Andrew65

20 Satang/km rise??! I remember in '98 flagfall was 35. These numbers show how these people are exploited.

In my 20 years in BKK I seldom had a problem getting the drivers to use the meter. One tip is to never try to use a taxi that's parked-up, they'll virtually always quote you a crazy price.

25 years ago the flag-fall was 35 Baht. It should now be 50-60 Baht. Ever wondered why the drivers are so reluctant to use the meter?????

They should stay on the roads, like they do in Saigon (aint crossing the road there an experience!?????).

"..."no see" attitude unless you pay them." Maybe something to do with very low pay for the police, I believe they start on around 8,000 Baht pm. (They also have to pay for their own firearm (probably at massively inflated prices)).

Foreigners can buy houses in Malaysia, but I think they have to be valued at around $100,000+

Why would they grapple with it when most of their ruling classes are ethnic Chinese?!????

The words of Gus in Breaking Bad "Never trust a drug addict".

I work in a warehouse that stocks lorry parts and regularly sign for packages/boxes that are delivered. They're always signed for before they are opened. I'm certain that they only contain what they should, but in another place it would be easy to unwittingly sign for a package that contains illicit drugs.

They swapped their uniforms for suits.

Was it around 15 years ago that they were gonna turn Koh Chang into an upmarket destination?

I think it was 2006 that they introduced the hours they have now, the interior minister was Khun Purachai. Up until then there was all night drinking, as there still is in Cambodia

We have the same kinds of people in the UK helping illegals, except they're called human rights lawyers over here.

Yes, I know that nobody on here does, but I've heard that claim in the past.

True, in more modern times. However, Ayuthaya (then the capital) was 'sacked' by the Burmese (around 1759) way back when. This disproves the claim that Thailand was never invaded.

I know it's not cannabis related, but does anyone know what happened to the 3 French ladies arrested for heroin in Pai in 2016?

One thing to bear in mind is that many people travelling from Europe to Australia don't actually stop over for a few days, so it doesn't make much difference where they change planes.

Only Thai, BA and Eva fly direct, and Eva are almost certainly the best.

Over the years I flew Eva Air BKK-LHR maybe 7 times, and can confirm that they're nicer than Thai, the best direct flight.

The 19 Dental Clinic, Sukhumvit Soi 19, I used them for 20 years, very good.

They 'don't like the cut of your jib'. They probably don't even need to give a reason. I remember talking on this subject 15+ years ago with an old friend. As he said, if the IO flicks through your passport and finds ovestays almost on every other page (I had another old friend who was the overstay-king!), he might take a dim view. Also if you've submitted the passport to aThai embassy for a visa. And this was in the days before time spent in Thailand really became an issue. I probably have 2 or 3 overstay stamps over a 20 year period.

Quite a few abandoned old French colonial buildings in Phnom Penh, would have been beautiful places, probably up until the arrival of Pol Pot.

Even with a visa, entry to Thailand isn't guaranteed, the final decision is up to the IO. I doubt that this guy will have a problem with one short overstay though.

Having done this myself I would advise making sure you have $US for the Laos visa fee, if you pay in Baht you get a really bad exchange rate, I think it was about $3 to the bad the last time I did it at Non Khai. (I know many less well-off expats are counting the pennies).

Many of my British compatriots have it in their heads that our country is still a major-league world power, when in fact we're a mid-sized (second-tier) power, similar to France.