Tuvoc

Yes but it doesn't necessarily save you. If the person sitting next to you for 10 hrs has Covid, and isn't wearing a mask, then you're very likely to get it.

Yes crazy prices. Of course the price of fuel is a big component. I paid a huge amount for a BKK to AKL return in June. The worst part is, for most airlines less flights on smaller planes means that they are chock-full. And to add to that, masks are no longer compulsory on many flights. I travelled a few times during Covid, and a plane where everyone had had a PCR test within 72 hrs of boarding, and everyone wearing masks, well it was actually quite a safe environment. Not any more, now it is very risky place to be. I also have a Qatar LON-BKK return, of which the final leg is due to be flown later this month. Fee-free changes, great I thought. Sure there is no fee but there is the fare difference - it will cost me about £250 to change the return to a different day. When I do a new search the is no fare difference, but when I bought the ticket several months ago the fares were cheap. So they charge you the difference between the current fare and what you paid. I'm simply gong to get a full refund on that return leg (also part of their promise, done that before) and buy the best deal when I'm ready. Even now, Qatar are way more expensive than direct flights with Thai and EVA. Ridiculous, Qatar used to have very good prices - not any more.

The AIS deal looked cheap, but going direct to the website - 799 baht for an entire year which is cheap. Select a plan - Disney+ Hotstar It has all the Starwars stuff which is what I want initially, and at the price of a 3 mth subscription from UK, I think it is worth a shot. (I noted that Surfshark VPN will not work with it. Even if I connect to their Thai VPN that Thai link above no longer works. I tried a UK VPN for their UK service, and the same, just got error messages)

Excellent, thanks for the clarification.

Hi all So what was the conclusion from all of the above - does Disney+ Hotstar Thailand have pretty much all the content that the Disney+ has in say UK/US ? I'm getting advised of an offer for it courtesy of my AIS mobile SIM, and I'm not sure how to proceed. I was just about to try and subscribe for the "standard" service, but if this is essentially the same then no reason not to go for it ?

I think only if you are extending based on monthly income. For money in the bank, I just went into the local Bangkok Bank branch on the way to immigration, updated the passport and got a certification of the balance on the spot. They also helpfully photocopied the passbook for me. Very easy.

It is happening in the UK too, and most likely many other countries.

Yes when I first came to Thailand I got the 90-day Non-O based on marriage from the London embassy. I then opened the bank account ASAP after arrival using Siam Legal and transferred the funds. it just seemed to me to be an easier route, and minimised the dealings with Thai immigration. All that was required after that was the 12 month extension. We were married in Thailand several years before, so that bit was easy for us. No translation needed.

I flew in last night. No checks at all on insurance, TP (these are gone now anyway) or vaccination certificates. Back to pre-Covid times. The airline gave out TM6 to everyone and I filled it out, but there was no stub in my passport when the IO gave it back to me. The thing they do insist on is the boarding pass.

Not to mention that the so-called digital nomad remote working is technically illegal. (open to debate,,,) They really do need to have a change in the law to be crystal clear about digital nomads in Thailand working for or deriving income from foreign entities.

Yes correct. Under 50,000 baht and the transfer takes just seconds, any more than that and it is 3 days. So if I want to do 150,000 say I split it into three.

Is that part of the standard service schedules for the various manufacturers ? We all know about "filled for life" where the manufacturer will never change unless asked, despite the fact that it is beneficial. What is their attitude on CVTs ?

Yeah, I'm amazed at these diesel engines that spend most of their life barely above idle and below 2,000 rpm. It was a huge change from the revvy silky smooth straight-six normally aspirated BMWs I've been driving for the last 20 years. But I like the diesel - the instant low down torque and economy, and surprisingly it is smooth and near-silent at a steady 80-100 km/hr. Obviously acceleration and idle are a different story, but overall the engine suits the car perfectly.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but to my eyes - how could anyone possibly make a car so ugly ?

That to me is a big plus. I'm very wary of CVT transmissions and the durability of them.

That is certainly true, it is priced pretty high. I get the feeling that is the same with Toyota in Thailand generally for most models compared to say Honda, Mazda etc ?

Yeah, same situation here, I got my retirement Visa in my UK passport followed by extensions of stay, but thinking now I'd rather have used my NZ passport. Mainly because NZ passport renewals abroad are far easier than UK ones, and NZ is my country of birth. But I'd have to leave the country and start all over again, and whilst it isn't difficult it is still a hassle. I guess since the passport renewals are only every 10 years I can live with the current situation.

No relevance to the question on the DPF. However your 3 month old model may well have a DPF (slightly updated engine). However I think the Fortuner is an incredible car, and everything you say that is a weakness I see as a great strength. Built on a pickup chassis - fantastic, it is built to last, tough as nails, and virtually indestructible. Perfect. It can take a hammering on awful Thai roads for years to come. You can't say the same for many of the so-called modern, state of the art cars. They'd have fallen apart over the 145,000 km that ours has done so far, with only a set of tyres recently on top of normal servicing. It still feels and drives as new.

Ah, very interesting. Makes sense. No DPF to clog up or replace eventually at great cost. A not so clean engine for sure then, but in a predominantly rural setting that isn't harmful to the same extent as it would be in busy city streets.

These lower cost small EVs definitely have a role to play. For a short trip to the markets for some shopping say, or short journeys in cities.

Thanks for the clarification. This is the first diesel car we have had, so I don't know a lot about them.

Our Fortuner is the 2019 TRD Sport. It generally gets driven very gently, but the other day I accelerated hard and while taking a quick look in the mirror to see the gap to the car behind, noticed a fair bit of black smoke. This is normal for a diesel of course without a dpf, and maybe it was just "blowing the cobwebs out" as the saying goes after a lot of gentle driving, but with a dpf you would not or should not be seeing this. Makes me think it does not have one ?

This is one EV that I suspect won't make it to Thailand, but you never know. The tiny electric car that’ll take you to the office and back ... for £20 a month (msn.com)

I just don't see Thailand being ready by 2035, at least not outside the big cities. And even then, how are Condo owners going to home-charge ? Are there car park spaces for every occupant that has a car, and will they each have charging posts ? I don't believe that current technology is suitable for widescale adoption. Is rural Thailand ready for 100% EV ? Charging times too long is the main issue where it has to be done away from the home. I have no doubt that the technology will improve, but when ? Fortunately existing petrol and diesel cars will go on for 10 or 20 years after that date. Petrol stations will convert over to being electric charging points but they would retain petrol/diesel pumps in small volumes.

Or the pet hotel reception staffed by ....