Chongalulu

I had in recent years switched away from Phuket to Krabi,so this was a return based on the fact that Krabi would be dead and Phuket would at least have some life and be more.ike the old days . Didn’t like Krabi much ,been a couple of times.

No,the only thing that would register in a Thai drivers ???? would be an armed sniper pointing his rifle down the road while accompanying the children! ????

Indeed,I’m not a budget traveller looking for 600 baht rooms. 2 months ago I got a huge 1 bed apartment on 16th floor overlooking Karon beach which for 1600 night (£40) is way better than what you could get in Europe. Many restaurants are very reasonably priced - again I’m not looking for 50 baht main courses. Also I went on speedboat tours to Similans and phi phi which I thought very reasonably priced. I drove down (1 overnight stop ).The fact is I wanted decent beaches (Pattaya has none) and snorkeling and being a non drinker I couldn’t comment on bar prices. Of course Phuket will be more expensive but in absolute terms it certainly isn’t. Fact is Pattaya has nothing of what I want and an Andaman sea island does - and I like the sights on them drive down . Diesel is 1/3rd the price of Europe. CONTEXT…,

From an academic perspective ( I’m married and probably a bit old) how about the swimming pool? I use a large pool at local hotel,am almost always the only farang there and frequently girls come to do poolside selfie shots ,even some provocative dancing (twerking !) . So you can see exactly "what you’re getting" and they’re mostly young and attractive! I posit this as a potential tip rather than quoting from experience!

No,you just failed your driving theory test with that answer ! Have another go…

Ah cool, so they can’t deport you ?! ???? Seriously though ,you are correct but I have heard of people nonetheless using it for international travel as HMPO wouldn’t be able to update the databases of other countries you might travel to. It is risky though

Well it was either that or rabies… ????

As did In those exact circumstances,but the point is you’re going to get it at some stage anyway. But With 2 Pfizer vaccinations,and even at 70 it was a mild cold for a week

My son in law got his Thai pass using his standard U.K. travel insurance showing Covid cover. Suggest you try applying with that first asap

Assuming your existing vpn allows you to set USA as location but you’re still blocked go into iPhone settings and scroll down to the offending app and click on it. There might be an option on the menu to turn off any location permission . If not try setting the time on the iPad to US time before opening the app,it might be using that to detect ,because usually a vpn sets both the IP address and geolocation to your selected country . Trust you are using a good vpn ?

You need to create another Apple ID using Thailand as the location (region). This involves signing out of your current id. Once you have created another id you can easily switch between the two. So once signed into your new Thai region id you can download the Thai apps you want ,then switch straight back to your us Apple ID. You will then be able to use the Thai apps while back on your us id and all your existing apps are unaffected . I’ve actually done this so speak from experience! Here is the link with instructions on how to change id . https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT201389 As far as the app which you say won’t work outside US you most probably need a VPN which allows you to set the country of your choice. The app is then 'fooled' into thinking you are in US. This is how I watch British tv when here! There are free VPNs but good paid for ones are better ,you can Google which are best but they include Nord vpn (which I use) Express vpn etc. They allow use on several devices. Good luck,the solution is easier than it sounds .

There is not a shred of evidence for the existence of god any more than for pixies and the tooth fairy - there have been about 4000 in total so not good odds you’ve even picked the right one ! " I don’t know " is no sound reason for giving any credence to an unsubstantiated belief . I refer you to 'Russell’s teapot ' for the schoolboy error often used ' you can’t prove god doesn’t exist'. I’ll leave you to look it up if you don’t know Russell’s teapot.

Can he stand outside the car with the remote box and make it dance for him ????? ????

Well I suppose if you enjoy sitting gridlocked in traffic and then when the traffic moves ,doing burnouts (like in your avatar picture) for 20 metres before it stops again.. ???? Still,whatever gets you off…

You could get one of those ‘dancing' cars so beloved by many Mexicans ! ????

Is there any specific benefit other than the adjustable pressure settings for such an expensive pump vs circa 6000 for a decent Mitsubishi? I’ve noticed ‘constant pressure' Mitsubishi pumps at a price premium. I don’t really have any issues with the slightly varying pressure as the pump switches on and off on my standard pump,or do they offer any other benefits? There appears only a few hundred baht difference in what looks like more powerful motors in the higher spec standard models. I presume these cope better when a number of outlets are on simultaneously. ? Only have single storey but the missus can have several outlets on at once when watering our large garden

My Thai stepdaughter with Thai passport (she’d already got her pass) arrives next week with her English boyfriend. Is there any dispensation for him to accompany her through the channel she would be allocated as a Thai or do they have to enter separately?

Oh Jacko,there are endless possibilities provided by the flip flopping,ill thought through proposals announced and dropped on a whim by the clueless authorities ! ????

As a keen snorkeler i Agree and the Andaman side is far better in that respect. 35 years ago I could see decent marine life off even Patong! I’ve swum most beaches off Phuket and Koh Lanta and little to see now. Have done all the island speedboat tours off Lanta and recently Similans and Phi Phi,but it’s not really feasible to do those other than on occasional basis. Live aboard dive tours to Similans /Surin I did are a distant memory and reports are that generally those sites have deteriorated - as they have generally on a global basis. Ah well….

No one is gouging,it’s simply the mechanics of supply and demand. When there’s a glut prices will drop below even the cost of production. Even the oil price went negative in the midst of the pandemic and oil producers lost billions. Swings/roundabouts.

With the current huge utilities price increase in Europe (and set to worsen) I’d say very much Europe is dearer. Average annual energy bill (capped) this September in U.K. will be £3000 ( so approximate equivalent of 12,000 baht per month ). I know many who pay less rent than that here! . Then there’s council tax (£3300 p.a in my case) but paid by tenant for the house I rent out there … and get a very tidy rent from!.

Yet again,they shoot themselves in the foot. I and therefore my Thai family mostly stay away from them even though Khao Yai (400 baht farang) is on my doorstep. When I do go to attractions I spend far more on meals/souvenirs etc than they try to gouge me on admissions so apart from the negative publicity it makes no economic sense. In U.K. they stopped charging admission altogether for many museums (RAF Hendon etc) and they found the resultant increased footfall caused on site spending to far exceed the loss of admission. Not the sort of critical thinking you’d get here… ????

It means a better candidate gets the job -as it should be - or the rejected candidate wasn’t qualified. Employers are desperate for staff so costly for them to discriminate.

There is almost nil unemployment in U.K. (vacancies now exceed the number of unemployed ) and less than half the rate of France so your claim is nonsense . Other minorities,particularly Chinese and Indian,excel in educational achievements and feature very low in crime statistics . Closer to home I brought my 9 year old non English Thai stepdaughter to U.K. placed her in the local school and just watched as she achieved A levels in English and maths then a First class honours in Business economics. One interview and a well paid job in E commerce followed. But unlike much of that other community she got her head down and worked. History is history, and the current problem of absent father black children in thrall to Drill ,gangster rap role models and street violence is a self inflicted disadvantage that culture and community must take responsibility for itself.

That thought crossed my mind too. Knife crime and worse in the U.K. is now largely focused on a certain culture/community of which we dare not speak…