JensenZ

Not at all... he's too old to fit the bar brawling stereotype.

I agree. If this guy was publically speaking like this in Russia, he would have been arrested and disappeared by now, either in prison or dead.

I suppose you missed the part where most of the smaze has been created by neighboring countries' agricultural burning. We're in drought conditions with little wind. It will pass. Just put a mask on and relax.

and many living dead that have far exceeded their natural expiry dates.

It wasn't a truck, but one of these over-height, top-heavy, light-weight vans that are a danger on the road. It wouldn't have taken a lot of force to tip it over from the top.

Fingerprints on the knife could solve the mystery.

I would agree, the odds are extremely low he cut his own throat. Of all the suicide methods recommended and commonly used, I've never heard of this. I've seen it in movies a few times... in fact just last week in a 2023 movie called "Knock at the cabin". If he was contemplating suicide, he would have at least done some research into the best methods to use. There are plenty of online resources covering the topic. There's a good chance his wife either did it, or had someone do it for her.

I live next to a big park, but still few insects and geckos. We're in drought conditions right now.

The number of house geckos has reduced to a very low number this month. It's due to lack of food caused by the extremely dry weather the last 4 months. Most insects are susceptible to drought. I've seen quite a few dead geckos lying around the last few weeks. The mosquitos are still doing ok though.

They have this attitude that if they order a lot of food and leave a lot behind, they are perceived as a higher class (or rich). They can afford to waste as much as they want. What's more, I had a British friend who was married to a Thai woman. He used to take his wife, family, and friends out to dinner, and they would leave a huge amount of food uneaten... much of it untouched. He would have it bagged up and put in the refrigerator at home (much to his wife's disgust), and no one would eat it, even the maid... and eventually it would go to the dogs.

If you're in Pattaya at Songkran, you'll need to stay in your room for at least a week if you don't want to get wet. It's going to be a big one this year, as 15 and 16 (Bangkok Songkran) are the weekend, and 19 is Wednesday, so it will be non-stop from Saturday to Wednesday.

I don't care if they want to talk to my wife or hand her the change, but ordering more food than they need and wasting it p*sses me off big time. I don't like seeing any food wasted. If I was there, I'd ask to take away the leftovers. Too bad if that embarrasses them - they will learn for next time.

The Queen didn't get to read the book.

Or maybe you don't know how to choose a good partner...

Who do you think started it all back in the 1970s during the Vietnam War? They are coming home.

A lot of people are suffering in their head, or at least suffering more than they should. I wasn't aware of this air quality problem until I signed in here for first time in weeks, and hadn't noticed a problem with the air quality. I mainly avoid outdoors in the day when it's hot and do most of my travels at night. Now that I know about it, my breathing is laboured as I am now aware of the problem and focus on it LOL. I would say the main problem is the Gulf of Thailand has currently become the equivalent of the infamous Doldrums at sea. There's no wind to blow it away.

Currently I see a 177 on the Dark Side, and 167 in Banglamung. That would put the Dark Side in the #2 rank of major cities in the world.

I wonder how you would have gone if you killed the intruder. Most intruders would just run away if they are seen, and you don't have to risk killing someone... also, it's a bit arrogant to think you can best your young intruders if they decide to fight back with deadly force. Maybe you're a formidable street fighter, but most elderly expats, myself included, would not do well in a fight against 2 young guys.

Surely you understand that a lot of people like to wear jewelry. Gold has been used as jewelry for at least 6000 years. The Thai gold jewelry industry revolves around people who like to wear their gold instead of keeping it locked up in a safe. That's the whole point of gold shops stocked full of finely crafted 96.5% gold jewelry. The problem is that it is so easy to convert to cash, making it a great target for thieves. It's the next best thing to cash. There are still plenty of safe places to wear it. Pattaya Beach at night time is not one.

Yes, it might not be a good idea to try to bribe a cop, but don't all beat cops in the US carry body cams these days? Everything they do is recorded?

No, in our case our Thai neighbour living downstairs accompanied us to the police station.

Sure, you might be upset, but it's also stupid to confront Thai people over trivial matters. As ex-pats, we normally learn how to behave, but tourists are clueless. The Swedes shouldn't be doing this in any country they visit.

My reply was specifically addressing the comment you made about Thailand being "inept", but you're obviously trying to backtrack from it. Perhaps you should understand the meaning of the words you are using so there is no confusion about what you really mean. "Inept": Having or showing no skill, Clumsy. You're suggesting that due to incompetence, Thailand cannot defend itself from China (if that would be necessary).

From a practical point of view... Most thieves are well aware of cameras and would disguise their faces. Ok, so you were robbed and have some video footage showing the burglars stealing your stuff. What are you going to do? Even in the unlikely event, the police found the burglars, anything they stole will be long gone. You'll never get your stuff or money back. We had a security guy at our condo (a new one) climb into our apartment and steal cash and a wedding ring. We knew who it was... there was no doubt. He was seen leaving the building just after (on camera). We never got our stuff back and wasted hours at the police station.

I ride motorcycles in Thailand. if I have an accident and need a symphony, I can find a good one on YouTube.