richard_smith237

Not as necessary in Bangkok because there are loads of excellent Indian Restaurants which deliver. That said, I've made excellent Indian curries from scratch, the issue I find though is the tomatoes - I just can't find good enough tomatoes to make the sauce to the standards I want (when making food myself). There's a good Indian supermarket on Sukhumvit-71 (NSK Indian Store) for raw materials (for those in Bangkok of course). Other options are something like this https://www.spicebox.co.uk/ When back on UK visits (a couple of times per year) I pick up a handful of these 'curry mixes'. I've also found the YouTube videos 'The Bombay Chef' (by Varun Inamdar) to be extremely useful for Curry pre / recipes.

Some more feasible than others. - Epstein suicided - Highly questionable (= Feasible conspiracy). - 9-11 planned in a cave ??? (OBL was from an extremely wealthy background - est. US$5 bn family wealth), you've already altered the rhetoric to suit your bias (= Conspiracy nutter !!). - SarsCov-2 (Covid-19) - Lab escape / mistake theory is most feasible IMO (= Feasible conspiracy) - SarsCov-2 (Covid-19) - Deliberately planned (= Conspiracy nutter !!). - Princess Diana - Tragic accident (conspiracy nutters want a conspiracy). - 9-11 Broadcasting - loads of confusion & Chaos, plenty of reporting mistakes made on the day (it was reported elsewhere that #7 was burning and at risk of collapse - the BBC made a mistake and reported it as collapsed) - A simple error in the chaos does not indicate or prove a scripted conspiracy as some wish to suggest (= Conspiracy nutter !!). It could be said that we should 'think' about events reported to us. It could also be said that some events are more feasible than others. Conspiracies exist, but not everything which could be questioned is a conspiracy, sometimes the answer we already have is the answer.

There's the theory that the USA went into Afghanistan to remove the Taliban from power because the Taliban outlawed the growing of poppies/heroin and that the poppies /heroin drug trade flourished when the USA went into Afghanistan . Fentanyl then took over as the street drug and replaced heroin and because heroin was no longer a profitable drug, the USA departed from Afghanistan ? Conspiracy theory or fact ? I can believe agencies such as the CIA sanctioned and aided the drugs trade in some nations as a means to fund their war against a common foe & of course purchasing weapons from the USA at the same time = good business. Such conspiracies are perfectly feasible and won't land someone the name of a 'conspiracy nutter'.... However, being a flat-earther will...

Absolutely agree... when standing on the centre-line we can often get accused by those with the loudest voices on the fringes of spectrum of having extreme views - almost as if it is only the extremes which exist and if our views do not represent one extreme then they do the other. I've of been accused of being a Thai-hater because of my observation are not in alignment with someone else view that 'we're guests in this country' and shouldn't have formed any opinions other than wholly positive. I've also been accused of wearing 'rose tinted glasses' when taking the balanced view and siding with the Thai perspective. With conspiracies its similar - in reality there is whole range of views and the view point for most of us falls around the balanced centreline. With the moon landings most believe they occurred, perhaps some footage was fabricated - thats a possibility, but we went to the moon. This view seems extremely bias for someone who does not believe humans went to the moon. This view also seems bias for for someone who believes 100% that there was no fabrication etc to the extent that the accusation may be levied of being a 'moon-denier' etc. Regarding conspiracies theories.... we can't band all together and call all supporters of conspiracy theories 'conspiracy nutters'.... But there are some 'silly debates' where the people most certainly are and that depends on the data available vs trustworthiness of the data source. - People who disbelieve we went to the moon = 'conspiracy nutters' - People who believe the earth is flat = 'conspiracy nutters' - People who beleive there was something more to JFK shooting = Not nutters. - People who beleive the CIA are involved in the 'world drugs trade = Not nutters.

That depends…. In some cases they’re just conspiracy nuts and very deserving of the moniker.

The 'manly comment' is a bit odd... is there something manly about paying a bill ?

If I were out on a 'ride' obviously I'd have to 'ride in the rain' with everyone else. But, I've down-graded my bike and only have a 300cc scooter which is for convenience only and not the fun of riding. Thus, if it looks like its about to rain I don't use the scooter - most of the accidents I see are from people who have approached something with a little too much speed, applied the brakes and the front wheel slides out from under them. ABS is also essential IMO.

The test is somewhat superfluous, even if the questions were logical with sensible answers there is a disconnect between an exam and what happens in a car because there is very little if any training. In the UK we were told that we only truly learn to drive a car once we have passed our test. i.e. taking lessons and driving gets us to a certain point, the rest of the learning we do ourselves and primarily take 'hints' and 'make observations' of the road traffic around us and mirror that behavior. If a nations roads are made up of people who have flicked on the eff-you switch and are driving carelessly, selfishly, dangerously, then anyone else around them is picking up on that and mirroring much of that behavior.... ... as a consequnce the driving standards of society on a whole diminish to the extent we see in Thailand where it is quite normal it see a range of issues on a daily basis from the utterly dumb to the outright dangerous. I want to also complement Thai drivers - its astonishing that there isn't more road rage. Perhaps there isn't because everyone knows how many other are armed and minor confrontations escalate to nuclear in seconds.

Not so much as F-it... but being practical. There is no point getting a second car - we did have two cars and did 1000km in 1 year in the second which was utterly pointless. Thus - a motorcycle for me has been extremely useful when nipping out to the shops, going to play sports, running nearby errands etc. And yes, proper safety gear to an extent depending on where I am going. Local Soi and Subsoi journeys (i.e. within 1-2kms) - Quality open face helmet (Bell) - MC Gloves, - Solid footwear (trainers) Beyond local Soi's (onto main roads) - Full face helmet (Bell or Shoei) - Rev'it MC Jacket (with back, elbow, shoulder armour) - MC Gloves (with sliders) - Urban MC boots - Rev'it MC pants (or Rev'it MC jeans) - if travelling a distance. *By main road I mean anything such as Petchaburi, Rama IV, Sukhumvit etc in Bangkok. Also other strict factor: - No drinking when riding - No riding at night (or limit to very local journeys - to many other drivers are drunk or have dark tint and can't easily see) - No riding in the wet (roads are too slippery) - No chancing or jumping lights - No speeding - Keep bike well maintained - Don't ride while distracted (angry etc) Sticking to the above rules limits the risk of being involved in an incident - and IF an incident were to happen wearing gear limits the severity of impact.

Per capita ???? ???? ???? ???? yeah, like you really crunched the stats and didn’t make up a load of rubbish based on your bias….

So 'Farangs' who ride a motorcycle in Thailand are stupid, Thai's who ride a motorcycle in Thailand are not ?... Where is your 'safety / stupid line' ??? what about crossing a busy road ? Could it be that some 'farangs' who ride a motorcycle have carefully evaluated the risks and recognise that their risk profile of popping to the 7-11 or nearby sports area etc is not as high as a young kid who street races the major roads while drunk at night ?

To provide unequivocal documented proof that half of the people around us are of below average intelligence !!!...

To be fair to the staff... the questions are so ambiguous they may not know and are simply trying to save face by not helping !!!

Where do you reckon the Op may use this tent ??? ... For the life of me, I've no idea !!!

Only an idiot makes such a sweeping generalisation !!!!

I've just received an e-mail from Thai Elite - they've switched to 'working from home' because some of the staff reported testing positive with Covid-19. Meanwhile after a couple of weeks back at a Major international school following the summer holidays so many kids 'caught a cold' (from other kids - not unusual at the beginning of an academic school year). Son caught a cold, Wife caught a cold, I caught a cold... A week or so later, there are reports from numerous parent their kids had tested ATK positive. So, we probably caught Covid-19.... No hysteria, no over reaction from the school, no shutting down, no online learning, no insistence on masks etc... Everyone is simply going about their life as normal because they either have a mild cold, or possible Covid which in its current guise is exactly the same as a mild cold. I'm glad the school have handled this without completely over reacting like some people and businesses seem to be doing.

Indeed... utter fools... Ask them to run into a wall as fast as they can which is about 20kmh and the logic will be completely lost on them.

Perhaps it is the sense that is not so common when it comes to wearing helmets in Thailand.

Agreed... anyone not wearing a helmet... it doesn't make them look stupid, they just are stupid. A couple of friends carry their own motorcycle helmets around, they don't have motorcycles, but they are smart enough to use a good helmet when they need to get somewhere on a bike (back & forth from work, football etc)... One of the things that has astonished me about Thai's throughout Covid is how they were all convinced to wear masks yet the numbers wearing helmets remained so outrageously low.

Decathlon has quite a range, if near a decathlon its well worth a visit and going to checkout the quality etc yourself. Silly discussion about poles - there are rigid poles and flexible poles. The type of pole and material you have depends purely on the type of tent you have, whether its a-frame, popup, rigid etc...

Nearly every estate agent website etc has loads of listings... ... they're nearly always old. Why ?.... landlords list on multiple websites and don't update agents when they have rented out their property with someone else. Thus, when making an enquiry it is only then that the agent follows up with the landlord and finds out the property is no longer available. When were were looking to rent most of the decent properties we found online were no longer available, agents wasted our time with viewings of different properties we found undesirable. Thus: IF the Op has found a property he likes for the price he likes in an area he likes... then go for it if all else feels right. The request to prove you can afford it is hardly invasive, its just 'safe business practice'... those arguing otherwise probably can't afford 65,000 per month rent anyway... AND... those who left laughing emoji's at the 65,000 per month rent certainly can't afford it !!!!

What happens in another country with a different system is utterly irrelevant. If you want to talk about rent in your country, go for it... in a forum with a thread about 'rent in your country' !!!!

I think thats fair enough - IF the landlord wants proof that you can afford the rent, then paying up front is a reasonable solution, most landlords would be happy with this. i.e. Sign a years contract - pay 6 months up front (+ 2months deposit), thats fair. IF someone is not willing to present proof of funds for a 12 month contract and is not willing to pay upfront, is going to argue about leaving a 2 month deposit - they really are not really 'good tenant' material and can go forth.

Incorrect. It depends on location and the property.... If you are not prepared to give up some basic information that proves you can afford the rent for the duration of the contract then its probably because you are unable to. You are clearly not the type of tenant a self respecting landlord wants. I'd tell you, good luck & bye. ... so you'll find yourself in a place where the landlord has no requirements, but good luck getting any professional response when you need it... i.e. when the property needs repairs or when moving out and expecting your deposit back.

Erm... because we are in Thailand and 'not where you live'..... things work differently here. IF there were a government body which 'holds onto the deposits' (same as escrow), I'd be more concerned that the amounts are siphoned off by corrupt officials !!!!... OR, some corrupt officials concoct some hair-brained idea to improve the escrow service etc, but of course that involves some 'investment' (from the escrow funds) and bingo, there is the access and opportunity to pocket some money !! IMO Any such official systems here is more likely to be abused than a landlord keeping the deposit. I've always had my deposit returned - so not all landlords are unscrupulous, we can evaluated this and use our judgment when dealing with how professional the landlord behaves.