billyhouston

"The NHS is the envy of the world" is simply a socialist mantra, trotted out time and time again.... ad nauseam. It is nothing of the sort; it's a sclerotic, bureaucratic nightmare which has been, very successfully I might say, weaponised by successive socialist governments. This has made it politically impossible to effect the drastic changes necessary to drag it, screaming and shouting, from the middle of the 20th century and into the 21st. Private medicine in the UK is not just for the 'rich'; it's for those who choose (socialists don't like choice) to prioritise their health over things like alcohol, smoking, 65" TVs, Sky TV subscriptions and all the rest. Of course, the same socialists want to abolish both private medicine and private education rather than bringing the state provisiion up to the same standard. Amusingly were we to remain in the European Union, and I'm one of the northern 'oiks' included in the majority who voted to leave, they would not, as I understand it, be allowed to abolish either. To bring this back ot the original topic, a few days before leaving UK I discovered that my eye pressures had taken a sudden turn for the worse and my consultant of 20 years (I value continuity of care, unavailable on the NHS) advised that I have urgent SLT. This is a procedure which fires a laser at the trabecular mesh with a view to opening it and thus reducing the intraocular pressures. I declined on the grounds that I could have it done here if needed, which she thought might not be possible. After much procrastination, I went to the hospital I normally use here in Chiang Mai and had the pressures checked and the optic nerve inspected. The cost, doctor and hospital included, was Bht 520. My pressures had returned to normal as, for various reasons, I thought they would. My UK consultant charges £220 for a first consultation and £125 for a follow up, so I find the cost of health care in Thailand very reasonable

Photo taken at lunchtime today, 7 November. Seems to be operating still.

If you don't get any other replies, I shall make inquiries and/or try to have a look up there in the next couple of days. Havn't heard anything about its closing.

Haven't accessed it for ages but just checked and it's working now.... knock wood.

At Sriphat Centre about four years ago I happened to spot an advert, in one of their elevators, for colonoscopy and gastroscopy. Unfortunately because of the 'transparent' covering it was not east to photograph. The deal was Gastroscopy Bht11,000, Colonoscopy Bht15,000. Special offer have both done Bht20,000. Date was March 2015.

https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/govt-aiding-effort-seek-pardons-2-myanmar-workers-death-row-thailand-minister.html

In January 2016 a friend of mine was beaten to death by five Thai teenagers and two in their early 20s. This happened in Chiang Mai in the early hours and CCTV evidence made it impossible for the police to ignore. He was a migrant from Shan State (I live with migrants and most of my friends are, consequently, migrants.) who also happened to be an orphan. Seven Thais took on one migrant and beat him to death with lumps of wood and concrete. Unfortunately yaba tablets were found in his pockets and I have no idea whether they were his, placed on him by his assailants or by 'others'. As a consequence I was strongly advised not to attend the funeral. "The suspects were charged with colluding in a fatal assault." He was a poor migrant, with nobody to speak up for him, and his killers were Thai. The matter appears simply to have been dropped.

My experiences with TransferWise have, so far at least, been entirely positive. I check the 'middle rate' before making a transfer and they follow it very closely. It's great to know, to the nearest satang, exactly how much should appear in the account the next day. Far better overall rate than my UK Bank, more efficient and less hassle. My UK Bank requires me to fill in all the details each and every time I make a transfer and, as you will realise, this requires great care and checking. With Transferwise, for a repeat transfer all the details are pre-filled, other than the amount.

Agreed... and very convenient when we're staying at Le Siam (Swiss Lodge)

With no direct flights there is the choice of, amongst others, LHR (no!), CDG, AMS, FRA, various other European airports and the usual collection of those in the Middle East. It is often cheaper to fly through these European hubs than to fly from them. I used to use MAN-CDG-BKK-CNX and it was substantially cheaper than flying ex-CDG. In the old days you would simply tear off the first coupon, but these days they can insist that you fly MAN-CDG and will cancel your flight if you don't.... it's all in the Terms and Conditions. Flying, these days, MAN-HKG-CNX means one fewer flight, one fewer trip through security and an A350-900 rather than a clapped out Air France 777 which is configured, on the CDG-BKK, to carry 468 passengers.

You can set whatever location you desire (free and paid for versions) with PlanetRomeo, both in the app and in a browser. One of the big advantages of PlanetRomeo.

Until the turn of the century, the Siam Intercontinental was a great hotel in central Bangkok and my resting place of choice in the city. At that time the lease, from the Crown, expired and, with its 25 acres of gardens extending from Rama 1 almost to the San Saep, it was unlikely that a hotel could afford the (new) ground rent. The hotel was pulled down in July 2002 and replaced with that grotesque temple to Mammon, Siam Paragon.

I was 71 in January and my partner 35 in May. Seems to be catching on this board.

This, taken from the Thai Embassy in London, may be of interest: Non-Immigrant Visa “O-X” (Long Stay) 5 Year per entries/Multiple entries Applicants’ qualifications Age of 50 years old or over Applicants must be passport holder or nationality of (1) Japan (2) Australia (3) Denmark (4) Finland (5) France (6) Germany (7) Italy ( Netherlands (9) Norway (10) Sweden (11) Switzerland (12) United Kingdom (13) Canada (14) United States of America Financial qualifications Applicants must have money deposited in Thai bank located in Thai bank located in Thailand with the amount of not less than 3 million Baht; or Applicants must have money deposited in Thai bank located in Thailand with the amount of not less than 1.8 million Baht and have income with the amount of not less than 1.2 million Baht per year. Once the applicants enter Thailand, they must have accumulated money deposited in Thai bank located in Thailand not less than 3 million Baht within 1 year.

If that's Raya Surawong you are referring to, it is, as I type, Bht7902 including taxes for 20 - 24 December. Check hotelscombined.com

Of course they would prefer not to have these problems. On the other hand that is the reality and hilltribe people deal with it. I live with, and amongst, migrant hilltribe people, so you've no need to tell me about the limitations and lack of opportunities for those born in another country.What they have to endure breaks my heart and I'm no left-wing, virtue signalling clown. Peace.

I'm sorry but pong is absolutely correct in what he says.Borders have been moved around at the whim of colonial powers and the hilltribes really don't give a hoot about passports and the like. You would be amazed at the amount of traffic there is across Thailand's northern and western borders and I don't mean Mae Sai/Tachileik in the case of the northern border. People with full passports find it more convenient to use 'less formal' crossings, where passports are not needed, as they and their ancestors have done for yonks.

Have to agree with Bob; that's a really out of the way place to stay. Your best bet for getting into town might be to pick up a Lamphun - Chiang Mai bus or songteaw which run along highway 106. They took you to Warorot, the main market, last time I used them, many years ago. This road to Lamphun is lined by beautiful trees but can be rather busy. I have taken visitors to the elephant sanctuary on highway 11, North of Lampang, and it proved interesting and rather less commercial than those north of CM, though I have to admit I haven't visited the latter, which are directed very much at tourists. Lampang itself has Wat Phra That Lampang Luang, a Lanna style temple and there's also a Shan style temple there. Whatever you decide, have a great time in this lovely city.

Uber is certainly the way to go and readily available even in outlying areas of Chiang Mai. Arranged an Uber a couple of days ago to take a friend from here, about 1 mile east of Promenada, to his rather remote home. I collect him in the morning so know the distance.... 10 miles. Uber was Bht157, but more at peak times. Be careful not to arrange a pickup near any Songtaews or tuk tuks as I am given to understand that can cause trouble. (Our Uber driver in Pattaya was scared stiff of taxis and police, but provided an excellent drive to the airport in a brand new Fortuner.)

Tai (Shan) people in Thailand can be put into, roughly speaking, four different categories: !. Ethinic Shan who are full Thai citizens 2. Ethnic Shan, born in Thailand who have Hilltribe IDs 3. Ethnic Shan, born in Shan State (or elsewhere in Myanmar) who are legally in Thailand 4. Ethnic Shan who are living in Thailand without the correct papers. The first category are found particularly in Mae Hong Son which was, until about 125 years ago, part of Mawkmai State, one of the Shan States. It was ceded to Thailand in return for Thailand's giving up claims to some other areas around the Salween. The second category are not full Thai citizens, even though they were born in Thailand, as sometimes were their parents and grandparents. They lack freedom of movement and have to obtain permission to travel from their Hilltribe area. Those Shan legally in Thailand will generally have a work permit, but are restricted in the types of jobs that they can take. A large number fled back across the border as a result of recent Thai legislation. Those without proper papers are in a very difficult position. Recent legislation, subsequently rescinded for a few months, has greatly increased the fines that they and their employers face, as well as prison sentences. Presently they are having to return to Shan for ID verification, passports and, ultimately, work permits. Northern Thailand is heavily dependent on Shan workers both in the hospitality industry and in construction. Without them, these industries would grind to a halt.

If you like tasty Thai food in unpretentious surroundings, try Lemon Tree. It's on Huaykaew Road opposite the Shell petrol station, which also provides parking for the restaurant. If you're into Som Tam (Papaya Salad) you might try Udorn Som Tam on Soi Viangbua. It's about 100m beyond Viangbua Mansion or, for that matter, 150m beyond Adam's Apple.

15 or 20 years ago at Mingaladon they used to park the transfer buses (there were no air-bridges) in front of the very dirty windows of the 'Departure Lounge'. This was to make it difficult, but not impossible, to see the Mig-29s taking off. You couldn't miss the noise though. Unfortunately there is a proposal to build a new 'Yangon' airport just outside Bago.

Depends on the bus! There are several ways of crossing the border without a passport, which is why there are several million Myanmar citizens in Thailand. One is to go to an official crossing point, obtain a day pass and then 'forget' to go back. Danger with this is there are lots of Police Checkpoints on the Thai side near these crossings. Another is to cross the border where there is no official crossing point. The north of Thailand has ten or more places where people regularly cross (or should that be irregularly?). It's no big deal. There's a pretty regular 'bus' service through one of these, between xxx, Thailand and Ho Mein, Shan State. I'm not familiar with the crossing points in the west but I'm sure there are at least as many.

Loperamide is probably best known under the brand name Imodium. The Thai version has a splendid graphic which directly indicates its function. It stops the immediate problem, but does nothing for the underlying cause. An excellent local treatment, readily available and inexpensive, is Disento which treats the bacterial infection causing the problem.

BBC World Service is available on their 'BBC iPlayer Radio' app for Android. Along with much more.