PeterRS

Well, I may have drawn an incorrect conclusion but working abroad is one of the key factors in the two links you posted.

In the case of a colonoscopy, I recking this is a false saving. Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the USA for men and women combined. This year it is estimated 51,000 men will die from the cancer. In the UK, approx. 100 males are diagnosed with colorectal cancer each day. I believe I am right in saying polyps which develop and may become cancerous are a leading indicator of the cancer. These are easily spotted and whipped out in a routine colonoscopy.

I believe it all depends on age and what the doctor finds - if anything. I was always told everyone should get one at 50. If clear, then ten years before the next one is OK. But if he finds a few polyps, I was always told every 5 years. Now close to 70 I have had 4 over the years and nothing has ever been found thankfully. A few weeks ago at Bumrungrad, I had a different doctor. After she had prescribed some medication for an unrelated illness, I asked when I should have another colonoscopy procedure. My regular doctor had said 5 years since the last. After looking at my file, this doctor said 10 years after the last! Curious!

Isnt one problem the very real fact that civil servants in Thailand are basically paid peanuts at least until they reach the upper levels. They have no incentive to do anything more than apply rules. They are not paid to think.

Delete - sorry

The Thai Tourism Authority has given India preference for funding promotions for at least two years now. Also the main carriers like THAI, Thai Smile, Bangkok Airways, Nok, Thai Lion and Air Asia have added quite a few regular extra flights from India. On the last few times I have been in Central Chidlom in Bangkok, Indian visitors have been very much in evidence.

I typically carry not only essential meds but a number of others just in case I happen to need them and have difficulty finding them when I travel. Just basic things like a bottle of panadol tablets, several daily vitamin tablets, imodium in case of stomach upsets, mild sleeping tablets and so on. I may take a couple of each on a plane in a small clear container but I am not adding to my on board luggage by putting them in that. Another issue is booze. The booze stocked by most duty free outlets at airports is basically the same popular brands. In a city I will sometimes get a digestif or a bottle of sherry (have you ever seen a fino sherry in a duty free outlet in Asia) which will be considerably cheaper than if purchased in Thailand. That has to be packed in my checked luggage and will show up on the x-ray. I'll bet the eagle-eyed customs will demand the bag be opened and I will be asked why I did not carry it on board. They will then either charge duty on it or trash it. They will not be interested in finding out WHY it was not purchased at an airport after checkin. I still see this as another waste of money with someone no doubt having received a very large brown envelope form the purchase of the machines. A bit like the army's very expensive hot air observation balloon that just collapsed and died!

Martinson, you told us you have lived here for 13 years and the reason now is primarily your boyfriend. I assume you are retired - please correct me if I am wrong. But if I am right, you have posted one link to a survey that specifically relates to where it is best for expats to work. The issues are not identical. I cannot see that "Job Security" has much interest to retirees. On the other hand, I totally agree about the TM30 nonsense.

I can see yet more lengthy queues as a result of this measure. If I have some medication in my case, how are the x-ray machines to know if this is prescribed medication and not illicit drugs in pill form? They can't. So how many inbound passengers will be stopped and asked to open bags unnecessarily? It just seems another exercise to put off tourists.

When I was mugged in Rio, it was around noon on a bright sunny Sunday near the centre of the city with few people around. Muggings do not necessarily happen after dark!

Of course it is not the case that all expats have to pay someone to process the paperwork. I decide to use a law firm to help with all the documentation for the annual retirement renewal, if only because in my case there are around two dozen separate pieces of paper that have to be filled in and signed, most only in Thai. But as to the corrupt Immigration officer argument, my rule of thumb throughout my career is that when a problem arises I investigate to find out the root cause. I am not into quick fixes because the problem inevitably arises again. The primary reason for the new retirement rules and some having to tie up virtually $26,000 unused for life is exclusively due to corrupt Immigration officers. If they did not exist, there could be no crook agents. There could then be no crook expats. But Thai immigration seems perfectly happy to let these crooks in their Department continue to operate. Frankly, I reckon many of the crook agents have already worked a way around the 800,000/400,000 rule. Only the bribes will have to be a bit larger. As for the TM30, why is it not possible for a collection drop box to be available at the airports for those who happen to travel outside Thailand either occasionally or regularly? Why has immigration relaunched it without any grace period and, much more importantly, without getting the bugs in their computer system fully ironed out so that it would work smoothly from Day 1? I have no porblem with rules - provided the implications of a rule have been thoroughly thought through and those enacting it accept that there is no one type of expat. There are different types of expat and there is no one rule that fits all. That is what has given so many the impression that most expats are crooks and need to be reigned in for the safety of the Kingdom. I do not like to be considered a crook by anyone!

It would serve them right if an aircraft in trouble just happened to land in the middle of one!

I can understand the reasoning behind the TM30 form. What I totally fail to understand is why the old rule was reinforced so strongly without the Immigration Department being ready for it! I read a letter by one Bangkok Post reader to say he had gone to Immigration to register his apartment, waited four hours and still could not get to a counter. So he had to return the next day. Total cost? Endless frustration and a waste of about 1,400 baht in taxi fares. Recent days have even seen a senior Immigration officer admit they still have procedures which need updating. Its just nuts! I believe I wrote on another thread. When I return from an overseas trip, all the information required by Immigration is on my arrival form. Immigration has already had precisely the same information on their files for years ever since I started on the retirement visa route. But now after I arrive back at my condo, assuming I have registered - which I have not - I have to fill in a TM 30 and send it in, once again with exactly the same information on it! Why can I not just give the Immigration officer at the airport a TM 30 along with my arrival card? Or why not have a collection box at the airport? It seems Immigration assumes that all expats live in rented accommodation and spend weeks travelling around the country or to neighbouring countries. They seem not to believe that anyone might actually own an apartment and always return to it. It is always the reduction to the lowest common denominator - in this case an assumption that farang can not be trusted no matter that they have obeyed all the rules for many years.

Seems like 11 articles under this part of the Board https://gaybuttonthai.com/viewforum.php?f=4

I had the same problem - and I thought it was only me. I did not have a regular salary as I was a company director dependent on how the company performed. I had over $200,000 in my account with that bank at that time. I was informed I would automatically receive a Platinum card. I did not want one - merely a regular card. No problem, I was told. A week later I was informed by letter that I had not completed details of my salary and could not receive the card until I had done so. After my phoning the bank and being told it was their error, I got yet another letter saying the same thing. I gavve up and transferred everything to a different bank!

So tying up 800,00/400,000 baht in an account which can never be used nor released till after death is reasonable? It is utter madness! This is especially true for those many expats who have actually invested many millions of baht in purchasing a home. If I have a home worth around 7 million baht, for what possible reason should I now be asked to deposit what is effectively a penalty of $26,000? The plain fact is that without crooked Immigration staff, there would be no problem. The agents could not make a quick buck and the crook expats who each year defied the law would be kicked out. It is those of us who obeyed the rules for years and years that are the only ones really affected. Yes I know. Why not switch to the monthly payment scheme? Impossible unless first you have a pension (not all do) and that pension equals around $2,200, That may be easy for Americans on social security. A UK citizen on the basic pension gets beer money that amounts to not much more than a quarter of that. To me is is wholly unreasonable and utterly ridiculous. It is merely a financial penalty for many that would not be necessary if Immigration actually bothered to take any steps to get its house in order.

I am no great fan of the Tripadvisor site but it can be useful in giving general ideas about a hotel. The Furama Silom gets some good reviews but there are few few pretty awful ones among more recent reviews.

I suppose four of the warrior figures is better than nothing, but the real experience of the pits in Xian is in the numbers. Around 8,000 warrior figures with many different facial features and armour. Nothing prepares you for that sight.

You actually swim in that filthy water? I believe they are still pumping raw sewage into the sea not far away. Even if not, I gave up swimming there many years ago.

I recently sent cash to Vietnam via Western Union. I had never used the company before. I was amazed how easy and fast it was. I paid cash plus a 350 baht fee. All they needed was the full name of the beneficiary and for him to show any Western Union office in the country a copy of the receipt which I sent to him by phone. The money was available within less than an hour! I was amazed! When I had tried to send money before through HSBC in another country, it needed his name, address, phone number, date of birth, name of bank, bank account, branch address and Swift Code! Then it would take about 36 hours to be received because it had to be routed via Hanoi. And the transfer fee was a lot higher. Ridiculous! I wonder how abidismaili is getting on with the Japanese address system.

I notice in that article that Qatar is starting flights into Langkawi. I wonder how long these will remain on the schedule. Its aggressive expansion into Thailand in recent years has not exactly been a success. Non-stop flights from Doha into Chiang Mai, U-Tapao and Krabi were all announced with big fanfare. U-Tapao and Krabi bit the dust. Now it only flies to Chiang Mai but with a stop in Bangkok. And those flights to Langkawi are also not non-stop. They have what is called a technical stop in Penang! I wonder what a technical stop means. Penang is just 108 kms away from Langkawi. Since the aircraft is a 787 there is zero need for a technical stop. On further checking, the Doha/Penang flight is a scheduled route. So "technical stop" is inaccurate and meaningless. It is a one-step flight!

My pleasure! Have a wonderful trip!

Have you still not realised that Thai logic is totally different from western logic? Thailand has evolved over the decades with its own system. That foreigners might not understand it matters nothing to them. Please realise that Thailand is not alone when it comes to addresses. Have you looked at Japan? Ill bet you would have difficulty with this address Tokyo 153-9951, Meguro, Kamimeguro, 2-16-13, Risonanakameguro Building, Bon Mark Co. Ltd. Can you understand that? Could you find the address? Almost certainly not, unless you have spent some time in Japan or are a regular visitor. For a start it is back to front to western eyes. Then there is no street name, no discernible building number on the street and no district name. But all Japanese understand it as does the mail man.

Having trashed the Marina Bay Sands, it is only fair that i make a recommendation. The InterContinental SIngaore is an absolutely delightful hotel. Beautifully furnished with a fabulous breakfast. The Bugis MRT station is two minutes walk away under cover. I have stayed more than half a dozen times - never been anything other than extremely satisfied. https://www.ihg.com/intercontinental/hotels/us/en/singapore/sinhb/hoteldetail?cm_mmc=GoogleMaps-_-IC-_-SG-_-SINHB The Conrad Singapore is also superb. It is one of a cluster of hotels in that Marina Bay area, including the Ritz Carlton, the Mandarin Oriental, the Pan Pacific (also very good and a bit less expensive) and the Marina Mandarin (avoid!). Stayed twice. Wonderful rooms. https://conradhotels3.hilton.com/en/hotels/singapore/conrad-centennial-singapore-SINCICI/index.html The Shanghai La is quite lovely but you really need to stay in the more expensive Garden or Valley Wings, not the more basic Tower Wing. Locationwise, though, it is not so good. https://www.shangri-la.com/singapore/shangrila/ Less luxurious but fantastic views if you can pay for a high floor room is The Swissotel The Stamord. Right above the main MRT interchange and City Hall Shopping Mall. The Mall used to be very cruisy but I believe not now. The Bar Rouge on the 71st floor is definitely worth a visit. https://www.swissotel.com/hotels/singapore-stamford/media/photos/

I also highly recommend Somerset Park and I totally agree with DivineMadman about Le Meridien in Chiang Mai. It used to be a lovely hotel. No longer. Besides when I stayed bout a year ago, the large bed mattresses were quite old with valleys and hills which made sleep awkward. The Shangri La is not far away A little further is the quite lovely Ping Nakara Boutique Hotel and spa in a glorious colonial building. The rooms are beautifully furnished and the service excellent http://www.pingnakara.com But avoid the Marina Bay Sands like the PLAGUE! It is a stunning piece of architecture and the infinity pool at the top is great. BUT - check out a lot of tripadvisor reviews. Two days ago, one post was headed "Truly awful, outdated, overcrowded tourist trap" The problem is the hotel is so massive it cannot cope with the numbers - even after being open almost a decade. You will encounter queues everywhere. When I stayed, it took 20 minutes queuing just to get to reception. I was on floor 46. very time I tried to get a lift it was about a 5 minute wait. When I came down for breakfast there was a very long queue. It took almost 30 minutes to get a seat. When I checked out, forearmed is forewarned, it took about 25 minutes. I will never in my life consider staying at that dreadful excuse for a hotel again. As for the pool, you will enjoy it. But you will feel like a caged animal in a circus. The hotel permits the public access to that floor for payment. So you will have 100 plus people watching your every move. Want a drink? Be prepared to wait a long time to find a waiter and another to get your drink. Want a non-smoking room? You will get one, but someone will have been smoking in it quite recently. The hotel caters to so many guests from China (they come for the casino) most of whom seem to smoke. My non-smoking room had several cigarette burns on the desk and the table. A final point. You will notice that the overall Tripadvisor ratings are quite high. You will find a host of reviews from posters who have made only 1 or 2 posts in their lives. Invariably all are in the rave category. Disregard these and the overall rating falls. The Singapore government has a stake in Marina Bay Sands and a lot riding on it. Years ago on Tripadvisor, it came last of all the country's 5-star hotels. Within a year, thanks to a host of short 2 or 3 line 5-star rave reviews, it began to rise in the rankings. It was discovered that virtually all of those reviews had been deliberately "planted". Singapore has lots of excellent 5 star hotels. On the basis of my experience and that of my colleagues (I was attending an international conference with speakers from around the world) none of us would consider staying there again. Sorry!