richard_smith237

Have you double checked the fire exits ????....

Am I the only one who never get a bolt ?... (from home in BKK not the airport)... they’re never available or never take there ride... I’ve given up on Bolt and deleted the App !!!... Is it just me ?

Maybe if all the drivers are not in cahoots, illegally refusing to use their meters, but they're not all doing it. IF you go though two or three... and through exasperation end up resorting to taking a taxi that refuses to use meter and charges an elevated rate its a scam. How many more are you going to ask before you give up and just go with one? A number of nights ago I gave up after about 10 taxis in a row all quoting fixed 300 baht prices for an 80 baht ride.... It's a scam. As usual your nit-picking and arguing of minor technical facets is irrelevant - the headline calls them scammers because thats what they are.

As this is posted the Pattaya forum I’ll assume you’re in Pattaya... But...... there are a number (quite a range) of bespoke furniture designers / builders in Chatuchak Market in Bangkok.... some very high quality stuff. I suspect they may advertise on Facebook Marketplace so that is perhaps worth a look.

Like all good things... those are chairs designed by Verner Panton... ergo... search for ‘Panton Chair’... there are a number of offices in Thailand which use them in waiting rooms etc... (or the other well recognised ‘Barcelona chair) https://www.lazada.co.th/products/v-home-s-i4154129137-s16307722428.html?from_gmc=1&exlaz=d_1:mm_150050845_51350205_2010350205::12:19039203577!!!!!c!!16307722428!632367876&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIuu2T0OSf_gIVDxsrCh2wIQ0dEAQYCCABEgIvNfD_BwE https://www.lazada.co.th/products/meeban-i4144851916-s16261758473.html?from_gmc=1&exlaz=d_1:mm_150050845_51350205_2010350205::12:19039203577!!!!!c!!16261758473!584741850&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIuu2T0OSf_gIVDxsrCh2wIQ0dEAQYBiABEgLC7PD_BwE

This is part of the issue..... the lack of proper enforcement enables a lot of the issues. ... idiots can just ‘pay their fine for no helmet or driving drunk and continue on their way and joke about it’..... ... Authorities are not accountable for this ‘enabling’ ???? There are also other facets of the 1968 Vienna convention on road traffic... Thus: IF someone is hurt on Thailands roads, with or without insurance, does Thailand have a responsibility to assist with medical care particularly because it has not met the terms of the contract (convention) in providing systematic and continuous road safety deception in schools at all levels. With all of Thailands criticism of tourists being a burden on their ’system’ - I have to argue... Right back at you Thailand.... some of this is also your fault and you to Thailand (Gov) should also be held accountable.

Clearly not enough about the difference between racing pro’s riding a TT course and a tourist riding a sand-strewn road.... If drum brakes were so good, why did they change them ? ...Moot points when concerning brakes - I won’t get on a machine without ABS because I don't have to. I won’t get on bike without a licence or proper helmet (Bell / Shoei etc).... For the same reasons... my son has never been in a car without a car seat (a couple of rare inner city taxi rides and he’ll never be on the back of my motorcycle) - not for insurance purposes, my standards are higher than most of the insurance stipulations. BUT... even with all that in mind, the discussion around helmets, brakes, licenses, safety awareness etc I still find the insurance companies to be deliberately vague and misleading.... You come on holiday - pay an insurance premium and get proper treatment for anything that happens... no one deliberately gets themselves knocked off a motorcycle, helmet or otherwise.... ... this debate about the ‘grey area’ seems like we’ve all lost our humanity...

No doubt...... an excellent system is getting played by those who fail to plan ahead which dilutes the cause of the genuinely needy. That said - insurance companies are cagey foxes and will apply any wiggle room where possible (first hand experience of both getting refused a claim and attempting to get clear facts from them while shopping for cover). I think Thailand did have a reasonable idea with the ‘entry fee’ idea.... i.e. every ‘Tourist’ pays an entry fee which covers any ‘emergency treatment costs’... BUT... handing over cash is going to lead to outrageous graft, and, how would this be monitored ? Every foreign entry, or would we simply have to show our certificate of cover and be excluded from this payment ? Extra queues created at Airports already plagued with complaints about slow immigration lines. The other alternative of course is ’subsided insurance’.... Thailand currently brings in approximately $36 Billion from medical tourism. Thailand Tourism revenue is approximately $883 Billion The medical cost burden from unpaid tourist bills is $300 million The medical cost burden of tourist in Thailand is 0.83% of the profit brought in by medical tourism. The medical cost burden of tourist in Thailand is 0.034% of the profit brought in by tourism. I agree that people should pay for their medical care and have insurance - but the above figures does make one wonder why Thailand seems to public care so much more about this burden than it does the welfare of the tourists themselves when in aggregate they (tourists) contribute so much more to the economy.

Possibly - I’ve never considered that aspect and could have misunderstood what I read. That said, an IDP is not needed for Thai’s in driving in the UK (under what I believed to be reciprocal agreement - but that could simply be the UK allowing any driver of any nation a 12 month window). Bringing this back in line with the thread - If a British tourist is driving in Thailand only on his British driving licence and he is injured while driving could his travel insurance refuse a pay out ? (this is why I’d always err on the side of caution and recommend that a tourist obtains and IDP). Yup... was too late to change after I noticed that stuff up !... (*I touch type as quickly as I speak and often look back on what I’ve typed and see the most ridiculous of typos... )

Agreed... somewhere in the middle would seem appropriate - accountability where accountability generates improvement and better safety without the excessive kneecapping of common sense by lawyers... Again agreed... But Thailand would be so much better if there were accountability forcing the issue to resolve this... (but first get rid of the motorcycles on the sidewalks !)... To be fair, I find the roads in Thailand (surfacing at least) for the most part to be pretty decent - the footpaths the opposite.... .. I never knew quite how perilous they can be until I had a child... Without getting political... yes... a lot of tax is not paid in Thailand and a lot of money which should go into public funds ends up in pockets...

I agree... but the rocks are not a designed flat surface that for the unwitting look perfect for walking along... with rocks etc the danger is obvious and apparent.

Those stats seem very strange. 0.3% likely per what ??..... 0.3% likely to ignite per drive, per hour, yer year, per life time of the vehicle etc ??? If you [ExpatOilWorker] were told there was a 0.3% chance of a chopper crash, would you get on one? (fatal accident rate is 1 per 250,000 flying hours)... So.. EV’s 0.3%.... the stat seems to make no sense.... That said, I do agree with you that there is a negligible difference in risk, otherwise we’d already be seeing disproportionately more EV’s ignited on Thailands roads and parking garages and those in our home countries. I like the idea of EV’s... the price of Tesla’s have entered the ‘feasible domain’ (about 1.8 million Bhat for a Model 3)... But... the servicing or potential speed of repair concerns me, as does the cost of insurance (about 80,000 baht I think).... ... But what really concerns me about potential EV ownership is the potential ‘drop off a cliff’ of the price at about the 6-7 year mark as the battery warranty (usually 8 years I think) draws to an end (and the cost of battery replacement could ultimately be more expensive than the value of the car).

Its not always like that though is it !!.... anyone who’s been to HH knows there is a decent tidal range and the tide can go out quite a way.

Love this... Herd it so many times from old-timer-experts who seem never to have evolved beyond beer bars... ... It's usually just before or after I’m told ’never help out in an accident, you’ll be blamed’... before being told “the foreigner is always going to be at fault in an accident” and other golden droplet of knowledge that can only be gained though a discerning yet cynical dust and dirt experience of the ‘true heart’ of Thailand... ... after I’ve been told the same dumb bumf for the nth time... the ex-forces multimillionaire states,... "I never wai Thai’s first...” .... shortly before he Wai's Nok, the leathery tatted up waitress with oversized fake norks before getting on his honda scoppy and wobbling home... 2,000 baht for a hit on a foreigner you say... Its a good job this forum is anonymous !!. ????

Thats also commonly debated on this forum. As I understand it: An IDP is not actually a necessity as outlined in the Motor-vehicle act - 42-2 (bis) (Two sources - worded slightly differently but essentially stating the same thing).= http://web.krisdika.go.th/data/outsitedata/outsite21/file/Vehicle_Act_BE_2522_(1979).pdf https://driving-in-thailand.com/motor-vehicle-act/ This summarises the point... https://www.angloinfo.com/how-to/thailand/transport/driving-licences CAVEAT: There is still a lot of debate regarding the requirement for an IDP to accompany a UK driving licence. As I understand it, there is a reciprocal treaty between the Thai government and the UK regarding mutual acceptance of the domestic driver licences - getting clear and concise information is difficult. I’d still recommend an IDP in Thailand regardless of what the law states until its a lot more clear, its better to air on the side of caution IMO.

UK Travel Insurance policies do not recognise the legal right to ride a motorcycle in Thailand ? (i.e. they dont recognise a Thai licence ?) The original post is wrong - Atourist can drive and / or ride in Thailand on their UK Driving Licence or UK Motorcycle Licence (they obviously can’t ride on their driving licence)....

Do they cover elephant treks ???? Erm... ???? + ???? + ???? + ???????? + ???? ???? that sort ??

We all know that in Thailand there is a risk when walking down a pavement / sidewalk: ..... an uneven step, a hole, a wonky moving brick or slab can trip us up, or a drain cover gives way, or the oil that the street vendor has thrown on the floor makes it slippery.... .or the hanging live wires etc... etc etc... ... Are authorities completely devoid of any accountability or responsibility when something happens ????

I'm surprised that someone signed off on the design of the pool. It wasn’t a simple design, I thought the pool design itself was dangerous. Its not simple steps, its uneven surfaces just below the the waterline, and has ‘features’ positioned below the waterline where people may jump in thinking its deeper water etc... As with many area's in Thailand, I thought it was a bit dangerous and I’ll have to take extra care (and remind my son to do the same).... BUT, I figured it wouldn’t be long before I see someone slip over... Certain facets of the ’nanny state’ argument some like to use enters this issue. IMO - we should expect a certain degree of common-sense legislation from the authorities to ensure we are protected.... But, there is also an argument that we should lookout for ourselves. I would argue there is a strong need for both aspects, we lookout for ourselves, but also either the private owners or public authorities should be accountable when area’s are obviously dangerous. I think this is one of those areas where either the public authorities or the private owner needs to ensure the area is safe - if its so slippery, something needs to be fixed because more people will slip. I think placing the blame solely on the old guy who slipped over and broke his neck is unfair. -------- I recall waiting for my Son at his previous school when a 6ft long (10” thick) branch feel from a tree in the playground... I called the head, he called some staff who cordoned off the play area and anywhere under-trees. The head later e-mailed and told me he’d called in an arborist and ended up cutting many of the branches of many of the trees.... a lot less shade for the kids to play under, but less risk of falling branches.... That was an International School..... Would the authorities have had such a speedy response to falling branches from tree’s in public area’s ????... ...So, if a branch falls and hurts someone are we to blame the injured party for walking under a tree ??? he should have known the tree looked old or weak, right?... Perhaps a more extreme example compared to a slippery set of steps, yet I see similarities.... The steps are a public area, IF in such a state, I think there is a fair argument that the state is also responsible.

Yup... dripping with sanctimony.... I don’t know what it is with some AN posters who insist on passing such judgement.... I tend to agree that we ‘should be careful’... but public area’s should also not be so treacherous and IF they are the blame should not solely be placed at the foot of the injured. I was driving near Sa Keaw a few weeks back... the road was ’slick’ and I mean, shiny slick. New concrete had be laid and for some reason the contractor had laid the concrete in such a manner it was extremely smooth and shiny..... The last time I saw concrete so smooth I couldn’t get up the slight incline to my condo on my motorcycle while it was raining, the rear wheel would spin and slide... the front wheels on the car would also spin it was so slippery. The surface looked as if it would be incredibly treacherous in the wet.... IMO a 100% guarantee of skidding cars... SO.. what did authorities do about it ???... They put up signs every 100% ’road very slippy when wet’.... IMO, they [the authorities] are accountable for every single accident that occurs on that stretch of road (the most hazardous I’ve ever seen in Thailand)... In the same manner, the public have a right to accept a basic level of standards and safety when out on public property... and that means not having surfaces that are going to be be walked on which are so slippery that this happens (looking at the steps I bet this is not the first time this has happened). So... while I agree with the sentiment that we have to take extra caution when out and about in Thailand, unlike you OneMoreFarang... I’m not blaming the victim here - I’m blaming the Authorities who would have known about the slippery steps in this area and have simply chosen not to care. This disregard for the safety of the public is an underlying cause for numerous incidents... from people getting electrocuted on a metal lamp-post, to hanging wires garrotting motorcyclists, to very poorly designed road junctions etc...

Yes. Well done... you’re the only person in the world who’s never, slipped, tripped or fell !!... Cast your sanctimony at an injured person with the prideful knowledge that nothing similar could ever happen to you !!...

Why, have you got one? A photo... or ???? ????????????

THe reasons are usually cost.. Which ‘big bikes’ cut costs and use drum brakes ?

I never thought that would be so controversial. We're in alignment on this one... my point is that I didn’t think it was possible to rent a bike with drum brakes in Thailand - its such antiquated tech...

Yup... completely agree with all you have written there chang1... Well, apart from the drum brake thing, I didn’t think they any bikes which can be rented which have them (maybe beaten up old ones in shoddy rental shops... but I those places should be avoided anyway).