CygnusX1

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.

I’m at Suvanaphumi right now, waiting for a flight back to Australia. 5 minute wait at security, 4 minute wait at Immigration. Huge choice of food, Subway and Dairy Queen extra large Blizzard my favourites, and way cheaper than at an Australian airport. One of the world’s best airports in my opinion, only Singapore’s Changi is better thanks to its huge array of free attractions.

The ones at Jomtien beach don’t ask if I speak Russian, they just launch into rapid Russian, so I’ve had to memorise the Russian for “I’m sorry, I don’t speak Russian”. However, as I’ve said before here, I have no problems whatsoever with them, they seem to be decent, ordinary people, unlike their president, and are definitely not noisy. The only guy who was noisy at the beach this afternoon was a very non-Russian looking black guy who was playing that horrid rap non-music at high volume, but I’m not about to make generalisations about black people from that single case.

So, do you object to my presence as a long stay tourist, given that you’ve said tourists shouldn’t be staying in Thailand for much longer than the typical period of annual leave given to workers?

While I’m not an expert on the technicalities, posters on this forum have stressed that it is indeed a tourist visa, as it forbids any kind of employment, and is useless for anyone aspiring to achieve residency in Thailand.

Since you don’t seem too fond of long stay tourists, what do you think of my 20 year elite TOURIST visa?

Google “Mary Tyler Moore joke”.

Looks like you’re jealous of retired people, who aren’t constrained by the amount of annual leave they’re permitted to take for their leisure travel.

No, 1700 baht’s roughly $A74, and if that was for a full litre, it’s more expensive than in Australia. Dan Murphy’s has a member’s special 70cl for $35, equals $50 for a litre, normal price $44, equals $63 for a litre. Anyway, as the B52’s imported, it won’t be benefiting from the tax reduction.

Label on mine’s a bit different - it does say “Chairman’s B52”, to give it a bit of exclusivity, and it’s missing the “Imported”, just “‘Product of France” in much smaller text at the bottom. Yes, I think the Kahlua I saw would have been around 1700 baht, one of the few things here more expensive than in Australia (chocolate’s the other one).

Actually, taking a closer look at the label, I realise I’ve just told a lie - it says “Product of France”, unlikely as that seems, given the price. Brand is “Chairman’s B52”. Apologies I don’t have the computer skills to post a picture of the label. Don’t remember the exact price, might have been around 500 baht? for 70cl.

The only alcohol I drink is a dash of Kahlua that I add to a milk shake. I was appalled by the Thai price, but quickly realised there were locally made coffee liqueurs that were crazily cheap, which I think taste just as good. Looks like they might be even cheaper now.