Gaccha

The family day out to ER is, partly, a need to demonstrate family values of caring for others. Thais have remarkably little knowledge of the most basic medical conditions. They know nothing of the basic symptoms of mundane illnesses which most educated Westerners can immediately identify. For example, with tonsillitis, a Westerner knows of it, broadly understands its risks, knows how long it'll last, and knows how to respond to it (i.e. at what point to escalate their action and seek medical help and so on). Thais know none of this. The most banal illnesses register to them as a potential existential calamity seeking the reassuring paternal hand. Thais will even visit hospital because they've recovered (!) from some simple illness such as laryngitis and they want to make sure all is now well. I suspect, by contrast, a person attending ER in England with no symptoms would be told rather forcefully to #@£% off. I must admit that my Thai social circles are the lower-elites. Presumably for the poorer, they simply wouldn't think of attending hospital with such frequency because of costs or time- costs; but I suspect they'd attend a clinic. It is in the interests of all to keep playing this game.

I know. Of course. But as you can see from the link, that is the terminology of the Thai government agency.

Everything you wrote after this is completely irrelevant. And although it is nice for you to point out the obligations of Vietnam to international treaty conventions, in practice, to quote the US Embassy: "Foreign driver licenses, even when accompanied by an international driving permit, are not valid in Vietnam. Even though a driver’s license from an ASEAN country may be recognized in certain circumstances as valid in Vietnam, it is still advised to obtain a local Vietnamese driver’s license if you wish to drive legally in Vietnam." As a matter of practice, Vietnam does not allow non- Thais to use Thai licences even with an IDP/IDL.

Be aware: some countries will not recognise the IDL because you are not Thai. For example, Vietnam does not recognise foreign holders of Thai licences with an IDL.

I think it's time to ditch your old frames. As several here have recommended, Zenni is the way to go. Use a prescription obtained for cheap at Bangkok Eye Hospital (Rutnin?) and then order Zenni. I've used and the quality is ideal. They are cheap and quick. Zenni have their own App. It's well designed. Most opticians in Bangkok will not give you the prescription in order to force you to purchase their frames etc. So the Eye Hospital is the best route.

Exactly. That's how I remember it from many years back when I last did it.

Right! I saw that. It's a good ol' fashioned e-mail appointment. Thanks.

This is for visas. There seems to be no appointment system for passport renewal on that website.

The linking of insurance companies with investments for expats is for historical reasons. For a very long time there were almost no opportunities for investments for expats. These poor quality so-called bonds were almost the only opportunities available. In the last 10 years with Fintech there have been massive Improvement in the opportunities to invest in genuine Investments which require none of these parasitical middlemen. I'd recommend our OP look to Singapore (or other Tier 1 finance locations) and reputable companies if he wants to plant money somewhere. There is no need to trap yourself in 1970s-style investments. Obvious examples are Endowus or Stashaway (who have just opened a Bangkok branch... but I'd still use their Singapore branch...). But always do your own due diligence.

I didn't take a photo when I crossed the river on a ferry at Wanglang yesterday, but the water level was certainly high enough for localised flooding of the ferry stop and riverbanks, if it hadn't been for the considerable improvements in flood defences in Old Bangkok in the last 6 or 7 years. The water in the fields up North is apparently only a quarter the levels of 2011, so I'm not worried... yet.

Ahoy there! I wanted to get a chest o' treasures from me local store. In the shop, a man 'idin' in the aisles, called me o'er secretively, an' in a whisper suggested I buy the item off 'is mate instead o' from the shop directly. 'e murmured that there 'e would make things easier. 'is mate been outside the shop. 'e glanced around an' asked fer cash. I wanted to pay in cash so I been really pleased that there 'e made this here offer. I been told to come aft the next day an' meet another mate o' 'is in a backalley. Unbelievably I been given a fake item. I asked the shop that there I met the scurvy dog in fer a refund, but they 'ad no idea who I been. Turned out they was just a bunch o' gentlemen o' fortune.

No, they wouldn't. You have to approach them. The staff each only have a list of people who've reserved. They don't call out those people and they are not pre-loaded on the numbered call-out voice system. But when you approach the staff, they prioritise you and scratch you off their list. I learnt this from bitter experience.

For the benefit of non-Americans: After many months of attacks on the American Imperial Empire's ruling regime's buildings, costing billions and dozens of deaths, as well as the ruling regime's rapid acceptance of systemic racism and brutal oppression, even to the extent of senior regime members bending onto their knees to symbolise their failure, the knocking down of its sacred idols, as well as promises for the regime to defund its forces of oppression, a small yet brave group emerged in January 2020 to finally overthrow this regime and its parasitical elite class and their cosy sinecures. The underclass group bravely confronted this oppressive, militarised regime and moved into its symbolic power centre, obstructing the fake kabuki theatre of political change where one group of elite briefly swaps out for another group. This 'bastille day', so to speak, went ahead with little property damage and few casualties. Hark! The angels had been kind. Yet at that moment, victory was snatched from their arms, as those pretending to curse this oppressor class, turned on a dime, and confronted those who sought its end. For it turned out, that it was all just theatre, and those loud cries of racism and sexism and other such jibber jabber was intended to simply divide the masses and had simply got out of control. Years later, America remains submerged in the stench of an elite vampirically living off its underclass, and well-intentioned but low-information voters, who think justice has been achieved, celebrating the sanctity of their pitiful dying empire.

Presumably you are asking if they are legit. I've tried to find any claims to regulatory agencies, but they avoid such claims. But it's interesting to see how they sell themselves. I look at forms of deception or cheeky truths. They do claim to be part of a dodgy global lawyers network. Take a look at that network's website; it looks like it was created in a couple of spare minutes in a pub garden. Would you want to be part of it? They have a bunch of awards showing on photos on their Google Map entry. These on closer inspection are dodgy. The 'Finance Monthly' is apparently known for selling awards to businesses willing to contribute some money to it. Google around for chatter on the Web about this. They display a 2010 FI Global Award from it. None of this means they'll scam you. All businesses are in the game of persuasion. All businesses want the social proof of awards and having highly regarded companies such as Facebook or HSBC as business partners. But ... would I use them? Not a chance.

"Google Flight" is by far the best aggregator. It even tells you how much of a deal you are getting compared with its expectations of that flight. It also let's you choose by seat type (premium economy/business etc), and even calculates the add-on costs such as luggage when comparing all flights. Nothing else touches it. And specifically to your problem, you'll need to use the ITA Matrix flight search which will let you select from different conditions of travel (i.e. conditions of cancellation in the fine print etc). My pleasure.

The drought of complaints about the 90 days notice on this thread is just remarkable. The Immigration Police appear to have finally hired professional IT staff... I will donate to my Wat to ensure the continuance of this unique feat.

You'll notice they are the maximum fares. It takes very little effort to get those fares down. You simply perform the 'taxi dance': the appearance of leaving the airport without a taxi, before being seduced by their lower counter-offers. Try it.

The problem was that a decision too obviously favourable to the ruling clique would undermine the authority of the court. A 5-4 decision for a suspension opens a very big possibility of his reinstatement in the coming weeks, but allows the court to maintain a sense of dignified disinterestedness in the political games. Having said that, the ruling clique is aware that Prayuth is shockingly unpopular and would prefer a better chance against the Peu Thai party, so they won't be that bothered. Indeed, the clique is displaying larger and larger cracks in their unity. Their horror years may be coming to an end.

The real issue is the import restriction of CBDs of foreign producers. Although they can be purchased online, it is illegal to possess the highly regulated and well known CBD oils of America (Boots in the UK sells these brands indicating their quality and safety, since Boots is a highly trusted health products seller). This is clearly a trade advantage ploy disguised as a health & safety issue: blocking foreign imports to assist domestic producers, who have dodgy safety practices. It will be interesting to see how long this lasts. As to the issue of THC in cookies and sweeties. A simple stroll down Khao San will disabuse you of any thoughts as to their rarity. They are everywhere. Start with the cannabis "clinics" in the vicinity of the now-closed Burger King on the east end of the road.

This was the primary proof used for NHS users arriving in Thailand. It would be illogical if it was no longer accepted. A printout will be necessary in case your phone battery dies. TAT states the current rules as: "Upon arriving in Thailand, all travellers must undergo entry screening including body temperature check, and present the required documents to the Immigration/Health Control officer to carry out the checks. The vaccinated travellers will then be allowed entry and are free to go anywhere in the kingdom. *For arrivals by land using a border pass, they will be allowed a stay of no longer than 3 days within the specified areas only." It is specifically mentioned that the insurance requirement has been lifted. You should check the TAT website as the most up-to-date source.

The silence on this thread is deafening. No problems and no issues across all of Thailand for days. Remarkable.

Let us review and learn from this. There was a gradual build-up of escalating tensions. It appears the dissatisfied customer decided to escalate by bringing their husband. But this was a knife fight, not a husband fight. Since there is a lack of established conflict resolution norms in Thailand, tempers are more likely to fray. A poor education system, combined with a face- saving system, combined with a legal system which lacks the basic rule of law of disinterested judges and police (not to be confused with uninterested judges and police), leads to showdowns reminiscent of the near- lawless frontier cowboy territories of America, and mafia country of south Italy.

To update, Singapore has awarded Zipmex 3 months bankruptcy protection, which enables them to be protected from creditor litigation for that period. They have that time to either find a buyer or fresh cash. They currently have two MOUs signed. They have unfrozen all funds from the investment product portfolios of minor Altcoins and have also unfrozen small amounts of ETH and BTC (around 5,000 bahts worth each). Although trivial amounts, this does actually fully compensate 60% of investors. They have just announced that all ZMT will be unfrozen from the 25th August. As things stand, all stablecoin money remains frozen in the investment portfolios. And enormous sums of ETH and BTC remain frozen. Presumably, until/unless they have new cash, they will not be able to unfreeze any further. The next 10 weeks will be crucial.

The idea that hi-tech Hong Kong will not accept the Mor Phrom as evidence is not a serious evaluation of the state of affairs. Hong Kong has no special requirements to make the vaccine certificate as old-fashioned as possible to be accepted. If you are worried the Thai Mor Phrom is not familiar enough to HK health controls- a remarkably dubious belief- then simply upload your info onto the EU vaccine system. This is very simple: download Austria's Covid App (it makes no difference as to whether you are Austrian, Congolese or Cuban), use that App to scan the QR code in Mor Phrom, and then in 5 seconds you now have a solid- gold EU proof of your vaccine status. The EU has for some time recognised without any limits the Mor Phrom system. Please stop this fetish with printing out documents or dreaming of yellow covers. This is 2022.

Ok..... I have yet to uncover a single reason to possess the yellow passport, except as a cute souvenir to gift the grandkids one day. From what I can tell... there are no places on earth that need it. Why is there so much obsession with it? It's not needed to enter any countries, use public modes of transport, or to obtain any other forms of identification.