DDBKK

Recall some wooden style bar on soi 22 on a corner, not quite as far down as the school. Cant recall the name though. Probably around 2009 I went a few times. When I rode down the soi a couple of years ago it looked like it was gone. 

I hear the pop up bars have returned to Suk road and expect quite a lot of street side bars all over Thailand to start popping up when tourists can finally come back in with the hassle of 14 days in a hotel doing squat. 

Easily enough. 

400K into a UK property will yield some nice monthly income to live off whilst always ensuring you have that safety net to return to and have a foot in the UK property market. 

I'd be tempted to buy a condo somewhere along the new BTS line in BKK also and either rent it out or live in which could be the base in Thailand or just rent something nice but cheap in any other location. 

Another 50K GBP on some higher risk investments and pay attention to how well they perform and play the markets somewhat. 

Another 50K in slush fund for travel etc but try not to touch it and live purely off the yield from UK property. 

Sorted.

7 hours ago, josephbloggs said:

So refreshing to read an article like this which reflects my experiences with Thai people and Thai culture.  Friendly,  warm, welcoming, polite, and a fantastic sense of community.

So far removed from the bitterness, negativity, and - let's face it - hatred and racism we see towards Thais on this forum.

More of the same please!

Hint: They hang around with the different sort which is where the tarnished viewpoint comes from. Like attracts like and all that....

Last I heard mostly nationalised now unless you are very specialised in some new tech that requires the expertise. 

East Africa and the middle east are going to be the spots in 2021 imo.  Some activity picking up in those regions areas but still pretty <deleted> due to covid. 

55 minutes ago, TheFreqFlyer said:

 

Tourism will return next year with a vengeance? Wishful thinking on your part. Aside from the pronouncement that Chinese (and possibly a few other "low-risk" nationalities could be allowed in without quarantine presumably starting around the beginning of February)...which I suspect will be overturned in the last minute as they did with the planned reduction of the quarantine from 14 down to 10 days, it's highly unlikely anything resembling "normality" will return next year.

 

Many organizations including the TAT have taken a stab at estimating tourist arrival numbers for 2021, and their projections are continuously being revised down as we get closer to that time. 

 

Looking at this very thread I am seeing comments that last year would have been considered "conspiracy theory" like mandatory vaccines to enter the country. I'd say there is absolutely no certainty this vaccine will come, nor is there any certainty with regards to whether it could become mandatory as a pre-condition for travel. Even if it does, I suspect that's only the tip of the iceberg.

 

We're more likely looking at something like Covipass, a digital health passport that will be used not only to cross borders, but to check-in to businesses. Then there's that pesky face mask requirement that doesn't seem to be going away anytime soon. CoviPass will presumably replace the face mask requirement, but fat chance we're going to back to the old normal of just walking into a supermarket or mall at will, without a face covering and/or clicking away on our phones. Of course, vaccines may eventually be added to Covipass too. 

 

It is very difficult to conceive of any country, Thailand included, returning to a position of normality next year without any of these cumbersome requirements. I don't see Thailand attracting very many visitors with a vaccine requirement for entry (a lot of people will be turned off), or with Covipass or Common Pass or any other digital health passports, which, as I've alluded to, will go much further than just facilitating your entry into the country but will mostly likely be needed to participate in society once you're across the border. Sure, by the time this system goes into effect it will likely be global and you might by then be used to using it at home, but I still can't imagine a "new abnormal" as attracting any significant visitor numbers to a country like Thailand. Vacations are supposed to be about letting your hair down, not worrying about whether you might be arrested for not wearing a face mask or denied entry into a store because you didn't bring your phone, or raising the real possibility of stand-offs with local security guards over these sorts of requirements. 

 

I laugh at your naivety regarding your statement "all the freedoms the country has to offer". What freedoms? Most of them were stolen back in late March and many of them haven't been returned yet, and possibly never will be. 

 

Either you're an incredible optimist or incredibly naive. Time will tell what happens but I'm not at all optimistic that things will ever go back to normal and that means neither will Thai tourism. I think the good old days ended in early 2020 and that we're never going to see such times again. Not only in Thailand but the rest of the world. There won't be any more backpacker trips where kids "do" 6 countries in 2 months. Crossing land borders will be just as much a pain as getting on a plane. There'll be no more hopping across a border on a whim. Those days are sadly over. 

Wow so much random negative unfounded speculation in one reply. Is the sky also falling?

Optimistic, moi? Nah just a bit more of a realist than you appear to be. You pick and choose what you want to believe and hypothesise to your hearts content because that's all you appear to be doing.... The fact is once we have the most vulnerable vaccinated the restrictions will begin to relax. It's already happening by way of the markets response to the 90% news. That's a FACT for you right there. My work takes me all over the world and we are already gearing up for 2021. Another FACT.

I don't think anyone is falling off their bar stool in shock that we will most likely be forced to vaccinate before flying to foreign countries from now on. How is that news exactly? We're all sitting tight waiting for the bloody vaccine to be approved and manufactured!!!! 

You remind me of a guy I used to work with that all the other guys would laugh at how silly his negativity was. Constantly banging on about how we would all be fired one day and when the end of the contract came he said "see I told you I was right". 

Your names not Mick is it? 

I was still planning on doing this conversion anyway so if it's higher ground clearance, I simply buy 2nd hand, compare what will and wont go over and then sell the old bike with whats left on it or sell off the parts separate. 

The EJK will simply need a reflash. 

Be interesting to see how well the 300 engine responds to more aggressive cams and a port and polish. 

1 hour ago, bwpage3 said:

Our industry is not reporting commercial air travel to be back to normal levels until at least Q4 2023.

 

 

Define normal? There is no such thing. It's either rising or falling. The skies were arguably overcrowded as it was. 

Can't quite believe it. After all these years. 

May as well wait to pick up a nearly new second hand one and swap over all the good stuff from the 250L 

The fact of the matter is that the people making all the decisions aren't affected by them in any detrimental way and so it continues. 

In fact, if we were to break it down regarding the demographic of those who are most affected by the lack of tourism I'd bet a large % are the Burmese workers who appear to be on every island and tourist hot spot. Yes, lots of Thais and farang will be suffering but for thai, their family will join together to support each other and for farang, they really should have savings and/or have the foresight to plan for an eject situation if the <deleted> truly hit the fan. That's part of the basic 101 planning when you move to Thailand.

Tourism will return next year and it'll come back with a vengeance. The Thais are right about one thing, there are thousands of people waiting to get back to let their hair down and enjoy all the freedoms the country has to offer. There will be some who cut off their nose to spite their own face but those types wont be missed anyway.

Talking with my Thai family, thai friends and friends of friends who are not connected to the tourism industry and it's business as usual for the most part. So it's unfortunate for those in the industry who are suffering but there is also lots of suffering going on in other industries throughout the world such as aviation, oil and gas etc etc. 

This time next year Rodney.... 

Police did a stop and search and didn't extort any THB from you. TIT - just be glad and move on with your life.

F%$k thailand train rides. Do the tranny-siberian express. $25K or so for proper luxury. Now THAT is how travelling should be done.

I'm betting on high season 2021. Not a chance it's opening up to regular tourists this year. And what's the state of the tourist places going to be like by high season 2021? Definitely not as they were pre-covid. I'd imagine the big time operators with multiple businesses in the likes of cowboy, KSR/Rambuttri/Nana/Samui/Phuket etc will weather it ok but the smaller places? Very much doubt they will survive. 

But then again, isn't that one of the beauties of thailand? Businesses can crop up out of nowhere when they need to. 

Feel sorry for those who have lost their jobs/business. 

You're not wrong thaibeachlovers. There is the odd gopping structure that gets erected in an otherwise stunning spot from time to time but at least its somewhat complimentary to the surroundings, kinda. (Mae haad beach for example...) 

Will be interesting to see how the island has weathered the storm when people are eventually heading back in that direction but doubt it will happen for quite some time yet.

8 hours ago, ColeBOzbourne said:

Speaking a bit of Thai probably won't help, unless they can read lips. Try sign language. Snakes are deaf.

Dafuk they are. I've met plenty in the bars over the years

Phangan kicks tao in zee ass.

Top of the list....... I love my extended thai family and my thai friends that I've made as a result of the thai family

I love our condo 

I love how free you are to ride an off-road bike in most places and the smiles and thumbs up you generally receive 

I love the nightlife in all its crazy forms throughout the entire country

I love how nothing ever stays the same for too long so you never tend to get bored and if you do, it doesn't last for long

I love the fresh baby coconuts to help cure a hangover and I should include my paradise condo pool/gardens in that mix

I love the thai people who don't take themselves too seriously and enjoy life with a big smile on their face. It really does help seeing people smile a lot. 

I love the really good thai food and it's ever expanding menu 

I love how cheap you can still pay for a decent enough guesthouse in places like Kanchanaburi town centre - makes travel so much more accessable and affordable throughout the year 

I love the bangkok skyline 

I love the girls - having lived in several countries and travelled too many to count, I can hand on heart say that the thai women are the best there is that I've experienced - no others come close. (or perhaps I've just been lucky/unlucky....)

That's a very quick list off the top of my head. 

11 hours ago, samsensam said:

 

i agree, some people, especially on this forum, spend far too much time thinking about, complaining about, criticising others. maybe it's a way to make themselves feel better about themselves. in the end of the day unless someone is doing something that is likely to endanger/cause harm to themselves or others leave them alone, it is non of your business. they are all adults and able to make their own decisions and live their own lives as they want. just because their choices dont meet with your approval is neither here nor there. live and let live.

I think you may have missed the part of the original post (OP) that refers to farang committing crimes to remain in the country. 

No one is naming names or looking down on anyone.  Perceiving any of the decent posts shows that you yourself might just have a slight chip on your shoulder about something. 

Who knows, maybe there are some depressed guys out there who read the (decent) replies in this thread and actually reflect on their own situation and make steps to improve upon it if they have slid by the wayside slightly - which can happen to the best of us from time to time if we aren't careful. 

26 minutes ago, KhaoYai said:

Then perhaps you can share your insurer's details so us lesser mortals can get insured?

With that tone you can't find it yourself.

Samut Prakan didn't stop as far as I'm aware. My brother in laws business wasnt told to close so he kept on going throughout and he is part of the supply chain for the big companies such as Panasonic and various others.