Trvlr

To add a somewhat lighter touch to all this doom and gloom, Australian research some 10 years ago showed that emptying the tank frequently greatly lessens the chance of prostate cancer. Masturbation was mentioned. So there you are gentlemen (Catholics excepted I suppose) - you are in the right place to avoid prostate cancer. Wish everyone a long, happy and prostate-ful life!

You don't have to use their card. If you live for any length of time here then you will have a bank account and you can use your bank debit card. Or a regular credit card. However the whole process has introduced more complication. The intent may have been to reduce staff by using ticket dispensing machines, but I think it takes more people now to get the whole thing done.

Insurance companies will have this information in the document they call Evidence of Coverage. For California, I am giving an example of Kaiser. The EOC should be at this link: https://medicare.kaiserpermanente.org/wps/portal/medicare/plans/explore/descriptions/scal/los-angeles# It is also easy enough to call whichever insurance company you are interested in and ask. I would give my residence in the US, to begin with anyway. Referring to BigDUSA's post above, Medigap policies are different from Advantage plans. Medigap policies fill in gaps in traditional Medicare. Advantage plans ar

If you remember, there was a lengthy discussion on this topic, initiated by my question about medical costs. It will be best to go over it. But, briefly: 1) The lady was right - if you do not intend to go back to the US then it is probably not much use paying for Part B. 2) But you were mentioning the possibility of going back to the US for treatment, in which case Part B makes a whole lot of sense. 3) The "newer" Medicare Advantage Plans also offer emergency care abroad for the same Part B premium. 4) The post above is correct. You can sign on for Part B late with a 10 percent per annum

Given all the sentiments about Bangkok Pattaya Hospital's price gouging of farangs, I was hoping to use a government hospital - assuming time permits. Gary's assessment of government hospitals above is hopeful. I hear there is one at Sattahip that is pretty good. Either that, or something closer, will be fine. I will carry directions with me. Pretty morbid thinking, I know, but stuff happens.

Okaaay...it is a big clinic or a small hospital...happy? However it does not look big enough to have the kind of specialized equipment needed for really serious illnesses like stroke. If it does, and someone corroborates it, then I will be happy because I will know where to go if something happens..

Gary, keep in mind that Medicare will only cover hospital stay - unless you have been keeping up with your Part B payments. Without Part B cover, you will have to pay out of pocket for tests, doctors' visits, medicines - the whole lot. I have seen a government hospital on Soi Buakhow, but it looks like a small clinic. Where is the nearest decent fully equipped hospital? I would like to keep their info handy just in case.

Thanks all. Looks like 500 baht is the price, for farangs anyway, for a simple cleaning. I asked the Kittipoj clinic next to Cucumber. The price for a "normal" cleaning is 500, and 600-1000 for a not-so-normal cleaning. The place next to it, Smile, wants 600, so I guess they are trying to generate a little extra. And a filling is 800 baht, someone said above. Fillings can vary, but good to know.

Time to get a cleaning, and I am hoping a few members can post what they paid and the name and location of the dentist. Obviously only if they were satisfied with the work. Hopefully the info will also help others in the same situation. Thanks.

There is a long story in the Bangkok Post about the new visa run regulations. They are supposedly aimed at abuse by Russians, Koreans, and Vietnamese, but will affect everyone. Effective in August, but some border posts have begun enforcing them. http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/security/410342/border-insecurity-mounts-as-tourist-visa-abuse-is-targeted

Maybe they want to generate revenue. The 30-day visa on arrival costs nothing. To get a visa from a consulate you need to pay - $40 per entry in the US. That can get them enough money to pay a substantial portion of their consulate maintenance cost.

I am looking for two or three insurance brokers to get quotes for a scooter. Will appreciate any recommendations, along with directions. Thanks.

The wheel size needs to be the same - if it is a 14-inch wheel then the tire stays the same. The width can safely be increased a couple of sizes. The PCX rear tire is a 100 - you can easily go up to 120, maybe even 130. The aspect ratio - the "90" in the middle - can also be changed and people usually bring it down lower. Instead of 90 you can go to a 60 or thereabouts. Beyond these parameters the rim needs to be changed, and that means making sure of several other factors. I am mostly interested in increasing the width - going to a 120 perhaps for the rear and 100 for the front.

My guess is he means 1,800 baht. Replacement tires from Honda Mtyon cost 2,300 last time I asked.

Has anyone ever installed larger-than-stock tires on the PCX150? If so, perhaps you will share the: 1) Brand/model/size 2) Cost 3) Location where it was done 4) Benefits or otherwise

More like double. Suggested retail for the 2013 was $3449, so probably around 4000 out the door.

If you are patient and keep a sharp lookout, you can get a 2013 PCX for more than 20,000 baht less than the current retail for a new one. It is likely to have no more han 5000 km on it, and will still be under warranty. I bought one and am happy with it.

Won't it depend on which flavor of Click you buy? If the Honda website is correct then there are several configurations, and they will be priced differently because they have different features.

Really? I have been meaning to visit Kanchanaburi. You think it is possible to get to the border from there for visa purposes by some other means? Also, what does the Myanmar visa cost?

Will having a dog or two be a deterrent?

Although I will continue to stay in condos if they are more convenient, this thread did make me aware of the exit doors issue. I was not aware of the Palm Beach fire and that locked doors led to all those deaths. Pretty horrific. So far I have not made a point of explicitly observing exit doors before renting - it just so happens that all of them have been well furnished with stairs (unlocked). Now I will make it a point to check for them and probably not rent if the exits are not right.

The great majority of deaths in house fires is the result of smoke inhalation, not burns, at least in the US and possibly other industrialized countries. So melting steel is probably not much of an issue. Locked exit doors are. If anyone lives in a building in which fire exits are locked then they should raise hell or get the hell out of there. Having said that, if people feel safe keeping a coil of rope on the 17th floor, then go for it. If nothing else it will be easier to hang yourselves to escape death from a fire.

I have read of people in the middle of New York who keep snake bite kits next to their beds. The condos here are steel and concrete construction. They will not flame up like the wood frame houses in the US (and probably Europe too) do. I have stayed in several condos and all of them have had well signed staircases. I am in a small condo now and it has two sets of stairs. I have never had any concern whatsoever that in case of a fire in one of the apartments I will be able to get to a stair easily, if needed. Shimmying 17 floors down on a rope? Let's leave that to the movies!

The male pharmacists at Tim's Pharmacy (next to Tim's bar) informed me yesterday that the 6-for-1000 promotion for Kamagra has ended, and the price will be 5-for-1000 from now on. For the Thai version (Sidegra?) they wanted 350 for a pack of four. They refused to budge when I bluffed that it was available for 180 in Bangkok. However, the lady pharmacist has always been more compliant on price, and I will get the info from her if/when I see her there.

When you say "a UPS box" do you mean Mailbox, the chain that UPS bought a few years ago? Their boxes are pretty small, what happens when you have more mail? And how much mail will they forward for $40? Well, at various points in life, such as when doing taxes, you have to identify which state you are a resident of. Also when obtaining a drivers license. And so on. I just wondered if getting a mailing address is sufficient for these purposes. It is a complex question for which I will need to do my own research, but if anyone has opinions I will take'em.