daveAustin

We always had S politicians (everyone does; show me a good one... look at the state of Thailand, China, the US, Canada, AUS, NZ, Israel, Turkey, Argentina and on and on), but the current crop are pretty benign compared to the sad surrendering Blair days which brought us to this point with the migrant mess. No particular love for a party, but any of them having to steer through Brexit, COVID, BLM etc is going to get it 'wrong', and not forgetting the whole world has changed. British police are still the best in the world btw. Don't let the current state of wokeness and inability for them (and government) to do anything to cloud that. You can still stop them and talk to them on the street without getting shot! I get the false angst, but would avoid blaming everything on government (that is a copout) or others... being a boomer, all this mess is you guys' doing in both UK and US. You lot bled these countries and made them what they are! Enjoy your movie.

Grab a few cheap shots on Suk pavement and watch the world go by and/or half bottle white spirit from 7, then do the cheaper bars along Soi 4 if you need oiling up before charming the ladies and blowing the remaining 1000 () on half a bell ring.

I don't know why you guys do it to yourselves multiple times. One marriage is enough for any sane man, surely? I would require absolute bliss to go down that route again. Freedom is just too sweet. Anyway, weren't you on about quitting Thailand a while back?

Used to think CoD was great but never use it now. Getting shafted aside, just too much hassle that I have to be there to receive the thing, + I don't like the way I feel when I don't tip.

Just not worth the time, effort and angst (will it conk out, how was it treated etc?) over buying new, esp since vehicles really hold their value here. You might save a couple hundred bucks on something that is several years old, but lose loads of time doing it. Just get yourself down Honda, say 'I'll have that one' and buy cash. Having said that, I have bought secondhand, albeit a great price on a bike in excellent condition, but wouldn't again unless it was a real bike at a steal. Oh, and yes, the Scoopy is a bit girlie.

All very possible for those not used to travelling in foreign climes, and Thais are generally polite and obliging by default (and typically decent middle class and up folks holidaying overseas), so easy pickings for thieving scum. Paris is a bit of a hole like that and has only gotten worse with the massive influx of undesirables--no, I understand they're not all bad, but many pile in to do this kind of thing. Guess they won't be going to froggyland again for a bit.

It’s not just external, or internal, problems. The TAT always comes out with lofty grandiose schemes to rake in ‘trillions of baht’ but flip-flops every 5 minutes and never tells it how it is. “We expect record breaking visitors”, “visitor number are down but will treble by the end of the year”, “millions will come from China”, “there is a downturn in visitor numbers”, “no there isn’t, we’re gonna have a bumper high season”, “screw foreigners, locals will make up the shortfall!” The whole thing should be disbanded and run by someone competent, like an 8th grade school kid!

They haven’t got any money either, love.

7-Eleven is one of the worst perpetrators. If you buy a yoghurt, drink, microwave meal, and bag of ice… you will also get a straw, spoons and forks, complimentary sauces, separate complimentary bags for the meal and ice and possibly a load of those stamps to top it all off. Thais are also terrible litterers still.

It’s because she is a prostitute so falls under the obscenity act, being under 18, despite age of consent here being 15. Wonder if he knew her age. Bit ott cops going to Germany and he could have his life ruined when she is technically not underage. Bar owners should get equal treatment if that’s the case. But, yeah, if you’re that kind of age and actively going for young girls, you’ve probably got a problem.

Sobering up zones on standby?

Same in UK, though I don’t remember any scans of passport going out other than a glance at check-in and boarding gate. Good to see Thailand moving forward on this and the smiling donkey actually pushing something through that is tangible.

Is there really only these two demented muppets available to run the US? You guys' election process is properly messed up. Rewrite your constitution: guns out, Scientology out, dinosaur presidents out.

They are right. The boomers stole decent living from the younger generations in most western economies. Look at the state of the property markets and silly pensions etc. Huge disparity and it was not all hard work, and yet the young now find themselves paying for their welfare.

Does one need to drive to the ‘sobering up’ area? 😋

Agree with all that. Unfortunately it’ll have to be done slowly. One of the biggies for the reason behind poor grades here is the kids get bored easily and classes need to be about fun; learning anything is secondary. But, yeah, Srettha is a complete numpty and certainly no role model. If they are serious about lifting education standards, start at the top. Successive Thai governments have been an utter joke. Bunch of kids. Alright, politicians in general are not the ideal benchmark, but…

Black Horse ain't too bad for a Cab at 399. 7-11 usually has it. Equivalent in UK on supermarket shelf probably £6 or £7, so another couple squid for here ain't bad. Just avoid serving Mont Clair to your guests.

Just keep tabs on here. Joe was the main man on visa ‘laws’ and such, but bearing in mind this or that office often interpret in their own way depending on the whims & quirks of the sitting lieutenant. And, yes, Google’s search algo is infinitely better than this (or any other, forum/website), which is about as much use as tits on a kipper.

Reckon it depends on what you can afford. Some may say ‘I don’t like it there, sell up’ etc. Surely best to have a plan b? If you can afford it, having a place there and here is being clever. Dunno about ‘visa uncertainty’, it’s been pretty straightforward for years… imagine trying to go the other way as an immigrant! Agree with the flat idea, though. Know a guy ‘back home’ with 100+ properties (flats, houses, pubs, car parks, up to shopping precincts) and he says do flats without question. Houses etc are a pita. 😉

They could of course ensure the police do their jobs and jail the perpetrators… FOR FREE!

You should get a 'certificate' when bringing big monies in if you later intend to repatriate it, such as buying property, vehicles etc. Did this when buying house and there was no issue when repatriating funds. Without it, you could be stonewalled at the bank. But, yes, I've heard DeeMoney works well.

Quite amusing seeing Swiss people muse on war. You’d be better off thinking about ‘more important’ things like watches, nazi gold, and chocolate. 😂

That was a hospital doctor being silly. You’ll always get them with their agenda, along with numpties spreading fake news and people in general being scared rabbits. It should be monitored, but the best way to deal with this nonsense is to simply get on with your life.

So people have more colds than usual, it happens this time of year. If you were to test everyone in the world right now, a significant percentage would have a cold, many with the cold known as covid. Enough with the stats and fearmongering already, it's been done to death, people have had enough. This doctor is just trying to make a name for himself. People start masking up and going down that tired old road again, suppressing their immune systems, economies, etc etc etc, the world will never be right. The alternative is to get on with your lives.