George Aylesham

3 hours ago, KannikaP said:

Just for the record, yes a woman can get pregnant without penetration as long as the semen is placed inside her vagina.

She obviously got pregnant from sitting on a lavatory seat.

There were no such things as lavatories then. Oh? Well she must have got it in the traditional way then.

 Many thanks for this morning's masterclass in having a go at farangs.

Guilty as you have suggested - I don't speak Thai in spite of studying it for many months before arriving here. But once it became clear that my poor hearing did not allow me to distinguish between the different tones I limited my efforts  to learning a sufficient number of words to express thanks and to repeat some of the common courtesies.

Yes, I most certainly do rely on my Thai wife for many of the needs for hospital visits, immigration, and the hundred other times when Thai is essential. But in turn she relies on me for the hundreds of household chores falling to men: taking out the rubbish, washing up, bed making - in fact what is called the mutual support between a husband and wife. In a word we look after each other. I never miss a chance to tell others about the beauty of the country we live in, the superb roads, good food and excellent healthcare. I'm not starry eyed - living in Chiang Mai the annual (mainly home grown) air pollution and the absence of any decent public transport both irritate me. But the people are courteous towards me and have made me welcome here. The farangs you talk about are simply the ones who speak the most loudly; not the majority who have managed to live happily here in the company of their hosts.

6 hours ago, bob smith said:

disgusting.

 

spineless Thailand never ceases to amaze me.

Not spineless - just a very canny minnow which has successfully survived in an ocean of sharks.

I'm sorry the OP had a bad experience at Rajavej. I had a major orthopedic problem (badly broken shoulder, broken hip) and was admitted as an emergency. From the moment I was admitted, the treatment I received was top class; this included a team of specialists - orthopedic surgeon, hematologist and one other I forget, Surgery took seven hours and the post surgery follow-up followed the most modern techniques available in Europe and included two months of physiotherapy sessions from a newly qualified Chiang Mai University physiotherapist . Over the next year I had regular consultations with the surgeon.

My room, while plain, was large and had a comfortable bed for my wife. 

In short I'm happy to sing the praises of Rajevej to anyone who cares to listen and my wife and I use its services, including the annual health checkup and vaccinations,  pretty regularly.

3 minutes ago, bob smith said:

Have they? 

 

When was the last time either one of them had no functioning government or a military coup??

 

facts only please, not speculation.

5 hours ago, bob smith said:

are they though?

 

Thailand doent even have a functional government lol.

Well, both Italy and Belgium have managed pretty well without governments on occasion.

5 hours ago, bob smith said:

in your opinion, whats so good about living in Thailand?

 

for me i struggle to find the positives. lets take a deep dive into the facts for a minute, shall we?

 

Thailand doesnt have democracy.

This means there is no right to freedom of expression and human rights are not important.

bureaucracy reigns supreme. it affects almost every aspect of daily life here.

90 day reporting. treated like a common criminal the minute we get off the plane.

healthcare only good if you have money. if you are poor forget it.

its either hot or wet most of the year. 

pollution is a serious issue and will kill you eventually. 

alcohol prices rising fast. soon it will be comparable to the UK/US.

institutional racism.

cant own land. etc etc etc

 

off the top of my head i can only think of two things that are good about Thailand, they are;

 

The food.

The women.

 

if Thailand didnt have those above it would be hell on earth.

 

how about you lot? what do you find so good about living in Thailand?

A heck of a lot:

Good cheap food

Friendly, polite population

Stunning seasides and countrysides

Superb roads

Cheap accommodation 

Cheap hotels with far, far higher standards for the price than in Europe

Decent, effective and reasonably priced healthcare

Outstanding service in shops, offices and service outlets

'Can do' attitudes - always finding some way to solve a problem

Very hardworking

And as for bureaucracy yes - but it's a real doddle compared to what immigrants have to go through in Britain.

Ok, not perfect - what country is; but coming here for the first time in 1974 and living here since 2015 I'm not tempted to try anywhere else.

5 hours ago, roo860 said:

That covers alot of countries.

Perhaps but the two that come immediately to mind are the USA - Trump, and the UK - Johnson.

On 4/29/2023 at 7:24 PM, BangkokReady said:

Probably nothing.

Not so - At least here in Chiang Mai a new, well equipped geriatric hospital has been built.

2 minutes ago, bignok said:

More like fortunate based on the facts. You missed out.

Alas I didn't.

7 hours ago, redwood1 said:

This proves there is a whole lot of barebacking going on in Thailand.....No use for condoms in Thailand....

Not if you are following the statistics on Thailand's falling birthrate.

20 hours ago, Chelseafan said:

Oh please, get real. Those on an overstay know that they are breaking the law but it's not going to change their mind.

The crime doesn't fit the punishment. Just put him on a plane discreetly and ban him.

 

 

Do that in Britain and the Immigration enforcement police would put you on the first plane for Rwanda. Or Catterick which is probably even worse.

What is really bad is when the wife pays and the change is handed back to the husband.

Hopefully - but this may just be Mr Deripaska's wishful thinking.

Maybe not the most appropriate time to introduce the new tourist tax  . . . . .

4 hours ago, NedR69 said:

I think it's seeds, not plants.  You can plant what you want and only grow your allowance......I think I read this last year.  Try a Google search where to get "cannabis or ganja seeds in Thailand". Multiples places that will send you an order of seeds.   Leafly.com is good source of information before you buy seeds and then work weeks or months to grow and cultivate and the result is less than expected.  Make sure that when you buy a packet of seeds that it or the breeder who produced them can list where the seeds came from and how they were crossed and/or backcrossed to get the seed that you hold in your hand. If you can’t get a seed’s history, it could be anything and the result of poor breeding practices.  Good luck to your wife.  Post some pics, let others know your experience.  Thanks

We noticed young plants for sale in Chiang Mai's Kampthieng market as well in a branch of Big C (next to the rosemary).

18 hours ago, IvorBiggun2 said:

I think dentist here are crooks. 

Some of them perhaps but most of them set out their prices very clearly. A few years back while on holiday my wife lost her front tooth and went to Chiang Mai's reputedly most expensive dental clinic. They (the dental surgeon and the dental technician) spent one and a half hours trying to resolve the problem and explaining to her exactly what was wrong - then said no charge - we haven't been able to help.

5 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Thinking too mut, IMO.

I'm pretty sure that paying for things is normally a Thai wives department - cultural perhaps.

 

Cashier knows who is the boss?

1 hour ago, The Fugitive said:

If they consider there is a risk of the suspect fleeing the Country they (CPS) can ask the Magistrates' Court to make an order. 

And the British Immigration Services do not keep records of who comes in/leaves the UK. This lack of any accurate statistics has always hamstrung British immigration policies.

If Thaksin wants it, that'll certainly put the kybosh on the proposal.