Kinnock

So the country that abolished slavery in the 1800's and sent a squadron of warships to Africa to prevent the slave trade, now employs a convicted slaver as a junior school teacher. How the mighty have fallen.

I think the new tax laws may force more people to return home than exchange rate fluctuations.

There's a few total losers on this forum who can't comprehend successful relationships or real achievements.

We're both 'all-in' .... she is totally focussed on looking after me, and has been for over 10 years, I reciprocate and look after her. I also have family responsibilities in my home country, and she accepts that too. But we also have health insurance to try and avoid financial issues.

Yes, agree about the Oriental having excellent staff ..... although the other major hotels in Thailand also have good people.

Ah .... sold out. Have to go for over-priced resellers ... https://www.viagogo.com/th/Concert-Tickets/Alternative-Music/Imagine-Dragons-Tickets/E-155098757?quantity=2

https://m.thaiticketmajor.com/concert/imagine-dragons-loom-world-tour-live-in-bangkok.html?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwooq3BhB3EiwAYqYoEl5R67Hud3H6Q3D84QylpR8swZsH3cqXhKiZBi6RgX5RcINy0YbW3xoCFS0QAvD_BwE

Depends so much on your personal needs ..... and while a small island sounds nice for shorter term stays, for long term I wanted to be within easy travelling distance of Bangkok and the major airports, plus not too far from a Central mall and a Homepro/Thaiwatsadu for when you need stuff .... but also near a beach and with easy access to some nice islands. Plus not too noisy and not too many foreigners. That meant East Coast area but not too near Pattaya (but also not too far from Pattaya in case of an urgent need😀).

It's a very good hotel, but not even the best in Bangkok, never mind 'the world'. Rooms are small and outdated, and while the international food is excellent, the Thai food is so Westernized it's almost tasteless. It's also over-priced, so I only visit when a business guest really wants to go there. Anantara Riverside is better in my view, and the Shangri-la is it's equal. Looking wider, there are some hotels in Dubai and Oman I've visited on business (wouldn't pay to stay there if not on expenses 🙂) that are better, and even within the Mandarin Oriental's own group the one in KL is better. But I guess it's all subjective anyway?

No work permit No Thai licence No insurance Driving for money is a restricted profession in Thailand Driving a licenced passenger vehicle without commercial licence Criminally stupid Wrong visa for working No public filming licence Disrespectful towards a temple Culpable haircut

Bob Pattinson is undead.

Unfortunately not ..... as the hyper-rich and the elite in Thailand are well above the law.

I went to the main police HQ in Central Bangkok - diagonally opposite Siam Paragon. They take your fingerprints using some black goo that looks like old steam engine grease, take copy of passport, then after a week or so send the clearance cert by post.

Thailand can't tax its own people, so they want to tax foreigners.

Maybe not .... the top celebrity lawyers on Channel 32 and 33 are volunteer lawyers, so not expensive.

Even if doesn't sign anything and avoids a formal job title, he's clearly working in Thailand. You ideally need to make a friend in the Labour Department.

Do you have a Thai partner who could make a formal complaint and ideally file a counter criminal co.plaint for fraud or harassment? Try to remove the foreigner element. There's also the option of hiring one of the Thai 'celebrity lawyers'. They are experts at arranging press conferences and embarrassing businesses into settling a case quietly to avoid all the negative publicity.

In my home country we're taught the 'life saver' - the good look over your shoulder to check behind, but when riding in Thailand I find that in the millisecond spent looking behind, total mayhem can break out in front of you. So in Thailand I rely more on my mirrors, unless I'm stationary. And I use my mirrors when stopped at lights, looking for the 'brake failure' truck charging through on red. Also, when going through a green light at home, I don't feel a need to check for red light jumpers crossing in front, but here you need to thread through the traffic that decided the red light was only advisory. Finally .... only use your horn and give the finger when you have a clear escape route.

I'd go for a Yamaha Filano or Honda Giorno with ABS if you want the Scoopy/Fino traditional scooter style. ABS on the front is a useful feature on small wheeled, lightweight scooters. The Honda Adv is also worth considering, but it's more costly.

Has anyone ever seen an energy use sticker that did not show 5 Stars? Surely every appliance, from non inverter ac's to washing machines with hot cycles can't be 5 star rated?

Musical chairs until Anutin gets on the seat.

Lakeside cafe

Stock exhaust needs to be tested and certified for type approval and noise legislation in many countries ... that costs. Plus original spare parts have a high mark-up compared to accessories. Compare original equipment brake pads or shock absorbers with accessory pads and shocks ... the (possibly better) non-original parts will be cheaper. Also, some original exhaust systems contain a catalytic converter - which is a costly item often containing platinum or palladium, which is not cheap. But with the aftermarket exhaust silencer, that lack of certification will bite you at the annual inspection .... so you may need to refit the original one if the test center is serious. Swapping for a louder 'silencer' will mean less back pressure, so unless you also tune the fuel injection (or re-jet the carburettor) you may lose some power. With retuning you can get a little extra power, but there's often a cost in reduced fuel economy.

13 years at Stage 1 .... except for a few days each month when it's like the beach landing scene from Saving Private Ryan.

Yes ..... the box contains a ticket to record the visits by the local policemen. Costs about 1,500 THB per month. There's several on nearby shops. I've seen them ride up on their motorbikes, jump off, do the ticket then ride away. Never seen them actually check anything at the property.