mamborobert

15 minutes ago, philcon said:

Citibank Plus Transaction Account debit card available in Australia is an option for Australians.

No ATM fees, (only ATM is 4th Flour Central World Bangkok)
no Account keeping fees, no international transaction fees and it also works as a debit credit card for online purchases. 

Transferwise also works for Australian Banks as Australia is one of their supported countries......I transfer from CBA and Bankwest to Bangkok Bank, they have a few more ATM's available and cheaper than going to Central World Bangkok ATM from CM.

Baby steps I know but having a helmet that is a construction hat, military helmet, or little more than a cap, or with the structural integrity of an ice cream container baffles me no end.

People are wearing cheap helmets, that I sometimes think would cause more damage in an accident, so as to avoid a fine rather than any concern for safety.

Far better to have rigorous enforcement AND a mandatory minimum standard of helmet if there were genuine concern rather than a tea money exercise.

Is it possible you are referring to Baan Kamlangchay.  Has been there for ages and a world class facility for dementia sufferers, mostly German.  I seem to recall it also being referred to as the Hidden Village (as it was a dementia village with a Thai village" There is a large grassed  area with a pool and cabanas next to the admin type block and some fencing I imagine to provide a safe and non threatening, by way of sudden new faces or scenery change, environ for residents.  Residents are housed in separate houses spread through the village. Would be a good OTOP type idea to be replicated.

Of course could be widely off mark and your village may be a different beast.

And the proven CM fatality/injury/disease  rate from these killer strawberries is what.  zip nil nada.

<deleted>.

Maybe start another thread..perhaps they are GM strawberies.....then we have toxic mutant killer strawberries.

Would not the same or similar sprays be used for commercial  rice, corn, pineapple, papaya, chilli, etc 

If you have legitimate serious concerns why not take up with Agriculture or Health Depts or at least post some proven info on science and extent of use and by who to them etc.

Everyone in CM has little or not control over tthe food supply chain.....thank God this type of thing never happens in other countries :)  otherwise we would have mad cow/BSE  in places like the UK and USA, or bird flu in Japan and Korea.

Perhaps we should all eat McDonalds..... (sorry forget about sugar and salt content).

And there I was thinking all I had to worry about for the next few months health wise was burning season and Songkran

Good thinking....Buy One Get One would have left three potential customers missing out instead of two. 

Teaches us us all to be early while stocks last...

I will put my hand up.  This may well be my fault.

I was at Rimping just over a week ago to find an intellectual whore.  Unfortunately there was only one left and some old codger had already taken her to the check out.

Resigned myself that I will have to talk Brexit, Trump, and Junta with dog.  My dog has a penchant for Gouda..  I have a penchant for Cabernet Sauvignon. It was simply monstrous then not to accompany our choices with  Jacobs crackers (and olives....we are not heathens).  

Shop staff suggested that Intellectual whores were a bit scarce at the moment as well as difficult to store correctly.  It  looked like conversations with dog may be protracted, hence apologetically, I bought all the Jacobs crackers, as well as eight bottles of Red, a plentiful supply of olives, and a selection of imported cheeses (purely to retain interest of dog but also in the hope that it's tastes would widen which could add another subject of interest to our conversation).

My sincere apologies to Op for any trauma caused.

OP must be mildly retarded to have this saga still continuing on after more than a year at minimumand alleged multiple occurrences per Op to 2014.  At what point does one realise that the problem may not be the Bangkok Bank, but rather the person in the mirror.  PhDEducation in what?   Do they do PhD's in "Stupid" now.

Apologies to all actually mildly retarded people.

I am not overly offended by the drifter tag.  This is a place I live, very enjoyably, but it is not my home.  I have a home in my house country and travel back there at least twice a year for ten days or so to see my parents and adult children.  I enjoy every day in CM without fail, but there is nothing here that I cannot walk away from in a heartbeat.  I have no plans to leave CM but neither would I guarantee I would stay here till final curtain call.   

I have the finances to live pretty much where I want.  I stay her because I like it, not for the cost of living.  When I do not like it anymore then I can and will go.  

Obvioulsy having a Thai significant other, or children, or job, or property, or limited finances, or health limitations,  or passport nationality, or language profficiency, or current transferable and marketable job skills, or support mechanisms in home country, or age, or personality (or lack thereof) makes everyone different.  That is just part of the rich tapestry of life.  Saying someone is a drifter or a transient or limiited in choices is just recognition that we are all different.  CM would be a very boring place if we were all the same.

Fact is NancyL and Konini and many others have the choice to stay, go, or alternate.  Others for reasons stated above are more limited.  Welcome to the real world.

Konini...I do not think you are Robinson Crusoe on the CM appeal waning side of things...or more correctly perhaps broader Thailand.  Make no mistake I still like it here and am not making any plans to move, but in the back of my mind I think that if CM was like it is now, compared to what it was when I first came, I really do not think I would have made it my first choice retirement destination.

Will be really interested in how NancyL goes in KK.  Think that a researched and chosen change in environment is always a good move.  

A rather disturbing  view of the alleged behaviour of two digital nomads in CM.  This whole scene getting promoted in CM is a worry to me.....it is a magnet for predatory individuals as well as the naive, and that is never a good combo.

https://entrepreneurs.maqtoob.com/the-dark-side-of-digital-nomad-life-going-beyond-bad-guru-techniques-bae32869a19#.f220xlvit

Not knowing NancyL reasons but there had been an increase in the drift to the Malaysian program amongst expats in a lot of Asian countries (some of which may have been borderline on deciding or borderline on financial requirements), and it touches on a post you made earlier (EvenStevens).   There is a pull to Malaysia and certainly a push factor from Thailand for some.

The Ringit has suffered devaluation against most countries and earlier this month was at an 18 year low against the USD (17% drop since April last year) and the future for this year is not that bright.  That is very attractive, apart from the benefits associated with the visa programme and infrastructure etc etc.  Thailand is making sounds of a  rather pitiful attempt to emulate this programme.  You would not  want to hold your breath...or make a bet...or bank on longevity of any arrangements.

Just an observation.  The ones on the web age do look different to the ones in store.  Store wise you can see size and discounts, and ddiscuss with staff and get delivered same or next day.  It looks like the online ones you have to pre-order.  Something like  a safe I would want to see size, and structure, and ease of use for meetc.  Also might have a "better" one at a reasonable price ons ale/display that I had not considered.

less than 5k suitabell for ppt and can be delivered

https://www.homepro.co.th/product/275596

There are a heap around that figure/size.  That is 9.5 kilos.  Op mentioned in post looking at 50kg which is a fair size bigger.  I would have a bit of concern over a 50kg safe that is less than 5k......but then you would want to securely fix the 9.5kg with the internal bolts.

Homepro on the superhighway had a fairly good selection that size.  Price can also depend on digital, key or ttumbler, or some had combination....and they deliver so no Orang37 post related problems...unless your money bags are sooooooo big. Are you handsum?

NancyL.....is it possible to get an idea of the take up rate of the Expat Club health package.

My reasons for asking is that a few I know have gone for local companies depsite misgivings they may have, solely for the comfort of knowing it was a Thai company and therefore believing that the company was familiar with the local setup and would be easier to deal with in the event of a claim (language, culture, famliarity, local agent etc).

I appreciate that we have all heard horror stories of dealing  with insurance companies.  And this leads on to rationale for my question.  If there was a significant take up rate I for one, and a few more I know would be keen to look at an international provider as many of the concerns related in respect to the benefit of having a local provider, would be addressed CM specifically if there was a large enough cohort with the international insurer (particularly the level of familiarity and expertise built up over the future)..  

Apart from the discount pricing from a group package, the real added benefit (from my view) would be that insurer becoming familar with any CM expat demographics, needs, servicing and local hospital procedures and practices.   The insurer effective becomes more reliable locally.

I have to say that for me personally, the advent of a group package by the expat club, has been one of the best initiatives for locals in quite some time.

If you consider the complaint is warranted you might be better off doing a semi three prong atttempt....especially if EU based

Write to your local MP in your home country,  the Foreign Affairs department in your home country, and then the Embassy.  Preferably one at a time in that order.  Reason I am suggesting this is that your local MP is your elected conduit to government.  If/When the local MP writes to Foreign Affirs Dept for a response on your behalf...things start to happen.  Elected officials are responsive to complaints by constituents.  Government officials are VERY responsive to complaints by Elected officials.  Embassies in turn are VERY responsive when the Foreign Affairs department (who will determine if and when they get their next posting) writes to them for clarification.

When you do it this way there a formal compaint and a formal process that is followed.

This is the most effective way to get things quickly addressed and have people actioning issues on your behalf.  That is what they were elected to do, and you paid taxes for.

Have not pursued this avenue myself......BUT did work in government and did work in overseas posts.  Direct aproaches to Embassy rarely achieved anything "your concerns have been noted, thank you for bringing this matter to my attention" type stuff.  Embassy being caught off guard by an issue raised from head office via a parliamentarian gets a thorough response within strict time frames and is documented at each step.

The Consular corp would not be so much venegeful (as much as they may like to be)  as people may suggest as much as very wary of any external pressure or scrutiny if you are treated poorly again. 

23 minutes ago, JingerBen said:

5000 baht for 1.5 hours was what she was getting back in 2011.

Maybe she's holding the line on price because business is slack these days.

 

 

Same fee on newer web site...not clear on mods permitting link for Op but....

http://www.oracleretreat.org/soul-work/private-consultation-healing/

Perhaps she knew that things were going bad in CM business wise (for lots of businesses) as far back as 2011 (though the old site had the same rates from 2008) ...spooky

14 minutes ago, JingerBen said:

Russian Shaman Woman In C.M. - Chiang Mai Forum, 23 Dec 2011.

Interesting thread with some good posts, both pro and con.

This woman - Diana Manilova - still seems to be active in Chiang Mai.

Is there any recent information about her?

Still active in CM at lifeevents dot org.

5000 Baht for 1.5 hours......i sh*t you not.  Now with that amount of money even in Chiang Mai I could DIY make my future very pleasant for a few hours on a Friday and Saturday night (Sunday night being for rest).

Let;s not get into the work permit issue of taking fantasyland work away from skilled Thais. :)

Posters should not mock this profession, as positions itself as an important occupational baseline..   Without clairavoyants, occupations such as meteorologists, astrologers, and economists would not look so reliable

I am not sure there is a REAL problem.  The military is pervasive in Thai society anyway.  It is a pillar of the Thai state along with the Monarchy and Buddhsm.  Just the way it is.  Even if military involvement with children's day ceased, children would still be exposed through the media, family members being conscripted, the education system, etc Not the same as the west as far as separation of powers, or seapration of church and state.  It is Thailand.  

I have lived in the UK, USA, and OZ before Thailand.  In all countries I have been taken as a child with my siblings, or taken my children, or seen children taken to.....military air shows. trooping of tthe guard, marches, tours of foreign aircraft carriers, military bands at shows, observed training exercises like amphibious landings, base open days etc etc.  So far none of the family have organised a coup.

As said it is Thailand.  I would be impressed if coups were organised at all...like a executed plan with an outcome to a timeframe.  As it is I think they just have a roster for coups in Thailand.

I have some empathy with the OP.

Most times I sit down for a beer I am acosted by a Thai female for conversation.  After a while it becomes predicatable conversation and I fee like an intelelctual whore..

"What's your name"

"Where you come from"

"How long you stay Chiang Mai"

"You have wife or girlfirend"

"You like Thai lady"

"You buy me drink"

"You want lady"

"I go with you"

"you buy me **** (multiple selections Iphone, car, house etc)"

Excuse my facetiousness.

But I still go back ....because it's just a conversation...that is all.  A person's perception makes it one way or another.  Same for light chit chat at the Expat Club, Post Office, Rimping, Tops, Big C etc etc etc

Sure there are some social lepers to be avoided, but they were social lepers in their home country.  They did not become social lepers due to being in Thailand, or my gender, or by being in a queue at Rimping.  They woke up that morning as social lepers.  Happened the day before.  Will happen tomorrow.

A passing conversation in a queue can be polite social (dare I say) intercourse.  It could also be a social leper.  But it is up to ME how I perceive and deal with it.

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar

44 minutes ago, amexpat said:

 

There is none so blind as he who will not see. 

I would have though the unsolicited, unwarranted, and unevidenced digs at G4T fall more under Proverbs 26:11

^"As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to their folly".

1 hour ago, NancyL said:

Your wait time at Imm. for your passport to be returned probably would have been less than the time it takes to drive round trip to and from beautiful Mae Rim to Prom.  Besides, you could pass the time @Prom with a nice meal and a movie and show some support of legitimate businesses.  The money you would have saved with DIY would have paid for a nice day @Prom.

 

Easier on the environment, too.

Can you give it a rest please.

After an eon of complaints and commentary where is the evidence that this business is not legitimate?

I can think of an Expat organisation that has a much more documented and colourful history that cost some members significantly more than any charge by G4T.  

Perhaps some demand for G4T and other "legitiimate" agents has been created through what was seen through expat complaints (however legitimate) of immigration, though I personally had none.  Perhaps there was some push back from Immi on these well publicised complaints.  Other agents are presumably able to establish in Promenada if they so desire.  Other agents take queue tickets places (even the legitimate? ones) and accelerate services away from DIY.

If you have a scrap of evidence that G4T is not "legitimate" then there is much more appropriate avenues to address any corruption.  I am sure the good General would be more than willing to follow up.  If there is fact based evidence then I would not use them.

I use G4T.  I like G4T.  I do not need hand holding.   I like the choice and service and convenience  it provides.  The same can be probably said for other agents by other TV posters. 

This post simply started off as one persons feedback and you have once again attempted to turn it into a question on the legitimacy of G4T and suggest competing agents, hopefully sponsors or affiliated with the Expat Club (no conflict of interest there).

Use G4T, or other agents, or DIY as you want.  Up to you as they say....but please whinge elsewhere or evidence to the appropriate authorities.

55 minutes ago, Genericnic said:

Not to mention proctology. :)

 

David

 

Never had an interest in the Proctocolgy side of things.

Strangely enough I have maintained a lifelong interest in Gynaecology, it is still  something I enjoy looking in to.

I thought Chiang Mai Saloon had a five year ban a while back. Certainly was closed a few days, then opened with all beer labels covered, now looks full swing again.  So maybe hope for Half Moon unless unrelated factors liike rent icreases etc make it too much hassle.

Small keyboad and am afflicted with very large fingers, ruined a promising career in Gynaecology

Can we agree that bar fining and having chat with bar girls are two different things.....

Playing pool, having a chat, having fun is something I do with people in a bar (staff or patrons).  Though I note that there are some comments on ability to converse but you can be selective here just as you can with expats.

Given the choice between buying a drink and having a chat with a bar girl who lives here, I know, is fun to be with, who I realise its her job, who needs the money.....to me is a lot more preferable generally  than being in the company of transients, backpackers, digial nomads, and Chang singlet afficionados.

As far as the Op is concerned I agree that CM Loi Kroh scene is in its death throws and has been for years.  There are fewer bars, fewer patrons, older ladies working there (past their best before but not their use by date).  The future certainly does not look promising.  But then it is sub zero now in my home town and I know where I prefer to be still.