newnative

Ha. Too funny. Just look at the news--check out the very angry town meetings the Republican congressmen are dealing with now.

Any good news on inflation goes solely to the Biden administration at this very early point in Trump's administration. Trump just took the helm and it takes awhile for a huge ship like America to start any turn. But, in month 3, he's definitely now steering it towards that iceberg in the distance.

Just two 'prongs'??? I can think of a lot more.

Unfortunately, Thailand just moves way to slow on everything, if it even moves at all. Many things proposed and then disappear. High-speed train--years and years delayed and now, just announced, another year's delay--and probably wildly optimistic on that. Casinos--endlessly debated, studied, etc., etc., for years and years and still not even on the planning books, let alone any construction started. Even small but important things are neglected. Spouse and I have visited several islands and I almost broke a leg getting off the boat on to a crappy, unsafe, rocking plastic dock more than once. And, better facilities are needed once you get on the islands. There's lots of easy-to-do things that would make the tourist experience safer and more enjoyable. Pattaya's traffic is very bad and getting worse but nothing is being done at all. Three underpasses were supposed to be built--only one got done. Typical. Lots of huge new construction projects are being built or in the works--how are the already congested, limited traffic lanes going to accommodate them? Better public transportation serving more areas would help, coupled with more public parking garages to allow eliminating parking on the major roads, to gain instant extra traffic lanes. Again, lots of proposals and the usual endless talk, talk, talk, study, study, study. But, do nothing, nothing, nothing.

I'm questioning why so much power is now in the hands of one individual, even if it's, as I said, the President. I know how our government is suppose to work. As a reminder to you, Congress has the 'power of the purse', not the President. Congress has the power to decide where US taxpayer money will be spent, not the President. Congress, also as written in the Constitution, has the power to set tariffs, also not the President. Unfortunately, over the years Congress has ceded much of this tariff power to the President. In the past, Presidents worked with Congress in setting trade agreements and tariffs, with Congress's authorization. With a dictator now in place, all bets are off and I'm suggesting that this shirking of its Constitutional duties has ultimately turned out to be very unwise and Congress needs to grow a pair. And, there's no evidence of this current President working with Congress and getting Congress's authorization to make adjustments in tariffs. I'm not even sure he's working with himself--one day it's this, the next day he's changed his mind. Madness. It's true that Presidents have some limited powers to adjust tariffs in the state of a national emergency. I'm not seeing anything that could even be remotely be seen as a national emergency at this point that would justify Trump raising tariffs on his own. Although we are just in the third month of the second term of the worst President in US history.

As have most of his other 'day one' promises, including the one where he would only be a dictator for a day.

The bigger question for me, and I am an American, is how one single person--even the President--has the authority to even do this. Seems like madness to me to have one person--in this case extremely unstable and at least half nuts-- allowed to make these decisions with enormous consequences for the country--and the world economy. This should be in the hands of Congress--along with a lot of the other bad unilateral actions Trump has been doing.

Well, its deja vu all over again. Trump was handed a terrific economy by Obama and managed to screw it up by the end of his term. Now he's been handed a terrific economy by Biden, who got things back in order after Trump's first term chaos, just in time for Trump to take over once again, although he's been faster this time around in wreaking havoc.

The casino complexes are slated to have hotels, a large shopping mall, an amusement park, concert hall, and so on, as well as the casinos. How would all that fit into the Avenue? It seems like they are envisioning something like Genting Highlands in Malaysia, which my spouse and I visited recently and which has all of what I listed. There were lots of people there--the whole complex was packed--and many were not even gambling but were out and about doing other things. If they want a central location, the large tracts of land in the Hard Rock hotel area--some vacant and some with a closed hotel and other closed retail--might work, but some of that is already slated for Aquatique. Some proposed elements of Aquatique certainly could be incorporated into a casino complex, however. I think a huge casino/entertainment complex would make the already horrible traffic in that area impossible so I hope another site is selected. Properly done, it can be a destination attraction on its own, such as Genting Highlands and the granddaddy, Las Vegas, built in the original 'middle of nowhere'.

Beat me to it.

"Hasty decisions." What a joke. The issue's been debated to death for years and years. Debated to death but, apparently, more study is needed of the rotting corpse.

Yaa. Now, on to Pattaya . . .

Thai spouse and I have been here since 2010. We have renovated numerous condos and, so far, built two houses, with a third starting later this year. This activity has employed numerous local folks, from construction workers to plumbers, electricians, painters, tilers, roofers, swimming pool builders, landscapers, and so on. We've supported retail with dozens of major purchases of furniture, electronics, big appliances, housewares, etc. Selling over 20 projects has helped keep numerous agents in business, including their Thai staff. As a previous poster mentioned, expats contribute greatly. And, our contributions help support many workers that a visiting tourist doesn't impact. Workers like pool cleaners, gardeners, car service mechanics, hospital workers, barbers and beauticians, local laundries, local businesses, such as fresh markets, etc., etc. Expat contributions were on vivid display during the covid years.

Loved your post. A lot of what you said could also be applied to the greater Pattaya area where I live. Unfortunately, 95% of the Asean Now posts regarding Pattaya are supplied by visitors who likely get to only 5% of greater Pattaya in their short stays. Or, they were last here 10 or 20 years ago for a weekend . . .

Definitely an open mind is good. When you are checking out places, look at them not with tourist eyes but with the eyes of someone who will be living there full-time, not for a week or two. Think about your every day routine and your hobbies, interests, types of sports you like, possible health needs, etc., and evaluate the places you visit on how well they fit your wants and needs on an ongoing, not short-term, basis. Good luck with your search.

Article doesn't make sense. It states: "The airline clarified that the crew acted with due diligence, providing alternative seating for other passengers ... " . So, if empty seats were available, why wasn't the person sitting next to the dead passenger moved?

I would definitely recommend you give Pattaya a look. As I've said in other posts, I think it is actually a better place to live year-round than as a place to just visit for a short period. Yes, there are the entertainment areas but they make up just a small part of Pattaya. They are there if you want them and easily avoided if you don't. What works for my Thai spouse and myself is everything else Pattaya has on offer--and we have certainly checked other areas. That includes such things as very good health care choices, great shopping both with several very good malls and also big box stores like Index, Home Pro, Boonthavorn, etc., movies in English, huge variety of restaurants, large expat community, Immigration handy, a major airport and Bangkok less than 2 hours away, good recreational choices available, including ocean activities, and a number of golf courses. Also important, a variety of neighborhoods to choose from, each with its own vibe. And, to go with the good neighborhood selection, a great variety of housing, both for rent and for sale, in all price points. This is often overlooked but putting a comfortable roof over your head that exactly fits your needs is super important--Pattaya really excels at that more than anywhere else my spouse and I have visited in Thailand. Whether you want an oceanfront condo on the beach or a sprawling pool villa on the Darkside--or something in-between--Pattaya has it.

I suspect the vast majority fit neither of his ridiculous descriptions.

Construction was only started on it in 2011 so it was not there 2 decades ago.

Construction started in 2011 and was halted in 2014. I personally think it is one of the few buildings in Pattaya sporting any interesting architecture and I'd like to see it finished--with perhaps some floors removed to pacify the original protestors--rather than torn down.

It's Pattaya. It's Phuket. It's Bangkok. And . . . it's Fort Lauderdale. "3 Hospitalized After Stabbing in Fort Lauderdale"--recent news headline. Also, "Arrest Made in Fort Lauderdale Shooting that Killed Teen Girl". Popular tourist places--the world over--will have some crime--it's a given when you have millions of tourists vacationing, partying hard, and wanting a good time. From the same Fort Lauderdale news feed, several articles on Fort Lauderdale stepping up efforts to curb crime with Spring Break arriving. That reminded me of a news article from the other day saying about the same thing with Phuket--cops stepping up their efforts there to curb crime, as well. Same same. And so it goes.

My Bangkok Thai relatives all have live-in help. Spouse and I will probably also have live-in help at some point down the road--we're not at that point yet. Likely will be cheaper than a nursing home and you can remain in your own home.

Hope they finally get rid of those horrible, polluting red buses once and for all.

Farang not careful. Guy got it right.

I doubt you 'know what most expats do'--super presumptuous and idiotic even to lump us all together as being all the same in the first place. And, to presume to know how much traveling expats have done around Thailand--equally ludicrous. Also incorrect, we aren't all sitting in bars. Although, of course, some do. Most expats here are doing all sorts of things--just like people anywhere else in the World. You seemed miffed that you are traveling around Thailand as a tourist and you are not running into enough expats who live here who are also touring Thailand. I have two sisters who live in Florida year-round. If I visited Florida as a tourist, I would not be miffed that I didn't run into either one of them at Disney World. And, by the way, not running into either of them at Disney World would also not have me saying they are doing 'diddly squat'--nothing. I think you are confusing doing nothing--diddly squat--with doing one's normal routine. Two completely different things. I imagine when you are not here as a tourist but back in your home country you will be doing your normal routine--which likely isn't diddly squat, either. You are correct that Bangkok, Pattaya, and Chiang Mai attract large numbers of expats who choose those places to live, either part-time or year-round. If you read my previous post, it should be readily apparent why many expats would be choosing those places, as each of them will fulfill many of the things expats would have on their list of what is wanted and needed in the place where they choose to live. I enjoyed visiting Koh Lipe. Would I want to live there full-time and would it have everything I needed in a place to live in Thailand? No.