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Smiles are hit and miss. I seem to notice that some in the service industry are less patient than in the past. Today as I was taking the groceries from the shopping cart to the conveyer belt the cashier said “member card, member card”. I thought does she not see my hands are busy pulling items onto the conveyer belt? So I did the passive response by putting items on the belt even slower. I then slowly pulled out my member card and she scanned it. She definitely was not smiling and looked angry at me. The other time I had to pull the “slow boat” response was at BKK. At the checkin counter as I was putting my 22kg suitcase onto the scale I heard the word “passport” at least 3 times. I thought does she see me pulling the heavy suitcase onto the scale so it could be weighed? After I had slowly put the suitcase onto the scale I then slowly pulled out my passport, slowly opened it to he data page and gently placed it onto to the counter. She completed the checkin, handed me the boarding pass without saying a word to me. These are recent events and I have definitely noticed a change for the worse in the attitudes of service workers. Who knows this could be a global thing but Thailand has marketed itself as the “Land of Smiles” and lately no so much. As they say “it is what it is”. Of course I could be wrong and it has been like this for years and I did not notice until now. In the end I just need to complete the transaction and a smile is not necessary so Thai Tourism might consider another slogan. Possibly “The cheapest holiday you can find on earth”.

What happened to the Rwanda plan?

This is what has me thinking twice before I book a flight on PAL from BKK to LAX. PAL has the lowest airfares but the thought of connecting at NAIA seems a little sketchy. Has onyone recently connected at NAIA?

When I go back to Los Angeles I rent from either Hertz or Enterprise. I have been doing this twice a year and this is what I do. I never purchase Supplemental Insurance from the rental companies. 1) Purchase a separate rental or it also commonly called Non Owner Insurance. I get mine from USAA because I have been with them for 35 years. The premium for this type is generally very low. 2) Check under the benefits section of the credit card you use to book the rental and see if you have LDW(loss Damage Waiver) coverage. My credit cards have LDW for up to 31 days when I rent a vehicle. A word caution on LDW is that it probably does not offer liability coverage in case of an accident if you are at fault. My Non Owner Insurance policy provides liability coverage.

I did not "stick" around. This was just my observation and of course I could wrong. Yes it is just speculation and you speculation about my "sticking" was wrong as well. I just had a brief chat with the Filipinos workers because i too had worked in Kuwait in the past and knew many Filipinos OFW during my time there.

Everything you said is true and will happen in the near future. A few months ago I was in Singapore and was in line to exchange money. The Chinese lady in front of me had a stack of Yuan. The clerk at the exchange counter was not happy to accept all these Yuan. My turn came up and I handed the clerk two $100 dollar bills and she smiled and handed me SIN Dollars. Of course this is just my experiences but there were an also group of Filipino men who were in transit to Manila from Kuwait and they also handed over $100 dollar bills. The clerk was now very happy. So the American Dollar, especially the $100 dollar bill, appears to be still the king. It has not been replaced. At least not yet. About 15 years ago while I was working in Afghanistan and a local kid came up to me and asked “mister you want drink?” I said yes and he showed me two bottles of Grey Goose Vodka. I thought I would never see Grey Goose in the hinterlands of Jalabad but sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. I offered him two $100 dollars bills and he said ok. As he was putting the money away I noticed he had a large stack of $100 dollar bills. I have been to some off the beaten path places in the world and I have seen many different kinds of people(yes some were probably criminals) with $100 dollar bills. The American $100 dollar bill has had a great run as the de facto global currency but it will probably come to an end sooner and not later. But i do not see the Yuan replacing the dollar anytime soon. The Euro has a better chance than the Yuan will ever have being the new global currency.

I guess 1900 Baht 4x a year is cheaper than leaving the country 4x a year.

So it’s actually 30 years and must leave the country every 90 days. Well I am still planning on the 5 Elite for 600,000. I am certain I will not live another 30 years and I normally leave Thailand 2 to 3 Times a year.

So a "lifetime" membership but 90 days at a time? So one has to leave the country every 89 days? Even someone like me who likes to travel would not find this aspect attractive.

Certainly none of these places are what many called “paradise” but I have learned to always have a backup plan and a backup location. In my case the main concern about life back in the US is the cost of health care and health insurance premiums(I dread the possibility of paying almost $800 per month for health insurance). I prefer San Antonio because of my time in the USAF where I was stationed in Del Rio TX. Del Rio certainly is a place I would prefer to forget.

SBUX success is due to: Branding. It is a cool and hip place to be seen. SBUX knew about the power of Social Media posts way before it became an important thing for young people. Also, most SBUX locations invite people to stay awhile and pull out your laptop. In Los Angeles I saw many actors and wannabee actors, screenwriters spend countless hours "working" in a SBUX after buying a cup of coffee. This was in the 1980's and 1990's. SBUX in essence was the first Co Working space. A lot of the credit for SBUX success can be attributed to Howard Schultz.

I agree with your sentiment because everything has conditions and limits.

i believe your mixing the 90 Day report with the annual exit the country and enter requirement? If one does not leave the country in the past year an extension can be obtained at immigration for 1900 Baht. Also, how does Elite define lifetime? So if a 21 year old buys a lifetime membership and he or she lives to be 100 then this fine with Elite?

Did BKK-NRT-LAX and LAX-HND-BKK Jan to Feb on ANA. No one asked to see my VAX certificate. No Covid test was required. Only thing was ANA required everyone to wear a mask. Check with your airline and see what they have to stay first.

Just because “soft power” worked for S. Korea does not mean “lightning will strike twice”. We all know about K-POP(never understood why it is so popular), Korean Movies and TV shows but let’s not forget about Hyundai, Kia or Samsung. One can even add Korean Airlines to the mix of Korean Soft P:owner. S. Korea’s global reach actually started in the 1960’s when thousands of Korean workers went overseas in large numbers. Korean Nurses went to Germany in the 1960’s, Korean workers have been in out of the Middle East for decades. I just don’t think the Thai version of Soft Power will have a large impact.

Are you sure? I think it is still open.

I got mine in January at the Central Festival office. In at 1115 and out at 1145.

Wow. Thanks for letting me. I never thought a governmental agency in Thailand would accept a letter from Pers. OF course the US Embassy and Consulate will not. That fact is amazing.

Las Vegas, San Antonio, Manila. My pension is from the California Pubic Employees Retirement Fund based out of Sacramento. This agency has a unit just dedicated to verify retiree pensions and amounts. So far I have discovered that only the Thai Embassy in DC and the consulate in Los Angeles will accept this kind of proof.

I stand corrected, This is the complete list of requirements. I make almost $70,000 and looked into it and this where i got the $250K from. The chances of me investing $250,000 in Thailand are about zero. For High-income Foreign Retirees: Must present a health insurance policy covering medical expenses in Thailand no less than USD 50,000. The remaining coverage period shall not be less than 10 months on the date of the application, OR provide evidence of savings of at least USD 100,000 held in a Thai or overseas bank account for no less than 12 months before the date of application. High earners must have proof of personal income of at least USD 80,000 annually at the time of application In case of having personal income only between USD 40,000 to USD 80,000/ year, the applicant must invest at least USD 250,000 in Thai government bonds, foreign direct invest or Thai property

No. This scheme ("Wealthy Pensioner") requires at least $80,000 income per year and I believe at least $250,000 in liquid assets. If I made $80,000 in my pension Thailand would never be on my radar. The other requirement is health insurance. For my future visa possibilities the 5 year Elite Visa at 600,000 Baht($17,000+) seems like a more clear and minimal BS route. It is a lot of money but the application process for the Elite seems like less of a hassle and less BS.

But the problem is: 1) Same place 2) Same time of the year 3) Every year. So the neighboring countries have the fires every year at the same time? This is year the blame can be deflected to it's neighbors. What or who gets the blame next year?

My barber told me it starts on April 9 and ends on 16th?

I have discovered both Food Panda and even Grab can be, how shall I say it, "fickle" at times. Depending on the weather, time of day, paying with cash or bank card i have gotten the "no drivers available". AKA = no drivers want to pick my order. Give Grab Food Delivery or even Line now delivers food. TIT and at least Thai driver don't demand certain amount for tips like some food delivery drivers in the US.