tim armstrong

Scorpions are nasty, but not deadly, Cobras are deadly but not common. Rat snakes are harmless but common. Most spiders are harmless evenif scary looking. Yes centipedes are nasty and painful. crocodiles are usually in pens and will eat anything thrown at them. Tigers are in zoos. Elephants do occasionally trash a car and trample people, but are to be respected. Most dangerous creatures by far - mosquitoes for dengue fever and malaria, and other people for rip offs, scams, and anything else. Otherwise Thailand is a great place to live.

Cobras are deadly but not common.

This must be area specific Tim.

I see more cobras in my area than any other kind of snake.

I have had to kill ore than a couple over the years.

It maybe area specific. I haven't seen one in ten years near Nakhon Sawan.

Yeah you're probably right I shouldstop whingeing about the whingers. Thanks for the wakeup call.

Scorpions are nasty, but not deadly, Cobras are deadly but not common. Rat snakes are harmless but common. Most spiders are harmless evenif scary looking. Yes centipedes are nasty and painful. crocodiles are usually in pens and will eat anything thrown at them. Tigers are in zoos. Elephants do occasionally trash a car and trample people, but are to be respected. Most dangerous creatures by far - mosquitoes for dengue fever and malaria, and other people for rip offs, scams, and anything else. Otherwise Thailand is a great place to live.

The Chinese factor has not been mentioned. Many Chinese are incredibly rascist, and given the large numbers of Thai/Chinese businesses and families here its not surprising that rascism seeps into the rest of the community. I'm pure Anglo-saxon Oz and I've never experienced rascism, but then I'm white. Chinese friends tell me that the further away from white you are - the more racism applies. But an earlier post is also true, that dislike because of manners, wealth, etc is probably more common than racism. My wife is not racist in the strict sense, but doesnt like people with black coloured skin, for no obvious reason. A well educated Taiwanese friend has a business in China and says that its one of the most difficult, rude places she has ever been to.

I think Thais sometimes demonstrate their dislike of foreigners by their actions. For example, there is a good seafood restaurant at the bottom end of Naklua Road in Pattaya , called "Moomaloy'. On most nights it has 2-300 customers, live music and great food. Most of the customers are local thais and not foreigners, because you need to know where it is, and there are no English signs. I also think its no accident that at the airport , the further away from the coffee shops on the third floor you get the cheaper the food gets, and most people don't even know about the food court at the far end of the ground floor.

Personally I've never understood the need to be racist. I've lived and worked with many nationalities, like most, disliked a few, but the concept that I was in some way better than anyone else has never crossed my mind.

Catman,

Sorry if this is too sensitive, but I hope you were not intending to die anytime soon, or have some serious medical condition?

Definitely aircon problem. They are the biggest guzzlers of the 'Fi'

I'm going there next week, en route to Oz, so I'll see what is happening to the building. I think someone with the cash will knock it down and start again. I hope it doesn't become a condo block.

I'm putting this one here as many tv members may know this place. I just booked a room for next week at the Rex hotel on Sukumvit where I have stayed regularly for the past 12 years. The staff there told me it will close on 30 December, and they will all lose their jobs. Sad to see as this is one of the old hotels in Bangkok that has character. I think its been there since Vietnam days and has always been a good place to stay that was not quite in the night time action. I'd be interested if anyone knows what is happening to the site. My guess would be a Korean redevelopment from the ground up. Tim

Your lawyer can be your executor. Maybe ask your doctor, or a representative from your embassy, like the embassy counsellor. I'lldo it for a small fee.

Its a good idea, but firstly you have to motivate young men to get off their <deleted> and telephones to learn something. The lower end of the age group 18-25 in terms of achievement really needs to understand the work ethic and not be so dependent on their parents, who also need some encouragement to push their sons to be more independent. Girls will benefit from this initiative as they are already motivated.

FILs roosters have a different sound to western chooks. They make a cock a doodle d sound withe the last dooo very short compared to Oz chooks. Don't know why ?

Soi dog, closely followed by a Bang Kaeow - fluffy medium sized thai breed - often white and tan. Third choice - Golden Retriever, Thailand has good bloodlines that closely resemble the original breed. But they suffer in the heat.

I've lived here now for many years, but I rarely see a Siamese cat. Where have they all gone ?. Actually we have one that visits our mall farm and the house regularly. He/she is quite large and is often scared off by our dog, who is normally quite placid, but just loves to chase cats.

Yes rat snake, but for sure watch out for the lurking cobra.

There is also the fact that 37% of Australian citizens have parents who ere born in Asia or who were born there themselves - mostly Vietnamese, or Chinese. Australia isone of the few multicultural countries in the world and has been since the early 1800's.

Climate is a factor, as well as nett incometo the dairy farmer, as its quite a closed shop as regards marketing and price of milk. I have an australian friend who has been coming here for 20 years trying to help the industry, but manyof the usual petty corruption problems exist. The cows are good and not the real problem.

I've seen it near Laos on the border where the large market are. Especially during the dry season during thunderstorms.

Loks like a wasp to me. Longer than a hornet and with dangling legs. Very nasty sting - stay clear.

Macro, 7/11 and Tesco. We have a lot more near us but these three are consistently reliable.

She has a skill me thinks.

My wife is similar in Thailand, but lost in Australia. She says everywhere looks the same.

Ive noticed Thai girls can be quite psychic. They seem to sense 'things' quite well, but I cant give one particular example.

My wife strangely gets an itchy lower back when rains on its way. Sounds weird but Ive taken enough notice and its accurate. Itchy in the morning,blue sky, she says its gonna rain, and it does everytime

Itchy back is real. I get it to, and I'm not Thai. But about the sense of direction, my wife is fairly average, and we infrequently get lost in BKK - usually because of talking, like recently taking someone to the airport. But I now know my way around Bang Na. What i don't understand is that my wife and others don't like asking shops or strangers for directions. Don't know why ?

Only 1 and it keeps on getting better even after 12 years.

Start and have a look at your local markets to ge an idea of what's around. Ours has many pug puppies for sale, not sure of prices. Then you can ask a few questions about vaccinations etc. If you get one get it microchipped for ID and spayed unless you want to breed them. They can have breathing problems so look carefully.