AlexRich

Thats's quite a challenge. If the kids were 5 and 8 I'd say go for it, as they will eventually catch up and by the time they are taking important exams they will be on a level playing field. But at 13 and 16 they would have to be exceptionally intelligent, gifted even, to cope successfully with that level of change. The danger is that your well intentioned move has the opposite impact - it worsens their life chances rather than enhancing them. Perhaps it might make sense to stay in Thailand until they have both completed their education?

I had a small canvas backpack that I used to sling over my back when walking in Pattaya, including Walking Street. I noticed a tear in my backpack that looked as if it was made by a box cutter. I recall being stuck in the crowd whilst walking in this street, so I wasn't able to move as quickly as I normally do. Nothing was taken, so it was a failed attempt. It was quite a few years ago so I suspect this type of activity has been going on for many years. If you are walking in crowds best keep your bag in your hand and in front of you. Lesson learned.

Best not to take any action off a phone call, especially if the caller is trying to rush you into doing something. Just go into your Bank or phone them on a number you find on the card or website, preferably using a different telephone from the one you used to take the call. This situation is only going to get worse, so we all have to be hyper vigilant.

The problem with the Pattaya Songkran is that it goes on too long and it attracts the worse kind of foreigners who try to knock people off of their scooters, and other bad behaviour disguised as "fun".

The time it took to respond beggared belief. The IDF would have known about the attack before any of them left Gaza.

Move on, nothing to see here? I don't think so. The 7 October attacks are what led to the current situation in the Middle East, and need to be investigated thoroughly. Like 9/11, there was a lot going on that day that simply didn't make sense. You can get an Apache helicopter up in the air in 5 minutes, the slow response to the attack by the IDF requires investigation.

When leaders lose their grip on power they sometimes engineer a war to stay in power. To this day the 7th October attack disturbs me, as Israel has one of the best intelligence/surveillance operations in the world. I still can’t get my head around how this happened? When this war ends Netanyahu will lose power, and his legal woes could land him in jail. An attack on a Quds force General in Syria was always going to elicit a response from Iran, albeit a telegraphed and slow moving attack that Israel dealt with fairly easily. Clearly Iran don’t want direct confrontation, as they are not quite there when it comes to obtaining a nuclear weapon. But they are close. I would not be surprised to see an Israeli attack on Iran in response. Netanyahu can’t afford peace.

I wouldn't go to Thailand without a decent income/pension and a back up plan if anything happens that would lead me back home. You can live relatively cheaply if you want, but it's wise to have a cushion for unforeseen events.

For the most part, real. Bear in mind we are generalising, so there are plenty of villains in Thailand, like any other country.

Natural friendliness.

The point is that the pollution in Chiang Mai is likely to reduce a persons life expectancy, and increase the risk of cancer. I love Chiang Mai, it is a great place, but you can't stay there year after year and expect to remain healthy.

Dude looks like a lady?

The Artful Dodger escapes London, only to reemerge in Thailand. Thieving little bar steward.

Yeah? Anything with a “trans” prefix.

He is merely projecting his own desires onto others.