Stevemercer

It's an Oriental Rat Snake. Not venomous and harmless to humans.

I've always said it is easy to get to Thailand, but hrd to become a citizen even if married to a Thai national. It's the opposite in Australia. It's hard for a Thai (with little money) to get a visa, but easy for that person to stay in Australia once there and to become a resident/citizen (e.g. just marry an Australian national). Australia still has Covid regulations in place that allow foreigners in Australia to apply for visas for which you would normally need to be in your home country. I'm sure most western countries are the same.

In Thailand, an autopsy is always done if a foreigner dies. This should determine the cause of death and his medical records will show any pre-existing conditions.. RIP and best wishes to the man's family and friends.

Most people seem to use coarse fishing rigs here. Like you, I prefer to fish light and with the simplest set-up possible. Fishing parks are probably best for kids as they have shade/food etc. for the kids if the fishing gets boring. Nearly all of Thailand lakes and rivers are heavily netted and it's hard to find a reliable spot using the pot luck method. In Australia, any river that looks inviting will always have fish. In Thailand, becasue of the fishing pressure, you need to know the best seasons or be prepared to travel off the beaten track. Another reliable fishing method is to know someone who has private stocked dams on their property. This is probably best for kids as they are usually guaranteed to catch something.

Somebody has already posted some links. All local home improvement/hardware/building type shops will have what you need. A 2000 L tank is typically around 2,500 Baht, a 250 Watt constant pressure pump about 2,500 - 4,000 Baht. 250 W is fine for a single storey house, 2 storey may need 350 W. It's better to place the tank on a concrete pad reasonably close (within 5 metres) to the first water entry point into the house, if possible. A raised pad (maybe 0.5 - 1 metre) is good, plus a pump with a bypass that will allow water to pass through if the electricity is off. You can test that the existing town water pressure is adequate to fill the tank by holding up a 2.5 metre length of water pipe (e.g. simulating water flowing in at the top of the tank) connected to the end of the hose. If the water can't make it up, you will need a lower profile style of water tank (to avoid having to use a booster pump). You'll also need an assortment of blue PVC pipe connectors and pipe lengths. It's all pretty simple to install and any Thai with experience will be able to install and set up. Just be aware that the higher pressure in the house pipes will show up any leaks or weak points. You may need new shower heads or taps if the old ones are in poor condition. Any repair costs will be pretty minimal assuming the water pipes are attached to the walls and accessible (almost certainly the case in an older home)

I notice China has allowed tour groups to New Zealand, but not to Australia. I guess that are punishing Australia for discriminating against China - requiring inbound Chinese tourists to show a negative Covid test (despite China requiring all tourists to that country to show a negative test).

Thanks for the comprehensive explanation. What perplexes me about the Thai Baht is that the government seems to have no clear policy about whether they want a stronger/weaker Baht. The PM and senior Ministers often jawbone it up, while the central bank fiddles around to weaken it incrementally. Maybe the PM is haunted by the 1997 Baht crash and also has the nationalistic/third world view that a strong currency is good for the nation and reflects his own good governance. Compare this to a typical Western country which will have a clear policy/government line (even if counter to the central bank). I come from Australia which, as an exporting nation, always maintains the mantra for a weaker Australia dollar so as to boost exports and (hopefully) dampen imports. I suspect a lower dollar is also a means of boosting government revenues whilst also promoting more spending within Australia, rather than overseas, by its citizens. I would have thought that Thailand, as an exporting nation, would also talk the Baht down, but it rarely does. It surprises me that this lack of certainty doesn't harm the Baht. Maybe the Baht stays strong in the long run precisely because investors (and finance beauracrats) are certain that the government, in its heart, wants a strong Baht.

If the bore was installed for domestic use only it is likely to be shallow (<12m) and use an above ground pump rather than a submersible pump. Just replace the above-ground pump (300 W should be adequate). You could get a higher quality one at up to 4000 Baht. Does your girlfriend's house have a storage water tank? If not, it would be better to install a 2000 litre water tank (with the town water flowing into this) and 250 Watt pump to pump the water into the house. That way the town water will fill the tank and you will have sufficient storge to last a few days when the town water is not working. Bore water is often mineralised and will leave deposits in taps and showers etc. If you have town water, it is normally better to use this.

Accept that you will need to help your wife/girlfriend's family if you want to be accepted into the family, and allow your wife/girlfriend to keep some face. It's a balancing act for us foreigners, but that's just the way it is.

I have a cheap Nokia mobile (not internet phone) that I use in Thailand. When in Australia, I still do SCB transactions and the OTP sms messages continue to be sent to my phone. I use my laptop computer for internet banking. I can't use my phone in Australia, not can I make/receive calls from Thailand. I also can't send an sms to Thailand. But the sms receiving function still works fine and the OTP messages always come instantly. To be honest, I'm not sure why this should be the case (e.g. I still receive all sms from Thailand), but it's pretty convenient.

Yes, obviously applied to all non-Thai visitors just to capture the Chinese, and so Anutin can say Thailand won't discriminate against Chinese visitors. Intead Thailand will discriminte against all non-Thais. China, of course, requires all Thai visitors (plus any other foreign visitors) to have a negative Covid test before arrival.

You will have no problems returning to Thailand. Firstly, no one has made threats to you or attempted to exhort you for money. Secondly, someone would have to be angry with you and make a complaint to police. This does not seem to be the case. Thirdly, the police would dismiss any complaints as trivial and not worth their time or expense to pursue. Fourthly, the police would have to catch you in the act of vaping, or with the gear in your possession, before they could consider action against you. Fithly, even if caught, the worst you could expect is a fine of several thousand Baht. Certainly not deportation or black-listing. Vaping is not going to get you kicked out of Thailand. Just be discreet when in public.

I'm from Australia. The native Australian Aboriginals, when employing white Australians in their many and varied business enterprises, often call us polystyrene - 'white and disposable'. Hire a white-fella for a few months, then <deleted> him/her off and get another one. In Thailand, I think we are pretty spoilt. It's sometimes like being a rock star. Locals are forever asking for photos. In rural places, sometimes people gape and stare like they are seeing a ghost. Blokes are always trying to buy you a beer. The women often give the impression that anything could happen.

I recently went through immigration when I flew into Bangkok from Australia. At customs the officer asked me for my boarding pass which I couldn't find (I suspect I left it on the plane). Eventually I managed to find my booking confirmation which satisfied him. Maybe they always ask for your boarding pass on entering Thailand? I can't remember. God knows, you have to show it so many times when you are passing through the airport for departure overseas from Thailand..

The way electricity prices are going it may be increasingly worthwhile, particularly if paired with an electric car. The current cost to fully charge a high range electric car (400 - 500 km) is 350 -400 Baht. If you can charge from solar the savings will be significant. In addition, such a car will have a high capacity battery that can be used to supplement the household system during an emergency. Governments are starting to add supplements to electricity costs to counter decreased revenue from fuel sales traditionally used to fund road works. This will pump up electricity prices over the next 5 years as electric car sales take off. So a solar system may be attractive particulalry if you are looking at buying an electric car within the next 5 years. Buy a car with a larger battery that can feed back power into your household, and you will save yourself the cost of an additional house battery pack.

Scooters aren't real motorbikes, but they are convenient around town. I remember Honda brought out a 750 cc automatic bike once. It was dirt cheap (due to low demand), and I was tempted to buy one, but in the end I couldn't bring myself to do it. I prefer a simple, more classic bike. Air-cooled, single cylinder (if <500cc, 2 cylinders or more). I'm currently riding a Stallions 400cc which was the ony new bike I could afford at the time (100,000 Baht about 4 or 5 years ago). I just wanted a 'rat' bike that I don't care too much about its looks (minimal care, only regular maintenance is to change the oil every 4,000 km) and the bike admiredly suits this purpose.

Thanks very much for the good advice.

Asking for a friend.

These sort of trips are part of the work culture in Thailand. It always amazes me how workplaces organise seminars, workshops, conferences and professional training on weekends. In Australia nobody would go except on work time. Similarly, a government agency towards the end of the financial year will always be organising staff trips to soak up the surplus money. We've probably all been along on a few of these trips. Once or twice is enough for most foreigners. Driving 8 hours in a bus with full blast karaoke, an overnight stay and then back on the bus for the boozy 8 hour trip back. It's not for me. Having said this, I rarely hear about fatal accidents involving work trips. More usually it's family crowded in the back of a ute or a minibus on a commercial route. I know this doesn't help the OP, but I don't think there is much you can do about it.

Most road fatalities are caused by young men 18 - 25 years old. Maybe this high risk group should be banned from driving?

I don't think Saturday morning detentions are used at government schools, but maybe at private schools.

I don't think noise pollution is endemic to Thailand. As others have said, other South East Asian countries are the same or worse. Maybe most developing countries are similar. Lack of enforcement, poor planning, bribery/corruption and poor education/empathy for others all contribute. I sometimes think living in Thailand is similar to living in Australia in the 1970s. Rubbish everywhere, noise everywhere, dogs running wild and selfish people with no consideration for others. Australia (and other western countries, I guess) have long since cleaned up their act, but have also lost that personal freedom to do what you want. So where do you want to live - in a country where laissez faire is the rule or in a country where rule of the law is strictly enforced and big brother oversees everything you do?

The Chinese leader shook hands with all western leaders, but he will only shake hands if he is on the left, never on the right (as was the case with Prayut). The left is the power position because he can leave his body open for the cameras and merely extend his right hand. The person on the right is forced to move his right hand across his body, and pivot slightly, looking a bit subservient. The only person with whom Xi accepts the surbvervient position is with the US President. Certainly not with Prayut. I am surprised Prayut's advisers did not warn Prayut about this protocol.

For a full (5-7 day) ceremony 100,000 Baht is reasonable. This assumes an average of 50 visitors (basic food and drink) each day, 150 - 200 at the main event nd includes 30,000 for the basic costs (monks, flowers on loan, blown up photos and banners around the coffin, refrigeration, transport etc. Funerals are a well organised event in even the smallest village. A decent funeral can be put together within half a day or so. The family/organiser will get maybe 50,000 - 100,000 Baht back in donations. If you want to make a meaningful contribution, 25,000 Baht would be the minimum you could get away with without the wife loosing face with her family. I am assuming she would make her own top-up contribution if necessary (e.g. if the family split for her is >25,000), even if she has to 'borrow' the money without telling you. She will recover her 'top off' from any excess in donations.

I still enjoy a good read, but it can be a problem sourcing material if you live outside the big cities. I used to bring back half a briefcase of books whenever I went abroad. I found it too expensive and inconvenient to order books online. I finally moved over to a Kindle and still take that everywhere. You can download most books from The Pirate Bay. But the OP is right, I think, cuddling up and reading in a cooler climate is somehow more relaxing. Reading with the fan or air conditioning blasting away, and with a cold drink dripping condensation everywhere, is not so relaxing. Reading outside makes you a target for attack from a huge variety of kamakazi insects. I've always said that you can't sit or stand still outside in rural Thailand for more than 30 seconds without something having a go. Heaven forbid if you loose concentration (e.g. get engrossed in your book) because, sooner of later, you will be susceptible to a successful massed banzai attack despite all your passive defences.