CygnusX1

Great photograph of Koh Samui. Never considered going there before, but I might now.

I agree with other posters here on Foodmart. For such a small supermarket, it has an amazingly comprehensive selection of Western food, everything that a fussy eater such as myself needs. I’m in Australia now, back in Jomtien in a couple of weeks, and am looking forward to Foodmart’s precut pineapple pieces, so much better quality than the whole pineapples I buy in Australia. I don’t think it’s more expensive than any other Western oriented supermarket in Thailand. What I can’t understand is how the place manages to handle all of the occupants of those thousands of condos, especially in peak season.

Yes, I’ve noticed that in north Jomtien, near Pratumnak, although there are still heaps of dogs, none are aggressive. Maybe someone in authority has been quietly arranging the removal of the problem dogs.

After carefully reading the article, I can find no reference in it to the massacre of 1200 innocent Israelis of all ages. Instead, it describes the October 7 atrocity as “The attack, which involved firing multiple rockets from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel, occurred amid simmering tensions and ongoing violence in the region.” A clumsy attempt to falsify history. As such, the article is the very antithesis of “neutral”.

As I read that, my brain automatically ended the sentence with another noun, before I got to “clothes” on the next line.

After years of trying, my Thai conversational ability wouldn’t even be at the basic level, and I can understand very little of a Thai news bulletin. I can, however, read Thai, (though not necessarily understanding what I’m reading), and I’m surprised at a couple of posters here who obviously speak Thai way better than me, but who haven’t learnt to read it. Learning to read Thai is so simple compared with learning to speak it! After the installer, with whom I’d been conversing in English, had finished putting in my new air con, he gave me the operating manual, apologising that it was only in Thai. He was staggered when I started to read it back to him. I think Thais are more impressed by someone who can read Thai, however poorly, than they are by someone who can speak it with some competence.

We can’t have people using condoms, leads to immoral behaviour.

We can’t have people using condoms, leads to immoral behaviour.

If you look at lung cancer deaths on websites with stats on life expectancy, Thailand does surprisingly well, with lung cancer deaths per 100,000 about the same as Australia and New Zealand. I find that very surprising, considering the vastly cleaner air in those countries, and with levels of smoking I would have thought are lower than Thailand’s. There are also quite a few countries with overall death rates greater than 30.7 per 100,000, maybe due to high rates of smoking.

They still haven’t sorted out card payments completely in Thailand. With many purchases at the same supermarket using the same (foreign) credit card, sometimes I only had to swipe the card, usually had to sign the docket. Australia’s crazy, other day I bought an ice cream at the little kiosk at a beach run by lifesavers. Lucky I have some cash with me, I thought, surely they won’t take cards. Turned out they’d only accept cards. Problem for swimmers, OK to leave a few dollars with your stuff while you’re in the water, but no way I’d leave a credit card unguarded at a beach. Hope QR codes don’t become universal, I have no idea how to use them.

During the 3 months I was recently there (I’m in Australia at the moment), VDSL through 3BB was totally reliable, except for an entire day when the whole building lost internet (except for you!). This was straight after a power cut, which I’m speculating may have damaged some equipment in the control room.

Thanks so much for that. Although I’m happy for now with VDSL, that’s great to know for the future, and your corner unit would have required the greatest length of cable. After checking on 3BB’s website that fibre wasn’t available for VT5D, and confirming this with them at their shop, I just assumed this would be the case for all providers, as in Australia. I suppose 3BB weren’t about to volunteer the information that TOT could do it.

As a fellow owner in VT5D, that’s super interesting for me! Are you on a high floor?

Apologies for delayed reply. I ran a couple of speed tests, and they showed nearly 50 mbs over WiFi. I’m anything but a computer expert, so maybe I misunderstood something about the test. 3BB is the provider. I also have an AIS 5G SIM card, but was only getting 2 or 3 mbs with it. I’ve been told that mobile phone transmissions are aimed towards the ground, so if you’re on a high floor, reception will be poor. Not claiming this is true, it’s just something I’ve been told.

View Talay 5D only has VDSL, which I think is the equivalent of fibre-to-the-node in Australia, ie fibre to an equipment room on the ground floor of the building, and copper to each individual condo. Although it would be great to have fibre all the way, I was impressed with the speed when I was there last month - enough to stream 4K from Amazon Prime to my 4K TV with no interruptions. Amazing what can be done with copper.

I’m guessing that they see the blades, but the immense size of the blades fools them into thinking that the blades are moving a lot more slowly than they really are. Same as a 747 taking off seems to be moving more slowly than a small aircraft.

After what Putin’s done to Russia’s economy, probably equivalent to a 500,000 baht fine for us.

You’d have to show me a link to the relevant article. I can’t find any mention of this in the articles in the Thai News and Phuket Express that were linked to the posts in this forum. I’m assuming that the two brothers are alleging this, rather than any of the witnesses?

Except for the Thai police officer who the two NZ brothers unsuccessfully tried to bribe, in today’s other big story. Maybe they’d seen similar posts by cynics on this forum, and just assumed bribery would always work.

On seeing the headline, thought for one worrying moment they were being arrested for failure to lodge a TM30 (I did try online, but unsure whether it actually went through or not…)

I once bought a fake Rolex in Vietnam for the young son of a co-worker, and was a little nervous going through Australian immigration. Had thought the internals would be cheap electronic, but it was actually fully mechanical, and worked for less than a week. I’m not sure Rolex are too bothered by at least the cheap fakes. I think it’s good advertising for them, and I can imagine a rich businessman wanting to buy a real one to match the fake he had when a kid, in the same way that some of us lust after the real classic cars that match the toy cars we used to play with.

I feel sorry for the members of the army of Chinese spies who have to spend their days sifting through mountains of videos exchanged by brainless teenagers in order to uncover the one-in-a-million with intelligence value to the CCP.

Always a good selection of Tim Tams at the Foodmart next to the Jomtien bus station to airport. Either 108 or 118 baht, can’t remember. With chocolate being so expensive in Thailand, cheapest way to get my chocolate fix.

My current car’s 24 years old, and it still feels like new. I sold my first car after owning it for 35 years. It was still running reliably, only sold it since my mother kindly gave me my current car after she had to surrender her licence due to age.

Arrived just before 2pm for 6pm flight (I’m paranoid about arriving early at airports). Normal security check, less than 5 minutes in tiny queue. Don’t know about the smoking room, but the observation deck was disappointing, just indoors with poor view.