newnative

Phuket was not really 'open'. Few came because the requirements were both too many and too difficult. Few will come to the rest of Thailand either until there is no quarantine and no curfew anywhere and the only requirement is to be fully vaccinated.

Yes.

Lake Mabprachan (also a reservoir) in the northern part of the Darkside has added a very nice paved walking and biking trail that runs along the lake. In addition to the park already there, they are currently improving another area near Flowerland that highlights a large pond. Lots more parking is being added with new lighting and the road is also being improved. Very popular on weekends and in the evenings with both Thais and expats.

I think a lot of the tours spend 3 or 4 days in Bangkok and a couple of days in Pattaya, with one of the Pattaya days often being a boat trip.

You could do one or two attractions on a 'day tour from Bkk' but saying 'they can all be done on a day tour' is just not true. Nong Nooch Gardens would take most of a day by itself if you took in the shows and enjoyed all the different, beautiful gardens. Ditto for a boat trip or a visit to one of the 3 water parks. Or a round of golf at one of the many nice courses. I suppose you could cram a few more attractions in if you didn't get out of the car and just did a drive by. "On your left is the Sanctuary of Truth. We will pause for a minute while you snap a photo. Next up, a quick drive by of Legend of Siam." You'd likely want to stay over anyway so in the evening you could take in the Kaan show at the D'Luck Theater. Or, one of several other shows. Or, T21 is fun. People are always scoffing but there is plenty to do in Pattaya away from Walking Street. And, for longer than a day trip. Hopefully, the attractions that have been closed due to covid will re-open when Thailand opens the country up.

For hopefully the last time, Thailand does not have a 'large stock pile' of vaccines that it is sitting on, and certainly not 125 million. The headline touting 125 million vaccines 'stockpiled' was misleading. Thailand has struggled all year to find vaccines and has never had any to 'stockpile'. As the vaccines have arrived, they have been used. Some vaccines were temporarily kept in reserve for required second jabs. Reuters says Thailand will have received 120 million vaccines by the end of 2021. This figure includes the large number of vaccines already received and already used in the vaccine program. The headline should have said Thailand is expected to have received, by the end of the year, a total of 125 million vaccine doses in 2021. (Or 120 million if you prefer the tally by Reuters.)

There's not 125 million doses stockpiled.

I think another misleading headline. Thailand will not have a 'stockpile' of 125 million vaccines by the end of the year. According to Reuters, Thailand will have received a total of 120 million vaccines during 2021. Obviously, many of them have already been used in the vaccination program. So, no 'stockpile' of 125 million doses waiting to be used.

I think most of the chain stores were doing ok at both malls, pre-covid. I'm of the belief that if a chain store has one 'struggling' store in a town, it's unlikely they will open a second branch just down the street in the same town. Pre-covid, in 2019, Thailand and Pattaya were attracting record numbers of visitors. And, you need those big numbers to sustain T21-type enterprises, which rely on a large steady stream of both new and returning visitors. Probably some of the small one-of-a-kind mom and pop stores on the side aisles at T21 were not doing that well--especially those in the remotest aisles. Some people know what they are doing with retail, some do not. With some of the mom and pops, my partner and I could tell they likely wouldn't make it simply because they did not have merchandise of enough variety in enough quantity to sell enough of it to make the rent. With shopping malls, there is always a churn; one store opens, another store closes. Some succeed, some fail. That's business.

So to clarify, we screwed up and we're sending this hapless guy out to try to make it look like the other guy screwed up.

What I found interesting was that when T21 opened in Pattaya several big chain stores, such as H&M and Uniqlo, which already had outlets just down the street at Central Festival, opened second outlets at T21. Obviously, pre-covid, there was enough business from Thais, international visitors, and local expats to support second outlets. Ditto for a number of smaller chain stores and chain restaurants.

In addition to the above, boat trips to the islands, Sanctuary of Truth, Legend Siam, 2 big water parks, Dolphinarium and the aquarium, Silver Lake, Terminal 21, beachfront Thai restaurants, lots of nice golf courses, and more. My partner and I used to live at a beachfront condo in Wong Amat and a nice boutique hotel went up next door. It had a steady stream of Indian and other visitors year-round. Some were in small tour groups and others were traveling on their own. The beach there is quite nice and that was also an attraction.

A lot seems to be unexplained and I have no idea when the lawyer entered the picture. My point was to get everything in writing in detail on the contract before the sale. As a buyer--and I've bought a number of condos--I would never agree verbally to allow the seller to remain in the property I've bought for a vague 3 months--or 3 days, for that matter. If I agreed to something like that it would have to be in writing with very specific rental terms like a regular rental contract--which is what it is, regardless of whether it's 3 days, 3 weeks, or 3 months.

I'm not seeing anything 'bold' here.

This is a good example of why it is so important to have everything in writing. Everything. Take the time to make a contract addendum that lists everything that conveys and everything that does not convey. If it's agreed that the seller can remain for a designated period, have that in writing with a specific exit date and with specific details as to who pays for what, what happens with damages, etc. Never assume anything. Well, I just assumed. . . Don't. Get it in writing.

I don't find it distasteful at all. I expect to pay more as a non-citizen. And, I don't see it as sending any sort of message other than citizens, as owners of the National Park, are entitled to a smaller entrance fee than non-owners.

Why 2023? As George Allen used to say, 'The Future is Now'. As always, slow, slow, slow.

Only zero quarantine will work. Only the requirement of just full-vaccination will work. When you start piling on the hoops to jump through it's a wasted effort--they won't come.

Maybe the weakest excuse since 'the dog ate my homework'. Get it together already.

Off hand, I can't think of any dual pricing I have come across that is 'racist'. In many cases it's aged-based, nationalistic-based, or residency-based--a country's citizens or a state or province's citizens getting a lower price. In America, you would often see dual prices for in-state residents vs. out-of-state visitors--such as camping fees at a state park, for example. In-state and out of state tuition at state colleges. None of this was racist--one race was not being charged more or less than other races. A Virginia resident of any race got a lower tuition rate than an out-of-state resident at the state community college where I worked. Non-US students from foreign countries were charged even more. I, for one, do not have a problem with dual pricing and I have never come across any outrageous price difference here in Thailand--when I have encountered them the price difference has been reasonable. I'm not a citizen of Thailand and I am happy to pay the foreign rate; those who object have the option to vote with their feet.

Hold up. I thought the vaccinations were already 'accelerating' a month or so ago.

Not necessarily if you buy wisely, both with price and location.

If you can't cough up 60,000 baht to pay a bill you probably should not be living in a foreign country.

By the time they finally finish probing--whenever that is--and the guy lodges an appeal if he doesn't like the outcome of the probe--and that appeal is finally heard and decided--the guy will likely be either retired or dead.

I'm still enjoying Thailand after 10 years. My Thai partner and I are renovating a house on the Darkside of Pattaya. We've been employing a lot of local workers and the house is shaping up. Today we are working on the landscaping and we decided that the pool area needed some potted plants. So, off to the local nursery around 1:30pm. After some looking we picked out four large concrete pots about 60 cm high and added matching saucers to catch the water. The nice lady at the nursery showed us a lot of plant choices, helped us select the right plants for sun, and while we were there they planted them in the pots so we could see what they looked like. We also bought 5 smaller plants that we will plant in the ground elsewhere. We paid and came back home about 3pm. Around 4pm today our plants were delivered by the nursery and the large, heavy pots were put in the places we selected by the driver and his assistant--it took 2 people to carry them. Total cost for everything, including a tip: $2800 baht. Try that back in the US. It's days like today that remind us we are spoiled here.