Lacessit

I have the same concern. It would be nice to be able to invest the 800K in something that returns more than 1% on my money. However, there is always the risk a new broom will come in, and sweep cosy agent - IO arrangements off the board. I saw this happen at Chiang Mai some years ago. I don't know how many foreigners became collateral damage, although I did know one retiree who had to move to Cambodia. He had been in CM for years, but there was no way he could meet either income or deposit requirements.

It's not only the train system under pressure. Russia's domestic airline fleet is 70% Boeing and Airbus. Russia is not getting upgrades or spare parts from those companies. It therefore has to cannibalize existing aircraft for spares to keep flying. Software is not upgraded. It's only a matter of time before there is a major air disaster, which in true Russian tradition will be swept under the carpet.

Caddies get tips. Managers don't.

USD 200,000 for a house in Udon Thani is a mansion. A small home here should cost about $50,000 to $70,000. Rule #1 in Thailand is never put more money into here than you can afford to walk away from.

Food inflation in Russia is 10%. A lot of shoplifting of butter. The ruble is at 104 to the USD. It hit 115, before the central bank froze foreign currency transactions on November 28. Before Ukraine, it was 60 to the USD. Bank interest rates on deposits are 21%. The home mortgage interest is 26-28%. Homes are unaffordable for the average Russian. The Russian demographic is collapsing. Men who would be siring children are either migrating to avoid the Ukraine meat grinder, or are being sent there. Recent fatalities are more than 1000 men a day. Worldwide, there are 102 men to every 100 women, on average. In Russia, there are only 87 men per 100 women. The Russian education system broke down in the mid-eighties. Most technicians and engineers from before that era are retiring. I don't know about doomed, but those kind of facts would resonate with any economist.

You may be right, perhaps I should stop trying to be helpful.

Statistics suggest when prostitution is decriminalized, the incidence of rape for both sex workers and non-sex workers decreases.

The Romans wrote in a similar alphabet as is used for English today, and they separated words with spaces just like we do. The Thai language does neither. You can hardly describe yourself as adult if you can't handle valid criticism.

I don't disagree learning Thai is advantageous, and speak it well enough to cope with most situations. If I had learned it from childhood, I would be fluent. I learned Latin, French and German as a teenager. Saying Thai is like Latin is ridiculous. I did not start learning Thai until my late sixties, another reason for its difficulty. Perhaps you could cut older people some slack.

Since you seem determined to try to provoke me. you can join them. Bye bye.

24 vowels, 4 special vowels and a silent vowel? A language that has three or four different versions of the letter "K"? English has 5 vowels. I rest my case.

That is the difference. Thais manage to combine three or four vowels in a single word. We do it with consonants. Ask a Thai who has never encountered the word before to pronounce "refrigerator".

As someone else has pointed out, in shopping malls. Not the main branches, at least in Chiang Rai And as I have pointed out, I don't go to shopping malls in the weekends.

I tend to stay away from shopping malls on weekends, too many people. I prefer weekdays. You may be right, I know the main street branches are closed. Not that it matters, I do all my banking during the week. PS. I have lived in Thailand for more than ten years, don't bruise yourself jumping to conclusions.

Bear in mind all the Western languages are just as tough for Thais, because their language does not have combined consonants. Another factor is the Thai alphabet, which is much more difficult to learn than the Greco-Roman.

If you need help with the mosquitoes, use plenty of DEET.

Sounds to me like those days are gone for you. She says I am a bad man when we play pa som sip. and I am winning.

Are you still using carrier pigeons?

Ask the poster I was responding to.

Sharing increases the chances of survival and reproduction. It's hard-wired into human biology.

Yes I can. Send me your bank details.

When we engage in acts of kindness, our brains release feel-good neurotransmitters like dopamine and oxytocin. These chemicals create a sense of pleasure and connection, reinforcing the behavior.

Some foreigners I know point-blank refuse to learn even basic Thai. I have no idea what that is supposed to achieve.

No. You have a good heart.

I do like it here, and I'm not moving on. And to think there's people on this forum that call me a woke leftist. Wow.