js007

Yea. maybe they were just thinking ahead.

Maybe, but still... One of my friends is getting ready to take a there or four week vacation. He does that once a year. But here still insists on pinching pennies. For example, there's a good restaurant I told him he should try, but he seems to think the place is "too expensive," so he'll probably eat elsewhere, even though he'll only save $20 or so. If you're on vacation, why not spend the extra $20 an have a good time? You're already spending a bunch to be there anyway. I think all his relatives will be enjoying his money when he dies.

I find it hard to believe the average person couldn't afford lunch or dinner at the Hilton, once in a while. So what if it's expensive?

I think I tried it but I kept getting messages about unsafe websites. I didn't want to take the time to figure it out, so I'm still using Safari.

I think it's good to maybe have one or two large denomination travelers checks, just for back-up. It's also smart to have several ATM cards and several credit cards and a way to move your money from one account to another. You don't want to be stuck without access to cash.

At least in the US, they're almost giving away TVs these days. Some of the prices are shockingly low, compared to just a few years ago. I'm not sure how they do it.

I couldn't tell you, but as a general rule these days, unless the repair is something simple, it's usually better just to trash the old device and buy a new one.

Is Kodi one of those apps that require that the device you're loading it on be jailbroken?

Crest was the original toothpaste that contained fluoride, I think.

Talking directly to a CEO can sometimes work wonders. I remember my mother once had a problem caused by the negligence of one of the employees of a giant corporation. She was first dealing with the corporation's insurance company, but they were doing what insurance companies usually do and were trying to weasel out of the claim for the least amount of money possible. A lawsuit wouldn't have been practical, financially. Anyway, my mom was mad as hell and somehow got through to the CEO of the corporation on a direct phone call. After yelling at him for a while, her problem was magically solve

The name is Jason Marker. I don't use LinkedIn, but it looks like he's on there. Maybe you could reach him that way.

Look up the parent company and send an email to the CEO. I think they have a new one, or the founder came back and fired the son. Something like that. The new guy stoped all the great commercials with sexy girls.

I went to Dr. Oliver once, for a bad cough, but I forgot what it cost. My only other experience with a doctor in Thailand was when I had to go to a doctor in Phuket to get some letter about medicine I had that was hung up in Thai customs. Anyway, I went to the Phuket hospital at Patong, got a card, took a number, and was finally seen by a girl doctor. She must have spent 15 minutes with me. When I left, I think the total bill was 180 baht. A pretty good deal. That was ten years go, though.

I don't know how to say scrambled eggs in Thai, but apparently, the Thai word for omelette is omelette. They understand that.

As I recall, some of the freeways in LA pretty much look like that every rush hour. Cars backed up as far as the eye can see. How people put up with that I'm not sure, but some do, on a daily basis, just to go back and forth to work. I used to live in the San Diego area, which had better traffic.

Sometimes you can find good deals on used Herman Miller Aeron chairs. They come in different styles and configurations, so make sure you try it out, if you find one. A few years ago I bought a Herman Miller "Embody" chair, which I like but it was expensive, even on sale. Anyway, I'd check some of the wholesale office furniture places. Maybe they have some used items they're trying to liquidate.

Just going with the flow is the smart thing to do, as that's what you usually end up doing, anyway. As for girls? Mostly, they'll try to extract from you as much money as they think they can, so you have that little problem to deal with. Since you're on vacation, you can just pay full "retail" price and not worry too much about it. Or, if you want to try to economize, then just pick a price you want and don't let them talk you into paying more. Some places, like the soapy massage places, have fixed prices, so your only worry there is whether or not to tip and how much. As for Phuket.

If you don't have an account at the Bangkok Bank, New York, how do you make an ACH transfer? Do you get a routing number with an account at a Thailand bank? It's been a while since I've done an ACH transfer to another bank, but I think you need both a routing number and an account number. Usually, I just wire money once in a while to K bank.

So you set up direct deposit of your pension going to Bangkok Bank New York, and they somehow know that you have an account in Thailand? I know it can be done, but I guess the particulars have changed over the years.

From what I've read, you may have to first establish an account with Bangkok Bank, New York. But maybe a branch of the Bangkok Bank in Thailand could handle the paperwork for the entire set-up? Let us know what you find out.

I may be looking soon, not only in the Pattaya area, but in in Bangkok or maybe Phuket. From what I've seen online, prices seem to be all over the place. Apparently, there are thousands of empty condos in the Pattaya area. One would think that some of the people owning condos would rather let them out than have them sit empty, so maybe it's possible to find something for under 10,000 baht. Bargirls seem to know where all the reasonably priced places are. Maybe invest in a few drinks and ask a few if they know of anyplace.

What would stop the hotels from including the "joiner fee" in the cost of the room?

I'm not sure about the cell phone system in Thailand, but here in the US I think the cell phone companies have gone to great lengths to assure that the cell phone system will continue to function in the event of a power outage. Back-up generators, battery back ups, etc. That might work for a while.

If I were living there, I'd want enough food and water on hand so that I could say in my house or condo for a few days to a week without leaving. And maybe some sort of solar powered charger for my cell phone. Do they make those?

When an aircraft carrier stops at Phuket, you can definitely tell the sailors are there, but I guess that's because Patong Beach is smaller than Pattaya. Anyway, they all seem well behaved, for the most part. As for the military's rules about prostitutes? Seems a bit harsh. Anyway, I was in the Army back in the early 70s, and back then, people seemed to think that the availability of prostitutes was simply another job perk. Germany, Panama, Korea, Japan, Vietnam. I never left the USA, but I heard lots of great stories.