dundas

In Australia, I ride a CB500x, a learner-legal bike in Australia, but considered a big bike in Thailand. For me, it's comfortable, it's got enough power to get me out of trouble and it turns and stops OK as well. 

When I come to Thailand I'm happy to paddle around the local area on a Honda Wave, but don't venture beyond that much. A big bike might be more fun, but even though the roads where I stay in Chiang Mai are OK, motorcycle riding here is way more dangerous. Zero policing of crazy drivers/riders is the major reason. If there was decent policing, then raising the bar for a 'big bike' licence might make more sense. 

On 4/14/2019 at 6:08 PM, ivor bigun said:

Where in Judaism or Christianity does it say you should be stoned ,and in which Judean or Christian country does it happen ? Please enlighten us.

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DIdn't Jesus say something along the lines of 'Let he who is without sin cast the first stone'? So I guess throwing stones at people has been around for a long time, not just in Islam, although it's still pretty popular there if you're into sharia law. 

I was harassed by lady boys when I went to KL on a visa run in 2010, if that's what you mean ... 

I've flown economy on the Thai 787 (when they were being used on BKK - KIX flights) and even though I had a front exit row seat both ways it wasn't comfortable – it's 9 across in a plane designed for eight across. So the shoulder room is equivalent to a 737, which is acceptable for short haul maybe, but definitely uncomfortable for most people on long haul flights. Average shoulder width is great than the width of the 787 seats if that gives you an idea. 

It's a while since I've flown on a Thai 330 but like other posters, I like the 2-4-2 arrangement and the seat pitch is the same as the 787  (32" and noticeably better than a lot of other carriers who seem to think 30" or 31" is OK). It's an older design than the 787 so maybe it's a bit noisier but most A330s I've been on have been very quiet and nowhere near as noisy as some older 777s, and even 747s. If I had a choice, I'd try for a seat up the front of the economy cabin on the A330. 

48 minutes ago, farmerjo said:

Well done Australia,the silent Majority spoke.

The true characters came out in shop steward Bill and Tanya still blaming others after the event.

 

 

I seem to remember Malcolm Turnbull blaming everyone else but himself for a so-so result after the previous election, so it's not a trait confined to shop stewards. I doubt that there are too many Australian politicians on either side of politics who will admit their own failings. 

Google Watergate and Barnaby Joyce for more info on just how lacking governance this current government is.  Ironic that that most of this bunch of spivs, thugs and troglodytes laid low while their front man did all the talking during the campaign. But now this mob (who in the words of my brother-in-law couldn't organise a p***up in a brewery), have to agree on something. I have a feeling what they agree on will be what their corporate donors and the Murdoch press want and for most Australians, that won't be all that great. We get the government we deserve ...

My blood pressure normally hovers around 110-120/70-80 – unless I have it taken in a Thai hospital when almost inevitably the higher reading will be 140 or more. When I go back to Australia I have it checked again and just as inevitably it's back to normal. No idea whether it's due to the way the BP is measured in Thailand or it's because of my relative lack of exercise when I'm away from home. 

13 hours ago, mikosan said:

Thailand catch up with the modern world.  That makes me laugh when in Australia it still takes over 24 hours to transfer money between two bank accounts, whereas in the UK, Thailand and probably most of the rest of the world, it is instantaneous and has been for a long time. In my opinion and judging from the findings in the recent Financial Services Royal Commission into misconduct in banking in Australia, I would say that it's Australia that has a long way to go to catch up. 

 

With regards to the question asked by the OP.  With my Kasikorn bank I simply go to my bank with my bank passbook and passport, cancel the old card I left in the ATM and I have done it a couple of times, pay a 200 baht fee and they issue me with a new card.  No police report required. I'm happy enough with that.

Maybe you need to catch up with what's happening in Australia. Most of my bank transfers are now instant or close to it, using the Osko system, which has been operating since some time last year. Not all banks are signed up to it yet, but most are. 

Interesting report and the owner of the phone did well to track it down.  Not saying that she deserved to have it stolen, but there are also other aspects of having iPhones in checked luggage. Every now and then I read about the lithium battery in a phone or a laptop catching fire in the cabin and the airline crew having to extinguish it. The crew can extinguish it because they can get to it and because they have equipment (eg, an ice bucket) where they can dunk the offending phone.  It's only a matter of time before a battery in a device in the hold catches fire and I hope I'm not anywhere in the vicinity when that happens. Fire extinguishers in the hold aren't necessary effective against lithium battery fires, especially if the fire in one device sets off multiple fires in others. 

6 minutes ago, gk10002000 said:

Even here in the good ole US of A, on the I-10 just outside of Las Cruces New Mexico, there is an immigration check point.  In the last few years I have driven through there a few times.  Me, looking very Caucasian and speaking with a New England accent is waive right through, once not even stopped.  And here in San Diego, right on the I-5 Interstate there is a big rolling gate they push onto the freeway now and then.

My experience too. When driving from Nogales to Tucson there's an Immigration checkpoint where every single vehicle gets looked at. When I've been with a number of other people in the car we've always been pulled over and asked if we're US citizens (I'm not, so then they've asked for my passport). When I've been the driver without any passengers they take one look at me and wave me on. 

In Australia, I use a Brother B/W laser printer because I can get replacement toner (not made by Brother) for a fraction of the price of the genuine Brother product.  Not sure if that's easy to do in Thailand or not. 

Agree with the previous poster's comments re laser vs inkjet. 

Well, if anything good has come out of this, is that it has put the focus of the world on the junta and its dealings with suspect middle eastern countries. 

Very happy with my Thai built Jazz. It's roomy, easy to park around town, and is OK on faster roads.  In nine years no major problems, 60,000 km and still on its original brake pads. 

Official letters don't carry much weight, it seems. I wonder what does?

24.0, it's OK, not sure how I'd go on the skin fold tests though. 

What this customer would like (and what airlines, including Qantas, seem determined to shrink even further, at least in economy class) is some more leg room. Fortunately, between Australia and Thailand I can get sufficient legroom without the need to beg Qantas for it. Qantas claim 31" seat pitch on most of their long haul planes (and that's a dubious and curiously tight 31" in my experience), and Thai offer 32" – just one inch more, but it's the difference which makes a difference. As for all the 'customer suggestions' – I suspect that's just grist for Qantas PR spin, but I'd be happy to be proven wrong. In fact if they ever offer standard economy seats for 'ultra long haul' (15+ hour flights) with what used to be a fairly standard 34" pitch, I'll eat my hat -- happily. 

Well, dual pricing also takes place in Japan, but in reverse. Buy a Japan Rail Pass and save a bundle on fares. This is a concession for tourists that Japanese residents cannot access. 

Swings and roundabouts ... 

As for my own country, seniors who aren't Australian residents cannot access cheaper fares on public transport, so we also have dual pricing, although there's no sneaky attempt to hide it behind a different writing system, which is what irritates me here. 

I'm sure that it's a matter of if you've got it, flaunt it, and in any case evaporative cooling on a Honda Wave is a great way of staying cool. 

Like the OP, I managed a charge back, but with the Thai Smile subsidiary. They offered the ability to reserve seats in advance, but hid the small print that that applied only on Thai domestic flights, not on the international flight I had booked on. I had to cancel anyway, but as I had been angered because of the phantom benefit, I went through the complaint process with the airline, and just got back a lot of 'sorry for the inconvenience but we're not doing anything.' Then I went to the credit card company. A few days later, the money came back and the airline has since changed its website, so it cannot be had up for false advertising any more. Airlines are very bureaucratic and not always able to deal with the unexpected quickly: ThaiSmile were still expecting me as a passenger, even though the charge back went through two weeks before the flight.