superal

Probably not because Thai insurance companies will repair if they can save any money on a right off settlement . I have seen this twice where badly damaged pick ups were repaired and one of them had a complete new 4 door cab fitted and it took 2 or more months to repair or thats how long it was to wait .

Agree , plus free from street vendors and concrete posts etc and no 1 foot drops to the road . I once saw a farang break his ankle at the top of 2nd road near Macdonalds . A tile was missing from the pavement and a 6 inch drop . More hazardous when walking at night . This goes for most of the towns / cities in Thailand , causing people to walk on the road . Pattaya missed an opportunity during the covid pandemic to improve facilities for tourists and locals . EG. Part of Beach road , could have made a promenade and provided some seating . Installed public toilets . I am not advocating copying Spanish resorts but there are basic Western health & safety standards which are not used in Thailand . Often farangs get caught out because they are accustomed to Western standards . I include street food hygiene and beach h&s

So the Thai baht is artificially inflated . What affect can that have on the Thai economy ? An overrated currency , pretending to be strong whilst in reality the country has lost manufacturing companies along with a drop off in tourism . I can only assume that it is the wealthy Thais who are benefiting from the supported baht through held tangible assets such as Bangkok buildings and office blocks etc .

Vinegar ? yes you can use it but the lemon or lime work well

Got mine on Lazada

Thanks for the recipe and mine is the same and but most of the time I prefer to use olive oil . Also it can be modified to make a Heinz type salad cream

Cannot agree on the local beaches that are highly polluted and rarely if ever tested . Often seen are used condoms and excrement floating in the water . Also be aware of rip tides and box jelly fish .

I do the same and you must have the stick blender because without it using a hand whisk it will not emulsify . BTW what is your recipe ( thanks for the pics , very good )

I am sure it suits some , especially the 2 week millionaires . To live there ? not for me . The pluses IMHO for Pattaya / Chonburi are 1/ some good hotels , 2/ some world class golf clubs , 3/ the availability of western food in restaurants and shops , 4/ plenty of prostitutes , if that is what matters ,5/ some decent guys . For sure I have had some fun there but no more than 2 weeks . But if that is what rocks your boat , so be it .

Really ? so not that many then , huh ?

Take the vendors and concrete posts carrying electric cables off of the pavements / walkways then relay with non-slip paving . In reality Pattaya is a xxxx hole that does not care for tourists but is interested in only how much money can be taken from them , be it corrupted police , lady boys , street vendors , bar girls , taxis , jet ski operators etc .

I have a total of 4 card readers . Now have 20 button batteries that all work after volt tester . My reader has 2 tiny holes in the back . I tried a few days ago pushing a pin but nothing happened. This time I could not find a pin but instead used a plastic tooth pick . Bingo , OMG it worked . So I then tried the other 3 readers with the same good batteries from the OK reader and none of them worked . I was then able to register and access UK Barclays phone banking which I will only use as the last cause because I am a bit skeptical using a mobile phone for banking . I am really grateful for your help and tips . The Nationwide reader would be great as a back-up to these unreliable Barclay readers . I will PM you soon . Cheers pal .

How very kind of you . Many , many thanks

100% agree . How can such a tragedy produce a laugh or " great news " comments . As said before , most Russians have fled their country for fear of the war or being enlisted and used as cannon fire . Not friends of Putin . BTW , the anonymous emojis are not helping with disrespectful replies / reactions . Emojis should show sender I.D. as they always did originally .

I have bought 3 sets of 4 button batteries ( lr44 1.5v ) from different sources for my 3 card readers , tested them with a volt meter and all OK . Google tells me there is a [problem with the card chip or magnetic strip but strange how it works in a Thai bank ATM but not my card reader machine . Barclays will send a new card to my UK home only and it has to be activated in a UK ATM or online banking which I cannot use without a card reader . So a UK trip is inevitable and I shall set up digital phone banking and get a new card .

In my case the reader is not unique to me . In fact the card readers are given by the bank on an unannounced visit to the bank . The card does require you to enter your ATM 4 digit code which then generates an 8 digit code that is entered into the on line app . Some years ago I used a Nat West card reader for my Barclay debit card . My appeal for a card reader seems to be unsuccessful and I will have to return to the UK .

Which air flight company do you think are the most reliable ? Recently I have had 2 flights from Don Mueang , re-scheduled ( same route but different dates 3 weeks apart ) . Then the same company ( Nok Air ) cancelled a Buriram to Don Mueang flight with 3 days notice . Follow on flight to Hong Kong already booked with another company . Much inconvenience and this is a regular scheduled flight . I can only assume that there were not enough passengers . A refund or alternative flight offered but no offer to assist in hotel accommodation which would be the case for an earlier flight the day before . Never had a problem with Airasia but they do not always have flights when I need them .

Totally agree . Some people have no respect and in cases like this they should get a warning from the moderators

So correct . Coming off a motorbike can do serious skin/tissue damage .

Many times I have seen motor bike riders put on their helmets and ride off . They do not fasten the chin strap . Also some ride with their helmets in the front wire basket . Up here in Issan I reckon 90% of motorcyclists do not have tax or insurance including the motorbike taxis , I have been told . The Thais treat motorbikes as if they were bicycles . Why farangs elect to use motorbikes in Thailand is baffling . Being an experienced rider does not negate the danger from low driving skilled Thai folk , plus the potholed roads etc . I know of at least 3 farangs where I live who were killed riding their small mopeds .

I believe the death rate ( 6142 ) may be inaccurate as the count only applies to death at the scene of the accident at does not include those who die post accident , e.g. hospital etc

You forgot to mention the 10/12 year kids on motorbikes leaving school with a younger passenger and of course both without helmets . Parents , teachers and the police all turn a blind eye . They should be prosecuted for lack of responsibility etc

Thanks but I do not understand about the Virtual Pin Sentry . I can log in to my account using 1/ my surname 2/ my long 12 digit number 3/ the last 4 digits on my card , 4/Lastly the 8 digit code from the card reader which I cannot do . I have tried to down load the telephone banking but it either requires a card reader or your presence at a Barclays ATM in the UK , I am in Thailand . The mobile phone app requires bio metrics and either a photo of your passport or driving licence which I submitted 4 times but each time they said it was not clear enough .

Even the best swimmers cannot swim against a rip tide . Also I have never swam in the sea in Thailand because too many things can go wrong plus , is it now the dangerous box jelly fish season ?

Hi All , My Barclays card reader / pin sentry has stopped working and despite replacing the batteries with 3 different lots of batteries it does not work . My bank card still works at the ATM , so I assume the reader is faulty . I need a card reader to manage my bank accounts and to send money from the UK to here in Thailand . Does anyone have a spare card reader that they could send to me . I will cover postage costs plus a complimentary fee for the help . I am told that all UK card readers are compatible so it does not have to be a Barclays reader .