lifemagic

It's about the airlines ripping us up as well. I met this guy in bk who'd flown from NZ to Singapore going round the world, and in NZ they told him no boarding without an onward ticket, and absolutely insisted that ticket be back to his home country (which was Germany), and sold him a non-refundable ticket on the spot.

When you buy a ticket with airasia, after purchase a window comes up saying you must have both a visa and an onward ticket. They probably won't ask the see the ticket if you have the visa but they're covering their A** so they can deny you if it's either full or they want to force you into a full price purchase of another ticket at the airport.

Someone should do a start up, a travel agent where you buy an airticket which is fully legit, but if not reconfirmed online within two weeks, automatically refunds minus twenty bucks. People would use it for onward ticket requirements. Printed tickets would be bearing airline logos and official (with a flight code, status OK). Yeah, let's do that. Write a plan, put it on kickstarter.

You in?

Also... beware the double-negative version (not sure if that got to Thailand yet).

Single negative: Do you want to choose dynamic currency conversion into your home currency? Aanswer: No.

Double negative: Are you sure you don't want to choose dynamic currency conversion in your home currency. Answer: yes.

Or... just walk to the next one which doesn't even make the absurdoffer.

eg. Aeon.

Last year, I used a few atms in the Baltics (or almost used them), and the last page was in foreign language, asking me to choose yes or no, with no idea what I was agreeing to (but pretty sure it was dcc).

... I mean, why is this even allowed. It's never a better rate. The question is, basically, would you like the usual rate or a worse rate.

Or as a double negative: are you sure you wouldn't prefer a worse rate?

No demonstrations there.

I need UK 13 and went looking a few days ago. In the major central world in Chitlom, I think roughly third floor by the lifts, there's a sports shop and they had Vans size 12... don't know if that's a UK or US size. Apart from that, didn't see anything.

It's so desperate, I did look into making a pair, though that's a lot harder than I thought. Perhaps just some simple type sandals would be possible, then wear them with socks (and look 100% middle aged).

The size thirteen I have on now I had delivered to me in the UK, only twelve quid including postage, they're Converse rip offs but great fit. I wonder what the import tax on a pair is?

It's an information issue, like many things here. I was hit quite a few times (and have joint issues) until I worked out why it was happening. Since then, I've noticed a (very few) signs. There either needs to be a sign at every gate, or change the 'slamming shut' system with a shaming siren and autophoto system.

OK, I'll try.

It's gonna be some kind of a fry up though (roast, I wish!).

OK, thanks. I'll give that a go, if I can get past the language barrier.

I did have this mad idea, of getting the blue 70 iso, using salt to purify it to 90, then seeing if charcoal can filter out the scent/colour... but methyl alcohol is probably a better way to go. I've got this image of sitting under a tree on a beach, frying something over Christmas.

Does it say methonol in English, or just thinner? Did you find this in BK?

I'm looking for fuel for my Trangia camping stove. All chemists have the same blue, slightly sented 70% isopropyl which I think might smell funny if I burn it. I did go up to the big home pro near ... is it exhibition centre? But they only had products labelled as 'thinner' but not specifically what was in them.

I'd like 90% rubbing alcohol, clear, unsented. If I can only get 70% I might try 'salting out' to purify it a bit. Any comment/suggestion is welcome.

Dumping Nationwide was the best recent decision I made. I have zero issues with my Metrobank debit and credit cards, never even inform them when I'm going abroad, and never paid one penny in fees.

Yes, thank you. And I went there asking for a vascular surgeon, and she thought I said 'plastic', but the second one spoke reasonable English and I described the problem and she seemed to understand. I don't really want to self prescribe as it's in conjunction with other long running stuff and I just want someone qualified (in something) to look at it.

But if it's normal to turn up without an appointment, perhaps I can just find out who it is I'll be seeing, I mean there would be more clarity when I'm there. If it doesn't sound good I'll try elsewhere.

I posted to the health forum a while back, saying I'm thinking of trying compression hoisery for my (leg) veins, what kind of doc. should I go for, and someone helpfully said 'vascular surgeon'. So, I emailed hospitals in Bangkok, asking the price of basic consultation before treatment (for vascular surgeon). They all replied.

Samitivej: between 1000 and 2000 plus 200 for hospital service charge.

Global Doctor 1500 (?Flat?).

Bangkok Nursing Hospital 'around 1000' plus fees of 200.

Bangkok Nursing Hospital, between 800-1500 per visit.

St. Louis didn't answer, but I read, here and elsewhere, it's half the price of everywhere else for the same thing. So I went over there yesterday.

The receptionist told me, between 500-1000 for vascular surgeon, and took my details, then seemed confused I didn't want to go immeadiately (I want to write down the history etc). Another woman came, booked me in for Tuesday. She said, just come between 9 and 4. I asked, I don't need an appointment? What kind of specialist will it be?

She said, it's a general clinic with general surgeons. She can't say who will be there. I insisted on at least an appointment and she gave me a printed card. It says my name, Tuedsays date. 'None Doctor'. Clinic: Sur. Rem: Follow up. And she wrote in pen 8-4pm. She also said the price depends on the doctor, between 500 and 1000... 'or maybe a little bit more than 1000'.

Today I got two emails from them. One says:

Estimate cost 50,000B-60,000B.We have the doctor Surgeon is

available on monday - saturday at 8am.-noon. For consult with doctor estimate 500b.-

100b. and service charge 200b. for other treatment depend on your symptom and the

doctor

The second says:

Thank you for your email. For consult with the doctor estimate 500-1000baht and service

charge 200 baht.

Best regard

Does this sound OK? I quite liked the place, it was nice inside, nurses smiled and didn't call me a Farang. It wasn't too busy/crowded; I'd feel comfortable going back there and it was convenient transport-wise. I just want to check this is the way it's done, i.e. no specific speciality mentioned, and no definite price. It's basically go there, hope for the best, and complain if they want more than 1200.

I don't know if they're still in general circulation in UK. I was in a large Tesco near Milton Keynes about a month ago now and the woman before me had her old fifty declines. She lost her temper and the manager came over and said they can only be changed in banks now.

Thanks for that. Funnily enough, I've already sent an email to Samitivej describing the problem, and they recommended I see their vascular surgeon. I'm arriving BK on 17th (saturday), so I'll get that sorted.

I was going to say that could be bedbugs ... but I guess your eyes wouldn't go puffy.

Perhaps you're just getting used to the new toxins.

I've had lifelong issues with bad legs, walk with a slight limp (degenerated at hip). I'm 41, tall male, size 13 feet. I've had a few issues with occasional foot swelling. Once my right foot swelled up X2 for about a month. I'd a bit averse to doctors. I notice I have a little bit of 'spider veining' on my right knee, and a slight varicose vein on the left shin, and the back of that shin looks a bit... lumpy.

I'm thinking I might benefit from compression, either have hoisery fitted, or use a bandage, but it's dangerous to self-diagnose, plus I'm an odd size. I'll be landing Bangkok mid nov, then probably going south. Is there anyone good to see about this? What type of consultant should I aim for, orthopedics, blood? I don't really know.

Thanks for any guidance.

Hopefully this will go the way of the rule that you had to show your passport before being sold a SIM card.

In Malaysia, though, they seem to be pretty strict about this (the SIM card rule, that is).

You are supposed to show your passport when you buy a sim card? I have bought 2 or 3 sim cards in the past year and no one said word one about showing a passport. All I had to do was fork over the 50 baht.

He said Malaysia.

I don't mean to be pedantic, but the gentleman's question was 'where can a shortwave radio be bought'.

The recycle virus is the only virus that ever really screwed with me, mainly because it renames folders recycler.exe or something, making folders look like programs, which you (i) naturally delete, but it had all my work in.

The way I dealt with it was using my Linux netbook, simply plugged it in and deleted anything I didn't recognise from the command line.

Another time I was in Bangkok and I went to a cybercafe called Terravision, horrible place but they have really good installed virus software. I just let it do it's thing and it cleared it up for me.

Another option is if you look at the portable apps, there's an anti virus included there with supposedly up to date definitions, though I had less luck with that myself.

The main thing is, try and get any important individual documents in the cloud if you haven't already done so, google docs, picasa etc.

Hang on a second, ... what's a powerjack? I assumed it was the same as the 'lead/adaptor' that broke on mine, but looking at pictures on Amazon, is it something different?

Doesn't matter if it is, the advice I gave you still stands. 1 - get official replacement price. 2 - Ask procorner. 3 - Search and haggle amoungst Panthip wolves.

Also, for an idea of the price, just go to Amazon.co.uk, put the model number and powerjack, they're almost certainly for sale. In Thailand, a genuine part should be about the same and a fake a bit less, though good luck in knowing the difference.

I can give you the following advice after breaking the Asus cord for my eeepc, and now have a working replacement.

One, write down the serial number of the main equipment the cord is for plus the cord itself if it has one, model no etc. Then go to Fortune Tower, the official Asus place is in the basement. Take a number from the counter when you walk in, then wait for ages. The woman speaks English and is OK (not brilliant). She will enter the model number in the computer. It will spit out the exact name of the part you need. If there's a genuine replacement in BK, they can have it sent over and you pick it up later, if not, they will tell you how long it will take from Taiwan. The main thing is, you'll get some idea then of the price of a genuine replacement. This is what I did and the price I was quoted was about the same as it would have cost UK. (about twelve quid).

Next, go up to the third floor and look for a repairing place called PRO CORNER. On the window, it says 'English spoken' or something. The guy looked at my broken cord and quoted 300 if he can fix it. I left it for an hour, when I went back, there was a new cord but he said it was shorted and couldn't get it to work, and so no charge. But it was nice of him as I had no computer to test it and he could have just lied. So, he seems honest enough and worth a go perhaps.

If this doesn't work, then there is a battery and cord replacement specialist. It's right up this isolated alley in fortune (on the opposite side from IT city but I can't remember , can't remember the floor or whatever, but they did have the (uncommon) lead and battery I was looking for. It would basically be a matter of walking round with the cord and asking every place you see selling batteries. It wasn't a little stall, it was a proper shop.

I ended up buying a replacement in Panthip. The guy swears it's genuine but I think it's fake. I paid 500, a couple of quid less than the original would have been and so far I'm OK. I got it from here: www.lp-storeonline.com, he had all sorts of leads and batteries. I think he's a bit dodgy though. Like, on the receipt, he put the wrong model on (noticed afterwards, now couldn't take it back). It was actually the official asus repairer who put me onto him, but she warned it's all fake stuff. I went there twice and the quoted prices were different each time. The price of a battery dropped by about 400, so haggle like hell if you go there. Also, try it out (obviously) first (he's got adapters on the counter), then go to the very top floor and buy a power-breaker thing. I got one for just over two quid but if the power surges, it physically pushes the plug in two pieces to break the connection (happened twice already).

There's another place in Panthip specialising in leads and batteries: http://www.cyberbatt.com/notebook-th/. The woman I spoke to there had good English, the prices were as cheap as they got in Panthip and they're listed on the website, which is nice. It's called cyber batt but they had quite a few leads in the back.

Good luck.

OK, went to big C. They opened one up for me. It's an 800mah. They said they don't sell batteries, but directed me to JMart, who said 299 for a spare. Not too bad really.

Yesterday, I was assuming talk time would consume about the same power as mp3, though not sure if that's actually the case.

Thank you, these are great answers! Of course, check the price of a spare battery where I buy it. Why didn't I even think of that.

But the estimated time on an 800mah, is 1560 or something, if that's minutes, it's 26 hours. Even if that was a generous estimate, it ain't bad. Thanks for the link.

Not sure your definition of a 'snack'. I make up mashed potato with boiling water, you know, the instant stuff. I get it in Big C and put a small tin of sweetcorn in and it's about 250 cals for a small bowl, which is quite a lot of food.

Also, I get the imported crackers with no sugar, and have one packet with a instant soup, like mushroom cheese, and that's about 250 cals.

When I wake up, I have a carrot. Not sure if you can handle something like that, I put a bit of mustard on it and I'm not hungry until mid afternoon.

Watermelon slices precut in the supermarket are quite nice.

Is this the kind of thing you meant by snack? If you meant the kind of thing you could just jump in 7-11 on the fly then I don't really know, though they do have little packets of two boiled eggs that might be 120 cals together as they're quite small.