Trip Hop

7 hours ago, ukrules said:

That's right, it's the same with the dollar if anyone cares to check.

 

The whole story is just an untruth - the markets did nothing, it's almost like nobody cares - which is probably near the truth.

 

 

It's been ranging around this level since May 5.

 

Not long arrived back in Blighty, read this and immediately checked TT’s rate in Pattaya as I distinctly remembered it being @ 41.95/£ on Saturday? According to their website they’re currently offering 42.23/£ which equates to a 0.67% swing the other way unless Thai maths is different to the rest the world? ????

1 hour ago, dinsdale said:

Prayut will be toppled might take a while might happen rapidly and then he'll be arrested and escape Thailand via a military helicopter. This is my prediction.

My Mrs has been saying for a long time that’s what the new sub is for! ????

12 minutes ago, Spock said:

So two ecstasy tablets is worth 10 months (so far) jail where even Thais would be unlikely to suffer under such a harsh penalty?! 

He hasn't been in jail for 10 months.  He got bailed when he was first arrested and recently surrendered to court whereby he was sentenced and spent a few nights in Patong nick whilst he awaits transfer to IDC.

As said previously, I met an Irish guy in Soi 9 nick who had done 18 months in the Hilton.  Whilst he said that he wouldn't recommend it, he didn't complain too much,  In fact he complained more about Soi 9 BIB only feeding him twice a day whereby in the Hilton it was 3?  

47 minutes ago, brianthainess said:

Shame on the whole country and embassies here so scared to even make an official complaint about one of their citizens being treated that way, almost amounts to torture oh i forgot that's still legal in the LOShame

You have to understand that embassies & consulates around the globe are there to help with serious issues not just minor ones where someone has been stupid enough to get caught with some drugs in a foreign country with well publicised low tolerance for the same as well as not the most hospitable cells/jails?  Taking this into consideration, it's easy to understand that their attitude might be that you deserve what you get?

On a stag weekend trip to Prague once our apartment got broken into and one of my friend's passport were stolen.  Upon speaking to the embassy on Saturday, we were told that it would have to wait until Monday as weekends were emergencies only.  When we asked as to what exactly constituted an emergency as we had a plane to catch home the following day, we were told, "life or death".

Additionally you should know by now that Thailand thinks very little of what other countries think about it?  Therefore the embassy might have the attitude that they do not wish to upset the apple cart too much, in case it hinders the future assistance t may want to give to more genuine needs?  

No-one can say for definite but the guy does seem a bit of a d1ck and drama queen who wants everyone to feel sorry for him?  After after all he did choose to break the law in a country where it is well publicised the world over to not have the most hospitable cells/prisons?  I'm no angel myself but live by the rule that if you're not prepared to do the time, don't do the crime? 

He's lucky that when he first got arrested, he didn't get put straight in front of a kangaroo court the following morning with no access to a lawyer and sent straight to the Hilton for 18 months, as happened to a guy who got caught with a minute amount of meth that I met whilst overnight in Soi 9 not so long ago?  Standard procedure to keep him in a police cell before they are ready to move him to IDC as they were doing to the guy that I met.

I've never been blessed with a visit to Patong nick but I assume that they are all basically the same?  Soi 9 wasn't as bad as I feared, they took your cigarettes but let you keep your wallet so that you can buy cigarettes from the police at over inflated prices.  They fed you rice and gave you water as well.  The thais in there were also very friendly and shared their drinks with me.  You could also order something from the 7-11 if you didn't like the cuisine and charities called in the morning to check that you were ok and gave you water and some bread.  They also allow you to move around within the whole cell area unless you're being a pain, whereby they will lock you up alone in a single cell,  Sleeping on a concrete floor is not that bad either due to it not being cold.

As said, no-one really knows the truth except him?  From the way that he has publicised this though , I do get the feeling that he sees himself as a bit of a rebel until things don't go his way and he cries like a baby? I also get the funny feeling that he was expecting to be deported and possibly blew all his money on one last binge before he went to court expecting to go straight to IDC and onto a flight?  When this didn't happen, he got upset and kicked off a bit, in the process upsetting the police and all around him who normally would have helped? 

I may be wrong though?

I'm in two minds as to whether this will ever materialise?  However, I kind of think it may be based on the following?

Thai government/revenue make assumptions and may have even structured the economy with possible borrowing based on TAT's over inflated tourist projections?  The projected tourists don't arrive, leaving a shortfall and the government/revenue is left thinking how else are we going to raise the money without losing face and possibly devaluing the baht, which means that they will have to pay even more for their toy submarines and overseas property?

So instead of discounting or having a promotion (as most other countries or businesses would have) to encourage more tourists, the wise buffoons at the top think nah, we'll just tax the ones that are coming even more?  Typical thai logic which I still struggle to understand even after many years?

Forget the smokescreen of stopping thais going and spending their money abroad as it won't touch the pockets of those that can afford to do that.  It will however have more of an effect on long stay tourists already in Thailand, who might prefer to get a cheap flight to visit a neighbouring country for a week and spending their money there instead of spending a day at immigration?  The additional downside being as previously stated, whereby those from neighbouring countries may no longer see Thailand as a cheap place to visit for a couple of days, especially if bringing the family?  It also means that there is a good chance that it will reduce the amount of money going across the border to legal casinos which will most probably result in this money being spent in the illegal ones within Thailand, which in the majority are all controlled by you know who? 

2 hours ago, hotchilli said:

A real can of worms in this case, I wonder how long she has been free to do the things that are only now coming to light.

It does seem strange that perfectly healthy people can just drop dead one day, and yet not be fully investigated by police or hospitals as to the cause of death.

They are just wrapped up, sent to the  temple and lets get on with the ceremony.

Cases closed, which unfortunately allowed this women to continue her activities.

 

A close relative died back home about 4 days ago and the GF is amazed that I haven’t cut my holiday short and already flown back to the UK on the first available flight? I’m trying to explain to her that despite the person having advanced Alzheimer’s and dying in a hospital, a separate doctor still has to sign off that the death was from natural causes before the body can even be released and funeral planning can start?  She’s looking at me as if I have 2 heads and stating that in Thailand they’d wrap you up and bundle you out the door to the temple the very same day!

12 hours ago, JWNZ said:

Think the "genuine" tourist won't be too worried as they usually go home within 30 days, or some within 60 after a 30-day extension.

The long-term stayers, without the correct visa though, may feel a little aggrieved. End of the day though, they are not actually tourists. ....

In addition to my other shorter trips at other times of the year, I normally visit for Xmas/New Year and stay the full 30 days. This time I decided to stay the whole 45 days just because the hassle free option was there. Many of my friends that I meet up with out there do the same and made the same decision to extend our stays for exactly the same reason. We all budgeted about B400k for the 6 weeks and we are tourists. However, if it stays at 30 days come this December, that’s what we’ll be coming for as we just can’t be arsed applying for 60 day visas in advance or losing a day at immigration for an extension?

On 10/21/2022 at 4:05 PM, Neeranam said:

Most Thais don't realize the truth about them. 

Being 1% myself for many years, I can 100% tell you that neither do you!  
 

If you really are Thai as you insinuate, you should look closer to home? Various eastern block mafias, the BiB and a lot of your own countrymen/women to start?

Also, if you want to ban 1% clubs in Thailand full stop, you should start with the Thai MCs? They really have the power in the MC world here. I can tell you that the big farang clubs are only allowed a presence out of courtesy and could be shut down by them at any time they so wished?

19 hours ago, Lemsta69 said:

just being a bikie is sufficient grounds for immediate deportation.  send him back to NZ and let them seem with him. ABAB.

???? I’m not defending this guy but I can tell you now that I know 10x the amount of criminals that are not 1%, than those who are! So going by your rhetoric, shouldn’t you be kicking yourself of the country? 

You have to be a total loon to invest 40 million baht on anything in Thailand. You could invest that sum somewhere far safer and easily see 7% plus pa and you’d get a pretty nice pool villa rental with sea views in Phuket with that?

1 hour ago, Excel said:

Well I can agree partially with many of your comments but then your arguments regarding cannabis surely would also be applicable to opium, where do you draw the line ?

There’s a big difference. In a generally healthy person opium can quickly become physically addictive whereas cannabis is more psychologically addictive, if at all?  The one possible exception to this being someone who uses cannabis for neuropathic pain or similar? Here, it could be said that the user might become physically addicted to the pain relief it might provide but this could be overcome by them using prescription drugs instead?

I smoked cannabis for years in my younger days and could take it or leave it? The ex GF used to smoke it daily for years to help with neuropathic pain as  she found she could function better on it than with her prescribed cocktail of prescription drugs?

38 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

No apology will be forthcoming. PCR tests do not sequence the genome and type of variant. Only genomic sequencing can do that.

I never said they do but it’s a fact that different types of PCR Assay detect different strains more effectively. Just check a medical suppliers catalogue for yourself and you will see that I am correct? Genome sequencing is used for confirmation and detecting any possible mutations/new strains? Not that I am an expert but I did have a lot of money in Novacyt up until about 15 months ago, so did a fair amount of reading on the subject?

So no apology for sarcastically trying to ridicule me about how I knew about what CT value they run my PCR test, only for me to justify my claims and prove you wrong?

Just think yourself lucky that we wasn’t in a bar together when you shot your mouth off, otherwise I’d be carrying out a bit of attitude adjustment on you myself? C@ck!

7 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

And you know this how, you watched it being done. You went to the lab yourself to see the machines and asked the staff. It was documented on your PCR-RT certificate sheet, or your just guessing? Which is it.  The machine does not check for different variants, that is done through another process sir and takes a few days to complete.

 

Identifying COVID-19 variants requires a special type of testing called genomic sequencing. Due to the volume of COVID-19 cases, sequencing is not performed on all viral samples.

Err, no? It was stated on my test results!  FYI, there are different types of PCR test available from the manufacturers depending on which variant they are looking for? If you cast your mind back to around this time, you will remember a news article on here from the good doctor about how amazing they were by running samples through two different tests to try and identify Omicron?

P.S. Think you owe me an apology smart <deleted>?

1 hour ago, ding said:

Yep, I've been asking what rtPCR test CT (cycle threshold) Thailand uses for many months. I had to cancel our previous trip because Japan AirLines cancelled our flight. That threw off our pre-departure rtPCR's and everything in Thailand. The travel rtPCR's where we live in America are very hard to get and result timing very dicey with 24 hours of travel time. It ended up being very expensive.

At Xmas they ran my sample through 2 different tests. One at a CT of 40 and the other at a CT of 45???  Think they were checking for different variants?

3 hours ago, thisisrascal said:

I don’t see this happening any time soon, July 1 would be my guess. It’s a little silly because as has been pointed out already a farang is more likely to be infected in Thailand. 

Pretty sure that myself and 3 other mates who met up with each other over Xmas/New Year, all came down with it at different times whilst out there?

Considering I’d gone to work everyday in the UK since the start of the pandemic and had avoided it up until then, I’d agree  with you?

4 hours ago, 86Tiger said:

Ding, ding ding.  We have a winner.

 

Any thinking person knowing there is soon to be a change in requirements will postpone couple or even few weeks to arrive under the new "scheme."  It is only prudent.

I disagree somewhat? Most people book their flights way in advance, to take advantage of cheaper prices, especially with the limited service offered by airlines at present? Most will also resist paying for a fully flexible ticket, which means it will cost more to change the ticket than the pre-flight PCR itself?

TBH, whilst there is still any form of testing on arrival, I’ll still be taking a pre-flight PCR. 

31 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

I am not looking for an argument, but some time ago the UK was offering hotel quarantine for UK arrivals, and from all reports, it was very expensive and awful..... 

True to a certain extent as it was only applicable to travellers from countries that were on the red list? The main difference to Thailand being that you knew what you were in for and not sprung on you upon arrival by a PCR test that was amplified way more than the rest of the civilised world, possibly picking up previous infections whilst you were no longer a danger?