Acharn

I'm surprised nobody else suggested it, but if you do a search on "aa bangkok" you should get a bunch of listings of meetings and telephone numbers. I would suggest going to an "open" meeting and see if you'd enjoy hanging out with the people there. If you can't stand them, I'd recommend you try one more meeting (different meeting) before you decide they're not for you. Some AA groups have a lot of what are called "Big Book Nazis," people who insist all the answers you need are in the basic AA book. The first meeting I went to was a bad experience, but I was in an Army rehab program, so had to find some group I could stand, and my second meeting was all people just like the ones I hung out with in the bars. Don't be put off by "the God stuff." Most of the AA's I've known are also recovering from some kind of religious upbringing. You may not find AA congenial, lots of people don't, but it worked wonderfully for me.

4 hours ago, ChrisKC said:

An interesting article.

 

Because the VAT rate is 7% here it creates fractions of B1 so there are satang at 25 and 50 denominations. One's bills at the supermarket in particular have many items with fractions of the Baht that involves giving satangs as change.

 

One cannot buy anything for satang these days so I would like to see the prices rounded up to the nearest Baht. Nobody will gripe at that and will save the sometimes embarrassment of offering multiple collected satang as part payment for something that are often refused by traders.

 

I have B250 in 25's and 50's collected, filling two jam jars.  I think someone will tell me I can take to the bank - would that be an option?

I've started sticking a dozen or so satang coins in my pocket when we go shopping at Big C every month. On the weekends they apply discounts every ฿1400 or so, and I'm often able to get rid of half a dozen of the damned things. I've been here so long I remember when 25 satang was the bus fare. They weren't a problem then.

I'm sure I saw a story about this in the Bangkok World in 1971. The cause was Bangkok sinking because they were drawing water from artesian wells. Since then there's been the added cause of rising sea levels. I suppose they'll set up a committee to study the problem when the water floods Wat Arun on a daily basis. I don't expect to live that long.

18 hours ago, Jajazazajaja said:

I’ve probably phrased the question wrong

 

we have both recognized that in our relationship in the past, we wasted time not doing a great deal and that maybe we should do do “things” 

 

we talked about volunteering at an orphanage, but they dont allow people in during the lockdown. Maybe we can help handing out food somewhere 

 

I’ve got a dodgy volunteer visa, I might as well earn my keep 

I don't think being able to hang out together is "wasting time." Lots of people can't do that comfortably. After she gets here let her get acquainted with the local noodle sellers or whatever. If she's from one of the Northeast provinces she'll have an advantage because of speaking the language. There may not be much you can do until the pandemic is over, but since you're comfortable together it shouldn't be too bad.

I don't know the difference. When we go out I'm not able to connect to the wi-fi network so can't use either one, but have both apps on my phone. I never see anyone scan the q-code, so I assume nobody is using either one here in Nakhon Sawan.

17 hours ago, internationalism said:

so he was arrested in 2019 in the usa for murder and in the same year he came to thailand. 

For those charges he should't be bailed. If bailed his passport should be revoked.

 

the body of his wife was found rather by tracing his SIM location, rather than by dogs. Maybe dogs were used to find the spot, within few hundred meter radius 

American state law varies widely. If he was white and the charges were the result of a domestic dispute (what the Thais call "a husband-wife matter") it's not surprising he was granted bail, especially in a Southern state. Another possibility, especially if it was from a domestic dispute, the victim may have refused to press charges and the case had to be dismissed. That's actually very common. The local jails are very overcrowded, as are the state prisons. We arrest and jail more people than any other country in the world (USA! USA!!), but the decision of what laws will be enforced is not very predictable. One result is situations like this.

9 hours ago, John435 said:

When you say rain most days, do you mean water gushing out of the unit, like has happened to mine last couple of nights? I use the dry setting, usually set to 23-25°C.

Ah. Sounds like what happened to me a couple weeks ago. Had the repair guy over, he cleaned the filter, and Bob's your Uncle. The signal light showing the filter needed cleaning had been on for a couple of months. I often set mine for 30° in this cooler weather, but I've lived here for so long I'm acclimated. Up until last year usually set it to 28°, but shut it off around midnight. Mine's an older Carrier model.

2 hours ago, Surasak said:

Same, same with KrungThai. Have never had to supply Imm with statements in 15 years.

Yes, that's fine for the people who have the capital to keep ฿800,000 in an account. I've never been able to accumulate that much, and I've used the monthly income method for 39 years. The requirement for a 12-month bank statement was imposed last year and does not apply to people who are able to use the fixed deposit method. I'm glad you're so well off you can do that. You don't understand my (our) situation.

17 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

My wife leaves the tips - usually all the unwanted change in her purse

Yes. In my experience (ymmv), Thais normally do not tip. Unwanted change is what you give beggars on the street. I don't think I've ever left a tip, even when I was living in Bangkok. The restaurant he refers to must get lots of farangs if the girl expected a tip. And what's wrong with a ฿20 note torn in two? Stick the pieces together with scotch tape and it spends, or take it to the bank and they'll give you a new one. I agree there's something wrong with the guy he describes. First of all leaving a tip, and then the malicious tearing of the baht note, not knowing how things work in Thailand. So much undirected anger. By the way, you can do the same thing with damaged currency in any civilized country, even America.

On 4/8/2021 at 5:50 PM, ubonjoe said:

Banks want a police report for a lost bank book. There is also stack of paperwork that needs to be done at the bank and signed in front of them.

I cannot see it being done without going to the bank in person.

Ah, thanks for the information. Since the bank seems to treat any person with the bank book as prima facie the legitimate owner of the account, I can see why that would be. Bummer.

I'd say this was animism. There are various small devotional cults in Thailand. For a while my late wife was involved with one in Sattahip. They were based on the Vishnu cult as expressed in the Ramakhien. One of the members was always possessed by Hanuman, the Monkey God who helped Rama on his quest to recover his kidnapped wife. They would meet once a month or so, and on special days conduct rituals and ceremonies, which included being possessed by spirits. I've never heard of a group doing it all day long, but if a whole village is into it I wouldn't be surprised. Don't look for a "logical" explanation. There are lots of shamans, ghost doctors, witches, mystics, and seers who hold regular sessions/seances where they are possessed by some spirit and act in bizarre ways -- for example smoking a whole pack of cigarettes at once, or at least five or six at once. They answer questions and collect money, make predictions, especially of winning numbers in the lottery, tell people where to look for lost things, etc. I don't know if these little cults are still common -- my first wife died twenty-five years ago and we stopped such activities ten years before that. 

My first thought is, if you're not having fun, why do you keep doing it. The question is, do you have a moral obligation of some sort to her? You're the only one who can answer that. If not, I'd say ditch her. That may not be so easy. I suppose she knows where you live.

On 4/8/2021 at 1:57 PM, Ban Mai Guy said:

Thanks I was afraid of that as I was hoping to go with what we call back in the US is a "mini split".  I, think I'll just have to go with what is figured out for a system for the living room as I don't have the means of putting in a "central air" system. Anything at this point is better than nothing to take the edge off. Nothing like sleeping in a heat box..55555 then again the more I stay here the heat only gets better to deal with. Thanks for your input. I'll be hitting Home Pro after Songkran to check out my options. 

My airconditioner is what's called a split unit (Carrier brand). The compressor is outside. The coolant runs through a pipe that passes through my computer room into my bedroom, where the cooling unit is. I set up an electric fan in the bedroom aimed toward the door into the computer room, and that seems to move enough of the cool air to where I spend most of the daytime hours. I think my unit is 9,000 BTU, but not sure. The documentation doesn''t state it. I think that's supposed to be enough for, like, 200 square meters.  I've found that it works best for me if I set the thermostat at 28°C. There's a control on mine to fix the angle the air is directed at, so it doesn't blow directly at my bed but a couple of feet above it. I usually wake up around midnight from the chill, and turn it off and  find the fan is enough. I lived quite a few years without air con, so my body got acclimated; your mileage may vary.

22 hours ago, ChiefMonkey said:

Thanks, Joe.

I thought as much but, wasn't sure.

So, my Thai bank has my Thai address and I'm in the UK. How do I show proof of the funds, with an original document from the bank, to the Embassy in London?

Have you tried writing to your Thai bank and asking them to send you a new copy of your bank book? They replace lost bank books all the time. I suggest writing a letter so they can check your signature. You might start by sending them an email explaining your bank book has been lost and asking what you need to do to have a replacement sent to you.

On 4/7/2021 at 10:46 AM, Dmaxdan said:

Count yourself lucky. This time of year the temperature would normally be 40 plus, but the recent rain that most regions have had has cooled things down considerably.  

I'd go further and say it's been quite a moderate hot season so far. I know from the meteorological dept. that it's reached 40 some days, but I can live with that. I agree the recent rain was very nice, and the meteorological dept. has predicted that the rainy season will start a bit early, in May. Hot weather is one of the reasons I'm here. I used to live in Michigan.

On 4/2/2021 at 4:53 PM, SiamRead said:

If they predict the highest rainfall in more than 30 years, it's good ! But why must there be a warning  ?

Because in 2011 there were disastrous floods because the reservoirs were allowed to fill up too soon. When heavier than normal rains fell in October, they had to release too much water. I'm skeptical, because they don't even know the difference between a tropical storm and a rainstorm that happens in a tropical country. Japan, in a remarkable display of stupidity, demanded the government guarantee there never again be floods on that scale.

Quote

Shopee site is FULLY in THAI, their Communications are FULLY in THAI, their CHAT is FULLY in THAI., ...

That's funny, when I log in to Shoppee I get a pop-up in red, forcing me to choose between English and Thai. I've never tried using their chat function. Don't you have a Thai friend who can help you? And if they're only in Thai, and you can't read and write Thai, how did you manage to place your order?

I used to have that problem. I had a Zippo lighter that I really wanted to keep. I had even sent it to the factory once to be refurbished. Don't remember why, I think it was just because I hate the no-repair throw-away culture. I was born near the end of The Depression, and my parents instilled in me the old Yankee proverb: "Use it up, Wear it out, Make it do, Or do without." Anyway, the daily temperature in Thailand causes the lighter fluid to evaporate quickly. My experience was the same as yours -- after two days it had to be refilled. I ended up reluctantly buying the disposable lighters. I was able to quit smoking ten years ago, so it's no longer a problem for me.

It didn't work well in the United States when we tried it from 1918 - 1933. In fact it made many crooks, like Joseph Kennedy rich. Fermentation happens naturally, and if you're patient you can develop good yeast cultures yourself. Lots of people out in the countryside do it already. I would not recommend trying it.

I dont really get it. I'm happy with instant coffee. Moccona, usually, or Khao Shong. I have a French Press one cup coffee maker and buy Metal Drum brand coffee from Chiang Mai on Lazada, but I only make about one cup a day with it because it's just too much trouble, and the flavor isn't a lot better than the instant. If that turkey giving the TED Talk thinks I'm drinking terrible coffee, [family blog] him. My mother used to make two or three pots a day, and it would sit on the stove for long periods of time, getting thicker and blacker and more bitter. I thought it was fine because it was what I was used to. There are people who spend lots of money on fine wines, so It's OK to spend a lot of money on some special coffee if that floats your boat. None of my business.

Funny, the Thais I interact with (mostly) don't refer to me as "the farang." They might use the nickname my Thai family uses, "grandpa" (which is a term of respect, by the way), or they might use my first name, "roger." Maybe "khun roger," but that's pretty formal for them. If I'm in a place where I'm not known it seems pretty reasonable for them to refer to me (if they need to) by my most obvious characteristic

     >Why do Thais distrust foreigners?

Well, that's a more interesting question. To answer it you have to go back in history to when the Portuguese first "discovered" the route around Africa to the Indian Ocean. The Portuguese sailed into a harbor which had never seen a European, captured half a dozen fishermen, and hanged them from their yardarms by way of introducing themselves. Following that auspicious beginning European businessmen, mercenary soldiers, swindlers, and ne'er-do-wells tried to get rich by cheating the locals. Sometimes they succeeded. The Thais were lucky to have some very smart people as kings during the 19th Century, and are very proud of never having been occupied and colonized like neighboring countries. King Rama V, in particular, was a genius at unifying the rather ramshackle collection of people who made up Siam by standardizing language, religion, schools, and the legal system. He made some mistakes, like with the land registration system, but some of those were because he was thwarted by politicians and/or businessmen. I don't know if there are any English language histories of Thailand currently in print. I found a copy of Pasuk Phongpaichit and Chris Baker's "Thailand: Economy and Politics" in the used section at Amazon, but that was at least six years ago. 

19 hours ago, tingtongfarang said:

Are they ignoring the fact bangkok is soon to be underwater?

 

Bangkok has been "soon to be underwater" for at least 45 years. I think the reports go back even further, because I remember that's one of the late stories in my Thai Reader (auth. Mary Haas, wonderful textbook). I know the story appeared at least twice in the English language press (think it was the Bangkok World) while I was stationed at Sattahip 1971-3.