LivingNThailand

I rented a room out to a guy who spent his summer savings on 2000 hits of acid he bought from a US preacher passing through. He was selling it for a living. I would not let him keep it in the house so he had it buried in the snow around town. In the spring when the snow melted he had a pile of the stuff to deal with so he got into it ,one a day for a week then seven at one shot. That did it he went up and never came down. He threw out all his possessions, nice cameras etc. and would sit all day in the bath tub. He stopped eating regular food saying honey had everything a body needs till I told him it had no vitamin C so he bought a case of oranges. Anyway he spooked my girlfriend so I had to run him off so I could get laid. The last thing I heard about him was that they put him in the nut house but he climbed over the wall and escaped. I knew a guy like that on Maui once. It did get him out of the draft.

And let's not forget that the restaurant was making money off this delivery. It was not like someone off the street popped in and got some free water.

Where I came from the fruit punch dispensers at the fast food places also had a water option. You got pink water, but it was water. Maybe same with the coke dispenser here. It's freaking hot out there. Give the guy a break if it really was water.

Yes, probably speeding, but there is a big curve in the underpass. Not dangerous is not speeding typo, what I meant was , yes there is a curve in the underpass. If you are going the speed limit it is not dangerous. If you are speeding and out of control, yes dangerous. There are orange traffic cone-like things embedded into the divider through the tunnel. At the curve, most of them have been taken out by drivers..... speeding.

Yes, probably speeding, but there is a big curve in the underpass. Not dangerous is not speeding

huh?

Yes, and that is why we were importing from Thailand and not China. In my original post, I said that we could not compete with the lower priced China government-subsidized products. The mass wholesale market wants cheap, not quality. It's very hard to explain unless you lived it. The constant battle of "it's cheaper at XYZ company" and trying to explain to your customer that our product was better quality than XYZ and XYZ was cheaper because the Chinese Communist government was paying factories to produce products and flood the other markets. If a product costs $3 to produce, the Chinese government was giving the factories $1-$1.50 so they could undersell the other markets. i.e. Thailand. I'm not certain how wide spread the practice is now because I'm not in the market, but I would bet it is going strong. Sorry if I sound bitter, but if Thailand wants to compete they need to make sure that the products are similar in price, which means putting tarrifs on products coming in from other companies, like China, to be competitive...but I don't think it will happen.

How did she manage to plunge off a cliff? Nothing about that. She just drive straight off a cliff? Something is fishy here. Or maybe it's the accurate Google Maps GPS, totally worthless.

Took the words right out of my mouth

Is this guy the prime minister of Thailand? Or the PM of China? PM Srettha said in the original article: "There is no way that the Thai producers can compete with the Chinese products as far as production cost is concerned. " What a this is exactly why we had to close our business. We were importing products from Thailand and could not compete with the cheap "government-subsidized" products from China. This article makes me want to vomit. The PM can protect Thai businesses by imposing stiff tariffs on goods from China so that Thai companies can be competitive. That's how it works Mr. PM. He obviously doesn't want to help the country or the small Thai businesses. Please tell me that this article was an early April Fools Day article.

I read, and not saying it is true, but I read that the Chinese people have to get permission to leave the country from the government. Unlike Western countries, where you can hop on a plane and go somewhere, as long as you have the correct paperwork, visa, etc.

Especially from China? Why? Before I moved here eight years ago, I must have made two trips a year to Bangkok / Phuket for about 30 years. Personally, I didn't really see a big influx of Chinese visitors until about 2014, and that ended in 2020. Why, or why, does the government go on and on about the Chinese? It's a big world out there, guys. Lots of other countries. The knee-jerk back-and-forth programs make the government look panicky and desperate. BTW, that is a rhetorical question, I really don't expect a rational answer.

Totally unscientific evidence, but I tend to agree. I live in a residential area of Phuket and last year at this time many new Russian families moved into the area. There was sort of a frantic pace about it. Now it's quiet and only the same families are here, not new ones. The Villa market was trashed every day and stripped, and the beer cooler was cleaned out every day by the Russians. Now, during peak season, everything is quiet at the market and things are civilized. Just the normal flow of tourists. The only places that are crowded are the streets and traffic, and most of those are Thais driving crazy and idiot tourists on motorbikes and big bikes. Can't wait until "high season" is over. I think after Chinese New Year, it will be almost back to normal and quieter, in my humble opinion.

Yeah, happened to me one time. Probably about 20 years ago. We refused to get out of the taxi. It was late and we had traveled 24 hours. No way were we getting out of the taxi. And yes, it still goes on. I had an AIrBNB condo for rent before the pandemic. Happened to at least 3 of our customers, that I know of.

I read a post from a guy who survived the Koh Lipe sinking. They asked the boat company multiple times if it was safe to go out in the sea and leave for Lanta, and they were reassured it was. It's a multiple problem. Poor boat maintenance, a cowboy captain, and poor judgment. None of those boats were maintained for over two years, and now they are in the water. This is very bad PR for Southern Thailand. Just waiting for the next boat to sink. I don't think they will ever get their act together on water safety.

Of course. And it gives the Jolly Green Giant a reason to rack up his frequent flyer miles. But I still don't see how it could work. Not the way container shipping is now. Maybe way in the future, in a galaxy far, far away--

Yes, but they have been "talking" about this for a long time. I just don't see it working at all. Too many components, too many people involved, too much red tape, too much everything. In my humble opinion. K.I.S.S. Keep it Simple Stupid. But seriously, I'm really glad I don't import and work with shipping companies anymore. What a pain.

I used to import goods from Asia into the United States. There are several other issues to consider here. When a container ship docks in a foreign country, it has to go through some customs procedures, which can take a day or two. Also, at least in the US, the containers are all X-rayed. Not sure if they do that here. Then there have to be enough trucks with cassis available for each container ship. These are not always available right away, delaying some or all of the containers even further. Not all the containers will necessarily need to be offloaded at the land bridge, so this would have to be sorted out somehow. When arriving at the other side of the land bridge, there will be some sort of customs paperwork that will be needed to comply with going to the next foreign port. Now, does the container ship turn around at this point or go forward? What about the new containers that need to be loaded onto the ship, or is this just a one way deal and the ships go back empty? This is a logistical nightmare. That and all the other "negative" aspects everyone else has mentioned point to a very long shipment time. Something no importer wants. A couple of days delayed in Singapore is much more desirable in a businessperson's mind and pocketbook.

Thanks. I never really thought about it. I wouldn't drive a motorbike in this insane place called Phuket. I have a truck and kiss the ground when I finally arrive home in one piece. What's with the new emojis?

I'm glad you got a partial resolution to your problem. Down deep I didn't think you could, but I was hopeful. The call center is usually pretty good, with good communication and English skills. You just have to work around the red tape!

I'd rather wait 300 seconds and live. It's pretty simple, at least for me.

True words. I've lived here quite a while, but now I'm not sure about something. When the light turns red, does the other light turn green instantly? There doesn't seem to be any cushion except for that countdown. I think I've only seen one yellow light in the 8 years I've lived here. I'm not saying it's better than where I'm from, but the yellow light has a more powerful warning than the #1 when you are speeding down the road. Having said that, many people run the red light in my home country. That's why I always waited until I saw ALL the cars go through. The biker went through the red light, and couldn't wait 2 seconds. I see that all the time in Phuket, like every day multiple times. The taxi was going way too fast and couldn't stop. I see that every day multiple times. I'm surprised I don't see more bad accidents. Very tragic.

I did not know there was a lounge you could pay for at Phuket Airport. Gladly pay to get away from the crowds. Man, I wish I had "talked" to you sooner. If I ever leave this rock again I'm headed straight for the Coral Lounge. The ultimate pain we had was that we had to go downstairs, and about 5 flights were waiting to board, and all of them appeared to be late. The room was packed. At this point, I whipped out my emergency mask. Then we had to get crammed into a little bus, bused over to the plane, and climb up the stairs to the plane. I paid extra to sit in front of the plane to be first in and out. Anyway, enough of my whining. As my friend says, I'd like a little cheese with my whine. I guess it was worth it to find out about the lounge. thanks.

An update from my experience getting a single entry at the Phuket Airport. No problem at all. Just look for the big sign that says OVERSTAYERS PAY HERE and there is a group of officers to help you. There was no one in front of me and it took the officer about 10-15 minutes to process everything. I had all the forms filled out and photos with me. A group of airline flight attendants came in after me, but they seemed to process them pretty quickly, passport, photo, fingerprint, and approval, so it wouldn't have been too bad being behind them in line. There is no need to go to Phuket Town anymore! Thanks for all your advice. On another note, and this doesn't have to do with my original post, but I have to say something. The Phuket International Departure Lounge is an armpit. They keep saying Phuket is a world class destination, but where is the world class service? It was crowded, we were pushed around like cattle, the "food" servers where rude, the only "food" I could find was a couple of sandwiches and pizza, and there was nowhere to sit. It was a totally miserable experience. And they want MORE tourists? Are they crazy. The Ho Chi Mihn departure lounge was pleasant, with plenty of seating, sit down dining, and nice, calm people. Ok, end of rant, but it's going to be a while before I fly again out of Phuket International.

I highly recommend internet banking as a backup. If you are worried about secure transactions you can do them right at your home with your secure internet. I set up internet banking way before mobile banking. BBK was quite picky about giving me this "privilege" until I got my long-term visa status. I think it might even be harder now, because now you cannot even open an account at BKK unless you provide them with one of those proof of residency papers from immigration. Back in the day, I just gave them 200 baht and a copy of my passport on a tourist visa. Internet banking only asks for your login ID and password. I think you can use it from any computer, but not sure. I used to use Internet banking from my phone before mobile banking, when I was in a secure environment, that is. Login and password. Lastly, in defense of being a bit old fashion, I've seen those mobile apps fail at stores and ATMs many a time. When a good old fashion piece of plastic works every time (unless you are over your limit or you put your password in 3x incorrectly. Good luck.