DavidB4

The Thai version of 'Purge'...

I think Jak said it best. Some balance(as usual in life) would be best. Ignoring everything outside your immediate circle is not only boring it can also be dangerous but to stick your nose into everyone else's business and even interfere, like my home country the US loves to do is also dangerous...and foolish.

The USA has over 800 military installations in countries all over the world, most Americans don't know this and don't seem to care when they hear it and now we have a clown for president that can't read or speak English. We definitely need to learn how to take care of our own problems and leave others alone more.  

20 hours ago, jak2002003 said:

A happy middle ground would be the best option.

 

To care nothing for anything that does not immediately concern oneself is not just selfish.. its dangerous in ignorant.  This is why so few people here stand up to corruption, crime etc.  If people here did not ignore the problems then there is scope for change and improvement in the future for society, not just an individual.

 

On the other hand, to get overly involved, distressed, stressed and argumentative about issues that don't directly affect us is equally not a good thing.  It is a waste of energy, which would be better spent on doing things to actually improve situations we have some (no matter how small) control over. Lurching from one world disaster, political or social problem to the next, getting into heated arguments, fights and negatively impacting ones life and family, over issues we have realistically not control over is pointless.  

 

On 2/27/2018 at 8:32 AM, tgeezer said:

I did that many years ago by train, we left Thailand and entered Malaysia from the railway platform.  There was no return train in the offing so we re-entered Thailand by a footbridge where locals enjoy free movement accross the border.  The problem was that we needed to take a taxi for quite a long drive to a border post to get a stamp back into Thailand.    

 

So did you go through Thai immigration or just cross into Malaysia at the station?

1 hour ago, bubba45 said:

This might not be exactly the white tuna you're looking for, but if you've not tried this brand, give it a shot.  I eat a good bit of tuna, and I buy this one.  They have in brine, water, oil, etc.  I buy them all.  But note the difference in 'tuna steak' and I think the other is 'tuna sandwich'.  The steak is whole, not all crushed up pieces.  I can't recall seeing American brands here.

Oh, and I always add a little Kraft mayo - I'm on that mayo bandwagon, too.

 

I used to buy Sealect but found it a bit fishy last year and switched to Nautilus in Spring Water and like it better.

1 hour ago, gbob said:

Miracle Whip

I love Miracle Whip over mayo but haven't seen it in a while! Also love Lipton Onion Soup mix for making potato chip dip. 

I know the situation in Thailand is terrible but honestly you make Europe sound like a big-brother police state that scares me even more than the Thai drivers! 

10 hours ago, Thian said:

In Europe there are undercover cops in cars who also have videocams at all sides. If you drive too close to another car or stay on the fast lane when the slow lane is empty they will give you a huge fine...for speeding they have camera's littery everywhere, the ticket will come to your home. They also use cars with computerequipment who can read licenseplates and check if the car is insured or checked for safety yearly.

 

They also register the licenseplate and do it again after 50 km or so, they then calculate the travelled speed over that distance and will send a fine if necessary.

 

There's no way to do drive like a Thai in Europe, you'll get stopped by police within 10 minutes...and there's no way to bribe them at all. When they stop you for an offence they also check the whole car if all is working properly, if not more fines are written.

 

What you see on the Thai roads every day is unbelievable for the Europeans. It can be a primetime tv=show for them to watch Thai traffic.

 

I really can't understand why Thailand let this all happen, they do have police but they won't do their job...and even a big general can't fix that.

Soon the whole world will make jokes about driving like a Thai...and they totally deserve it.

 

On 1/26/2018 at 7:14 PM, Dustdevil said:

Unfortunately a perusal of the front page reveals no prestige shows such as Ray Donovan or Berlin Station from the premium channels and streaming services. The shows are all commercial network type

17 hours ago, Dustdevil said:

Unfortunately a perusal of the front page reveals no prestige shows such as Ray Donovan or Berlin Station from the premium channels and streaming services. The shows are all commercial network type

Incorrect; maybe you didn't see them on the front page where you looked but they have those shows (as I've watched them regularly and right after they aired) and EVERY top show including Game of Thrones, Walking Dead, Vikings, the Marvel Shows and new ones like Hard Sun and Burden of Truth.

Depending on what you want to watch, this is one of the best free internet sites for USA TV shows:  http://www.watchepisodeseries.com/

Try this site, great for watching all types of sports:  http://www.usagoals.net/

17 hours ago, Thian said:

People sure care and move to the subs away from the main roads in a nice moobaan with loads of green.

 

And sure something can be done, in China they decided that only cars with an even number on their licenseplate can drive on one day and the other day the uneven numbers are allowed to drive. That will sure work!

 

Also in China they use electric motocycles ONLY in certain cities....also electric cars don't pollute bad air in a city.

 

At places like Saphan Kwai bts the air is really bad, why you think nobody cares? Why do the streetvendors there wear facemasks ALL DAYS you think?

Even/odd license plates do NOT work! How are you supposed to get to work? They tried that in Athens and people just got 2 cars, one with even - one with odd, great solution!

Only if they don't mind him pushing his way to the front for all the photos, oh and being told everyday for the next year that he had more people at his wedding!  ...and better cake.

2 hours ago, smotherb said:

Sorry, DavidB4, I did not answer you earlier. A lot of people find Vietnamese difficult to speak--for me it is easier than Thai. Words are written in characters similar to the Latin alphabet and are only one syllable with no tenses, plurals or possessives; the problem seems to be the six tones. A single one-syllable word can mean several different things, depending upon the tone used. When I was first in Vietnam, the people were much like the Thais are now; those in contact with foreigners spoke some English and those who weren't, didn't. I too was amazed at the English-speaking abilities of the Vietnamese, especially the young--the ones who likely had more Russian than American influence.  I met several young Vietnamese with a very good command of English. One young post-card vendor in front of the Majestic hotel spoke superior English--she had little accent, used complete sentences, including tenses, plurals and possessives.  She pointed out one postcard with a rather lengthy Longfellow quote, and recited the quote perfectly. She, like the others said they learned English in school. The only young Thais I've encountered whose English is as good are half-farang and grew-up speaking English. Anecdotal I know, but impressive.

Thank you kindly for your informative reply!

20 hours ago, smotherb said:

Vietnamese more aggressive than the Thais; learning the language a struggle because the people would not help. I have not seen either of those attributes when comparing Thais and Vietnamese. I've seen more hot-tempered Thais and had much more encouragement to learn Vietnamese--however, my Vietnamese is far better than my Thai, which may account for that difference of opinion.

 

The infrastructure--civil, technical and social--is better in Thailand, and I have family and friends in here. Although, that is about where it stops for me with preference for Thailand.

 

I see the average Vietnamese is more dependable, harder-working; in fact; quite capable. It is easier to do business in Vietnam and you are much safer on the roads. Housing, utilities, food, and drink prices are cheaper and visa hassles are considerably less in Vietnam--a three -month visa costs about $50, the only requirement is six months validity on your passport, and you can get as many back-to-back visas as you like. I prefer the Vietnamese food, especially the availability of good breads, cheeses, beef, coffee and wine. Western-style foods, based on French and Continental cuisine, is common and you can get the meals for you and friends served at the same time. The Vietnamese women are very attractive and not as paunchy as many Thai women--and the Thai piano-stool calves are uncommon.

Good feedback/information thank you! It's been a while since I've been to Vietnam and at the time I was beginning to think they were getting to aggressive also so I'm glad to hear maybe that's changing. I found their language extremely difficult and only learned a few words but it seemed that more of them were learning English than the Thais....how is that now? I totally agree on the food and the women but was concerned the housing might be more than here....not so? Again thanks.

17 hours ago, sipi said:

Nepal would be my second choice.

But I can't be bothered.

Why Nepal?

15 minutes ago, AsianAtHeart said:

As I expected, there is no mention of back-of-pickup-riders being a major contribution to road deaths.  In fact, there is no mention of them at all.  Does anyone know if there were any such deaths involved?

 

Clearly, the motorcycles are the least advantageous mode of travel in Thailand, in terms of safety.  The government has done the right thing to allow riding in the back of a pickup, reducing the need of motorcycle transport.  I wonder how many motorcycle riders succumb to fatigue on longer trips (4+ hours)?

Good points, I also wonder how many of the riders weren't wearing helmets? 

Didn't happen, Trump asked Putin 3 times and each time he said it wasn't them. 

Just like it won't be a nuclear missile issue it WILL be a mental health problem! 

Got to a vet to get the work up done required to show that he's healthy, the vet will forward that to the pet immigration people. Then you take the dog to the immigration office at the airport where they'll inspect him and issue his visa. Make sure you don't wait till the last minute, my friend went and the date on the vets paperwork was one day off from their records in the computer so they denied it, and this was one day before departure. 

I have a set I brought with me from the US, new-never used. Not top of the line but decent, don't know what they're worth here...we would both probably have to research it. I have the bag also. I'm located in Bangkok, my email is [email protected]. Cheers, David

5 hours ago, Chou Anou said:

I think 3000 a month is still possible (I paid that around On Nut 14 years ago)...but you won't get one that looks quite as "nice" as the one in your photo; it'll be more basic.  Also, don't expect something for that price to be within, say, 500m of a BTS or MRT station.  But...possible.  Look past On Nut on the Sukhumvit line, or a comparable distance out on other lines.  Up Ratchada a ways, maybe?  I lived on Ratchada soi 1 over a decade ago (behind Fortune Mall) for 5,000, an easy walk from Rama 9 MRT station.

They just refurbished a building on On Nut soi 21/1 and were renting the rooms for 3500 a month = brand new with air, very nice. I think they are all rented now except 2 of the larger ones for 4500/month. There are many new buildings being finished here and the competition is getting fierce.

Wouldn't mind making the money or lowering the number of motorcycles on the sidewalk but I imagine they might not appreciate the falang taking photos of them driving...I think they could figure out what you're doing. Gang of motorcycle taxis here they come??

22 hours ago, lucjoker said:

impossible to register, they dont send the required log in e-mail ????

I'm registered and it was easy but I don't think you have to, I only did it because they keep track of the shows I like and show me an alert when there's a new episode. There are different sites(links) shown as to where you can watch the shows and you learn which ones work best for you and which ones have the most advertising and pop-up ads. A bit annoying but not a high price to pay to be able to watch so many shows for free. I highly recommend installing ghostery on your computer to help block pop-ups....everywhere. It's free and I consider it a lifesaver for working on the internet.