impulse

I also doubt they'd ever cut it. The question is, will the cost of living increases keep up with inflation? Real inflation... Counting the stuff that seniors have to pay for.

Wrong way to look at it. You need to find statistics per registered vehicle, or even better- per mile driven. Good luck finding such info for Thailand. There are some countries that have almost zero deaths per capita. But they also have very few registered vehicles, because normal people can't afford a car. Their deaths per registered vehicle is scary.

Earlier, I suggested a pedal bicycle. I had several in Bangkok that extended my self propelled range to 5-10 km for errands, and 20-30 km for recreation and exercise. That would get around most of Pattaya. I also had an LA E-Bike for those days when I didn't feel like pedaling in the heat. I loved it. Great build quality and the battery lasted the 5 years I owned it before I moved out of Thailand. And parts are easily available in their extensive dealer network, though I never needed any. Also had a smaller 20" folding E-Bike, which was even easier to move around. Not as zoomy or mobile as a scooter, but no DL needed... http://www.labicyclegroup.com/product-TH/2 I used to pop mine in the pickup bed when I went out of town for the weekend. Great for zipping around Jomtien and Kanchanaburi and leave the pickup parked at the hotels. If you get a 20" folding E-Bike, you can even take it on the MRT (in theory- I never tried it).

Good catch. My apartment was old enough that I had a wall socket for each AC. They were up high on the wall, next to the unit. So did the past couple of older hotels I've recently stayed in. I checked. But again, those were all older buildings. That was my assumption, that "most" are like that. It may have been a bad assumption, and I stand corrected. In that case, I'd be looking for a DIN rail power monitor, like this: (get a proper electrician to wire it...) https://www.lazada.co.th/products/ac-monitor-110220380100a-kwh-i4249278785.html

Just out of curiosity, what's the OP set his temperature at, and does he run the A/C when he's not home? $200 a months sounds expensive for a small apartment. But skipalong's right. Anyone from Texas or Florida would be delighted with a $200 bill in the summer. And since energy is an international commodity, Thailand can't be too much cheaper (unless they're subsidizing locals who can't afford their power bill) Influencers that extoll the cheapness of Thailand are generally living in hotels or hostels where they don't see the power bills, and don't put gas in their car. They just see the street vendors selling chicken rice for $1.00 and the girls peddling their wares much cheaper than "back home". If the AC has a wall plug (like most split units do), I'd suggest a power monitor like this to see what it's actually using. Run all the traps like cleaning the filters, make sure it's properly charged, etc. https://www.lazada.co.th/products/benetech-gm86-wattmeter-monitor-a-watt-220v-10a2200w-i2473860264.html BTW, I loved the split units where I could cool just one room, or all the rooms.

Does the OP live (reside) in Bangkok?

That doesn't negate the fact that, on a per km basis, you're 20-40 times more likely to get killed on a scooter than in a car. That's from studies in the USA and OZ. But that's relative risk. In absolute risk terms, you'll probably survive, like millions of others.

He's actually shown himself to be a reasonable guy as he recovers from his stroke. But I disagree with him here. The conflict won't end until Hamas is wiped from existence. Israel's not going to stop if the hostages are released. In fact, they'd probably go harder. Releasing the hostages would simply remove an impediment. The upshot is that Hamas has nothing to lose by fighting to the death. They're going to die, either way.

Hat Yai is in Songkhla ...province. I always hoped they'd reactivate the military airstrip in Songkhla town itself to save that white knuckle drive from Hat Yai to town. Our company didn't allow employees to fly into HDY after dark, because of the dangerous drive into SKL.

On a tourist visa applicaiton a criminal background or warrant check is not conducted. Therefore, what kind of people are actually entering LOS on tourist visa's or visa exemption? The question isn't "how did he get into Thailand?". It's, "how did he get out of the USA?". With 11 pending charges and out on bail, they should have confiscated his passport(s), put him on the no fly lists, and had him in an ankle monitor. In a non-dystopian state, he wouldn't get bail after his 2nd charge. But in a blue state...

Gotta admit, I haven't done this. But if I were building a new system, I'd go with one of these power monitor systems to see what each leg of the system is using. https://www.amazon.com/Emporia-Monitor-Circuit-Electricity-Metering/dp/B08CJGPHL9 I'd also agree with having a way to monitor usage in each room if the OP will be renting them out on a short or long term. Or even if it's just to yell at the kids for using too much juice. Tell them about when we were kids and only had one outlet in each room...

Absolutely agree. But it's not time to press the panic button or plan the funeral. He's only 2 days overdue. If the guy's hotel safe was burgled, he'd have to get a new cell phone and SIM, and get emergency travel documents to even get on a flight. Unless he knew exactly how to do that, it may take a week or so to get on a flight. Starting with getting some cash... It's prudent to contact the embassy/consulate and start chasing it down, for sure. But I can think of a dozen non-tragic circumstances that would send someone off the grid and out of touch for a few days in Thailand.

OP may want to have a look here: https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2019/08/how-to-installing-free-maps-on-your-garmin-fenix-5-plus-forerunner-945-or-marq-series-watch.html As for compatible devices, here’s the list of devices this will work on. It also will work on most of the handheld type outdoor devices too. If it supports Garmin maps, it’ll support 3rd party maps.

Doesn't matter what I think... You're the one who's either satisfied or not. The guys I was referring to are the ones that the maid finds after they've been dead a few days and nobody missed them.

That's a risk, for sure. But it works on both ends. I've seen lots of expats whose lives have devolved into sitting alone in their apartment all day, then headed down to the 7/11 for beer and a sandwich for lunch, then an afternoon and evening polishing the barstool that perfectly conforms to their butt. Back home, they'd have buddies and family, and could pick up some work occasionally, if only to keep busy. Less gratuitous sex, for sure. But it's the other 23 hours and 50 minutes...

Not to get too detailed, but the reason they'd go to 25 meters is generally because the wells drilled to 10, 15, or 20 meters have gone dry. Maybe permanently dry, or maybe seasonally dry. It's a combination of where they find porous rock that holds the water (the reservoir- generally it's not a cavern- it's porous rock), and the pressure of the water at that depth. It's quite possible to find water 1000 meters down at a pressure that's high enough that you don't even need a pump. That's referred to as an artesian well. Realizing that it's dangerous to project US or Euro standards on Thailand, generally the entity that doles out the well permits also collects well records from the drillers that can be a wealth of information for anyone contemplating drilling a well in the area. How deep they had to drill, whether they set pipe and how deep, whether they grouted the pipe, etc. Maybe they don't collect those drilling reports (TIT), but it's worth a check to see if they have that information to plan your own well.

I hope the guy's okay, and just 2 days late is a little early to panic. Could just be a cellphone or SIM failure, and/or a hotel theft that may have included his passport. Not hard to imagine the guy's trying to get to his embassy or consulate. Which would be difficult without money, a cell phone or a passport.

You could always buy a pedal bike and benefit from the exercise, as well as getting around. Pattaya's not that big...

Not that I recommend it, but there are some YouTubes made by guys who "drill" their own water wells in the USA using pumps and PVC pipe to jet down to potable water zones. Works a treat in soft and sandy soil. But may not be legal in Thailand. It's certainly not legal where they're doing it in the USA, but they're the off-grid crowd. If you do go that way, make sure you disinfect the borehole with chlorine bleach or you can screw up your aquifer. And thoroughly and justifiably piss off the neighbors. I'd post a link or 3, but YouTube is blocked where I'm staying.

Where that's the case, I'd hope they keep records that will help figure out how deep your neighbors' wells are and which ones had to be redrilled because they weren't deep enough during the dry season. In any case, it would be worth a visit to the section that does the permitting before spending a wad of money on an improvement that can make a huge difference in the livability of your home. Or you can rely on the experience of the drillers who should know.

One big difference is that the protestors of the '60s were likely to be sent to fight in Vietnam. And many had friends and family that had already been drafted and sent. They were protesting something that affected them on a personal level.

You also have to consider what's included. Is that a turnkey well, with pump, controller, cable, downhole pipe and surface pipe? Or just a borehole that someone else will have to equip?

Begging the question, who's funding it? And to what purpose? The OP reads like a puff piece. It didn't unmask anything.

As spidermike points out, the OP's buddy also has to consider his home country's laws, in addition to Thai laws on the topic. And I'd be real careful about an ID "proving" anything. A week after the deed, there may be a knock on the door and a very different ID presented, along with a demand for a big chunk of change to stay out of prison.

Speaking of idiot ideas and WW3... "We can't let Ukraine fall because if it does, then there's a significant likelihood that America will have to get into the conflict — not simply with our money, but with our servicewomen and our servicemen," (Hakeem) Jeffries (D) said in an interview with Norah O'Donnell for 60 Minutes. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/democrat-leader-jeffries-pro-putin-faction-in-gop-delayed-ukraine-aid-60-minutes/ Edit: I found that first on RT.com, and had to search the interwebs to make sure it wasn't just Russkie propaganda. Nope. Sadly, it's that stoopid.