impulse

Over the years, there have been many times when western products were out of stock. Sometimes, it was for a few months. Other times, they didn't come back. Pickles were hit and miss. I always stocked up on sweet pickle relish when it was in stock. (Which probably made me part of the problem) Never tried Branston Pickle. What do you use it on? Sure looks good in the photos on the Bing search.

If you don't mind staying around the house all day, every day, with cash in hand, go for COD. I did several hundred Lazada orders by debit card and never had a problem.

Gerrymandering is drawing maps to favor one party over the other. Gerrymandering, in U.S. politics, is the drawing of the boundaries of electoral districts in a way that gives one party an unfair advantage over its rivals. The term is derived from the name of Governor Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts, whose administration enacted a law in 1812 defining new state senatorial districts. So, no. Requiring ID isn't gerrymandering. Voter suppression, maybe. Depending on how it's done. But it isn't gerrymandering. https://www.britannica.com/story/what-is-gerrymandering

Gerrymandering must mean something different in British English.

I had a cheap Toyota Sienna and I was paying almost $2K a year just for liability insurance and registration. I maintained high limits, but just liability. That's about $160 a month you wouldn't have to pay if you lived in a city where you could get around with no car. And that's before gas and maintenance. Cha ching. That narrows the differential cost of living in a city (or suburb) where rent will be more expensive, but public transport is available and cheap. Not to mention, at some age, it's no longer safe to drive. Something to ponder for "down the road".

I use Google Fi and get 2FA texts in Thailand and in China. I used it for my cell/data service in the USA and I just continued using it when I left the USA. I can no longer use data after a few months outside the USA, but voice and text work fine. It's not cheap, and I think you have to start the account from the USA, (at least to get the SIM card in the mail) so I can't say I'd recommend it to the OP, but it does work. Not really a recommendation as much as a data point.

Regardless of where you stand on the abortion issue, it's disingenuous to blame Florida. The reason for the turmoil is that the states around Florida already had laws that sent their residents to Florida for abortions. Blaming Florida is political, an attempt to derail DeSantis's political future. Just like blaming Florida for their "measles epidemic", when Blue Chicago had 5x as many measles patients in their migrant shelters.

As long as we were driving her car...

The OP's situation is clear, but lots of folks come to these threads for generic info. So far, nobody's posted whether a Brit can drive in Thailand using their valid back home license, for how long, and whether an IDP is mandatory. In years past, there were mods and participants that actually posted good info. I miss that.

I'd agree, as long as they put out a litter tray, and the cat was well trained to use it. Decades ago, the ex had a cat that would immediately poop when we put her in the car to go to the vet (only time it ever left the house was to go to the vet). That's a smell I wouldn't wish on anyone, and cat pee is even worse. And almost impossible to get rid of.

Depends on how sophisticated their inventory system is... But if it's sophisticated enough to recognize the S/N, the OP wouldn't even need the receipt. But I agree. Not cheating, and that's what I'd have done, and have in the past. With no remorse, even though I often second guess myself.

How sick is a piece of string? (I paraphrased) My bypass cost the company insurance 2 million baht at Bumrungrad, with another million baht for follow up and meds over the next 2 or 3 years. I probably could have gotten it for a tiny fraction of that in a gub'ment hospital. So YMMV. On the plus side, in the US, that 3 million baht probably wouldn't have even covered the 20% deductible. About the time I was recovering, I read about a US patient that was charged $900,000 for the same surgery. Ouch.

Biden's Border Patrol may be processing more illegals into the USA, but I'd hardly characterize that as "catching" them. They run toward Biden's Border Patrol because they know they'll get processed in and start getting all the free stuff.

Probably for the same reason they don't have a rule against riding the escalators standing on your hands. You'd need a library full of rules against every stupid thing. Though I do wish they'd publish a rule about kids racing those self propelled suitcases.

Just curious. Who's the bloke in this story? 'Cause, I count 2.

Sad story, all around. On the educational side, how will her estate be settled, with her being a foreigner? I imagine the French Embassy (consulate?) will be involved. Can any in her family contest the will, and would it be in French courts or in Thai courts? I'm not asking to be morose or putting out any conspiracy vibes. It's practical knowledge that may be helpful for a lot of posters here, getting on in years. How to best make sure my estate goes where I want it to go...

Until you end up needing to pay for an emergency repatriation medical flight. Because your insurance won't pay for an illegal act.

Point taken, but I'd settle for the legally correct answer. Can a Brit, by treaty, legally drive in Thailand using a valid British DL, for how long, and is an IDP required? Millions may get away with breaking the law, but they occasionally get caught out when they end up in the hospital and their insurance company denies cover because they were driving illegally. Or if they get pulled over by the wrong cop. Also, the "legally correct" answer will probably make the difference when they rock up to a rental car kiosk at the airport. In years past, we'd have gotten a definitive answer on TVF. Then the flame wars would start.

Friendly note to the owners of Asean Now. There's a right answer to the OP's question, and probably useful to any Brit that may tune in. (Or any other nationality that may want to drive or rent a car in Thailand) In years past, there were expert mods that could be counted on to post that useful information. That's what made Thai Visa useful enough to filter through all the junk and the flame wars. I miss that.

It's about $100 an hour cheaper. Sometimes less. Often, more.

The best part of that incident were all the flash bulbs going off on the other side of that door he's breaking down. They were already inside, in big numbers. That's what's referred to as gratuitous vandalism.

I'm wondering when (if?) the other shoe's gonna drop and catch him up in WP and/or visa issues.

Looks to me like they're doing fine on the numbers. Now, they need to upgrade the quality of the tourists they're attracting. If $9 is going to be a deal killer, perhaps that's the kind of tourist they'd rather not have.

Last week, I did my 13th monthly visa exempt entry in a row. I stay between 3 days and a week each time. YMMV. One recurring theme from the threads and discussions I have with fellow travelers is that they usually get a warning before they get refused entry. Same with the American kid young adult I flew next to last week. His father lives in Thailand and he comes to visit regularly (occasionally extending for over a month). They warned him he'd need to get a visa next time. I'd suggest the OP not worry until they warn him he'll need a visa next time. He's actually the kind of visitor they want to encourage. Cashed up, employed elsewhere, and doesn't extend as if he's living in Thailand.

Here's a tell... Did the police block traffic for his motorcade? I don't know enough about Thaksin or Thai politics to have an opinion one way or the other about him or Yingluck. I just know that every successful Asian economy was started down that road by a corrupt strongman that became fabulously (multi- generationally) wealthy but left enough in the coffers for the country to develop. Is Thaksin that guy for Thailand? We'll see.