newnative

As always, just talk. Stop talking and crash into action. Had a big laugh with the statement regarding switching to teaching languages other than English---they're not even doing English well--always at the very bottom of ASEAN rankings. Knowing English is and always will be the most important skill for the Thai workforce, especially in an economy with a large tourist component.

Not to mention the World. First visit to New York City, one of my sisters was pickpocketed just steps after we left our hotel room. And so it goes.

Well, back to square one after umpteenth threads and posts. Sticking with my original plan to keep my head down and do nothing until absolutely required to do something, such as to extend my retirement visa.

Luckily, I have better things to do with my time, and more enjoyable for me, than hanging out in beer bars--in Pattaya or anywhere else.

I didn't say they all have to be in the same building. The Avenue site, I believe, is on the small side for about any of the very large attractions that are planned for these complexes. And, that area of Pattaya isn't that great--most of the new, nice development is being built in the northern part of the beach area. As I pointed out, there are some large tracts of land near Hard Rock hotel, one with a big, now closed hotel and other closed retail, and some other land that is vacant or with temporary stuff on it. These could possibly all be combined and the casino component incorporated into what is being planned for Aquatique. As you pointed out, there are already two nice, big malls in place nearby--Central and T21. The attraction to this area would be that it is already highly popular with tourists, with some very nice, new development already in place, including Centre Point Space, T21, the new Mytt, Grand Centre Point, Ozo, Akari, and others. They join the other hotels already there, which are some of the nicest now in Pattaya, including Dusit, Holiday Inn, and Amari. Plus the massive Centre Point 3 resort now under construction, and Once Pattaya also going in, along with another highrise condo project. This popularity, however, has led to gridlock traffic so I question the wisdom of putting the complex there without major road improvements, none of which is taking place.

Have not used JFK or Boston but Frankfurt was old and bad. Also bad, in my opinion, Dubai. What a lousy airport that is--for a passenger. Maybe it works better as a mall or whatever. The last two or three times we used it there wasn't even a walkway bridge to enter and exit the plane from the terminal on landing and departing. Instead, a long, cramped, standing up bus ride out to the middle of nowhere to board the plane just like they did in the dawn of flight in the last century. And, along with the very long walks, there were waits for elevator rides to different levels, and a train ride also thrown in. You'd think the train ride would at least finally get you to your plane. Think again. The bus ride was next. At least there wasn't a camel ride after the bus--small favors. I guess we could all pretend we were the President of the US as we trudged up the steep outdoor steps to get on the plane. Wave to the Press, folks! And, we were flying Emirates on all the flights, which should have had the best landing slots at the terminal. The last Emirates trip back from Europe was delayed 4 hours at the Dubai layover--this in addition to the regular 3-hour layover--no apology or explanation from the pilot. In my opinion that airline has gone downhill recently. Suvarnabhumi isn't perfect but what a refreshing relief after Dubai. Deplaned right into the terminal. Very fast Immigration now--a real breeze--and we were at Baggage Claim very quickly and then on our way. I will try to avoid Dubai on my next trip.

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.