Gsxrnz

I look nothing like a Russian but years ago when every other tourist was from Russia I learned how to say "No!  Foxtrot Oscar!" in the mother tongue.  Niet! Otvali!

Very useful when numerous young Russian blokes approached me while having a quiet smoke outside Central Festival putting two fingers towards their mouth and gutturally uttering (read shouting) "zigaretta".

I'm sure my pronunciation is tragic but it got the job done. 

11 minutes ago, ThaIrish Sean said:

When I first came to Thailand I would take a bottle of Irish whiskey over for the father in-law.

Jameson's

Bushmills

Tullamore Dew

Then the airport ran out of decent Irish stuff so I got Scottish single malts.

Glenfiddich etc 

I then heard a whisper that he wondered why I was bringing him all this rubbish when all he wanted was Johnny Walker red label ???? (we call it paint stripper)

I saved my money and got him the paint stripper ????

 

 

 

 

Is that the same as Johnnie Walker_TM?

2 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Excellent post.

 

Re the OP, no, I'm not scared at all. Either I get it and die, or I die of something else just as painful and unpleasant. As one that survived cancer but had my life ruined by the treatment, I'm on borrowed time anyway, and my allotted 3 score and 10 is in my rear view mirror anyway.

I admire your spirit and fortitude.  Reminds me of my octogenarian friend with a 45 year old Thai wife and when asked about the age difference, replied "well if she dies, she dies!"

14 hours ago, Maybole said:

I have always found that transferring money in my home countries currency and getting the Thai bank to convert to Baht has produced a better rate. Wise, however, will not do this, but their rates are good and fees modest.

 

I have Wise accounts in multiple currencies.  I just deposit my home currency in bulk into my Wise domestic currency account and buy/sell other currencies within Wise as I see fit at virtually no cost and at interbank rates.

Because my Kiwi dollar is volatile I will often buy USD, GBP, EUR or AUD and hold it in Wise and then flick it to Wise THB account when I need it.  I transfer THB from Wise to my Kbank account as and when necessary.

EDIT:  forgot to add that Wise have an international debit card also.  So I can use that card in Thailand at any outlet and it debits the Wise THB account.  If I buy on evilbay it will debit whatever the currency is required by the seller.  Beats the hell out of paypal or your domestic card/bank on the rate used even if you haven't got that currency in Wise.

Because I hold multiple currencies in Wise, I make a few bucks just dicking it between currencies and as I always have plenty to come and go on I'm rarely forced to buy or sell at a bad rate.  If the rate is against me on THB I'll convert THB to USD or NZD instead and then wait a day, a week, or a month to flick it again. 

I once mistakenly bought NZD 10K worth ofTanzanian Shillings (don't Wise when you're at the bar) and didn't realise for 4 days - flicked it back to NZD on Wise and scored NZD300 profit.

15 hours ago, Graemej100 said:

What an idiotic post.

Thanks - that's the effect I was going for.  

21 hours ago, mark5335 said:

That's good advice to be cautious, and that was an interesting case. Apart from freezing his assets did they also restrict his ability to freely come and go from Australia or did they try to prevent him from leaving as well?

He's a Kiwi but lived and worked in Aussie and was a resident tax payer there.  He also holds a British passport and was coming and going to SE Asia on both passports.  He hasn't been back to Aussie.  

He hadn't actually been working in Australia for about 5 years before the mongrels decided to have a go at him.

The thing about Australia and Australians you have to be careful of is that "they" trust their government far too much,  It's a historical part of their psyche (maybe it comes from the convict genes of the 18th century) , because somewhat ironically, their government has done a very good job of administering the country for two centuries. Look at the pandemic situation - they have been literally in home detention for a year and because they as a people have ultimate faith in their government, they accept it like docile sheep. 

The same can be said of the Kiwis. Far too trusting and far too docile.

23 hours ago, George Aylesham said:

Its easy to mock someone else's accent isn't it?

I'm a Kiwi.  If I want to mock the accent of the esteemed leader of my country,  I think I have every right to do so. I'm also 3.75% indigenous Maori - this gives me the inalienable privilege of mocking my white slave masters with legal and moral impunity.

In my previous Moo Bahn I would typically pay 500-600B a month - government rates. I can't remember the consumption but that was for three adults and a child.  One of the adults didn't take 40 minute showers or routinely leave the garden hose running overnight.

35 minutes ago, Mitkof Island said:

The Thailand Pass site works so badly it seems fake.

The fact that it seems fake is the trademark of every Thai website.  That's how you know it's real.

And the wheels on the train go round and round............

3 minutes ago, Jeffr2 said:

https://www.nationthailand.com/tech/40000208

 

Since the beginning of this year the contact-tracing application, MorChana (Doctors Win), has alerted 46,272 people who were at risk of Covid-19 infection, the Digital Economy and Society Ministry said on Sunday.

I suggest you may be missing the irony.  46K notified but 1.95M cases.  

4 hours ago, morrobay said:

Enough enough with all this covid mumbo jumbo. I would guess about 90% of the population here have been exposed. It's in the air when you walk through some place where an infected person was there just before. I don't see this area overrun with cases. Either minor exposures or eliminated by first line immune T cells defense. With no infection produced or mild infection.

For Lordies sake please stop using common sense and telling the truth. Exercising common sense to deduce the truth about observable reality is not the way things are done these days. 

From now on I suggest you conform to the modern modus operandi of orthodoxy and only say things that will never EVER offend those that are unable to think for themselves and exude severe symptoms of cognitive dissonance.

For now you are still allowed to "think" in an unorthodox manner, but watch this space.........

Just now, Jeffr2 said:

Might have been detected via that phone app.  Perhaps the person got covid and they did contact tracing.  They're actually pretty good at this.

Methinks you give them too much credit.  I use all the sign-in apps and I stopped counting the reported exposure locations I have been at and technically exposed to at nine.  Ironically I was at Immigration last Thursday (in and out for 90 days in 5 minutes) - still waiting for the knock on the door.

To be on the safe side buy the cheapest exit flight you can find - somewhere like Hanoi for the price of a double Sangsom.

What I want to know is, who actually had covid - was it a staff member or a customer? If it was a customer then perhaps he could have been less liberal with information about locations he's visited.

We can only hope that anyone diagnosed with covid in the coming months has the common sense not to tell the authorities they recently visited every gogo bar on Walking Street, or my golf course.

4 minutes ago, Sydebolle said:

Well, Prayut was OK with everything as next year the tills will be filled with endless inflow from their Burmese brethren ....... wanna bet?

Apart from all that, he does not speak a word of English while her language is New Zealandish and only faintly linked with the Queen's English - me thinks! Regretfully it is not possible to listen into such top secret (for whatever reasons) conversations - I am sure it must have been loaded with hilarious "aray na?" and "mai chow chai loei" ........ 

I bet Prayut's translator had few problems when Jacinda said something like "Au yeah, gudday theeere Muster proime munnista, owz thungs gon tuddiy.