Stevemercer

I've lived in Thailand for 8 years now. I always said I would live here for 10 years and then make up my mind whether to stay or move back to Australia. I like Thailand and we can live here in reasonable style. Day to day costs are probably the same in Australia/Thailand, but housing is a quarter the cost. I'm in Australia at the moment for 3 weeks helping my Mum move Dad into an aged care home. I suspect Mum will need our help more and more. While in Austalia I miss our house and hobby farm in Thailand. But I wonder if one day I completely loose interest in women, have chronic health problems limiting my mobility, or am increasingly faced with my own mortality, maybe I would be more comfortable in Australia. I want to make that choice at the end of my 10 years living in Thailand (Thailand or Australia) while I still can, and before circumstances mean I have no choice or say in the matter.

Try playing western music in Thailand at the same sort of volume. People will not hesitate to complain and dob you in. The police will shut you down within an hour even if you have the correct paperwork.

Mine sometimes does this. Deleting unnecessary files in your browser (clearing your browser history) sometimes fixes the problem. If you have Chrome click on the 3 little vertical dots at the top right of the screen to access the menus/settings. You can also check in your browser settings to see if any 'extensions' have been added recently. If there are any, turn them off. While your at it, find your 'downloads' folder and delete any unnecessary files.

I remember reading something along these lines a few years back, related to discipline. Discipline, to put it mildly, is a quality in short supply in Thai culture. What we do have is plenty of the opposite, known in Thai as mug ngai. Mug ngai can be roughly defined as a tendency to take the easy way out with little concern for the inconvenience caused to others. Taking shortcuts by driving the wrong way or riding on footpaths is just one example. Paying bribes to traffic policemen, throwing trash on the ground, and performing shoddy work are all other examples of our mug ngai culture. But it's not just mundane matters where we see mug ngai in action. It's such an ingrained trait that we can find it in every nook and cranny of society -- in business, official work, legal circles, and in politics.

I agee It's like building a balcony that gets full sun or having a roof sitting area. Seems like a good idea, but in practice never gets used.

Just make sure you go for a heavier/more expensive gauge of galvanised gutters.

Finasteride (1 mg) daily will stop hair falling out from male pattern baldness, but nothing can regrow hair on a bald scalp.

I stroll around the estate park,and they all go for morning walks sine look like ex druggies ,old hippies,some driving those mobility scooters and many in their 60's on walking sticks looking very old. I think <deleted> where the F did these people go wrong to live in this awful government housing block ? They must of wasted their life . From the original post. They should all move to Thailand with their government pensions. Many people say Thailand is the best country in the worl to waste your life away.

The Thai Government wants a strong Baht and will keep supporting it. Provided the Government doesn't run out of money the Baht will stay relatively strong (compared to other Asian currencies). The Government still has horrors from the 1997 collapse.

I've just come back from Australia (winter). I'm the opposite. In Thailand I might pee half a dozen times during the night. In Australia it was never more than once or twice. I put it down to not drinking enough water in Thailand. In Australia, I probably drank the same amount as in Thailand, but it was sufficient in the colder climate and meant that I was in balance. In Thailand's heat I'm in deficit and need to <deleted> out more to get my blood salt levels balanced (e.g. <deleted> out more to reduce the volume of water). I know it sounds like it should be the other way around, but there you go. In a hot and humid climate drink more water to <deleted> less.

Jolly well done. Back in fine form, I see.

My wife is dual passport holder (Thai and Australian). She always enters/leaves Thailand on her Thai passport and enters/leaves Australia on her Australian passport. If you have the benefit of a dual passport, always use it when entering/leaving that country. Your daughter is a citizen of Thailand and should enjoy any privileges when she is in Thailand. Why should she travel as a tourist (even if only for a few weeks)?

I have a friend (woman) who befriended a farang earlier this year. The relationship went great guns for awhile. He already lived in Thailand and he suspected he had a Thai wife. One day when she wasn't home he stole 100,000 Baht of gold jewelry from her home and cut contact. She was too embarrased to admit she had made such a mistake and didn't want to make a song and dance. But she did have his passport details and made a report to police. While the police didn't chase it up, they placed the report on his record (including immigration). I doubt immigration will do anything, but it may be a shock to his wife when he next goes to immigration for an extension or something.

He got offside with his boss, the Chief of the RTP, by threatening to blow the lid on high level corruption associated with the immigration biometrics project (a pet project of the RTP Chief). I think he might have a different style if he makes it to Chief.

Rest in peace. I wonder if wearing certified motorbike helmets would of made any difference to the outcomes.

Hmm. I still have the same hair at age 65 as I had as a youth. I haven't changed a thing.

The RTP rotate their senior officers through the Chief of Police position for 2 years before they retire so as to boost their pensions. Such a person is going to go with the flow, not make waves, not rock the boat or do anything provocative. Under this sysyem of patronage nothing can ever change and the status quo will be maintained. It's the same with all the Thai Government departments. Change can only come from the top. If the RTP is corrupt it is because that's the way the senoir officers want it. The Police Commissioner is responsible and accountable for every corrupt practice by the rank and file under his command. By not doing anything he condones and supports it. By not calling the RTP into check, or making it accountable, the Thai government of the day condones the corruption (e.g. don't throw stones if you live in a glass house).

There is a very recent Chrome upgrade (Version 105.0.5195.54 ) that seems to have fixed most of the recent compatibility problems.

I bought a 6,000 Baht Chinese clone of the top-of-the-line Honda. I figured I could go through 3 or 4 of them for the price of the Honda. I've got about 0.5 Rai of good lawn plus about 1 Rai of rough lawn to mow. Generally the engines will last for years, but the wheels and components need replacing every now and then. I bought replacement wheels and blades at the same time I got the mower. I'm on my second mower now. The first one lasted about 8 years. I replaced the wheels once and the bearings several times. I've had the gaskets replaced on the carby twice and replaced the blade once. The retractable pull start gave up the ghost years ago. The frame is pretty shoddy and the wheels wriggly. But the engine always starts first pull and I'll continue to use it for the really rough stuff until it gives up. My dream is for a ride-on-mower, but reputable brands are over 100,000 Baht. Out of my reach while I can still walk ok.

You don't need all those gears in flat old Isan. But if you ride in hilly terrain you will need all your lower gears. You only need the higher ones if you like pedalling downhill (e.g. racing), are fortunate to ride with frequent tailwinds or routinely slipstream trucks and other heavy vehicles.

My wife and I have had fevers, sore throats and fatigue, but haven't bothered about any tests or separations. Life goes on

I draw Super from a First Colonial account (amongst other incomes). I withdrew a lump sum and converted the rest into an Allocated Pension. The advantage of an Allocated Pension is that it is tax free. You must take a minimum 4% as a pension that can be paid monthly or fortnightly. You can also make a cash withdrawal at any time without penalty. It has been financially beneficial for me. I started out with $200,000 about 10 years ago and have been getting $600 -$800 per month paid as a pension. Plus I routinely withdraw $10,000 lump sum per year for a holiday. When I last checked (a few months ago) my account had $220,000 in it. It obviously goes up and down depending upon the stock market. If it gets much above $210,000, I normally shift the excess from geared shares into more conservative shares. My money gets paid into my Australian bank account and I transfer it to Thailand using BPay through ForEx. BPay transfers have higher limits when transferring larger amounts and attract less bank attention/fees.

The real culprits are the Thai police who turned a blind eye and allowed the venue to operate. I hope there is some accountability.

We have a kitchen sink water heater installed in the cabinet under the sink. As far as I know it is just a normal shower heater. We have two separate taps, hot water on the left and cold water on the right. Thai guests doing the washing up always go for the left tap (hot water) and the lights dim for half a second when the unit kicks in. It's a bit annoying when they keep turning the tap on and off, washing each dish individually. I don't think I've ever used the hot water tap when washing up.

A friend recently went through a similar thing (pension stopped with no notice). It took him a few days to finally get in touch with someone. Appenretly Centrelink had sent a letter asking him to confirm his address. He never got the letter. Anyway, he was able to sort it over the phone and get his pension (plus backpay) started again. Does your friend have a State Pension? If yes, he will need to get in contact with that office using all means possible (phone, email and letter). There is a requirement to be living in Australia for two years when you first apply for your Old Age Pension. Since your friend is already receiving his pension this does not apply.