HauptmannUK

Ruparelia is an Indian (Hindu) surname - most likely from western Gujarat. Very likely that's where his parents hail from - possibly via East Africa. Anyway, its yet another nonsense article based on some self-promoting TikToker. Not sure why the media bother with these stories. I don't suppose he'll be any more successful in Thailand than in the UK. Not sure what career opportunities Thailand can offer over the UK. Possibly he can take a position teaching English on poverty wages with no pension. Despite all the criticism of the UK there are still lots of opportunities to get on. My wife arrived from Thailand in 2015 with virtually no English and no qualifications and in 2016 went into partnership in a hotel/restaurant. She now makes serious money - many times what she'd earn in Thailand.

The crime here is the price. 14k is absolutely ridiculous!

What's the current price for Extension of Stay - ฿1900 ? Plus multi-entry permit which is ฿3800. So less than ฿6k total. Would they really increase that to ฿40k+ (£1000) ?. I doubt it.

If these increased costs really do come to pass then its going to have a profound effect on visitor behaviour. And the cost on in-country extensions will need to rise accordingly. The ME tourist visa looks particularly unattractive when a 30 day visa waiver entry is available. Also those of us with Thai family will switch away from 90-day Non-O to multiple 30-day entries. At the moment a 90-day costs £60, which I accept. But £380+ is a bit much to stomach, even though I consider myself reasonably affluent. I could do 3x 30-day free entries interleaved with two side trips to neighbouring countries and that £385 would go a long way toward paying for those trips. And the 1-year ME N-O at about £1000 looks terrible value for over-50s when you can pay an agent less than half that for a retirement visa. So will they clamp down on number of visa waiver entries and radically increase the price of extensions?

I have a matching Samsung soundbar and subwoofer for my Samsung TV. It all connects together wirelessly and works well. It wasn't expensive - around ฿16000 IIRC.

That page was last updated Sept. 2022. The fee increases posted by RTE NZ are effective from March 19th 2024. I think its a case of 'watch this space'....!

I don't see how. Can you explain please?

If you have a trip planned in the next few months then it would be prudent to apply now. My wife (Thai) and I usually split our time between UK and Thailand - with 2x 3-month visits each year. Myself entering on a 90-day 'Family non-O'. We have a trip booked for May so I shall apply for the visa next week. If these new fees come to pass then we won't be doing any more 90-day trips. It'll be 30 days Thailand then a visit for a few weeks to somewhere like Vietnam or Japan, back to Thailand for 30 days etc. Rather irksome that the Russians get a 90 day waiver. Still, up to the Thais to choose their preferred visitor demographic I guess.

I've had them done routinely every few on UK NHS since I turned 50. Always been very professional and done without sedation. I felt quite relaxed. Feels a little bit weird, but definitely not painful.

I drink very little and don't take drugs. I do very much enjoy sex though, as does my wife, and we often take a girl together. The only problem is finding girls who are not shy to do a three-way - we have 'regulars' though. Some girls I take alone (with my wife's agreement). She thinks its good for my 'gamlangjai' (morale). We've been together almost 13 years and this has been a regular pastime so its just not an issue - just something to enjoy for an hour or so then get on with our day.

Its the latest E-Visa software using AI. Designed to mimic the behaviour of Thai immigration officers in rejecting documents that were previously accepted! But seriously, try adjusting the picture brightness and contrast.....

The LED glowing (known as 'ghosting') when switched off is because LEDs will give off some light with only a very tiny current. This ghost current is usually due to capacitive coupling in the light switch, or associated wiring, especially if the switch has been wired into the neutral rather than live. You could use a different design of switch or insert a lighting capacitor to bypass the current as mentioned above. Additionally there are LED units available with drive units that are designed to 'ignore' the ghost current. Your shower unit should be fed with a supply suitable for up to about 40A. Which means 6mm cable and 2.5mm earth. Obviously if the cable is undersized then you'll get voltage drops when the shower is pulling current and depending on how the house has been wired you could get voltage variations on other circuits. To be honest, from the situation that you've described, I would not mess about with your existing shambolic wiring. It sounds potentially hazardous. I would hire a proper professional electrician (from Bangkok if necessary) and have the house rewired with correct sized cables, earthing, new sockets and switches etc. We have a few properties in Pattaya and also up in Udon, all with LED lights and I can't recall replacing any for at least a few years. I think they are a mix of Philips and Panasonic.

Reads like a load of made-up claptrap to me...

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.