wolf81

13 hours ago, Caldera said:

I don't think that they'd cancel it outright, but that they might change the rules down the line in a way that affects existing visa holders is a legitimate concern. As with pretty much everything in Thailand, you pay your money and you take your chances - there will be no recourse if anything goes wrong.

I believe the rules of the visa state that all extra benefits (taxi service, discounts at some places, etc…) could be removed at any time, but the basic visa shouldn't change for the duration.

My GF used to rent a small apartment in Pattaya for 3.500 Baht a month (utilities paid separately). It was basically a bedroom with a small balcony and bathroom. 

On 11/11/2019 at 5:07 PM, RedPill said:

The world is going mad ... a few days ago someone told me that there is an increasing trend in the Netherlands that ambulance helpers are getting physically attacked.

 

I couldn't believe it, but true ... https://nltimes.nl/2018/04/10/suspects-violence-dutch-emergency-workers

 

Some people must be seriously f$# up in their minds if they make no space for ambulances, give them a finger ... or even physically attack them.

 

 

In The Netherlands it's often Muslims who get angry if male ambulance personnel touches a Muslim woman in need. Man can't touch woman unless married or closely related (e.g. father, brother) in Islam. Makes it difficult for ambulance personnel to help Muslim woman in need if they're not female themselves.

In Sweden its even worse, often ambulance personal need a police escort when entering some minority areas.

https://www.rt.com/news/379121-sweden-ambulance-attacks-nogo-zones/

I believe at this very moment there's a Thai soap opera on television every night that is partially filmed in either Austria or Switzerland (can read some German signs in villages and such). The country itself is portrayed in this Thai soap as some fictional Thai-speaking country with some Thai leadership. I can understand why such a developed country can be inspiring for the Thai public. I think miss Davika Hoorne is one of the leads.

I occasionally "manscape".

Shaving the armpits seems to reduce sweat and thus bad smells. In The Netherlands didn't bother, but here in Thailand with all the humidity it seems like a good idea.

I also shave hair on my shoulders. Did the same in The Netherlands. I just don't like the look of hair on my shoulders. And of course trim nose hair, ear hair, etc… now and then. 

I also shave public hair a bit if it grows too long, otherwise it might itch a bit. But if I shave, I keep at least a few millimeters of hair … don't want to look like a baby.

I also don't shave my chest hair, of which I have plenty.

On 11/4/2019 at 2:24 PM, baansgr said:

Old pictures posted months ago

What is this place called, opposite Pattaya?

5 hours ago, Pedrogaz said:

What's with this woman. Not attractive, not funny, not even a good actress.

And what was the thing with 'Friends'...I watch it a couple of times and it left me numb.....telegraphed punch lines and canned laughter. I suppose some people will watch anything.

For what it's worth (I admit: not much,), I've always found her quite attractive. 

I don't live in Mae Hong Son, but a bit more to the north. Perhaps 60 kilometers to the North-East of Mea Hong Son province.

In my area the burning season is horrible … or at least was last year. But it might still be better than Chiang May city (not sure). At least less traffic and such. Mea Hong Son might be a bit better. From what I read air quality around Pai is among the best in Thailand.

Apart from the burning season, it's ok-ish for me. I'm staying in the village because my girlfriend likes to stay close to her mother. Not many people to talk to as I don't speak fluent Thai, but I'm an introvert so that's ok with me. Not many foreigners here … probably in my village none at all, but occasionally I see one on the market in the nearby "city" (Chaiprakan) in the weekend. A few more foreigners must live in Fang, since I often see a few walking around the Tesco Lotus shopping center there. On the Sundays it can be nice and quiet in the village, I love that.

From my perspective:

- For now good enough, at least a very cheap cost of living which will allow me to semi-retire early (aiming for 45 years old).

- For our 2.5 year old daughter good enough (for now). We'll send her to a public school soon. But I would want better education for her when she's a bit older. At least she'll learn the basics of Thai properly at school.

- In the future I would love to move to the city again near the sea, perhaps Pattaya, perhaps Hua Hin (never been there before). Still would like to have a nice sea-view condo at some point with a large swimming pool. Also just more stuff to do, like go to the cinema, more choice in restaurants, more and better western food choices etc...

2 hours ago, Moti24 said:

Nice way to treat your neighbours!

From the article it seams the flights aren't really shut down. Instead they'll be handled by Thai SMILE which, I guess, can provide the flights at lower prices.

2 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

I can only judge from what I see myself. I live in Thailand but travel back to the UK every 9 months for a hospital check up and see my rented out  property is ok. When I first did this, the planes were always full to the brim. Now, I regularly sit next to no-one, and recently on a BA flight had an entire row of seats on a 25% full plane only. And as a cheapskate I always pick the cheapest non-stop, I travel on a few carriers, so see it on all airlines. So, going by that I would presume travel to Thailand is down way more that some fairy land 1.5% figure, My own eyes see a 20-30% figure, and that is giving them the benefit of the doubt

When I fly to/from the Netherlands I always fly KLM and those planes are full every time I fly. Even midweek.

9 hours ago, davehowden said:

Looks like the "unsafe drinking water" is to blame ??

I thought the drinking water issue was kind of weird when talking about competitiveness. But if I understand correctly it's a Swiss study, so perhaps Nestle subsided it or something.

15 hours ago, olfu said:

not bad for a sense of humor but, seriously, couples should start making prenuptual agreements.

Just not get married at all. And certainly don't be more valuable dead than alive. 

On 10/6/2019 at 11:19 AM, maxpower said:

What I like about the Indians is they really take the "sharing economy" to a whole other level. Europeans could learn a thing or 2 from the Indians.

On 10/6/2019 at 10:58 AM, villerupt said:

don't forget the question please ...

anybody to explain clearly, without too much technical details, why the THB is so strong?

thx

Perhaps the question should be why the Euro is so weak. My guess is that the ECB policy of printing money (Quantitative Easing) isn't helping. 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/isabeltogoh/2019/09/12/what-to-expect-from-the-european-central-bank-decision/#1cf536123df9

On 9/27/2019 at 12:28 PM, HeyHeyHey said:

Correct, plenty of countries with open arms to people like that

 

I'm not paying 500,000 fee for permission to spend more money (actually more than I would spend back home)

Staying in Thailand saves me at least 35.000 EUR in taxes each year, so in that regard the ~15.000 EUR for a 5-6 year stay is a pittance. 35.000+ EUR a year vs. 3.000 EUR a year. Not a difficult choice for me.

15 hours ago, Airalee said:

I’ve never used the app myself, but a couple business owners have sent a grab car to pick me up and deliver me to their location.  The cars were more comfortable than most taxis and not much more expensive than the taxis here in BKK.  The drivers were definitely more “professional” than the average taxi driver.  However, since I live directly on Sukhumvit, it’s easier for me to just flag down a taxi.  If I lived more than a few hundred meters from Sukhumvit I would no doubt use one of the apps.

I've used Grab in Chiang Mai, to get from the main bus station to the airport. It might be a little bit more expensive than other options, but it's speedy and comfortable. And the thing I like the most: don't need to negotiate price. I hate doing that when dealing with taxi drivers or the red busses.

13 hours ago, Changoverandout said:

I doubt he killed her but definitely did some suspicious or odd things.

He’s inside now for a while so will have time to ‘THANK ABOUT’ HER 

I do hope the coroner checks for date-rape drugs like Benzodiazepines en Ketamine.

11 hours ago, Nicknoodle said:

Do people really believe they can use a stolen/fake passport in this day and age? They are a special kind of stupid!! 

For the EU that seems to work out quite well though: https://www.rt.com/news/315591-fake-syrian-passport-journalist/

2 hours ago, Chazar said:

Who?

Nick Carter of The Backstreet Boys. 

4 hours ago, apalink_thailand said:

I think its more like the Immigration Department staff themselves who are complaining up the chain about all the excess paperwork. 

I though they loved paperwork?

I had 2 cute nurses tickle my feet while putting bandages on. Not in a hospital, but private clinic. Still was awesome service as well. 

I believe Thai government also has some problems with digitalisation. Some website involving TM30 comes to mind.

19 hours ago, Cake Monster said:

The Bank of Thailand really has their hands tied on this one, due to the huge amount of private Household, and SME Debt.

But the solution to many problems should be easy then, right? 

To counter high debt, I guess one needs to make lending more difficult and increase inflation, which can be done by printing money.

Inflation will also boost exports, as the value of the Baht would lower compared to other currencies. It should also boost tourism, as holidays to Thailand become a bit cheaper.

Of course, it would also mean that local products could increase in price, but in order to counter that, the (minimum) wages need to increase to at the very least cover the level of inflation.