BritManToo

Yeah, potatoes have gone up, my local market stall used to sell baking potatoes for 40bht/Kg ........ now they're 48bht/Kg. Grown locally in Chiang Mai, guy down the road runs a potato factory, sometimes he gives me a free sack. Still, 2Kg packs of frozen chips still on sale in Makro for 99bht, so not the end of the world. They've been that price for the past 10 years. Soy cooking oil has gone up from 40bht to 50bht a bottle. Gas cylinders are cheaper, 2kbht for a full 15Kg cylinder, used to be 2,500bht. (I've got a spare just in case TEOTWAWKI happens.) Chocolate waaaaay cheaper, started buying Tulip dark cooking chocolate, 150bht/Kg. The kid loves it, although the slab is so thick it's hard to break off small enough chunks to get in my mouth. Pepsi in BigC, large price drop on the 2l bottles down from 40bht to 32bht. They were 40bht for years.

I would class airlines/shipping/railways/busses as infrastructure.

Two foreign guys chase and attack a car with four Brit guys inside at traffic lights. What did they think would happen?

I'm certainly enjoying living here. I'm about as happy as a 65 year old guy could be living anywhere in the world. Even being a billionaire probably wouldn't make me any happier.

My culture, the culture of Victoria/Thatcher/Blair/Johnson says grab all you can from the little people. And don't worry about how many foreigners you kill in the process.

Not sure about that, even my BiL in rural a Nan village has access to a girl on the side.

Had a pal who purchased an apartment in Cyprus ........ he hated it, barely got 1/2 what he paid when he moved to Thailand.

Don't know why you're so down on bar girls, they've always treated me very nicely. Lived with three over the past 12 years, not one of them took more than I was prepared to give. Unlike my former Brit schoolteacher wife who would have murdered our kids in order to take another $50 from me. As for the two previous, all in LTRs. One married to a Dutch guy who built a resort on her land, she got fat. The other married a retired policeman, she had breast cancer, both removed. Don't know if they're happy or not.

I think COVID will be quietly forgotten ....... Same as HIV, Mad Cow, Swine Flu, Avian Flu, Sars ...........

Thailand has managed to vaccinate 7% in the past year. So how long do you think 'fairly soon' will be?

I was there ......... nobody dared bring their educated, Chinese, hi-so, earn their own money, stunningly beautiful wives though. Complete cock-fest, I ate as much of the free food as I could, then quickly moved on to the more entertaining girly bars. Caught a flight to Siem Reap last year to party with another member for a week (banned now), the next night Thailand closed it's borders, so only spent one evening smoking pot in the hotel 'pot smoking pavilion' with him before running for the last flight back. Also used to go drinking with Dave2 before he died, evenings in Loi Krow, mornings at the petrol station coffee shop (opposite Mad Dog).

10Km from the centre Chiang Mai, all the facilities of a big city. With the mountain views and jungle of a rural environment. The only con being dense smog for 2 months of the year.

It's an occupation reserved for Thai women!

1. No 2. Father would need to apply to Thai family court for recognition, then you could apply for Thai citizenship to be recognised. Marriage to the Thai father then uncontested divorce would be the simplest/cheapest/quickest way to proceed. Ps. as a married mom, with a child, you could apply for Thai citizenship 1 year after marriage. PPs. You skin colour is irrelevant to the laws (foreigner mom is more appropriate).

I've come to believe all relationships are limited before they go bad. I'm attracted to women in their early 30's, but not attracted at all to women over 40. Therefore the best relationship I can find is limited to less than 10 years.

I never went there, I always found plenty of attractive and available women all over Thailand, and the rest of Asia. Did stay there a coulpe of nights with a gf on the way to Koh Samat. My pals that were regulars in Pattaya all moved over to Cambodia, not sure why as they haven't said. Guessing it was long term VISA problems staying in Thailand.

Disagree, I've been married to a Brit virgin schoolteacher (degree), and to a Thai bar girl (left school age 12). Both were equally unfaithful, both were looking for free houses. The Thai bar girl was much nicer in every way imaginable. Living with a woman is always trouble, up to you to limit the trouble.

No, it's a non O.

Similar population size, free schools, free health care, both verging on oppressive police state, and I've lived in both. It seems entirely sensible for me to compare the countries.

Agree, it's not 'typical Thai' but 'typical woman'.

Doesn't seem that big a deal to me. When are they going to ask Anutin to resign for failing to procure vaccinations for all the population?

Can't say I've ever been ripped off by a bar girl. My experiences with them have been entirely worth the surprisingly small expense.

Neither, I mean behaviourally.

I always thought the governments should pick up all the bills of companies they have stopped operating by their foolish reactions to a trivial disease. It's not the airlines fault they can't operate.

Only if they're waving a knife or a gun at the time.