Johnsy

I must be reading the OP wrong so I need some clarification please.....

I am just about to go back to Australia for a few weeks, I will have my lap top, phone and personal effects, about (80,000TB). I intend to bring back with me 3 complete fishing outfits valued at around 150,000TB. Along with my other personal effects the total value of all these things combined will be well over 200,000TB. Am I going to have to pay import duties and fees on these things when returning to Thailand?

I am in AA and did like your question. You must be a nice person to be concerned about your co-workers.Now:

a) Each person needs to decide if they are happy or not with their drinking. There is plenty of knowledge about recovery.

AA not not that religious. I sponsor people on the humanitarian basis that we are all connected. Astrophysics is a useful are of study for this.

c) Live and let live. Functioning alcoholics can drink themselves into a lather nightly and not get into much trouble so it is not a true problem.

"functioning alcoholics" bahahahaha....I don't think you can use those 2 words in the same sentence. "not a true problem" you need to do some homework on the statistics! Alcohol related trauma (emotional, psychological and physical) far exceeds all other trauma from motor accidents, drugs, violent crime, smoking, obesity etc combined.

"Never go faster than you can see". The best advice, and particularly so in Thailand.

Here's another instructional video on just that topic. Not entirely sure I'd have put this on YouTube if it was me, but he did, and here it is

Neither of them can ride, they both turn into the corner way to early which is what the OP was trying to point out. "ATF" says what needs to be said too; "This has nothing to do with going fast or seeing in front. He obviously has never learned how to counter steer. Push right to turn right. Push left to turn left. He pulled right to turn right and went left which is what is supposed to happen. His ABS probably saved him. If you have never ridden on a track you don't know how to properly ride a bike. Period."

Great post man, valuable info for any road user, this cornering skill is something everyone can improve. The only point I would expand on is; Go into the corner cold and come out hot. Too many people go in fast (hot) and have to brake and decelerate which gets the bike all out of shape, no bike likes that, all bikes like being driven through a corner and they're way more fun and stable if you are driving them through a corner.

There are plenty more interesting places in Laos than LP

The NK's should capture her and give her a Kim Jon Un haircut. That would teach her.

Bahahahahaha.......I'd like to see that.

Yep it's one big reason I don't have much to do with foreigners here and stay out of mainstream, DavidMavec has it nailed.

It's pretty easy to see who is pro-whistle blowing and who is not in these posts. Maybe some people would change their tunes if they were on the receiving end of the various "Authorities" who will stop at nothing to enforce their tyrannical control and rule(s).

are you really going to trust having your sperm frozen and taken care of here in Thailand? You're kidding right? You may get a surprise outcome if you ever use it for in vitro!

Most westerners I have met here in Thailand are selfish, arrogant and out for what ever they can get for themselves so your comment doesn't surprise me but it's the same back in the west as well.

Don't even get me started...

I live in Chiang Mai and have 3 bikes and a car.

I took my car in for a service at a big dealership for a scheduled service the other day and from the waiting room I see the "mechanic" take the air cleaner out to clean it while the car is still running, useless a-hole.

One of my bikes is a Honda and you need to have warranty work and most scheduled servicing done by the dealership where you get charged twice as much as you should and you are treated like you're a pain in the ass. Where it can also take up to 2 weeks to get your bike in for a service and where orders for simple parts like clutch cables, levers and accessories etc have taken 3 weeks to arrive or simply never arrived at all and the staff don't give a shyt and won't even re-order them. On the other hand I have been to other Bigwing dealerships such as Pattaya and they were very professional and absolutely superb to deal with.

Outside of the rare few that are professional mechanics and act professional in general the mechanical aptitude in Thailand is nothing short of pathetic.

You have to accept a lot of things to live here in Thailand but the following is just a bit too much for me....

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/728142-motorcycle-middle-lane/?utm_source=newsletter-20140529-0738&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=news

<deleted> Thailand get real, there are big bikes on the road now and not just scooters, you need to update your traffic laws and regulations to accommodate the changes that are occurring in modes of transport and maybe reflect the possibility that you can be proactive about reducing the horrendous road toll here.

No wonder they (Thai girls) think falangs are stupid and an easy target to get money, you have wronged all of us here.

You are all towing the Western concept of North Korea which has been created by Western Media (aka USA Media). Having studied a lot of their history and experiencing the DMZ I think you would be hard pushed to find a more committed well trained, reasonably equipped and enthusiastic enemy than the North Koreans, misguided never the less.

Coups, floods, extra judicial killing sprees, occupation and burning of buildings in capital, political chaos on the streets, rice policies, corrupt governments, civil war, irrational violence and now martial law.

Sometimes I feel like I'm living in some sort of extra terrestrial soap opera rather than a country.

You forgot to mention earthquake bahahahaha.....

Are there any sports bars in Chiang Rai where the Moto GP will be screened? Passing through CR tomorrow night 18-5-2014 and don't want to miss the action if MM wins 5 in a row! Thanks in advance for any info.

Now Thailand have another problem.

Some years ago i read that many newer high buildings in Bangkok are not earthquake proofed.

Have surveyed hundreds of buildings in Bangkok and have never found one built to earthquake standards. Same goes for Chiang Mai.

Do you really think that if they had earthquake building codes that they would be built to these standards anyway.....come on boys ;-)

you should try Australia, as an Aussie I have worked and lived in many country towns where if you are not 4th or 5th generation from that area you are simply a blow in that's good for nothing but a punching bag at the local watering hole. Anyway, it's been my experience that most americans want to feel important wherever they are!

I'm on the 5th floor in a hotel in Chiang Mai and it was strong, swaying buildings and trees for close to 30-40 seconds

Between mining, politicians, financial institutions and the elite nothing can or will be protected and no ones rights will be respected, if you have share investments you are part of the problem.

Mining companies move profit off shore and pays minmal tax but the squeeze is being put on disable people and aged pensioners. And now they want to risk our greatest tourist asset and retirement playground. Criminals.

The biggest mystery is why no government anywhere will ever defend their weakest citizens.

I guess you need to have a heart first.

I think when I retire I will become an activist.

Why wait until you retire?

If their financial skills are so poor, how do they live here on 9,000 baht per month when most of us would starve to death on less than 5-10x that amount?

They can live on 9,000 a month because they don't pay falang prices for everything 55555

Maybe he could earn some money by doing a few lecture tours as an inspirational key note speaker....bahhahahahaha

If your going to have a relationship with a Thai bar girl you have to just expect this is normal behavior. Once they learn the system everyone is just a pay check so it's not cheating it's just work. Look at all the Thai guys married to Thai bar girls. The farang is of lower status, so it's no big deal for his girl to pray on him for an income. Just go to Thialand and have fun don't fall in love or get involved with the girls. I just think of it as one big swingers club everyone does it, so if you can't beat them join them . The girls hate guys like me because the real money is in the dumb ass farang that falls in love and agrees to pay for everything to help her escape the life. The really hot ones will have three of these guys and still go sleep with another for 2,000 Bhat. To them it's good luck that they can swindle everyone out of cash. It's a cultural difference western men don't understand. Money is number one no matter how they can earn it!

Yup says it all really, you're in their country playing by their rules, learn the rules and either avoid them or play them

I met an Issan country girl on her turf and yes mother, aunty and nieces were all present to approve or disapprove, luckily they approved. A few days later the young Issan lady in question decided to stay with me at the resort I was at and she informed me that I needed to book a room at the resort for mother, aunty and nieces so they could all be close at hand to make sure she was safe whilst spending the night with me. There were indeed some very strange moments during this time but all went reasonably well, I just had to keep reminding myself that we are not in Kansas anymore Toto.