nausea

Yeah, it'll be interesting to hear from a member of the Udon Thani expat community. I'd be very surprised if there's any general hostility. No doubt, as is true everywhere, one or two individuals might have a problem.

Oh, those crazy Russians - Ra Ra Rasputin ... .

In the days when I would frequent the nightlife areas, I never had trouble finding alcohol whatever the time; half the fun was the illicitness of it.

I must say that a young woman allowing some strange young man to stay overnight is a recipe for disaster; ok, in theory, no means no and all that, but we live in the real world not some utopian fantasy world, where a naked virgin with a sack of gold over her shoulder can walk from Land's End to John o' Groats, unmolested.

Haven't read this thread apart from the OP. Have some experience of being stuck in a wheelchair; due to an accident. I was bed bound for a while, now in that (hopefully) transitional phase between wheelchair bound and some limited walking. I can tell you Thailand is not a wheelchair friendly country. I survived the last couple of, somewhat traumatic, years, on a modest income, cos I had a lot of help from my SO. She can drive and we have a pickup, our current house is single story with lots of wheelchair space. It's all about having a supportive environment. If I was single with lots of money, and permanently wheelchair bound, I'd be thinking about one of those up market fancy care homes.

I read the full article and I'm still none the wiser; nonsensical title.

The whole place is mafia ridden, both local and foreign; it's a real shame cos it used to be an OK place, at some point it just turned bad.

Not getting involved seems part of the culture here; also, the laughing may have been a cultural reaction to a bad situation. Haven't looked at the video so can't really judge. I do know many Farangs were shocked by smiling Thais when fleeing the Tsunami.

It was pretty cool this morning in Kui Buri, cool enough to turn off the fan.

It all adds to the flavour - bad roads, belligerent ladyboys, kaylied farangs, &c., keeps the toffs away and the prices cheap.

Interesting point, but I guess poorer retirees have less expectations in terms of support than their richer counterparts.

Would be a unique tourist attraction in itself I guess, so I can see the logic, given the availability of elephants in Ayutthaya.

As a spectator sport fine, though i do wonder if punch drunk syndrome is a thing in Muay Thai as it is in boxing. Not so much in MMA it seems, I guess because there's less emphasis on repeatedly striking the head.

Macron and Brigitte have a 25 year difference, and that seems to have worked out pretty well, so 22 years is no big deal. Yeah, they do look like two dudes though, that's a little weird.

Personally, I think it's all about timing. My grand strategy of cigarettes, and whiskey, and wild, wild, women, failed to kill me off in my relative prime. I've outlived myself. Now, at 68, I face a slow decline. Of course, if you're interested in seeing your grandkids, and all that, you may take a different view, but I'm pretty much a hedonist.

Passing on genes, in a narrow sense and a broad sense, is my best guess; your concious self is just a bewildered passenger on its brief journey from an awakening awareness to oblivion. You can, of course choose to ascribe other meaning but, assuming there's no God, it really has no foundation and melts away into nothingness upon detailed examination. There's a lot to be said for living your life in blissful ignorance rather than torturing yourself with these metaphysical speculations that lead nowhere, though, I suppose you could argue they are a pleasant diversion, if not taken too seriously.

Giving carte blanche isn't diplomacy.

Hubba Hubba Doo!

One thing's for sure, you can't be casualty averse in urban warfare.

Sickening, whoever's to blame.

I checked - Thailand is a signatory to the Rome Statute of the ICC.

Phil. - unfreeze state pension; in fact, it's only laziness really, that keeps me here.

O, what a tangled web we weave when first we practise to deceive!

Hell hath no fury ... .

Because cheap and cheerful isn't really a priority if you're mega rich.