dlclark97

If Thailand actually wants tourists, many will expect to have alcohol available. What is needed more is local education on responsible alcohol consumption.

Have been questioned by my Thai bank about my inbound transfers on occasion. Usual question, what is the money for. At one time a house was being built so that was my reply and that was all. Other times my response was 6 months or a years living expenses. Again no problem.

What has happened to Moderna? No mention of it. Many have pre-paid. In my case my cardiologist at a private hospital and because of existing conditions has recommended I wait for Moderna. Supposedly I am on a priority waiting list. No shots to date.

It is possible to have a dog put to sleep. There was an older dog (owners pet) that 'came with' a house that I was renting. After a couple of years it was obvious to anyone that the dig was very ill and in much pain. The owner came to visit and agreed it was time. He contacted a vet that would do the procedure. There was a Thai ceremony that went along with the process. Dog was sedated and calm throughout the 2-3 hour process. At peace now.

Having just just bought a Honda City Hatchback for my daughter. Despite shopping many dealers, they do NOT offer any discounts period. What other brands offer as 'freebies' Honda charges for. In fact it was about an extra 23K for insurance, window tint, side window rain deflectors, trunk (if that's what you call it) liner, floor mats and a car cover. Granted these were all high quality accessories. I miss my Chevrolet dealer! And, the white color was an extra 10K option. Go figure!

Just a guess but I don't think tourism will substantially recover until many restrictions/laws are changed or done away with. Tourists want a destination that is more enjoyable and more entertaining than their homes. They already have their upscale shopping malls so why spend a lot of money to go see another countries malls that possibly offer higher prices for similar goods they could buy at home. The super rich tourists expected, have most likely worked, saved and invested to become that way. They are smart with their money. They will not put up with some insurance requirements needed to come to visit or live in Thailand. For an older person the Thai companies 40,000/400,000 plan could cost well over 200,000 baht a year and there would most likely be exclusions for pre-existing conditions. Why would anyone already with an international insurance company that covers accident or illness in Thailand even consider that?

Had that comment already to cut/paste.

Looks like alopecia very often caused by stress. When it is whole body it is called alopecia universalis. Don't worry, many ladies love the look. I suffered from it many years ago and am still bald. Think of the money you may save on haircuts.

So many cars and pickups are detuned for performance and that can creates heavy exhaust smoke under load. Static testing, although it may help a little probably will not detect the levels of pollutants emitted when the vehicle is under load or hard acceleration. Recently, a vehicle accelerating in front of me emitted such heavy smoke it turned my automatic wipers on.

In addition to the threat of contracting COVID 19 in a bar or in other areas of close socializing there are many other reasons to limit the un-responsible consumption of alcohol. And yes, I do have an occasional but rare alcoholic beverage. I am not sure which is the bigger threat, COVID or the drinking driver. Just look at the continual carnage on Thai roads. Many of which could be eliminated by strong enforcement of the road laws by a mobile police force. Want to see possible COVID infections and accidents in the making? Just go to any public beach on a weekend or holiday and observe the alcohol flowing among many unmasked and un-distanced persons.

Almost all above replies are short and brutally on point. One thing inhibiting tourists is the ridiculous insurance requirements. Even the most well to do persons, especially if older would baulk at having to pay the rates being charged. I understand much of this began due to unpaid hospital bills. But any international insurance meeting the required levels that are also applicable in Thailand should be acceptable for short or even long stays. Perhaps charging every man, woman and child coming from an international destination whether by land, sea, or air, 1000-2000 baht on arrival and 5000-10000 baht for in country extensions of stay to be deposited in a fund for unpaid medical services at any hospital would be more acceptable and equitable for everyone.

Have a friend in Rayong but he uses Kleang for renewals, not as crowded. For Rayong suggest arrive VERY early or you may get appointment for next day. Have you done test on line?

What about those whose doctor had recommended only Moderna for medical reasons?

Was the boy bare foot? Pretty common here. My father-in-law died (damp feet having just dried off from showering) when he touched the control box for an outdoor lighting system. Whoever had newly installed it had not provided any grounding. When I bought my house I went to every electrical outlet and tested them. Although grounded, every outlet tested as incorrectly wired. Contractor corrected the next day.

Some Thais are very good swimmers. After I watched my wife swim and dive while on a 3 island snorkeling tour on Koh Chang I convinced her (with little effort) to go on a PADI Discover Scuba trip. Little did I know I would create a monster. We have been diving in the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. She dives with the Thai Navy on reef conservation projects and at any other time she can get to go. My daughter and I also dive but can't go with her everywhere. She is well on the way to becoming an instructor. I'm actually pretty proud of her, I know it is something she can do and enjoy long after I'm gone.

Furthest end from Beach Road. I just shopped there.

Learning to swim is a must! Aside from the safety aspect, for the young (and some old) it opens up a whole new world of adventure especially if they also learn to snorkel and even SCUBA dive.

Amen to a second language. But from personal experience very few Thai teachers can properly teach it. So much on the world uses and some occupations are required to know/use the English language. But will Chinese be the second language here soon?

Make sure they know the transfer is between wife and husband otherwise a heavy charge.

Why after three previous raids finding the same or similar conditions is this venue even allowed to continue operating?

Can not see any way you could infer these were all Thais. The pix is too small and too dark to support your response.

For TomKorat33. At this time unless you are sneaking across the river from Mexico immigration is very tight. As far as her assets they my be considered as things that are easily sold. As far as her job, being a government school teacher is not usually a high paying or particular prestigious job and likely easy to walk away from. If she were a secretary at a major international company, an airline flight attendant or similar her job would be looked upon as highly prestigious and one she would not likely walk away from. Has she travelled to other countries and returned? Those passport stamps could be a positive. I say the above as I once attended a briefing by the ACS when they were making quarterly presentations around the country and tourist visas was one of the most discussed topics. Also what we were told was that because of the number of persons applying for visas to the USA is that the interviewing agents only had a 3-5 minute window when interviewing each applicant. In my case my wife and step daughter's documents, and there were several, were never looked at by the interviewer. An agent may help. In addition to the documents you should find one that can 'school' your wife how to answer various questions.

My experience with a rejection for my wife and step daughter was that we received to rejection letter and were advised to reapply after waiting for a while. We had all the correct documents. No reason was given for the rejection.

What would they receive in return from the government if they did pay taxes? Most of the girls I have met are only doing what they must to survive. Granted, some are able to make a fine living from their work at least in monetary terms. Most I have met are ladies and I treat them as such. Their lack of a decent education is pretty common here and prevents them from obtaining work at a living wage so they do what they have to often providing support to their immediate and sometimes distant relatives. How many times have I heard of a girl with thousands of baht in their possession going to visit their families and coming back with nothing left for themselves. If you frequent the high tourist areas (if there is such a thing anymore) you may meet ladies who have the 'get what you can while you can' attitude as their 'customers' are here for 2-3 weeks then gone for another year or so. Many wonderful ladies in the less touristy areas may be more content with someone who may turn out to be a long term boyfriend or even a husband and they treat them well. To avoid the bar/go go scene look for a lady at the mall, local hospital, bank and many other similar places. Great potential spouses are every where, just go meet them.

Gambling should never be legalized here. Too many people here believe so much in 'luck, amulets, lucky numbers and whatever else' that they waste what little money they may have betting on their potential big winnings that never come. No such thing as 'legal' gambling here except of course the government lottery that seems to escape the laws on gambling. Look at the USA Power Ball and other similar lottery types. They have had multi million and I believe now even a billion dollar winner. Just think if instead of having a multi million winner, they could run the game so there could be multiple one million dollar winners for each game enriching the lives of so many more people.