Tidybeard

If you are asking guys on TV about investment in Crypto, then you should not be investing !!!!

If you want a steady income to live on, then look into - I mean do LOTS of research, and find some Income based funds that invest in real companies. Set up a trading account with a company such as Interactive Investors. Many funds invest for growth, but many also invest in companies that pay good stable dividends and can pay you a quarterly income.

From my research, you should be able to generate a comfortable 4% per year with safety.

Dear Newbie

I am concerned for your safety if you need to ask on TV which bike is suitable for you !

Do you have a full bike license ? Can you ride a bike with gears ? Have you thought about luggage considerations and how much you want / need to carry ?

If you really want to go touring in comfort, then you are going to need at least a 500cc and preferably something more like a 650cc. I am not aware of any of the "scooter no gears" style bikes that come with good luggage configurations, so you would have to look at something like the Kawasaki Versys 650. A very reliable bike with loads of 3rd party luggage solutions. 

If you really can't face the gears and clutch, then look at the Honda NC700X DCT. It looks like a real bike but is automatic. Givi do several luggage options for it.

My wife and I travel extensively by bike all over the World, and even when staying in B&B's you are going to need 2 good size panniers and a topbox. You need to think about clothing, wet and dry, small stash of spares, ( bulbs, cable ties, duct tape,)  puncture repair kit with tyre irons, and compressor as a minimum. You also need to practice mending a puncture before you set off ! 

Good luck !!

Am I missing something .... Thailand has a population of around 70m. So 50,000 doses would cover 0.07% of the population. Widely agreed that around 60% is needed for "herd immunity" so it's going to take a while. And we all know where the first 50,000 are going - not to front line staff but the top  50,000 wealthiest people in Government. 

As an expat - I fear we may be a little way down the list and need to wait a few years. 

Will be interesting if Vaccine Passports come in ... need a vaccine to go back to the UK, but can't get one in Thailand so stuck here forever !

Mmmm....

But I can still fly from Samui to Bangkok 4 times per day. This is nothing to do with Covid, this is just a lack of passengers between Phuket and Samui. 

I just drove from Phuket to Samui without a single check anywhere ! 

Very confusing .. if she has just tested negative and is safe to go home ... then why is everyone wearing a mask, and why does she have to self quarantine for another 30 days .... the World is going mad !!!

Why is everyone so scared of CV19 ????? .... it is no worse than many other diseases that we have lived with for decades or even centuries ...

Take the UK - pretty badly hit. Deaths approaching 50,000 so that is ( 50,000 / 66,000,000 ) x 100 = 0.07% of the population. Like I said madness.

4 hours ago, canopus1969 said:

Well said that 'Leading figure'   ????

How sad you have all become, wrapped up in your mother's security blanket like little kids !

The average age of death around the World is 82.4 years old... and they are mostly people with other significant illnesses. For the whole population the death rate is about 0.3% depending upon who you believe, but here in Thailand where we all get plenty of sun and hence Vitamin D, out immune systems will be stronger than average, so we should have even less trouble than other parts of the World.

What do you think is going to happen when Thailand eventually has to open as 20% ++ of it's economy is missing..... we are all going to get exposed just like the rest of the World and guess what - you won't even notice - as 99.7% of us will be fine. 

3 hours ago, ChrisKC said:

Sorry to say this is true. Many countries are suffering from rising infections due to people not observing some sense and even whinging and rebelling against what are seen as impositions on their freedom. Of course, their are serious consequences economically and inevitable inconveniences but as ChelseFan says, "what else can anybody do"

Regarding Governments worldwide, it's damned if you, damned if you don't. The Health experts have warned consistently that a second wave was almost certain and now it's here...

 

I know many folks on this forum believe that Thailand's current situation is manufactured; manipulating the figures, not much testing, therefore no infections, etc. But on balance, we are in one of the best places on the planet (with just about the entire world being affected far worse in reality)

 

Governments in general are not to blame - look no further than the people they are trying to help!

 

What do you think is going to happen when the lock downs stop ??? At some point in time you need to be exposed to a virus, and hope that your immune system can cope. The best thing that World Governments to have done would have been to set up huge manufacturing plants for Vitamin D and distribute it freely around the global population.

Anything else just delays the inevitable.... including Thailand

Can you imagine a bridge ! ..... we have just had the ring road upgraded, it has take 3 years, and it is still single track, but now has a nice Tarmacadam surface ( until that gets destroyed by the rains and subsidence ) The road is busy now, despite nearly all tourists arriving by air and being ferried around the island by a fleet of expensive but quite efficient mini vans and taxis.

If more cars were to come across on a bridge, it would be gridlock !

These people have no idea really - it is quite sad. 

I guess you have to start somewhere, but let's keep this in proportion. Together they are proposing 1000 rooms, so let's say 2000 - 2500 guests. During peak season, Samui usually supports around 60,000 tourists / week, so 2000 are not going to make much difference. 

If they are also to be restricted to their hotels, none of the auxiliary services will benefit. Massage shops, Tattoo Parlors, Independent restaurants and bars, tour operators to other islands, fishing and diving trips .... just 23 big hotels. 

Hardly going to save what is a dying island. 

10 hours ago, lanng khao said:

Won't be much change out of £4000, haven't heard anything of which country's have got the green light yet.

I have a friend with a Thai wife who looked into returning from the UK to live in their Thai house. He said that when he added up the pre-flight checks and certificates, the flight costs, the quarantine costs and additional testing costs here in Thailand, there was almost no change from £5000 EACH ! .... in addition to this he noted that this would only buy an economy class ticket, and he could find no way to apply for a Business class ticket - so guess what.... he is staying in England ! 

I really don't think the government understands what is happening. Hotels are going bankrupt and many have been mothballed. A quick walk down any tourist area ( Chaweng in Samui is a good example ) and boarded up shops, hotels, restaurants, massage shops, tattoo parlors.... all slowly falling apart with no maintenance to buildings, with the streets and sidewalks becoming overgrown with opportunistic plants...

When the authorities suddenly decide they want tourists back, the infrastructure will have gone. Who will want to go to a resort with 3 hotels and 2 restaurants in the middle of an overgrown slum ?????  

I reckon a CB500X is physically too small for you ... it is popular for smaller riders.

I agree with the guy who said you should consider a Versys 650, a larger frame and more stable bike all around.

Regarding your nervousness and discomfort ... don't worry ! ... just take you time and things like downshifting will become second nature to you. Also practice being in FULL control of yourself and your bike to gain confidence. 

Find a quiet stretch of road, put some stones down in a straight line at say 3m apart and then practice weaving in and out of them at the slowest speed you can. Slipping the clutch and feathering the breaks is good practice for you.

Also become comfortable with things like hill starts. 1st gear, left foot down, rear brake on and then fully controlled forward movement.

Once you get confident at slow speed control... you will feel more comfortable at higher speeds.

The biggest rule to remember when you move up to a bigger bike is EVERYTHING happens more quickly. Pot holes / sand / dogs / people turning in front of you / people braking in front of you / changes in road surface. You must be 100% focused all of the time if you are to stay alive.

I have ridden ( toured ) bikes all over the World for 40 years, so having fun is possible  -- once confident, make sure you visit Africa, it will be the best experience of your life !!

Good luck. 

I once asked a Thai friend why it was that in Thailand I never saw a police car pull over and stop a dangerous driver. Why I never saw a dangerous overloaded truck stopped, or any form of "on road" controls as witnessed in all other countries of the World.

The reply was that the senior police do not allow this kind of control, as they know that bribes will be taken, but it is impossible for them to know how much and to collect their share. So only official road blocks doing standard checks are allowed. These can be manned by senior officers who can ensure their cut.

Here in Samui - the police must be hurting, as there are no tourists to fine, and the Thais all know the times and places of the road blocks..... tea must be very scarce in the office. 

Anyone know if this is true ?

If it is - then there is no hope.  

I know this boat ... the list to port is caused by more rusty parts falling off the starboard side so making it lighter ????