pgrahmm

32 minutes ago, ericthai said:

yes, sefl checkouts became a big thing during covid in the USA, now threre is allot of push back. I hate them.  $11 for a bag of ice??? think there was a mistake.

Nope - Napa, Ca....The price was proudly posted right at the outside freezer door - the small bag was $5.95....

We spent the first night in the RV storage lot with no hookups available & had to keep the foodstuffs that we bought overnight ....

I agree the price was way too high.....

In the US I went into a Circle K to get some water, snacks, etc...m

At checkout the counter had a basket like scanner that you placed the items in (including an $11 bag of ice).....It gave an amount and I went give the money to the "cashier"....They said no and pointed down under the counter to a bill machine that took the $$$ and dispensed the correct change....There were swipe/slots at the counter top for card payments.....

They also were not allowed to touch or bag the vended products....

Basically, 2-3 people manning a checkout counter that were not allowed, by policy, to do much of anything.....

It was my first purchase after arrival on the trip....After that, cards were the primary method of payment while I learned to check myself out almost everywhere we went.....

I think, only 2 ATM withdrawals during our 4 months there....

8 hours ago, pgrahmm said:

It's like an electronic mosquito.....Every time you swat it away it lands again....

The annoyance factor is huge.....

It's like an electronic mosquito.....Every time you swat it away it lands again....

The annoyance factor is huge.....

My wife handles the Thai traditional way of merit....

I help & assist people as a situation might dictate....

Since I rescued a Bangkaew soi dog in our MuBaan a few years back I've kind of become the surrogate father to a few (about 6) of the others....

All great animals that others have basically thrown away....

With just a little bit of individual attention there is not a bad dog in the bunch.... I'll help with their daily needs + administer their rabies shots, etc as I've earned their trust....

While we were gone for 4 months our daughters and neighbors took an active interest & carried on with their care....I was glad for that....

Not sure it's Merit worthy.....

My guess would be yes, they would....

35 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

 

Have you ever wondered why Asian women are so fascinated with the iris of the Farang?

 

Most of the women I have known in Asia, just can't get enough of my ireses.

Sometimes, while sitting over a coffee, they just cannot help staring into my eyes.

Why?

 

The reason is...

The Asian Female loves blue eyes.

 

I know you might have thought that the reason Asian women are so attracted to Farang is just because Farang have....a....

Fire Down Below.....

 

This misconception is a total fallacy....

 

Because, what the Asian Female loves more than anything is a Blue Eye, and NOT the One-Eye

 

This is completely understandable.

 

Take a look at this cat above.

Irresistible, in fact.

 

So, why did you think the Asian women find you so loveable?

 

Once the Asian Female looks into your blue eyes, then you got her completely hooked.

 

I have known many women in Asia who can't get enough of gazing into my eyes.

 

Most Thai men wonder why women prefer the Farang.

 

My guess is this is the reason.

 

What do YOU think?

 

Regards,

Gamma

 

 

 

During one visit to the Philippines, (Bacolod), a member of my then GF's family was a contractor - he was eager to show me some of his work.....

One visit was to a school.....We parked and walked through the school trailed by a school full of students.....They would stare at me, but not come close....Being 6'4" I thought it was my height so I hunkered down to not be imposing.....No change.....

Being unsure why I asked the teacher....Her response was it was my blue eyes = they had never seen blue eyes before....After getting into the car I rolled down the window and there they were, faces pushed through & against a wrought iron fence to get a glimpse of me....I waved, so did they, as we left....

Somewhere, I still have a picture I snapped of one little boy's face, & knuckles as he wedged his little brown face into a fence opening to take a last look....

A fond memory, to be sure....

11 hours ago, JimTripper said:

I used to stay on a rural property where the fence was built well back from the property line, maybe 20 feet. That way people could not even approach the fence. The "no mans land" between the fence and property line had no trespassing signs posted. Solves the problem over fence disputes I guess. It's worth the sacrifice of space if you have the land. You can also use a see through fence.

 

Even with all that I still had morons approaching the fence occasionally and trespassing as if the rules did not apply to them 🤣

That leaves room for truckloads of trash & clippings.....We had a house with a vacant lot of about 2 Rai on the other side of our 7ft wall = it basically became the nearest handy dumping ground.....

Try these people...100% Egyptian cotton from their own mill....They supply most of the 4-5* hotels in CM (per them).....Both sides of the business card.....

However, this was before COVID & I have not been to Baan Tawai since.....

The sheets have lasted many years with minimal wear.....

Migration????

Anek bike is huge & well regarded....They are off the Canal road....

They sell many bikes.... Having boxes should not be a problem....

We just flew into CNX via TPE from the US....

No forms or announcements made.....

We did hand our boarding pass to the immigration officer after arrival....

The following day I tried to report my arrival at the CM Immigration, which was overloaded busy.....

We got shuttled around like a ping pong ball in a dryer.....Nobody seemed to know what to do....

My wife asked the officer in charge of the TM30 office who told us if no address change = not needed & sent us on our way.....

All of the other times we've flown in I used the immigration satellite office within 24 hours of return and (unless they were playing video games) something was entered into their system.....I don't remember if they stamped the passport or not.....

12 hours ago, Retfed50 said:

Don't know why BOA doesn't send your credit cards. I have both my Thai and US adresses listed on my account with the Thai address as my primary. They send my new debit and credit cards directly here to me. In fact, I just received my new credit card last week.

Ditto - I second this....

I'll follow sports & scan headlines, investigating what piques my interest....

I don't have to worry about finding negative news from my country Aseannow excels in glorifying & "reporting" all the bad it can find.....

With 200 countries around the world they have a difficult time balancing the scales.....

Great - we fly out in a few days....🛫✈️

Thanks CH

Back-atcha

Pervasive in CA....We flew into SFO....

After getting our RV/car road ready we stayed at a nice RV park for a week..... Directly outside the high RV park stone walls was a homeless camp....An old RV, parked cars, lean-to roofs against the wall....While running errands for that week, every frontage road or dead end street offered the same..... Destitute people at busy intersections with their signs & hands out..... Driving through the state,  as I looked around there were people under underpasses, tent encampments, lines of occupied old RV's noticed near the urban areas....

This is the first time we didn't visit San Francisco based on reports....During our last visit there we visited the Palace of Fine Arts & about 30% of the parking lot was broken glass from the smash & grab thefts.....

Traveling across the US to Texas I thought about boondocking, however, the small clusters of people I saw seemed dirty, unkempt, hardened by life, and weary.....Not a safe place to take a Thai wife imo....They weren't "homeless", more like a nomadic tribe traveling banded together....

From casual observation it's everywhere, but at it's worst on the west coast of the US....

We've moved our home base away from the only state I've ever called home..... I'll miss the topography and natural wonders of the west...

Intermittent fasting helped me go from 117k to 90-93k....

Having a scale to monitor helped....

Unfortunately/or fortunately we've been in the US since September & have gained about 7k of it back spoiling myself with favorite meals, treats, & snacks not available in LOS....

We return in January & the scale will be needed again.....

So yes, a scale is a good way to monitor progress - or lack of.....

We've been given the GIFT of life....

Based on 76 years of living = it beats the alternative....

That may vary person to person....

I have a good wife to go through life and with  laughter, an upbeat outlook, a cuddle, and (still) more - we have family on both sides that offer love, support, and willingly share their lives with us - sprinkle in a few dogs & cats, a few interests and hobbies along the way.... Our health is good + active....

As mentioned before....

It beats any (known) alternative....

Back to you Gamma....

Is the pursuit of imponderable questions satisfying? Or is it a bottomless abyss who's itch we just can't fathom  to reach & scratch.....

We had fresh sushi available locally until COVID took it's toll....It was reasonable at 12 choices for 200 baht & he'd add a couple more.....

Truthfully, my wife & daughters can prepare sushi combinations at minimal costs.....

My wife would prefer to prepare it at home.....One daughter has a sushi restaurant that she favors for special days & birthdays....

In any case, we avoid "market" place conditions where it's prepared & sitting out on display - waiting - subject to the surrounding conditions.....

In Texas =

Went to the oldest daughter's house where they had gumbo and sliced hams along with all the trimmings and deserts....

My wife made a sweet & sour shrimp dish + some coconut topped butterfly gelatin cups from butterfly flowers we brought from our garden.....I bought 18 boxes of cordial cherries to pass out.....

Enjoyed a houseful of people that ate, collected goodies & presents - then left.....

I watched an American football game with my son in-law chatting about this & that....My wife helped my daughter tidy up then we came back to the RV.....

I've enjoyed a couple of rum & cokes..... She's heating up leftovers from the day; then we're kicking back to end the day...18:30 here at the moment with low temps expected overnight....

My wife is loving the cold, fresh air.....

Chiang Mai plastics would be my best guess.....

They seem to have a lot of variety where hobbies are concerned....