newnative

Ask yourself if you are better off with or without her and go from there. In order to help you with that decision, I think you need to sit down and have a serious conversation with your GF, laying out all your concerns.

It's been my experience that it's a rare project, indeed, that can keep a water feature of any kind working for a continuing period in Thailand. I've lost count of the number of projects I've encountered where there was a water feature at some point but it is no longer working. Or, part of it is working and part isn't. Or, the water is still there, usually dirty, but the fountain part isn't working. Sometimes they've wisely given up the ghost and turned into something else. My Bangkok condo, fairly high-end, had a water fountain set into the pavement, somewhat like Bali Hai, at the center of a circular driveway entrance, to guide traffic around the circle. I never actually saw it working--before my time. Unfortunately, at some point years ago someone drove over the fountain and that was that. For at least 3 years the fountain space has been blocked off with ugly orange traffic cones while the condo committee dithers and dithers and dithers about what to put there. So far, it seems they have only managed to decide, not another water feature.

He's conveniently forgetting that there was a drop in tourism in 2014, the year of the coup.

Translation: We haven't found anything the least credible to disqualify Pita so give us even more time than the weeks and weeks we've already had to see if we can dig something, anything up that might work to disqualify him. Just pathetic.

Born to Run

Or he my have finally passed away at the ripe old age of 150.

As others have said, look for a pan made specifically for induction cooking. My partner loves cooking with induction and we've never had a problem with our induction-type pans.

The answer to your question is in your post. Why, as you ask, 'ruin a country with hordes of Tourists'? Because Thailand needs large numbers of tourists of all types, not just those who stay at 5-star hotels. As you say, most of Thailand's hotels are not 5-star. These hotels rely on regular tourists, not the wealthy tourists staying at the priciest hotels. Would you have all these establishments close shop and go out of business because they are catering to a tourist demographic you don't care for? If it's ok for France to have 66 million tourists, why is is not ok for slightly smaller Thailand to have 40 million? (I have a sneaking suspicion that not all those 66 million were millionaires. Well, I know there were 2 less in 2019 when my partner and I visited.) The reality is that Thailand's tourist industry is massive and it is set up to handle large numbers of tourists, and Thailand needs large numbers of tourists of all economic strata to fill all those rooms--from cheap hostels for backpackers to the 5-stars, and everything in-between. The reality is that every tourist who visits Thailand, whether budget or millionaire, is contributing to Thailand's economy. What is not, in your words, 'feasible' is what we saw during the covid years, when Thailand was not getting the large numbers of tourists it needs to sustain the huge tourist industry that has been built here.

I'd rather see electric motorcycles, starting with the noisiest ones.

Oh, goody, a committee! Always the first step in making sure the fault is spread around multiple departments so, in the end, nobody is held accountable.

Good service!

I would guess some sort of retail rather than condos or hotel. We'll see.

I don't believe that for a minute. I'd like to see a demonstration of how a leg could fit into the space of a couple of combs falling off because a small object hit them. The small wheel could have been a contributing factor but, as another has said, a moving walkway should not cause a serious injury such as this due to a small object getting stuck.

A security guard there told us it is all going to be re-developed.

The 'day-trippers' were counted in 2019, too.

I think you're too focused on western tourists. Yes, high season is over for the western tourists who visit Thailand to escape harsh winters. Many Asian tourists, and in ever-increasing numbers, visit year-round. Yes, perhaps many of your friends in the US are staying home. The significant tourist numbers, however, do not come from the US--or Europe, for that matter. Only Russia warrants mentioning in the top five countries; the rest of the countries are Asian. From the article, it looks like Chinese tourists are starting to come in significant numbers once again.

You've never heard 'this would be illegal' because it is not. You can make as many copies of a Will as you feel you need to have. It does not need to be on any special paper or paper with a law office letterhead. If it is submitted to a Thai court, it must be translated into Thai. I'm a bit surprised your embassy would take the Will--the embassy needs to take responsibility for it, an employee needs to file it somewhere, which takes work and space. If you change your will, they then need to go and retrieve the old one and then file the new one. I doubt my American embassy would do that but maybe I am wrong. I think the important thing to remember is that someone needs to know where to locate your Will in the event of your death. I do think it's a good idea to have your lawyer in possession of a copy--to have one available in case yours cannot be located--and to also have a copy handy should you notify him that you want to make changes to the Will.

My partner and I recently took a trip to the far south, staying at a resort on Koh Lipe and several places on the mainland. We got so far south that at one point we stuck our toes into Malaysia. Koh Lipe was fun with snorkeling and there was lots to see on the mainland, as well. The highlight, for me, was getting up early one morning in Yala Province and going up to the top of a mountain to a partly glass sky walk that our guide called 'The Sea of Clouds Skywalk'. I think it might have a different official name. The view is of hills and mountains as far as you can see and the early morning fog is so thick that it does look like a sea of fog with the mountains above. A bit hard to describe but beautiful. When we travel in Thailand I am always amazed at the varied and interesting scenery. Thanks for the thread--I am enjoying all the photos and information!

You might also, in your words, 'quote what was actually reported'. Which was: 'the accident might (my emphasis) have been caused by a small object falling into the end of the escalator'. You left out 'might' in your quote--an important word to omit because it indicates uncertainty as to the cause. The article then says: 'He said that a floor panel was found to have fallen under the escalator, indicating that the bolt which attaches the floor to the escalating rail had failed.' So, there's certainty that the bolt failed, but no certainty that the small object was the cause of the bolt failing--just the speculative 'might'.

Do it already.

So, a loose bolt finally fell off, which caused the panel to collapse. How is that not poor maintenance? If the moving sidewalk is inspected every day, as stated, why was the loose bolt not found and tightened?

He still alive?

Yes, totally shocking and shameful. But, wasn't it just wonderful that they made the--certainly very tough--decision to temporarily close the walkway to do some checking of it. Well, duh. Let's let the president of AOT be the first to walk on it once it's been declared 'safe'.

Not being kicked out is one reason I have continued with April International, based in France.

Thanks so much for this information, Sheryl. The main reason I got OPD was I was worried I would not be covered for exactly the things you mentioned--especially ongoing treatments involved with cancer care, chemo/radiation treatments, etc. I will look into switching to just hospitalization with a deductible. Thanks again for taking the time to let me know about this.