impulse

Stay away from raw seafood and home made fish sauces that may cause liver flukes and lead to liver cancer. You'll see it a lot on street kiosks, including raw crabs that are used to flavor local treats. Locals and long stay folks go to the pharmacy and buy (over the counter, no script required) anti-parasitics and take it every so often as a precaution. Albendazole and Praziquantel are examples, but do some searching to find out the upsides and the downsides. Keep some Imodium around.

What's the Thai word for 5? Get it now? Edit: Also explains why 555 has no meaning to anyone who's never been to Thailand.

I bought a laptop that came loaded with Linux a few years back. First, it wouldn't run much of my $$ thousands worth of legacy software I was familiar with (and that we used at the office). The freeware that it would run required hours of reformatting graphs and paragraphs that came to me from workmates and colleagues. Then, when I did have an issue and went to the interwebs to figure it out, I was advised to root the flubus and reconfigure my dickstack (or something like that). (Along with helpful comments like "you idiot, you") I didn't even know how. The next day, I ponied up for yet another Windows license and haven't looked back. If I was starting from zero, I'd give Linux a look. If Microsoft continues to disappoint, I may give it another look now that I'm long term, age induced unemployed. If all I was using a computer for is web browsing and e-mail, I'd give Linux another look. But for real world, nope.

When I was growing up, we called that "summer". Some years, it killed millions and parched the fields. Just like it's been doing since the last ice age. Long before Henry Ford and J D Rockefeller.

I blame the guys with the Bic pens. And USB chips and interweb connectivity.

The sad thing is that they'll keep voting for him. Because.... reasons. And oodles free stuff. I suspect the only reason he's behind is that the free stuff is going to newcomers now.

With Thailand accounting for less than half a percent of world GDP, assuming that correlates to carbon output, cutting back 100% on Thailand's carbon output won't make a dent in the problem. But poorly conceived tax programs could completely destroy the Thai economy. Hardly seems worth it. It's one of those issues where Thailand should dodge the WEF (and Greta's) bullet. If they want to tax anything, tax the burning off of farm fields. Flying into Thailand quite a few times this year, it's atrocious that it's allowed to happen. I quit counting after 200 fires, with smoke from each of them covering hundreds of sq km. Of course, Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos won't stop, but at least Thai people may breathe a little easier. Oops. Here's my link: https://www.worldometers.info/gdp/gdp-by-country/

That's why I include details, so people don't over-analyze my case. I also believe that my short stays are the reason I haven't been knocked back, but that's conjecture on my part. I post the data in the hope that it helps someone else. And I hope I don't jinx it...

Asked. And answered. That's efficiency.

Tomorrow, I plan to fly into BKK for my 15th monthly visa exempt entry into Thailand in a row. I stay 3-7 days each time, and never get anything but a smile and a stamp at immigration. Twice, they asked how long I'd be staying this time. Never asked to see the actual departure tickets, for hotel reservations or to flash cash. US citizen, 67 years old and worked in Thailand before Covid. I always wear long pants and a collared shirt and a smile. Even when I'm crabby and tired. I'm open to the possibility of being stopped each time (with spare underwear and cash for a ticket out). Which would actually save me money because it's cheaper for me to do visa runs (from China) to Korea or Hong Kong. But I love Thailand and I meet with my former co-workers each trip to catch up with their families and their kids growing up. I will post back if my streak ends. Fingers crossed, it won't be tomorrow. BTW, YMMV, depending on a lot of variables. Mine is just a data point about airside limits on visa exempt entries.

I think it makes a huge difference, just based on my personal experience. Weed wasn't my drug of choice (booze was). But when I hung out with my stoner buddies, we closed all the window shades and hid down in the basement, demonstrating fear long before anyone fired up a doobie. I must have gotten contact paranoia, because I was worried about getting busted, and I wasn't even partaking. I was just there, close enough for a possession bust. i.e. Paranoid. Strangely, nobody showed any fear (paranoia) when they lit up on camping trips 10 miles out in the woods where there was no chance of the popo showing up. So I ask again, is it the weed that makes people paranoid, or the fear of getting busted? My anecdotal belief is that it's fear of getting busted.

Does it cause paranoia where it's legal? Or is it just worrying about being banged up? Which is not really paranoia. I used to feel the same way driving down the road swilling a beer. But only after Texas made that illegal. No worries at all back when it was legal.

Probably ought to check your facts. Here's from their website: The Chinese Visa Application Service Centre (hereinafter referred to as the “Application Centre”) is a commercial service organization registered in accordance with local laws and regulations and recognized by a Chinese Embassy or Consulate-General to handle the daily routine work of processing ordinary visa and authentication applications. However, it operates independently of diplomatic missions and is neither a branch nor an affiliated organ. Which makes them a Visa Agent. Just like a lot of other visa agents recognized by the Embassy or Consulate. That's what allows them to bring in piles of passports. https://bio.visaforchina.cn/BKK3_EN/guanyuwomen/guanyuqianzhengzhongxin

Which flavor do you recommend?

Wouldn't that make them a Visa Agent? And render the rest of the information posted here (much of it conflicting) moot?

The upshot of your post is : Call a visa agent. Or risk getting really disappointed. If they can't help you, the call will cost nothing. In 25 years of getting China visas for work, for business and for tourism, here's what I've found: The rules are different in different locations, and depend on your nationality and your visa status in the country where you apply. The rules change occasionally, so what worked last year often didn't work for me the next year, even at the same office. I have found China Immigration and Public Security Bureau to be extremely reasonable, and pretty easy to work with. But they do have complex rules that change pretty often. Especially when there are activities like the Olympics or high level political meetings coming up. (Edit: And sometimes, the changes only last for limited period) Visa agents keep up with the changes. Websites don't.

I'll put the mine on my bucket list if I do retire to TH. I liked Pilok because it reminded me so much of the campgrounds back home growing up, camping with the family. First time I saw major camping activity in Thailand, and it also attracted an eclectic and very friendly crowd. Not many foreigners that I saw. At least not so many that stood out. Not zero, but not a lot.

If you want a real white knuckle experience in Thailand, drive to Pilok village. Winding mountain roads like Wyoming or N Cali, but with unmarked washouts and blind curves and idiots passing each other, completely oblivious to what's around the bend. The destination was very nice, revealing to me a side of Thailand that I'd never seen. Mostly campers, reminding me of the great community you'd find in campgrounds and national parks back home. But the drive up... And back... Crazy. Also found a great drive from Kanchanaburi to 3 Pagodas, along the lake (I forget the name). Gorgeous scenery and a lot less white knuckle driving. Stopped occasionally for a night in the national park (Bom Pee, I think is the name) Nice rustic cabins right on the lake, reasonably priced. Also worthwhile to duck off the main road toward the lake, just for the view.

My sympathies to anyone who paid good money to buy this online community. I'll bet they feel like I did when I bought that bag of juicy mangoes and found worms in a few. I was able to save most of them by cutting out the worms. But some of them were too far gone. I hope AN can salvage a few, but good luck cutting. Stay klassy, y'all.

I'm waiting for AOC and The Squad to insist that we look at the bright side. Venezuelan 12 year olds are much safer with their rapists and murderers headed north. https://insightcrime.org/news/venezuela-crime-rate-falling/

The appropriate response would have been to offer her a ride to the ER. She may need medical help. Lady obviously doesn't even know what country she's in.

At 16kg of carbon per human body, would that meet their goals? And wouldn't they have to bury us instead of cremating us? Of course, there's always the Soylent Green option.

Honest to gosh, I don't claim it was murder. I don't know. I just think it should be investigated before calling the guy stupid for swimming under a red flag warning. Especially since they found bruises on him. Maybe he wasn't swimming. I've had the crap beat out of me, body surfing and boogie boarding hundreds of times. I have never had bruises if it was a sandy beach. Edit: And I'd add that the investigation would be more credible if it was done by an entity that wasn't under pressure to protect tourism.

Okay, I didn't read that comment; this information wasn't in the article itself. If you read my next comment, you'd understand why it was disturbing that the article quoted in the OP didn't mention that they were illegals: What was interesting this morning is that during my Bing search on the topic, most of the MSM either failed to mention they were illegals, or claimed that the authorities were still looking into their status, as if it was unknown. I had to look quite a bit to find an MSM article to link, lest I be accused of linking right wing propaganda again. Because the right wing sources had them as illegals very early in the news cycle. Complete with dates they were caught and released. I suspect a bunch of lefties that only read CNN and MSDNC still don't know. And probably won't, until the anger dies down. Doesn't help Joe.

No. I'm pretty sure a tree makes noise when it falls. Even if nobody's there to hear it. If you cross a border illegally, you're a criminal. Whether you get caught or not.