4 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

What would you think about a person in real life if he talks in detail about how much money he spends on this and that?

On this forum, one can always sign off and walk away. In real life, it's much more difficult to escape from a bore.

1 hour ago, starky said:

The only people with chips seem to be the ones calling people liars or asking for spreadsheets and receipts for their daily expenditure lol. For the life of me I don't know what benefit anyone would gain by overstating what they spend on an anonymous forum. Doesn't bother me whether people spend 50k a month or 500k a month and I can assure you people here do both but it certainly seems to get some noses out of joint.

Apology accepted, I don't care how much or how little anyone else spends. What I do know is while I'm spending what a rural Thai would regard as a small fortune every month, it's a lot less than I would be spending in Australia for the same lifestyle.

2 hours ago, starky said:

Cant win on this forum can you? People ask what you spend, then demand proof or call you a liar and then if you relent and try try explain what you actually spend your a show off. Incredible! Never seen so many jealous bitter people in the one place.

You're quite right, one can't win on this forum because there are too many posters with a chip on their shoulder about an insignificant issue.

Golf, swimming ,reading, writing plus other stuff I can't mention on this forum.

I've learned how to compile and edit videos in the last month, which will keep me busy for the next couple of months.

4 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

Baking soda will absorb the smell. Just open up the box or package and put the whole thing inside. It might take a few days. We package our durian in airtight plastic containers in the refrigerator with no smells. We eat it on a regular basis. Some don't like it, But I do.

I tried it once, couldn't understand what the fuss was about. Tasted like slightly acid grapefruit to me. Then my breath smelled like sewer gas for about four hours.

In a moment of weakness, I bought durian at the day market for my Thai GF, who loves the stuff. The man who carved it up for me and packaged the yellow slimeballs advised me to keep it in the refrigerator overnight, so I could take it fresh to my GF the next day. I used 3 plastic bags to try to prevent an olfactory invasion.

Several days afterwards, my refrigerator smells like a Bedouin's jockstrap ( Disclaimer: No direct experience ) and the stench has invaded my stocks of pineapple, mango, and home-made stewed apple. Any ideas on how I can rid myself of this pestilence?

38 minutes ago, bwpage3 said:

All these posters claiming to spend all this money and NOT ONE POST showing an actual factual spend?

 

Why is that?

 

If you have lived in Thailand and bought one car, are you a big spender?

 

Let's see the facts.

 

Some claim to have spreadsheets showing ANNUAL SPEND of 1.8 million baht

 

Let's see them

Why would anyone want to post detailed information on their finances to satisfy the curiosity of a complete stranger on ThaiVisa?

3 hours ago, Jeffr2 said:

https://coconuts.co/bangkok/news/thailand-says-foreigners-can-register-for-vaccination-we-called-they-cant/

 

Thailand says foreigners can register for vaccination. We called; they can’t.

Thank you. I visited Overbrook and Sriribun private hospitals in Chiang Rai to enquire about registration, both said the government hospital is the only place I can register.

Yeah right. I'm going to walk into a hospital that has 200 COVID patients as of a couple of days ago, and sit waiting my turn with 100 people. Wouldn't it be simpler if I just jumped into a petri dish?

18 hours ago, Danderman123 said:

There is testing all over Thailand, you just don’t know about it, and therefore assume it isn’t happening.

The only testing I am seeing is temperature testing, which has its limits. When the gate guard at a golf club faithfully records my forehead temperature as 32.1 degrees C, she should be calling an ambulance to rush me to hospital, where I can be treated for hypothermia.

My GF's village south of Chiang Rai is in lockdown, along with a dozen others on the route to Phan. I get the same temperature check, I don't see any PCR or COVID antibody testing kits there. The guards at the checkpoint are just villagers, no training in how to use them anyway.

It depends on who you listen to, a few days ago the Thai government was posting 53 COVID patients at the government hospital in Chiang Rai. An elderly local Thai guy told me there were over 200, who do I believe?

Unless you have creditable links to the number of PCR/antibody tests being made, you are assuming too.

41 minutes ago, connda said:

I've lived within fully Thai communities in Isaan, Bangkok, and Northern Thailand.  If you are under the illusion that you as a foreigner are somehow accepted as part of their culture, then you are simply fooling yourself.  Thais can be polite, but don't think that means you are accepted as part of their community or part of their culture. You are not.  I even spent a full Rain Retreat as a Buddhist monk is a region where I was the only foreigner, and trust me, even there the "respect" was at best paper thin.  Not all Thais, but quite a significant number were...unaccepting, and that nonacceptance had everything to do with me being kon chart dang - an outsider from a different country - i.e., Not A Thai.

I've found most Thais are polite to me, perhaps that's because I am polite to them. I've learned enough Thai to get by with daily conversation and needs.

I really don't care if Thais accept me or don't accept me, I have my own daily life routines. I do wonder about non-Thais who want to become part of a society where face is all-important, and believes implicitly in ghosts.

I am a stranger in a strange land, I don't worry about it.