soi3eddie

I'm an experienced rider of almost 40 years. I do ride in Thailand and love big bikes. As much as I'd enjoy a fast bike, there is just no place in Thailand for a bike that can do 100 KPH in 2nd gear. Scooters are quite fast enough. The risks posed by other riders and drivers (and animals on the road) are just too great. The lack of attention and awareness by other road users is breathtaking. So sad for Mr Edward and his family. 67 is not old and he was likely living the dream until the end. Whatever the real reason, speed, power, motorcycles, truck and Thai drivers do not mix well. RIP.

That changed in the last couple of years. Med cert needed on renewals now.

If I was stopped for a shake down and guilty of wrongdoing then I'd try to blag my way out of it, or failing that, negotiate or simply pay up. If totally innocent then would stand my ground.

You'll be lucky to get a British consular bod out from behind their bullet proof glass let alone assist you. Just why do they need to have bullet proof glass? ???? Was in there in November and they even had "Bomb" panic buttons <deleted>. They really are that paranoid about their own citizens wanting to harm them. Why is that?

Great story. Hope you rewarded the policeman for his assistance.

Best laugh I've had all week.

Are these same said hotels attracting the "quality tourists" as per Thai government edict? ????

Agreed. However; why are hotels so cheap in Thailand compared to the west? Because staff are paid so poorly and less well (hardly) trained. Why are staff so poorly paid and less well trained? Because customers (often westerners) don't want to pay higher prices! A 5 star hotel in London will run easily 20,000+ THB per night. Here in Bangkok it's possibly as low as 3,500 THB per night. Neither is guaranteed to get great service these days. The differences elsewhere around the country are stark. Any service at all for 1,200 THB night? Rarely in my experience.

I always keep my visa funds account balance a few thousand above required. Just 1 satang below the required balance and you can bet your bottom dollar (baht) that they refuse extension and say "extension denied, bye bye mr farang".

The gentleman needs an extension of marriage visa and will not get it unless they do a home visit. As he will be away "for a few weeks", the chances are he does not have enough time before his visa expires. Normally 30 days is earliest before expiry outside of Bangkok. If he goes away and misses the visit then he may be on overstay.

Any clues for the keystone cops as to which "neighbouring country" the stolen bikes were being taken too?

Can't really say about humidity except that they just seem to make the rooms much more comfortable. I should add that I rarely suffer from heat (which is one reason I like Thailand so much). Here in my Bangkok condo, I normally don't turn on A/C until dusk when I close my balcony doors.

I went 20% above previously installed Daikin condensers and they fitted the old unit footprint exactly. The exterior compressors are bigger though. As for what size to go for; their are calculation charts (I beleive) that advise BTUs needed depending on room size, windows, insulation and whether the walls are in direct sun etc. These are all considerations of the cooling capacity needed. Switching to new inverters (from 2009 standard types) was such a good move for me in all ways, except initial cost being more than standard types. I think nowadays most units are inverters anyway. My electricity bill dropped massively and the cooling is better.

Yes. My partner travelled into the UK a number of times on a 6 month visit visa and left before it's expiry.

I say bring on the mayhem. For so long, fun has been surpressed. Let the kids and adults enjoy, dance, make merry, drink and get wet. If anyone objects then stay home. It's only for a few days (a bit longer in Pattaya). I for one, am happy to have a hotel booked in Pattaya from 11th to 17th April. After the last few years why not?

Or maybe, just maybe, it's a government slow to admit to the issues faced by citizens countrywide.

In other news... The obesity crises in the UK appears to be receding.

In my experience, Top range Daikin Inverters. 20% above size. Super quiet, extra efficient and cools down fast. Much less energy usage also.

When I got a new passport 3 years ago, I called KasikornBank, they gave me an email address and I sent them a copy of the new passport so they could update their system and my accounts. In my experience, Kbank call centre is better to deal with than individual branches. Other banks may be different.

There are quite a few travellers who just are not the full ticket and should stay at home. Fair play to this guy but he's learnt the hard way that there rules and they must be followed. No mention in the op or full story as to whether he was entitled to an extension or if he had used all easy options already. Guess he won't be back in Thailand for a while. Sod going back to the UK winter right now.

Morchit would not accept my yellow house book last month. My licence name is written in English not Thai which I beleive was the issue. Fortunately I had preempted by having an embassy affidavit letter which then presented and all ok as usual. Thought I'd try yellow book to see but it didn't work. Is useful for immigration extensions and registering vehicles though.

Did they also want two original residence certificates?

Not just in Pattaya but here in Krabi too. Wouldn't call it an invasion but the Russians almost certainly outnumber any other foreigners. I was at a busy bar last night and there was a few Russians there who were clearly regulars. One guy was 38 and with his Russian wife, spoke good English, a business owner in Russia who had been in Thailand for 3 months and was planning at least another 6 months. Asked how he managed financially, he said his money, like many other Russians, was in US Dollars and told me he was going to sell his assets to survive. Was against the war with Ukraine but didn't wan't to talk about Putin as "our phones are listening" LOL.

Now the drunk driver is considered "The victim". <deleted>!

He's not looking forward to it so why go? Save the money.