Gaybutton

GT's experience and some of the comments that thus far followed are very disturbing. Until now, based on my own experience and stories I have heard from others, I had full faith in Bumrungrad and it would have been my first choice if something serious occurred and I had time to go there. Now I'm not so sure. Unfortunately, this sort of thing seems to be typical of many Thai hospitals. Some people receive excellent care and others end up as GT did. Try as I might, I cannot come up with any kind of excuse or justification for the treatment GT and his boyfriend were subjected to, along with the prices, in comparison to other hospitals. I know GT quite well. For him to be this angry, as a matter of fact for him to be angry at all, then he had to have been pushed far beyond the patience a great many people would ever have tolerated. In my opinion it's not the hospital that matters. It's the doctors and the staff by whom you are treated that makes all the difference, no matter where the hospital is. Based on these stories, now the only reason I can see to single out Bumrungrad for treatment would be if there is a need for medical equipment that cannot be found in other hospitals.

I doubt that I'll be letting you know about breakfast any time soon. I usually don't eat breakfast at all. When I do I normally make my own at home. It's rare for me to go out for breakfast more than once or twice a month. But sooner or later I'll get there. I'll certainly try it next time I do go out for breakfast. If any of my friends want to give it a try very soon, I'll go. Yes, you're right. The LK Metropole is close to Soi Buakhao, not Third Road. I have now made the change to my original post to correct that error.

That's the first time I've ever heard about anyone complaining about Bumrungrad. The only reason I can come up with as to why he and you were treated this way was because he is Thai. If that's the reason, I can't imagine why he would be treated any differently from anyone else. And if Thai's get "who cares" treatment in their own country, what possible justification would there be? Too bad this didn't happen in the USA. Your boyfriend could have made a fortune in lawsuits. I could understand if he was mistreated by one scumbag, but based on your story he was mistreated by everyone he encountered. I guess you couldn't really have done this, but I wish you told them to take their bill and wipe their asses with it. As far as I'm concerned, the best hospital in Pattaya is Pattaya Memorial. I've heard too many horror stories about Bangkok-Pattaya and I experienced one myself there. That hospital would be my last choice. They also charge a hell of a lot more than any of the other local hospitals. At Memorial I, and anyone with whom I'm acquainted who was treated there, received excellent, competent treatment at reasonable prices. You paid 1500 baht at Bumrungrad for the doctor to take a quick glance at him. You know how much you would have paid at Memorial, and would have received quality care? 500 baht. I'll bet prices and care would have been similar to Memorial at other hospitals in Bangkok. Bumrungrad has an excellent reputation and until your story I've never heard of anyone who had a complaint. But what happened to you and your boyfriend is outrageous. He could have died and apparently nobody would have given a damn. If I were you I would go back, get the names of everyone who was involved with your boyfriend, and sit down with the hospital's chief administrator and raise holy hell. Then, as soon as you leave his office, my next stop would be an attorney's office.

I agree about the noise level. Much too loud for my taste. I can't speak to what you had last night, but we enjoyed what we had tonight. I don't expect anything all that great for 99 baht, but I have no complaints about the food we had this evening. But I can do without the noise. I think this is the kind of place most people will either like or swear they'll never return.

If you are looking for inexpensive, plain, but good food, try the LK Renaissance on Soi Diana Inn. It's nothing fancy, but it is certainly popular. The place was packed when we went. Richard Burk, owner of the Amor Restaurant, was my dinner partner. Tonight was his night off and he likes trying new places. A friend of his, Bobby, is the owner. As you can see by the attached business card, they offer all you can eat specials every day. They offer several different choices, but they can't fit onto a business card. For example, on their pizza night they offer several different kinds of pizza. On their burgers night they offer hamburgers, hot dogs, salad, and fries. They ask that along with it you order a minimum of one drink. Soft drinks are 30 to 25 baht. In all honesty, I thought it would be nothing but cheap crap, but it turned out to be unexpectedly good and good quality. Everything is home-made. Even the hamburger buns are home made and they were also good. Richard and I both enjoyed it and we'll be back. Depending on individual taste, I don't really know whether this restaurant is going to be your cup of tea or not, but I think it's certainly worth a try. It is not a buffet. On your table there will be slips of paper with all the available items of the evening listed. You simply check off what you want. If you want more, you just fill out another slip. The service was good and it was fast. One complaint many people have is breakfast. Many breakfast places in Pattaya don't open until 9:00 or 10:00am. Lk Renaissance opens for breakfast at 7:00am. It is also an all you can eat for 99 baht breakfast. The serve everything from eggs any style to pancakes, French toast, sausage, bacon, etc. Sounds like an excellent breakfast deal. I'll be trying it soon. If you're not sure of the location, Soi Diana Inn can be accessed from both Second Road and Soi Buakhao. If you are coming from Third Road, go down the soi that goes past the Cartier bar and the Opey de Place hotel. Cross Soi Buakhao and keep going. The restaurant is about halfway down the soi on the right. Of course, if you're coming from Second Road, go to the Diana Inn hotel and turn right. Strangely enough, that's Soi Diana Inn. The restaurant is about halfway up the soi between Second Road and Soi Buakhao. If you drive a car, parking is no problem. Close to Soi Buakhao is the Metropole Hotel. Just tell the security guard you are going to the LK Renaissance restaurant and you're allowed to park there. Breakfast is served from 7:00am to 2:00pm. The daily specials are served from 3:00pm to 11:00pm

I did a Google search: souvlaki bangkok Several web sites popped up.

What do you use now?

If you're a work permit holder I wouldn't worry about it too much. If I had one baht for every time Thailand was discussing something, but nothing ever came of it, I wouldn't know what to do with all the money. I learned a long time ago: Don't worry until you have something to worry about.

September 01~15 Gourmet Set Menu House Champagne *** Amuse Bouche *** White Wine Cackle Berry Chardonnay, Australia 2004 Serrano Ham & Ricotta Cheese Roll *** Spanish Gazpacho Soup with Condiments *** Flames Scampi in Puff Pastry and Lobster Sauce *** Passion Fruit Sherbet *** Red Wine Branciforti Nero D'Avola, Italy 2004 French Sea Bass Filet on roasted Fennel and Pernod Sauce -or- Roasted Duck Breast on Puy Lentils and red Wine Sauce *** Crepes Jubil

I agree. My friend and I must have gotten there shortly after you had left. The souvlaki wasn't very much like I remembered from Greece. Basically, what is being served here is a kebob and grilled pita bread. Also, the yoghurt sauce was missing. We asked about it. The owner said that he is not satisfied with the yoghurt he is able to find in Pattaya, so he is importing some from Greece. It should be here and ready to serve in about a week. So, I'll give it another try in a week or so. I think it is still a good bargain for the price, but I definitely would not call it a truly Greek restaurant.

Here's the "September Diary" for the La Cage bar:

All I know is this is what he told me after speaking to their representative on the telephone.

I just spoke with a friend of mine who needed some minor surgery done, but it was emergency surgery due to an accident. He has the BUPA Blue Cross and Medicare in the USA. The accident happened in Pattaya. According to his story, BUPA Blue Cross requires a separate form for each individual bill. There were 8 bills, and these are not quick, short forms. He was told that before his claim will be paid he has to make a claim through Medicare. He explained that Medicare won't cover him outside of the USA. They said they are aware of that, but before they can process his claim he has to receive a rejection from Medicare. He contacted Medicare. Naturally, they too require a separate form for each bill. By the time he gets the forms filled out, gets them sent to Medicare, receives a rejection from Medicare, submits another set of forms to Blue Cross,and finally gets his claim paid he'll be lucky if we're still in the same century.

I agree and what you wrote is correct if you are transferring money to a different bank. However, my experience is when you are transferring to a different account within the same bank, for example transferring from one Bangkok Bank account to another Bangkok Bank account, the service is available 24/7 and the funds are available instantly. I've done it at 3:00am and it worked just fine, and yes it does work during both bank and public holidays. However, if for example you want to transfer from a Bangkok Bank account to a Siam Commercial Bank account, then you are correct about the 6:00am to 9:00pm availability. If you make the transfer at 9:00pm, it will go through. If you try it at 9:01, you'll find that you have to wait until 6:00am the next morning. By the way, the same is true for online banking when it comes to making transfers. That's been my experience anyway.

The last time I was in Phuket was before the Tsunami. I hope they rebuilt Patong Beach Bungalows. If they did, it would fit exactly what Hans030 is looking for. If not, someone else will have to make a recommendation. I'm simply not familiar enough with Phuket to know where else to recommend, given his criteria.

A friend and I are planning to give it a try this evening. I'll post about it after we've been there.

I always liked Patong Beach Bungalows. http://www.phukethotel.com/phuket/patong-beach-bungalows.html

I seem to recall someone asking about Greek restaurants in Pattaya. I suppose this one is a start. Since some people on certain other boards seem to bitterly resent it when I write a restaurant review, I'll humor them by not writing one. I'll just refer you to someone else who did: http://www.pattayadailynews.com/showfeature.php?FeatureID=0000001382

A few days ago Jim told me he needs to have some surgery himself. Maybe that's why he's not responding.

Maybe they tell fortunes and communicate with the dead . . .

Yet another item for my "I Don't Get It" list. I can't imagine why it works just fine in Pattaya at any hour of any day, but in Bangkok you can't do the same thing. Welcome to Thailand.

But it wasn't a joke. It was a riddle . . .

Why not? You've learned whatever it is you've needed to learn and you've made decisions and changed your opinion. If you lose friends because of your post, then they weren't true friends in the first place. More likely you've gained friends from your post. If you are feeling that people will think the less of you for it, then that's the wrong feeling. You said that marijuana was fucking up your life. You finally realized that after having paid quite a price for much too long, but at least you realized it and now you want better out of life than you were getting. I think that deserves praise and I also think that you are taking the right steps so that you can discard the past and make a good new start and new life right here in Thailand. You'll be welcomed with open arms.

Don't laugh. In Thailand they don't drive cars, but I've seen plenty of them driving motorcycles.

I just put raw chicken into the laundry. It doesn't clean the clothes, but at least they smell like soup . . .