SammyJ

You say they will all do the "full test"--what does that consist of? Might you go from an outside machine one stares into independently to a backroom where you can stare at an eye chart, but i have never seen here any shopping mall glass shop have a certified optometrist or the types of testing equipment utilized by professional, certified, trained, optometrists at CM Ram, Vision Center or ones i have seen back in the US.

"I bought these progressive specs from one of the BIG high street retailers in CM" wow, I didn't know CM had such retailers--to which shops and where?

Yes, i have used the one at CM Ram and she was good--Vision Center also, but as you said, they will do the testing for free but expect you to purchase glasses.

exactly right!

What type of testing did they do--are you talking about the shops which have the machine that you look into for a brief period of time and then it spits out a "prescription"? there are few actual trained optometrists who have the proper equipment and are trained how to use it---i know one is at CM Ram--it was the only testing i have seen done that resembled professional testing back in the US, by a certified optometrist.

Wow, if this bothers you about living in Thailand, then you are in store for some real upsets. You don't understand that Thais, for the overwhelming majority, do not use "toilet paper", but their "bum sprays" and what you see is not considered "toilet" anything, but only paper tissue, to be used to clean like paper towels, etc--and the rolls, for some restaurants, are cheaper and easier to use than supplying bundles of paper napkins.

correct--and they seem efficient while being demonstrated in Makro or Home Pro, but the store is already air conditioned and has low humidity--once the air cooler is run at home, it is nothing more than an expensive fan--like was stated in an earlier reply--the true portable air cons--require outside venting, and a collection of the water which normally is drained outside--and are expensive to run and very noisy as the small compressor inside the machine which is inside your house (split air con, most common here, the compressor, of course, is outside ur house )--the others that use ice or cold water--not too efficient in a warm humid house--they are simply increasing the humidity within your house, making it usually more uncomfortable, and a constant replacing of the ice or cool water.

google black spot--it may not be what you have, but i had it a lot on my roses--I discovered that it came from watering too early in the morning and getting the leaves wet, when there wasn't yet sufficient sun, or heat, to dry the water quickly, and it let to a fungus, called black spot--common in roses and some other leafy plants could try to spray, but the answer was to trim off the infected leaves as quickly as possible so that it couldn't spread more easily.

Keep looking--are you sure you have a LAN cable? I have never seen a notebook that does not have a LAN outlet or more than one.

He is not saying you will get 20% for wifi---I have same true home internet--when true techs come to test or set up, they connect their laptop to router with a LAN line--the advertised speeds are for wired connections,not wifi--variables if using a various VPS, or how many devices in a home on utilizing wifi at the same time--I usually get 650 to 750, or even 800 on rare occasions on my my True Wifi (i have the 1000 download) and sometimes as low as 500 to 600, which is plenty to watch movies, etc--True fiber has local what they call "nodes" i think ==and when i signed up there was a mix of 8 homes allowed per node--when i first signed up, they told me there were only 2 other on my nearest node--but over the last two years, it has filled up and if all users are on at the same time, it is possible that the "peak usage" they mentioned is correct--if also, within the household, they are multiple devices utilizing the wifi at the same time--it was suggested you connect a LAN line to a notebook, for example, and then run a speed test--within Thailand--ping bkk, and then ping an outside Thailand site and compare speeds--as that is how a True tech would test it--then if those speeds are good, then you know it is internal wifi issue, not ur fiber connection.

I think that saltwater pools are the only way to go. But, if he liked the other pool and it was convenient, to be upset by a 500 baht charge for a membership--which is for what length of time?

Which hotels offer "full towel service"? I have read hotels offering membership to their gyms--which might include use of the hotel's swimming pool, but I imagine that can be quite expensive--but maybe someone has experience with it?

Correct--minimum 65,000 international transfer per month, not an average--from what i understand, if you miss even a single month, there is a problem. Additionally, there is more paperwork/bank documents to gather ahead of applying for the next extension.

"immigration on arrival"--it won't even get to that concern. No visa, no arrival.

Having a job and some sort of assets are just a few of the factors considered. Also, with just those few factors--what kind of job would be looked at, and having worked for how long, what is the salary, and what documentation can be provided to prove the salary--assets--land? Do many Thai girlfriends have land or homes/condos in their name? Also, what is often considered are family ties here in Thailand that would compel a return,what previous travel has the applicant done outside Thailand, and funds in a bank account (that haven't just been deposited to help with the visa). It can be done but it is not an easy task for the average Thai.

I agree---those are some alarming test results, having gone thru some of the related medical issues myself, and you need to see a specialist and see how best to address them.

Back in the US, i purchased "non-burst" hoses that addressed such a fear--got them at Home Depot, and they were a little more expensive than the regular houses, but, of course, well worth it. Not sure if they sell them here at Home Pro, Global House, Mega Home, etc--or on Lazada, but you could probably order them on Amazon. Whatever the cost, it would be well worth it as a water disaster is a mess you really want to avoid at all costs!

Yes, and other good advice is not to wait until getting the statements ready for immigration to note if they are listed as international transfers or not--check your acct after each transfer is received so that if there is a problem, it can be corrected for that transfer and any future transfers.

Hate to rain on your retirement parade, but have you given, being 81 years young, what you will do for any potential medical costs once you have qualified to retire here? If you can afford to pay out of pocket, then you are ok, but there will likely not be any health insurance for you to purchase here.

Yes, likely better as you suggest--the local Thai ambulances are quick on the spot, as the poster earlier mentioned to the restaurant in 7 minutes--we have used them several times for a quick family emergency transport ride to the hospital--you can tell them, as we did, which hospital we wanted them to go to--however, a key point in understanding these FREE ambulances is that they are mainly TRANSPORT to a hospital--they do not, from many instances i have been directly involved with, provide any medical attention on the way--how, if you call Bkk-CM or Ram hospitals, they have more fully-equipped ambulances, and i believe they will provide some medical attention, but, they usually only have one--and for them to find your location, perhaps late at night, may take time, and that is, of course, if their ambulances are not otherwise engaged--and i doubt they provide this service for free--if you have insurance, it may cover it?? But, back to the govt, free local Thai ambulances--I must be clear to sing their praises--when we needed them at my house, they arrived literally in minutes, were very helpful, got the person on the gurney carefully, into the ambulance and off we went, racing to the hospital--driving fast, but carefully, They were incredibly helpful in a few difficult, but thankfully, not life or death, situations.

Having gone recently to CM Ram to see an ophthalmologist for an eye infection, she recommended we see the hospital optometrist for an updated eyeglass prescription. So, at least ophthalmologists at Ram, as is the case for most medical doctors do not do the eye exams for prescription eyeglasses--they are medical doctors--in Thailand, it is difficult to find a real, trained optometrist, who will do a complete and accurate eye exam--most definitely, those machines in the shopping malls that eyeglass shops use, which spits out a prescription after gazing for a moment into it, are not accurate, nor are most others who pretend to do an eye exam and who have the necessary equipment to complete an exam accurately. We did end up seeing the optometrist as Ram and had a good exam and received the eyeglass prescription--so, you might try there. I will add that the best, most western, most thorough eye exam, I have experienced in 20 plus years of living in Thailand--whether it be in Bangkok or here, was done at Vision Center here in Chiang Mai--however, they do the exam for free and do expect a purchase then of eyeglasses.

i absolutely was NOT one of those here who recommended using it. I know from family and friends the damage that can be done. As to Google, I am not recommending reading what some random, individual posters have put up--I am advising sites like the Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Web MD, the CDC, and depending on if organs are involved sites like the National Kidney Foundation, National Institute of Health, etc--and I look at not just one, but look for a consensus among these outstanding resources for medical information--they are often far more up-to-date than many doctors. And, it is not so I am able to counter doctors, but so that I can confirm and understand better what I am being told by doctors--also, there are countless tales of doctors and mistakes and wrong, expensive medication being prescribed, so I always want to confirm drugs prescribed are actually helpful and will not carry serious side effects. As with the Norfloxacin, it is not that it should never be used, but it is a drug of last resort, not first as potential side effects can be very serious and permanent, but here and the US, i have seen doctors prescribe it first, seemingly unaware that it carries the strongest warning possible about the dangers of its use???

I agree---you can see that a number of posters recommended Imodium and norfloxacin when those are not really the appropriate treatments. Sometimes, even doctors are not up to date on medicines--in the US, it is the pharmacist who is licensed and must undertake ongoing training, etc--here, not so sure--if one uses a consensus of reliable sites, Google can assist in understanding the side effects of medicines prescribed, side effects that perhaps no one warned you about, I learned a long time ago, that one must be their own advocate, whether in the US or here, when it comes to medical treatment.

I have found that some doctors here, and even in the US, are ignorant of the side effects of some medicines--the "...floxacins and quinss-" have the strongest US FDA warning on them, use only if all other medicines do not work and only under the guidance of a doctor--the tendon damage can be severe and permanent--there have been cases of individuals Achilles tendons rupturing.

I take norfloxacin - relief within a day https://www.thailandmedical.news/pages/drugs/genrx-norfloxacin Check with your pharmacist, but ask for dysentary medication - does not sound to me like you're in Imodium territory anymore ****************************** You might be aware that norfloxacin, like other related drugs, may have very serious and permanent side effects--in the US, it carries that is called a "black box warning" for all doctors and pharmacists and is to be used when all other antibiotics may have failed in helping---below is an example of the most serious side effects (and i have had family members and friends be prescribed levofloxacin, a related drug and too often prescribed for minor respiratory problems) and had these very side effects that lingered for years. Norfloxacin may cause swelling or tearing of a tendon (the fiber that connects bones to muscles in the body), especially in the Achilles' tendon of the heel. This effect may be more likely to occur if you are over 60, if you take steroid medication, or if you have had a kidney, heart, or lung transplant. As I shared, family members and friends, quickly discontinued use of this drug due to strong tendon problems, and even after stopping, the aches lingered for years.