Lacessit

I can still remember an Egyptian guy who rolled a Land Rover on a gravel road going to a mine site from Port Hedland. He blew a tyre, and stamped on the brake, instead of letting the vehicle roll out after taking his foot off the accelerator. Had a grazed face and a sprained wrist. I was with a Scottish mining engineer when the vehicle wreck was brought back to the port. Turning to me, he said: " I've always thought it's a mistake to give them cars, when we've only just finished teaching them how to ride bicycles". I sometimes wonder how many Thais know what to do, when a tyre blows out at speed.

Even better, decree foreigners can only live in Thai villages, thereby enabling them to acquire the elusive attribute of Thainess. It is a bit tragic the OP does not realize condo developers do not make a profit from building single-storey condos.

Correct. The icing on the cake comes from not wearing helmets. Vietnam has less than half the death rate of Thailand, just as many scooters. 20% bigger population.

The Ukrainians are well aware Putin's objective is genocide, along the same lines as Stalin's Holodomor. The Ukraine war has already cost Russia more deaths and injuries than their nine years in Afghanistan. They are reduced to pulling WWII tanks out of storage, having lost half their tanks. The Black Sea fleet has been forced to retreat to Novorossiysk. Not bad for a nation with no navy. If the war in Ukraine has shown anything, it is the Russians are reasonable at defending territory. They are also pitifully incompetent at the logistics needed for successful attacks, which is why there is something of a stalemate presently. The 50 km convoy heading for Kiev that ran out of fuel established their logistical abilities. Nations such as India must be having significant buyer's remorse, after seeing the military equipment they bought from Russia being ignited on the battlefield like Roman candles. The Russians in Eastern Ukraine are not ethnic to the region. They were transplanted there on Stalin's orders to fill the vacuum created by the 6 million Ukrainians he killed by famine. If anything is sad, it is what should be a rich, prosperous nation descending to a pariah state through the ambition of a single man.

IMO Russia is heading for collapse, either as a failed state or a vassal of China. Economically, it's a basket case. Interest rates of 14%, the Russian rouble can't buy a box of cornflakes. All the companies that were bringing in capital and skills from the West are gone. Who wants to do business in a country where one's assets can be confiscated with a stroke of a pen? Russia's best and brightest have fled Russia to escape conscription. The last of its competent engineers and technicians are in their sixties. The Russian education system went into a steep decline in the mid-eighties. Its domestic air fleet is 70% Boeing and Airbus, those aircraft are not getting spare parts. The oil fields are freezing for lack of proper maintenance. Prighozin has shown how vulnerable Putin is to internal revolt. I don't think Europe has much to worry about.

Just hope you are not involved in a traffic accident, because you will be at fault, irrespective of the circumstances. See how you like the profiling then A friend of mine on a main road was T-boned by a Thai in a pickup coming out of a soi. My friend was in and out of hospital for three months. The Thai in the pickup was as drunk as a skunk. When he got out of hospital, he had to pay for the repairs to the Thai's pickup. who was uninsured. The police were in attendance at the accident, and sided with the Thai in terms of fault.

I drive between Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai regularly. For 12 years, I have seen Thai drivers do the most stupid things. Not isolated instances, these are routine occurrences. Running red lights, overtaking up crests and on blind curves, texting while driving, assuming right of way. IME, most Thai drivers seem to think mirrors are for applying makeup, or squeezing pimples. 80% of the motorists on two wheels are not wearing helmets, and some even remove their rear vision mirrors. When I first started driving in Thailand, I got my Thai scooter license on the strength of an Australian car license, a 200 baht medical certificate, and being able to identify the colors of a traffic light. Subsequently, I got my Australian motorcycle license. The written test was 40 questions, split evenly between road laws, and motorcycle driving skills. The pass mark was 35/40. If one failed, re-apply in one months' time. The practical test consisted of 15 minutes checking skills such as slow riding, an obstacle course, braking from a specified speed within a specified distance, etc. Put one foot on the ground during the tests, you flunked. It's a serious offense in Australia to drive without a license. 6 month's jail for a second time. Here, 200 baht papers over everything. If you want to talk about racism, consider this: Any accident dispute between a foreigner and a Thai which is taken to the police will almost automatically be resolved in favor of the Thai, irrespective of who is at fault. If I am a racist, why would I be with my Thai GF for nearly ten years? The link between poor driver education/training and high death and injury rates on the roads is indisputable, regardless of which country it is. IMO anyone who thinks otherwise is an imbecile.

Oil of cloves, as used by Sir Lawrence Olivier. Until one can get to a dentist.

Towing services are not all that expensive here. It's a good idea to drive a brand of car which every mechanic knows how to work on, such as a Toyota. It's an even better idea to ensure older vehicles get frequent maintenance.

Australia had 1194 road deaths in 2022, Thailand over 15000. Thai data excludes deaths that don't occur at the scene of the accident. Adjusted for relative population sizes, this means Thailand had approximately 5 times as many road deaths. Does this data mean Australians are 5 times better drivers than Thais? Maybe not, but it is saying something.

I did look up the term sealion, which you attempt to link to the data I have posted. I do understand you are evading any questions which ask you to do better than make blanket statements, completely unsupported by any data or evidence. In other words, you are a totally dishonest troll. Goodbye.

Why don't you post something that proves your point, whatever it is? All you are doing is begging the question. The coherent argument consists of comparative road deaths, which obviously does not suit your non-existent countervailing data. Please explain what sealioning from somone is, my spellchecker is unable to cope with your brand of English.

Perhaps you can educate us with your brand of superior rubbish, then. I've seen totally unroadworthy vehicles renew their registration with a few hundred baht on the side. I've converted two driving licenses here by simply looking at a traffic light. You are totally delusional if you think Thais are good drivers, and using racism is a p!ss-poor argument in their favour. In 2022, Laos had 947 road deaths. Vietnam, 6400. Thailand, 15,000. All Asian countries. You'll have to try harder if you want to convince me you are not as dumb as a can of soup.

Purple urine would be cause for alarm, IIRC the condition is known as porphyria. A test reagent mixed with urine giving a purple color would indicate a positive test for drug use, possibly heroin or cocaine.

True

Proletarian fare, although I suppose it helps when one is gearing up for a session with the GF.

I am always envious of Thai flexibility, even the obese ones can fold themselves like pretzels.

My preferred Christmas dinner in Australia was a King Island crayfish with salad and a Vasse Felix dry white. I always thought stuffing myself with a roast dinner and plum pudding only made me uncomfortable for the rest of the day.

IMO there is so much corruption in Thailand it is difficult to know where to park excess money. The OP might want to consider buying Thai gold. It is a currency hedge, not an investment. It does not earn interest. Gold's main advantages are it needs no supervision, and is extremely unlikely to lose value except for short-term fluctuations. Personally, I have never lost money buying and selling precious metals.

I don't know about Pattaya, but I was offered under-age sex on a border run in Tachilek. I assume it would be the same anywhere in Thailand. I enjoy sex with mature women. I can't imagine enjoying it with a frightened child. IMO this will be old news in a week, then business as usual in Pattaya.

Ethanol is ethanol, irrespective of whether it is in beer at 4%, or spirits at 40%. The only reason i can think of for avoiding spirits is, when drunk neat, they are more damaging to the esophagus and stomach.

I go to bed when I feel like sleeping, get up when I am wakeful. The only time clocks rule me is when I have an appointment or a plane to catch.

You are in no danger of gaining weight with spirits, unless you mix them with sugary soft drinks such as Coke. Zero carbs. Beer is the worst in terms of carbs, the term beer gut came about for a reason.

I was not responding to you, but I suppose your qualifications entitle you to butt in. He has 377,000 subscribers, but I suppose you could say the same for Trump.

Going to my GF's village to distribute modest cash gifts to her family. Then taking her grandchildren to KFC for Christmas dinner.