Dene16

8 hours ago, fdimike said:

students may learn in school but quickly forget once they leave the classroom. 

I would class myself as relatively bright, top stream at school, HNC/HND level education.

However its all about bums on seats now, as told to me by a lecturer (15 years ago)while some of the people in my classes were as thick as s##t who carried on for a further year and obtained a degree.

Some years back my Gf's daughter brought her English homework home which was given to me to do/help with

I was shocked, as while i was half sure of the answers i could not be sure and had to go on the internet to make sure i wasn't giving the wrong answers. Even after checking it was still not 100% conclusive.

My point is, if you are going to teach English at that kind of level it is no wonder that they all lose interest and leave school without even remembering basic spoken English. The will to learn was lost from the very beginning.

Her English teacher was from Nigeria and the one time i met her i found her difficult to understand.

On 10/6/2023 at 7:47 AM, davee58 said:

Good point, however there is no decision involved.  I will be discussing this with a UK accountant and might well see if he would be an executor for me rather than dumping a total mess on my sister or other surviving relatives.

You need to be very careful when making a lawyer or solicitor an executor of your will.

when they tried to persuade me to do so under the guise of it would be in my best interests. i asked them what was their cost of which they said 6%

That was going to be a minimum of 30k plus what i would inherit when my parents passed  just for sending out a few letters and someone spending a few hours checking if you have no tax liabilities. Thousands of people do it every day so it cant be that hard and it is all explained on the gov.uk site.

If this was a problem i have no doubt there would be examples of this everywhere . Surprisingly the tax office although a law unto themselves would see that she was a dependant and unless they could see it was a clear attempt to avoid inheritance tax would not be interested

From a inheritence tax site 

• Payments that are aimed at helping another person’s living costs can also be exempt from gift tax. The recipient of this type of gift might be an elderly relative or a child who’s under the age of 18.

So whoever is the executor would claim that it was support payment for a dependant and therefore does not need to be mentioned as a gift

Obviously check for yourself but i think you are worrying over nothing

7 hours ago, NextG said:

If you were of pleasant and deserving character, I could easily have assisted you with all of your queries. 

However, you have ????

It must of been really painful for you to of searched and provided me with that data so as to gain some sense of superiority over me when your statement was questioned. So thank you for that ????

My feeling of empathy for you has increased twice fold

54 minutes ago, NextG said:

You assume that the ‘local populace’ are paying the same price as a short term tourist. 
I don’t know why you think that it will ‘give an idea of the holidaying demographics’. Not everyone can swim and not everyone has children. 

There is an assumption that the local populace are paying the same price as i can find no mention of Thai prices on its web site or any where else, Maybe you assume that everything has to have a Thai price.

As to your second question  i am thinking the same as every other normal person on this planet, except you obviously.

You do not need to swim to go down a water slide into waist high water and traveling in a rubber dinghy's in 2 foot of water. 

Your statement suggests that absolutely nothing is able to give an idea of anything as there will always be an exception to the rule however small.

You are obviously trying to create conflict for some strange and unknown reason where none exists

As i have said before you need to 'get a life and move on'

8 hours ago, KhunLA said:

Depends when during start of covid, as every place (tourist area) was a ghost town, for quite some time.

I cant remember exactly but it was definitely before then, no one was wearing masks as the outbreak was just news emanating from China which i had been following intently at the time. when i needed to return to the UK i was shocked that very few people at the airport were actually wearing masks. Bearing in mind what China had been doing to contain it and the amount of Chinese tourists that enter Thailand. In fact it was probably only the Chinese tourists that were wearing them.

Anyway there was simply no children there. Also you could see that around 35/40% of the units where empty which at the time made me think at the time it was expanding at too great a pace.

7 minutes ago, NextG said:

You arrived at the wrong time. You missed all of the Russian families. I’m not joking. 

I will be coming in high season and  somewhat excited to take my son to a new themed water park there Colombia Aquaverse which seems geared to a very young age group. i was even thinking of bringing one of his friends so he would not feel out of place. At about 1300 baht entry i don't expect to see many of the local populace. but i think it will give a good indication of the holidaying demographics.

If anyone on here has been there, your experience of it would be appreciated 

1 hour ago, newnative said:

You haven't been to Pattaya in 17 years but you've talked to some people.  Hmm.  Apparently that allows you to make more pronouncements in this post claiming that there are 'very few foreign children' and 'what family facilities it does have are rarely used by genuine foreign family holidaymakers'. 

I did not say i had not  been in Pattaya for seventeen years just not spent time in the, Lets say, the more vibrant areas.

However i was there for 10 days staying in Jomtien, the Maldives of all places (booked ABnB) just as covid broke out  with my partner and our son

So you will have to understand my pessimism about families in Pattaya as there were no other children for my son to play with, hence my remark about something colossal must of  changed recently

I have been back  numerous times as stated in fleeting visits to family and on all of those occasions i have driven around to see what has changed. 

I agree with you that numerous units have been built and visually it has changed dramatically in some areas but from my observations they weren't full of families.

I will be visiting again in the next few months and i will see if things have really changed, in fact, i will make a concerted  effort to verify your statement and post my findings, admit that i was wrong or verify that Pattaya will always be Pattaya. I'm betting on the Latter.

4 hours ago, NextG said:

Nice rant, but why would a sixty year old retiree need ‘family facilities’?

Why the mention of no children in Pattaya?

Reference to children, or lack of, was obviously pertaining to the fact that Pattaya is still primarily catering for its adult cliental for obvious reasons

Pattaya was used ,obviously, as an example as to why it is full adult males that frequent Thailand. You choose to ignore that fact as it obviously does not fit with your agenda

I am beginning to wonder if you were bullied as a child or you have something deep rooted in your past which has created this need to insult multiple posters on this forum behind the guise of a hidden keyboard to the point i feel a certain empathy for you.

"Trust me you need to Get a life and move on"

9 hours ago, newnative said:

Well, here's perhaps a first

Well, here's a reply to your  post even though i don't really believe it deserves one.

There are always going to be people on this forum devoid of any humorous  emotion , maybe down to age, maybe having spent too long with Thai's ( have a child like sense of humour) and just have nothing to do in their life but sit on this forum so they can 'nit pick' peoples reply.

So first and foremost i have no problem admitting that 20million (not sure where that figure came from) was incorrect but my figure of 9.6 million was not

Anyone with any real concept of reality will realise that this was an astounding amount of people that were visiting "the sin city of the world"

I was  there 17 years ago with friend's and  were stunned by the bar after bar after bar (probably 3 sq miles), full of women for hire

Not really been there for 10 years, fleeting visits to family but people i know have and nothing has really changed .

Pattaya may have added sand (recently) to the beaches to try and make them look like a beach but the water is poor and few people swim in it. There are very few children, hardly any in fact, I do not include Thai's but foreign children. Many Thais from Bangkok vacate there and locals are happy to spend time there.

Many expats who need all the comforts of a large city live there for that reason, choosing the darkside for the best of both worlds as you already know

As far as family facilities are concerned Pattaya may have increased facilities like a new  water park but even those are only used by Thai's, adults and expat children. what family facilities it does have, are rarely used by genuine foreign family holidaymakers children as they are few and far between

As much as you would like to make out that Pattaya is now this eutopia of a family holiday destination, what family facilities it does have, are rarely used by genuine foreign family holidaymakers 

Unless there has been a colossal turnaround, Pattaya is still what it always has been, a playground for sexpats, whether you like it or not.

So while my comments may be construed as totally incorrect by yourself, most people are able to put them into context without the need to pick it apart for arguments sake.

Have a nice day doing the same to others as i have now noticed that seems to be your unending  forte on this forum for some sad unknown reason.

10 hours ago, Nick Carter icp said:

There are other things in life , not just females .

He may not want to have a girlfriend , he may not need a female to walk around holding his hand 

Is there?

No real point in coming to Thailand then, may as well stay in his home country, or at least go to a country with less restrictions concerning visas and ownership

I am shocked at the amount of people that like this vile condiment. To some extent i can understand the liking of the normal fish sauce and the sometimes use in food. some people love anchovies but i detest salt or anything salty

However the homemade stuff is just too much to bear makes me feel sick when i smell GFs mother cooking with it. I have to close all the doors to stop the putrid smell getting into the rooms

Went to her relatives and they gave her about 3 buckets full, back home they were testing it by the spoonful. You must be all marmite lovers

1 hour ago, Karlo said:

Secondly, I am applying for the 1 year long stay non-o visa

Oh dear, your in trouble now, Don't worry you will soon find out why

I have done this twice and it's very confusing as they have combined all the relative visas into one so some questions have to be answered with N/A you have to answer something or you cannot proceed.

You change your 90 day visa to a yearly extension once in Thailand

You will only need proof of earnings  when you go to get your yearly extension if using the 65k per month

You do not state whether you are going to put 400k in a Thai bank or use the pension method ( Using a draw down option may not be  possible, unless someone knows different, but could be problematic)

I'm sure someone will inform you if possible

400k in bank seems the easiest option but you will need to get a Thai bank account immediately on arrival and deposit the amount

You will need a letter of invitation for the visa. I typed one out sent it to GF she signed it and scanned it with id card underneath then emailed it back to me.

Statements showing you have 10k in bank (non o visa)

Utility bills to prove you are resident of UK (non o visa)

Where are you going to be  staying ? If her family home copies of blue book, if not hotel reservations. (Non o and yearly extension)

Marriage certificate obviously and decree nisi if you have been married before (mine was for parent of child so birth certificate for me)

That's as much as i can remember but google list of supporting documents for long stay non o (marriage) and yearly extension (marriage)

I'm sure someone will give a more comprehensive list

you have 2 weeks to keep amending the application so plenty of time.

37 minutes ago, keefryan said:

https://forum.alzheimers.org.uk/threads/getting-a-feel-for-care-home-costs-per-person-per-week-across-uk-please-share.129489/

What are you trying to state? 

If you continue to read the posts on the forum that you have linked, it clearly states that care homes can be  2k+ more expensive than those outside of London.

Care homes in the south of the UK are predominately more expensive and the forum seems predominately  referring to specialist care which would class this as more of a nursing home as opposed to a care home which incurs a much greater cost.

When you mix the 2 together your costs are not unsurprising. 

My original point was to state how expensive care homes are in the UK (not how Cheap)

My mother is worried as to what percentage of her house they might claim (Government still failing to commit to an amount)

You have proved how expensive it can get depending on where you live  and if  specialist care is needed ( a registered nurse needing to be on site at all times) 

My mother, albeit not in care but also suffering from dementia, would never ever want to live in Thailand unless she had reached a vegetated position.

I get that you want people to know how expensive it is, and you have, but we are referring to an average cost which even at its minimum is still extremely expensive.

34 minutes ago, keefryan said:

Fella ,  Pls stop spreading totally inaccurate info.   Residential care in the uk costs £6000 GBP + per month.. I am currently paying £6200 GBP per month for her residential care , this is because she has assets of more than £23500 when her funds are depleted the government will pay . The same care  , if not better in thailand costs 1/3 of this .  We are moving to LOS.     k????

i am not spreading inaccurate information. Just simply google it (average cost of residential care)

https://www.carehome.co.uk/advice/care-home-fees-and-costs-how-much-do-you-pay

Please note i am quoting per week. I also stated that you would not get much for this amount and that you would need to spend a greater amount to receive better accommodation and service.

Nothing I have said is inaccurate and your statement concerning her assets of £23500 only reiterates what i have already said

Care home costs can vary extensively but that does not make my statement incorrect

1 hour ago, jacko45k said:

My sister, recovering now, waited about 7-8 months. 

l was looking for my mother early  last year. Thankfully the doctor had made an error and x-rays proved otherwise.

Numerous people online had paid for the operation after being quoted 2 years waiting list and we were geared up ready to pay for it

Online it still states it should be a maximum of 18 weeks 

Unless waiting lists have suddenly been shortened I can only assume it is dependent on hospital and area

https://www.healthwatch.co.uk/response/2022-12-08/our-response-latest-nhs-elective-care-waiting-times

26 minutes ago, honcho said:

Im from NZ its free there too, free to be on a waiting list for months or years.. better pay in Thailand than die waiting in nz or uk

Hip replacements(UK) 5 years ago were normally diagnosed and completed within 3 months.

This was probably due to the fact that most were elderly patient's and they obviously need some comfort and mobility in their few lasting years. I should also mention that if needed it is extremely painful

The waiting list is now 2 years+ of pain and being immobile.

Only option is 9/12k UK pounds to have it done by the same surgeons privately in the same hospital 

5 hours ago, HappyExpat57 said:

Yes it is. My former TG claimed to be a Buddhist and also said she was going to heaven when she died.

This is either common or I'm dating you're former TG as the exact same thing was said to me

9 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Thailand is not. Thailand is the city of beautiful lanterns during Loy Krathong.

You question is somewhat of nothing all LED bulbs regardless of lumens will come in a choice of 2, 3 or possibly 4 options, bright white, white or warm

bright white will obviously resemble your normal incandescent bulbs . If you are refereeing to lanterns during loy Krathong then you would be looking at bulbs with a warm labeling. I presume a normal white would be likened to fluorescent lamps.

I only ever buy bright white. Sitting in semi darkness with warm bulbs(bought a couple of times under duress but then asked to replace again) seems pointless to me

1 hour ago, Billybaroo said:

So, essentially, the ombudsman is pausing the voting until the CC finishes its case against Pita. 

Don't worry it won't be for long, everyone connected to the ombudsman will be looking for new jobs next week and peace and order will be restored

58 minutes ago, Reigntax said:

Just what Thailand needs. The Penguin as it’s PM

He is the Thai equal to Joe Biden.

needs to be put out to pasture with all the buffalos

I take it your American

I read that Trump is doing well again in the opinion polls

Neither seem to be the right candidates for the job You would think that common sense would prevail in these elections but , alas, that is rarely the case