ThailandLovr

As the ultimate precaution, the OP may consider claiming the PC was stolen, or left in a taxi, then offer to pay for it. I would think the IT guys might easily discover it had been deliberately cleansed. Why would anybody do that? Sounds like he may need his private machine anyway.

If you haven't already, I wouldn't disclose any ISP information.

Think 20bht would of been more a realistic charge and doubt most would have batted an eyelid.

Agreed. In fact 30, 40 or even 50 baht would i think have been received ok.

150 baht just screams of unjustified greediness - something the banks are good at.

Yeah. I think I read somewhere that many Thai work an entire day for only about 170 baht.

I suppose even AEON will eventually start charging the fee also. But I am far more concerned about the direction of the USD. That swamps other worries for me.

I only know one other farang who lives here and he is very happy, having married and now a father. As for me, I think the simple, stress-free life here is ideal. I don't miss the dog-eat-dog rat race back in the US one bit. Sabai!

My favorite was the one I saw last year:

"I know what you are thinking and YES I'd love for you to F#CK me too!"

Worn by a foxy young gal, who winked at me!

<snip>

One of the many difficulties of depression is that it clouds your thinking and impairs your decision-making processes, even the decisions you make about what to do about being depressed!

<snip>

Unfortunately these words are very true. I remember a therapist once saying to me, "that is just your depression talking". After my depression later lifted, I realized how correct he was. My true feelings were not negative at all.

This is a reason why depression is a true mental illness, not just brain chemistry which gives us mood swings. It can, not always of course, but is fully capable of hijacking our ability to think and reason clearly. It is truly a nasty illness!

NO, it's not OK to use back cover page.

To follow my gut feelings, I called the DC Embassy again and asked the question again, this time to a different person. Sure enough, this person said this page could not be used. I asked if he was sure and he said yes, to which I responded the person I talked to before ALSO said she was sure . As a final double check, I called the Chicago embassy and talked to the Consul himself, and he told me the inside of the back cover could not be used because their maching couln't affix the visa on it.

So this is the final final - can't use the page!! Get new pages by expedite (as I have now done) if necessary.

Need help finding the generic Wellbutrin

Yes, as Gunny said, both of these drugs are available over the counter in Thailand, but only the wellbutrin has a locally made generic equivalent (and this, not for ther sustained release form, which is what "SR" means. The difference lies in how often the drug has to be taken, non-SR form requires 2-3 times a day dosing). Lamictal is a patented import and will be only a little less expensive than in the US, since most of the imports here come fromEurope.

If your travels take you to Cambodia you might be able to get it there for less as unlike Thailand there are no import duties on pharmaceuticals.

Hello Gunny and Sheryl -

Just got back to the states after 3 wonderful months in Lopburi. Anyway, I wasn't able to find the locally-made generic for Wellbutrin (Bupropion). The pharmacist at a high-end drug store sold me "Quomem (Sustained Release)" for 1920 baht (60 tablets). These were produced by GlaxoKline and imported directly into Thailand. The pharmacist looked perplexed when I told her a generic equivalent was being produced in Thailand. Maybe she just wanted to sell me the expensive Glaxo version. I think you mentioned "Quomen" (note different spelling from the Quomem which I bought). Is the Quomen the generic version, and if so, where can I buy it when I return to Thailand next month? Thank you.

Re: "Letter of Guarantee" from the bank for the Non-Imm O-A obtained in the U.S.

(from peterdw)

Hi,

Has anyone recently gotten a retirement visa ("O-A") from the Thai consulate in New York or elsewhere in U.S.? Any complications?

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A letter of guarantee from the bank -- I'm unclear what exactly that is. Do I go to the bank and say, "Please give me a letter of guarantee"? How should it be worded?

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Nobody answered his question about the guarantee letter. I was just going to get a letter signed and notarized by my bank officer which stated the current balance in my account. (I hope this would be enough, don't think banks like to issue "guarantees" in general).

Please advise......Thanks

The Thai Embassy in DC says OK to use inside of rear cover page for my forthcoming Non-immigrant O-A visa (even though there is not a page number on it). This surprises me because I thought I read somewhere here that page could not be used. I am tight on time before I leave the U.S. for Thailand and don't want to pay a fortune for expedited extra passport pages to be added before I send in my application and passport for the visa, so this would be very good news if true (it worries me a bit about trusting the person on the phone, who may not be 100% sure but too lazy to verify). Anybody use the inside rear cover page before? (Once in BKK I can get more pages added quickly and without cost at the U.S. embassy for future use).

Maybe you are saying when I apply for the O-A visa from the Chicago embassy I include a bank statement of my U.S. savings account along with my pension verification. I guess that makes sense. Duh, do I have it right now?

You do not need the money in a THAI bank to get an O-A visa OUTSIDE Thailand even if you do not have the 800K baht in pension income.

Really?? I am able to get the O-A visa without proving 800K (65K/month) income? How can this be? Please explain further - I am missing something.

Regarding the extensions, I am not at all worried about those, because as you mentioned, all I need is a small deposit account to make the COMBO method work.

Thanks for your input.

With the U.S. dollar strengthening lately, my $1917 monthly social security income translates tantalizingly closer and closer to the 65,000 baht minimum monthly income requirement to qualify for a retirement visa. As of today, the $1917 converted to 64,300 baht. I will be going to Thailand next month and everything would be a lot, lot easier for me if I could get the retirement visa from the Thai embassy in Chicago before I left and was able to avoid depositing money into a Thai bank, waiting 90 days, etc, etc. Does anybody have any experience which might suggest the Thai embassy would consider my income "close enough" to 65,000 baht? Is the calculation based on the exact value of the baht/dollar for a given day? Maybe a rate of, say 34 or 35 baht/dollar is currently used and the exact daily date is not utilized (could I be so lucky?). Anybody have any related experience or insight into this? Thanks!

Poor you Thailandlover to be on so many meds Hope they help you though

I have a wonderful Thai woman who loves me, and she is the best "medicine" I could have.

Thank you very much Gunny and Sheryl. This certainly rules out my use of Lamictal. If I should once again need it, I will consult with a psychiatrist for an alternate medication. There is always low-cost Lithium (for me, a last choice). Per your previous post, I will need a dr's prescription for another med I need daily anyway, clonozapam (Klonopin).

Sounds like you have Bipolar disorder. If so, have they tried you on valproic acid? Because it is available here over the counter, and works well for many people. However, I don't advise changing meds just before coming here or, for that matter, while here...best to come on a regimen that you know works for you and you are already stabilized on, even if it means bringing the meds (lableed and with accompanying doctor letter) with you. Psychiatry is one of the weaker suits for Thai medicine and Thailand (or for that matter any foreign ciountry) is not a good place to be in if things get out of control.

An astute observation. I have not previously been prescribed valproic acid, although I have read about it. I am glad to know it is available over the counter, just in case. I understand and agree with your remark about residing in Thailand, but there are reasons why I need to try. I certainly have concerns. Time will tell - and I will always be just one plane trip away from returning to the states if necessary. Thank you for your comments.

Yes, as Gunny said, both of these drugs are available over the counter in Thailand, but only the wellbutrin has a locally made generic equivalent (and this, not for ther sustained release form, which is what "SR" means. The difference lies in how often the drug has to be taken, non-SR form requires 2-3 times a day dosing). Lamictal is a patented import and will be only a little less expensive than in the US, since most of the imports here come fromEurope.

If your travels take you to Cambodia you might be able to get it there for less as unlike Thailand there are no import duties on pharmaceuticals.

Thank you very much Gunny and Sheryl. This certainly rules out my use of Lamictal. If I should once again need it, I will consult with a psychiatrist for an alternate medication. There is always low-cost Lithium (for me, a last choice). Per your previous post, I will need a dr's prescription for another med I need daily anyway, clonozapam (Klonopin).

All of the medications that you have listed are controlled substances. You would have to get a prescription for them. Thailand's not Mexico. You would need to see at least a general practitioner, but most likely a psychiatrist.

See controlled substances list: http://www.thaiembdc.org/info/substances.doc

Just a friendly reminder Thailand has the DEATH PENALTY for drug trafficking.

Be very careful

GunnyD

Hello GunnyD

I have one prescription (possibly two) medication which will be important for daily use during my 6 month visit. It is (generic names for the antidepressant Wellbutrin) "Buproprion SR" or "Budeprion SR" (supposedly identical).

Another drug I might need (I HOPE NOT!) is "Lamotrigine", generic for Lamictal. I'd like to somehow verify these medications are available in Thailand and, if so, the approximate cost of each of the two. In the U.S., Lamictal is extremely expensive (about $6 per tablet, or $360 for a month's supply for me!), and that makes me worry if it is even more expensive in Thailand. [If I should be using a different forum or topic, please let me know]

Thank you.