superal

Well , the elite Thai have suppressed the lower classes and maybe have the same plan for the expat . Certainly see nothing to encourage a non wealthy ex pat retiree to Thailand . Ex pats in Thailand have no standing , no voice or representation . As for the embassies , are they still here ? Expats are seen by the Thai as walking ATMs . Two tier pricing , visa rules and expenses , now possible tax on income or the hassle to prove otherwise . Not only are Brits avoiding Thai holidays but there have been reports of ex pat retirees leaving Thailand .

Some shops where I live have a series of steps that are about 7 inches high and no handrail . Do not see any wheelchair users where I live because almost impossible to negotiate the so called pavements .Thai women with babies in push chairs use the road . Back to the topic . The Thai government must know that Thai standards in many categories are third world at best but they do not give a flying xxxx . Thai holidays should carry a health warning . Thai gov; needs to wake up, smell the coffee and join the 21st century .

Not over Russia for Thai Air or Eva Air . They fly over Afghanistan , Pakistan / India . Recently changed their flight paths to avoid Ukraine , Israel , Iran . Certainly , flying with a Chinese airline will be a lot cheaper if you don't mind a long stop over . I prefer non stop flights . Have a few drinks and sleep . Don't like the hassle of security checks and re-boarding . Once used Scoot Air from Gatwick . Half the normal price , direct and new aircraft . Sadly they no longer fly direct to Thailand .

Agree with most of your post accept the mention of the disabled . They are not well catered for especially for someone in a wheelchair who will have to take their chance by using the road . Broken pavements in every town in Thailand with vendors taking up space that should be clear for pedestrians . Thailand compared with some European holiday venues , just does not compare . Look at the beautiful Spanish promenades . Thai pedestrian crossings mean this is where you must cross the road and Thai drivers will not give you priority when using the crossing . Red lights at a crossing are often ignored . Etc Etc . Finally one of the major factors for the absence of Brits to Thailand is the ridiculous cost of air fares . It appears that all of the air lines have agreed to hike up their fares . Lucky if you can get an economy flight for under a grand . Imagine a family facing those fares . They will either stay in the UK ( BTW UK holiday bookings at an all time high )or be off to the Balearics .

Happened to me too . Inferior materials do not last . Cheap materials may save money initially and appear to be similar to the more expensive ones . That is why I would only buy Bluescope insulated roof panels . Fact , metal roof noise from the rain depends on the steepness of the roof I.E. A flat metal roof will be much noisier than a steep roof . What surprises me is that in Thailand there is little consideration given to venting the hot air from the attic , even with new buildings . Solar powered whirly bird vents fitted on the roof would have reduce the loft heat substantially and in turn make the house cooler plus reduce Aircon running costs .

That has been my opinion from early on . I posted it on this forum and to my surprise there were those who supported the fact that Israel were bombing the Palestine indiscriminately . All carried out under the premise of defending itself . What B/S . Biden has blood on his hands because he supplied weaponry to Israel . I am not a Muslim , nor a Jew but a humanist .

I also cannot open the link because I do not belong to F/B and never will .

That is what I was thinking or maybe hotter

If it's 41 c in the shade in Isaan , what is the temperature out of the shade ?

What province do you live in ? 30 km outside of Surin Isaan it shows 41c in the shade

OK , these are facts . Israel has the backing of America . Iran nuclear development is well supported by Russia because of the Iran help and drone supply to Russia during the Ukraine war . Also Russia to supply military weapons , fighter jets ,warships , helicopters and the technology / assistance for Iran to manufacture its own weapon stock pile , fighter jets and naval vessels . Do you believe that Western intelligence can infiltrate the Iranian security ? Once upon a time satellite spying was the way but now has its limitations .

Ever cloud has a silver lining , because when they go to prison they will get plenty of practice .

Up here in Isaan the daily temperature is at least 40 c every day . Fans do nothing but blow hot air on you . I normally go to my office at 10 am with intermittent aircon . Many of my friends do the same and even my Thai lady surrenders to my office to cool down . Now when the temperature drops next month to the mid thirties , I can resume my normal activities . I know several Europeans who leave Thailand for a couple of months at this time of the year . Some Europeans can tolerate the heat better than others . I used to bask in the Turkish sun ( temperature mid 40s ) but not now . As for driving , I kind of understand but I have adopted the " never assume anything " when driving in Thailand . Have a dash cam installed . Swimming ? maybe try to get to a safe Thai beach for a couple of weeks ?

Iran was on the verge of nuclear bombs a couple of years ago . It is shrouded in secrecy . Speculation has it that Iran already has the bomb . Testing might not have happened to prevent detection . There are many opinions and conjecture but Iran is known to have all the tools , skills and ingredients to make nuclear weapons / bombs . One opinion link below . https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2024/feb/19/does-iran-already-have-nuclear-weapons/

Surin . Recently attended a private hospital and saw a haematologist who also took a CBC and sent the blood to Bangkok for analysis because I have been diagnosed with anemia . Colonoscopy and gastroscopy results were negative . I will see the hematologist next week for results .

If the question had been , will Iran use nukes on Israel , I would say a possibility . If Israel retaliates over the recent drone invasion , Israel will annihilate Iran . The only way to react would be for Iran to nuke Israel . They are crazy enough to do it , are believed to hold an arsenal of nukes and will not care about the consequences .

It was the young doctor who told me to fast . All the doctors who take care of walk in patients in my local government hospital are straight out of medical school and are expected to diagnose every malady . They must be making mistakes and they are not supervised .

Hi Sheryl , your opinion on the following please . When ever I attend a Thai hospital , private or government , as soon as you walk in they want to take your blood pressure . My local hospital often involves walking from the car park ( !00 meters ) in hot weather , up a steep slope to the hospital entrance, on arrival , told by the nurse to use the automatic b/p machine which always give an elevated b/p reading . So I tell her give me 5 minutes and I will do the test again . Results are then OK . I was always led to believe that you have to sit and relax for 5 minutes to do a b/p test . But does not happen for me in Thailand .

Agree . It would not be my first choice to reside as it is probably the hottest part of Thailand . Power cuts are frequent . Local population little or no education . Etc etc but I have been here for over 12 years with my lady who runs our restaurant . She takes good care of me and we have never quarrelled . Complete contrast to my UK ex of 30 odd years . If our relationship failed I would be looking to go south of Thailand or even give the Philippines a visit .

I only get that problem when I use the AA app on my phone to book but not when using my computer ( as far as I can recall ) . I have used Booking.com for Thai domestic flights , straight forward and without any problems .

Looks like you have a cement board ceiling/roof which are prone to cracking around the U bolts and also leaking in heavy rain . You do not tell the size of the room nor access to the outside of the roof . Reason is that your cement board could be over clad with zinc coated insulated roof panels that can be ordered to your required length . A lightweight Thai guy would take only 1 or 2 days to install . Polystyrene ceiling tiles or simply insulation tiles could be glued under the cement board for a cheap fix but without a level surface it would not look great .

Air gap yes plus the double layer of Blue Scope cladding which both have the foil and insulation backing . On top of the plasterboard ceiling is another foil/insulation . So , in total 3 layers of foil/insulation . It has certainly made quite a difference. The only downside is that the restaurant has windows on both 18 meter flanks and the end flank of 9 meters and glass being a conductor of heat , does not help .

My lady has an enclosed restaurant that is 9 x 18 meters . Flat roof and ceiling at about 2.8 meters average height . Outside on the roof top is cladded with Blue Scope profiled panels with foil back insulation . It did get hot in there and noisy when it rained so this year I had the roof over cladded again with the same materials that formed an air gap . Result is much cooler and quieter . The ceiling is plasterboard with foil back . We also have 2 high level air extractors , plus 2 Aircon units which make dining comfortable . However running 2 aircons can be expensive and use mostly when customers are coming . Problems are , the outside ambient temperature will get in , especially when doors are left open and the Aircon is running ( makes me angry ) . Will not be so bad in a months time when this extreme heat subsides .

That's a flight I use 4 or 5 times a year . Sometimes Air Asia and sometimes Nok Air . Always booked direct with the airline . I have never thought about using an agency and having seen your statement I will not bother . However I do find the Air Asia booking site annoying when they load up all the extras up front . This is probably missed by some flyers . One Air Asia flight , Burriram to DMK , I had weighted my checked luggage at home and just under the allowance of 20 kg . At the check in it weighted 21 kg . Hit me for 400 baht over weight . There were some obese passengers on that flight who paid the same fare as me but my weight 72 kg and some of them must have been over 100 kg . No justice . Maybe airlines could set a weight allowance with a combination of luggage and personal weight . Just looked at Nok Air and the Burriram to DMK return flight later this month and if taking the early morning flights it came to 2060 baht . Carry on 7 kg , no check in luggage . Nok Air also add on the extras at the start and you have to edit . Without editing the cost was 3860 baht .

Also seat belts hardy reach around my waist and I am not fat , 70 kg . Catering for the smaller Asian maybe ?