thailandsgreat

Not much here about the air quality in CM. According to the (not so) trustworthy news media back home, air was as thick as kao soi during spring and members of other foras discouraged from coming close. I have been in CM in spring other years and it wasn't so bad.

Darn Putin, you never know where he strikes next.

How about Phuket and Krabi? I only saw the touristy parts of Phuket some years ago and then I got the impression Pattaya attitudes were slightly better. A Thai friend from Lampang/Phayao worked on a resort on Phi Phi. The boat drivers tried to charge her the tourist price. They said she spoke strangely and wondered if she was Chinese ???? (She had been to university, I believe in CM) She said that area was rough for outsiders ???? Surat Thani is a bit away from there but I had good impression. Once celebrated Songkran there.

One advantage with a larger place is that you can spread your cultural blunders. My Thai is poor which I admit but I still use it. For some reason I wasn't understood when I today asked to heat food in 7/11. I then asked in English how a Thai person would say it. A lot of misunderstanding and chaos erupted before they told me I should say "weep pai noi kaap". In these situations it is good to be able to switch to another 7/11 for a little while. And it doesn't matter what you do. Your will still not be the craziest foreigner in Pattaya ????

Naturally you always find a great variety of fresh food in Thailand, Central, Tops, Lotus, Big C. In smaller places you go to Robinson, Macro. But to get the best quality in the local markets you must move away from the tourist areas. I try to shop in peripheral markets. I often buy 30-40 baht curries in plastic bags +sticky rice. But the quality of meat is not really the same in Pattaya as you would find in cities 1-2 tier lower than Pattaya. I don't think the market ladies in Rayong would stay in business long if they sold what is sold in Pattaya ???? But the food courts in the supermarkets easily replaces that. Friendly attitude in the local markets of Pattaya I have seen, though.

Good with different opinions added to the thread. Mostly I thought farlang ended up in "her" village ???? I have just visited and stayed months in many places over the years. CM is good, but it is it not like before. Visited during Covid. Strong foreigner presence in Nong Buak Haad and Festival, not all good. Warorot still OK, but so so in the Chinese quarter night markets south of Wororot. Kad Suan Keo still old fashioned. Airport Central so so. But that was not long time stay. Maybe strong influx of Chinese and farlang has been wearing down the locals attitudes. I stayed in a guesthouse inside the moat during one loi kratong. The guesthouse arranged their own loi kratong for the foreigners! But I rented a bike and went to the big loi kratong some tens of kilometers N of CM. Met Chinese people, I lived there before. I must say we did not get well treated. But I got good photos of the lanterns. Getting outside the cities, southern areas are a safer bet, I believe. In Phnom Penh you could see the same thing. Fantastic place but attitudes started wearing down around the markets where foreigner visited. Now completely overrun by Chinese, especially KPS. Stayed in a guesthouse outside the moat in CM this time. Super friendly.

No. I felt it had been an intrusion of privacy. I have searched for it but found nothing. I believe it is kept out of the media to avoid invasion of stupid tourists staring. Actually I haven't even found any such village on the Internet, just occasional blue families. But this is a major forum. (Connected to global information networks?) Someone ought to be able to verify.

Driving through a village in Thailand where I saw blue people. I first thought it was a carnival but after a while I came to the conclusion that many people of the village actually were blue. I also, later saw some of them in other places close by. I guess it could have been hereditary methemoglobinemia. When Shan soldiers brought me over the border I could walk around their camp unattended. I then met a group of prisoners in shackles coming over a mountain ridge. I followed them to their destination where guards used hammers and chisels to free them of their shackles and released them because of the holiday.

OK. Go make your commie revolution here. You have the farmers and the women. Europe was broken with muslims and women. And for Americans who don't know Europe's disaster, you know nothing what MFP would turn Thailand into.

Agree. (Join hands with Zelensky) Thailand is conservative. I came here because I like this country the way it is. Let's hope some liberal with vague plans of "changing old power structures" will fail and Thailand will stay this way and not take a great step (towards the abyss or anywhere else).

In Phuket I only went to the areas where most foreigners go. It was some years ago. But when I then compared to Pattaya, Pattaya attitudes were better. Maybe time to go back and see more. I definitely don't support the theory that north should be friendlier. It varies and Lao is less friendly. Chiang Rai used to be a favorite place for me. But attitudes were not good when I visited briefly during Covid. I don't know if "everyone was under orders to be grumpy so that all foreigners went back home, due to Covid" ???? or if there has been a change in attitudes. I also visited before that and Jetyod st. wasn't really the same as before. Also in Khon Kaen, the area around Pullman hotel not the same as before.

Size of place is important. Smaller Thai places often accept foreigner better, maybe not in the north. Isaan less welcoming. But moving west much improvement. Not so impressed by Nong Kai. Only visited pitsanluk a few times with not so good feeling. Sukothai so so. Loei nice. Buriram not so friendly. Patts very used to foreigner. CM friendly. Udon so so. Khon Kaen seemed to have lost some appeal to foreigner when I last visited some years ago. Chiang Rai used to be super friendly, but when I visited short during Covid I was disappointed. Mae Hong Son not so friendly, tired of tourists? Don't want to become another Pai? Mae Sai Burmese not so easy to access but friendly if you cross into Tachilek. Chiang Saen, C Kong, C Kahn variable. CKahn even tired of tourists. Rayong variable, some OK. Trat small but friendly. Chantaburi lost a lot when the gems ran out? Smaller places, maybe not far north are maybe the friendliest if you could live with only having one Robinson or similar to shop in. Surat Thani OK. Chumpon less so, maybe. Never went to Krabi, maybe good? Hua Hin mostly for tourists? I always wanted to retire in Thailand, but still looking for the spot. ... Just as I remember some places over the years.

What does he mean by busting monopolies? When I hear this I fear he will sell out state owned enterprise? But I know very little about Thai politics. What monopolies does he refer to, state or privately owned?

I have not followed Thai politics before. But the system seems complicated and alliances shift so the politicians can appoint any PM almost regardless of the election result.

Yes. The Thai army fortunately kicked out the army of Tiktokers. As usual the conservative representative looks a little tired. So it looks like the title of this topic is right. Thaksin will control the country from Dubai. (And the king stayed long time in Germany I believe.) But what monopolies does MFP want to break? Governmental or private?

Considering I just saw a weed vending machine at Lotus, I am surprised alcohol needs to be liberalized. But there are curtains over the booze in 7/11 some hours. OK. Mitigating the law against insulting the king, reducing the military and further easing up the selling of alcohol. Those are some details. But financially, I have read about taxing large corporations, but that was rather vague and without commitment from what I read. I wonder if "breaking up monopolies" will mean selling out governmental enterprise?

I didn't express it so clearly in the first post. If MFP is "woke" I just compared to what I and many believe the woke agenda is doing in the West. It was just a personal comparison to what is happening in the West, Europe in particular. Pita doesn't give very detailed promises what he would do, from what I have seen. MFP would amend the lèse-majesté is the clearest promise. But that law is just a detail in running a country. I don't think the details of the amendment have been presented, either. Considering the self-annihilating apology the governor’s son just gave for criticizing MFP, I wonder if we will see the lèse-majesté replaced by a lèse-woke ????

But when the family of another party's politician apologizes for having criticized MFP you know the politicians have joined and there is really only one team on the field. Another party's politician's son is praising MFP and calling himself not qualified to have a political opinion. Then the politicians have joined on the people. ... “I regret my actions “To be clear, I think MFP policies are very practical and transformational, very innovative. “I fully own up that I am very privileged and elitist, that I am inexperienced and uneducated about Thai politics or politics. It is inappropriate and ill-advised of me to comment on politics despite my right to free speech. I am not qualified.

Thanks, good idea. I now remember seeing a sign about boxes there long ago. I know the place, but I don't know RHS ????

I need a small safety deposit box in Pattaya. I asked at the BKK bank office in the suburbs where I have my account, but they said all BKK bank boxes in Pattaya are rented out. I may also want to move my banking to a more central location. Kasikorn on S. Pattaya have boxes but the reception lady said that I needed to live with a Thai girl to have one, and she put her index fingers together to explain better. To just get an account my retirement visa and a "proof of paying rent" + copy of hotel owner ID would suffice. I spoke to the agency that processed my visa. They said they could issue a document that cost 500 b and would give me a bank account "with 80% probability". But no help with the box. So what would be the best way to get my banking into a more central location. Kasikorn on S Pattaya would be perfect. Maybe try to get an account there and ask again about the safety box? There is a legal office with boxes on S Pattaya and also Siam Secure on Middle Pattaya Road. But I would prefer a bank. Siam Secure web page wouldn't load. What options are there to get a safety box? May also ask at Kasikorn on Middle Pattaya road. (Kasikorn has hopefully dumped the fraudulent branch manager the papers wrote about a couple of years ago.)

Missing screws cause of accident, says probe. Straight and simple answer, it seems. Quick investigation. At least that is a good thing in Thailand. https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2607793/lost-screws-to-blame-for-airport-leg-mangling (Couldn't copy text)

Sorry for a basic question but in the news I have seen conflicting information. Did her luggage (wheel break etc) in any way contribute to the terrible accident or did the escalator just give way by itself due to her weight? Unfortunate lady. (Escalators should naturally manage a wheel breaking. I have seen escalators with defect combs. Don't remember where.)

Agree. His ornamentation and steroid abuse will cast him in a narrow field of roles.

I just quote myself and hope to get an answer to this question from those who know more about Thai people's thinking: Are bar/gogo-girls looked down upon in their home village or are they just considered smart to have grabbed foreigners' money using their looks? (Of course different people may see it differently)

Maybe the answer to the question is that people in their home village don't look down upon the bar/gogo girl. Everyone in the village know that the girl is making money from foreigners, savings some and sending some home regularly. The girls are maybe considered smart to make money off their looks. Therefore a tatoo is no stigma. Just a theory. I don't know the villagers' inner thoughts.