CygnusX1

The Thai police can’t be expected to continuously monitor every Indian wearing a gold chain. At least this type of theft isn’t regarded as a trivial crime not worth investigating, as in some European cities.

Just yesterday I booked a flight with EVA in early September from Vienna to Bangkok. I did it directly on the EVA website, with no problems at all, and the price was about the same as last year’s flight for the same route and time. So maybe you were unlucky or I was very lucky, you just have to keep trying.

Of course leaving Dubai is one thing, flying to Dubai is quite another. Given that most passengers on Bangkok to Europe flights via Dubai just transit Dubai, I wonder if it’s possible for Emirates to replace those flights with direct to Europe routes. I’m sure an A380 has the range. I’m booked on Emirates from Bangkok to Rome via Dubai on 4 June. If I were smart I’d book another flight on a direct route, but I hate the idea of booking a flight that I don’t intend to use, it’s not the money, just doesn’t seem the right thing to do.

A couple of hours ago I booked Vienna to Bangkok direct with EVA for early September. I was a bit panicked because I thought that with nobody booking flights via the Middle East, direct flights might sell out even that far in advance. The price was about the same as when I flew the same route with them last year, around the same time. I can confirm that you’re allowed 2 checkin bags, each 23 kg, so with my single suitcase of 15 kg I should be fine.

Also see a podiatrist, you might have flat feet as I do. Professionally fitted orthotics have greatly reduced my knee pain. You can see the difference in the soles of my old shoes - instead of being worn and squashed on the inner side, there’s now even wear across the soles.

I was there from mid December to early February, swimming and long beach walks most days. Sand was always pretty clean.

The ‘blue bottle’ familiar to Australians, and known elsewhere as the ‘Portuguese man o’ war (actually a siphonophore rather than a jellyfish, and also a colony of organisms) is a different species, Physalia physalis.

In my experience, the sand at Jomtien beach is almost always pretty clean, and a pleasant spot for a long barefoot beach walk, though I can’t comment on Feb 22 as I’m not there at the moment.

Wherever I go, if it’s for more than a few days, I always at least learn how to say “I’m sorry, I don’t speak xxxx language.” I even say it in countries like Germany, where I know that virtually everyone’s fluent in English, it’s basic politeness. I also know how to say it in Russian for my swims at Jomtien beach.

As someone who divides his time amongst Australia, Europe and Thailand, I can definitely state that Thai taxis are crazily cheap compared with taxis in Australia and Europe.

I use AC in my Thai condo, set to 24 or 25 degrees. Air pollution’s too high to open balcony door when weather’s cooler. My Thai electricity bill for a month in which I’ve had the AC going for most of every day and night is still less than my bill in Australia for a month when I’ve not been in the country, and have used zero electricity, with everything switched off. Only use AC rarely when I’m in Australia, but I’m away for much of the Australian summer, and with clean air, I can cool the place at night by opening door and window.

I do feel so sorry for these people. If you're a multi-millionaire climate alarmist, how else are you going to enjoy your money that doesn't involve emission of large quantities of carbon dioxide? Maybe just spend it all on rare stamps, and eke out your days living in a one bedroom apartment looking at your stamp collection?

Your post just crossed with mine. The clinic I go to stresses that you must soften the wax for 2 or 3 days before having it suctioned. On one visit, the nurse said she didn’t remove a bit of wax that was close to the eardrum, and booked me in for a second visit after it had been further softened. I think the process is way safer than it was when I had it done for the first time by a doctor, who injected water with great force through a huge syringe. Certainly instantly effective, but I think somewhat dangerous.

That’s almost as expensive as in Australia, where I have my ears vacuum suctioned every 6 to 12 months. The problem’s so common that there’s now an established chain, “Earworx”, of clinics who do nothing else apart from removing ear wax. They strongly advise against syringing, which can damage the ear drum, and recommend putting olive oil in the ear every month, which I don’t do, as it’s so messy.

View Talay 5D as well, pretty much a clone of 5C’s restaurant. Both serve generous portions of great food, amazingly cheap.

I must defend Jomtien beach here. As well as swimming there, I regularly walk along the beach a couple of km from North Dongtan all the way to where the beach is sadly being widened near Jomtien Beach Condos. As well as no more cigarette butts, I’ve never seen any broken glass, and rarely bottle tops. There were lots of small jellyfish today, but unlike Australian bluebottles, they’re stingless. Very pleasant, clean sand, there must be a litter patrol, maybe early in the morning. The air pollution during the burning season’s the only thing that concerns me, admittedly a hugely greater worry than a few smokers.

No, Putin’s way, way, way more evil than Trump - and I loathe and despise Trump. Being the world’s greatest narcissist doesn’t begin to compare with being responsible for the deaths and maiming of hundreds of thousands of people in an unprovoked invasion of another country.

Putin a member of the “Board of Peace”?? A contradiction to rank with anything in George Orwell’s 1984.

From AI - “Skeuomorphism refers to a design element that mimics a physical, often obsolete, object to provide familiarity in a new, digital context. “ I’d expand this definition beyond digital contexts, eg a picture of a steam locomotive on a rail crossing sign.

Yes, I think the point here is that just about everything’s taxable, but if your total income’s low enough (only if you’re a tax resident!), tax free threshold, tax offsets and rebates mean you’ll actually pay zero tax.

I utterly loathe and despise both Trump and Starmer. Does that make me a hopelessly naive leftist or a far right looney? (I’ve been called both by friends and relatives).

Residency issues aside, so just talking about totally legit tax residents, you should just clarify here that the age pension certainly is taxable if you’re on a part pension and have sufficient other income. There is a tax offset to reduce this, but I don’t even receive any of that as my total income is too high, only just enough to get me a small part age pension.

Thanks for that! Worth a try. On my very old phone it’s Settings - Apps and Notifications - Advanced - Emergency Broadcasts - Emergency Alert Settings, several different alert levels, all of which I’ve now switched to off.

Damn! I was right in the middle of a tricky track of Beat Sabre, and all hell broke loose. Thought one of my electrical appliances was about to explode.

Another vote for Stackry. Used them a few years back to buy a couple of tennis racquets that the manufacturer bizarrely refuses to ship from the US to Australia. The process was straightforward, and I now have a US address in case there’s anything else that’s otherwise impossible to buy from America.