simon43

The first '45' I ever bought was 'Sebastian' by Cockney Rebel, way back in early 1973. Steve was a very talented musician.

Yes, of course I would need to get a new prescription for the driving glasses, but I think I need to pop back to the optician and explain again what I want (perhaps my Lao language skills aren't up to scratch!).

Or a Greek Cypriot who was living in north Cyprus and was kicked out when the island partitioned...

I doubt BMT was vaccinated as a child in the UK because there was no measles vaccination program in those years long ago! I also had measles, mumps, scarlet fever and whooping cough as a young child because there were no vacs at the time. I recovered just fine (I think!) My mum put my elder brothers into my bedroom when I had mumps to try to get them to catch it, but they didn't 🙂

I have been very short-sighted (-12) since about 5 years old (I'm now 65). About 20 years ago I had Lasik surgery in the UK to correct my short-sightedness. The doctor totally corrected the vision in one eye and in the other he corrected it to a little long-sighted, since he said this would then come back to perfect vision as I got older and my eye muscles weakened. Fast forward to nowadays. I need to wear glasses when reading/using the computer, since both eyes seem to be about -2.5. But I also have a problem when driving since my eyes 'cross-over' at distance and so I see 2 cars when there is only one! But when I was in the UK last year, I had a detailed (free) eye test and the opthamologist prescribed driving glasses to correct this problem, and this worked well. But I have to use 2 different pairs of glasses every day (reading and driving). I don't like to wear my reading glasses when teaching online with my computer, and I wondered if I could wear contact lenses all the time to provide reading/computer use, and then put on my driving glasses (still wearing the contacts) when driving. (I wore contact lenses - hard, gas permeable, soft etc for many years and am very used to them). But my optician in Laos said that this would not work! I cannot wear contact lenses AND then wear driving glasses on top. I understand that if I wear contacts all the time to correct my vision for reading/computer work, then I would need a new prescription for my driving glasses, but is there a medical reason why I could not wear contacts all the time and then put on driving glasses when I ride my motorbike?

They were hitting it with a hammer to try to unjam it?

This is a terrible idea. What century are the authorities living in? Wai kru should be condemned as an outdated ceremony that has no place in a modern education system.

Is it my imagination, but are there more posters with mental health problems nowadays than previously? 20 years ago NO-ONE on this forum had mental health problems - nowadays you can't read 20 posts without encountering a poster who clearly should either be arrested, sedated or committed to a loony asylum......

I'm up in Luang Prabang, north Laos. I'm often awake in the wee small hours because: - Some of my online students live in EU/USA and their classes at at midnight or 1am my time. They were my students a few years ago when they lived in China and Russia, but they relocated to 'the West'. I don't want to stop teaching them, besides... - I'm a shortwave radio amateur (about the only one in Laos), and the radio signal propagation god decreed that the best time to hear radio signals from afar is in the middle of the night!!

He was trying to get to Koh Larn. Could the Navy chaps not have dropped him off on that island, rather than bringing back to the mainland? Now he will only go and try again!

The thought of Abbot and Corbyn going at it like a couple of dogs on heat is too much for my imagination to contemplate......

Hi Swissie, yes the health issue concerns me. I decided against returning to teach in Myanmar because of some small health issues that could make a big problem if access to hospitals are difficult. The nearest decent hospital would be the new private hospital in Vientiane....... LP has no decent hospital for serious accidents/sudden illnesses - you just accept your death! The ham radio hobby is going well. My antennas now have camouflage paint and blend in well with the trees 🙂

Shack for free.... not quite comparable to the mansion(s) that the family lives in right now 🙂

Later this month I will make a quick trip from my home in North Laos to Bangkok for the graduation ceremony of my Thai son 🙂 I'd like to buy some basic (means cheap) motorcycle clothing such as a jacket and trousers, leather gloves etc. Can anyone recommend a shop in central Bangkok? Thanks!

China usually will not accept teachers who are older than 60 (there can be exceptions). From experience, Myanmar will accept teachers who are not older than 120... I'm 65 now and have various employment offers to return to teach again in Myanmar, typically paying $2,500 USD tax-free per month. Although I'm keen to go (the civil war doesn't really disrupt daily life in the larger cities), some underlying small health issues mean that it's probably not wise for me to go there, in case those small health issues flare up and then I'm in the poo-poo with no access to a decent hospital etc.

A quick Google search reveals that these are sold on Amazon... https://www.amazon.com/Machine-Automatic-Thrusting-Attahcments-Adjustable/dp/B0BM8MJ2LC?th=1 Apparently it can 'thrust' up to 350 times per minute!!

I'll bite! Next is lot number 24, a massive black dildo, complete with realistic veins, only slightly used. Do I hear 100 baht? Yes! 100 baht from the ... er ... plus size 'lady' at the back. Do I hear 200 baht? 200 baht anyone? Yes! Thank-you. Any more bids? Going, going gone! Sold to the gentleman at the back who insists on standing all the time... 🙂

Yes, now there are many Chinese. Typically each morning there are 50+ minivans all parked up in the town with Chinese tourists, causing traffic jams on the narrow streets etc. For me, it doesn't create disturbance because I live outside the town and walk/ride into town just to go shopping and eat at my favourite restaurant right at the end of the peninsula, where it's usually devoid of Chinese (they climb Phosi Hill or go to the local morning market etc).

LoL, when I built those 4 small hotels in North Phuket between 2002-2012 I did all plumbing, electrical, sewerage work etc in full view of the local Thais and no-one batted an eyelid!! I guess the situation has changed now (at least reading news of foreigners being arrested suggests so). Laos has similar laws, but 'out in the stix' no-one cares what you do. Even if I was accosted by the local police, a few $$ and some Lao beer would keep them happy. Now, as Gecko123 has said, a possible future problem could be if my friend does and his family want to kick me off the land and take possession of the house. Well, I would say "good luck and here are the keys!!", because my investment is absolutely minimal and not worth fighting over 🙂 That drawing that I previously posted is just a general design from the internet. I would construct a layout with a bedroom and bathroom at either end of the house (upstairs) with a living room in the middle and a long balcony running along the long side with access fr4om all rooms. A kitchenette would run along the opposite side of the living room. Downstairs would be an open area with concrete slab for my 'play-pool' etc and a lockable storage area with extra bathroom/wc. Downsides? I can think of a few: - The land is about 2km outside the riverside village that lies opposite Luang Prabang. So it is a little remote. - What would happen if I fell seriously ill? No-one would hear my shouts for help - Ditto if burglars broke in - No popping round the corner to the local shop. It's a 2km walk or a ride on my motorbike TBH, the possibility of falling ill is my biggest concern. At 65 years old, I'm in reasonably good health, but it can only go downhill from here 🙂. I'm not worried by burglars etc - they steer clear of people who appear to be mentally ill/crazy!! 🙂

Yes I do realise 🙂 I've built before using exactly the manner you show in your photos. By 'concrete slab', I refer to laying down a base slab with DPC underneath to provide a dry ground floor surface - that slab has no relevance to support of the building. Here are some photos of my building work in Thailand around 2012, 2 different small hotels.

Hmm, let's see about the projects that I've invested in: Project 1 - Phuket Airport Hotel - sold for a profit Project 2 - Phuket Airport Overnight Hotel - still operating at a profit after 12 years Project 3 - 24/7 Hotel - sold with no profit since mad ex wasn't prepared to look after it Project 4 - Bed and Breakfast - a total loss after 'stolen' by the local Thai drug mafia So some good, some bad... And my own business of teaching online (since 2018) still seems to be going fine 6 years later and earning $2,500 each month and with about 300 private students around the world 🙂 That's why it's no big loss if I lose $10k - $20k in this idea. As theblether comments, it's also a new project, and I always like building projects 🙂 The important point is that if I move forward with this project, I should only do so if I have a viable alternative of residence/living/income etc, should it all go t*ts up!

You have misunderstood a few facts. I have known this Lao man for 12 years. He is the manager of the bank and his rich family own various houses and land in and around this town and they have absolutely no need of a 'shack' built on a piece of land outside the town. A few million baht is nothing to them..... Having built before in Thailand, I know how much it will cost to build this house - no more than $10,000, because the local labour only needs to lay down the base concrete slab, build a few concrete support columns and put on the roof work. I can do the rest of the work (as I did in Thailand). But of course people can change and while I trust my friend, I do not know his family members well enough to trust them. The loss of $10,000 wouldn't make any problems for me since I will have a monthly retirement income. As to renting a cheaper house right now, reducing my monthly outgoings by say $100 (eg - renting a house for $300 and not $400) really doesn't make any difference to my finances. Of course, the best solution would be to buy a small piece of land and build on it, but that would require similar 'fiddles' that foreigners use in Thailand to buy land....

I previously lived in Nong Khai - the city has grown a lot since I lived there. I have no urge to move back to Thailand, I'm very happy living in Laos. The chance of a new wife #4 is probably zero because I realise that any nice woman would only show interest in me for my money (not much of that!!), and certainly would not be out of love fror me. My rent in LP is quite expensive because I'm renting a traditional Lao teak house. I could rent cheaper if it were necessary.

Wow! A 2-finger point..... 🙂

For Heaven's sake, are some forum members incapable of reading simple English?! The Swiss man in Phuket did not reject low bail, did not reject making an apology etc etc. These are 2 completely different news stories about 2 completely different Swiss nationals living in completely different parts of Thailand. Stop mixing the 2 reports together! Jeez - talk about Chinese whispers 🙂