craigt3365

I'm fortunate enough not to be living anywhere near the edge, but why throw away $100 per month for a system I'll never use? My life is here and I'll get medical attention here. Medicare part A is free and forms a backup if I should need hospitalisation on an occasional short visit to the US. The sort of repatriation I might need is more likely to be coming back to my home in Thailand, rather than the other way round! Obviously, others will be in different circumstances, but it does depend on individual circumstances.

Part A only covers hospital charges and maybe not all of those. I doubt if any US hospital would admit you without insurance to pay the doctors, medicine, etc. My guess is that Part A is probably completely useless by itself.

My friend is going back for some tricky back surgery soon. Part A covers everything he'll need, but he needs to pay the deductible and I believe it only covers 80% of the total bill as the costs are above what Medicare allows. He's already got it setup with Medicare and with the hospital. He also has part B, so meds are covered also.

I bought a cheap flip phone 2 years ago at Tesco. The audio was horrible. Unless you were somewhere quiet, it was almost impossible to hear the caller. But, if just for a short time and only for emergencies, then it will be fine.

If you have a cheap phone from the US, and you can access the SIM card, you can get it unlocked here relatively cheaply. All you'd need is a SIM card then, as long as it handles the frequencies we have here.

A few years ago I bought a cheap quad band, unlocked phone from the US. Worked great in every country we visited.

Great list! Several of these are on my "bucket list"!

You got me a bit interested in this again. I just saw this:

http://bicyclethailand.com/bicycle-shops-in-bangkok-thailand/

That BHHB club seems to have some good weekend events.

I've seen a few bike clubs, but don't have links, that do weekend trips all over Thailand. The one I saw was doing a 2 day jaunt around HH. It's a mountain bike club that's based in Bangkok. Maybe you can google for it?

I did find this one before, though it's a tour company, the trips look interesting:

http://www.thaicycle.com/

And I've read about this one:

http://www.bangkokbikehash.org/

I was at a bike shop in Bangkok several months ago and they had flyers listed for their upcoming rides. I'm sure the better bike shops will organize these things? Or at least know people who do it on a regular basis. My friend here in Pattaya got hooked up with a great group of riders that way...via his bike shop.

Train the operators. Impossible to keep an eye on all the tourists. And impose heavy fines for those violating the laws.

If you are ex-military, part B is a requirement for Tri-Care Overseas. I didn't know that, canceled part B, and am now starting it up again. Luckily, no penalty. But a gap of no coverage for 9 months.

A lot depends on how your insurance works. My coverage only requires Part B if I am in the US and then it only impacts the amount of reimbursement I would get not coverage as a whole. I asked if I needed Part B and was told that as long as I am outside the US, Part B is not required since Medicare does not cover you outside the US. If I went back and signed up for Pat B, it begins on the first day of the month after you sign up.

David

The insurance is Medicare and for military retirees living here, it's mandatory if you want coverage. Which is through Tri-Care Overseas if you are outside the US, or Medicare and Tricare For Life if you are in the US.

It was a bugger to cancel part B. I immediately restarted it when I found out the issues, but the open enrollment is something like January-March with coverage beginning July 1st...or something like that. If you don't have it, you can't sign up for part B and get it immediately. Believe me...I've spent hours on the phone with them. Ugh...love those 80 minute hold times at 0 dark 30.

If the Developer doesn't perform as promised you can hire a Thai lawyer and fight it all the way to the Supreme Court for 5 years.

Fun.

Good luck finding a Thai lawyer that you can trust.

I've got a friend going after a development company now for several issues found after the unit was turned over. Basically, the developer told him to buzz off. He's getting a lawyer, but it's not going to be easy and it's not going to be cheap. He might actually just have to deal with the problems himself. Do some research on the development company first before signing any contract.

As for guarantees, I visited a development in Phuket several years ago that was offering "guaranteed" returns of some X percent a year as they would rent out the unit for you. I asked how they could do this with such a bad economy and stiff competition? Their reply, "guaranteed yes, but not this year". LOL I almost fell on the floor. Promptly walked out.

If you are ex-military, part B is a requirement for Tri-Care Overseas. I didn't know that, canceled part B, and am now starting it up again. Luckily, no penalty. But a gap of no coverage for 9 months.

I've complained about service a few times here. Most of the time, I get a very good response. Some almost over the top. But these are with big, reputable companies. Not just small vendors at, say, Tukcom.

I had issues with ToT, called them, and things seemed to get better. I'm still not where I'd like to be, but it does seem much better.

It can be done, but it's not much of a life. If anything unexpected comes up, you could be in trouble. I know some who live here full time on about 25k Baht per month. Not a great lifestyle, but they survive.

Thailand spends more money per child for education than any country on Earth. They spend very little of that on basic infrastructure and teacher development and training.

Really ... you have a link to show it ?

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/695289-thailands-educational-spending-highest-in-the-world/

It was advertised some time ago. I think I saw it in Inspire e-magazine's news blasts here. Seems like a bit of a young crowd to me. Not into partying with DJ music till 6am! LOL

http://www.inspirepattaya.com/pattaya/wonderfruit-festival-2014-fields-siam-country-19th-21st-december/

Another interesting article:

http://www.fao.org/docrep/005/ac774e/ac774e06.htm

‘Domestic’, ‘domesticated’, or ‘captive’?

The man-elephant relationship is quite strange. While most of the domestic animals now most highly attuned to man (the dog, the cat, the water buffalo, etc.) have wild forebears which are largely untameable, many wild-caught elephants quickly and easily form intimate bonds with their keepers even though their wild temperament has never been modified through selective breeding. Some elephants form such warm and affectionate bonds with man as to deceive the observer into thinking that this animal must have been made truly domestic. Many other elephants in domesticity, however, remain unremittingly wild, hostile to man and ready to kill him at every chance. Clearly, a domesticated elephant is simply a wild animal in chains - but a wild animal frequently gentle and intelligent enough to be totally trustworthy as a baby-sitter to watch over human infants. What adjective best describes such animals when kept by man, particularly in relation to their wild congeners?

With all due respect, elephants are not and can not be domesticated. They've been used as beasts of burden for a long time. But only after being broken. In very cruel ways. Even after the breaking process, they are still very dangerous animals. We report on quite a few deaths and injuries here every year.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domestication

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captive_elephants

Elephants in captivity are in most cases Asian elephants captured in the wild. Selective breeding of elephants is impractical due to their long reproductive cycle, so there are no domestic breeds. African bush elephants and African forest elephants are less amenable to training.

Asian elephants are an endangered species due to this.

This is a difficult issue. Some very misinformed posts above. I was glad to see Barnum and Bailys Circus will retire their herd (40 elephants) in the US because of animal rights issues.

Coconuts Bangkok has a piece on there today about elephants. The money quote by a knowledgeable animal rights activist:

She warned that pushed out of the public eye entirely through a tourism ban, the elephants would suffer much worse harm.

“It is better to keep working elephants and issues related to their welfare visible, in the eye of animal-loving tourists and general public,” she said. “It is important to keep up pressure on elephant ride operators to clean up their act.”

Yes, there are 2 different issues. The kidnapping of babies from the wild to feed the tourism demand...and then what to do with all those who are already in the system. Due to corruption here, the first is hard to elimate. But with strong enforcement (DNA tests, etc) it can be done. But it means it will eventually be an extinct tourist attraction. Unless they are allowed to break babies born in captivity. Elephants are not domesticated animals.

after you see the youtube video ... indeed, you go support the torture sponsored by TAT

I showed a video like this to my wife a few years ago. Her reply was she saw that as a child in her village, same procedure. Incredibly cruel.

I just posted this in another thread. The video is worth watching for those who think elephants training is harmless. It's not. Also, the articles have some good info. Specifically, how elephant rides are decimating the Asian elephant population here.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/806995-tat-promotes-worlds-first-elephant-ride-alms-giving-in-surin/#entry9165136

Elephants are not domesticated animals. To get them to paint, play ball, or let you ride on them, they have to endure the Pajaan, the breaking process. It's extremely cruel and leaves lasting physical and mental scars on the magnificent animals.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elephant_crushing

The training crush

As reported in the UN Report Gone Astray, in India, Myanmar and Thailand the 'kraal' or ‘training crush’ method involves an elephant being placed in a strong, large stall or cage and tied with ropes to keep the elephant from moving, including being unable to kick, raise or swing its head. This method is supposed to crush the elephant's spirit. Proponents argue that this allows the elephant to properly and safely learn the basic command “Still!” or “Quiet!”, and enable it to adapt to its new environment.

National Geographic reports on the use of nails and sticks stabbed into the ears and feet of an elephant the subject of a crush in Thailand. Other reports cite the use of beatings with sticks, chains or bullhooks, sleep-deprivation, hunger, and thirst to "break" the elephant and make them submissive to their owners. It is not clear whether all training crushes involve the use of corporal punishment.

Quoted in Gone Astray, a 1967 report on a training crush notes, 'An elephant born in captivity is brought up amongst human beings and its training is humane from the day it begins; but a wild beast parted from the herd and its mother must suffer agonies before its will is broken.'

Skip to 2:40 and watch the abuse recorded on video. Plenty of others like this are on the internet. As mentioned in many articles, most babies are taken from the wild and many times the parents are killed as they are overly protective.

Some more info on this horrible practice:

http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/397145/Elephants-never-forget-the-extreme-brutality-of-their-handler-s-teaching-methods

Very good article:

http://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/what-you-need-to-know-about-elephant-trekking/

Soi 11 seems a good option. I've seen lots there and many in Apoteka also. Meetup.com is great also.

That's probably a great way to go. I shopped at Central Department store and the selection was pretty poor. Each area is run by a different vendor. They just rent out the space. Finding a full selection of sizes is impossible. It's real hit and miss...and not cheap.

Let's move this over to the Chiang Rai sub forum. A link will also be left here. Good luck!!

Topic Moved

Where are you from originally? YOUR country?

Norway.

Not sure if you care or not, but lots of Norwegians in Pratumnak. Many I'm lucky to call friends. Great group of people and a very tight knit community.