 degrees. Any cooler (or warmer) than that and I can't sleep.

So that's my dilemma: I think that 15,000 BTU would be ideal for me, but TCL doesn't have a unit of that capacity. They go from 12,000 right up to 18,000, without a 15,000 BTU unit in between. So should I go with an 18,000 BTU TCL, or a 15,000 BTU of a different brand? And if the latter, which brand is a good second choice? I mean, are the Japanese and Korean brands really inferior to the TCL?

I remember those days. And if a girl was seen going with a farang, the Japanese made it known that they wouldn't go with her after that. So even when I was willing to pay up for an amazingly beautiful girl there one time, she told me that going with a farang would spoil her chances of getting Japanese customers - so no go.