Chooky

In Australia we have a great system we have the Liberal party and now the Liberal left(once upon a time was labor.. a real opposition )are in power..neither have any intention of telling the truth or stop selling off public assets and minerals to their mates.or really looking after the general public(all have their heads in the trough)..the whole system is run  by  who are the biggest donators to the party and Corporations rule!..atm Australia could teach corruption!…in the last 10 yrs Thailand has new highways and new train system in Australia we have patched highways and a train that takes 2 hrs to travel 70klm between two larger cities.Once one of the greatest countries in the world to live where most could afford a house (now most cant dream of a house let alone afford rent)has become a whore to the US . The Health System is a total mess Education and literacy going backwards.Possibly more politicians per head per capita than most countries. $5 million express visas to attract all the top criminals in the world, if you are a normal working class you wait and pray..$370 billion to US for nuclear subs which will be 2-3 series old by the time they are received?Well done a great example of how to go backwards.No freedom of speech in our constitution? This is democrazy ? Im married to a Thai and atm shes a lot prouder of her nationality than i am of mine! 

my wife wanted to take up English school in Bangkok to give her more confidence when coming to live in Australia so we visited quite a fews different advertised schools,Out of all there was 1 I would even slightly consider.Broad Brooklyn accents 1 Scottish guy appeared nice I couldn't understand him and I have Scottish friends..no insult meant to anyones accents but please ,,now I understand why so many thais learn poor English.Ill teach her myself after all Australian is slightly different again..lol

There is always the gambler who will find anywhere or anything to gamble on.I like to have a bet on the horses and I don't mind playing roulette but its nice to not even see poker machines.Pubs and clubs in Australia are distancing themselves from sports etc and concentrating on becoming mini casinos.Most of their revenue is derived from gambling Poker machine licences became gold.

Only a very small minority win from gambling it is not a necessity and many can't treat it as fun.I don't think casinos are tourist sites they are nothing but large LAUNDREYS (eg Crown etc etc)and much better if the Thai government does not become dependant like the Australian government on taxes from Alcohol Tobacco and gambling as a main form of revenue, it definitely doesn't benefit the population.

Im not sure which country you are from or your banking regulations but from Australia being a frequent traveller I have found cash is still king(best exchange rates) but be careful using foreign bank issued cards because with many you will find the Thai ATM charges 200thb and your bank will probably charge a fee and conversion.Try ING Bank debit card with Mastercard, they give VISA rates of exchange which are fairly good and absorb or refund any atm charges so eliminating needs to carry wads of cash unless bargaining..fees do add up my Westpac account charges a International fee a transfer fee and rips me off with exchange rates .I learned 

ive used to try most things back in my youth and had some amazing fun times but age and some common sense prevailed and I stick strictly to the green..a good way of looking at addiction and life in general is...nothing in life is free it all has a price most noticeably health (as well as wealth) im all for decriminalisation loads of people in jails are not REAL criminals many on using charges.One thing life has taught me about people though is , some have very addictive personality and nature and these people would become addicted to paints glues or aerosols if other drugs were not available.Control I think is the key together with education.Many drug overdoses are accidental and this is because the quality and additives change by the minute..Try this question which has been on my mind for many years..If someone knowingly cut drugs with a known poison or toxin isn't that person a murderer?

14 minutes ago, tomauasia said:

Not sure they would make a ripple on these characters. Extraordinary wealth a Australian general could only dream of. And his seen war ????

Don't know about $3mill parcels of land purchased by gov for $38mill..grants of $500mill that were never asked for ..sports club grants to their locals..a PM who gives himself $42k pay rise same day he strips millions of employees penalty rates in hospitality etc..dont charge taxes to huge corporate miners while they rape Australia..and feather themselves with absurd tax free pensions while they enjoy the job they have featured in the private sector usually consulting 1 day per month for $500 k per year..I have to stop soon my typing finger hurts..but I heard the comment about Prayut's education and I ask do the English feel better being totally ripped off by private school silver spoon fed idiots.Or US where a candidate must have a personal fortune of $10mill to stand and you end up with Trump, Reagan etc...Dont you just love how well Democrazy is working.

I first used it as a stopover to break up a flight backpacking to Europe and Africa in 1979 and thought Wow this is different I like this..weather superb beautiful girls cheap great tasting food stayed for only 1 week but vowed to return.12mths later I started to frequent the gorgeous Koh Samui found a girlfriend and like most young blokes was Struck..I remember when I used to wander why would anyone put a 5 star hotel or a airport on such a pristine island.i haven't been back there since but my love affair with Thailand never ended.I married and divorced in Australia to a Aussie girl had two beautiful daughters(who I bought here on holidays when they were young) and made my way back to Thailand met a beautiful lady who I married in Thailand my family came and Im sure the Thailand they saw made it one of the favourite destinations as well.Many people never see the real Thailand only the bars(mind you Nana is one of my fav places for a beer always buzzing and different) .Ive travelled to more countries that I can remember and Thailand will always hold that special feeling of being keen to return.I live  between Australia and Thailand and I know where ill be spending the majority of the next few years I still have left where I can feel I enjoy life and eat fresh...Salmonella at fresh markets in Thailand?..maybe..But in Woolies in Australia how many times in past 2-3 yrs definitely!

Amphawa markets if open during covid ..nice boat ride in evening looking at fireflies..Wat Rai King is one my fav temples( try lifting the elephant)

On 1/13/2021 at 8:20 PM, tomauasia said:

These are top notch crooks of the highest caliber 

Every country needs an overhaul ..Australias ministers have learned and overtaken soon they will be giving lessons on corruption

When I see the totally reckless driving (especially by my pet dislike Pick ups that have never even had a shopping bag in the tray let alone tools) I say to my wife this is insanity...her reply.."Thats driving Thai Style and many Thais think their next life will be better"???? Love her but that is Thai sense. Not all, but never less I will keep on forever impressing on her That is not Thai Style its just very very dangerous driving.It will takes years of Re-Education from schools, media, police, governments all involved only then will Thailand have safe drivers teaching safe drivers .

By the way compared to most my wife is a good driver who covers a lot of Klms in her job and we see a lot of very disturbing unnecessary carnage

14 minutes ago, CraigInBangkok said:

Agree with you about the nasty pharma but the only difference indoor and outdoor, would be a bigger yield outdoor but in Thailand that is pretty much once a year. IMO it is just too hot here to grow most strains outside. If you are still thinking about thai sticks maybe you should try some of the newer hybrids(most of which probably have some thai in them somewhere in the linage) as things have progressed.  I'd like to find out more about the strains we will be allowed to grow as Thai on its own take too long to flower and is also a pure sativa. Personally I prefer a heavy indica strain as it makes my insomnia dissapear and a sativa isnt really going to help me(unless I smoke from morning 'til night).

Agree with you in that parts of Thailand are too humid the North the areas formerly referred to as the Triangle seemed ideal I remember villages in Thailand all the way to China cooking huge woks of Marijuana seeds the locals walked around all day eating bag fulls of seeds the plants they used for other purposes or discarded the plants were enormous.Im sure there would still be some expert farmers up there it wasn't that long ago..I personally have seen indoor and I think they yield more, more quickly, the plant is much stockier with more flower again depending on feed and quality of light.Also have insomnia and again agree with the indica strain unfortunately with laws in lots of countries still in neolithic stages the progress of this wonder plant will be stalled ..there is still so much to learn therapeutically and recreationally..imagine sensible people will be able to choose their right grade? thanks for your feedback have a great new year .

_{That is definitely something you should point out perhaps to Telstra! Their latest adds I saw still say they care and you matter}

Remember this is for Medicinal use..my mum with Parkinsons is currently on this and it saved her life compared to the very nasty addictive pharmaceuticals which is like a dog chasing its tail..I fully support all research in this I wish it was available a few yrs ago rather than watch my mum suffer like she did..as far as recreational use I can honestly say (I should give up but probably won't) there is no way known to man that a plant grown outside in ideal conditions can be replicated inside!.. and then the silly games begins..nutrients..??? Thailand always had some of the better strains over the years for recreational use obviously very high in THC..who can ever forget the sticks

 Warm weather..Great fresh food ..beautiful islands ..beautiful and smart women ..nice people..and still not overly expensive..there is always somewhere where the grass looks greener..ive been coming here since I was 18 many moons ago I now have a Thai wife and we share our time between Australia and Thailand and ive travelled extensively in m life and believe me neither Australia or Thailand or any other country ive seen or read about are close to perfect so compared to Thailand there are many worse places one could be.

13 hours ago, OttoPollmann said:

not really. Sudden deceleration kills

Its always the sudden stop that kills ..speed limits are there because supposedly the roads have been tested slow driving can sometimes be just as bad causing impatience and continually changing lanes does not make your trip faster stick to inside lanes unless overtaking..how come driving sounds so easy?

Another two lives lost its seems us faring are the only ones who really care? When I comment on crazy driving I'm told its ok its Thai style ..most, unfortunately are trained by unskilled drivers drive vehicles well too large for what they need (pick ups are not city cars they don't drive like normal cars especially at 200kph) More driver training and definitely more police presence because of drink driving being rampant.We all love our families and seem to enjoy life why do we seem to have different values on a life?

Ive been coming here since I was 18 I'm now 60 the tolerance of the common thais (not in Pattaya or nana) hasn't changed they are still the same lovely people but my attitude has changed I truly believe in stronger screening for visas currently a lot of overseas criminals and low life's and the quality of the tourist has decreased never before have I witnessed such rudeness to thais or Thai culture .Politiness is the key to Thailand rudeness can often get you what you deserve. China on the other hand should like many other countries have a good close look at itself before calling others racist