HauptmannUK

Eat Thai food every day both in UK and Thailand. My wife part-owns a hotel and Thai restaurant in the UK and loves to cook and experiment with Thai food. I also cook sometimes. Obviously the restaurant serves 'Westernised' Thai food but at home we eat the real deal. She makes her own spice pastes and sauces. Pretty much every Thai ingredient is now available from UK importers - even things like 'Isaan Caviar' (red ant eggs) and 'Isaan Almonds'.

I had more in mind that I might take God's word to them and preach in the workplace - try to 'connect' with them, so to speak....

Hmm..... you make a powerful argument. I might go along there and join up....

This air purifier is essentially a fan unit that clips on top of a Xiaomi 4 Lite filter. The filters are identical to Xiaomi's and the same price. Obviously its going to be cheaper because there is no housing and minimal electronics.

We often take a few days down there. Mae Ram Pheung beach is nice, Khao Lem Ya (small national park at the end). Very very quiet on weekdays. There are a few condos along there (Russians are moving in now), a few resorts and small hotels. Just after Christmas we stayed at Sunvada Beach Villas - newly opened and very clean. There is also Saeng Chan (Moonlight) beach, but not as nice IMHO.

I assume this is an older vehicle. Many car manufacturers (inc. Toyota) moved away from printed service books some years ago. The service record is held on computer, referenced via the VIN. You'll be given a printed invoice as your own record. A dealer should be able to print off a list of services/repairs done if presented with proof of ownership (i.e. Tabien Rot). Toyota probably no longer have any printed service books left to sell...

What you've got there is a GM Ecotec engine. Its one of GM's Global Engine family with design input from US, Germany, Shanghai-GM and GM Seoul. Unfortunately its poorly designed and cheaply made. It appears in various car brands - GM Chevrolet/Pontiac. Holden, Vauxhall, Opel, MG etc etc. They suffer a long list of problems including timing chain wear, cooling system parts that fail quickly and head gasket failure. I would not spend a single Baht fixing that engine. Either sell the car as-is with declared fault or try to locate a good secondhand engine to swap out and then sell the car. Buy something Japanese but avoid anything with belt-in-oil engine (that means Honda with the 10A 1.0T engine or Nissan with the Renault-designed HR10DET 1.0T engine).

I get lower eyelid twitching when I get very tired.

You're an 'Indigenous Australian' then?

At one time most 'Australian' names were of English, Scottish, Welsh or Irish derivation. Nowadays as likely to be Greek, Turkish, Middle Eastern, Indian or Asian.

The use of YouTube and Social Media is new but begging to support a bar is not. Must be 25 years ago I had a bar owner literally crying real tears on my shoulder begging for money. Running a bar with his cute Thai girlfriend and they'd just had a baby. He was running out of money and desperate. I declined to invest. Anyway it turned out his staff were robbing him (probably GF colluding). He split up with his GF and a few months later returned to Europe, broke and broken. I knew a British bar owner who was keeping his bar afloat with his pension income. When GBP took a big plunge in 2016 he was in trouble and asking anyone he knew to 'invest'. The bar eventually closed up. I think the stress of it affected him because a year or so later he had a stroke. His cold-hearted GF packed her bags and went back to Korat. He made it back to the UK. Pattaya - the graveyard of dreams.

I used to do consultancy work for a division of the Thai government and for some reason they would only make payment into an SCB account - they wouldn't pay into my Bangkok Bank. Therefore no choice but to open an account with SCB....... poor service though.

Where was this lecture written, Beijing?

LOL! What a Wannabee! Living it large at Novotel with a ฿400 drink?! Try Lebua Sky Bar - a mineral water is nearly ฿1000 and a cocktail will set you back ฿3000. But you won't get in wearing shorts and sandals... Where were you privately educated? I went to Uppingham (West Deyne). Sir Malcolm Campbell, Boris Karloff and Steven Fry amongst the old boys. Also my old chum 'Tricky-Dicky' Tice (Reform UK leader)....

Agree. A lot of Western guys in Thailand are lonely or have emotional problems, low self-esteem etc. They are vulnerable and easily preyed upon by these women.

Thai sugar intake is huge. Years ago it was a rare thing to encounter an obese Thai person - nowadays its common.

I've been visiting, working and living in Thailand on and off for several decades and this is almost a standard script for many of the relationships between a Western male and a Thai lady. You'll probably find a few addictions behind these demands for money (alcohol, yaba, gambling etc) - brothers, sisters etc. Its very unlikely its all being spent on wholesome activities - but I think you know that? I am baffled why the guys continually pay out. Its not always to poor women either, sometimes the more affluent women with 'proper' jobs are worse because they have proportionately higher expectations. Anyway, there are plenty of decent, attractive, women out there who won't take advantage. Look for one of them.

If you're using an Android device you could try YouTube Vanced.

Apparently about 2000 bends on that road. Vans and pickups driven by the usual suicide jockeys...

To be clear, non-emergency treatment IS chargeable for non-residents. Only emergency treatment is free. The reality is that the vast majority of doctors don't have the time or inclination to determine if their patients should be charged or not, so you may well get minor routine treatment free. If its major non-emergency treatment (e.g. a course of radiotherapy, maternity services, a major op) then you will more than likely be checked for eligibility. Having no registered GP would be a red flag. My daughter worked in Birmingham Heartlands A&E for a time. Its not far from Birmingham Airport and they'd get people arriving straight from the airport still with their luggage, often quite ill (cancer etc) expecting treatment. From places like Nigeria... Obviously a difficult situation and rather politically sensitive. They also had patients from overseas trying to pass themselves off as a UK-resident relative - but date of birth and medical history would be wrong. And be assured that illegal immigrants DO present themselves for NHS treatment. They walk into GP surgeries and hospitals asking for treatment and they do receive treatment. An issue for doctors (BMA) is whether they become part of UK immigration enforcement. The majority (including my daughter) don't want to get involved.

Yes emergency treatment is freely available to anyone presenting themselves to the NHS, even illegal immigrants. My comments were really relating to ongoing non-emergency treatment - if the patient is not 'resident' in the UK then its chargeable.

Ok. And what percentage of the many tourists pouring into Thailand do you think are actually aware that prostitution is illegal ?

You asked how people in the UK opened bank accounts.....

In the UK we DO NOT have ID cards. And many people (especially young people) do not have a driving licence. If they look young they MAY be asked for some proof of age - often a college or university ID card.

Surprisingly in the UK we don't have ID cards and many people don't drive. Those individuals use things like utility bills, electoral register etc.