simon43

Health reasons (weak lungs didn't like the English weather). Doctor advised a hot and humid climate.

Do you remember the Million Dollar Homepage from 2005? http://www.milliondollarhomepage.com/ It's still online!

That forum will be a better place for you to practice. I note some spelling errors in some of your sentences, so maybe you are not copying and pasting. Nevertheless, I think the Thai language forum is really intended for specific questions about Thai, rather than chatting away...

Or he was getting off at his village.....

He was lucky that the train was going at top speed.... if it were going faster than 30kph then he could have had serious injuries! 🙂

อยู่เมืองปลักพูลล์...

Judging from some of your Thai phrases above, you are copying this from Google Translate....

I stayed in Mauritius for about 4 months after leaving Laos during Covid times. The island is very nice, very safe and nice beaches. But TBH I found it a little boring after south-east Asia, mostly retired Parisians 🙂 I rented a detached house for about $450 per month, but the hurricanes played havoc with my radio antennas, so I came back to Thailand/Laos!

In this situation, I would applaud the poster for being a snitch.

Last time I checked (about 3 years ago), you just rock up with your British passport and you have legal right of abode. But that abode is expensive because of the lack of available land for properties. There is more land available on Pitcairn Island, but it's a long way to Big C....

Well, I don't have a go-bag, although I understand the concept. Inside the bag that I always take with me is: - My passport - Credit and debit cards - Bank book - Driving licences - Mobile phone - Covid and yellow vaccination card - Medical insurance details - USB stock with copies of my paper qualifications, teaching documents etc So... if I lost this bag, then I would be in deep doo doo! But there is minimal chance of that happening. I never get drunk, never entertain women/ men etc. That bag is strapped over me so that ripping it off is not easy. If the SHTF, then worst case is that I can go the airport and fly back to the UK less personal items (carrying sex dolls by air is difficult anyway... 🙂

Gormo, please go and troll another forum 'cos I'm having issues trying to keep up with all the troll/shill/clickbait accounts on this forum....

Well, a newsworthy story if an innocent tourist books a holiday without being told about this problem. Deceitful on the part of the hotel.

Absolutely not! I consider myself a normal kind of bloke who was brought up by my parents to understand that the world owes you absolutely nothing, and that you should not rely on others for mental support or financial support because you might find them lacking 🙂 On the other hand, being able to stand on your own two feet also bestows a responsibility on you to help others who are less fortunate than yourself.

Chris, perhaps you need to listen to the oft-quoted Thai phrase "you tink too mut". In other words, (and I see this in many people nowadays), stop worrying about things, stop with this self-reflection, stop worrying about what others think of you and simply enjoy the fact that you are alive and with a partner in a country with a wonderful climate etc. IMHO, many of the so-called mental health issues that seem to plague society nowadays are down to too much self-reflection, too much wanting to please others, too much concern over whether you have upset someone or not. I don't give a flying fig what others think of me, (I'm sure most people have no opinion of me at all, I'm just another human on this planet). I accept my faults and I accept that the world is far from perfect. I just get on with my life 🙂 I'm also a scientist, so I will only make the comment that we are in the warming part of an interglacial cycle that occurs typically every 100,000 years. That means that it is natural for the climate to be warming up right now. But iIt seems that the current rate of temperature increase is faster than the last increase some 100,000 years ago, and this can certainly be attributed to human activities/industry etc. Finally, my knowledge of Thai helps when it comes to people dropping and burning litter. If I see this I tell the person that Buddha can see them dropping litter or burning trash, and they are likely to be reborn in their next life as a cockroach if they continue to do this. (I have scared some Thais half to death when I solemnly tell them this!).

[quote] ... Partly, it's laziness having a partner who speaks Thai. ... [/quote] Get your partner to only speak Thai with you! Sure you should have a professional teacher to teach you the grammar rules for reading/writing etc, but you have a teacher right there to improve your spoken Thai. (Many years ago I initially learnt spoken Thai from my ex-wife who only spoke broken English, and then I progressed with a private teacher for written/reading Thai). Don't expect Thai people to speak English - you're in Thailand, not in England 🙂

Hmm, I never have a problem with fake smiles. I bought my breakfast in 7/11 and the serving staff joked with me about always buying the same food. I chatted with the hotel staff about my plans for the day, smiles all round. I called up the post office to track down a missing parcel and they were polite and helpful and found the parcel and arranged to send it on to me, free of charge. Later, my shower broke and the hotel repair guy came round and I explained how the bathroom was flooded because I couldn't turn off the shower! Laughter all round 🙂 The common denominator in all these friendly conversations? They were all Thai people, and I only spoke with them in Thai language. I know that you can get friendly smiles all round when you meet strangers in a foreign country and you have no common language. But imagine that you are Thai, perhaps with basic education, and having to speak in English every day with foreigners who can't be bothered to learn your language. I imagine that it's easier to chat and joke in your mother tongue, rather than a foreign language. "What I miss most is intelligent conversation...." It's entirely possible when you speak in Thai. Why should you expect Thais to speak fluent English? I'm not saying that you need to be fluent in Thai. But get a teacher, learn to read and write basic Thai, only speak Thai with your Thai friends, even if they speak English or German. It's always easier to make friends when you have a common language 🙂

Wall of text? I see plenty of paragraphs, correct punctuation etc, very easy to read. Perhaps you are showing up your own lack of education or ability to read English text 🙂

Personally, I find Rolex watches to be ugly and smacks of east-end lads got rich.... I have an antique half-hunter pocket watch. About $20,000 and wearing such a pocket watch states my character > titled ancestry, educated, well-spoken, quiet confidence 🙂

Last time I went to Patpong, I was wearing brand new Calvin Klein undies, and they were ripped right off me!

Well, let's just do away with all human posters on this forum and give the AI bots an online wallet to purchase anything 'they' want from the click-through adverts 🙂

Is that long-range wi-fi antenna disguised as a banana tree?

When you say he has a 30-year lease, does this mean that he has paid 'upfront' for the 30 years? (as opposed to say leasing a plot of land for 30 years and paying each month/quarter). If the former, then IMHO he has a lot to lose. Thai law says (as has been pointed out), that a lease is invalid if it's more than 3 years and is not registered. Therefore his lease is invalid and the owner could possibly kick him out. Good luck to him in getting the 30 years of upfront lease payments back! It seems (horse bolted etc situation) that the leasee did not do his homework when originally taking out the lease and checking if a mortgage had been taken out by the owner.

Absolute stitch-up! Here is an actor who is naturally well-spoken, but turns up as a volunteer canvasser for Reform and speaking from the start with his 'rough' acting voice. How coincidental that this actor turns up being filmed by Channel 4. If anything, it demonstrates how all parties should do background checks on volunteers (just as is done for teachers for a different reason). Too many wolves in sheep's clothing around, but I doubt that this stitch-up will diminish the growing support for Farage and Reform!

AS has been posted, your friend doesn't have a lease. His lease is invalid and his right to occupy the place is at risk. He needs to sign a new lease with the new owner and get this registered at the Land Office. The rent fee is up to discussion...