pizzachang

MOM!!!!!!

You don't look a day over 40.

Don't worry, you will get free massages and mango shakes in prison. Remember to ask for gluten-free!!!!!

It is a bit humorous that this particular age group is careful about gluten and about 900 other things but not drugs like heroin, etc. Opiates are naturally provided by Mother Nature for terminal illness and serious injury pain relief. Using it to cure "mental pain" is a dead-end.

The problem I found was that most exercise things were just plain boring!

But shifting a pile of wood, or cutting down a load of trees by hand, digging something, or climbing up a hill was much more satisfying.

I fence foil and epee 2 or 3 times a week. Fun and exercise at the same time. Actually gets the brain involved as well.

I think someone lost the plot here with a price tag of 320,000 baht, especially when I just looked at a Kawasaki Vulcan 650 at 280,000.

The Enfield is a cheap bike in India, it is easy to fix by all the locals because they have had it around since WW2, but here...why would you do that?

I am sure there are places in Bangkok where, for a small fee they will beat the living daylights out of you, if it is nostalgia you are after.

I've seen even higher prices speculated for the RE's to be produced in Thailand. Very few(like maybe 3 or 4) motorcycles are worth more than a car.(IMO) Anyone that would pay extremely high prices for any bike other than the 'few' is not thinking straight.

Thats going to sting.

Of all the money making ideas in all the world thats gotta be the dumbest of the lot, by several country miles.

You can't make this stuff up, really!

Dumb is right....of all the countries to try and deal drugs! In Canada, the courts would have given him housing, more education/job opportunities and food......because 'it's not his fault'.

Thanks Doug!

Hope this is close enough to the topic: Where can I buy essential oils in Chiang Ma? Such as Arnica, Cinnamon and Myrrh. I've seen Eucalyptus in shops and some flower oils and would like more variety. Thanks in advance.

This is pretty funny because the Catholic Church has built plenty of walls, walled cities, etc. Protecting the border with a wall is like protecting the "church" with locked doors and bars on the windows. I notice that Trump does not advocate building a wall on the Canadian border, because there is no problem with illegals from that direction. Why? Because Canada regulates entry; is bordered by oceans and is funding and enforcing it's immigration laws.

In general, one can just observe the damage alcohol does worldwide and make a decision not to participate. Personally, I don't like the effects on my body and finished with drinking at age 14 (now 67) Haven't missed it at all, saved thousands of dollars and have met many awesome people who also don't imbibe (for various reasons) Regardless of what people think about alcohol, it is a poison and can addict in way that many refuse to recognize.

If a person claims 'they like the taste', then they 'should' be able to go through their entire life, drinking only enough to 'taste'. Those will be rare individuals who can take it or leave it on any given day. Every other person likely has an addiction, even if they only drink small amounts every day. From a clinical standpoint, if you drink for the 'effect', then you will develop a tolerance and require the same or larger amounts to get the 'effect'. Because of the way alcohol affects the brain, the 'balance' is either drink seldom to get the same 'effect' from the same volume or increase the dosage because of frequency. I have nothing against people who want to drink and believe that limitations on them should continue to be linked to their behavior while intoxicated. Having lived a full life, with lots of hunting, fishing, hiking and other somewhat risky outdoor activities, I can say I'd rather have a companion that had not been drinking, than one who was impaired. Just my opinion.

What is the difference in this guy "traveling" for illegal sex to Thailand and Las Vegas? or certain parts of Los Angeles, Seattle, NYC or Miami? Or any number of South American cities? A better headline would be "Pervert in custody".

Thanks everyone!

Anyone had experience with leaving Thailand for a short time (with a re-entry permit) during the "consideration period" ? I have non-o with many extensions but no experience with leaving for stateside visit during the approximately 30 days of the consideration period.

20 minutes in/out 90-day report yesterday in Pattaya...maybe there's a message in there for you

Yes there is a message and yes we are. You know what I mean. When I read what the poster states I really feel we are being robbed of any dignity we have left at our advanced age. Anyone reporting 90 days in person needs to get a lesson in mailing it in. Even the mails are taking 2 weeks or more to get your slip returned its a nightmare that looks like it will never end and only get worse. When you have no vehicle and go by taxi its taxing to say the least especially paying back and forth back and forth and possibly going back the next day for your "signed" passport. Yes a box outside the door would be a smart move but nothing really makes any sense here anymore. Why not jack up the price of the annual visa extension to 2500 bahts or 3,000 and streamline the system to handle the excessive amount (and climbing) of people applying. We are seemingly being forced to use the "visa" agents with no alternatives. We are being herded into a huge funnel.

I'm really curious to know why one would think that a cost increase will "improve" service? This is a serious question and cynical as well, since I've never noticed such a connection in any country.

All sounds good to me. If you want to stay here do it properly, as in any other country, or face the consequences. Why do foreigners think it is ok to abuse the system of the country they are visitors in?

Yeah, guess a person would have to go to the USA (illegally) to get around the penalties! Being from the US....I don't think it is wise to 'point fingers' at Thailand's problems of enforcing immigration law - USA 12 MILLION illegals and counting!

Wow! France was the world leader in protecting animals in cosmetics industry! Now I understand why animals were and still are used in testing unknown chemicals.

The hardest for me so far, is not being able to find stuff I'm looking for (to purchase) I know its not impossible, just much more difficult. Most 'hardware' stores do not carry items that seem commonplace in the USA. Repair parts for faucets, toilets seem like specialty items here,e.g. special order or specific shops. I'm getting better at locating stuff like this but it is a learning experience.

Slightly off topic, but l used my Australian Credit Card to withdraw cash from an ATM in China & not only was there no problem, the machine was far quicker than any ATM l've ever used & l got a great rate on the conversion. Even taking into account the transaction fee, l was still better off!

Won me over.

"Won you over" to what exactly? Being in China instead of Thailand? Just curious.

If they noted the transaction then reversed it in your account that means the machine was out of money so did not debit the amount

They still allow foreighn transaction the under educated bank teller knows nothing

It seems more reasonable to give the message to the user first, that the machine is out of money, instead of debiting a foreign account and then giving an error message. In fact, this has been my experience with numerous bank machines here in Thailand - even though some things are unreasonable sometimes.

Thanks to all for your responses. It may be a case of saving face or a lack of acknowledgement about a malfunctioning machine. The person in Aeon Central Festival was polite and immediately called the main office - I am just relating what I was told on the phone - specifically applying to foreign debit cards. The supervisor stated: " Aeon no longer accepts foreign debit cards but we do accept foreign credit cards."

As far as skimming - I suspect this is more of a problem in streetside ATM's and not nearly as much a problem inside malls or outside the bank itself. I am sure it can happen, just much less likely. "Folk" - isn't there a fee for any bank service [unless you have an active account at that bank?] I do not transfer all my funds to a Thai bank but do have small accounts[savings] at a couple of banks here. So far, I haven't found any effective way to avoid fees, so am open to hearing others methods.

Also to once again clarify: The Aeon ATM machine functioned perfectly until the moment I pressed the last "continue" [to actually receive the cash] Then...nothing. No blank screen until I canceled the transaction. Then a gray screen message that said "system error". I called my bank after the next bank's machine messaged : "invalid amount". As I stated, the transaction was immediately debited to my account and then immediately reversed - according to my banker. "System error" does not mean - none sufficient funds inside the machine - that seems to be reserved for the term "invalid amount" or I've even seen "insufficient funds available for this transaction." - I suppose that one could also mean the machine itself is out of cash but it is usually more clear about that.

My experience today: Used the Aeon atm at Big C Extra - everything normal until I pressed the last "continue" to complete the transaction. Machine did nothing, just the page screen that usually precedes getting the cash. After 2 or 3 minutes, I cancelled the transaction and got a grye screen with "SYSTEM ERROR". Tried another bank's atm and got "INVALID AMOUNT" meaning I exceeded my set limit. Went to Aeon's branch at Central Fest and talked to someone on the phone - during the 30 minutes between getting to Aeon's branch, I called my USA bank and found that the transaction had "registered and then reversed". Out no money but 24 hours until I can re-access my acct. Aeon "bank" person informs me that they no longer accept foreign debit cards( I had previously used my debit card at Aeon banks) I suggested that they add a key informing users that foreign debit card aren't accepted because your machines trigger my daily limit (set by me) So I would be interested to hear other falang experiences along these lines.

Body-searching tourists and general questioning/document checks aren't really normal in tourist areas of any but the most risky countries. By risky, I mean prone to violence. I would expect this in Egypt, some African countries and some S. American countries. Of course the time, location and circumstances of such 'field investigations' is important. In the USA, you can expect to have your "documents" checked as well. Quasi-routine vehicle stops and certain areas of certain cities draw more general police attention. But in Thailand, it is easy to check on overstays and such, right?

At least he didn't try and run for President!

Just for reference the Ford dealers would hook up a computer to the truck and would diagnose the problem as a bad fuel rail without even checking the other components. After the last three years of dealing with them I am rather disappointed to say the least.

That is the curse of computer diagnostics. They are only as good as the person who writes the programs. It also proves you still need to understand how it all works when the computer fails to find the real problem. Thailand does not train it's students to truly think a problem through or allow them to be curious and they don't allow them to ask questions so they don't get a complete education or, in this case, proper training.

Had a similar problem with my Honda, a computer check on the fuel system showed "OK" - cost 500 baht and exactly the same problem when I drove away.( poor acceleration and a bit rough idle) The local mech took it for a drive and said the catalytic converter is done for. - new one and goes like new.

Sounds like a misunderstanding to me, how many cars with an empty tank as you described fill up with just 400 baht of petrol?

As unlikely as it sounds, I heard a story once where someone claimed to have been scammed on a fill-up but actually had a drink and a little flutter on half the money on the way home.

What I have noticed is the tendency of service attendants to fill the tank, even to the point of gas spilling out, if you ask for ____baht and the tank will only hold ____baht.

This article is well intended, but perpetuates the myth that by not using plastic bags we will be making a big difference for climate change. The real reason to avoid plastic bags is wildlife, as the article states. However, by starting the article with reference to the Paris agreement, the impression is given that this will help climate change. In reality, plastic bags are a tiny piece of the climate change equation.

There was a study in the UK, but the same applies to Thailand: They found that in a typical bag of groceries, the items inside accounted for ten times as much plastic as the bag itself. Additionally, plastic bags are less than one percent of all of the plastic used in the UK. And of total carbon emissions, plastic accounted for about one percent. So plastic bags are less than .01% of carbon emissions.

The real low hanging fruit is energy production and efficiency. Thailand needs to do much more to bring in renewables to the energy mix. It's hard to find anywhere with better potential for solar, but the government is too busy making sure that no one can have a beer after midnight to focus on important issues.

BTW, the article I mentioned can be found in an excellent online ebook, google withbotheyesopen

Stopping the use of plastic bags should lower the temperature by 2 degrees C by next year and save the world.

Here's a thought.

Howza 'bout Porsche sues the estate of Paul Walker for giving their product a bad name through his recklessness and wanton disregard for the safety of others...

A huge countersuit would be a good move - with a world-wide press conference, stating the reasons.