farangmick

Turkey will never be allowed in

I bet there is a net outflow of Poles

Hungary has been a waste of space ever since the Habsburgs

We will remain in

Wake me up if someone has something interesting to say

Think its your alarm clock needs attention.

Very different now the mood in the UK with the EU,good timing with the asylum issue coming to a head,another million spilling in before the referendum,I'm not holding my breath here but if betting man Id say the UK is out of the EU by a huge majority

Goldman Sachs predicting the pound will fall by 20% if we vote for Brexit, so so will my pension. Propaganda scare stories. I'm still voting F.U.EU. Not sure about the huge majority though.

How about using the money from the trains, submarines, patrol boats etc etc and instead use that money to put together a fully integrated water management system across the country. This country can't keep bouncing from floods to droughts, there has to be a better way to manage the water situation here.

There is. Have one department, under one man, responsible for water. But then someone would have to take the blame when things go tits up. Better to stick with the Thai way, where ten departments are involved. Then they can have a bit of feet shuffling and finger pointing before deciding it was no ones fault, just a bit of misunderstanding, and no one has to fall on their sword, or worse, lose face.

Hard starting is often a good indicator of a valve adjustment needed.

Except not on a Wave motor. They are WW III proof.

Motors i see from the family in excess of 70-80k kms, original cam chain, getting a bit rattley, and valves never even looked at. Still starting, still running strong, still not using much oil, albeit they've lost 10-15 kms on top speed.

These things are bomb proof. Just change the oil every 2k kms without fail, and keep the rats away from the wiring.

Totally agree. I could never have ridden a Wave in England, would have been laughed out of Squires Coffee Bar or Devil's Bridge, and I felt a right prick at first riding something with a shopping basket on the front.

But as practical transport, these little Hondas, starting with the Cub, are the biggest thing in motorcycling history. Whole populations getting affordable personal transport. (Although I still prefer the SP2 I left behind for fun factor, though not for riding through the market).

until 3 years ago one could get wafarin (coumadin) the universally used blood thinner which is prescribed to many people for a variety of issues, for life in come cases. I know a buy 47 years old who takes it daily for life. it thins the blood and does a good job. but the blood needs to be tested regularly as it is quite dangerous to thin blood to this degree. one could hemorrhage easily if he has a head injury or similar. In the west people often get a little take home machine to do this test ... here not so much. so they make you go to the hospital once a month or so to get tested. It takes hours and is a pain in the but.

so they don't sell wafarin over the counter anymore...

this is probably also related to the complications of dengue fever and its prevalence here

I had four months on warfarin years ago when I had DVT. Weekly blood tests, with the dose adjusted accordingly. If really needed, and properly controlled, it works. But for self medication as a blood thinner, aspirin is far safer.

I live about 1 km out of town, and although the litter on the verge and the storm trench has thinned out by here, there is still enough to annoy me most days.

To make it worse, houses like mine on the roads out of town are exempt from the modest 20 baht/month wheelie bin charge, as it is assumed that passers by can also use the bins. When I challenged a family who had stopped their car and started chucking plastic wrappers and drink cartons outside my house, less than two meters from the bin, they couldn't understand what the problem was. In their view, the weeds would get chopped down and burnt, and the plastic with them, so nothing to worry about.

I live about 1 km out of town, and although the litter on the verge and the storm trench has thinned out by here, there is still enough to annoy me most days.

To make it worse, houses like mine on the roads out of town are exempt from the modest 20 baht/month wheelie bin charge, as it is assumed that passers by can also use the bins. When I challenged a family who had stopped their car and started chucking plastic wrappers and drink cartons outside my house, less than two meters from the bin, they couldn't understand what the problem was. In their view, the weeds would get chopped down and burnt, and the plastic with them, so nothing to worry about.

Not the same Thais (and some farang I know), who go straight to the the local EMS web page, as soon as someone they know dies, to be the first to view the scene then, and share it?

If I had no ties, and looking for somewhere to live, Chiang Mai or Chiang Rai would be top of my list. Without the cost of the wife and kids, I could escape to anywhere for a couple of months during the burning season.

Small town I live in works for me, with a family, but shopping for farang food is an expedition. Red cross delivery of bacon, sausages and pies arrived today, (from Chiang Mai)!

Does anyone still drink Beer Singha? At my local it's been about 2 years before I saw anyone drinking it. Leo was #1 favorite until the new Chang Classic hit the streets, and indeed I've returned to Chang.

Great marketing by Chang. Reduce the alcohol, reduce the volume, increase the price, but change the colour of the bottle. It worked with half the farang round here.

Thank you all. Love to here more please chime in.

cyberfarang, luckily I'm not on a "just enough money budget" I just want to get by on my monthly retirement check so I don't have to dip into my savings. If social security is still available I'll collect that at 62.

From my research I believe I'll be able to fund a decent studio apartment, eat well, lite travel around Thailand & health insurance and a little extra to boot. All on my retirement check alone 65k baht.

I hope I'm not wrong and can leave my saving alone.

I'm leaning on renting my house out just in case.

Hi. 65,000 baht should be plenty.

For the income requirement for a retirement extension Immigration want a gross figure. So if your pension is taxed in the US, the tax paid can still be included in your income. So can any rental income from a property in the US, and any returns on investments. So you seem well covered against any exchange rate fluctuations.

Learn to spot the trolls, and you can still get decent considered advice on TV.

Good luck in your new life.

Brain drain of talented personnel? I thought Civil Service jobs were reserved for Thais.

Before I get slagged off too much by anyone reading this, I stress that if the man is guilty, he should have his balls sawn off with a rusty farm implement.

Even after a fair few years in Thailand though, I think that there is something very wrong about the police posting pictures of accused prior to any evidence being found.

I spent thirty years in the police in England, constantly railing against the restrictions imposed on us, and the liberal/lefty "justice" system. But even I could never have advocated a situation where someone could be arrested, called a paedo, and had his photo plastered all over the media, unless there was a bit of substantiated evidence.

Bad idea. If I and my first wife had been self sufficient (I wish), and we lived on opposite sides of the world, we'd still be married.

I stopped reading this after the first page. Living 50 km beyond the middle of nowhere suits me, but, Christ, I do often miss the severely limited choice of food.

Lock up and throw away the key ..

For a bit of low grade weed!

A condition of taking a truck load of relatives to a family event back in the wilds of Kalasin or Roi-Et, is that I shall always be billeted in a house with a proper toilet. No sit on toilet, no truck.

I do some voluntary English teaching in local schools, and used to struggle to find things to talk about. Recently I decided to stick to one subject, road safety, whilst dressing it up and trying to make it interesting. Obviously dead basic stuff that I've always taken for granted. Tufty Club/Green Cross Code level for younger kids, not slicing the corner on a right turn for the older ones, and so on. I'm probably pissing into the wind, but one or two might benefit one day.

I know, in law, I'm supposed to carry my passport everywhere and I freely admit I don't. Just my Thai driving license.

This article appears to imply that everyone they checked had their passport with them - or am I mis-reading it?. If they did have them then they are pretty upright law abiding visitors.

Strange actions by the police. Not so very long ago, either earlier this year or late last year, the senior police office stated to TV that visitors were not expected, nor required to carry their passports around with them, and long stayers could get by with a drivers' licence. I have a copy of it somewhere, I'll try to dig it out.

Need to keep up with the latest pronouncements from last week, yesterday, or 30 minutes ago. As soon as foreigners, whether tourists, or long term residents start to understand the rules and regulations, the authorities know it is time to change them.

I know, in law, I'm supposed to carry my passport everywhere and I freely admit I don't. Just my Thai driving license.

This article appears to imply that everyone they checked had their passport with them - or am I mis-reading it?. If they did have them then they are pretty upright law abiding visitors.

Strange actions by the police. Not so very long ago, either earlier this year or late last year, the senior police office stated to TV that visitors were not expected, nor required to carry their passports around with them, and long stayers could get by with a drivers' licence. I have a copy of it somewhere, I'll try to dig it out.

Need to keep up with the latest pronouncements from last week, yesterday, or 30 minutes ago. As soon as foreigners, whether tourists, or long term residents start to understand the rules and regulations, the authorities know it is time to change them.

Decided to have a seaside holiday a few weeks ago, because my youngest had never seen the sea. Had to be cheap, and not too far to drive, with three children. Left details to the wife, after she refused all my suggestions. She got everything from FB friends. Bang Saen, dirty beach and so on. First two nights at a Royal Thai Marine base in Sattahip. Decent rooms, meters from the beach, food and beer nearby, and a great BB gun training area for me and the kids. Within 30 minutes of arriving, she got a phone call from the officer who took her booking. "You didn't say your husband was farang. If any officer asks, say you are day visitors". Had a trip to the naval base, not exactly Portsmouth, but the kids loved it. The family looked round the worlds smallest aircraft carrier, farang forbidden. After being turned away at the gate at a couple more bases with nice beaches, we carried on to Rayong and had a normal holiday. Interesting experience though. As far as I know, military bases in the UK don't double as Butlins in the summer.

Happy that I have to drive everywhere, since I live 250 km north of BKK, and my local airport is another 130 km north of me.

'One side up'? Don't you mean 'on its side'? Sheesh - does anyone know decent English at ThaiPBS?

"Two sides up" would be upside down" to you or I, (Or still on all four wheels).

Here in the sticks, no helmet is 100 baht for rider, the passengers don't need one, however many there are. But the fine should be enough. No need to slap them as well.

... but the B of E has just published a report...

Who or what is the B of E?

Sorry, Bank of England. Spent too many years at work using acronyms.

The Thai judicial system works in mysterious ways. After one burglary, we had nailed on suspects, who happened to be a cousin of my wife, and her husband. Not go into all the reasons to suspect them,but they ended up sitting opposite the assigned detective,whilst my wife sat next to them detailing the reasons for our suspicion. I was gobsmacked, but better was to follow. My wife was invited to write out a horrendous curse, along the lines of a long painful death from cancer, followed by a million years as a hungry ghost. Then we all trooped off to the shrine of King Naresuan where they lit candles and swore on pain of this curse, that they had no connection to the burglary. Police immediately ruled them out as suspects. Since then, nothing the RTP do will surprise me.