ProThaiExpat

It seems to me that if Thailand invented Sushi, we would see it eaten more in the daily diets of Thais. The "seaweed" often referred to as laver certainly is not indigenous to Thailand as I have yet to see a package of it made in Thailand. Having never been to China, only Taiwan, I don't believe Sushi is very prevalent there. Since Japan occupied much of South East Asia before and during WW2, I suspect their presence may have had the effect of establishing some knowledge and practice of eating Sushi with the native population of countries they occupied.

."there is life after sex, and I am a living example of it.."

My hat is off to you dukha for your admission of what most encounter in later life.

The heterosexual poster who discusses those who abhor same sex expression does qualify it to time, place and circumstances which is appropriate as the straightest of men with the most abhorrent attitude towards same sex usually have a change of attitude when incarcerated for a lengthy term of imprisonment while still in their early years.

I have often wondered if straight men who are referred to in the porn industry in the west as "gay for pay" actually acquire a softening of attitude after experiencing the type of sex they would not encounter if not for pay.

There was a movie years ago in which the Mexican-American actor Almos played the lead who had just got out of prison and when he re-commenced his sexual relations with his pre-prison female love, according to her complaints, he now wanted to only take her from the rear. I didn't come away with the impression that the implication was rectally, but I did come away with the impression that prison had in fact changed the way he liked to do it, while perhaps not changing he sexual preference of partners.

I pose the question, do straight Thai sex workers in the same sex business gradually change there preferences, whether it be method or partner???

While my experience with sex workers is quite limited and 10 years in the past, I have concluded that straight Thai men were often sex workers and in fact predominate in that line of work. It was so prominent in those days that during the short time I was a sex tourist here, I began to insure, before employing them, that they were gay, as there is a world of difference between gays providing that service and straights.

My ten years here and observing and speaking to Thai gays has led me to also conclude that many Thai straight men are capable of enjoying sex with gays providing they don't have to reciprocate. Not burdened with the Christian-Judean guilt about same sex endeavors, when the circumstances are right, Thai straight men do it without much thought. Absence from females, alcohol or drug influence and financial situations including a night of free food and drink provided by an agreeable gay, etc. result with a straight man allowing a gay to service them. Granted, straight sex workers do "suffer" somewhat when required to play the passive role in sex and thus don't do it with the enthusiasm that gay sex workers do. I suspect that most gays who likewise have sex with women don't enjoy it as much as straight men. I certainly didn't.

Clearly, the more effeminate a gay is makes the same sex experience by a straight and gays on the way out, that much easier and more enjoyable. Caveat, this post contains broad generalities and the dangers that entails.

The Doctors do not make the prices at Ram, the hospital does. Regarding Dr. Siri, he has got to be one of the most reasonably priced doctors in Thailand, considering his skills and reputation. Sometimes he only charges 50 Baht to be seen at his clinic! For a University professor?? He worked on me for more than 2 hours with the laser and only charged me something like 2,000 Baht. He will even tell you that if he has to see you at Sripat that it will cost more, and if he sees you at Ram that it will cost much, much more, and for simple procedures to come to his clinic.

In the USA, no doctor in his/her right mind would operate on someone without taking tests before-hand. It is for the safety of the patient. When I had hernia surgery at the surgeon's outpatient clinic a few years back, I had to go the day before and take blood and urine tests, a chest x-ray, etc. They need to know your physical condition before administering anesthesia. It is obviously the same here.

Elektrified:

I couldn't find Dr. Siri on Ram's list of staff, but many of the visiting CMU professors are not listed. May I have his clinic name and address with phone number and his speciality. Thank you

My branded Zestril box clearly states Made in the UK by AstraZeneca UK, so I would tend to think they can't print that if it's made in India, assuming it's a real drug.

The generic I saw is called Lispril.

Sometimes I have asked Thai pharmacists about Thai generics and asked if they are the same, and the answer I have gotten, is either not the same, or 80 percent. Yes I realize they are motivated to sell the more expensive branded item.

Fear is a powerful weapon to sell insurance and have the public buy only brand name products, thus much advertising is used to reinforce the fear and that advertising cost is passed on to the consumer. By adverting I mean phony studies paid for by drug manufacturers, publicity releases with broad distribution as "news" of isolated instances of adverse reactions to generics, when such an adverse reaction might well have occurred when the brand name product is used and constant "informed advice" that generics are not to be trusted.

When you are in an introspective mood, try to find out where your distrust of generics manufactured in Thailand comes from. There are so many "adverts" cloaked as news by major drug manufacturers about fake medicine, granted, largely in the erectile malfunction area, that it is a wonder anyone would use a generic.

Step one is to ask the MD you trust if a specific generic drug manufactured by specific company is OK to take and go accordingly. As previously posted, chronic conditions of mature people such as BP meds, cholesterol meds, gout meds etc, can all be monitored by blood tests or bp tests so you can see if they work or not on you.

The lobbying efforts of the AMA are considered by most in the know as one of the most powerful lobbies ever. They have effectively caused most of the drugs sold in the US to be unavailable to the public unless by prescription and most doctors require a office visit before prescribing. We have all read about "subsidies" drug manufacturers give to doctors to prescribe their specific drug. All of these efforts by drug manufacturers are built into their cost of any given medicine. No wonder medicine in Thailand is so much less expensive if manufactured here especially if labor intensive as labor costs here are so much less than in the west.

As a ten year veteran of RAM, I would suggest to the internist that other than the obligatory pre-admission "examination", blood tests or other diagnostic procedures be not done as you have had recent such examinations.

I recently had a large skin lesion removed by the plastic surgeon at RAM, who insisted that it was an operating room procedure rather than an emergency room procedure. I said fine, lets have it at Lana hospital and when meeting with their on duty internist for their obligatory pre-surgery exam, I showed him my two month old general health checkup lab work from RAM, and he cleared me without an exam. Prior lesion excisions by Dr. Ekachai a general surgeon at RAM done in the emergency room were done without any clearance by the interist.

Four admissions for surgery at Ram three years ago were all cleared by their on duty internist, but not once did he perform an examination, he merely reviewed my chart and charged 500 baht. The operations all involved epidural blocks and sleep during the surgery, but the surgeries were on my thigh for a comminuted displaced femur fx. By the way, for the first two surgeries and 10 day stay, the duty internist showed up daily and reviewed by chart. My ortho said my advanced age, made him nervous and evidently he didn't trust his own knowledge of internal medicine. In the US, orthopedic surgeons usually proceed based on their own knowledge of internal medicine.

My understanding subject to correction is pharmacies can determine their own price for all medication apart from items manufactured by GPO Government Pharmaceutical Organization which must be sold at the price listed on the packaging.

Stopped at a "local" pharmacy, pharmacist only comes in a few hours a week to keep the license is my guess

You may find he has a full time day job with the Govt or with a hospital or university. He opens his private practice after work.

Your probably right. Smart pharmacy assistants can usually fill most prescriptions, as I used to do more than fifty years ago when I used to do it. Only stayed away from concoctions using the mortar and pestle. I wouldn't buy anything that wasn't factory manufactured under license from Thai government with ingredients clearly detailed on the packaging. I haven't used a doctor authored prescription since I have been in Thailand as most ordinary drugs in Thailand can be obtained without them. Fortunately, the medical profession here doesn't have the lobby that they have in other countries that force the government to make prescriptions mandatory for almost any medication.

I didn't realize until I saw the guy consult google and another website in Thai, that he can research almost any medicine you ask for to see if he can order it for you. I had a great antibiotic and cortisone cream generic ointment for healing incisions and cuts I obtained in Australia, not available in Thailand nor was there an equivalent available with the same formulation. The plastic surgeon said don't use it as the cortisone ingredient would hinder his incisions healing. The surgeon in Australia prescribed it and it worked great on his incisions. Incisions on the back are particularly itchy when healing and can drive you nuts if you don't stop the itch while it is healing. That stuff worked great and I suspect that my Thai plastic surgeon's opinion about the cortisone component hindering healing may be the prevailing opinion of the medical people in Thailand and the government doctors who regulate any given medicines availability in Thailand. Example: Codeine, not available in Thailand in any form over the counter but available in many analgesics over the counter in Australia.

>snip<

Always buying double strength pills, if available from the medicine prescribed and splitting them with a splitter or razor blade saves a great deal as well.

The above strategy is potentially extremely dangerous. The active component of the medicine does not necessarily spread across the whole pill. You could be effectively be taking a placebo and then double-strength the next day. Not recommended.

Your local doc.

You have used enough qualifiers, such as "potentially extremely dangerous" and "could be effectively" to temper your advice to apply to those who operate from fear and listen to what major drug companies advertise. What I get from what you posted, that major drug companies manufacture their pills in such a way that half of a scored pill is without medication and only the other half contains the effective drug. That is quite a manufacturing feat, especially when the pill color, texture and appearance are consistent through the pill. My kidney specialist, who is a master internist, would most certainly have advised me against splitting my Madiplot, when I advised him how I was going to treat his new prescription. He has demonstrated to me over the last six months that his knowledge of pharmacology is excellent so I blunder forward splitting my Madiplot 20 mg so my thrice daily 10 mg doses keeps my blood pressure below normal. By the way, I monitored my blood pressure six times daily for the two weeks I first went on Madiplot and was pleased with the result. Wouldn't have happened if any of the split pills had their effective chemicals been distributed as you suggested.

I suspect the surgeons themselves have a lot to do with the charges levied for their operations. Dr. Ekachai, a general surgeon at Ram did a skin lesion removal, excision biopsy with a two inch incision, for 1500 baht in the ER a couple of months ago. Of course the hospital charged as much in addition for the facilities and supplies.

A friend, a month later , had a herniated navel surgery by Dr. Ekachi there and shopped the price, government hospital falang clinic, Ram etc. and was quoted and he payed 15,000 surgeons fee. Ram started providing a separate paper outlining the surgeons fee recently so I suspect there has been a major change.

I had another surgery two months ago where a large skin lesion was removed by Dr. Annan, a plastic surgeon who works Nakon Ping Government hospital, Lanna Hospital and Ram and he charged me 15,000 baht. He insisted on using the operating room so I had it done at Lana, where the hospital fees are about 25% cheaper than Ram. I suspect he played "big surgeon" with me and when I challenged him on what I thought was too large a fee for an hour long skin excision, he said Plastic Surgeons get more that general surgeons.

I have reached the conclusion the the doctors at Ram, who also practice at the government hospital clinic for falang all collude with each other and have raised their fees for most surgeries. My plastic surgeons fee for my last excision equaled what I paid a surgeon in Australia six months ago for almost the same surgery and he did it in his office.

Two years ago when I had a number of lesions removed by the senior male dermatologist at Ram who said he charged much less that Bangkok doctors, lowered his overall fee for some laser work after I showed him what Yanee Hospital in Bangkok charged for the same work as advertised on their website.

I intend to shop surgeons fees in the future and have an agreement on what the fee is before letting them touch me. While I might not do much better, at least when I am hurting and show up at the cashier, I won't experience the sticker shock I have experienced lately.

In line with the 5k baht donation suggestion, I would try a conference with the village chief offering to pay an electrician of the kaman's choice to relocate the speaker and point it in another direction once relocated. Allowing the kaman to choose the electrician allows for enough "grease" to be structured into the deal to be appealing and that way the kaman stays in control and he doesn't loose face.

My ten years of experience and from what my Thai partner tells me, many Thais are just not into complaining and those receiving complaints don't honestly know how to handle them.

However, sound is unpredictable and our local speaker. in an otherwise very quiet neighborhood, could be relocated but I have no confidence that the sound would not travel to my ears as before.

My MD recently changed one of my BP medicines to Madiplot, still in patent and manufactured in Japan. In other words, no generic available.

I went to three pharmacies in Huay Kaew Central Shopping Center in the basement. One opposite Tops quoted 24 baht for each pill, Tops pharmacy quoted 27 baht and Pharma Choice quoted 19 Baht each pill.

Stopped at a "local" pharmacy, pharmacist only comes in a few hours a week to keep the license is my guess and the guy who is usually there and speaks excellent English quoted me 17 baht.

Since it is a patented drug, no hope for cheaper generics, which is the way I go when I can. I have now established a good relationship with this guy and always ask for my special price.

Since most Thai generics are well made and exact in their formulation, I feel comfortable in taking a generic manufactured by large Thai drug companies and merely look at the formulation to make sure it is close to or exactly the same as the name brand.

Example: Started to take Norgesic lately for torn rotator cuff and its formulation is 450 mg of paracetamol and 35 mg of something citrate. The generic was 500 mg paracetamol and 35 mg of the something citrate. Price differential is from 2.5 baht the lowest quoted price per pill to 800 baht for 1000 pills at my local pharmacy. Since I take two a day, in time the savings encourages me.

Expensive drugs prescribed in hospitals can be bought very much cheaper in your local pharmacy once they know you are very price conscious. Likewise, if you break down the formulation, sometimes taking separate pills of the generic medicines that are combined and charged more for as a result, you save considerably. Always buying double strength pills, if available from the medicine prescribed and splitting them with a splitter or razor blade saves a great deal as well.

Since I take 5 pills a day, plus 3 madiplots, 20mg cut in two, medicine expense can really get expensive if you are on a fixed income. Granted, if you believe the propaganda put out by the major drug companies that generics are not pure and are not as effective or as strong as advertised medicines, you should ignore all of the foregoing.

Low cost medicines and their availability over the counter in Thailand is in my list of the top five great things about Thailand. I may be more comfortable with medicine that many as I worked my four college years in a pharmacy as a pharmacist's assistant. My best friend in Thailand thinks I a certifiable and wouldn't take anything but the most expensive cutting edge newest medicine available. To each his own.

Keyboards are relatively inexpensive here so worry not about Thai symbols until you get here. I bought a Logitech wireless keyboard with Thai symbols last year for US$10 in Thai Baht and didn't bother to shop the price, bought it at high end shop in Chiang Mai.

I tried the Pantip Plaza shop for my Lenovo repair and while they said they could repair my mother board, they didn't.

I used a Laptop Repair shop behind the restaurant south of Icon just across the street and about four shops east of the main road. They were great and the owner speaks English.

Sawasdee Khrup, Khun ProThaiExpat,

Do you refer here to Icon Square on Mani Noppharat Road ? : if so, then "south" would be on the inside of the moat, on Siphum Road. A little more specific directions, please, thanks.

best, ~o:37;

My heartfelt apologies, I don't think I could find the shop if I followed my own directions. I will try again without compass directions.

As you exit the parking lot of Icon in whatever direction you are facing before you turn right or left on that little soi, the laptop shop is located to your left a couple of doors and on the other side of the street. To your immediate right across the little soi on the corner of that main canal road is a S&P food shop. I believe the word "Laptop" is in the name of the shop.

Ask for the owner who speaks English if you don't speak Thai as I don't. I am not sure if the diagnostic review of your problem requires a fee but whatever he charges, you will not be disapointed. My Lenovo was bought during the transition between IBM and Lenovo and it was three years old when I had him work on it. Good Luck.

Pib,

After your comprehensive description of BofA's redefinition of a service industry, I not only cut in two my never-used BofA credit card -- but sold all my stock as well.....

Jim: Welcome to the ex-BA club. I left them more than 40 years ago just after they built their tower in S.F. and when they were debiting accounts before crediting deposits of record. It took a few years but they ended up paying millions in damages for that behavior.

I tried the Pantip Plaza shop for my Lenovo repair and while they said they could repair my mother board, they didn't.

I used a Laptop Repair shop behind the restaurant south of Icon just across the street and about four shops east of the main road. They were great and the owner speaks English.

I.S. Curtain can't be beat. Their selection of fabrics is great and they can make up anything you want. Quality costs but they can deliver.

The Sik owner goes by the name "Bob" and is available if asked for. He has a number of sons and they all work there on occasion. Bob lives in a three story mansion on the top of the building he built three years ago behind Carrefour. Before that he was in a small shop on the one way road north of night bazaar.

I believe he makes most of his money on hotel orders, he certainly did top quality work for me on each occasion I used him and at very reasonable prices. He certainly didn't build his penthouse mansion on the profit from customers like me. Now that he has room in his own building, he has a children's shop, mattress shop etc.

Pay them a visit, you won't be wasting your time. After all, it is the ability to view many fabrics to make your choice before manufacture that is the key to quality. The last time I used him, no black out backing was required as the drapery was so thick no light came through.

His Roman Shade hardware is now ten years old in my house and working as good as the day they were installed. I was not impressed with Home Pro's quality.

Pib: Followed your advice and made an online application for membership with USAA. They accepted me and issued me a membership number online that looked so familiar. I then recalled I used to be a member with them more than fifty years ago while on active duty for their auto insurance product. They canceled me in the late sixties for too many tickets. Evidently their records go back that far as I now recall the number they issued to me online was the same membership number I had fifty years ago.

Perhaps a little more detail about the origin of your retirement funds will make advice in this thread a little more pointed.

If you funds are from a government agency that permits direct deposits, like SSA for instance, you can direct the deposit to BKK Bank NY which will forward it to your BKK bank account in Thailand. The annoyance of this procedure is that you must physically draw the money from the BKK Bank Direct Deposit Account with your passport and personal appearance in any of their multitude of branches in Thailand.

Direct deposits in other country banks from the US Government can be accessed online and swift transferred to Thailand. Disadvantage of this method is you get hit with conversion fees, deposit fees and currency manipulation by the banks involved.

Thus many choose to maintain their US bank affiliations, direct deposit into those accounts and then ACH transfer to BKK NY for forwarding to Thailand.

I have done both ways and find the direct deposit to BKK NY for transfer to your local branch in Thailand the least expensive way to do it but a slight bit more inconvenient due to the personal appearance at the local branch that is required. If you travel overseas from Thailand for any length of time, the money will be tied up in your BKK Direct Deposit Account until you return and draw it personally.

I spend half the year in Australia so when I am there, I call the Manila office of SSA and change by direct deposit to an Australian Bank and then vice versa.

I am with you on this Scott. I can't recall how many decades ago was my last New Year's "on the town" experience but whenever it was and whatever occurred was enough to turn me off from the experience.

The crowds, inflated prices and drunks was all I can recall. But then again, I don't go to stadium events either.

To each his own. My son-in-law's nick name is "Party Marty" and he wouldn't miss this annual event for anything. He is sensible about it and takes cabs after his first drink.

3B has been laying a lot of cable and providing service on the approaches to Mae Rim. Do check with them if they provide service to your particular locale now and if not, see if they will put you on their list for future service. I spotted a box of theirs near my home on the Chiang Mai side of Mae Rim and they put me on a list. A month later they contacted me and hooked me up. So happy to say bye bye to TOT.

There are many previous favorable comments about Neerawit Taylor on the one way street just before it becomes two way across from Siam Commercial Bank.

I have had many tailoring jobs done by them and they have always been above average.

Perhaps someone who pays attention to street names can tell you more where they are located. My best is street name is SRI NAKORN PING

Certainly check with neighbors, but as I understand it, 3B is distinguishable from TOT as they use their own broadband cable, while TOT is ADSL,piggy backs on their phone lines.

I recently changed from TOT to 3B when 3B installed their broadband cables to my mooban. Service is more reliable than TOT although the speeds are about the same.

I have only been "out of service" once in two months on 3B and a quick call to their call center and I was advised it was a province wide failure that would be repaired in a couple hours and it was!

For those of us who have had many such "removals", all is in the "eye of the beholder". The initial diagnosis of skin lesions is within the purview of dermatology. However, many Thai dermatologists have little experience with falang skin, so their guesses are not as reliable as Thai dermatologists trained in western countries, especially US and Australia.

Clearly, a biopsy is required to have a factual diagnosis. If the lesions are clearly not of the carcinoma variety, freezing or other removal techniques are fine. However, until you are sure you are not prone to carcinomas due to excessive exposure to the sun, especially as you grow older, biopsy is the only way to go.

Only one of my removals was not one of the three carcinomas, so now I have excision biopsy in every case my US trained dermatologist in Chiang Mai suggests I have a "possible".

Caught early enough, freezing can be done in possible carcinoma lesions.

The subtext of this legislation has wide ranging implications that may well prove decisive for gay rights into the future.

Consider the constitutional issues of equal protection of law. One spouse of a same sex couple joins the military, can the military deny benefits it grants to straight married couples?

Same sex couples in the military receiving federal benefits that same sex couples in states allowing same sex marriage are denied.

Can DOMA continue with denial of all federal benefits to same sex married couples when the military gives such benefits?

Can immigration laws discriminate against same sex married couples when the military permits it?

The Department of State has increased same sex couple's rights in many ways denied other federal employees. Can this continue if equal protection of the law cases are decided by the courts?

The rush by the religious right to change state constitutions some years ago to deny same sex couples equal protection, in my view, was driven by the certainty that the courts would apply equal protection under the US Constitution to such issues as same sex marriage.

Ultimately, these issues will be decided by the US Supreme Court and as presently constituted, will try in every way to deny such equality, however, Obama may have enough time in office to appoint one more progressive justice that will tip the current 5-4 conservative bias, or in my view, the multitude of cases decided by lower courts in favor of equal rights for same sex couples may force the US Supreme Court, by the logic of those decisions, to rule accordingly. Example Federal Judge Walker's meticulous trial and learned decision in California declaring denial of marriage rights to same sex couples as being unconstitutional.

While I see this legislation as a giant step forward in the equal protection of the law issue with gays and lesbians, the flip side of the issue, as far as a career in the military is concerned. may be limited to the lower ranks as I don't see promotion to senior officer ranks for "in your face" gays as is the case for the professions and business.

My SCB "Hip Card", like so many other "cards", has various degrees of acceptability, depending on the bank, country and vendor.

In Australia it worked fine in one bank ATM but not in another. A "debit card" issued through the Visa Debit Card system, it is not.

Individual vendors, banks and especially online vendors each have a different approach to sales depending on profit margins and their ability to "swallow" Visa, Mastercard and other transaction card's regulations and fees.

PayPal thrives because of this. Even it has its own path which doesn't work in all instances.

This may seem to be a simplistic approach, but opening a PayPal account with your SCB account as the bank reference (primary account to be charged for any PayPal purchase) backed by a credit card to be charged only when primary account has insufficient funds, seems to me to be a way you can go for online purchases anywhere in the world. Many US online vendors won't ship to Thailand, even by US mail, won't accept orders with a mailing address in Thailand, while more progressive companies do happily.

One online vendor I bought from refused to take a Mastercard for payment, the very same card backing up my PayPal purchase which they did take happily.

Nike company and their vendors won't ship a Nike shirt to Thailand under any circumstances. I am presently wearing a Nike shirt, made in Thailand but unavailable here, not shippable to Thailand. Had to buy it in Australia.

Mai Pen Rai.