PaoloR

Do not buy into rubber unless you (or your partner) have experience. A tapper can ruin your trees by being greedy or inexperienced. If they cut too deep then the yield will drop and the tree becomes non-productive. If they cut too much, (more than one third of the tree circumference), yield will be up in the short-term, which increases their wages, and falls off badly later. The local government here in the South (Nakhon Si Thammarat area) is paying me to remove 40 rai of rubber and re-plant palm. The recommendation is not to re-plant rubber on the same land as diseases are spreading through this area and yields are diminishing. The OP does not state which area he lives in, however since he also talks about rice fields in the area check that there are experienced tappers available. It is becoming harder to find them, even here in the heart of Thailand's rubber production region. On the plus side the wood has value. Get a quote for removing the trees and subtract the value from the land price to see what the true land price is. I have just received 1.5m THB for the wood on my 40 rai.

I moved here with my girlfriend 21 years ago. We are still together and still here. I have worked in Asia for the majority of my life and lived in Indonesia, Taiwan, Singapore, China and Hong Kong. I also ran offices in Vietnam, Cambodia, India, Japan and Bangladesh. On balance I found Thailand to be the easiest and most comfortable place to settle long term.Not perfect, but then nowhere is. However, I choose not to live in Pattaya, Phuket, Bangkok or Isaan, but in the rural South. So many people chose to settle in the place where they holidayed or where they met their bar-girl partner, rather than choosing carefully a place that suits their long-term needs.

He said that, given the vastness of space, there were certain to be life forms out there somewhere. He then added there was no firm evidence that they had ever visited Earth. This view corresponds with what the majority of scientists and rational people believe.

I regularly buy toilets for our hotel. I now never buy that brand, as I experienced problems similar to yours. It was exacerbated by our high calcium content in the water which blocked the syphon holes on the underside of the bowl rim. Regular flushing with a de-calcifier was some help but not perfect I now buy Moya instead - and save money.

More like a ringpiece! (UK slang for a butthole)

I was stung twice by hornets when I accidently disturbed a small nest a few years ago. A disturbing side effect I discovered later is that I am now allergic to regular bee stings and carry an epi pen with me. A second disturbing thing I found out was, when I went into anaphylactic shock and my breathing was impaired, the hospital refused to administer an adrenaline shot as I was over 70. They were, however, prepared to let me self-administer the shot. - TIT

hen why does Trump and his MagaMinions want him to have it so much!

Shortly to be dual priced (as in Thailand) with visitors charged more. So will the National Parks still be the best thing?

The term is originally from the USA and is "cut the mustard" It has been in common usage in the US and UK since the beginning of the 19th century. Recorded use by author O.Henry in 1907 "Cut the muster" is attributed to Emdog, Recorded use 2025.

I am over 70, been using for 55 years. For the last 2 years over 2 grams per day of high quality, high THC per day (I grow my own) I am currently on an extended stay in a country where it is illegal and 3 weeks without a toke. No cravings, no symptoms of withdrawal. Just finding I dream a lot more at night and getting to sleep is harder.

Please go - we can only hope you have no internet connection in your motor-home!

So many truly deluded people. Once you lose your manufacturing base it is never coming back. How long will it take to re-build manufacturing? Who is going to pay for it? Where is the labor going to come from? How many products are going to be even close to competitive at US labor cost? AI doesn't make things. it is not the solution to this problem as many seem to believe. Plus - the biggest single con is looking only at consumables and not balancing it against services. For example, is Google tariffed? The money income flow from banking, insurance and so many service industries needs to be balanced against the outflow from purchasing consumables. Looking at only one side of the equation, then jumping on to tariffs as a means of miraculously bringing non-competitive manufacturing back to the U.S. is pie in the sky. The solution should have been to offshore manufacturing as it became uncompetitive and relocate the machinery and expertise to owned subsidiaries in low-cost countries. It worked for the Japanese and is now working for the Chinese. The USA which suffers badly from short-termism was not able to take the long-term view on offshoring and provide the finance to build elsewhere. It leapt at short-term profit taking and now thinks it can rectify the situation with tariffs.

Unlikely to be sold here as manufactured in Japan, Canada and China, which countries would incur import tax and price it out of the market. The Toyotas manufactured in Thailand are: Toyota Camry (1999–present) Toyota Corolla Altis (2001–present) Toyota Yaris (2006–present) Toyota Yaris Ativ (2017–present, exported as Toyota Vios) Toyota Corolla Cross (2020–present) Toyota Yaris Cross (2023–present)

Toyota have not sold the RAV4 officially in Thailand to date. There are grey imports from Malaysia and other countries. Check with them whether this will change

Wonderful how many of the cool-aid drinkers that post on here have fallen for the "AI will fix everything" trope. AI won't spin, weave/knit, dye and cut fabric. AI won't sew millions of garments. AI can't perform a manual task; it can only direct a program or a robotic machine. How much would it cost to build a factory full of cutting/ sewing/finishing robots? Probably comparable with the cost of setting up a car factory. $200 basic T shirts would sell well wouldn't they! Get real - it is the American consumer who requires cheap goods and has caused most basic products to be manufactured overseas. There is no way back except to move on to selling services and intellectual product, which the USA has already done. Nike - for example, manufacture 95% of their products overseas. Product development, design, marketing etc. happen in the USA. Garments come into port at 3 USD landed and retail for 20 USD. The manufacturer is lucky to make 15% (45 cents) The rest goes to Nike and the retailer less transport, write downs etc. So who is the winner here? Nike and the retailer, not the factory who makes the garment. The other real winner is the end customer who gets what they want at the best price. Charge them the price it really costs to do all of this in the USA and hear the screams! Followed shortly by Nike going bust.