Lacessit

All that BS for 650 baht?

What am I missing? If I have a current "O" retirement visa/extension, a re-entry permit, and a MOPH vaccination certificate, why do I need a Thailand Pass? Or a Certificate of Entry? Seems to me it's just another bureaucratic layer, what purpose does it serve?

I have not heard of too many foreigners who are living here on 13K baht per month, most IME are in the 50K-100K baht/month area, except the real skinflints. Thailand has a long way to go before it gets to be as expensive as Australia. Show me a condo apartment in Australia, with condo swimming pool, that I can buy for AUD 40,000.

I would prefer to look at the Hawke government as a better example. Traditionally. Labor governments have always been reforming, and Liberal governments dedicated to the preservation of the status quo. The only meaningful reform of the Howard government was gun control. Privatisation of aged care facilities in Australia has been a disaster for the elderly and their families, all the owner operators care about is their bottom line. IMO with Dutton at the helm of the Liberals, they will spend a long time in the political wilderness, unless he undergoes a road to Damascus conversion. That gives Albanese a lot more leeway. Getting back to Thailand, I've just bought a takeaway chicken biryani dinner. The shop/restaurant is run by a couple in their seventies, the guy speaks good English and we occasionally have a discussion. He has been outside Thailand. I asked him when he planned to retire. He said they will keep the shop open for as long as they can, they have no savings to retire with. He and his wife get the government pension, which does not even cover the shop rent. Village Thais can manage quite well on 2500 - 3000 baht/month income, 600 baht/month once they hit 60 is an insult.

It depends on whether Albanese sheds the small target body armor he took into the election. Mention socialism to an American, and most start frothing at the mouth.

True enough, a fair bit of bartering goes on in my GF's village. Having said that, there are bills such as electricity that can't be paid for with chickens.

*Deleted post edited out* Why is it so hard for you to understand Sandy Hook, Uvalde and all the rest of the mass shootings in America result from the ready availability of semi-automatic weapons such as AR15's to all and sundry? How many children would have been killed if a shooter had only a bolt-action weapon with a five-shot magazine? Sorry, I'm tired of looking at BS excuses.

In Australia, there is a clear differentiation between for-profit aged care centres, and state-run ones. The most obvious one is the difference during the COVID pandemic, where the death rate in the for-profit centres was an order of magnitude higher. What was jokingly referred to as food in said centres was another issue that surfaced in a Royal Commission into aged care. As well as both sexes left in soiled adult diapers for hours because corners were cut on staffing levels. It's a compelling argument for socialism, although that word is anathema to most Americans. Which is somewhat ironic, given one of the most socialist organizations on the planet is the US military. Personally, I am betting on my Thai family taking care of me.

IIRC, Robert Heinlein "Stranger in a Strange Land" came up with an interesting concept. Partner up a 15 yo boy or girl with a 45 yo adult. The 45 yo teaches the younger partner all they know of life and sex. Split up the partnership when the 15 yo reaches 30, the 60 yo retires from the field. The 30 yo joins another 30 yo for the purpose of procreation, to ensure the survival of the species. I seem to remember the objective was zero population growth. When the 30 yo's get to 45, they split again, to educate the 15 yo of either sex. Looking back, I think I would have loved to have had a 45 yo woman teaching me how to bonk.

Changing diet and eating habits can help a lot. I was on Somac ( pantoprazole ) for many years for gastric reflux, I have not needed it for at least 3 years. Some of my experience-based rules: 1/ Eat early in the evening, no later than 7 pm. Retire to bed at 10.30, so there is plenty of time to digest. 2/ Avoid fatty and rich foods. Vegetables that grow above ground are best, small portions of protein. 3/ It's better to feel a little bit hungry after eating, than full. 4/ Alcohol in excess is bad news. 5/ If I must have dessert, it is fruit or yoghurt, easily digestible. 6/ I have a glass of water with half a teaspoon of baking soda every night before going to bed. That damps down any residual stomach acid. 7/ A glass of water by the bed to sip on if my throat feels a bit raw during the night. I'm not saying these rules will work for the OP. However, they do work for me.

Many elderly rural Thais have assets by way of houses and land. What they do not have is meaningful income. They are reliant on their children to support them. I know what I give my GF each month is distributed around the family members to help them, so I don't understand why the Thai government treats foreign retirees like lepers, instead of thanking them for helping Thai families survive.

The dissertation on hirsute pubics encountered in each nationality is interesting, although I suppose it varies depending on the socio-economic group one is consorting with. I quite like Thai food. However, for someone with your opinion of it, may I point out most Thai cities have a range of ethnic restaurants. The most common are Japanese, Italian and Indian. I think most Thais are decent people, apart from the ones currently in power. It's a matter of adjusting one's expectations to their culture. Permit me to doubt there are any countries that meet all the criteria you describe. Certainly America and the UK don't.

Not enough to make me want to move there, given the comments w.r.to personal security and crime. Coming up to 12 years here now, can't say I have ever felt threatened. I guess it's only people that go looking for trouble that find it.

Sorry to disappoint you, but if you think I am going to post a video of me getting it on with my GF, not happening. Plenty of material on PornHub and XHamster, knock yourself out.

I have no idea why, but gin always gives me a headache, even a single drink will do it. Perhaps I am allergic to juniper. Fortunately, I quite like Sangsom, which is pretty good value for money in Thailand. Wine is very cheap in Australia, spirits generally cost twice as much as they do in Thailand.

I believe you have posted all the same opinions on another thread some time ago. Be that as it may, come on. You think a Filipina would be asking you how much do you earn, and what do you own, out of intellectual curiosity? It's the same microscope any bar girl in Pattaya would use. I have a friend who was stitched up by a Filipina, tried to take advantage of Australian family law when she was carrying another man's child that he thought was his. If that's not enough, Google Lang Hancock and Rose Porteous. Just saying, a few stories I've heard indicate Filipinas can be just as greedy, unfaithful and grasping as any Thai woman. Imelda Marcos ring any bells?

I love reading your posts, an odyssey for the best value in booze and women.

The statistics are there in plain sight. If you are a smoker, you are 20 times more likely to die of lung cancer than a non-smoker. That's without counting in the enhanced risk of heart attacks, emphysema and mouth cancer. I was a pack a day smoker until age 40. One year after quitting, my lung capacity had increased from 3.5 litres to 6 litres, which is back to normal. 5-10 years after quitting, my risk of lung cancer has declined to that of a non-smoker. I feel a bit sorry for smokers, it is a part of legal history tobacco companies did everything they could to make tobacco more addictive. Having said that, I don't enjoy being around them.

In my case, a few of the posters give my blood pressure medication a good workout.

I have repeatedly noticed Thais seem to be unable to live without noise. Whether I am in a coffee shop, massage shop, or Big C, there is always music or a TV blaring somewhere. In Big C, there's is an unending stream of announcements over the PA. Not many motorbikes are quiet, the objective seems to be being as noisy as possible. If I am in my car with my GF, she gets uncomfortable if I am silent for more than 10 minutes. She is quite capable of having the TV on, having a conversation on the phone with a friend, and asking me what I want for dinner contemporaneously. It goes beyond multi-tasking. Neighbors all around us have dogs barking, roosters crowing, and music blaring. Is there such a thing as contemplative Thai music, a la Moonlight Sonata? It's the same with solitude, Thais can't seem to handle being alone for any length of time. While I don't know about Thai men, IME Thai women are never more comfortable than when they are in a group, and never more uncomfortable than when alone. My GF will invite her sister-in-law to sleep with her when I am away. Her grand-daughter shares a room at college with another girl, they share a bed and a cat sleeps there as well. I am very comfortable with being quiet and alone. What about you, and what are your experiences with your Thai significant other?

It’s been a year like no other. The oil price went negative, airlines were grounded, some forever. A single meat market in Wuhan, specializing in exotic meats for conspicuous consumption by wealthy Chinese, generated a virus which spread like wildfire. Countries went into lockdown, some stringently, some half-heartedly. The results are there for everyone to see. Millions became employed overnight. Some countries responded with support, others opted for benign neglect. Vaccines were developed at unprecedented speed. A would-be tyrant was rejected at the polls. Most if not all of us will say goodbye and good riddance to 2020. I’m in Thailand by choice and some good luck. Two weeks later in February, and I would still be locked down in Australia, contemplating slashing my wrists. A much more enjoyable life for me here. Having said that, there are some things I miss about my home country. I miss the wind. In Thailand, it seems the wind can’t get much above a gentle zephyr. I would rug up with about four layers of clothing in winter, go down to Gunnamatta beach with an offshore wind of 50-60 km/hr, and watch 10 metre waves pound the coast. Nature at its most primeval. I miss the wineries that dot the Mornington Peninsula, where one could have a light lunch and a couple of glasses of the local product, which most of the time was very good. Apart from Thai wine quality, I don’t believe Thais know what a cellar door is, or what it’s for. I miss my 2004 Mitsubishi Magna AWD sedan, IMO one of the most underrated vehicles ever produced. Balanced like a cat on dirt roads and wet bitumen. About a third the new car price of a comparable Mercedes. My son has it now, still plugging along with 300,000 km on the odometer. I miss the golf competitions I used to play. Par, foursomes, match play, Canadian foursomes. Here, it’s just stroke and Stableford. Boring. I miss the camaraderie of the Wednesday Boys. 15 – 20 of us, some real characters and nicknames. The Poet, The Farmer, The Whippet, Pistol Pete, Triple Treat. Best net score got a two-dollar coin from every other player, with an appropriate obeisance. Some really acid sledging during play, one of the best at my expense. A day when I was spraying my tee shots all over the course, but making pars because I’m holing putts from everywhere on the greens. Our group gets to the seventeenth tee, par 3, and I’m fretting about club selection, is it a 6 or 7 iron? One of my mates says “ Why don’t you tee off with your putter? It’s the only club you’ve hit straight all day”. I miss a Gippsland eye fillet steak, medium, with a Warby Ranges Shiraz. Followed by a King Island blue brie on water crackers. I miss grilled flake and chips,with a pickled onion on the side. Flake is also known as shark to non-Australians, very sweet fish, and filling. All the best to everyone on TV over Christmas, and may 2021 be better. What do you miss?