moontang

2 minutes ago, polpott said:

I can assure you that there are many farangs desperate to visit. As for the UK, the majority will have had both shots by summer, virtually everyone by October. My mate who visited regularly before Covid will be over like a shot if he doesn't have to endure quarantine. Due to Covid he is awash with money, he hasn't been able to spend it.

I wonder how wide spread the refund problem from a well known airline is.  That would certainly leave a bad taste in your mouth.

8 minutes ago, polpott said:

I think everyone is now expecting tourism to blast back in October.

I suppose, if you count myanmar refugees as tourists...lol.  There is some peant up demand, for sure, guys separated from their girls for going on two years, and likely would like a bit of dividend on the remittances.  Will be easy enough to get some big numbers from China..but I cant see millions of farangs coming here for the first trip abroad in a few years.

28 minutes ago, Susco said:

OP should change thread title .

 

Which Hooters you like when it is 50% discount, as I know he would make a detour when normal prices are charged

both offer the same promos.  

8 minutes ago, edwinchester said:

Just bought some beer at our local market for a small party this evening...right next to the stall selling it is the village police office....maybe the memo didn't make it to them.

That is almost as surprising as the shop selling bongs/pipes/papers within 20m of the KSR station.

Thanks, just bought 4 heinekens, almost new born.

11 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

Nether. ????

I never tried them until the 50% off the entire menu from 3-4pm.  It was eye opening.

On 3/22/2021 at 12:03 PM, Moo 2 said:

Just under 2 years ago I was buying 4 L cask of wine at Aldi store for $ 10.00 (Aust.) At that time the Baht was 22.00 for a dollar. Now, without being an accountant this is roughly 220.00 baht for 4 L of Cabernet Merlot, which is an all around 12% table wine. Can anyone in Thailand tell me where I can buy 4 L of wine for, say plus 100% tax, 440.00 baht? Why Australia is not putting a 100% tax on imported rice, prawns, cans of tuna, instant noodles and the likes, and if these items are not classified luxury yet, they would be after the 100% tax on them! 

Same for Thai shrimp or cashew nuts in the US...can easily be found at Costco or Trader Joe's for less than they cost in Thailand.  But, there is a laundry list of US items that are multiples more expensive here, due to unfair taxes.  Any you can hate Donald Trump all you want, but everything he said about trade and lack of reciprocity was true.  BTW, we Americans enjoy Autralian wine and many others in the US, readily available for less than an hours work at minimum wage, and hope you folks enjoy our diverse wines, too.

I have been to both, always for the 50% off.  If you have been to both, which one do you like more, and why?

19 minutes ago, polpott said:

You have missed the main activities. Servicing wife. Servicing mia noi. Servicing giks. Wife has asked me to make myself scarce tonight but just learned that no bars tonight. Was going to see gik but mia noi informed me that she has just kicked her husband into touch. Guess it'll be a bottle of wine round at hers then.

I wish I had a cold beer in my fridge for every uneducated, poor isaan girl, with a few kids, no money, and a family tree with a negative worth, that I have met this year.

I found in Cambo, if I changed a 20 USD into Riel, it worked out to an extra can of beer at the local market.  There was some decent banking there, as far as I wasable to use my capitalone atm card for free, and get usd..Canadia Bank or similar.

2 minutes ago, EricTh said:

What happened to Philippines and Vietnam? Shouldn't that be on the list too?

I wont comment on the Phils because I dont like the Catholic Church, but yeah, Vietnam was the talk of the town a few years ago...still waiting to see some photos of spicy food and hot chicks.....but apparently, VN didnt want to become a trashpacker magnet and tightened the screws.  

3 hours ago, BenDeCosta said:

Alcoholic drinks in Malaysia are very expensive. And there very few options. But even the worst Malaysian beer is nicer than Leo.  

but, it escapes me why farang refuse to drink Tiger, which is within 2% pricewise at the big box stores and many 711..brewed by Thai Asia Pacific, which also makes a decent Heineken.  

I did hear about the Duty Free island in MY, and that was interesting, but we had duty free booze in Arizona and smoke was about 1/20th of MY, but I never inhaled.

Just now, bermondburi said:

Good. Keeps out the riffraff. A price worth paying.

They dont allow AW to sell Root Beer, it was renamed RB to not a

offend Mohamed.  I heard drink prices are outrageous.  

Mexico may be calling, but jusy yesterday an old GF from high school said she took her college age girls to Cancun and Cozumel, and was really concerned about their safety.  Cancun was always suppose to be a safe Oasis, complete with a Costco, but apparently all bets are off.

2 minutes ago, polpott said:

The girls are Khmer. I lived with one for the best part of a year. Have you ever been to Cambodia? Doesn't sound like it.

There was a pretty big South Vietnam influence in PP.  They will always say Saigon...

Considered Cambo until I stayed for a month in 2013, but more and more the desperate Thais, especially around Patts, remind me of the Cambodians.  Except beer is a lot more, and you sure as heck aint gonna light up right in front of a cop.  Then there is the China Syndrome...heard most of them abandoned Sihanoukeville after Beijing made them pull the plug on online gambling.  A Brit I met there, worked at a hotel for 200 per month usd, and said if you see the Khmer doing anything except shuffling their feet, it is because they have just stolen...more and more true in Thailand, every year, except for government workers still shuffle their feet after stealing.

12 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

In any case even its a small risk not having money here is no risk.

The states of California and New York levee bank accounts every day, without due process.  Then there is the IRS...so US bank accounts arent exactly full proof.  You do want to balance the different risks/rewards and exposure to currency fluctuations.  There may be a window in the coming months that is a good time to bring some chunks over.  we saw 33 pretty quickly last year, I think now, there are many more compelling reasons for a slide in the THB.  

Thailand would be immune from the emmininent collapse of Myanmar's banking system, and I wont even speculate about future C19 numbers, here.

1 minute ago, Jingthing said:

If you say so.

I contend that many people have had problems. 

Just because you didn't doesn't prove anything. 

But please say which Thai bank.

in 2018 did 2 x 300K at BBL main branch CM, and also did 300k at BBL UTH, zero docs in all three cases.  Monday was at a bank spelled sort of like CHIMP.  There has been a loosening of the rules on outbound transfers within the last few years.  A friend sent back 7 milion in one swipe at Krungsri HH, in 2019, after he sold a house in his companies name...I will have to ask if they looked at anything.  50,000 USD is the mark that needs BOT approval, and adds a few days to the process.  It is another one of those issues that overlays laziness, ignorance, the language barrier, dislike of foreigners, and not being up to date with the rules or familiar with the process.  My mistake was not going to the main branch at Si Lom, but it did get done.

5 hours ago, Jingthing said:

 

 

 The consequences of the O path and transferring in 800K baht are a potential problem getting the money out of Thailand if he decides not to stay. On the other hand he can have some wonderful holidays here spending down that money!

That is mostly an urban/TV myth.  I sent back 400K on Monday.  Reason given was repatriation of half of money required for retirement visa (extension).  It hit my Fidelity account in about three hours.  Absolutely no documentation was required, but I think it looks better if the money is in your account as opposed to a brown bag.

1 hour ago, madmen said:

It was spent 5 minutes after hitting her account. 

Or it went to pay for something previously owed, but for certain it was never "put aside." 

So you can get an O for retirement, 90 days, at Kalorama, DC nowadays?  That wasn't an option for me in late 2013.  

Almost two years to bring over the 800k, if using that method (which is a lot more straight-forward), could save you a bundle.  The USD/THB can be like a train moving in one direction.  Right now the THB is weakening, 3% in a month approximately.  I would say there is a 30% chance we could see 36 in the next 24 months.  There is that pesky health insurance thing, though.  Many are using what we call the throw away policy with LMG for about 200 usd per year.  I have been here 7 years, and things have been on the decline the entire time, since an event in May 2014, and another major event in October 2016.  Doing common business here is a nightmare, and the language barrier is a relatively small part of it.