arithai12

In general what you say is correct, in practice however compared to Europe, the money made by the gov't on the registration of house, car and similar is minimal. And, those are goods that you buy and enjoy, not an investment as normally understood. I think the Thai economy as a whole profits much more, per day, with a tourist than with a long-term resident. With the possible exception of health services.

If history and culture are your only interest, then point taken Singapore IS fake. Some people have other interests as well. I am bored by it all by now, but I can imagine that Sentosa or the Zoo or the Jewel or Gardens by the Bay and the seemingly infinite (though repetitive) shopping and eating can make a 2-3 days stop for a first time visitor quite interesting.

Flew recently there, for reasons other than tourism. While I agree that Singapore being basically a city doesn't offer as many choices as other destinations, for those who go for the first 1-2 times it can be quite entertaining. Very safe and easy in terms of transportation and language. Though it annoys me that there's a queue for everything. Also consider that SIA, unlike TG, has managed to recover their strategic hub for Europe-E.Asia-Australia travellers, and offers incentives for a brief stop-over. And indeed, Singapore is back full steam. My flight was full to the last seat (direct from/to CM).

The OP is about cashless in restaurants, not 7/11 or Makro. What does it matter to you how long another customer spends to settle their bill? Further, your rant makes no sense because the issue is in the event that only cashless is accepted.

"Is it hard to make friends in Denmark?" is a clear question, generalized of course but well defined. Both you and I will agree what it means to make friends. "Do Filipinas make better wives than Thais?" is an undefined question, because most likely you and I will NOT agree on what it means to be a better wife. Now ask yourself this question (well defined): would you choose a Filipina over a Thai based on the answers in this forum, or would you use your own judgement?

They must be crying over your refusal.

#4 is a Thai lady who apparently was a frequent flyer in clubs popular with foreigners. I suppose for more than just a drink. Now good luck tracing her contacts. So yes, I'd say time to be more careful in general for those who like to have occasional partners.

That. Or you could consider for a moment that the biggest world market is in weapons and associated activities, and to sell them you need to stir conflicts. From this perspective, things make more sense.

Especially true if you see her actually walk. How about a mandatory retirement age and a fitness certificate?

No different from a lot of other countries, starting with the US. Actually, it was more than two hamburgers, the article has a catchy headline but further down it says "range of undeclared risk products, including the fast food items, were detected in the passenger's rucksack". I'd say he got off lightly, you could end up detained for a false declaration to customs.

Or you could read the first words of the article "A passenger traveling from Bali, Indonesia to Australia"

and your internet.

Respectfully, "I think" would have been nice then. You wrote your first post as if you knew the definitive answer, while it was just a guess. Wrong in this case. I would say that if they intended arrival at their premises, they would have written so. Their wording is quite clear. Intended travel date. And they add "Minimum visa processing time is 2 working days after the date of submission." OP, it's an Embassy not a Consulate. And from their website it's 2 weeks not 10 days. Also, there is no "online application", since you have to present passport and picture. They say clearly "The applicant is requested to submit the application in person at the Royal Thai Embassy in Singapore." It seems you are not in Singapore at the moment. If so, remember that there are a couple of requirements before travelling there ifyou are nota resident. You need to verify your vaccination status and to fill an Arrival Card for the exact date, no more than 3 days before flying, both online. btw, accomodation prices in Singapore are over the top at the moment, good luck.

Probably to say hello to her friends.

This is about flight safety. I am pretty sure all airlines are doing the same, regardless of "pay masters" and favorite ideology.

After covid, which obliterated red buses and tuk-tuks, I was hoping they would never come back. I dislike the way the drive, the pollution, and that they are leased by richer people to poor folks who can barely make a living out of it ("mafia" is the word used by some posters). But no, they are back in big numbers. CM deserves better than that, a proper bus system would be great but will never do the door-to-door service of a tuk-tuk and CM people are often too lazy to walk a little. Meanwhile, I am happy to move around by scooter 95% of the time and 5% by Grab if weather/shopping is too much. As you say, quite reasonable prices and usually very kind.

Comfortable and frequent, sorry I had to laugh. I lived in Bangkok too, I know what it is like, bus or BTS. Anyway, you are right, CM is very problematic, better you stay there.

They started with 3 lines (the "white buses" mentioned in the thread), at 20B fixed price. It didn't really succeed for the reasons in my previous post. The few times I used one, out of curiosity rather than need, it was always empty. There is now talk of a light rail system... don't hold your breath.

Compared to what? Certainly not Bangkok, where the only "reasonable" option is the bts/mrt and that involves long times (including accessing the station, queuing, transferring) and relatively steep prices. Not to mention freezing to death while standing shoulder to shoulder. One reason why public buses did not really take off in CM is that it's super easy to move around by yourself, for most people who can drive eg. a scooter. I can get anywhere I want, among the places I usually need, in 15 min. That's much less than the time to travel the same distance in Bangkok by public transportation. If you can't / don't want to use your own, Grab is readily available but of course more expensive. If for "transport mafia" you mean red buses and tuk-tuks, you have a point. But I have not had to use one for many years. Then again, to each their own. If modern/reasonable transport system is a must for you, perhaps Thailand is not the right country to start with.

I have often flown Thai direct to Europe, as well as Emirates with stop in Dubai. I have to say that the 3-5 hours stops in DBX in the middle of the night really put me off by now, but that of course is a personal choice. Or one could decide to have a real 1-2 days stop, they offer packages for that and Dubai has enough attractions for a first time visitor. However, now that Thai doesn't flight direct to my home country anymore, I have tried others. Lufthansa (and sister companies) will probably shuttle you from Birmingham to one of their hubs and from there direct long-haul to BKK. Good connections, good prices, a bit soulless service but overall quite ok. They also have Premium Eco which is softer on your knees and wallet. Also I have heard ok reports from friends using Finnair.

When people say "Covid is over" they mean the general configuration of restrictions, emergencies, infection numbers every day, travel bans, and so on. Clearly the virus is still around, we all know that, but what some posters (and I) are trying to say is that we want to resume a modicum of normal lives. And some economic recovery would be nice too. It goes without saying that precautions are still advisable for people at risk, but this should be their educated choice not a mandate. As for people dying EVERYDAY, it is interesting that they never tell us the vaccination and pre-conditions. 20-30 deaths per day in Thailand from Covid is still a fraction of deaths on the road (mostly preventable and that affect all ages), about which no eminent doctor posts warnings on FB.

OP you should sit down and understand first what is it that you actually want. Cleaning? Then, how large is the place and how often do you want it? That would determine the cost of the maid. If you are single and super busy as it seems, you'd probably be content with 2 visits per week. Cooking? Is that every day, or only when she comes for cleaning? If you are too busy to grill meat and veggies, then you are probably way too busy to go shopping for meat and veggies. Is that her task too? How fuzzy are you going to be about what she buys? Massage? Then again, how often, how long, what kind (I am not an expert but just "massage" seems like saying "food" when you want to eat). Also, I imagine that a girl massaging you at home will assume that you expect a happy ending. Try a shop first.

removed, @flexomikebeat me to it.

That, we managed all by ourselves thank you very much. It's actually a very new rocket launched a week ago. But I know you were just trying to be humorous, so I gave you a like ????

That's the crucial thing. For example, Google is perfect if you're happy when asking about "monkeypox in Phuket" to get in reply a list of hotels and flights there as well as the current weather.