Andrew65

Here's a thought. I believe that when we stay overnight at a hotel in Thailand, the hotel is obliged by law to take our passport details, that will, or can be, handed to the immigration Dept or is it the Land Dept? The same thing would apply at a hospital, but that probably doesn't explain the hanging on to the passport.

It might be to do with where they want to check someone's passport because they might need their visa extending. Something they did for an old American friend many years ago at Bumrungrad. Then again, it might be to prevent someone from "doing a runner" when they owe them lots of money?

When I worked on a temporary 457 visa in Australia many years ago it had to be shown that I had health insurance with the application.

A man of German/Jewish origin accused of war crimes????

Many years ago an old friend had a colectomy (bag and subsequent removal of bag) at Bumrungrad, I believe the bill was £30k-£40k.

OK, let me explain what I mean. When we're in Bangkok, Patong etc, in up-scale eateries & bars, there will be many very wealthy Thais, for whom 100k Baht on a night out would be manageable, several bottles of champers, 'hostesses', super-expensive meals (you get the picture!?)???? However, like just about every Thai lady that I spoke to in Bangkok, whether they're bar-girls, hotel receptionists, hairdressers (or barbers), taxi drivers etc etc, they almost invariably come from the poorest parts of Thailand like Isaan etc. For them 10k baht would be their monthly salary, where for people like us farang, 10-15 times that is what we might reasonably earn where we come from (and that might only put us at middle-income). A lot to do with 'perspective'?

That was true 10-15 years ago, but a 3 year overstay would now probably be a blacklist of 1, 3, or 5 years? (No more smiles, no more Land of Smile????). Another thing being that in recent years they're finger-printing people arriving, so just going home and getting a new passport might not work any more?

Isn't the current 'deal' that the maximum fine for overstay is 20,000, which once thrown in the monkey-house defrays at a rate of 200 Baht per day? 100 days in pokey, and then deported.

If Thailand were like the UK we could use 'uman rights legislation to stay in the Land of Smile for the rest of our lives, and at least partly at public expense!????

In a country where the minimum monthly wage is about that...it is.????

When my parents married (in England) in 1956 it was 21. My dad was 20 at the time and had to get written permission to get married from my grandmother????

Look at it this way. In Thailand the minimum wage is around 350 (?) Baht per day. In the UK it's £11.XX per hour, so (I reckon) we should always think of money in those proportions. I often hear 'English teachers' in Thailand reacting with outrage at the wages on offer, when they haven't considered what I just mentioned. That, and the fact that real teachers (ie with a teaching degree) can earn considerably more.

Not true, the 'age of majority' is 18 in the UK.

The most famous TS in Britain had the op in 1960.

It kinda makes sense: 1. The financial cost of the op. 2. The worry that whatever they end up with might not 'function'. 3. Not wanting to go under the knife anyway (especially not down there!☹️).

Not sure about their culture, but I reckon that in recent years very many Indian and Chinese people have started travelling overseas, when it's something that they've never really done before. They're not experienced overseas travellers.

It makes sense. It's a long distance with lots of dark areas on the beach side for unseen people to loiter in. I spent most of my time living in Bangkok. An American friend called "The Walk Of Shame" the area on Sukhumvit Road between Soi 3 and Soi 5. There's a bus stop along there where there were always LB's & hookers loitering (pretending to be waiting for a bus?????).

Most (like 90%) of ladyboys haven't had the full sex change operation. That was according to a (real woman) bargirl who I spoke to in Patpong many years ago.

Ladymen

Even back in 1985, I was advised that it was best not to walk along the footpath on the beach side of Beach Road after dark. (Even if you didn't have anything expensive on you!????).

I actually agree with you on the war on drugs thing, and besides alcohol and cigarettes, I've never been a drugs user. (had a smoke 3 times in my life).

No, I worked in oil exploration, often in the back of beyond. Spent some time on the edge of the Rub Al Khali 300km (?) SE of Dharhan, very hard to get drink there???? Most of my career was spent in very remote places, PNG, Australia etc (dry crews there when in an Aborigini area! Who woulda thunk it? An Ozzie crew with no p*ss!????). My old friend Eamon O'Rourke worked for BAE in Saudi, he once drove home to the UK on break!

Yes (with orange juice, worst ever hangover????), and if you wanted real spirits they cost about $150 a bottle. In the 3 years I was in Saudi I probably had a drink on 6 occasions.

Many years ago my cousin went for a job with a big employer in our town in the UK. She went for the pre-employment medical, and the quack asked her if she had taken any illicit substances recently, and she said she had smoked some weed a few days previously. He said to her that by telling him that she had saved the company £XX for the drugs test. He said, no problem, I will just see you in a month's time. (He may well have been a toker himself!?). But that was good of him.

Their country - their rules. To tell you the truth Mike, I'd love to drive to one of our nice pubs in the UK, have a few pints, and drive home again, but I can't. That's just what the laws are in the West, but I would probably get off with it in Thailand. I believe that in the UK now almost as many people are getting driving bans for drug driving as drink driving. Also, Thailand has a massive drugs problem, so we shouldn't be surprised if they have draconian drugs laws.