Lacessit

I revised my Australian will in Thailand by contacting a solicitor in Australia via email, then setting up a ZOOM video meeting with her. Most solicitors now have ZOOM meeting software, it's easy to download from the internet. How else would lawyers have survived during the pandemic? The will was sent to me by post for signing in front of two Thai witnesses, and I returned it to the solicitor for safe-keeping after making a copy.

I used to know a guy who would do that, then present a hotel laundry bill from everywhere he stayed while traveling on business. Added up when he was billing the company accountants about $20 per day.

That doesn't sound like a person who claims to be way happier than someone else.

Can't argue with that, although on a military course I seem to get mostly 50 - 60 year olds.

Some of us don't make mountains out of molehills. You're talking about self-respect, when you are on your own admission off to score some nookie in another country? Wow.

You can't manage about 2 minutes of your time online to do a 90 day report? Life is so hard.

Figure of speech, I could probably move to Cambodia or Laos, but Thailand has better infrastructure, and I'm too old to be learning yet another Asian language. I could go back to Australia and buy a mobile home, but I'd be bored out of my skull there. Wrinkled whales don't appeal either.

I am desperate to stay in Thailand because it offers me the best lifestyle i could imagine, can't think of anywhere else as good on my pension and assets. I don't have any Immigration problems, do my 90 day report online and front up once a year with my 800K bank book and all the paperwork. Usually done in an hour. I'm not married, no intention of ever doing so. The extra 400K I would be able to spend is not worth the extra hassle. I'm just wondering what the OP is tired of, the paperwork or his wife.

Most I met were dry as the Sahara, and not wet behind the ears.

You'll have to post your BP, pulse rate, FBS, BMI and eGFR before I'll start believing the last assertion.

Everyone in the world is affected by the war in Ukraine; however, what you are proposing could inflame the situation further. The Ukrainians are doing a good job of bleeding the Russian army. It can only advance with artillery. I'd suggest continuing the supply of weapons to the Ukrainians. All they need is the tools.

First question: It depends on what age you are asking. I was long off the tee in my youth, now I can't hit it over a jam tin. Age 79, about 200 yards at best. Second question: I have not played Augusta. I have played Pine Valley, Oakmont, La Cantera, St. Andrew's Old Course, Banff and Kananaskis in Canada, Millbrook in New Zealand. A host of great courses all over Australia. Third question: No. I was eligible to turn professional in Australia. I did not, because I knew I was not good enough to be a touring pro. Fourth question: I had my first gainful employment as a caddie at age 13. It provides employment for a host of people, administrators, bar staff, ground staff and caddies. The grass and trees suck up the carbon dioxide mankind generates. You'd create a lot of unemployment if you closed all the golf courses in Thailand. What do I get out of golf? Enjoyment. Watching a well-flighted iron settle to a few feet from the pin, striping a drive to optimum position, judging a chip to either hole out or be given by an opponent. Even scrambling a par from a poor tee shot. My current focus is on breaking my age. I have done it once. My role model is Legh Winser, who regularly broke his age in his nineties. I take it you have never been in "the zone", when the combination of adrenalin and awareness means you know you are going to win in match or stroke play, no matter what any other competitor does. It's better than sex. Speaking of which, a question for you. I have already observed people with an animus towards golf are usually incapable of playing it. Could it be your self-declared celibacy has the same origins? P.S. My standard tipple after a round is tea or coffee.

I went down to the practice range at the National in Melbourne about 15 years ago, before a morning round of golf. There was a lesser-known pro there practicing wedge play. After the round and lunch, I went back to the range to straighten out an errant driver. The pro was still there, practicing wedges. Two weeks later, he won a tournament on a nearby course. John Daly is a freak of nature, no-one with his build has any right to be as flexible as he is.

Presumably you have not observed the physical conditioning of modern professional golfers, they are athletes. Golf is a metaphor for life. AFAIK it is the only game which relies on personal integrity in observing its rules. It takes character, resolve, physical ability and mental toughness to win championships. Like life, one gets out of golf what one is prepared to put into it. Quite obviously, you have never been in that position, which is why you feel free to disrespect it.

Valid point. I wouldn't say I get the best food and services. I try to get the best value for money. I know good mechanics for my car and scooter, and where a good dentist is.

When I played golf in Port Hedland many moons ago, it was dirt fairways and oiled sand greens, with preferred lies. The Tom Price course was tee up, fairways were coarse gravel. Not a drop of water in sight. I agree most golf courses are overwatered. It would be better to allow native grasses to do their thing without water, and put some work into developing hybrids that are salt-tolerant. I started my golfing life at Royal Melbourne, as a caddie. In the fifties, only the greens were watered. The couch fairways flourished with any rain. When dry, divots turned to powder. That's what golf needs to get back to.

The life skills I have acquired in Thailand are: 1/ Being able to communicate in Thai when needed. 2/ Expecting to be lied to. 3/ Expecting to be told what someone thinks I want to hear. 4/ Keeping calm when a Thai person does something egregiously stupid. 5/ Drive in Thai traffic for 10 years successfully, touch wood. 6/ Assemble paperwork for Immigration in perfect order, and complete.

Kidneys, lungs and liver. Most elderly people die of kidney failure or pneumonia. The alcoholics usually die of liver disease.

I am still playing golf at age 79. It is good exercise. Golf does not have to be expensive here. I bought a 30 year membership at the military course in Chiang Rai, 35,000 baht. It can be sold on by my GF when I cark it. Nine holes of golf costs me 370 baht, including caddie and tip. If I want a more upmarket course for a change of scenery, it is usually about 1500 baht for 18 holes, including caddie, golf cart and tip. When people criticize golf as a sport, it is usually because they are incapable of playing it well.

China has no track record in terms of after-sales service, spares availability, and honoring warranty claims. It's great to buy a new vehicle that is priced competitively, and that's why the Chinese products are selling well in Thailand. The acid test will come when the vehicles are out of warranty. If something goes wrong and the brand decides to throw their customers under a bus to save money or make more, there is not much buyers can do.

Wheel bearings and transmission don't need lubricant maintenance? Brake linings and tires never need to be changed?

Those are 4-5 star hotel prices. I could do a full laundry basket for 40 baht in Chiang Rai if I needed to.

You are making the assumption she will be giving the vehicle the same level of maintenance as you do. IME many Thais don't.

Or not good at getting women interested.

I average 55,000 baht per month, that's living as I want to. I could probably pull it back to 30-35K a month without a GF. She's not a big spender, but it all adds up. The Australian pension is about 48,000 /month on current exchange rates, I don't have much slack to pick up with investment income. IMO life would a lot more expensive in Pattaya and Bangok, Chiang Rai is cheaper on a number of fronts.