Lacessit

If you read my OP slowly, nowhere do I blame Agoda. Nor did I do anything wrong, as I did not complete the booking. There might be a village in Thailand where you can fill a vacancy, although I understand fetal alcohol syndrome is quite common.

When I posted that comment, I was wondering how long it would be before someone made the comparison to prostitution. I suppose they are both a kind of accommodation.

Definitely not a BNB.

"Thai men are renowned for being rational people"? I guess all the reports of shootings, stabbings etc. over face and/or affairs of the heart are just fake news.

Having lunch at the "Hungry Nest" in Chiang Rai.

You mean it's good to hear from someone who supports your confirmation bias.

Apparently Trump refused to wear a mask during COVID for the same reason. On topic, not guilty your honour. I have Bluetooth earbuds.

I have not put in a tax return for the last three years. I do my 90 day reports online, in about one minute. AFAICT, rents and condo prices in Thailand have retreated over the last couple of years. The increase in food prices here is insignificant compared to Western countries. P4P companionship is still very inexpensive. I am interested in what country the OP considers to be a superior slice of paradise.

You may be right, it could be a weekly fee. I doubt that would have changed anything if I had finalized the booking. I've come across extra fees, including cleaning, in other Agoda searches, so it's not an isolated instance.

Perhaps you were not expecting to be told your expectations are delusional. That's not hating, just being realistic. If you are as proficient in Thai as you claim, you should know the term gik does not embrace the concept of intellectual conversation - before or after. Good luck, I think you'll need it.

It was during low season, pre-COVID. I got used to pulling into good hotels with 50 - 500 rooms, and only seeing two or three vehicles in the car park.

That's only to facilitate looting them. I suppose there is a point to having a WISE debit card if the banking routes are shut down by government fiat for people living overseas. That event seems to be a long way off in Australia, anyway.

I understand about one-third of female university students in Thailand are seeking a sugar daddy to assist with their living expenses. They advertise openly on social media. Unless the OP is as good-looking as a movie star, he is deluding himself if he thinks the relationship will be anything more than transactional. Women have always been attracted to good looks, power, intelligence and money. IMO money will always win in a canter.

I sometimes sleep in a similar pattern to the OP, maybe once or twice a week. I take a Codiphen every Saturday night for 8-10 hours of sleep. That seems to eliminate any sleep deficit. Some people can get to sleep with the aid of alcohol, all it does for me is keep me awake.

I paid 1200 baht in Udon Thani, we were caught in a deluge so it was any port in a storm. Excellent full breakfast included, room the equivalent of a Sheraton or Hilton.

Excellent point. A wife and de facto in Australia have cost me far more than my Thai GF ever has, both financially and emotionally.

Clean, big bed, working aircon and plumbing - that's it. I book for one night only. If it's good, I extend. If not, I move on. I don't believe in wasting money unnecessarily. It's why I will die solvent.

There's a property in western New South Wales with plenty of cockle-burrs and bindis to train your feet properly. Take away the British infantry's boots, and they'd be helpless.

We are only looking to stay for five days.

I understand AirBNB is illegal in Thailand.

There's one who likes to remind you of your prognostications about the crashing Australian dollar.

I start the process of booking a hotel via Agoda, in Jomtien. My price point is 500-800 baht/night. I find a nice looking resort, 630 baht. When I get to the payment stage, the cost has suddenly inflated to over 1500 baht. Various add-ons, just like the airlines. Included is a cleaning cost of 750 baht. The hotel management presumably pays a maid 300-400 baht a day to clean 10-20 rooms. These clowns must think every guest came down in the last shower. Recommendations in the area and price range welcome.

It's easy to understand why most Thais are obsessed by money. Their wages are pitifully small. When they are too old to work, or ill, their only support is the family unit. For the vast majority of Thais, the government gives a monthly pension of 600 baht when they hit 60. 800 baht if they make it to 80 yo. In their shoes, I'd be fixated on money too. IMO the OP is just demonstrating his abysmal ignorance.

I was interested in my work, and loved it. Started as a manager, ended as a researcher. Had my eureka moments. I did a lot of traveling on the company dime, as a consultant and attending conferences. I have a friend who made very good money in another field, and lived for the moment he could retire. I still have dreams about when I was working.

Salt. Sodium chloride. A side benefit of giving up bananas is weight reduction, they are one of the highest in carbohydrate content. Avocados are actually a bit higher in potassium than bananas.