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I don't think that is quite accurate - it's more likely that if you pay more, then p4p gg's or lbs may forego protection. This is a risky practice. The biggest worry is not just HIV, but there are now many sexually transmitted infections such as the gonorrhea, syphilis, etc that are now antibiotic resistant - meaning they are incurable.

US coverage is significantly more for premiums.

@Pulci Gorgon, Allianz is the company my work has arranged medical insurance through. Thanks for your good wishes. For travel medical insurance there are a variety of insurance companies that can provide it. The things to look out for are feedback regarding the company's response to claims, do they have many hospital/clinics on their network that can direct bill to the covering insurance company, what are the limits of coverage, be aware of any specific conditions the company makes on certain coverage. Is it easy to request reimbursement for procedures you have to pay first, and how fast do they pay the reimbursement. Repatriation is an option if you feel the medical care in your home country is better than the visiting country - but sometimes the medical condition makes that impossible until you are stable. I would suggest that look for the most reliable insurance company with best feedback, look what you can reasonably afford for the cost, and determine how well you want coverage during your travels. Other Thai hospitals, while not at the level of Bumrungrad can provide very good care at lower cost - for example Bangkok Hospital, Samitivej Sukhumvit Hospital, MedPark Hospital, Praram 9 Hospital are all Joint Commission International Accredited.

@barforth - yes, it is routine for them to run a lab test on the removed prostate tissue after the procedure, and I had good news that it was negative for cancer. I had a catheter for 2 days. I was able to pee before - with the help of Tamsulosin - but I had urgency and always felt pressure on my bladder as I could not completely empty it following urination. This had gotten worse over the past 1-2 years. After HOLEP the feeling of pressure is gone. I still have some urgency, as I have to do pelvic floor exercise (Kegels) to retrain my bladder. The doctor said I should be back to normal if I follow the postop care advice (no heavy lifting (no more than 4 kg), no heavy exercise, no intercourse, no alcohol (this is easy as I don't drink), etc. for a month. If you are considering HOLEP, it does cost more and is recommended for quite enlarged prostates. I highly recommend Dr. Teerapon Amomvesukit at Bumrumgrad International Hospital. He informed me the largest prostate he had ever used HOLEP was on a 600 gram case - the patient was told by several other specialists there was no way to reduce his prostate without opening up access in his lower abdomen. My case was one of the bigger ones he has seen recently. He is a very skilled and caring doctor.

@barforth, this time, they were unable to find the source of the lower gastrointestinal bleed. The specialists told me this happens on occasion and the bleeding can stop spontaneously or with the use of medications that promote blood clotting, and resting the gastrointestinal system with no food or fluids for a number of days. They showed me the photos of each of the 3 colonoscopies, and there were no obvious sites of bleeding that could have been cauterized. This is what caused me to become anemic with a very low hemoglobin count over the stay. The laser surgery was called HOLEP - Holmium Laser Enucleation of the Prostate. My specialist who did the surgery said the size of my prostate was 5x larger than a normal enlarged prostate (40 grams for normal enlarged vs 200 grams for mine). This was billed separately as my insurance specified it be split. My lower GI bleed was 1 million baht, and HOLEP was 500,000 Baht. The HOLEP operation took 4 hours and with a normal enlarged prostate 2 hours is usual. Thanks for the good recovery wishes!

I am sharing my latest experience during my visit to Thailand July 4-Aug 22. My trip started as usual with me arriving to stay with my long time postop lb girlfriend. This is boring stuff that most board members are not interested in, so I won't go into many details. Many of us take health for granted if we are young, or haven't had any serious issues. This trip turned out very different. On July 24 I wad admitted to Bumrungrad International Hospital with a lower gastrointestinal bleed. I wasn't seriously concerned, as I had a previous episode 10 years prior and the doctors were able to find and stop the cause of bleeding in 2 days. Little did I know that this time was going to be very different. The doctors were unable to find the site of bleeding for 5 days, despite doing 3 colonoscopies in 3 days (2 under anesthesia and one without), plus a CT scan with contrast angiogram of the lower abdomen. My hemoglobin count dropped to 8 - normal is 14, so I had to receive 6 units of blood transfusions (3 liters or for Americans 3 quarts) over my stay of 14 days. The bleeding finally stopped on day 6, with resting the gastrointestinal system (no foods or fluids for 6 days) and treatment with a medication that stimulated my blood to make more clots. While Bumrungrad is the best international hospital in Thailand - I had excellent doctors, nurses and hospital staff looking after me, it was also very expensive. Fortunately my work has very good medical insurance coverage (for travel as well) that covered 100% of the cost. I also was diagnosed with having an enlarged prostate during stay and required laser surgery to reduce the size so I had less problems with urination. The total cost ended up being 1.5 million Baht - which I could not have afforded as an emergency payment. So even if you are healthy or have never had any serious medical problems, could you afford a bill like that? It would be much better to spend a few hundred dollars on good travel medical insurance (usually can add trip cancellation for not much more), because you can never predict the future. My girlfriend is taking care me while I recover, and it is much better than staying in a hotel recovering by myself - so it is a plus to having a long term partner.

All Thai banks are becoming more strict to comply with new anti money laundering (AMLO) organization rules as the US and other countries apply pressure for Thai banks to clean up their acts. Unfortunately this causes issues for foreign residents who do have Thai bank accounts - particularly those who do not have a long term visa. I recently had to unlock my Bangkok Bank mobile banking and internet banking apps, by going to True getting a letter stating I was the registered owner of my SIM card and getting a Tax ID receipt changing my plan from prepaid to postpaid. PD's suggestion is probably the best workaround for now, until you get some more information from K Bank.

There are no dedicated lb massage shops in Bangkok - there are some lbs working with ggs in the "happy ending" massage shops - but they don't heavily promote it. They also tend to be quite mobile so might not be at a particular shop for long. If you want daytime action you can try to book an escort - but it will cost more.

In room safes are over-rated for security. See the below videos. I put my valuables in my hard sided luggage that is double locked with the luggage combo lock and a combination TSA zipper lock. Of course they can haul off my luggage, but out of sight reduces temptation.

Is she really Thai? Doesn't look asian at all!

Here is the video of the Preliminary night, and tomorrow is the big event - the final.

Youtube videos of some of the major activities so far: National Costume and Talent Show Miss International Queen Thainess Night (celebrating Thai Fashion)

The activities are starting soon! See the screen capture below. August 12th, 22nd, and 24th events are in Pattaya. 16th, 17th, and 19th are in Bangkok. Keep an eye on their facebook page for the locations, which will be announced. A few of these events will be open to public, so no payment necessary. Some of these events will be ticketed - and this should be on their Facebook page soon as well. All the contestants have their introductory videos uploaded now to the MIQ2024 Youtube channel, and they all have their instagram pages set up. Also note the contest will be streamed, and also time delayed broadcast on Thai TV Channel 3.

For those wishing to follow the contest news, more of the candidates have their introductory videos posted at the Miss International Queen Youtube channel Also you can check their instagram pages for more photos. There will be a segment starting soon, for MIQ Internet popular - so keep your eyes open for that.

My pleasure Rom - always good to have accurate information to formulate a good strategy. Yes, it is very pricey for the finals on the main floor, and even the balcony tickets are not cheap. Taking Fang (alone) to the preliminaries is a good idea. The preliminaries tickets are not likely to sell out but the Finals night most likely will be as per previous contests. Good luck with your planning!