richard_smith237

Its comparing tipping cutlure and the art, or lost art of tipping... I'm in Japan every year, often twice per year... A Glass of very fine Crisp Sapporro beer there is 600 JPY in a regular restaurant, and a large pint size glass for 900 JPY (Thats about 143 baht up to 215 baht)... The best you'll achieve in Thailand is a drinking a beer on the 7-11 steps. Perhaps in a mom & pop non-AC restaurant you can get a large Chang for 140 Baht with tour meal. Now... the comparison is about cost of living and cost of wages vs tipping. Japan was used as it the 'opposite' of a tipping culture and the excuse was used that this is because costs are higher and wages are higher... I have pointed out that the costs of a lot of every day items in Japan are as cheap as or cheaper than (or very close to) the price of every day items in Thailand.... The same parallels can be triangulated across to the USA where the price of products are higher than Thailand yet tipping is far more prevalent (mixing geometric metaphors there). The whole facet of that part of the discussion from my contribution to this thread is how tipping is more a cultural phenomenon than it is related to 'cost of living' - I think this point is lost on some, or simply too difficult to follow if a comment is not just a throwaway one liner.

TrueMoney Wallet... No need to carry around all those 20, 50, 100 baht notes in the first place. In a very thin, unobtrusive wallet, I carry around 1000 baht and 2x 100 baht in notes (which is very rarely touched)... the 1000 Baht is just incase the phone dies... the 200 Baht is for taxi's if I can't get a Grab / Bolt.

That is not true for most people that I am stuck behind in the queues at BigC. They play with their phones for ages. Some eventually give up and pull out a credit card (yawn). I have cash ready (and BigC card) and out in seconds. I have my phone out ready and pay in seconds and so do most people I see. Perhaps a little confirmation bias on both our sides when we see a slower person on front of us. That slow person you see playing on your phone for ages, is also the slow person who takes an age to get their wallet out and find the note or coins they want to pay with.... the very same sort up person who walks up to their condo / house door and only then starts digging for their keys.... IF you are are the sort of person who has their 'cash out ready' when at the check-out at Big-C... You are also the sort of person who's efficient enough to have the PromptPay App ready to go as soon as the QR code pops up (as most of us are). Thats not to suggest you should use PromptPay, thats entirely your choice, but it is to balance out the discussion of 'slow payers' and digital payment being made for additional queues at check-outs... I don't see it that way, I just see some people are slow, whatever the payment means.

100% Agree.... FiL has to nip down to Singapore for a funeral.... First choice was Singapore Airlines, but the price too high and times a little awkward. Wife suggested Thai Air Asia and that was a hard no for me. We booked him on Thai Airways and feel comfortable that the journey will be fine for him (at 75 yrs of age).

Or easily managed quite quickly with most major airlines.

Cheers... This was actually a one off.... Perfectly physically fit - until an incident in the latest trip rendering one of us in need. Wife was advised by a friend to book a wheel-chair before we got the airport because they'd had a similar accident the previous year and a wheel-chair was not available. Like them, we too were arriving at the airport from distance (scheduled bus) so the 'early arrival' was not an option. There 'wheel-chair service' turned out to be excellent and necessary and one was waiting with our name taped to it as soon as we arrived at the airline counter. But, going through official channels with TG returned a blank, and this is disappointing of a non-low budget international carrier. The only way this worked was because my Wife had contacted a friend, high up in TG who nudged through the request and confirmed the wheel-chair booking. Thus, had we been normal punters, we'd have potentially been left struggling through the airport, unless additional chairs were available. One point I should make in the interests of fairness: I've never had to rely on a similar service with another carrier - so have no frame of reference as to how this service is dealt with by other airlines, but it would certainly make me think twice if a regular user and wishing to book through regular channels with TG.

Nonsense What you think you'll get short changed when using PromptPay or TrueMoneyWallet ???? Quick, simply and efficient for most (but the slowest boomers).... the Digital payment is the most accurate and simple and completely eradicates the short-changing issues that people often report.

Politeness is an international thing..... If you can't attempt to be polite, people wont laugh behind your back, they'll judge you for it. There's no harm in making attempt to be polite. Do you laugh at someone of a foreign culture when they shake your hand ????

You might be happier in another country with a more temperate climate. You might be happier not taking one facet of a comment and projecting it across the life of someone you don't know... Preferring to eat dinner indoors is a little different from your unintelligent hyperbolic dig that I spend my life indoors !!!... But, if you even have friends and they don't allow you to eat inside their house... then perhaps thats something you should think about.... (see what I did there ?? I nit-picked a singular comment, stretched the context and made a flawed and ridiculous projection of your life !!! - its easy to play these games with people of flawed intellect who attempt to point score with dumb comments).

I guess the lead time required for a response was longer.... Certainly 3 days was not sufficient... I found that pretty appalling (I'd certainly expect a response confirming such a request within 24 hours). It worked out in the end because my Wife's contact within TG sorted it out... and we had a wheel chair on both ends (departure and arrival)... But I think had we relied on e-mail alone, nothing would have been done.

Nope of course not... we have to walk outside to get to the car !!!

Better not make advice you are uncertain of..... this seems a grey area ( I could be wrong - but is airing on the side of caution ever wrong when an element of uncertainty exists ???) It was on this forum that a poster recently stated he required an IDP to drive in Belgium with his Thai driving licence - I'm not sure of other countries but believe most should be OK... but why take the risk ? So... What do you do ??? - Don't get and IDP and take a chance and hope its ok..... or, - Go through the extremely simple and cheap process of getting an IDP and travel with complete assurance that your travelling requirements will not be hindered. https://www.expatica.com/be/living/transportation/driving-licenses-belgium-107658/

Make that two I flew Malaysian Air recently I will never again neither will my wife. I don't have much of a choice flying from Perth to BKK and yes, I paid for excess weight even so it was in line with the ticket. No lift could be found when changing planes (had broken ankle) and hardly any time to catch connecting flight. I used Singapore Airlines before no problems at all, ample time to catch connecting flight. I always used Thai before (till Covid put a stop to it) No matter what your opinion is I never had a bad flight in all my years (less than 7 hours non-stop) and I am glad they are back. Make that three.... Mate flew Malaysian and his surfboard arrived snapped. Malaysian took no responsibility until he stalked them on all their FaceBook Social Media posts..... took a few months but they relented. I cam imagine that turning into a defamation lawsuit in Thailand. Flying Thai recently: Badly injured leg while overseas. Wife contacted Thai call centre overseas... No answer. Contacted their e-mail before travel (3 days) to ask for Airport assistance, no reply, e-mailed again, no reply... In the end she had to pull the 'I've got a friend working in TG card'.... Who she contacted directly and the wheel-chair assistance was set up.... ... And the reason it was necessary to book the wheel chair is she was told by another friend that that ground services don't have enough and they get booked out. - IMO it was very poor form of TG not to reply to the e-mail at all..... its as if there is a mail account with thousands of e-mails that on one bothers to reply to at all.

Terrible twos.... Thunderous threes... and ultimately the Fu<k!ng Fours !!! .... he's now entering the 'tw@tty Tens' !!!! Mostly the opposite though !!! ... but if there is one thing a child can learn, its how push their parents buttons if clever parenting is not adapted... .... and parenting is not something thats immediately known, its often instinctual and has has a very steep learning curve.... just when we think we've mastered it, the child develops and sets new challenges !!! I'm sure there are times I'd have put my son in a cage for 20 mins while I do something (if a cage is all I had)... As for discipline.... we had a naughty step... and a 'count to three'.... ... Incredible how effective the count to three was, until my son started saying the 'three'.... then I had to evolve....

Oh the anti-cashless brigade are going to take umbrage at your blaspheme.... .... How dare you hold up the boomers behind you with such digital sorcery....

I think its harder for a complete newbie... ... but its easy enough to figure out with a little basic knowledge... I too find it amusing the guy walking around wai'ing all and sundry, its a little over the top. But, when exercised with intelligent balance, returning a wai is the better option, than not when in uncertain situations, I find.

BS. A nod from a farang is quite sufficient in returning a wai. Thank you for validating my point... 'degree of bigotry well highlighted'... You believe you are above all Thai's and do not wish to meet them at a level setting... A nod will suffice as in far is its better than completely ignoring someone who has wai'ed you (depending on their age / status etc)... but there are plenty of settings where your 'nod' in response to a Wai will be considered rude and that will be 'mentally noted' by those Thai's around you who witness such.... Some people such as yourself seem to consider a 'Wai' a measure of social deference and this is why you object to such a simple gesture... But its not a measure of deference, its just a measure of being respectful. When first met my Wife's parents I was very careful to ensure I gave them a Wai.... the Wai was returned even though future FiL was not best pleased at this Foreigner her daughter was introducing them to (as a 'friend' !!).... But, the Wai was always there. These days year, the inlaws are visiting weekly, we have dinner together... and the first greeting of the day there is a Wai, I don't know who wai's first now.... it just happens at the same time, followed by a handshake and a huh with FiL and a peck on the cheek for MiL... Had I started off with the ignorance of 'refusing to Wai and showing a level of ignorance or lack of politeness.. I suspect life for my wife (then GF) back then (who was still living with her parents) would have been made far more difficult perhaps to the degree that parental pressure may have caused greater issues. ... Its sometimes the small things such as a gesture that make life easier - I don't know why some people insist on fighting this. Imagine meeting your daughters boyfriend for the first time and you put your hand out to shake his hand, but he just ignores you and just gives you a nod....

yes , a play-pen ... not a dog cage. Dog cages are for dogs, play-pens are for toddlers. When my Wife was out and I needed a shower, I used to put my son in his cot... the only difference between that and dog cage is that the dog cage is safer because he could potentially climb out of the cot... ... but thats not the issue here... its the 'optics' of putting a child in a cage to discipline them.... it looks appalling, but is not such a significant issue if its not hours on end. At least the Mum isn't battering the child... but a young mum is clearly at the end of clearly needs assistance.

Exactly this.... I'd much rather be outside in the evenings... but its just too hot. So... with good friends we're regularly around at each others houses.... But... it also depends on what you call a dinner party.... to me its just going around a friends house for the evening, or hosting them at ours... Sitting at table, good food & wine etc... chatting, usually 2-5 families... Its too busy otherwise and the kids playing together... good fun and often better than going out to a restaurant. Understandable sentiment if you're an antisocial person unable to make genuine friends.

ah... I haven't seen the "if you don't like it go back to you own country" type comment for a while... I thought the Aseannow community on whole had realised how pathetic such a statement is.... .... And, getting caught out and about in a unclean public restroom and also getting ill from unhygienic food is genuine concern for many... No ??? .... Go to India and eat and poop everywhere and anywhere then ?..... Fortunately the standards in Thailand are much better than India, but still a concern for some who perhaps come from more a civilised background than those happier to drop and plop anywhere without second thought....

Press the button. No sensor! I had a mate visiting years ago... We were in a Mall which had the Japanese toilets with all the 'buttons'.... He went, and asked, "hey what do all these buttons do... ???" ... "I dunno, press one and see".... expecting a surprised shriek, I instead saw my friend bowling out of the cubicle in hysterics, soaking wet.... He knew he'd been caught out... He'd pressed the button, watched a nozzle come out which sprayed water all up his front !!!...

Whenever visiting Japan the usual.... 'caught out and about after a boozy night' issue is never a concern... So when its time for the 'pooh at two'.... there's no need for concern.... and thats anywhere in the country. No need to worry about how the knees will hold up, will I slip over squatting etc... no need to worry about paper who who's held the handle of the little bucket scoop thingy... no need to worry about 'drying paper'.... etc... Or even in the posher places, no need to worry about water all over the floor... Japanese toilets are a privilege to use.... Even at a recent service station, middle of winter and outside toilet had a warm seat... And, on topic, the 'nozzle' referred to in the Op is self cleaning an self sanitising so there is no risk of 'cross contamination'.... The Thai BumGun on the other hand... erm... urgh...

Aussies.... keeping it classy !!!

Its our 'home government' that created situations like this in the first place by outsourcing our Passport Renewals and Visa Applications to the to the VFS in the first place.... I can understand why... Consulate staff didn't want to deal with riff-raff giving them ear-ache because the 'cashier' they'd met was being 'interviewed' for her Visa application.... .... Over the years I've been here, the consular department has reduced and reduced to a near nothing degree the amount of face-to-face it has with the general British Overseas Public....

It's not unusual for there to be a lack of consistency in Thailand and your Thai Driving Licence could be different... However, my Thai DL has my address on the rear face in both English and Thai - does yours not ?