hobobo

Perfect place for the BIB to earn some holiday bonuses. Oh, I forgot, this is a thing of the past. Silly me.

3 hours ago, BoBoTheClown said:

The headline says Nigeria but the story says Ghana. Also, I've seldom seen any headlines grouping all Europeans like the they do Africans. If they did the number of crimes committed by Europeans would seem higher and cause readers to have negative feelings towards them. The media's assault on Africa is real.

 

You are not from BoBotswana by any chance? ????

On 12/17/2018 at 10:27 AM, DM07 said:

"Digital Age!": No longer necessary to have a Thai driving license with you from January"

"Digital Age!": No longer necessary to have a Thai driving license with you from January 2029 

5 minutes ago, robsamui said:

Thanks Hobobo!

I wrote in the OP that it was the last straw with Thailand, so of course it wasn't only the Visa/red tape aspects which decided me - this has been brewing for over a year now.

The turning point came in October last year when I had my bag stolen, with my passport, WP, driving licence and all my cards in it. The subsequent dealings with the pig-headed, pompous, self-important Labor Department took eventually 5 months to restore the status quo, costing me an overall total of 55,000 baht and involving two trips outside Tland to get firstly a 3-month visa and then the full one-year version.

 

And then I've been here for coming up to 22 years now. It's not that I'm hankering after the way thing used to be - the majority of the social and environmental changes I actually like. And the ordinary Thai people are still just as lovely as they ever were, shy, friendly, hospitable and generous.

 

No, it's a whole series of gradual changes which have accumulated to tip the balance: the continually rising cost of living here; the Brexit fiasco murdering the value of my pension; the horrific quality of education; the social inequality and the increasingly-loud blustering of the powers that be as they keep trying to resist being part of the global economy which is now sucking at their national pride . . .  I've been here too long.

 

Better I head off to a place I don't know so well, where it's cheaper and so much easier to stay, and where the climate is the same as that to which I've become accustomed. I'll be 70 next year and if I don't go now then I'm never gonna do it!

 

 

 

 

Thanks, Rob, for your answer. It's amazing how many things from your reply I can personally relate to; in fact, I could say all of them, and personal safety on top of it. I've only been here on my retirement extensions for the past 12 years, but I've been coming to Thailand most years since 1979 (my first visit to Koh Samui!). The last few years I've been feeling that Thailand and (most) Thais have become rudderless, not really knowing or caring which way to go. Vietnam, on the other hand, has a real "direction", and it shows how the country developed over the past ten years and more.

I do have a lot of friends here, both Thai and foreign. But Vietnam is only an hour away, and it would be great to be coming to Thailand for holidays again.

Once more, good luck with your exciting new venture. Drop us an update once you've settled in!

12 hours ago, robsamui said:

Thanks to you all for the heads up.

 

The final straw was that, after working and paying tax for 14 years, 3 months ago I was ill and for the first time ever had to extend my stay at the local immigration dept. I got a week for 1,900 baht. But the kid in front of me on a tourist visa got 30 days. I've not only been paying tax (which 75% of Thai people don't do) but have been putting an average of 50K baht into the Thai economy every month for the last 21 years.

 

I can grit my teeth when the immigration officials here sneer and make life hard, or throw my stamped passport at me like I'm a dog, or when every immigration post has different ideas about what the rules are - and they now seem to change these every month.

 

But dammit! A bakpacking kid gets 30 days for the same price as they make me pay for a week. The straw and the camel's back.

 

I'm off to Vietnam. It's cheaper right across the board, there's NO immigration nastiness, every immigration post across the nation is on the same rule-book - and the Vietnamese, ordinary people and officials, are easy and pleasant with foreigners. They LIKE foreigners.

 

But then this is off topic. Sorry!

 

"So long and thanks for all the fish."
Hitch Hiker's Guide to Thailand. Douglas Adams. 1984/2018.

 

Good luck Rob! After 12 years of happy retirement here I'm beginning to think along the same lines and have had three month-long trips to Vietnam this year to see if I can handle such a move at my age. So far about 65:35 in favour of Vietnam!

4 hours ago, VYCM said:

In Australia trucks have right of way when turning left

This is Thailand though.

6 hours ago, Vacuum said:

There must be thousands of Thai women having the same 'occupation' in this city. Why don't they arrest them?

Because "that" occupation is reserved for Thais only, unless you succeed in getting a proper work permit (not an agent's)

8 hours ago, Crossy said:

My interpretetion of the story.

This is not diving as in scuba, this is diving as in having fun in a hotel pool (jumping in head first type diving).

I couldn't find anywhere in the story that she dived into a hotel swimming pool. A couple of photos in the original article show her with friends at some rock-pools near a waterfall. I am not defending the insurance company at all, it is merely to state that rock pools are not of uniform depth.

5 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

i am worried this will happen to me some day...

 

by the way, it took 57 seconds for this page to load.

Why worried? Are you in octangles as well? Triangles are easy: if you do show up, make sure your armoury is bigger and better than your opponents'

6 hours ago, ezzra said:

Words to the wise, if you don't fear or respect the man, fera and respect the gun he's wearing and you'll live longer...

How many times do you need to hear it, the guy wasn't "wearing" it nor did he have it on person

1 hour ago, Thaiwrath said:

Not sure how the T.A.T. spin doctor is going to get around this one ?

 

Maybe Big Joke will have to head the Ministry of Tourism as well as Immigration?

2 hours ago, hobobo said:

Thanks transam, I think the fines stated in the link above were applicable just before this year's increase, when they were doubled on average. I'm going to the police station later this morning and will take a snapshot of the current fines. Thanks for your help anyway!

The reason I posted this in the first place was that the traffic cop who stopped me for an illegal U-turn on North Pattaya Road yesterday said that I could pay him or go to the police station. I told him that I always pay at the station because I get a receipt, but was just interested to see what kind of tea he drank. His reply was "One thousand baht here, much more at the police station". I remember the traffic fines were increased earlier in the year, so I was expecting 1,500 baht or more (at least it would teach me a lesson!). Just came back after paying the fine - 400 baht! I guess he's drinking PG Tips Diamond Tea Bags, but wants to upgrade to Da-Hong Pao Tea, according to Google the most expensive tea in the world at US$1,025,000 a kg! (https://financesonline.com/top-12-most-expensive-tea-types-in-the-world-da-hong-pao-vs-tieguanyin/)

14 hours ago, transam said:

Don't know how old or accurate this is but could be the deal...

 

https://nashaplaneta.net/en/asia/thai/art-thailand-shtrafi-za-narusheniya-pdd

Thanks transam, I think the fines stated in the link above were applicable just before this year's increase, when they were doubled on average. I'm going to the police station later this morning and will take a snapshot of the current fines. Thanks for your help anyway!

Hi, I've searched without luck for the list of latest road traffic fines for motoring offences. I remember it being published here on my last visit to Thailand a few months back. I'd be grateful if someone can point me in the right direction. Thanks

18 hours ago, Henrik Andersen said:

Why they not got fined for be naked??? 

Or that's only tourists there get fined??? 

Skinny dipping is an occupation reserved for Thais only

22 hours ago, AGareth2 said:

she seemed to be walking  OK

That's what I'd expect the rapist's defence to state. I'm appalled!

4 hours ago, Kieran00001 said:

 

What do you think a gay man would want with a ladyboy?

Definitely not the mammaries, so rump will have to do.

3 hours ago, mok199 said:

No one tried to remove the food from his throat when he began choking,they all just stood around and watched him choke !!!

...and got their cameras ready for that final shot...

19 hours ago, Henrik Andersen said:

High speed again 

To the Thai people 

Try driving slow and come safely home better than die 

You simply driving as morons 

Everything is about how fast can I drive 

Not only you kill yourself but you also killing Thailands reputation 

You are a very dangerous country on the roads 

Wake up and change please 

Every Thai male knows that driving slowly is not "manly" - better dead than slow!

4 hours ago, Bob12345 said:

Hope this will not end by parents forcing their kids to become drags just for a quick buck.

I hope my kids won't force theirs to become drags, but if they do, I'll expect at least the ground floor of the house for me, exclusively...

9 hours ago, Pattaya46 said:

Please give me the name of a country where this never happen...

Luxemburg, Andorra, San Marino, Monaco, Liechtenstein… do you want me to go on?

12 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

Looks like more than an accident?

I think they meant incident. I wish my Thai was half as good as their English.