bradiston

That's to do with gas from excessive eating. 40% of Americans are obese. In Thailand, maybe 3%. Does that answer your question? Actually, no I don't think prices have shot up. Meals cost roughly the same, maybe an extra THB or two for Thai food. But in Makro, pork has gone up, chicken not so much. Fruit and veg still reasonable in the markets. Avocados pricey at 120 THB per kilo for decent ones. Olive oil always expensive, coconut oil not so. Expat foods, butter, cheese, bacon etc etc pretty much the same. There are cheaper outlets and expensive ones. Can get a lot of decent stuff on line (picked beetroot, horseradish etc). Eggs have gone up but that's because I buy organic. I can pay up to 10 THB an egg. Normal CP price is about 4 THB I think for a tray of 36. Rents have gone up, but remember they hit an all time low during COVID. I paid 5500 THB per month for a very decent ground floor one bedroom condo apartment 2 years ago. That's now 8, and is set to go higher every year. Fuel has had a lot of government subsidies so hard to work out. Now it's hovering around 38/39 per litre of 91 octane. If you minimally ride a 125 scooter as I do, that's about 130 THB per week. What else? Hmm. Girls have become a lot pricier, a friend tells me. Many freelancers quote 2000 as a starting price for an hour. You can get for less he says. Don't go to bars and don't drink or smoke, so can't say. Dont use taxis, but Bolt is cheap and handy. Bus to Swampy from Pattaya still at 142 THB. Bargain. Taxi 1000 THB. As for luxuries like spas and massage and the like, compared to Europe they're an absolute gift. Can still get a very decent foot or body Thai massage, no frills or funny business, but lots of laughter, for 120 THB in Pattaya Klang for an hour. That's it! It's easy to live here too, most importantly, in Pattaya at least. Play the immigration game, obey the law, and don't mess with the IRS! An after thought, medicines and medical stuff. My biggest monthly outlay by far is medical insurance. But the pharmacies here, especially the big chains like Fascino, are generally very economical and also helpful. Private hospitals aren't cheap but government ones are. Don't, whatever you do, think you can get away without some form of insurance, accident, inpatient, outpatient, or full medical. Too many horror stories to mention.

Huh?

Yeah, just throw out any old garbage then say it's not worth arguing about.

Gonna have to cut you loose there, spider. You have yet to produce a shred of evidence he's banked billions of THB. And you're not alone. Nobody has! Or that he's guilty of any other misdemeanour. No news on the gambling front?

Why bother what? Replying to you? Because you spout a lot of patronising rubbish about how anyone who doesn't see it your way is a naive child incapable of rational thought. And about the subject in question. I'm aware my "support" is pretty meaningless to him, but then why do people "support" Pita, the decriminalisation of weed, the imprisoned students etc etc. Or rail against Putin, or Trump, or Biden? If you think taking on the NACC is just a publicity stunt, well, it could land him in big trouble if his allegations are unfounded. So it's not a celebrity thing. Sure, maybe he figures the best form of defense is attack. Well, let's hope he's right.

Fruitcake anyone?

Never change your tune eh, spider, despite coming up with nothing except he's a cop therefore he's bent. Great case you've got there. I'm sure any judge would convict on the basis of that nonsense. What can be asserted without proof can be dismissed without proof. Case dismissed!

Your advice to do some research and find enlightenment is typical troll material. You're wrong. No amount of research will come up as evidence for your false assertions. Which makes you a disinformant. He is not being investigated for unusual wealth, but for what look to me like trumped up allegations of links to gambling. Take your own advice and do some research.

What research did you do? Save me a few hours. From The Nation: "The Thai police force has seen officers famous for their enormous wealth, and though Surachate personally may not make it to the list, the man nicknamed "Big Joke" must be included because of the near-billionaire status of his wife." An idiotic comment for a start. His wife's rich so he's a criminal? Nothing in any article about him concerning unusual wealth. If I were him, I'd sue you lot. You know who you are. Stupid gossips. Tittle tattle from the chattering classes.

As usual, BP, you lay down the law about "anyone on here". You seem to have set yourself up as judge and jury. I'm not a child and I'm not naive. I freely admit to liking this guy. I object to your labelling me as a result. And as for being "gullible" for supporting Pita? Patronising rubbish. Do you have any better candidates than Hakparn and Pita for my support?

As usual, BP, you lay down the law about "anyone on here". You seem to have set yourself up as judge and jury. I'm not a child and I'm not naive. I freely admit to liking this guy. I object to your labelling me as a result. And as for being "gullible" for supporting Pita? Patronising rubbish. Do you have any better candidates than Hakparn and Pita for my support?

I'd throw in the CC as well. But there's only so much he can do. Why not ask the same question of all the lawyers harassing Pita and co? The answer's obvious. Challenging the NACC, which is a great move, is hardly a career enhancing move, is it? Seems the guy can do no right here on this forum. The cynics believe he's just "in it for the money", so to speak. Well, will he make anything out of this? Be cynical about your own police forces. They're just as bad. It's boring to read the same old repetitive "TIT what do you expect?" repeated over and over. Give the guy a break! Let's see what happens. He's been quiet for some time, as have the tabloids. So what's happening with the "case" against him? And his boss?

I got a one year retirement visa for Cambodia, thinking I'd hop between here and there, with breaks in Philippines. Then COVID came along. I never used the Cambodian visa once. But getting it wasn't difficult. Along the Phnom Penh river front, a lovely place to hang out btw, there are plenty of agents who'll do it all for you, same as here. I think it was about $380 at that time. Love Phnom Penh. Great places to eat, huge choice of food, even found myself a sauna/spa for daily sweats. Walked everywhere. It's tiny compared to the massive megacities. And bus trips out to the eastern provinces are well worth the effort. And on to Vietnam. It's all too easy here. We get lazy, and sneer at our neighbours.

Pollution? You mean in Manila, same as every major city in the world? Crappy infrastructure? Excellent bus services everywhere in Phillipines without the appalling RTA track record that Thailand boasts. Sure, you'll need a ferry or flight between islands. Not a problem. Airports on every major island, even the smaller ones. As for food, well everybody knows it's nothing like in Thailand. But once you get to know an area, you'll find there are plenty of decent places to eat. Your kind of take on Philippines is recycled endlessly here on spoilt, moaning, endlessly complaining Thai retirees. Some sort of insecurity I guess that there might actually be something better out there. The longest I stayed there was 3 months. Involved 2 extensions as I entered on a 30 day, and the fee for the Alien Registration Card, giving you access to bank accounts, for instance. Ok, to be honest, the hotels can be pretty awful. The WiFi can be crap. But like I say, find somewhere that suits you and explore. Many of the islands, out of 7,700, are spectacular, and the beaches. Completely deserted. Totally off the map. Take a girl with you. My 2¢.

Any sources for your claim of the evidence they have? Maybe he knows a thing or two about the NACC we don't.

I think it's probably a mule account, as in a kitty. The purse is superfluous.

Doing an internal examination of a pregnant woman has to be an extremely delicate procedure, probably not even allowable legally by a policewoman. At the very least carried out in a medical facility by a qualified medical practitioner. And if you were the father, where would your thoughts be right now? You and the mother have possibly just lost your child. Sue the RTP for every ill gotten gains they've got.

What about high roll-your-owners?

I think you're right. The trustworthiness also is really challenged. I mean, where's it getting its input?

Someone somewhere makes money out of hosting Motorsport events. You've got F1, 2 and 3. E-f1, superbikes and all the 2 wheel classes, massively popular, drag racing, karting, sedans, vintage, Le Mans - well, you know what I mean. If they built a stadium alongside, then you've got a massive draw. Concerts, events, boxing, judo, tennis, badminton, basketball etc etc etc . I say go for it!

It's at U Tapao. 150km from Bangkok. Own airport. Supposed fast links to 2 others. Near Pattaya. Actually one of his better madcap ideas. Achievable, I'd say. F1 not short of sponsors. Verdict? Doable!

I'm currently debating where to put a few quid I have from asset liquidation. A mate sent me a report from ChatGPT-3.5 based on info he fed it as to the suitability, reliability and general safety of one proposed destination. The output was impressive. Very well written - a dead give away in this semi literate age - and encouragingly positive. It managed to weigh up the pros and cons, and produce an overall conclusion. It was favourable. I immediately felt extremely nervous. I mean, GIGO, right? It is, I suppose, a useful tool, but not one on which I would base any major decisions. So use with caution. It knows nothing about you, your situation, location, mental health, friends or any other important circumstances. But brilliant at what it does with the information it's given.

Headed for the senate maybe?

If you put on a dress and a pair of high heels, what would we call you?

I heard the government were introducing a new class of visa, especially for Indians. It's called the Gold Necklace Visa. No, it's not about getting a ladyboy to wee over you. Just present a certified 99.9% gold necklace worth at least 50k THB at immigration and you'll get free entry for 30 days, and some coupons for exchange at Indian Gogo bars. I ladyboy drink per coupon. The return of the subsequently pinched gold necklace cannot be guaranteed, however.