reallyok

Next month I will be 60 years old. We plan to retire to Thailand in mid 2010. I have got health insurance quotes from ThaiVisa. My question is whether it is worthwhile for me to buy the insurance now, before I hit 60 even though I will not use it for the coming year. It sounds like I can still get insurance after age 60, depending on a physical exam which I would expect to pass because I in very good health. I would probably take a policy with a large deductible since I can self-insure.

If I were to take a policy after 60 and then have a major illness, would the insurer just refuse to renew me?

Are there any expat retirees out there facing these questions? Most of the discussion seems to be among younger guys.

Health insurance companies charge ridiculous amounts for insuring retirees and if you are over 70 refuse to insure you. At 65 they want about BT150k-200k depending on your health.

I go to excellent government hospitals where I could never spend as much as insurance costs however ill I was.

Hi there,

I am a fit 73 yrs old with no known medical conditions. I will be returning to Thailand at the end of this year.

Having decided to take hospital insurance cover, but reading your post i am wondering if it is worthwhile taking this insurance after all.

At the moment i have not got any quotes, but reading other posts in this forum about the cost, i am beginning to wonder! I also intend to get insurance on a vehicle valued around Bht500.000. Will my age also be a big factor.

Hoping someone can give me sound advice on these two matters.

Thank you.

it could be wrong information, but i read that an american with a grandparent who was born in UK etc, can apply for EU citizenship...

1. does anyone know the FACTS on this?

2. is it something (obvioussly, i guess) i could take care of at embassy here?

doubt it.

Children born to UK citizens outside of the UK generally can not pass their citizenship down to their kids who are born outside the uk. In otherwords, your parent may have been a uk citizen by descent, but not you.

The only loophole in this is if you are also a Commonwealth citizen (ie Canadian, Australian, NZ'er). In that case, if you have a grandparent born in the UK, you are entitled to an ancestory visa, which allows you to live and work in the UK, but doesn't give you british citizenship, or EU citizenship.

Born in the UK in 1935. I became a dual UK/Australian citizen in 1973.

My 20 yr old grand daughter was recently refused an application for Euro/UK Passport.

So it appears the the old UK regulation of citizenship going back to Grandparents has now been abandoned........null & void, you are not wanted, shove off, reffo's only!

Grandad served in the armed forces from the age of 15yrs..........too bad !

Can any one of you tell me

I am shortly visiting Thailand

What do you think is better option to visit in Thailand Phukhet Island or Pattaya Beach??

Well, unless you are going for sex and nothing else, i suggest you spend one night at Pattaya and then get the first flight out to Phuket.

Your question Pattaya beach or Phuket island.

The beach at Pattaya consists of a coarse gritty sand something like the 'deco' that plumbers put in their drainage trenches! Visitors prefer to use the hotel swimming pools.

Pattaya is on the Gulf of Thailand which is virtually an inland sea and at Pattaya the sewerage is pumped straight in, so if you are a "darkie" diver.............good luck.

Apart from those sleezy night bars full of prostitutes there is really nothing else to see or do.

Phuket is on the beautiful Andaman Coast the beaches are of lovely fine sand and there is lots to do and see on the island, also it is within a short distance of Phi Phi island and Krabi. Some really good day tours to be had.

There are plenty of nice restaurants and Bang La road has tons of bars like Pattaya and in my opinion, the girls of Southern Thailand are much nicer than the farm girls from Issaan which populate the bars of Pattaya.

Patong beach is quite nice and i recommend the Seaview Hotel at the quiet end of Patong beach.

Incidentially i am a Samui lover and Cheong Mon is my beach.

Enjoy Thailand , it is definately not fcuked, its big beautiful and can be very exciting, just move around if you have the time.

Good luck...............

Thailand found 21 new cases of Influenza 2009 in Pattaya

BANGKOK: -- Thailand on Thursday reported 21 new cases of the flu, all of them were discotheque staffs in Pattaya, Thai Public Health Minister Witthaya Kaewparadai said.

Among the 90 samples collected from people who worked in hotel and discotheques in Pattaya, 21 of them were confirmed to be positive to the flu.

The collection of the samples were conducted after two Taiwanese who visited Pattaya were found infected by the flu when they returned home.

"All 21 cases which were found positive to the flu were staffs of a discotheque in Pattaya," he said.

He also referred to a 11-year-old student of a private school who was infected by the flu although he had no record of travelling to a foreign country like other patients.

His school suspended their classes for three days, starting today, to find the source of the flu.

Witthaya said the investigation still continued and still could not find the source.

He added that the ministry is still waiting for lab results of the boy's 13 classmates.

"About 30 teachers of the school are scheduled to return to Bangkok next week from the United States. We will also observe them," he said.

Meanwhile five more cases of the flu were confirmed on Thursday afternoon, one of them was mother of the 11-year-old infected boy.

The mother had no symptom but lab test showed that she was positive to the flu.

Another patient had no record of travelling abroad but he picked up his son who returned from a foreign country at Suvarnabhumi Airport recently.

Two other cases were a man who just returned from Singapore and a woman who visited the US recently.

The fifth was a British man who was on his way to Cambodia and made a transit at Suvarnabhumi Airport. He was found high fever and running nose. He was admitted to a hospital and lab test showed he was infected by the flu.

-- The Nation 2009-06-11

PM: 20 more flu cases in Pattaya

BANGKOK: -- Another 20 cases of A(H1N1) influenza have been found in the resort town of Pattaya, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said on Thursday.

The patients were all workers at entertainment places. All were now in the care of the Public Health Ministry, the prime minister said.

Health officials would examine people at major tourist attractions in both Pattaya and Phuket to get a more accurate number of how many people have so far caught the flu in Thailand.

On Wednesday, the Public Health Ministry put the number of confirmed flu cases at 16, after an 11-year-old 6th grade boy at a private school in Sam Sen area of Bangkok was found to have the flu virus.

The ministry ordered three classes at the school closed for three days and 13 other students from the school were placed under close watch after they showed flu-like symptoms.

The 11-year-old boy is the second case of human-to-human transmission confirmed in Thailand. He has not recently travelled out of the country, officials said.

-- Bangkok Post 2009-06-11

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Well what do you expect, with humdreds of bargirls willing to bed every man and his dog!

Suggest you use a condom.

Pull it over your head before going to sleep, i guarantee you'll never get the flu again.

The simple truth is that the Thai lifestyle produces far less trash than the western lifestyle on a per capita basis. We should be emulating them, not insisting the follow in our fat footsteps!

You need to go to Samui and walk along the beach from Big Buddha to Bang Rak, its bloody disgusting, plastic bags, bottles, rotten old boats and timber.

I don't think the visitors dump all that. However not to worry! the stupid fallang have an annual clean-up of the beaches.

Not many Thais take part as they are too busy doing nothing !

nice

thanks

I will be returning to Thailand this year after several years visiting, on a retirement visa. So will be needing to buy a vehicle and intend to pay up to 500,000 Bht.

The big question is, should i get Petrol or Diesel and what is the benifit.

Here in OZ we dont see many diesel powered cars. Mine is a Mitsubishi Pajero,Automatic, powered by Gas/Petrol.

The Gas gives me a little less OOMP! but half the price to run..........LPG $A49.8 per litre ......Petrol $A1.10 average.

I will appreciate any advice.

Thanks.......Dave.

A great many accidents happen on Samui, especially people who ride motorcycles. The narrow twisty road with steep ups and downs should have more warnings about it. Doesn't say exactly where on Samui that this hit n run accident took place. Wouldn't surprise me if it was near a bend and hill.

Hit and runs are an everyday occurance in Thailand for a variety of reasons: either they are drunk, scared of the victims friends will beat them to death, dont have a license (or fake license), and many other reasons (none of them valid).

Most of what people are saying is true: Look BOTH ways, car drivers are arrogant and ignorant, no footpaths, people must give way to cars, illegal bought licenses (500 baht), bad or no driver education, massive drunk driving, no policing, Foreigners unaware of the dangers of Thai driving, etc...

It can be the straightest road in the world and you can still get hit and die. For Thais its a fact/way of life, for foreigners its a needless tragedy. As has been said many times on this and other websites, someone needs to warn foreigners of the dangers of visiting countries such as Thailand. (Thailand will not change so its our reponsibility to be aware of the dangers). This will make travelers stay safer and happier, please DO; tell your friends and relatives and newspapers and websites of these dangers and help others not to fall into the pitfalls of another country.

In my job I have had more trauma experience in the last 9 years than an ER doctor would have in his lifetime back home!

My deepest condolences to the family and the victims RIP

I posted before. but for some reason it hasn't shown up... so here it is again!

I am one of only 3 felang that work as volunteer paramedics for Samui Rescue (all 3 of us based at Maenam, and 1 of them my son)... my son and I were part of the Samui Rescue team called to this terrible scene. For the record, the male that died was South African (I know this because I also double-up as the scene 'recorder' and photographed his personal belongings 'at scene', as well as the scene itself.). The injuries suffered by both of them are indescribable.

Unfortunately this kind of situation is happening more and more on Samui. As a biker for close to 40 years, I was among the first to scream out loud when they made wearing helmets compulsory in England... but now?! Maybe it is my age, but I cringe when I see holiday-makers (and long-stayers) riding around without a helmet on the crazy roads of Samui. Please understand... helmets would NOT have saved these two unfortunate souls... but close to 95% of the accidents I get to (involving motorbikes) have serious head injuries due to the fact that helmets were not worn. Only recently I was called out to an accident in BoPhut at 1am one night to find the seriously injured felang man lying face down with a pool of blood around his head was actually a friend! Although seriously injured, he did survive (Hi Joris!!). Please guys... Samui is a dangerous place to ride a bike at the best of times, but you can improve your chances tremendously by WEARING A HELMET!!

My advice? Use your bike as a means of transport (as opposed to riding for 'fun')... ride as though a cement lorry was out to get you but you never quite know when/where... expect the unexpected at all times... don't ride when drunk... AND WEAR A HELMET!!

There are too many people dying needlessly on Samui's roads... every one is tragic... please don't add to them!

My sincerest condolences to the families of those involved... and may Claire and her boyfriend rest in peace - and I hope never to see any of you in my capacity as a Rescue Paramedic!

Peace and safe riding!

Would it be possible to say anything more at all about the scene you witnessed?

I will understand if you would rather not but i would appreciate it very much if you could.

Another point often missed about the deadly Samui ring road is the fact that it is just a 'boxed up' concrete slab. The edge is not tapered off like a bituman road, but in fact a sudden drop off the thickness of the concrete which has got the sand pushed against it. Get your front wheel to slip off the concrete edge and its like trying to ride a bicycle up a tram line.................you are a gonner ! I know i was once a victim, fell across the road but lucky that there were no trucks etc following. So always keep away from the edge of the road.

Still love Samui though !

I wonder where they traveling in convoy, If so this tragic accident could have been on a larger scale, My thoughts go out to all concerned.

No mention of the drivers injuries!

Drivers injuries ? If past records mean anything. He is probably still running !

17 killed, 30 injured in bus accident in Krabi

KRABI: -- A chartered bus taking officials of the Samut Prakan Provincial Administrative Organization for field trips overturned here Friday morning, killing 17 and injuring 30 passengers.

The accident occurred at 6:30 am on the Phanom-Khao Tor Road in Ban Bang Hoi village in Tambon Khao Tor of Krabi's Prayphaya district.

Twelve passengers of the bus died at the scene and five more died at hospitals.

Thirty other passengers were injured and rushed to the Krabin and district hospitals nearby.

About 400 officials were travelling in 12 buses. They left Samut Prakan Thursday evening.

And i suppose the bus driver ran away, they usually do dont they ?

Police said the drive of the bus, which overturned, might doze off, causing the accident.

-- The Nation 05/06/09

I am shortly returning to Australia. I will be applying for the age pension and most likely will have to stay in Aus for 2 years before I can come back to Thailand. I will have 800,000+ in my Siam Bank account.

Should I leave the money there ready for me to return as a retiree? What happens if my circumstances change and I need the money in Australia or aren't able to return to Thailand at all?

G'day Corey,

Yesterday i called in at my local Centrelink office here at Caboolture.

They told me that i can have $A200,000 +, and my own house of residence before it effects my retirement pension.

So contrary to my previous advice, you will be better off if you take your money with you as you will get a better interest rate than in Thailand ..................Good luck !

If they're in Thailand the AFP/ThaiPolice will pick them up soon enough.

Your confidence in the Thai Police is misplaced.

Hambali moved around in Thailand unchecked for months. There was one of Scotland Yard's top ten most wanted living in Pattaya for many years on false passports - a British citizen but wanted for murder in Australia.

Many more incidents of incompetence and negligence to choose from but those are two that spring to mind.

The main reason Thailand is the new 'Costa del Crime' is it so easy to get away here.

When they catch them, i hope that they keep them at the "BKK Hilton" for 6 months while the extradition process slowly grinds on.

Anyhow, what has happened to the Russian Arms Dealer who is wanted in the USA ?

Im looking at renting a place for 6 months at least in Samui but was wondering if prices were the same in Phuket ???

any comments appriciated

Cannot really say, but there are plenty of reasonable places to rent on Samui, anyhow its surely got to be better than Wales !

I had a nice modern elevated unit overlooking Big Buddha 1 b/r., kitchen, living, bathroom/toilet, TV with everything i needed 8000 per month.

I am shortly returning to Australia. I will be applying for the age pension and most likely will have to stay in Aus for 2 years before I can come back to Thailand. I will have 800,000+ in my Siam Bank account.

Should I leave the money there ready for me to return as a retiree? What happens if my circumstances change and I need the money in Australia or aren't able to return to Thailand at all?

Hi coreyp2 good luck, I would take it back with u. Question, do you need to go back to Oz to be eligible for the Pension, can u not do it from here?

Thanks

I am going the opposite way to Coreyp2 at the end of the year.

I have got my full aussie pension but intend getting a retirement visa. My problem is that i have got $A150,000 in a bank account in my daughter's name .

Is there any way that i can get it "offshore" as i will only be allowed to take $A10,000 out with me.

Any advice would be grately appreciated, might even think of "shouting the Changs" one day !...........

I am shortly returning to Australia. I will be applying for the age pension and most likely will have to stay in Aus for 2 years before I can come back to Thailand. I will have 800,000+ in my Siam Bank account.

Should I leave the money there ready for me to return as a retiree? What happens if my circumstances change and I need the money in Australia or aren't able to return to Thailand at all?

$A30,000 is not a lot of cash, so i would leave it in your Thai bank until sfter you have gone through the Aussie Centrelink 'Interrogation' then you won't have to tell them any b/s. ........."No mate i have not got any money"

They will see this in your bank account. Bring it back later as you will most likely get better interest in oz !

Did you actually ask the waiting staff if they are "disgusted", as it seems as if its only you thats offended, and you are presuiming for others.

Well not only me: I didn't start the topic.

I suggest you do not understand much about Thai culture. After four years I am certainly no expert – I hold that no westerner can ever really be in this alien place - but am quite sure I am right about this one. And yes, once or twice I have been told by the owner of a restaurant I frequent that she doesn't like it.

How about a straw poll? What do others think? Is it OK, or not, for a bloke to sit shirtless in a reasonable restaurant/cafe? (I am NOT including beach bars and suchlike, or dives in beer-bar areas).

You know my answer, and you know Sanmiguel's. Who's the majority with?

PS Im milk bottle white after 5 weeks here i dont take my top off or sunbathe but i cant see what the problem is in a tourist area if a man wishes to walk around in short with his top off .... maybe you ought to go and have a word with the next guy you see doing this as its so offensive to you, though im guessing youre braver on the internet.

Not at all. Unlike many here, I don't bother to hide behind much anonymity.

I am 100% with you jungjok. Trouble is that there are so many 'slobs' here with absolutely no standards of their own and who only try to drag us all down with them. It probably helps them to feel at home with their own upbringing.

Temper Tantrums Call for a (Phuket) Tourist Court By Alan Morison

http://phuketwan.com/tourism/temper-tantru...st-court-11130/

My pet hate is seeing topless male tourists in supermarkets etc., this causes great offense to Thai people.

They're not in Spain or the Gold Coast.

Would DFAT. FCO, & local expats please remind them!

DFAT.........ha ha ha , you've gotta be joking!...........They are like the dickheads who go half naked in the street, topless on the beach or stand 'necking' on the footpath. DEFAT really don't give a sh.t about the Thai community or how they feel. They are only interested in covering their own asses by warning how 'dangerous' things are , just in case. Then they can say "we told you so" I once tried to tell a wayward English couple, and was told "<deleted> off grandad" its our money that they are taking, not yours. I think its about time these young fools were banged up for 24 hrs.

Spoke to my friend in Bangkok earlier - he said it's HOT and WET. This seems like an annual problem in Thailand. Is anything done? Or just money to fix the problem ends up in someone's pocket? My sympathy to anybody flooded out of home - we have the same problem in SE Queensland now.

Peter

Come one, what on earth could money do to fix this problem?! How about you come up with a solution before claiming that there is money paid for some mystical thing to stop the rain, money may fix this problem in lalaland but not in the real world.

OH COME ON !...........Try to use your brain and think 'outside the circle' I am sure that Peter means money for flood mitigation, not money to stop the rain...........Duhhhhhhhhhhh

I seem to remember reading somewhere that over 30% of Bangkok is already below sea level, so it's actually quite an acievement to keep Bangkok as dry as it is! Roll on global warming and a tad of sea level rise! Bangkok won't be alone in trouble then - London for one will be in deep .... I mean water.

Chris

There is cities all over the world that are below sea level... what you got to take into consideration here is displacement of water... should the sea level "rise" then it will take up more land, more land means more area for the water to go, which again means much less raising of the sea level then you'd think. Example, if the ocean rises by a meter, you would have to put a meter of water on top of the entire ocean, plus the entire surface bordering the ocean that is below that mark... even with all the ice melting, every river emptying itself, every lake being emptied out and every cloud putting it's water in as well, it would be simply impossible as it is not enough water to do that. If this would/could really happen, it would never reach London as there is Land between the ocean and London that is higher than a meter above sea level.

Spoke to my friend in Bangkok earlier - he said it's HOT and WET. This seems like an annual problem in Thailand. Is anything done? Or just money to fix the problem ends up in someone's pocket? My sympathy to anybody flooded out of home - we have the same problem in SE Queensland now.

Peter

Too right Peter, i have been trapped on my property at Rocksberg, Upper Caboolture for 3 days. Worst i have seen in past 25 yrs. We have had 3rd of the annual rainfall in one day.

I have got visitors from UK flying out to Singapore tonight where they will get more rain. By the time i get back to Samui at the end of the year, it will be heavy rain again.

How many lives did he ruin selling hard drugs? He probably is an addict and has no idea who he has destroyed and doesn't care about anything but the drugs. Its too bad the Thai government has to pay to jail and feed them.

Mmmmmm! Pity he was'nt caught in Singapore as thats what he deserves.

Be proud youre from wealthy countries. dam_n , many of you sound cheap as can be. 50 baht tip for a thai massage? Come on! These gorgeous creatures have to feel you up for 2 hours- for 50 baht?

Yes, but its all relevant . How many Thais tip their waiter and how many farang can eat as cheaply as a local Thai ?

Fortunately these people will be traveling from the UK. I have stopped going to dinner or to drinks with Europeans who for the most part do not tip or tip one to two Baht max. I had an American friend who said he believes that he should "tip European style" as the American way is far too generous and costly. We had our last meal together three years ago after that declaration.

The European way is so prevalent that Thai staff do not expect a tip. So your friends will be good to go but there is no guarantee that they won't defile you food or drink.

Do it the Aussie way...................we generally dont tip at all. Everybody here gets an agreed rate of pay, unlike in the USA where the customer has to subsidize the boss as he is too 'tight' to pay a decent wage. Only if i consider i am getting more than a good service will i consider tipping. Unfortunately the Yanks have been so brainwashed with the tipping habit, that they "educate everybody " to expect to be tipped................wish that they would keep their nasty habits in the USA !

..

The PI and Thailand remind me of the US military in one sense. The US Marines are always talking about and comparing themselves to the Army--a real fixation/inferiority complex (no reason for it, but it's there nonetheless). In the US Army, in contrast, people generally don't even concern themselves with the Marines.

Inferiority complex? I think that you have got it backwards.

When I was a Marine, we mostly laughed at the Army if we thought about them at all. .

Trouble with the US Marines is that they "actually" believe what the US media say about them..............

I'm considering whether I should get my wisdom teeth removed (4 of them, all impacted!) in Thailand in a hospital or dentist, from what I heard it is cheaper than getting it done where I'm currently at (Syd, Australia) which is over $2000 and waiting list. How much is it in Thailand and is it best recommended to get it removed there? (I'm going to Thailand in few weeks for about a month)

Thanks for any feedback

Go for it mate.

The cost will amaze you, here in Brisbane i was quoted $A4000 for top and bottom plates to fill gaps. I went to BANGKOK SMILE , Sukumvit, and got the same job done for $A800 !

The service was second to none and dentists were trained in UK,USA and Australia. The staff were so friendly and helpful

and the surgery was up there amongst anything i have seen here.

I was able to contact them on the internet and got an immediate reply.

I would recommend them to anybody................................................ Now i am "all smiles" again.

Good luck.

I met my g/f on Cheong Mon beach, she was working at the time.................................running her 7 massage tables with 10 massage girls !

They tried to get me to have a massage but i decided to wait until i could get it for nothing, work that out !

I am returning to Thailand at the end of the year on a retirement visa. I will be carrying approx $A10,000 in cash and will have a further $A100,000 available. Being an absolute dunce regarding onshore/offshore accounts and exchange rates. I am at a complete loss what to do. I will have a liveable pension but could easily require large amounts at any given time, maybe to purchase a car, condo etc. There will be a further 5,000 English pounds available at a further date.

Can anybody please advise me regarding my banking.