Stevemercer

I'm not sure a usufruct (if possible) will help your situation because it would normally expire on your death. I would have thought that wills leaving the property to an orphanage may be contestable by the family. You would obviously need to appoint an Executor you trust to arrange the sale and finance transfers. However, this would be a long time in the future and circumstances may change. I wouldn't feel 100% secure that the family would still end up not getting the home. As another poster has suggested, one possible option would be to sell the house/land in the near future and move elsewhere. This would be a big decision for your wife because her family would see it as a snub (which it is). Besides, apart from the inheritance problem, you may both be happy in your current home and situation. I guess it boils down whether, in time, the knowledge that your in-laws may get the house/land starts to outweigh the happiness you have in owning and living in your current home. Maybe you should, quietly, start putting out feelers about selling and moving on in a few years time.

I would have to agree. The beaches at Phuket are cleaner and there are even a few waves. Swimming in the Gulf is like taking a tepid bath.

As Dr Sheryl says 'Metformin is dirt cheap and has an excellent safety profile'. There is some evidence that Metformin is a 'wonder drug' that may have the potential to prolong life, not just for mild diabetics. It might be worthwhile researching a bit more to see if it might benefit you in the long term. If your grandfather lived to be over 100, you might have good genetics. It would be good to do everything in your power now so as to improve your quality of life in the future. Taking Metformin, under a doctor's supervision, would be something that is cheap, easy and effective.

I just glanced at this. As others have said, block her and do not respond to her. She just wants money. She will not contact the police or immigration. If she tried she would be ignored. You will not be blacklisted. It is ancient history in everyone's mind except yours. Learn from your experience. When you next return to Thailand do not share contact details unless it is more than a one night stand.

The new PM has shown the colours of the new government - they will side with the establishment. If the PM had a reform agenda to try and end corruption, he would have gone for 'Big Joke'. Instead, the PM has gone for more of the same. He continues the tradition of appointing deputies as chief who are in their last year before retirement. The establishment wins all around. The new chief will get a boost to his pension and CV for appointment to prestigious government positions post-retirement. The new Chief of Police will not rock the boat, and will not make any changes to the system, given he will be retiring in a year and has too much to lose. 'Big Joke' is probably the least corrupt in the current line-up and, in my view, genuinely wants to reform the police force for the benefit of Thailand, rather than his own benefit. If the Move Forward Party had been allowed to form government there is no doubt whom they would have picked.

It's just a tit for tat. 'Big Joke'was investigating the fatal shooting of the police officer by a village head and the subsequent cover-up by police present. The officer's supervisor committed suicide a few days later. The supervisor was a mate of the other leading contender for the police chief job who has taken personal umbrage at 'Big Jokes's' relentless pursuit of the truth in that corruption case (and that may have pressured the supervisor into suicide over his subordinate's murder.

The MRI/CT report will be in English, written by the chief radiologist (doctor). Most hospitals will give you the actual scan on a CD if you ask them. However, this is of limited use because each hospital in Thailand seems to use a different propriety software. Maybe there is an international standard you can ask for. The average public hospital will have a 3 - 4 week waiting list for a MRI. Of course, if you go to a private hospital they will organise it within a few days, depending upon any fasting requirements for the mandatory blood tests prior to the scan. A private hospital may want to work you up a bit. For example, they may set up an apointment with one of their gut doctors who will want a blood test and X-ray first. Depending on the abdominal complaint they may recommend a CT in preference to a MRI. Finally, the doctor will want to discuss the outcomes of the MRI/CT with you before handing over the written radiology report (normally one page).

Dear placeholder We will have to agree to disagree. Renewables don't make the cut for baseloading power (60%) because the wind does not always blow, the sun does not always shine, rivers do not always flow, hydro dams sometimes freeze or are drought affected etc. Renewables will always be used for peak loading (40%) where they will also command the highest return on electricity prices.

I'm not arguing about the huge advances in energy storage. I also think it is a good idea to avoid new power stations using fossil fuels. What I am saying is that there are no commensurate advances in the cost of generating the power to be stored. The world has been dependent on fossil fuels for nearly a century and governments won't give up the associated taxes and revenue streams. Consumers of electricity will have to pay their fair share. Fuel excises were worth $3.77 billion in 2022/23 revenue to the Australian government, charged at about 48 cents per litre of petrol. Nearly half is spent on road infrastructure and the rest goes to consolidated revenue. The average cost to each household is about $1210. To replace this revenue, an additional $1210 per year could be placed on individual car registrations. Of course, this could be done gradually as electric car uptake increases and should also apply to IC cars. Alternatively, governments could collect from electricity providers who will add a tarrif to electricity charges. In reality, governments will do both. They are not going to forgo revenue just because it is good for the environment.

Skyscanner allows you to select/chose the currency for pricing and payment. Obviously it is best to pay in your 'home' currency, if possible, to avoid exchange rates.

Aged care is crying out for workers, mainly peple to visit the elderly at home and take them shopping etc. But I imagine you need to go through police checks/accreditation before you can work. You might be able to register and do everything necessary online while still in Thailand.

It's a strange world. NZ adds extra taxes to diesel while Thailand subsidises diesel!

Electricity is becoming a scarcer resource because governments and the public are baulking at new coal, gas or nuclear base-loading powere stations. Look at the resistance to Thailand trying to build new gas power plants. Renewables will keep adding peak power, but cannot supply more baseline power. As demand continues to rise, prices will continue to rise. All governments tax petrol/gas and the revenues are significant contributions to revenues spent on roads and [ublic infrastructure. This revenue stream will need to be replaced as electric vehicles become increasingly mainstream and demands on domestic electric grids increases. Governments can increase vehicle registration costs or add surcharge taxes to electricity to compensate. They will do both.

I agree the price of electric cars will go down. However, the price of electricity will go up astronomically. The money for roads maintenance has to come from somewhere (most countries add it as tax to the price of petrol) and will hike up the price of electricity as the uptake of electric cars surge. At the moment the running cost for electric is about half that of petrol. Expect comparative electricity prices to reach parity within 5 years and double within 10 years (when there will be more electric cars on the road than IC cars), Of course, governments will keep adding taxes to petrol to articifically maintain parity. The only way to really save money will be to have a household solar and battery array. Recharge the car overnight from the solar battery. Connect the car battery to the house to run the house when needed. When car batteries typically reach 100 kWh, I would think about buying an electric car. The range, in real world circumstances, would be 500 km and the battery would be big enough to be a useful supplement in a household solar system.

My ex-wife got the house back in Australia. When I retired I had to make the decision to start afresh in Australia or Thailand (with my new Thai wife). I had enough money to buy a house in one country or another, but not both. We chose Thailand and built a house. After 10 years here I sometimes wonder what would have happened if we had bought a house in Australia. I've no doubt it would have been a great investement and probably doubled in value over that time. On the other hand, our house/land in Thailand is probably worth similar to when we purchased it 10 years ago. Like most farang I did not fully appreciate why the cost of land/houses is so cheap over here. One of the reasons is that there is only a limited market for second hand properties out here in rural Thailand and it is easy to over-capitalise. Houses do not appreciate (it's like buying a new car with the value dropping off quickly) although the land will go up if the location is favourable. Similarly, Thailand is an aging country and the population has levelled off and will decline. There is no chance of massive migration to pump growth (unlike Australia which welcomes 500,000 new migrants each year). I don't regret our choices because it was a life-style thing.

We don't know the full circumstances. Finding the body in a car park is a question, as suicides are usually alone and unassisted. But presumably the police have the results of the autopsy, have traced his final movements (including CCTV if available) and have checked his finances and mobile phone over the last few weeks for any unusual transactions/interactions.

I think, in general, Thai woman fall in love easily. They are like teenagers. Mostly, they can fall out of love and move on.

Interesting thread...I always wondered about the different coloured pipes. I didn't realise you could buy different wall thicknesses of plastic pipe. I use one of the local hardware shops and we can usually figure out what I want or need, despit my lack of Thai. Back in Australia, you would always go to one of the big chain stores because they were cheaper than local hardwares (if any remain). That's not the case in Thailand. Often the smaller/local shop is cheaper, or the same price, and offers better service.

You need a Terbinafine anti-fingal cream. There seems to be some built-up resistance to other older antifungal creams in Thailand.

You shouldn't get flats if you buy new. If you do, and you are in an urban area, there is always a repair shop within 500 m. You can ride with a flat (if you have to) as long as you keep it slow and careful. Most often, you will have a slow leak, and you will only notice it in the morning when you go to ride and the tyre is flat. Have a pump handy at home so you can pump it and ride to the nearest bike repair place you trust close to where you live. They will normally fix it on the spot at minimal cost (maybe 200 Baht). I wouldn't worry about carrying any tools. Repair costs and transport for the bike (if needed) are ridiculously cheap). As I said above, find a bike shop close to where you live. They can probably organise just about anything you need (including picking up a dead bike). Most repairs that could strand you give plenty of warning if you listen to your bike (unfortunately us older and lazier riders do not listen and wait for the worse).

As others have said, it's a mixed bag. On the one hand, most of the larger/edible wildlife have been shot/eaten and you won't find much except in the protected national parks. On the other hand, Thailand is a tropical country so vegetation is rampant and there is life aplenty during thewet season. But it is mainly aquatic, amphibious, reptilian or invertebrate. If you live in south Thailand, adjacent to a national park, no doubt youwould see plenty of wildlife. I've rehabilitated about one hectare of previous waste land. You can grow just about anything in the tropical climate (assuming you have access to water during the dry season) but most of the attracted wildlife will be cryptic or those species that can survive alongside rural farming. It's not like Australia where you can stop for a picnic just about anywhere and attract a bevy of wildlife. I'm amazed at all the lakes, swamps and wetlands around Thailand, most of which are devoid of waterbirds. Having said that, Thai rice farmers are getting better educated and waterbirds seem to be making a comeback in many areas (where they were previously shot out). One good thing about Thailand is that the import controls are pretty slack and you can buy all sorts of exotic species at pet markets. For example, coming from Australia I was deprived of land tortoises and iguanas, which you can easily buy here. You can get all sorts of exotic fish to stock your ponds, some of them true river monsters. I used to have iguanas living in the trees and swimming across the pond to sit on the verandah waiting on a feed. Unfortunately the neighbours killed and ate them when we were away for a few weeks. I'm sure they would have gotten my Asian Tortoise as well, but it weighs about 30 kg and resents being 'manhandled' (he prefers to be moved around in the wheelbarrow). So you can get just about any exotic pet you want which, in my view, helps make up for the lack of local wildlife.

I think there would be more options and opportunities for them if they were educated in the west. Whether they are happy or not is another question. But I don't think we can make the judgement that they will be happier having a lesser education and not knowing so much about the troubles of the world.

I reckon it's because Thailand is (relatively) cheap meaning an average working bloke can pull the birds and live like a rock star. Try living a similar life-style in a western country. You can't do it without being rich, famous, young and/or handsome.

My wife, an Isan Thai, will not eat Japanese food because it may contain raw fish. However, she happily devours Isan delicacies such as raw prawns, crabs, beef and pork, along with sauces made with raw freshwater scaled fish (source of liver flukes).

I like the wet season in Thailand best (June - September). I love the cooling wind that comes with storms and seeing the torrential rain filling up my ponds. It's a lot of work for me, cleaning out the gutters, digging out the drainage lines, tidying up torn down trees etc. But everything is grren and alive. Having said that, this wet season has been a bust with rainfall <50% average. I don't mind 'winter' (October - January) although it only gets really cool for 3 or 4 weeks after Christmas. However, the humidity is normally gone. The 'build up' to the wet season (February - May) is, of course, often unbearably hot and humid punctuated by the odd wild storm. It's at this time of year I start to think maybe I should be elsewhere.