VBF

Your replies to @Patong2021 are just what I was thinking when I read his/her posts - you saved me from typing them 👍

Which no doubt his "spin doctors" are already planning to present as some form of conspiracy showing the election was rigged.......again!

Excellent post - however I disagree with you where you say "These days it seems it takes an hour to finally delete everything." Use a program like CCleaner where you can delete the cookies etc of your choice and it will take about 20 seconds. I've also used a Chrome extension "Awesome Cookie Manager" with some success. Other similar options are available for both. Another tip is to have more than 1 browser on your PC - on mine I have Chrome and Edge, logged into different accounts and with shortcuts to Chrome Incognito and Edge InPrivate on the desktop. I have opened the same booking website on both simultaneously, done the same search and observed the different results!

But still to impose restrictions with such long-lasting consequences on the whole world by all the politicians involved was, IMO, basically an over-reaction. Accepting that you're correct, it STILL would have been better to have let the world carry on with the consequent increased death rate. I do not have figures, but I still maintain that for every person who caught Covid, the majority survived unscathed. Just a "straw poll", I personally know about 20 people (including myself) who have had Covid since 2020. Of those, only 1 has died and she was 82 and in poor health. All the others are fit and well. I respectfully refer you to Charles Darwin.

No comparison between Temu and the other two. You get what you pay for. Temu is very cheap for certain items, certainly novelties, manicure items, cleaning cloths etc where you don't mind waiting ten days for a delivery, but I'd never use them for electrical goods or anything costing more than about £10. Here Amazon is in a different class. Thanks 👍 That was the impression I formed when I initially looked at Temu. I'll leave them alone.

In that case........ YOU MIGHT BE A REDNECK 😂

I've read bad reports of Temu on some review sites.Some criticised delivery times, product quality and refund policies. What is your experience using them in UK compared to, say, Amazon and eBay?

I always do that. I've also found it easier to sort out changes directly if I book directly. Absolutely and, if you're a member of the airline's frequent flyer "club" you benefit from booking directly too.

Agreed but the OVER reaction world wide was astoundingly stupid when you consider that the people most at risk of severe reaction to Covid are known and WERE known to be a small group. They made up most of the millions. Most healthy people who got Covid (myself included) just recovered and carried on. When you look at that, you can (almost) start to believe some of the conspiracies! The current repercussions of lockdowns etc are more severe than what letting nature take its course would have been. I await the flames and mock horror at my lack of concern for human life!

Just my take on this: Booking sites are agents of a sort. They have to make commission, the airlines do not automatically give them preferential prices so their "commission" comes from the end user (customer) What they do do is to give the busy (or lazy) customers a comparison that doesn't involve looking at loads of websites. So a convenience benefit. There's nothing to stop you finding the cheapest flight on a comparison site, THEN going direct to the airline to compare there. Booking sites have taken the place of travel agents in the modern world, but at least with TAs you could negotiate with a person. This is similar to car insurance (in UK anyway). I used a couple of comparison sites, found the best price, THEN went directly to the same insurance company and got another 5% off the best price. It was time-consuming but that didn't matter. My personal opinion is that all agents are basically leeches, whether they be travel, employment or estate (realtors to US readers) They do little that one cannot do for oneself, if one has the time.

Fig leaf 🙄😆 (Sorry, Crossy 😞)

I just completed this quiz. My Score 90/100 My Time 87 seconds  

Thank you for posting that image from the website of the Thai embassy in London, UK. I see they were in the habit of posting false information already in 2019, possibly even earlier. I wonder how the people at that embassy get selected for their jobs. Edited 14 hours ago by Puccini Indeed - following that link today, that is STILL what the London Embassy site shows ie 30 days having not been updated since August 2019 BUT.....if you STAY on the London Embassy site and navigate to "Tourist Visa Exemption Scheme" and press this button: you will end up at https://london.thaiembassy.org/en/page/exemp-visa There you will see: So how the hell does a prospective tourist have a clue?

Ouch!!🥺

Thanks 👍

Another one that took me a good 20 seconds to get. 🤔 You're not Scottish are you @oxo1947 ? 😆

That's confusing. Central sits between 2nd and Beach roads. Night Market is opposite Central on 2nd Road and indirectly backs on to Buakhao. Is that where you mean? I did a quick search on Pattaya News but cannot find the article - do you have a link?

I can see the attraction of that once or twice, getting to see different parts of Thailand, but does it not become tedious after a few trips, especially in the rainy months?

I wouldn't put it quite as bluntly as that, but I do, in principle, agree with you. I abandoned my plans to move to Thailand some years ago basically because of the numerous changes to rules and regulations over which I have no control. The older one gets, the more difficult it gets to contend with these changes.

That one interests me too. Also, what are the airlines going to do if you turn up at check-in without either a visa or a return ticket?

I think I know a taxi driver like that! 😮😂

I see what you mean....

Not necessarily! Just because the street is one way, doesn't stop 2 trucks parking opposite each other. The only difference would be that they'd both be facing the same direction........being Thailand even that isn't guaranteed! 😲

I think it was George Burns who said "If I'd known i was going to live this long, I'd have taken better care of myself" More to the point, being old is relative - age 40, you're old to a teenager, age 50 you're young to a 70 year old. It's like being tall or short, fat or thin, you are what you are. A lot of it is perception. To answer the OP directly - No, I'm not enough of a snowflake to give a damn. Signed VBF - a short fat old git most of the time but a handsome young man in Pattaya. 🤔😂🤣

What the **** took you so long? 😂