pgrahmm

I haven't really noticed this....I don't live in a touristy area + I've been in the area long enough to become a "local" (known entity) = that can work both ways..... It's possible that with some groups the TIT folks are recently trying to attract - Chinese/Indian/Russian have the locals at a defensive posture..... Having a farang physically attack & kick a Thai woman Dr. away from his villa makes all of us suspect..... Headlines none of us need..... I was told about it by my Thai neighbors before I saw it online....

Ahh - fond memories of hwy 50, "the loneliest highway in the world"......We took it - starting from Reno, heading to St. George, Utah..... Mile after mile of desolation.....Brown land untouched by water, no lakes or streams, nothing green....No cattle, no birds on fences or in flight, no animals, jack rabbits - nothing - no traffic, and no signs of life.....We stopped to make lunch in a parking lot of a broken down motel = no cars parked, but people watching through the windows; you could see & feel it - dueling banjos creepy in the middle of nowhere..... Hundreds of miles between rudimentary service stops & no cell service.....Driving along I thought I saw a sign for the St. George turn off at a slight fork in the road....I asked my wife and she said no..... We wound up traveling 220 miles further to the north ending up closer to Salt Lake City than St. George..... So, we saw about 220 more miles worth of Hwy 50 than we wanted.... It still comes up in conversation when we are near desolate sites.....

Yes, I wish I had held onto my Dan Wesson .357 & companion Marlin .357 carbine....Those were my 2 favorites..... I've had a few other guns along the way.... We ended our last trip in Texas (family) & I went gun perusing but lacked the necessary time in state..... On our next trip I will pick up a couple to have as we RV around along with any necessary permits.....I have the models picked out....Throughout our trip to 8-9 states I spotted many open carries = it didn't bother me one bit..... If I'd had any, I probably would have done more boondocking. ....The only semi useful things I had were kitchen knives, a survival knife, a machete, and a fire extinguisher..... My wife supports the idea of available firearms & questioned why we didn't have one..... We were, at times, in the wide open spaces as far as the eye could see in any direction.....

I've bought many 100% cotton T shirts through Lazada that are holding up well....No messages, but I've ordered in the colors that match the days of the week.... They're perfect for wearing at home but would be fine to wear out & about (I prefer to wear a polo shirt style when venturing out).....

It only takes a few visits there to imagine island fever..... It is pretty the first few times..... Admittedly, I grew up just a short drive from the NORCAL coast so the beaches might not hold the same allure for me as it might for someone that's never experienced an ocean....

With the advent of social media & smart phones, as well as political toxicity, dinner parties with real participation & interesting conversation with charming companions have gone the way of the Dodo bird....

We booked EVA - CNX to SFO & IAH to CNX.....They code shared the departure from IAH to UAL & that was the only leg that had problems causing a 2 day delay....The EVA flights were seamless + they provided two nights of 4 Star accomodations & meals to offset the UAL delays..... In fairness, the UAL leg was hampered by a huge weather front....However, there was no way UAL came even close to the proficiency, or experience of flying EVA.... We left CNX in Sept 23 & returned Jan 24.....

I always wondered why such an abrupt, quiet departure from CM Immigration - then off the radar for a few years.... None of it trumpeted loudly like at first when he was in the news everywhere....

We usually RV in the US.... That capability takes the sting out of travel.....We used a hotel for an overnight layover flying both ways....One way was planned in Taiwan, coming home wasn't; as weather delayed our arrival 2 days.... Out of LOS to US can be 3-6 months & it would take years to try and cover the different regions of the country.....Inside Thailand, up to a week or longer depending on extended family involvement....If on our own 3-5 days seems the norm....Out of country - Paris was 8 days + travel to/from....

No - I have been a fill in bouncer at a well known North Hollywood CW bar = fortunately mostly unchallenged ..... Although I had to disarm a situation involving a 44 magnum when I just happened to be there, mainly because I was standing behind the guy that he was aiming at across a pool table.....The bullet would have gone through both of us.... One time in Napa I tossed a guy out the front door by his collar & belt that was blindsiding other patrons punching them as their backs were turned - he was picking & choosing who to bully.... I'm not really sure why I ran him & settled the situation, it was just a reactionary experience.....I got an ovation & free drinks for the effort.... Little did the guy know that the woman I was there with was crazier & more dangerous than he could ever be .....She was dynamite in the sack though.....But, she's a story for another time.....

Stay clear of Putin...

100% truth there....Just like the handsome man syndrome here.....

Yes - during my time here.... However - we returned last month from 4 months RVing stateside.....I got hit on a few times there while shopping.....I must have had that new man in town "look"...... At 76 it was completely unexpected.....

It's been years.... I'm a member of the CM Expats club....I went to meetings that had a speaker or topic I found useful... It was an interesting mix from the quiet folks to the ones hunting out perspective clients glad handing & passing out business cards....Then there were guys who had their gals dressed to the 9's, obviously proud to show them off while strutting around...... Everybody showed up, found the same places they always say - with seemingly the same people they did every time....As soon as the meeting adjourned it looked like somebody yelled fire. Very few lingering conversations - boom - gone..... They tried a NYE party which we went to.... Basically, the farang men seemed to be getting quietly plastered while their women sat at the table all dressed to party & looked bored to death.....Not fun or lively, after about 90 minutes I left..... The real value to me seemed to be the interest groups....Where hobbyists, computer geeks, chess players, farang women, etc. had set their own groups meetings an agendas = this was a good spinoff of the expats....I basically just quit driving in from 50k away after a year or so and haven't really thought about it much since.....

I'm experiencing the same thing BoA to BKK....They initially say an hour....The there's a screen messsge citing 3 days, (BoA shows the transaction completed almost immediately) <<Wise then sends an email saying it's taking longer to receive the money - apologizing for the delay of up to 3 days>> Then in about 3 or 4 days depending on weekends they email that they've received the money, they have to exchange currency & will forward = this takes one to three more days..... I use to transfer at the end of a month = usually 1 hour to 2 days, which was ok..... It's taking 5 to 7 days now.....

Wasn't the OP's post about needing clothing for a graduation? I addressed that with a possibility..... Yeah - 2nd part was probably less relevant than your post..... Uncertain though, you've set that bar pretty high..😆

My oldest Thai daughter's Uni graduation is coming soon..... She ordered the robe online & asked me to take her to the local market (I didn't know why) where she bought a blouse & other items needed..... She is a go getter and proudly used her own money from a job she went out and found of her own volition..... This is the easy one = Daughter #2 doesn't believe she should have to lift a finger to do, expect, or get anything - she's going to have a rude awakening..... She's the more gifted of the 2 & life will be harder if she doesn't harness/channel her efforts.....

Not sure if they are voting for inches, the longevity, or the overall performance.... A little pounding sand in the wrong place & they will be VERY uncomfortable for awhile - especially her.... I grew up a half hour drive from the northern California coast......

What was the previous law? How much did they raise or lower the bar? Why the italics? Dunno....

Long forever....The OP's pics are not favorable to the short haired version..... It's hard to find alluring looking women featuring short hair.....Ugh......

I'd suggest brand shopping... For sandals I only use Teva & for flip flops I buy Reef....Fans seem to go at least 2 years = Hatari....Shirts can be a crap shoot.....I have had success with cotton shirts I've ordered from Lazada.... I'm 194cm @ 95kilos, so not fat but have to buy one to make sure of it's quality+ make sure doesn't billow out around the stomach area + I usually tuck t-shirts in.....I wear 3/4 length pants & found some good quality on Lazada....Once I test drive a pair, and they are good I'll order extras = I still have some reserve in the shipping packs..... Light bulbs I get at the local electrical/lighting store for about half the Big C price.... One thing of favor here is the ability to find repair shops.....Our Microwave quit last week, we found a shop = fixed in 3 hours for 380B - so there are shops that can fix your fan and other appliances (versus the throw away societies of the west).....

In the US my then wife, myself & another couple were in their car returning home from dinner.... A car in the left lane passed us yelling & mooned us (was that you OP?).... Bob, who we were riding with happened to be a tough street cop who took exception to it & the chase was on..... Fortunately (for the moonies) they got away or they would have suffered a severe beating.... There might be a meaningful message there for the OP = it might not be taken lightly by the locals....It could be deemed a huge cultural insult....

My wife has 3 Channel fragrances (including #5) she can use....But she also has about 8 other choices.... I liked Opium when it was in production, which I enjoyed with a different lady (years before my wife).....

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....