HarrySeaman

Exactly the opposite of my wife's family. Yes, I see some poorly maintained motorcycles in my wife's home town but the vast majority are in good running condition. Actually the poorly inflated tires comment hits home with me. I have yet to buy an inner tube for my Honda Wave that would stay inflated for more than about a week or two. I even added a "cigar lighter socket" to my motorcycle so I could use one of the 12V tire inflators that are normally used for auto tires, but of course the one I bought was a piece of junk. It was supposed to go to 300 psi but would quit working at a pressure of about 25 psi. I threw it away and am looking for a new and better one.

Many Thais that live in rural areas and small villages can only afford a motorcycle, not a car. It is common to see the whole family on one, father, wife, and three children. It isn't something that they do because they want to do it, it is just that the motorcycle is all they afford and they need to transport the whole family. Motorbikes are usually well maintained, except for the lights, here in Thailand. Many on the road are over 20 years old and running well. On the other hand cars and trucks have many accidents because "the brakes failed". Thais consider traffic laws and "common sense rules of the road" to be advisory, only to be obeyed when a policeman is present and watching them. Adding Stop or Yield signs to corners where a side road meets a main road would be a waste of time and money since they would be ignored, just like speed laws are ignored. In rural areas and small villages many/most children start driving motorcycles before they are 10 years old. By the time they are old enough to get a driving license they have years of experience and are extremely good at handling the motorcycle. What they don't have is any incentive to learn and follow the traffic laws and "common sense rules of the road" Turning left when emerging from a side street without checking for oncoming traffic is normal here, it is assumed that anyone approaching will slow down or stop for you. I am always getting passed on one side or the other when I stop my my Honda Wave at a corner of a side street to wait for a clear lane or lanes to turn onto the main road. In the last 10 years of driving here in Pattaya I have also seen multiple bloody results Thais not stopping to look before turning.

VPN

Try YouTube. PBS, NBC, CNN news, for instance, are on YouTube everyday.

To be clear, some definitions and abbreviations. ICE: Internal Combustion Engine. HEV: Hybrid Electrical Vehicle - a non-plugin vehicle driven by a combination of an ICE and an electrical motor. Electrical energy is provided by batteries that are recharged by the ICE recharging or regenerative braking. PHEV: a HEV that you can plugin to recharge the batteries. Usually these also have regenerative braking. PEV: Plugin Electric Vehicle - a fully electrical vehicle, driven only by an electrical motor that uses electricity from batteries that are recharged by an external electrical power source. The amount of pollution produced decreases as you go down the list. Which comes first, the chicken or the egg? Which comes first, the PEV or the charging network? What is needed is a commitment by governments and the auto manufactures to jointly build out a charging network and covert to manufacturing only PEVs within 5-6 years, not the half assed 2035 commitment of the USA. An ICE vehicle, HEV, or PHEV will be practically worthless then. China is basically making this 5-6 year commitment. Unless the other countries make the commitment then Chinese EVs will be the dominant cars being sold worldwide in 5 years.

Having grow up with the threat of polio I can tell you that everyone wanted to vaccinated as quickly as possible once the Salk vaccine became available. There were some who still caught polio even after being vaccinated but as the original poster said, the symptoms were generally milder. A very very small percentage of people also had bad reactions to the vaccination, just as with any vaccination, and a few even died following the vaccination. Did that make people start campaigns calling the vaccination a foreign plot or the work of the devil? NO! The vast majority of people were well enough educated and open to real information, not false facts, and accepted the reality of the situation knowing that they were safer if vaccinated than if not vaccinated. Unfortunately a few demented people have pushed conspiracy theories about Covid-19 vaccinations for their own financial gain or to stroke their egos. The result has been and still is that many people believe them then get sick or die than necessary. In my opinion anyone who refused to get vaccinated, catches Covid-19, then gives it to someone else should be charged with assault with a deadly weapon. Just to be clear, in August before vaccinations became available in Pattaya, I had to help a close friend who was sick. It turned out he had Covid-19, not pneumonia as he thought. I caught Covid-19 from him and was sick with a very high fever, loss of apatite, lack of strength and stamina for 5 days, then with lesser symptoms for another 3-4 days. While still recovering vaccinations became available in Pattaya and I signed up immediately and got my first shot two weeks later (yes, I know you are supposed to wait 3 months but I wasn't about the loose the chance to get vaccinated). I get my second shot next month and I'll be looking for a booster around June. I was one of the lucky ones who had manageable symptoms but I wouldn't wish what I went through on anyone else. Get vaccinated WITH WHAT EVER IS AVAILABLE then look to increasing your resistance to Covid-19 with a booster shot of a different type later!

Many who are drinking beer in the food court get it at the 7-11 right across Soi Buakhao and a few doors North. And for NanLaew: Tree Town is two blocks North of the corner of L K Metro and Soi Buakhao. It has both food and bars with girls. The next street North of Tree Town is also developing as a bar area. Many girls are still there, outside the bars and along Soi Buakhao. Some non-girls too if you swing that way.

Nokia, Nikon - same same until you try to buy a Nokia D5300.

I stand corrected. You can renew the license up to one year after it expires but as you say, you are driving on an expired license and if stopped you can be fined.

This Is Thailand, i.e. TIT. Your Thai driving license is good for up to one day short of one year after it expires. You can renew it anytime within that time period and it will be valid from that date until five years after your next birthday plus one more year minus one day. Basically your driving license can be valid up to seven years minus 2 days. Like I said, TIT!

Here are some links with all the information you need, and practice exams with answers. How to Get a Thai Driving License: Documents, Test and Renewal Thailand Driving license Practice exams – 2021 Thai regulatory traffic signs

Initially I took chloroquine daily but I developed very dry itchy skin on my legs after some time. I was switched to Plaquenil, which is hydroxychloroquine, because it has fewer side effects. Plaquenil is more expensive and doesn't work any better as far as I can see but I have taken Plaquenil for over 10 years without any noticeable side effects. I have learned to judge how frequently I should take the medication by how my hips feel. Typically it is every other day but if my hips start to hurt then for a couple of weeks I switch to two days in a row before skipping a day. If I have a more severe flair up of arthritis I take a tablet a day until I get over the flair up, but that has happened only a couple of times in the last 10 years. Because the former idiot in the White House touted Plaquinel as a COVID-19 medication, which turned out to be untrue like most of what he said and still says, it is in limited supply. Here in Thailand I can only buy it in a hospital, which means it is about two to three times more costly than before COVID-19 when I could buy it over the counter in a drug store.

Vaccination became available for foreigners for the first time in Pattaya while I was running a high fever while sick with COVID-19. Vaccinations became available again about 3-4 weeks after I recovered. In the form you fill out before getting the vaccination they ask if you have had COVID-19 in the three months before. I figured that the vaccination would be like a booster so I said no, assuming that if I said yes I would not get the vaccination. I get the second vaccination in Dec.

I had COVID-19 in August, which I caught helping a sick friend here in Pattaya. He called me for help saying he had pneumonia. I knew he usually got that about once a year so I went to help. He was very sick but refused to go to a hospital because of the cost. I suspected that he had C-19 but did what I could for him that day. He wasn't eating so the next day I returned with Jok (pork/chicken flavored rice gruel) and Ensure (powered food supplement drink mix), and got a C-19 test kit. My friend tested positive. I called every hospital in Pattaya but none of them had any beds available for C-19 patients. The next day there were still no beds available. That afternoon my friend fell in the bathroom and was only semi conscious. I finally managed to get the Emergency Rescue Crew there and they got Pattaya City Hospital to send an ambulance that took him to the hospital. I got two nose swab C-19 test kits from my local drug store on the way home from the hospital after seeing that my friend was going to be as well taken care of as possible in his condition. I had been masked and I washed my hands frequently while with him. I tested negative the day after and 4 days later. The fifth morning I woke up with a high fever, no appetite, no energy, and no stamina. This lasted for 5 days. I forced myself to fix food and eat and only took paracetamol when the fever exceeded 38.1ºC/100.6ºF. I had a friend bring a spit C-10 test kit to me on day 6 when I started feeling better - the results were positive. On days 6-8, more and more my fever was lower and lasted shorter and shorter times, then disappeared on day 9. I was cured after 8 days of active infection. I self isolated for another 2 weeks. I stayed at home and didn't go to a hospital for several reasons. I had no pulmonary problems, I could control my fever with paracetamol, and none of the hospitals in Pattaya had rooms for C-19 patients. Frankly I was one of the lucky ones who was very sick yet was able to stay home until I recovered. I credit an overactive immune system (I take medication to moderate it because I have rheumatoid arthritis), I didn't treat the fever unless it became high enough to become dangerous (a fever is part of the way your body fights infections), and I was able to force myself to cook and eat. I still lost over a kilo of weight in 8 days but have regained that since.

Save the money you would spend on clubs and golfing for a trip to someplace where you can take a nice walk in nature without having to dodge golf balls or deal with "golfers" who are half in the bag.

I grew up in Missouri and along I44 are a few wineries. Back in the '80s I was passing by them so I stopped and bought a bottle. Later at a convention I joined friends who are oenophiles for a wine tasting. I offered up a sip of my mystery cheap wine - the reactions were hilarious. The best suggestion was that it might be good for killing athlete's foot. I gave them a much better bottle and disposed of the wine from the first bottle down a sink. There are few things in life worse than bad wine.

Yes, from any vaccine for any disease. Symptoms generally are mild and last only a few days if you do have a reaction - muscle ache at the injection site, low fever, sometimes aching joints. More severe reactions are extremely rare. The death rate in the USA following vaccination (all types) is actually lower than normal, perhaps because most people have to see their doctor before receiving a vaccination. Medications are even more dangerous than vaccines. The largest cause of death in the USA from medications is from paracetamol: "Acetaminophen toxicity is the second most common cause of liver transplantation worldwide and the most common cause of liver transplantation in the US. It is responsible for 56,000 emergency department visits, 2,600 hospitalizations, and 500 deaths per year in the United States.Jul 18, 2564 BE" Actually, that might have changed with all the COVID-19 denier idiots catching the disease they could have been vaccinated then overdosing with the amount of the dewormer Ivermectin veterinarians use for horses. As for your girlfriend, she is much more likely to be killed ridding her motorcycle to or from the vaccination site than from the vaccination itself, but you will never ever be able to convince her that ridding a motorcycle is in anyway dangerous. By the way, I had COVID-19. I was one of the very lucky ones whose symptoms did not include pulmonary ones, just 5 days of a very high fever, no energy, no stamina, and no appetite. I was able to stay home with the high fever until my body managed to overcome the infection. A fever is part of the bodies defenses against an infection so I only took two paracetamol tablets when my temperature exceeded 37.9 °C (100.3 °F), about once a day. It took another 3 days of lower spiky fevers before I felt more normal but it took another week for my energy, stamina, and appetite to fully return. I only lost about a kilo since I forced myself to cook simple foods and eat them, and I have regained that. Believe me when I say, "YOU DO NOT WANT TO CATCH COVID-19!". If you aren't vaccinated do it as soon as possible, and the same goes for anyone you care about. Franky, in my opinion, if you are one of the COVID-19 deniers and don't get vaccinated when you have a chance then you deserve what you get and should have to pay every Bt/dollar/pound/etc. of the cost for treatment out of your own pocket with no money at all from insurance or the government.

The declination of the sun is 23.45º. The latitude of Thailand is 15.8700° N, varying from Northern Thailand to Southern. For instance Chiang Mai is 18.7883 N, Bangkok is 13.7563° N, and Phuket is 7.8804° N. What this means is that in Winter Thailand is North of the equator and in Summer it is South of the equator - it oscillates North and South of the equator throughout the year. The result is that placing solar panels flat on the surface of the water means that they are never very far for the optimum angle to the sun.

You will test positive for some time after a Covid-19 infection. The most likely scenario is that you either had Covid-19 and it was so mild that you didn't notice it or that you now have a mild case of Covid-19. The best answer for the safety of others is to self-isolate for 14 days after testing positive before rejoining society.

First, thank your for asking about my recovery. It is proceeding well with me feeling better every day. I followed the ambulance to Pattaya City Hospital to see that my friend had arrived and to give the doctors any information they needed. The doctors and nurses were first rate in how they treated my friend. After a few minutes someone from the finance department showed up. They were adamant about a guarantee that the treatment costs would be paid, just like at any other hospital in Thailand. I was informed that the cost of a 14 day stay in the COVID-19 ward was 100,000 Bt. My friend was in no condition to even speak so I took responsibility, guaranteeing payment via a credit card. I have had the same experience myself of needing to deposit sufficient funds in advance when I had surgery at a private hospital in Bangkok so this didn't come as a surprise. Apparently the 100,000 Bt charge was applied even though my friend never made it to the COVID-19 ward. The remaining charges were for treatment costs. I am not concerned about the cost since I'm sure my friend's beneficiary will repay the treatment costs once the will is probated. This system may seem strange and unfair but you but never forget that you are a guest in a foreign country and you must be ready to accept that the treatment of foreigners in Thailand is not the same as the way they treat their own citizens. From dealing with various hospitals for my Thai wife's medical expenses I know that there is a two level payment system in the government hospitals but they are just as adamant about payment from a Thai as from a foreigner. Private hospitals are sometimes less expensive for Thais than for foreigners, but you can't count on that.

Here is my personal story. On Tuesday August 10 I got a call for a close friend who told me that he had pneumonia, was weak, had fallen down and needed help getting up. I immediately went to help him. He was unable to fix food and was all but unable to take care of himself. I did what I could then returned home. On Wednesday morning I returned to bring him some Ensure so he would at least have some nutrition, and to do what I could. I also gave him a COVID-19 test and it was positive. I phoned Bangkok Pattaya, Pattaya Memorial, Pattaya International, and Pattaya City hospitals try to get my friend admitted. Not a single hospital would take him - none had any beds in their COVID-19 wards available. I stayed Wednesday night to continue caring for my friend. He was obviously getting worse so I tried again to get him into a hospital on Thursday morning. Again, no hospital in Pattaya would accept him. Late Thursday afternoon my friend collapsed semi-conscious in the bathroom. I finally got the emergency contact number, 1669, to send an Emergency Rescue Crew. They assessed my friends condition and finally were able to get an ambulance to take him to Pattaya City Hospital. I was extremely impressed by the hospital's emergency room doctor and staff. They immediately started treatment. The nurse in charge of the COVID-19 ward also came to speak to me and she was equally impressive. There were no beds available but they kept my friend in the emergency ward and continued treatment. Unfortunately it was too late and my friend passed away late Friday afternoon, August 13. The hospital bill came to just over 122,000 Bt, which was a fraction of what the charge would have been at a private hospital. I will always be grateful to the doctors, nurses, and other staff at Pattaya City Hospital. I tested myself for COVID-19 on that Friday morning and again on the morning of Monday August 16 with negative results both time. The next morning I woke with a high fever that lasted five days, finally falling to lower levels on Sunday August 22. The fever has been intermittent since then but is gradually disappearing. A friend brought me a new COVID-19 test kit and I tested positive on Monday August 23. While I had a high fever, with all the associated side effects, I was lucky enough that I never became incapacitated and was able to care for myself. Since a fever is one of the ways the body speeds up the actions of the immune system I only took action to reduce my fever when it exceeded 100.5ºF/38.0ºC. I used paracetamol, which reduced but didn't ellimate the fever. The most distressing side effects of the infection and fever were lethargy, weakness, loss of stamina, and a loss of an appetite. I forced myself to continue necessary actions, especially cooking and eating, but it was very difficult at times. Since Sunday August 22 I have been slowly recovering with only an occasional small fever. My strength, stamina, and appetite are returning but I can tell it will be a long time before I regain the strength and stamina I had before. The irony of the situation is that COVID-19 vaccinations became available in Pattaya during the time I was at my worst, and they are apparently no longer available. I will remain in isolation for awhile until I am sure that I am not infectious. At that point I will be signing up for a vaccination myself, whether free of one I have to pay for.

Stop complaining and go to a local medical clinic. Explain your situation to the doctor and show your inhaler. Chances are excellent that they will give you a medical certificate for a few hundred baht.