newnative

I was a state worker for 30 years and I wish we had had some sort of union to represent state workers. It wasn't allowed. For one long stretch for a number of years we did not even get a COLA raise. I had to take a part-time job to make ends meet. If you were ranked outstanding on the yearly evaluations, you were supposed to get a bonus. I was, every year, and never got a bonus, ever--always told, no money for it but thanks for doing a great job. That long stretch with no COLAs was under a Democrat governor, which I was not happy with, being a Democrat. Some of the Republican governors were actually better at giving the state workers at least a modest COLA.

Yes. I don't know why this is always such a big deal with posters. If you're a beach town you preserve and protect your biggest asset--the beach.

Fine with me. I don't care where they are built. I just like having more choice when I go shopping for an automobile than I had in 2010 when I first came here.

Not really. As a car buyer, I have more choices now than I did in 2010, when I first arrived. Yes, Chevrolet left. But MG arrived. BYD arrived. And Tesla, Hyundhai, Jeep, and KIA. Plus Aion and Neta. And, Changan. And, GWM. A company, whatever the product, leaving a market is, in many cases, more a sign of problems with the company than a market. The previously mentioned Chevrolet is a good example, with its limited and somewhat dated product offered in Thailand that couldn't compete very well--and likely would be even more so now with the increased competition. Rather than making a major investment to try to get back in the game, Chevrolet chose to exit and put its money elsewhere. Say what you will about the Chinese car manufacturers. They are making big investments in Thailand, with both fresh, and varied, new product and new dealerships. For example, until recently, I never thought of MG as being much of an auto company but here in Thailand they sell a luxury passenger van, a truck, a sedan, and at least 3 or 4 different suv models. Plus, maybe we'll get the new Cyberster sports car down the road. Compare that to the limited offerings of some of the other companies, some of which are struggling.

Lock them up or deport them. This is not the way to protest.

Get your new name ready. I suggest Forward Move Party. When that's disbanded, there's Party Move Forward waiting in the wings You can always throw Future in there, too, for some nostalgia, when that party is also given the ax. Keep on keeping on.

I agree. I also have a Chinese 10-year visa in my old passport. I checked about getting it transferred to my new passport at the Chinese visa office in Bangkok on Phetchaburi Road and they told me to take both the old and the new passport when I go to China.

Normal. Beach communities need to protect their biggest asset--the beach.

Well, you got one thing right. The 'people' did, indeed, 'speak' in 2016 and the 'people' preferred Clinton, by over 2 millon votes. 2 MILLION. The 'people' loudly rejected Trump. (Also even louder in 2020, by over 7 MILLION.) Trump, of course, was, as you say, 'appointed' (good way to put it) in 2016--by the cursed Electoral College. Not elected by the 'people'.

My Will has my signature and the witness signatures on every page. You can keep possession of your Will but make sure your Executor knows where it is. My lawyer also retains a copy.

I totally blame the airlines. With Economy configurations these days with such tight space, allowing the seats to recline more than just a little makes for a bad experience for the passenger behind the reclined seat. You end up with endless arguments on whether you should ever recline your seat at all. Airlines need to step in and change their seat reclinement so that it only reclines a few inches--that seems to be the best solution to a bad situation--brought on by the airlines themselves.

The tourism figures you quote for 2023 do not show a 'significant shift' to Asian tourists in 2023 compared to the period before covid. In 2019, pre-covid, the shift had already taken place. 'East Asia' tourists that year were 16,600,000. 'ASEAN' tourists were 10,600,000. 'Europe' was 6,700,000. 'South Asia' was 2,400,000. 'Americas' was 1,600,000. If your 2023 tourist figures are correct, you have Asia at 20 million, Europe at 6 million, and Americas at 1.3 million. Not much different than 2019, especially Europe and Americas, and certainly not a big shift from what was already happening pre-covid.

Well, duh

Thank you so much, Sheryl. Good advice, as always!

The right turn from the Motorway was STILL closed the other day--this after weeks and weeks of being closed. Unbelievable it is taking so long at such a key intersection.

Thanks, Sheryl. I had no idea there were different Aprils. I checked my original policy documents and I have April International Expat, a subsidy of April International. It seems to be run out of the AI Paris office, and my dealings have always been with the Paris office--and my billings always in Euros, with documents in French with English translations. I could not find any reference to an underwriter in any of my paperwork and it's been so long that I can't remember how I learned of, and got signed up with, AI Expat in the first place. I used to have to fill out paper claim forms but now I have a phone app to use, Easy Claim. There are 3 zones with AI Expat. A, the most expensive, covers the US, Switzerland, Japan and a few others. B zone, a long list, is mostly other 1st world countries, including GB, Germany and a number of other European countries, plus others scattered around the world. Zone C, the least expensive, is every country not covered in A or B, including Thailand. I guess in a few months when I get my renewal notice I'll see if Thailand will be bumped up to Zone B. Hopefully not. I think in the meantime I will check with Paris to see if I can switch over to April Thailand, if it would be cheaper and with no wait periods.

Nonsense. It's what works for the individual. So what if he has 'NO property to go back to'. Neither do I. It's not like you lose your citizenship if you don't own a property in your native country. Why keep a place--with all the expenses--if you are not there and have no intention of being there--or being an absentee landlord? If I ever return to the US--doubtful--I'll just buy a property at that point.

Thanks for sharing--so interesting to read!

It's all up to the individual. I retired at my regular job at a college library in my early 50s and then worked part-time at the same job until age 59. Then it was off to the races to do something completely different--fixing up a condo, living in it for awhile, and then moving on to the next one. Did that in the US, starting when I was still working at the college, and now here with my Thai spouse since 2010. We've since moved on to houses in 2020 and are currently on our 4th one. I'm 72 but I still like to keep active and engaged in what interests me--it's whatever works for you.

Yes, a man should know how to use a drill, and all the other basic tools.

Yes, and the tax cut for the hyper wealthy was all he accomplished. Everything else was just housekeeping--and bad housekeeping, at that.

Great. More encouraging news.

Hi, All. I've been following this thread and I wonder if anyone has April Interntional insurance like mine, which seems to be somewhat different than what is being discussed--which I did not realize until I started reading this thread. I have had April insurance since 2011 and my plan is Ambassade Essential. When the thread started to discuss the change from Zone 3 to Zone 2, I decided to check what zone I was in, only to discover I am in Zone C. Not a typo, a letter rather than a number. At least not the Twilight Zone--yet. With my plan, I am also unable to add a deductible, which I checked on in 2023 and got this response from April: Dear sir, If you choose to be covered ofr Essential Hospitalisation only 100%, your premium will be 1 492?,00 € / trimester. We also remind you that you cannot select a deductible on your contract as this is the Ambassade offer from the 3rd generation 2011. I have no idea what exactly the '3rd generation 2011' is, nor exactly how it differs, but apparently that's my plan. As you can see above, I was paying 1,492 Euros (disregard the question mark typo) a quarter or 5,968 Euros a year, about $6,487 a year, for 100% hospitalization in 2023. This year, it's 1,666 Euros a quarter, or 6,664 Euros a year, about $7,243. I am 72 and male. When I signed up in 2011 my only health issue was elevated cholesterol and I have just had routine medical expenses since then. No big health bills for anything. It looks like most of you have a much better April deal and plan. At this point, at my age, and since I have been with April so long, I will likely bite the bullet and not try to change to something else. I have not heard anything about any upcoming change of zones for my policy but my renewal is not until October.

Encouraging.

Interesting. Thnks for sharing.