richard_smith237

Indeed... Op can get some of these... It should help with his issue...

That's the critical item. When flying Eco.... Op is flying business... he'll be in the lounge within 30mins of arrival at the airport. Fast track Security and Immigration is consistently quick.... Airline checkin with a business class ticket will also be quick....

Indeed... it takes some practice to get the espresso right in the first place... ... From dialling in the machine for the bean correctly... to even distribution of the coffee... (without clumps)... to getting a consistent 'tamp' each time... And now the latest 'idea' is to spray the beans with a bit of water to release any static to minimise clumping... and to add a 'filter disk' after tamping to even the water distribution into the shower head... I'm sometimes lazy and don't bother distributing properly and tamp poorly... and then get an uneven extraction (to fast or too slow)... it sometimes makes the coffee a little bitter... Thats where the Nespresso voluto comes in - decent coffee consistent results at a push of a button... But, I still much prefer it when I pull a good shot myself.

It'll be back up within a week... ... this is just a photo Op... The BiB will continue to enable these guys to act with impunity once the tea money flows again...

Not when its a foreigner....

I don't think he tried to 'smuggle' the dope in his Passport.... the story is misleading with the mention that the cocaine was 'hidden' in his passport.... ... Its far more likely that the 'pouch' ending up in his passport is pure accident... Perhaps even travelling with it was pure accident too... extremely complacent behavior from whichever perspective this is viewed.

Sometimes its nice to take a 'clean sharp hit of expresso'... But, I agree, I like the coffee to last a little longer, and expresso can be lengthened with boiled water to make a long black (not really my think)... or with milk (tightly frothed with a 'steam wand') to make a latte (which I do like)...

Only for the purposes of 'qualification' to respond to this thread..... I have... - Breville Barista Pro - Espresso Machine (most of the time). - Baietti Moka Pot (when I fancy) - French Press (at work) - Turkish coffee Pot (when I fancy it) - Nespresso Vertuo (quick, convenient and decent coffee) - Wacaco Picopresso Portable Espresso Maker (for travelling) Coffee - I get from Coffee Culture Asia (based in Phuket) - they roast to order, or rather, they always have freshly roasted coffee. https://coffeeculture.asia/coffee-category/roasted-coffee-beans-thailand/arabica-coffee/# They deliver within a few days... But may often be waiting for a fresh batch . I personally go for: - - Khun Chang Khian (which is a Thai Arabica bean) - 900 baht per Kilo. - Premium Arabica - 860 baht per Kilo. - Roast level to order... and can order beans or specify grind size. - I order in 500gm packs to keep the coffee fresh for a month (1.5 kgs per month). - In my expresso Machine - I brew a 2:1 ratio (30 second, 18 gms espresso grind >> 36 gms espresso output).... - When I use different beans, I have to dial in the machine again. Regarding grinder, thats the most important part - IMO its better to have the roaster grind the coffee for you than to use a cheap grinder. I'll order beans for the espresso machine and ground to specification for the 'others'... Coffee snobbery ??? - some may levy that accusation, its just like Wine & Whisky... some get it, some don't. I just like coffee... and really enjoy a couple of cups in the morning. I'll also commonly lengthen the coffee with silky steamed milk (expresso machine want).... Or, use an Aerocino (coffee frother) - but that doesn't make quite as silky textured milk to add to make a smooth latte.

Media such as this is pure catnip to posters such as Goat & Gottfrid… Amazibg that they have missed this opportunity to Brit-bash., … they must be on suspension - I always figured they’d have an ‘alert’ set for any mention of a Brit (in much the same manner as KhunLA’s trigger finger to anything EV related !!)

Passport isn’t checked in any detail in the UK, just show the ID page at security. Or the Checkin staff looking for a passport. I agree with the idea that it slipped into the pages when he put it in his pocket or a pouch in his carry on. As everyone else is commenting- this is obviously a remarkably daft thing to do.

Not quite... there is a lot of industry in Thailand... Tourism contributes about 20% to GDP... Other industry is far more important. That said - 20% is a lot, and Thailand needs to 'nurture' its tourism industry rather than alienate its tourists with 'possible' targeting of those making 'mistakes' which when considering the bigger picture are 'minor offence' ... misdemeanours....

Indeed.... in any of these 'ride hailing apps' the destination is very clear. - Did the woman enter the wrong airport in the App in the first place ? - Did the woman enter in the correct Airport, and the driver simply read Airport on the App on his end, and assumed Suvarnabumi without looking at the App. If the former, its 100% the womans own fault. If the latter, the company (GRAB, Bolt or whatever) should be held accountable for the lady missing her flight. Yes, she should have confirmed with the driver when entering the car, she should have watched the direction etc... BUT - the driver should be taking her to the correct Airport IF the App was used correctly.

Hmmm…Wonder why? You have one option. Dont like it and felt you being discriminated…pack up and leave go back to your racist country. ooohhhh..... I haven't read the "if you don't like it go back to your own country" comment for a while..... ...one of the most unimaginative responses on this forum, it sort of 'passed out of fashion' after being overused by a number cerebrally challenged posters struggling for a more intelligent response... Dealing with the point in hand - In area's such as Patong, there does seem to be a general level of contempt held towards foreigners (tourists) in that area... I suspect there are multiple reasons for this. - The type of tourist these area's attract - a number of whom behave poorly and disrespectfully. - The type of 'Thai' these area's attract whose sole purpose is to extract money from said tourist. - The level of contempt this double negative generates. Whenever I've been to Patong, I've also felt an undercurrent of contempt by those working in the area, central Pattaya is not too dissimilar. Other area's of Thailand are quite different of course... and those Thai's less tainted by poorly behaved foreigners are often extremely welcoming... these are also the 'same type of Thais' who would also find area's such as Patong quite awful, as do many of the foreigners, tourists, expacts etc who dislike being tarred with the same brush as those 'troublesome blockheads' who frequent these areas... I've heard much the same of Kuta in Bali - and it is for these reasons I very rarely visit Phuket and have never visited Bali. That said, there are plenty of extremely, pleasant area's of Phuket, Nai-Harn beach is one of my favourite area's in Thailand - people watching there is quite a fun past-time and the area itself does not have that 'mercenary feel' I witness in some other touristy area's of Thailand.

Confirm you can get access to Fast-Track immigration and security with JAL. My guess is that you can, and you'll pass through check-in, security and immigration in a matter of 15-20 mins or so... Thus: it depends upon how long you want to spend in a lounge. ----------- I travel very regularly and have Thai Elite, so I'm very often through and into a lounge within 20 mins... I always aim to get to the airport 2 hours before departure time (sitting in a lounge is more boring than being at home, so I'm not bothered about spending time in a lounge, but balance the arriving at the airport time (2 hrs early in my case) with risk of there being a delay on the way to or at the airport etc). Also, when at the airport take note of the Departure Gate as the new satellite terminal (S gates) take additional time to get to....

Prats are everywhere.... Its just that in area's of high tourist footfall such as Phuket, there is a higher density of prats because there are simply a lot lot more tourists there.... ... Familiarity breeds contempt... and thus, the authorities specifically target foreigners in these area's of higher 'foreigner density' whereas in other area's of Thailand foreigners are treated with the general level of indifference with which everyone treats everyone else.... BUT, do something wrong in area's such as Phuket and the Police know its a pay-day... so they are on the lookout for anything... Thai's committing similar acts are almost invisible... The 'Police Positions' in areas such as Patong and Pattaya even cost a lot more to 'secure' as these are the more coveted profitable positions - the amount of money that filters up through this police pyramid scheme is astonishing. Of course - all of this is overlooked by the media which is also cashing in on this 'bad farang' creates more clicks... add in a little netizen outrage and we have a recipe for add revenue !!!

I'm sure you've looked into this alread, right ???... But, Can't you renew your British Driving Licence ???... It depends upon how long your license has expired for, I think two years is the cut off, then you may have to take a new test... that would solve all the issues. OR, if you are already in Thailand thats pretty much a no-goer. Thus: You'll need to renew your Thai licence - you can usually do this easily within a year of expiry, but as you mentioned Covid I assume your driving licence is more than 1 year past expiry. You can attempt to renew at the DLT and hope they let you get away with doing 'class room tests' etc (the same ones you did when getting the license in the first place)... If not, without a UK licence you'll have to go through the whole process again from scratch - its a simple enough process, plenty of people get a new Driving and Motorcycle licence here without a supporting licence from their home country. As for driving without a license... - Motorcycle: you'll get fined every time you are stopped - if involved in a serious accident the issue gets more serious of course. - Driving: you are not insured, if you have an accident, it'll cost you. If you injure someone else, it'll cost you more and we'll probably end up reading about you on here. Conclusion: Get your Thai Licence, even if it means you have to take the test here.

Its hilarious to read all of these 'deport him' posts... One really has to wonder what goes on in the heads of some of these wannabe autocratic dictators... A foreigner farts in public.... "Deport him with a permanent ban".... Seriously - some of you guys really over egg the pudding with this ridiculous over-reaction.

Like a dog to a whistle....

Well that was my point really, I have seen the UK cops on YouTube and they know he will be below the limit by the time he is processed, so they issue an official verbal warning. Yup... In this case it appears that the test was taken at the station, so it would have been with a 'better machine' hopefully. Also, the readings will be lower than at the time he was actually riding and stopped. I had a mate in the UK who was over the limit the morning after a night out. He blew over and it was close. They took him back to the station and tested him again, he was still 'slightly' over the limit so he was charged. The processed him and tested him again (a couple of hours had passed in that time), he was then under the limit and was told he was free to continue on his way (driving).

Valid point - I think all DUI needs to be dealt with consistently as do all violations of traffic law and regulations. I'm not justifying drink driving at all, 0.059% BAC is approximate to 4x 330cc beers over an hour or so - clearly drink driving and as the test was taken back at the station (as per the photo) its likely that his BAC was infact higher at the time of driving. Equally so, I wonder how many of the same policemen witnessed people going through red traffic lights and riding without helmets etc. I'm glad the BiB are catching people for DUI... now they also need to deal with all drivers, many of whom may be connected in some manner and get away with it on the spot. Then there are the BiB themselves - pretty much every Policeman I know drink drives with complete disregard for their own or anyone else safety - they are above the law, or rather, they 'get a pass' from their colleagues.

In the UK, if you are 'slightly' over that reading is not the 'official reading' as I understand it. You are arrested on the spot and taken back to the station for an 'official reading' - it is that reading from which the official decision is taken. For someone who blew 0.059% BAC and so close to the limit of 0.05% BAC, its quite possible that by the time he reached a police station he would be blowing below the legal limit and let off with a caution.

The Barbra Streisand effect..... ... the unintended consequence of attempts to hide, remove, or censor information, where the effort instead increases public awareness... Thailand is great at this.... No one would have heard of this guy, now they push him further into the public eye. Should authorities also punish themselves for making his videos reach a greater audience ??? The juvenile minds of those in authority seeking 'revenge' rather than whats best for the country again.... Also, if the guy's criticism are genuine and valid... listen to them, act upon them....

Being that close to the legal limit I'd want an official blood test from a hospital.... how accurate are the police breathalysers in Thailand ?

Once again , just a comment and no answers. That´s your reaction when you lost. I think its a reaction of not biting at the dumb bigotry you are showing by digging up anything negative about the Brits and tarring a whole nation based on the news generated by a minuscule minority of idiots... ... its just a really dumb troll to be honest.... every nation has its idiots and negative news can be found on many nations... its a testament to your stupidity that you think this backs up any anti-brit argument you have..... Yes, there are idiot brits around - we all know that, but your implication that its a majority or that its just the 'British' character is so galactically moronic and idiotic the only 'enlightenment' you have actually provided is that of your utter lack of balance, complete lack of ability to think critically and a significantly below average intellect.

Daaaaaaaammmmmm Gottfrid.... are you flirting with Goat or is this you going straight in there with the foreplay ???? Please please please take precautions - the lovechild of you two would lead to a digital apocalypse.....