Confuscious

4. Driving to the airport February 2016, I was driving my daughter to the airport as she was having a vacation in Finland. I started in Korat about 9pm as the flight was scheduled at 2am. A few kilometres after the market "Save One", the main lane was blocked for a police checkpoint. All the traffic had to go trough the side lane where the police were checking all the cars. As I was queuing, a car behind me came at high speed and wanted to drive into the main lane. Unfortunately, the main lane was blocked and he could not drive forward or backward anymore. A few police officers went directly to that car and took the driver to the check post. The driver was a young guy. I passed the checkpoint and continued my trip to the airport. A few minutes after the checkpoint, I saw a car coming behind me at high speed and flashing with his headlights. It was the same car who was halted at the checkpoint. He started to play a “cat and mouse” game. When I slowed down to let him pass, he was slowing down too. When I was gaining speed, he gain speed too. All this time tailgating me and driving a few meters behind my car. If I would push my brakes, he would have surely crashed in my car. My daughter was in the car, she was 15 year old, and I feared that they were going to harm us. I asked my daughter to take movie clips and pictures of this and try to get a clear picture of their tax number. As I was approaching Saraburi, I had a plan to escape them. I knew that at 90 degree turn from Saraburi to Bangkok, at the Military domain, the were always trucks parked and taking a night rest. As I was approaching the curve, I turned my lights off, drove full speed and parked my car between 2 trucks. This seemed to work as I saw the tailgating car drive slowly in direction of Bangkok, looking where I was. After a few minutes, I didn’t see them anymore and I continued my traject. But at Nava Nakorn, the tailgating car was waiting for me and the “cat & mouse” game resumed. Lucky for me, a few kilometres further we approached the turn to the highway to Suwarnabhumi airport. At the highway booth, I stopped to get a ticket and I asked my daughter to tell the lady that we were harassed by the driver in the car behind me. The lady pushed a button on her desk and almost immediately a police officer came. My daughter explained what was happening and showed the recordings on her phone. The policeman went to the other car, took the driver and his passengers out of the car and told my daughter that everything was OK. The driver was together with 2 other young guys and a young lady. We arrived at Suvarnhabumi safely thanks to that police officer and the lady at the toll boot.

3. Immigration Begin of 2019, I was due for my Visa extension. I prepared every document, together with 3 copies, 3 photo's of myself, etc. A routine I had been doing the past 17 years. Early Tuesday morning, I collected my papers, went to the bank and drove to the Immigration office. I was still not fully recovered from the surgery and I was not sure that I would make it. Arrived at the office, I made the queue for the pre-sorting desk. A desk where everybody needed to show what he/she wanted Immigration to do and if he/she had all the necessary documents. While I was in the queue, I had a blackout and my papers fall to the ground. As I was grabbing up my papers (I had difficulty to bend my upper body), a woman behind me started to shout something in Thai. As I turned myself, it was the head of the Immigration office who was shouting at the boy at the desk why he would not stand up and help me. She helped me to grab my papers and told me to follow her. In her office, I was offered a chair and she asked me what I came for. I told her that I came for a visa extension and showed her all my papers and my passport. 5 minutes later, I was back in my car driving home with a visa extension and a selfie of me and the head of immigration.

The Thai neighbours/neighbors End of 2018, I went to my country to have a very grave surgery. 3 months later, in November, I came back to Thailand but I was still recovering from the surgery. The taxi which would drive me back from Bangkok to Korat arrived at my home (around 3pm) and the taxi driver started to unload my luggage. My neighbour, a Thai man who had converted his pickup to sell fried pork balls on a stick saw me coming home and noticed my condition. He came quickly out of his yard, greeted me friendly and grabbed my bags while helping me to get in my house. He started to chat with me and asked if I was alright, if I needed something, if I had already ate lunch, etc. I told him that I had been travelling 16 hours and only wanted have a rest now. He went back to his house and came a few minutes later with a full Thai/Esan lunch. In the following days, he and my other neighbors came at my house to help me with food and other things (go pay my bills, get my water meter back, bring me every 3 days to the hospital to refresh my dressings, etc.) and invited me regularly to have dinner with their family (I was living alone). I offered them money and wanted to pay them back (I knew that my neighbor was not a rich man and he had a daughter studying at the university) but he didn't want to receive any money. A heart-warming welcome which would never occur in my country.

As I will leave Thailand next year after spending more than 2 decades in this beautiful country, I wanted to write a few anecdotes about my life in Thailand. These anecdotes describes the good and the bad experiences I had in Thailand. I hope the Mod's will not delete this thread. 1. The Thai (local) post office. The first year I moved to Korat, I was trying to set up a company with a few friends. I had written some letters to my list of customers, subcontractors and suppliers and needed to post them. At that time, the internet was not so widely used as now, and official letters as these had to be send by post or by fax. So, I went to the local post office to send the letters (about 25 letters). Arrived at the post office, I took a queue ticket and want to the back of the queue. It was a small post office. A few minutes later, a woman came in with some kind of cheque, skipped the queue and wanted to get in front of me. At first glance, she looked like halfway in her 30's and she was dressed like a Hi So from Pattaya or Soi Cowboy. The best way to describe her, was to compare her to the lady in the Esan song "a grapao crocodile (a crocodile bag). She spoke very well English and started to shout at me: "This is Thailand, sir." "A country where the THAI people have priority over a foreigner everywhere." "So, please step back and let me join the queue here." I didn't want to start a fight and wanted to step back to let her join the queue in front of me, but the man behind me was hindering me. She started to shout again and pointing at her breast she repeated: "I am a THAI and you shall let me go BEFORE you." I was ready to leave the queue and join the queue in the back, when the man at the counter stood up and went to the lady. He grabbed her by her neck, just like a puppy, dragged her to the door and literally throw her out of the post office with the words: "This is an INTERNATIONAL post office and you are not welcome here." "If you have some post business to do, I recommend you to go to the post office in the city where they may be pleased to help you out." When I arrived at the counter, the man at the counter excused him in name of the post office for the bad experience and said that he was pleased to help me with my postal business.

You never know what's behind the story. So, why the negative comments? I know a 65 year old man who married a girl of 24 years from Thailand and brought her to Belgium where she would have access to good schools and a better social life than Thailand. She would also have rights on his pension. But all this was only possible if she married with him. They were both adults and agreed both on this. So what?

But ................................................................. they have already the biggest Casino one can think off. That "Casino" is called Non-O and Non-OA visa for expats.

I use already 3 years an official letter about my pension issued by the pension funds and translated into Thai (Maem) instead of the "Affidavit" from the Embassy. Every time accepted without discussion. At Korat immigration.

Just received an update about my friend and wanted to share it here: "Dear people, just trying to thank everyone, Neighbor girls, boys, guidance, all family friends and acquaintances. It's good that you get things in the mail or via chat or facebook, but can't answer them all yet, still a little short of energy; Thank you. HX"

GREAT!!!!!! Just the kind of advertising Thailand needs at this time. Chase your tourists away, Thailand. You are doing a great job on that.

You are the 2nd member to answer about the (in)compatibility of Covid rules between countries. The problem is that I will need to travel to my home country by half next year (no possibility to avoid it) and I risk to get refused my Vaccinations because of the Sinovac. I can always return to my home country, but I will need to follow a lot of conditions that I would rather avoid at my age.

Well, I don't know if the things I did read would be classified as a "lack of knowledge" or a "plain lie". As far as I remember, at the start of this pandemic, the "chief warrior" of the WHO was telling that this virus was not worse as "a common Flu"; wearing face masks was no use; etc. The Minister of Health in my country (a doctor) took it to the next level and started to claim that this virus was not worse as a common Flu and wearing face masks was silly and of no use. A few weeks later, when things started to look very bad, she claimed that face masks could help but unfortunatly she destroyed ALL the face masks the country had in stock for cases like this. But, no panic, she had already ordered a shipment of face masks from a dodgy producer in Turkye. Unfortunatly, this producer was nothing more than a crook and he disappeared with a lot of public money. But, no panic, she made a new order at a company in Luxemburg. After a few weeks and lots of complaints from the public and the hospitals, the masks were delivered ........................... but were declared as "NO USE" by the Public Health Department.

1. The Vaccins: I got vaccinated with Sinovac on 17-Aug-2021 and Astra-Zeneca on 10-Sep-2021. The dates were appointed by the local Maharat hospital and are about 1 month separated. I went yesterday for my "Booster" shot (Pfizer) but I was told by the nurse that she could not administer this shot as there has to be at least 2 months between the Astra-Zeneca and the Pfizer dose. Thus, not before 10-Dec-2021. In the meantime I was asking information in my home country how to get valid vaccinations for the event I want to return to my home country. Their answer was: 1. Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccins are not accepted by my home country and thus not valid. 2. Astra-Zeneca is accepted, but that would imply that I have only 1 valid vaccination. 3. Pfizer is accepted as a ("Booster") vaccin, but there has to be at least 4 months space between the Astra-Zeneca and the Pfizer vaccination. Thus, not get Pfizer vaccination before Febraury next year. The Thai rule (2 months) is not accepted by my home country and would make the Pfizer vaccination invalid. Can somebody clarify this? 2. Covid-19 After 3 vaccinations, one would assume that Covid would not have the same effect in him as an unvaccinated person. Yes, a friend of mine (71 years old) who lives in my home country and got 2 vaccinations and a "Booster" vaccination (Pfizer - Pfizer - Astra-Zeneca) got a Covid infection and got the full blow. He is now in intensive care and his life expectances are not bright. If he would make it, he will have severe damage to his Kidney's, Liver and Lungs. What is the use of get 3 vaccins when one can stil die from Covid? TIA

Publish on every border where Omnicore can enter Thailand the rules to enter the country (Health insurance; Covid insurance; health pass; quarantaine; etc...) Omnicore will not come to Thailand on reading these rules

Thais have no idea of managing debts. I meet a few days ago a woman (friend of mine) who lost her job due to Covid, and became indebted because of taking care of her parents. She seemed very happy and said that she found a way out of her debts. Talking to her, she got a loan to open the 1,000th coffee shop in my street, and she was convinced that this was going to take her out of her debts. Seemed that she was selling the kind of "sugar bombs" for 25 baht each and she managed to sell about 10 coffees a day. The loan for the coffee shop (franchise) was 350,000 baht. Go figure .....

I live here already more than 2 decades and AFAIK, Buddhism in Thailand was always about money. The best investment in Thai business. Get yourself a bunch of 25cm long peices of rope and attach it around the wrist from everybody you know. Collect 50 Baht from everyone where you attach a piece of rope around the wrist. Having an old broom and a basket of water to chastice the people can be an asset.

The 10 witnesses need to be living in your street and no further that 100 meter away.

Open Booking.com or Pagoda.com (and even Google maps) and they will show a lot of hotels that are OPEN but fully booked.

Most countries over the world uses the recommandations of the WHO. It's not only Thailand who restricts the use of alcohol, the use of masks, a.o. <deleted> about Covid-19. If someone would be to blame for all this stupidity, only the WHO is the one to take the blame.

Something strange in all this. There are no tourists and the hotels are empty due to the Pandemic. But if you try to find a hotel in Pattaya or Jomtien via Booking.com or Pagoda.com, everything is FULL!!!!

I was one of the first in Korat to apply for a "Yellow House Book". The famous "Art. 13". I tried to comply with everything on the list, but the guy at the counter came up with a new requirement every time I fulfillled the requirements. After several visits, the guy said to me: "Sorry, but we give no "Yellow Books" to foreigners". Sp, stick your "Yellow Book" there where the sun never shines.

So, the Covid-19 virus has mutated again in the "Phuket_Covid-19" virus and is now active between 11.00-14.00 and from 17.00-23.00 (only in eateries and bars)? Have they found already a vaccin against the "Phuket_Covid-19" virus?

Does anybody know or get information where I can practize Tai Chi in Korat? TIA

This should be printed out in big size and hang out on every place to learn the Thai that there exist a whole world outside of Thailand who doesn't give a flying f...k about the Thai high society

I don't understand why the face of a Thai who commit a crime is "pixelated" and a foreigner is showed in HD Colors with his ID-Card or Passport.

I don't say that bringing up a child would have been a burden to me. I have raised already 7 children before and I know how to handle children. But raising a child again, at that age, was not my plan. My plans was to keep working to my 60 years and then retire in a hacienda in the south of Spain.