geisha

Next time you book an Airbnb, ask for the screenshot of your arrival immediately, saying you are going to immigration the next day. A neighbour of mine did this in Phuket , got his screenshot the same day. Some people earn a lot of money through Airbnb legally, and don’t want to be reported to the company. Ask before you book anywhere in Thailand. Really, it is up to you to know these things, especially where immigration is concerned.

Quick answer, no.

Falun Gong was never a dangerous sect. It was even accepted in China, until it became too big and frightened the leader of the communist party ! Who apparently put a stop to it, arrested and tortured thousands of its members , who were also used as medical donors , the same as many other prisoners in China.

Don’t consider it unless you like trouble.

I did the day trip to Ayutthaya trip. It was very relaxing and picturesque.

I really think you need to buy some books ! Boredom can drive a man crackers.

Oh dear !!!!

Normally easy to see total price tax included on any booking. Usually on price details. I always look as most places don’t advertise the full,price.: booking.com usually do, and if there’s any extras, they state that.

Obviously November December and January are high season prices. From LHR, have you thought of flying to Amsterdam or Paris etc and getting a cheaper flight there ? Also, watch the days you book, Friday, sat sun , more expensive. Late night or very early morning cheaper flights. Yes, heard that EVA air was ok. Check TripAdvisor too. But always book direct with airline.

Buy a kindle ! Thousands of books in your preferred language, History, geography, fiction , thrillers, religious, biography, Nobel prize winners, Booker prize everything you want. Now and again I read books that I read in my teens, or all the new authors of India, Japan etc. Never ending. i would be lost without my books, no matter where I am in the world. Yes, I’m’sorry for the book’shops, but’ I’m often in places where they don’t exist, and my young days of traveling with a suitcase full of books is over. Now, my kindle fits into my hand bag, and I can buy whatever book I want , online, anywhere in the world.

Pipe dreams, nothing else, especially in countries like Thailand.

I think the wife will be charged for lack of housekeeping.

Taipan had a very bad reputation in the past. I remember friends from Surin beach on holiday, asking to be dropped off there, and the taxi driver telling me , no no, tell them not to go there !!!

If you’re looking for a great pizza, you’re looking at the wrong country!

In my work we have imported food stuffs from Thailand, and other Asian countries. About 5 years back, half our Thai products were banned by customs sanitary checks. The frozen prawns / tiger prawns were a problem too. Those we had to buy elsewhere and still do. Not EU standard.

Yes, we tend to forget the huge business of Package holidays. There are reasonable cheap holidays to Thailand from all around the world. You look at flight center, tui, etc and you see quite decent hotels included in these deals , albeit ones that are a bit “out of the way “ . I know someone a few years back that took one of these, with a Bangkok/ Chiang Mai circuit, and didn’t get on the flight back. He stayed in Thailand and Cambodia. One way of traveling I suppose.

Up to you, it’s your choice.

That’s why I ended with “ this class of hotels”.There are thousand of hotels in Thailand that do not belong to the group. Most of them independent.

Actually, no. His father was us military having served in world war 2 and the Korean War. His mother worked for Time magazine. Heineken lived in Thailand since the age of 14, was educated in Bangkok. He began with a 1200$ bank loan and started a cleaning enterprise . From there , his work grew and grew. He didn’t get to his present position because of wrong decisions. No one can hardly call him foolish. I live in an area that relies completely on tourism. Everything, and especially hotels and restaurants have been brought to their knees because of Covid. Only the fittest survived. They need all the help they can get to refurbish, restaff ( higher wages) , and pay off the loans they had . How many businesses are laughing all the way to the bank after more than two years of loss ??? If he thinks the industry needs this boost, then I think he’s probably right. 8$ is not the end of the world for this class of hotels ( Anantara, Avani and many more) . It’s not going into his pocket or to the government but to help a suffering industry.

Could they have been serious collectors items ? Some people are gun or old wartime objects collectors.,? I knew someone who had his basement full , from arms to helmets uniforms , to even ancient stuff.

There are always Baht buses every day !

The billions that are lost in social benefits in the EU alone is unimaginable . I have had neighbors who milk the system well over the amounts hard working people earn a month. The governments can’t seem to control this, or clamp down on the fraud fast enough. I know many from EU that live in Thailand like this for many months, claiming at home, parents covering for them . When the time comes, they go home, work a few months, sign on again, rinse and repeat. One I know even has a job in Chiang Mai in a call center. Thieves, the lot of them.

I think he will definitely try his best. Let’s hope he is not stopped like last time. My belief, he is a good honest man. After a terrible jet ski accident in Phuket concerning two people I knew, I met a policeman who was on the case. He was marvelous, devoting his time, and even his money to helping. He stopped the jet ski mafia coming into the hospital, drove me back to Patong every evening after visiting the ICU , took the Finnish idiot who drove into the 2 guys to the prison with me as interpreter as the Finnish guy was terrified , gave him money for food, gave him a pack of cigarettes etc. Endless help. There are good police out there and I think Mr Surachet is one of them. Best of luck to him.

Cant you do a border hop ??

I think I read it would be 10:years before they can reapply. And even then, would they be accepted ? That boat has sunk.