PaoloR

My first 6 cars were Mini's I would buy MOT failures, patch them up (they always had floor pans rusted through); get them through my friendly local MOT station then sell them at a profit. One never made it, sitting on the driveway for spares, and slowly rusting away until parental pressure forced its removal. The gear sticks in early Mini's were long sticks poking out from the floor. As the car got older and worn, the gear stick would shake and drop out of 3rd gear on corners - for years I still had the habit of tucking my clutch foot under the gear lever on 3rd gear bends. Any car "activities" with girls had to be in the back seat as the car was too small. I quickly learned to park facing downhill with the seats tipped forward after I was nearly circumcised when the rocking motion of the car caused the front seat to fall back on top of me whilst in flagrante. Happy days!

Readily available online here in LOS

Setting up a company that does nothing - just owns some land, is a potential long-term burden. I did this 15 years ago and bore the costs of set up plus annual accounting and auditing fees. Two years ago, after the company had conducted no business other than owning the land and paying the accountants for 13 years; I was informed by the local government that unless the company started to function as a company should, with cash flows and transactions, then the company would be deemed inactive and be forced to close. I didn't bother to contest this - I had enough of accountant's fees!

Many companies will either refuse to insure you once you are over 70 - or put so many restrictions on your policy as to make the insurance inadequate. Not useful for the OP but if you apply at 69 you can get cover well past 70 I got 20 years (until 89) with not much in the way of restrictions with Thai Life. Downside is all the documentation is in Thai and there's a whole book to translate! If you are approaching 70 do it now - the company admitted they would have declined to insure me if I had applied and not completed the policy before my 70th birthday; stating "those are our rules".

I only eat Thai food - there is no deterioration in any of the restaurants I eat in. Why go to another country and complain about the price and quality of food when you choose a cuisine that uses imported ingredients, or ones the local population don't use?

Not the router's fault Ditch the paranoia, your affliction is psychosomatic. As the Thais would say: You think too much!

And again!

Please note that this advert is dated September 12th and the offer no longer applies. Despite being out of date and no longer applicable, Asean Now keeps showing it!

There is no "lost evidence" Go and read it online Oops - sorry, you only accept evidence that supports the view and lies of your Orange Messiah.

Do you believe everything that comes out of the deluded mouth of the orange one? Do you not have the intelligence to go online and read the whole lot? Or are you so wrapped up in the Magaverse that you can no longer do any checking for yourself?

It is not any other democracy - it is in America where vast sums of money are spent every four years on a complete clown show of lies, exaggeration and childish name calling. The winner then spends the next two years preparing for the mid-terms, rather than actually doing anything for the people by way of governing. Reality shows have become the new reality in the USA!

You missed the point. Modern synthetics wick the sweat away from the skin - far healthier and far more comfortable. Polyester is relatively inert and very few individuals are allergic to polyester, most have some reaction to bacteria that develop in sweat-soaked cotton, or chemicals from washing powder and softener retained by poor rinsing. Basic polyester is sweaty and uncomfortable, wicking polyester is a whole different ball game - give it a try and you will see.

Ditch the cotton T shirts - you complain of a sweaty belly and the colour changing. Switch to wicking polyester (goes under many labels) does not fade, much more comfortable, no ironing required, much more hygienic. Try one and you won't go back.

From Krabi to Koh Samui, Lomprayah have the best service as they organise all the transfers. Public buses run from station to station and there is always a disconnect when you wish to switch to a ferry or other form of transport. They also appear to have more modern buses and slightly better controlled drivers

Just returned from a full spine MRI at Wattanapat Hospital in Trang. Quoted 22k Advised by my referring doctor to question the price and inform them that I was resident in Thailand. Paid 11.2k after showing my retirement visa. Purpose of the scan was to monitor spinal stenosis and the site of a 2-year-old herniated disc. Quality of the scan was fine (sadly my spine is not!) Prices can be very different when you move away from hospitals in tourist areas

I just completed this quiz. My Score 70/100 My Time 117 seconds  

I just completed this quiz. My Score 80/100 My Time 56 seconds  

I lived there for 2 years. Hated the city of Taipei, loved the country outside of the capital. Moved there from Shanghai where I loved the city but was not much impressed by the country around. Beautiful countryside away from Taipei which has a poor microclimate (it is in a low depression and can get covered in a haze of pollution) So I would fly into Taipei and head South to visit the mountains and the Taroko Gorge. Food is good with a different slant on Chinese food from most Chinese you will eat elsewhere. The stinky fermented bean curd is an acquired taste and can cause nasal offence to some visitors.

Add in the Crystal/ Emerald pool and hot springs, kayaking through the caves at Bor Tor, climbing up to the temple at Wat Tham Sua. Huay Toh waterfall and the National Park that surrounds it, lunch at the viewpoint overlooking Thalane bay and 5 days will not be enough. There is far more to Krabi/Ao Nang than the beaches and islands which may be ruled out by inclement weather or heavy seas. p.s. leave James Bond Island to the Chinese - much overrated and a complete tourist trap' also update yourself on which islands/beaches have been closed indefinitely due to coral bleaching. 12 Marine National Parks Closed to Combat Coral Bleaching (prd.go.th)

In Krabi province (Krabi town does not have a beach) there is far less traffic so, with transport, the beaches are far more accessible. Klong Muang, Tubkaek and Pan beach are unpopulated beautiful beaches. Long beach (Hat Yao) is 10km of empty beach. Railay is beautiful but busy in the season. No Jet skis, no hawkers, no banana boats make the beaches IMO much better. Prices are better than Phuket Virtual absence of naughty night-life is a bonus for some. Each to their own, but the absence of traffic and the laid-back atmosphere make this a better place for me.

Buy a rechargeable taser from an online store or tourist market. Not to actually tase the dog! Press the button and see the reaction from the dog - they hate the sound and run. I use one when cycling in the morning - carrying a stick on a bicycle is too cumbersome. It works well on the pack of 8 dogs at my local temple and so far, 2 years, none has ventured near.

Every scooter rental in my location only offers 3rd party insurance (pororbor) which is dubious at best with many doubts as to whether they will pay out on a rental. When I made inquiries on behalf of a potential renter; every rental company here refused to supply a scooter with full insurance - "not possible" was the answer every time. When enquiring for a friend who wished to rent a bigger bike for a 2 week tour, the companies we tried, despite initially claiming to have insurance, were unable to provide any paperwork on said insurance. Draw your own conclusions!

At least they were wearing helmets!

Agoda and other sites are commercial companies who need to make a profit. When they give you cash redemptions and other "goodies" who do you think is paying for them - you with higher prices! Book through the hotel website, or direct, if they won't give you a better price than a booking site; then walk away.

Complete bull excretion, Agoda charge hotels between 5% and 20% for their services. Most hotels will give a discount for a direct booking. However, larger chain hotels will often make their front desk charge a higher price as there is no record of the transaction. If the guest pays in cash, the money may not reach the account. A symptom of them not trusting their front desk staff. In addition, there are not stop scammers attacking hotels at the moment, duplicating OTA (online travel agent) websites, pretending to be previous customers with a complaint, requesting bank details to transfer a deposit etc. So, chain hotels have implemented strict policies to mitigate losses which involves restricting the front desk's ability to make any financial decisions. If the front desk won't offer a discount for a walk-in, then go elsewhere or ask for the manager and point out you are saving him money.