Lacessit

I am not a hippie myself, I predate them. There does seem to be a few in my condo. Caftans, sandals, long thinning hair and straggly beards. For non-conformists, they do look very much alike.

The Swiss franc usually appreciates in times of crisis. However, currency speculation is a lottery. Gold has always been a safe haven. Governments resort to the printing presses far too easily nowadays. Property is usually an appreciating asset, but it's a young person's game. It sometimes takes decades for property to really rise in value.

Good one. However, IMO farangs are preferred because they tip more. I have never seen a Thai tip more than the bare minimum. Don't know about the Japanese and Koreans..

The soap is used in the bath to ensure one is clean, and to engage in a bit of water sports. The soap is rinsed off as one exits the bath. After all, if a woman is licking a man in places that cannot be mentioned in a family-oriented forum, she would prefer the next thing to godliness. While there is the occasional inflatable mattress, they mostly go unused, as the beds are raised and more appropriate for the occasion. I do know of one guy who slipped and hit his head while in a soapy massage establishment, so it behooves one to be careful. IIRC, the OP has previously posted he is sworn to celibacy. Perhaps the strain of reading lascivious posts on ASEAN is getting to be too much for him.

Perhaps the donors know more about the monks than the monks care to admit.

I look at it another way. Having a bad day on the golf course, combined with a butt-ugly caddie, is going to be depressing. At least with a pretty one, I can forget about how I butchered the eighth hole.

The way the Thai education system focuses on obedience and rote learning, with zero questioning of authority, permit me to doubt Thai kids can achieve the claimed IQ improvement. The children of affluent Chinese and Indians flock to Western colleges and universities, that's no accident. Haven't heard of Thailand following suit, the main export seems to be massage girls.

Celtic genes, probably. They have the highest incidence of melanoma in the world. Australia runs second.

It does pay to shop around. I've had two warts removed from my head, no comments about the one on my shoulders, please. The first was in Chiang Mai at a well-known private hospital, 9000 baht, although that did include pathology. The second was at a skin clinic in Chiang Rai, 500 baht.

Surprisingly, the burning season this year has been very muted, possibly due to unseasonal rains. I don't think the API in Chiang Rai got above 80, the year before it was up to 500. I just crank up the aircon and two air purifiers, and pay an extra 300 baht/ month on my electricity bill.

Alas, age and the medication I take to ward off age reduce my libido. The desire is still there, the capability is not. What pandemic? There's still lots of totty about in Thailand, it's a matter of knowing where to look.

I don't really care, the male reaction is not-so-well hidden envy. My only regret with Thailand is I did not come here sooner.

Love the analogy.

I did not know there were any charming women left in Western countries, most seem to have the disposition of pit vipers. The fangs are on full display when it becomes known I have a Thai GF 23 years younger than me.

It's age dependent, 20 years ago I would have liked to live in a spacious beach condo with an abundant supply of beautiful Thai women who wanted to share my bed for some consideration. Nowadays, Chiang Rai with one GF is all I need.

One has only to read the evidence and findings of the Royal Commission into Aged Care to understand Australia is no country for old men and old women alike. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-11/pensioner-says-she-is-unable-to-bear-the-cost-of-living/101053866 My aged care system in Thailand consists of my Thai GF and her family, who have good reasons to keep me alive and healthy for as long as possible. Certainly, I have to pay for medical care here. That's why, like another poster, I have pooled the money I have saved, from not buying dubious insurance, into an emergency fund. I can choose to live in Australia with almost free medical care, carefully budgeting a pension while living in a caravan park, eating noodles garnished with the occasional sardine, and keeping myself warm or cool with electricity bills the size of a high roller pot. I can also express my opinion of politicians at the ballot box, be still my heart. Or I can live in Thailand very comfortably, eat well, have regular massages, play golf, swim etc. etc. I have no financial worries here. The choice is quite obvious to me.

Er - golf courses are places where I can enjoy myself, hospitals are places where they hurt me.

I know several guys who have ended up either marrying their caddies, or entered into long term relationships with them. Even if I am having a bad day on the golf course, a pretty caddie can still brighten things up for me. Having been a caddie myself when I was a kid, I tip generously.

Best way to get rid of pesticides is to install an activated carbon filter.

Tap water. Cooking with water means one is boiling it, which sterilizes any nasties or suspended solids. Unless one is making soup, the water is drained off anyway.

Long term loser, more like. The Australian Grand Prix has been run at Albert Park in Victoria since 1996. Victorian taxpayers are still subsidizing it 26 years later. It's been a great long-term investment for Bernie Ecclestone, he's made billions.

The only millions I have heard about, that have to face the consequences of their blind obedience, are the Russians. If you have fact-based evidence that millions of people are being harmed by vaccines, post it. It's not surprising some information is censored, such as the Russian disinformation campaign against Astra Zeneca, which made the claim 19 nuns in Italy had died after being vaccinated. Confirmation bias ensures such BS will be eagerly embraced by people against vaccination. I've made it to age 79 with vaccinations I have accepted as science-based. Probably the only side-effect I have experienced is an increasing bewilderment with people who reject science in favor of belief, or junk science present on the search functions of YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. On social media, the confusion of quantity with quality is complete.

A better question would be, can Thailand afford to host a Formula 1 Grand Prix.

There are anti-vaxxers, and pro-vaxxers. It's just a classification to me, although I can understand why the first group would regard it as a pejorative. I don't care if people choose to reject vaccination. They are not a threat to me, and if they want to run the increased risk of death or serious debilitation, they can assume responsibility for that choice, as I have done with mine. When I got COVID, I was mildly sick for three days, runny nose and sore throat. My GF, unvaccinated, is 23 years younger than me, had a runny nose, sore throat, fever, headache and nausea. She was seriously ill for at least ten days. It made her a fervent convert to vaccination. I also have an unvaccinated friend in Chiang Rai. After getting COVID shortly after me, he had fatigue problems for several months. He still admits to problems with concentration, six months afterwards. To me, that is all the scientific proof I need that vaccines work. The problem here is that people who claim vaccines are unsafe can easily assemble data on a small proportion of deaths and severe adverse reactions after vaccination. OTOH, coming up with an experimental design that proves millions of vaccinated people did not die or become seriously incapacitated is a lot more difficult. Unvaccinated people are the control group in that situation. The data is already in said people are statistically far more likely to be occupying a bed in an ICU, or require ventilation. They are also far more likely to develop "long COVID". It's your choice if you want to reject that data.

There will always be some adverse reactions to vaccines. That's what anti-vaxxers focus on, ignoring the many lives saved by vaccines, or the prevention of serious illness. Given the literacy of your post, I think I can afford to ignore the statement I don't have a clue.