Caldera

Wants, or needs? I guess he knows that the peasants will be revolting once the economy really takes a dive.

Can't they just sell some more positions? I'm not sure what the problem is.

5 hours ago, Hal65 said:

Good to know, I see those busses on the road all the time. Do I just walk to the driver and ask or is there a special booth somewhere that handles the ticket?

You just board the bus and take a seat. A conductor will make the rounds to collect the fare from all passengers once the bus is on its way.

Yes it's possible, the bus leaves on the Lao side (after clearing Lao immigration) and you pay for the ride on the bus. It's a big green bus, hard to miss.

A bit late for homework assignments, he should have appointed people to his cabinet who know their stuff already.

Financially it's almost a no-brainer if you want to spend a lot of time in Thailand and don't qualify otherwise (for any other long-term visa/extension).

But immigration and the question whether you can trust them aside, I have my doubts if Thailand will still have much of its appeal left in another five years. Looking how things have developed in the past five years, that is.

Real soldiers dodge bullets, the soldiers of the fairy kingdom dodge questions. What a truly pathetic bunch they are.

Nothing really new then, they will just extend waiving the fee by another year. That should convince even the last Indian millionaire that Thailand is well worth a visit!

If they had extended the visa exempt scheme to those countries, on the other hand, that would have been big.

Cancelling the exit stamp is standard procedure. Think about all the people who have come to Thailand on single entry visa and might not qualify for re-entry. It's never processed as re-entry in such a case.

Next season of the Muppet Show, this September. I'm quite curious what they've cooked up this time.

A Thai minister who has a brain and tells the truth, how refreshing.

Once the trouble spreads to mainland China, this airport closure will be the least of Thailand's worries!

Didn't take long for this coalition to crumble! Can't say I'm surprised.

"He lauded Deputy Agriculture Minister Thammanas Phromphao for hisgenerosity. Thammanas lent Mongkholkit some money when he needed it."

Quite an interesting tidbit, too.

I cannot help but think that the demolition is highly symbolic of the decline of the UK.

Such a great heritage, such a bunch of unworthy fools p-ssing it all away, piece by piece.

Strategically falling asleep and crapping his pants is all Big Pom can seem to manage nowadays. Personally I find his qualifications lacking, but then again, he seems to be on par with his party.

Wow, so it's an app for "print and bring your own instead of wasting our precious Thai paper". Not very electronic then, another fine example of Thailand 0.4 me thinks. ????

This article seems to be spot on, from my experience. Quite many Thais I know got credit cards as soon as they had enough pay slips to apply, maxed them out within a few months (mostly spent on household items, motorcycles, electronics/gadgets) and have been servicing that debt (more or less diligently) ever since.

Due to the high interest rate, they have no realistic chance to reduce their debt anytime soon. Some reckon they might eventually earn enough to pay it off, others are resigned to taking their chances with the lottery.

I assume that the proverbial will really hit the fan once there's a significant economic downturn that will cause Thailand's fairytale unemployment rate to rise. In that event, I'd expect bad debt to explode. Thais aren't really familiar with the prospect of unemployment and will be totally unprepared for that to hit them. At some point, I'm sure that will become a huge issue.

Very sad news, RIP to those who died and a speedy recovery to those injured.

I've never been to a dentist in Thailand. In my personal ranking, Thai doctors (including, but not limited to, dentists) are ranked as "use in an emergency only". I simply haven't had such an emergency yet.

Nigel, I'd suggest that you leave insulting the royals to the likes of Corbyn.

No surprises there. A no-deal UK would be exactly the kind of meek "partner" with very little bargaining power that The Donald loves to do business with.

If there's any such enthusiasm on the UK side as well, I predict it will be very short-lived once his terms become clear.

I agree that it's a ridiculous requirement, but they do seem to enforce it strictly. Just make sure you can cancel your bookings free of charge, if you're unsure about your itinerary at the time of your visa application.

Not sure what's worse, a "sex monk" or a "social activist and vet". I'd guess I'd prefer the sex monk in my neighborhood, he sounds more fun.

As long as monks, priests and other saintly figures don't abuse children and have sex with consenting adults only, I really couldn't care less.

OP, that "lifestyle" sounds neither healthy nor fun to me. Am I missing something? Since your budget breakdown is for food only, you could survive on the same amount in pretty much any other country (emphasis on survive), so I don't even see what makes Thailand stand out in your opinion.