flemmie

I have the same dilemma...

I went to 2 tailors in 3 months. Got ripped off by one in the shopping center of the Conrad appartments. Hate the shirts and already checked the pants. So I tried a shirt (1500 Baht because it is double indian cotton...) and a pair of pants (3000 Baht) from a tailor in the basement of the Landmark hotel (he is recommended in the book of the Austrlian ladies). But I need to say it is close to the same. At least he admitted that just about all tailors send their work to the same tailor factories in town.

Where oh where do I find a tailor that does his own work? I dont even mind paying some more for it since I am big size (belly that is...).

<br />Well I read the first page and this last. Basically I don't miss too much from home, UK, except Coleman's mustard (if it don't say Coleman's on the label it ain't mustard in the jar) but on my last return a couple of weeks ago I did bring two large bags of Cofresh Balti Mix. In fact I'm eating some now, excepting the bits that are scattered all over the desk and the floot that I'll "clean" up later.<br /><br />A good few years back, in fact my '93 Xmas R&R, I brought back a six pack of Boddington's bitter, the ones with the widget in the can. Took one out of the fridge one Saturday afternoon and was totally disappointed. Somehow Boddington's, from Manchester, don't taste the same when the sun is shining. <img src="http://static.thaivisa.com/forum/style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="biggrin.gif" /><br />

Hmmm, I also love Coleman's mustard (but I am from Belgium), and when I saw it in Central, I picked up a jar. No need to miss it in BKK.

Otherwise, I bring (belgian) pickles from home.

I have started to go to the pool and do the walking in the water, just to get some resistance, and will follow this as Mighty Mouse also suggests.

You may need to wear an old pair of sand shoes if your pool is tiled and you can't get a proper grip with bare feet.

Some further exercise suggestions regarding "water walking" can be found by clicking HERE.

Thanks again for your advice. When I reviewed the site you linked, I found I am doing just about everything they propose, except the shoes, so it's slipping and sliding for the moment. Maybe I should use my crocs instead.

Thanks MM

DO NOT proceed as planned. Just open an account in the UK before leaving and deposit it there, get a credit card and you can withdraw any money you need here. Once you manage to open an account, you can transfer anything you want here.

Nick

Thank you all for the good advice. I need to clarify that I have already gone through a significant change in lifestyle before. I no longer have the nice goodies I used to have (be it whole milk with breakfast cereals, sugar, ice cream, cookies, candies, lemonade, coke, etc...etc...) too long a list to complete. I am a drinker of water (with gas I admit) and occasionally a coke light (maybe a few a week), I have written down my calories for quite some time just to figure out where they are coming from, I need to start doing this again I think, the Thai food is quite different. Oh, and I do not eat white bread, only rye or that dark german bread or multi grain.

I will get tougher again with myself on the eating habits, but what I wanted was somewhere to go with people that could help me with my mobility. I feel my back stiffen again and can confirm that picking up waste is out of reach for the time being, as stated, putting my socks on is a small victory in the morning. My metabolism needs to be woken up with the hormones I take every day (dead thyroid) and it will not pick up that much with eating more often (be it smaller portions), I do follow doctors orders on this.

I have started to go to the pool and do the walking in the water, just to get some resistance, and will follow this as Mighty Mouse also suggests.

Thanks again for sharing your advice with me and I will try to keep you posted.

Nick )

Read the book in November 2003 and stopped cold turkey, no problems and I am still a non-smoker. There are medicines available for those that are looking for them, but they came really after I stopped and I cannot give any advice on them.

Hello all I am too fat (sounds like an AA meeting...) and want to do something about it.

I am 5'10" I believe (177 cm) and weigh a whopping 128 kilograms. Everyone around me is worried about my health including myself. I am 59 (next month) and have just arrived in Thailand (BKK) 3 months ago. The first month in the service flat made me balloon to 133kg due to the great food. I had some serious bacteriel infection and lost it right back. Needless to say I am totally out of shape and find it a victory that I can get my socks on without falling over (a little exaggeration only...). I have a burnt out thyroid (courtesy of some radioactive pill taken 5 years ago) and have also stopped smoking at the same time, this was the last 20 kg that seemed to have come on overnight and which I am carrying along since.

My question is basically that I am trying to find some sort of center that would be able to do excercices with me (stretching?) and give me appropriate massage to at least get some of my muscles back to a state of some normalcy. I do not really feel comfortable to go to one of the traditional massages as I also had some back surgery a few years back.

Lots of things wrong I know, but I would love to start working on them.

I read some of the posts and can confirm that I do not eat a great amount of food, no sugar or fat, but I love bread and eat that every day. No alcohol or soft drinks (diet coke at max) and I do not eat late at night nor do I snack.

If anyone has some ideas, please le me know.

Thanks

Nick

I did get it already, as stated, I am quite happy with it.

Just bought the FORD Everest, all options possible including DVD player for rear passengers, GPS etc... just under 1.2 Mio. but I got the automatic, I don't want to bother with gears.

Quite happy with it, delivery in gold color out of stock, another color 6 weeks.

I can confirm, Dr Balankura is an excellent Dr, but I was not aware he had his own clinic as well.

For Ladies there is Dr. Donna Maria Robinson (English, Spanish, French & Thai), excellent Dr as well.

There is also Dr. Philippe Balankura (Thai/Swiss) who speaks his native French and works at Bumrungrad International as well as in his own clinic (in the morning) at Soi Naret, close to Bangkok District Office.

I just moved to Thailand from Moscow, where I had plenty of flights with Aeroflot. While they may have had their problems in the past, they have come a long way and flying is nothing different from flying with other airlines, either in business or economy. Granted, the cabin personnel are usuallu babushkas with grandmotherly touches, but also very friendly most of the time.

AirFrance has presented me with the most unpleasant flying erxperiences in the past, so much that I have destroyed my frequent flyer card and have vowed never to fly with them again.

I am now flying mostly Thai and am happy with them.

I got used to bottled water in Russia so I searched Google before I came and ordered the same day I moved into my apartment. I do recommend the cold/hot water system, buy it somewhere in a supermarket, but it provides excellent ice cold water and instant boiling water for those great cup-a-soup-packages.

In my building they come by once a week, I put the old botlle out with a coupon and find a full one when I get bask, very civilized.

Mind you, with 4 people, perhaps the filter system that givenall is recommending may be a cheaper solution in the end.

I am planning to try out the Internet Corporate Speed package (at home) from PacNet at 4096/512 Kbps. It costs 6.000 per month but I plan to use it to download TV programs via a Slingbox (from Holland) which I ant to try and install when I am home next October. Anyone has any experience with PACNET?

I asked my IT guy from the company for advice and he talked to most of the carriers and they admit that the cheaper packages are indeed the speed they advertise but shared with up to 200 (!!!) users sometimes, depending on the neighborhood (mine is Sathorn), so good luck. The PACNET should not be more than about 15-20 users. I got 2 months trial period before the 1-year contract kicks in.

Amazing, that there are still efforts to block sites. I just got one blocked I guess, because when I call for it, it pushes me to a search page but not the page in question (I admit it is a "dirty" site).

Anyone knows how they do this? Just a popup message in their central that says "hey.. so and so is downloading filth..." ?

Quite amazing.

Good news then..

Technically, she should swich sponsors as soon as she changes employment...

Just a note on the work permits. For all those under the migran labour programme, all permits expire in Feb 2010, which is when the government move over the new 'system' of passports.

Right at the end of us registering our maid, we were given a form to fill in which would be the application form for our maid to get her special passport. She should head down to the labour office and get this form, and then submit it, as this needs to go in before the end of the year for her to stay legal...

Thanks again samran, will follow your advice.

A few months ago, I went to the local administration in Belgium to renew my IDP. I was told that this was not necessary anymore for Thailand due to a new agreement between Thai and EU.

But did your loacal administration in Belgium inform the BiB in Thailand yet?

Since 2007 there is an agreement between Thailand and Belgium about the recognition of the Belgian driving driver's license. The result is that the Belgian document can now easily be changed for a Thai license. The Thai embassy in BRU pointed out that this is only practical for Belgians who stay minimum one year in Thailand.

I find it easier to ask an IDP every 3 years.

I just got here 2 months ago and took my Belgian licence (the old-fashioned one with my picture of 38 years ago) to the office there, did the paperwork, paid the fees, did the eye and reaction tests and walked out with a Thai licence 1 1/2 hours later.

It works!

Sorry forgot about that, but in any case this by invitation only is really a step too much. I just sent a mail to the owner of this site and he promptly invited me. I can as well if you want to. It has thousands of member throughout the globe and I just transferred my status from moscow to bangkok. No secret handshakes, just people trying to meet and mingle.

Let me know

06' date='2009-08-25 11:25:52']One more option is to become member of Internations (dot) org

I checked out that web site and to quote it "Membership is strictly invitation-based: You may join the community only after receiving an invitation from a current member. In this way, InterNations will remain a network of personal trust, where data security and privacy protection are top priorities."

There is almost no information about them on the web site, and so 'secretive' they certainly are!!

Do they have a secret hand shake too?

Just what one needs, another secret society, most are full of weirdos just look at some of the 60 mins type reporting on the masons and other weird clans. probabaly males only &lt;deleted&gt; would one bother

Thanks for all the great advice. I will probably go the way samran is proposing and have already the application. As she has an ID already, I guess it is a question of changing employer. Her workpermit expires February 2010 so should not be a problem here.

I did get her through someone that is leaving, she has worked for that family for 4 years and they were also very happy with her.

Anyway, I probably pay her waaaaaayyyyyyyyy to much for her to ever want to leave.

Why can't she just go to the Myanmar (Burma) Embassy and get a new one issued? Thai immigration would then be able to look up her paper work and put necessary stamps in new passport.

Good question, I do not know. All I know is that she needs to go and spend quite some money in Burma to get a passport (30k Baht from her own pocket, I am not paying anything). I suspect that she is also going on leave as she will be gone for a month, her mother will work during that month for me.

?confused....

-continued-

And you move the car after an accident. In Russia, insurance companies need the police report or they do not cover, and police cannot make a report if the cars have been moved, everything needs to be measured. Any accident leaves you stranded with your car for hours, blocking the road as the cars cannot be moved. Considering that there are more and more cars in Moscow (I believe they are approaching the 2 million mark), this makes for a messy time.

And you do not have a Putin or Medvedev or any other minister clearing out the road when they need to pass, it is not unusual to stand in front of a red light for up to 20 minutes until the cars have passed...

*chuckle*

I just came from Moscow, and there the traffic is really bad... Bangkok has a number of advantages in comparison to Moscow

*drivers actually follow the rules-I know you think they don't, but believe me they do

*police actually regulates some traffic-in Moscow they do not

*buildings have parking spaces-in Moscow all cars are on the street and sidewalks

*you have no snow-Russian cars (mostly Volga and Lada's) still try to drive without snow tires

*you have regular U-turns-Moscow hardly has any at all and a left turn is rare, therefore there is a lot of circular driving (traffic goes around the Kremlin)

I am happy to be in Bangkok!

I am new in Thailand and have taken over a (fantastic) maid from Burma. She needs to go back to get a passport and is asking me if I would arrange the Visa. She does have a workpermit from some Stevedoring company until next year, which actually baffles me.

Can anyone give me some advice if this is relatively normal or if I got myself trouble. She does not live in.

Thanks.

Seems to me Nick has stopped paying attention to our advice from the first No he saw. Still, all sound advice, but if he is anything like a real 17yo nowadays and free to do what he wants, he will probably show up in Thailand and run into all the trouble you have predicted for him. )

This reply perhaps too late, but I had dinner there with visitors from Europe (friend with his Thai wife) and must say it is indeed expensive and extremely unusual food. Served nouvelle cuisine style, which basically means large plates and little food. I am sure they put a lot of effort in it, but none of us liked it. The Thai lady told me they used a lot of the old kitchen ingredients, whatever that may be.

One more option is to become member of Internations (dot) org

Here is their next get-together tonight actually :

Dear Bangkok Community,

We would like to remind you of the

InterNations Bangkok August Get-Together

When?

Start date: Aug 25, 2009 19:00

End date: Aug 25, 2009 21:00

Where?

Villa Italia

82 Sukhumvit Soi 33

Bangkok

Please don’t forget to register for this event by clicking the “Accept Invitation” button in the Event Calendar entry (please RSVP in Event Calendar only!)

If you have already subscribed for this event but meanwhile are no longer able to participate, we would like to ask you to click on the “Decline Invitation” button in the event page, to allow us to take account of your absence.

In case that you should have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.

We’re looking forward to seeing you there.