55Jay

If you needed any further example that the Junta is aloof and the media impotent........  No doubt he expected that feeble explanation to fly without much challenge or follow up. 

Almost as good as Hillary Clinton giving us a glimpse of her arrogance with that quip about her email server being wiped.  "You mean wiped like, with a cloth?". 

7 hours ago, webfact said:

Baldwin said he did not intend to "dismiss or ignore such complaints."

 

"But accusing people of such crimes should be treated carefully," he added.

Alec Baldwin emerges from the swamp as the voice of reason.  I love it.

Perhaps he'll grace us with an over-the-top rendition of an embattled Woody Allen on a Saturday Night Live skit? 

7 hours ago, Polaky said:

I am a retiree, visited thai 3 times now, each time I leave I have no intentions to return, however after some time passes the urge to return becomes overwhelming, 

Because we often want what we don't have. Grass is greener.  Rose tinted glasses. 

Impulsiveness begets a lack of due diligence and therein, ignorance and stupid decisions some come to regret.  Some regret moving to Thailand but get stuck in place psychologically, economically, or both.  Some can't admit it to themselves and others, so they carry on the deception of how great it is and how happy they are.  

Bit of an illusion really.  But that's life, innit?

Puff puff, pass...... 

Just now, phuketrichard said:

NOPE

 I knew it! Damn! 

1 hour ago, phuketrichard said:

China southern  phuket- sfo $680 23.5 and 23 hours

Cathy Pacific  Phuket- sfo $1,060  18  and 20.4 hours

April 8th this year

Guess which one i chose?

China Southern.

20 minutes ago, Master Jairam said:

Is it necessary to know Thai in order to file a tax return. Thanks

No. 

On 1/15/2018 at 3:05 PM, webfact said:

It is a step that was very late in coming but thank God it's happening now."

These daft, religious goof balls and their silly god cliches. 

No, sister, it was god prohibiting this before. 

It's a 32 year old Saudi you should be thanking.  Not "god".  Whatever that means.

1 hour ago, jak2002003 said:

God, your kids life sounds like they are in prison.  Apart from the brain washing and potential child molesters at the church, teaching them violent sports every week day, sending them to bed at 8pm every night is weird.   When you bring up children in such a regimented way with no flexibility and freedom they very well might grow up in to resentful and troublesome teenagers and messed up adults.

I had free reign and that was great for drinking, smoking dope and shop lifting at a young age.  Not so good for later life though. 

Spent a period of time in my teen years until finishing school, with a crazy step-mother, jack-mormon, who kept me on a regimented schedule.  It sucked!  But.... among other things, I learned a second language that served me well later, learned how to type, which served me well later, and developed a work ethic doing chores, which flourished and served me very well later on.   Nothing fancy, she just kept me focused on what I was supposed to be focused on - school and developing some useful life skills.  Religion wasn't a factor.  Still isn't and never will be.

Meanwhile, over in cloud koo koo land, kids are suing their parents and others with purple hair and nose rings claim they gender identify with a giraffe. 

Nah, no problem with TunnelRat and his Mrs giving their kids some structure. 

If you don't work here, or have a hobby to occupy a lot of your time, it's far too easy to fall into a beer/whiskey bottle every day.  

A lot guys around where I live are in their 60s and 70s, and drink EVERY single day.  I tried to keep up for a while ~ just can't do it.   I think some of them have resigned themselves to burning up their cash and their livers until they're both gone.  Already toasted 1 in the past year and I can guess who'll be shoved into the big pizza down at the local wat next.  Won't be long.

I haven't tried the website/booking (noted by norfolkandchance) but here's the link to the English version website.  http://www.newgenairways.com

They also have outlets in a handful of areas:

https://www.eventpop.me/e/2818-cnx-nak-jan

Wife was lacing up a brand new pair of hi-top, Converse brand trainers last week as we were leaving the house, headed to Immigration.  Asked me to guess how much she paid for them.  She loves this game.

I stared at them for a moment.  "Hell, I don't know.... 350 Baht?"

As usual, she smiled broadly and replied, "150 Baht!  Hee Hee Hee!".

She wore them to the Immigration Police office where the Immigration Police Sergeant helping us was wearing a knock-off Guess brand wrist watch, entering my genuine passport details into the computer running boot leg Windows software. 

8 hours ago, webfact said:

disorder of the brain functioning which was manifested in three major behaviors: inattentiveness, impulsiveness and hyperactivity

The next generation of lorry, bus, van, car, and motorbike drivers.

Scott - what is your tax home/nationality?  

If US, read the tax treaty here, Articles 24 & 25 are germane. 

https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-trty/thailand.pdf

Despite the "current year income" clause,  in actual practice, it's not really an issue I give any thought to anymore.    I filed a Thai tax return a few years ago to recover some Thai bank interest, and the government tax staff did give me a bit of an examination about my situation and US based pension and investment income.  But in the end, US/Thai Tax Treaty held.  Non-issue, unless you make it one. 

^ Yup, experiences like these is why I continue to avoid them, even with the improvement in reviews over time. 

Another odd thing I've read several times in CS reviews is, apparently, a Chinese Gov regulation prohibiting the use of phones and tables on board - the entire flight, not just T/O and landing.  My wife likes to use her tablet on long hauls, so that's another tick in the "avoid" column for me. 

I've also seen mention that, after the doors shut, some cheeky pax in Economy (read: Chinese nationals) are known to  upgrade themselves into any open business class seat,  then pick their nose, cough and fart for 12+ hours if an FA doesn't muster the courage to confront them.  Reminded me of flying on some Middle East/Gulf airlines, in particular where cabin crew are imported labor, and hesitant to get into a confrontation with an indignant, blustering Arab National. 

For me, saving a couple hundred bucks flying with CS isn't worth the potential drama and aggro, or getting stuck in some Guangzhou shit hole.  Yeah, that's right!  I said it!  "Shit Hole!".  

Are those two fences either side of the highway for traffic safety or, like the OP caption says, intended to keep refugees from (shithole) countries out?

27 minutes ago, Thian said:

Don't worry, they will find a solution for that....maybe leave the pricestickers on it for some months, or the plastic on the seats or windscreen.

Ha ha, right, that sounds like the Saudis.

CS reviews used to be consistently bad but in recent years, have improved.  Common thread seems to be when (main land) ground services has to adapt to delays or any blip outside "normal", that when it can all go off the rails. 

I've been threatening to try them for a while.  For my flight to LAX next week, I got further this time than ever before, having selected the flights online and was about to click to the payment phase but...... just couldn't do it.  Chickened out and booked with Cathay Pacific again. 

Careful observation and a bit of common sense goes a long way here.  Didn't take me long to avoid open air market food, street vendors, etc.  It's not exotic and cultural, it's ignorance.  Or laziness.  Possibly both at times.

Very possible the parents of that 12 year old got a handful of sweaty money as well.

I just can't wrap my head around an adult, Thai, farang, whatever, who gets his or her jollies off a child.  Da fuq is wrong with these people. 

Did someone say, FREE HOT WATER?!

6 hours ago, mtls2005 said:

The good news...Trump was playing golf.

Besides that, POTUS demands secondary threat verification with Fox and Friends.

Me too with these 404 and CloudFlare messages.

  This afternoon was a bit different.  Like Pib mentioned, click TV icon and nothing happens.  Small popup dialog box said "contacting www.ggdg.....", something like that.  No problems with any other sites.

Retaliate often = hostile gun/missile boat activity in the SoH.  The last big "you crossed a line" retort involved a threat to sink a US Carrier in the Strait.

US sent a carrier through.  Not a peep.

Wonder what they'll come up with this time.

OP, did you fly with them and how was it?

2 hours ago, HiSoLowSoNoSo said:

I assume that religion here will go the same way as in western Europe, where most of the young population are not interested in it any longer. In my country you only see old people in the churches, very few young ones.   

Hope springs eternal.