n8sail

The most terrifying part about riding in speedboats in Thailand. They use wood stringers and frames in these boats... then cover with fiberglass. The fiberglass is nearly never watertight, water ingresses, rots the frames, and the hull skin, which is too thin to withstand the heavy forces experienced when smashing through 1 meter waves at 30knots, fails. Next time you go by a speedboat junkyard have a look inside (watch for dogs). It is scary what holds these death traps together! And just because the boat looks new on the outside, does not mean the thing is not rotting to pieces on the hidden insides. I avoid them at all costs.

As it's not uncommon for young girls especially in rural Thailand only 17-18 years old to end up pregnant, the grandson could conceivably be in his 50s! ???? RIP Granny. At least you had a nice long run of it. Sorry for the family's loss.

The burnt boat is indeed a charter yacht, going on multiple 10s of thousands of baht per day excursions several times weekly, so I highly doubt it's insurance scam. A mate counted 13 charter boats leaving at 2pm on a TUESDAY a couple weeks before Christmas, so the charter boats at Ocean Marina are hardly on difficult times. The tour groups are mostly wealthy Bangkokian Thais, with the odd Chinese tour group every once in a while. You would not know there's a pandemic on seeing the marina's charter traffic. This particular boat, a twin engine turbo-diesel catamaran motor vessel, was actually quite an annoyance, at least for me. The exhausts were basically un-muffled dry exhaust (not wet exhaust as most 'yachts' are), and the turbos made excessive noise spooling up and down as the Captain aggressively revved the engines in typical Thai "look at all the noise I can make" style while docking. The injectors were likely very fouled, or were running extremely rich for 'more performance,' as the boat spewed massive clouds of black smoke while making maneuvers. I am sorry for the owner's loss, but will not miss the noise and annoyance (and black soot stuck to my own boat's hull) from this charter boat. Scuttlebutt around the marina says that the owner recently lost another boat to sinking not long before buying this one, so he's on a run of bad luck for sure. There is in fact firefighting equipment at the marina, this is the largest marina in all of Southeast Asia and is very professionally run; it is leaps and bounds nicer than most of the marinas where I come from in Northeast of the USA. However, I don't care what kind of equipment you have, fighting this would have been VERY difficult as it was a massive fire and all neighboring boats fears spreading, which they successfully stopped. They also saved the hulk from burning to the waterline and sinking right at the dock. Images from my girlfriend in our condo overlooking marina.

MG EP, purchased new in May 2021. I drive a lot, 17,000km on the clock already, so lots of experience. It all depends on speeds. 60-90kph seems to be the sweet spot. Traffic stop and go does not seem to affect range much as long as you don't hammer it off the line (which in BKK or similar traffic you can never do anyways). I've never had it below 17% before. But I have gone 100% to 17% and made it 250km. Girlfriend was driving and holding 110-120kph on the BKK motorways, so pushing it pretty hard. The 'Guess-o-meter' range tool showed another 40+km range available. Stated range on the car is 380km. I think no chance you'd ever get near that, I think carefully driven with only one person in the car maybe 320-330km. Interestingly, running Air Conditioning does almost nothing to the range. The Compressor is very large sized, but can run at slower speeds when it does not need to cool the battery pack, so only draw 500-600 watts on low setting near as I can tell. Heat is not available in the car, but I think that would use far more power as most testers in the UK that have the same car (Called the MG5 Estate there) say in reviews online.

Ice would offer extreme grip in comparison to this stuff! Still have a scar on my hand from slipping on these exact steps when very carefully walking down them during New Years 3 years ago. The ONE barnacle within many meters just happened to be where my hand came crashing down to 'save' myself. Nice deep cut, but no stitches needed fortunately. Luckily I am middle aged and in good shape; this could literally be a death sentence for the average retired expat. If I remember correctly there are at least a couple signs that are both in English and Thai. I knew the risk, and tried my luck... live and learn! :)

How long is a piece of string? ???? That all depends on the cooling of the battery pack in your car, and how large is the battery pack in your car. If you asked "How long does an MG EP or Porsche Taycan etc. take to charge", that would be a sensible question. Very few cars in Thailand can use a full 125kw/hr fast DC charge. Mine can only do 80kw/hour. My pack is 50.2kw (if 100% empty), so takes about 40 minutes from 0% to ~90%. Above 90% they slow down, as to all Lithium Ion chemistry batteries when charging. I used an Elex charger at a fuel station near Cha-am just 3 weeks ago on my way back to Jomtien from Pranburi. Went from 17% to 95% in about 45 minutes. Had dinner and a pee, was bored for about the last 10 minutes so did some work emails. Very expensive at THB380... I did the entire 800km round trip (and local driving) for less than 500 baht. These chargers are 7.5 baht per kw, very expensive. Right down the road is a PEA charger, 40kw fast charge (so half of what my car can do), but it's only 4.5 baht per kw.

Obviously travel is a royal PITA right now... but if you have any excuse to leave the country and can bear the risks of returning, this will 'reset' your 90 days reporting. I've done this at least 2 times, and one of the times I think I was about 2 months late. Immigration said nothing. I missed my 90 day report in August, but flew out literally the next day. When I did my 90 day report 2 weeks ago, the Rayong Immigration officer noticed that I was due to report in August, and I had to explain that I had left the country and returned. He looked confused for about 2 minutes as he shuffled through my passport. I got a little nervous, but I found him the most recent entry stamp, and he said, "ah, okay, no problem!" One time I was 3 or 4 days late. They didn't do anything at all, just gave me the updated paper. Another time I was 2 weeks late, had to pay 1600 baht, and sit in an office with an older Thai woman Immigration Officer who just repeated over and over again that I have to do my 90 days report. Literally... said nothing else just repeated over and over again in terrible English, lasted 45 minutes. Also got a nice red stamp in the back of my passport. I am on 2 years BOI Non-B visas, with 2 year work permits, though that probably doesn't matter.

Large, crowded Thai Pubs.... particularly in areas with good employment or universities around. You pretty much have to be able to speak Thai, but you are pretty much ALWAYS the only farang around and if you're tall, everyone can see you when you walk to the toilet etc. After several whisky and sodas the girls will often come up to you, don't even need to try to initiate. Can't wait for them to open again. Really, the correct answer the the question is "YES" ????

As I understand it they still get minimum wage same as a Thai, at least in the factory I work at. They are cheaper because the employer does not have to pay into the social security fund for them, which nearly doubles the cost of a worker. Where I work we need workers very badly. Thais show up, work for a week or two and quit because it's not easy work. Myanmar workers are amazing, work hard and tend to stick around as long as they can. Used to have a bunch of Cambodians, they were not much better than Thais. All that said, there are many Thais working here that work incredibly hard, and are very smart people. They are usually in their 30s and 40s, have a family to support, and have been employed here for 10+ years. It's the ones in their 20s that are miserably entitled and lazy from what I can see.

Went to Rayong immigration today for 90 day report (Couldn't be ar$ed to deal with YET ANOTHER new Thailand Government run website and try the new and improved site) It was FULL of westerners, and only one was waiting for 90 day report. Everyone else was doing retirement, extensions etc. from the looks of the paperwork. Female farangs also, not just fat old dudes with young Thai birds (NTTAWWT) I haven't seen that many people in the office since even before COVID... it was pretty dead for a year before that even. 4 years ago the place was a nightmare with Philippine, some Cambodian and a very few Myanmar. Not sure what happened to all them as it has been an absolute breeze, especially during COVID.

I bought a Ranger XLT brand new five years ago exactly in 2016, 2.2l, but mine's a manual 4x4 model. 116,000k on the clock now. Anyways, only thing other than oil changes and a set of tires (and one accident that put her out of commission for 3 months due to waiting on a new steering rack), the only problem I've had is the pipe connecting intercooler to the intake manifold started leaking slightly. Scared you-know-whatless at the time as I thought it was the turbo going bad. I do drive her pretty hard. Local ford small shop fixed it in 20 minutes, 900 baht including the part which he drove to Ford and got himself 3km away. Still has original brakes, and they have meat on them! But I tend to downshift, as one does with a manual, that probably helps brake life and something I wouldn't recommend often in an automatic transmission. Clutch original despite loads of traffic, but you'd have to be a pretty terrible driver to ruin a clutch in 116k km. Services at Ford dealership are very dear. 5,000+ baht if you do what they recommend every time. Local oil change shop probably better, but I wanted full records while I had a loan so it could be sold easily if I had to leave Thailand. I would not own an automatic transmission with diesel personally, but I have other friends with this truck and automatic and they have not had problems. (yet)

One sentence: Try it before you knock it. I'm telling you, I thought they were a terrible idea before as well. Then I drove one and discovered the infrastructure, and ease of use. I'm not barking. Although my girlfriend does refer to me as a 'dog' sometimes, I don't think it's because of my EV views though ???? And I've been here for 13 years, you couldn't triple my salary to live in poo-hole Bangkok. I'll stick to Eastern Seaboard with all its engineering expertise, factories and, yes, roads that can for all but 1.5 hours of the evening be zipped around on very easily.

I expect to see some 'nice pussy' driving around in the top model version once all the Somchais start buying them for their kiks. Top one comes in pink color, has massaging seats, app for control, literally all the fixings a self-important, pasty white-skinned 25 years old Thai beauty could want! All for 1.2 million baht... https://www.autostation.com/car/review-ora-good-cat

That's because it was DESIGNED by an ex-Porsche designer, Emanuel Derta.

Everywhere, literally. PEA have started a network of 40kilowatt fast DC chargers every 100km along all major routes in the country. I just used one out in the middle of nowhere in Chantaburi. Worked perfectly. But I have a charger at work and one at home. This does 99% of my charging needs. And my Chinese MG EP is less than half the cost to run as my 2.2l manual transmission Ford Ranger. Right now is golden time for EVs in Thailand if you can manage home charging. No waits at public chargers and even cheap EVs like mine accelerate WAY faster than other cars on the road, so zipping through traffic is easy. Once 50% of the population has these cars, traffic deaths will get even higher as they are insanely fast, faster than even most hopped-up motocys on the road. Only real sports cars or truly well-tuned "Isaan-ferarri" trucks can keep up off the line.

https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/safrican-doctor-says-patients-with-omicron-variant-have-very-mild-symptoms-2021-11-28/ Hopefully the news just out of SA really is true. If so, my goodness are we brainwashed! Trillions of USD lost globally in stock markets around the world, flights cancelled, countries blocked from travel, all because of a 'new variant' that is, and I quote from the Reuters article: "Very Mild" Stop the idiocy. If there is not a COVID explosion after the Pattaya Concerts and Fireworks festivals, we, the ones who can think even slightly critically, can fairly safely deduce that OUT OF DOORS, as many many scientists around the world for nearly a year have been saying, the chance of spreading this horrible disease is basically NIL. COVID wouldn't stop me from going to an enclosed go-go bar, I'm young and fully vaccinated. That doesn't mean they should open them though since most of the codgers that frequent go-gos are at risk. But outdoor bars should be allowed to open. Outdoor restaurants should be allowed to serve beer. Anything less than this is pure government control for sake of control.

I think one of the main reasons not many Chinese EVs here yet is simply our need for right hand drive in Thailand. MG EP is actually the MG5 in the UK... of course right hand drive. So it made sense for SAIC to bring the MG EP here, they already did the engineering for the lucrative UK market. SAIC is also one of China's largest car manufacturers, MG is not their only brand. MG EP is marketed under Roewe in China. That the EP is less than a million baht is definitely due to the 0% import duty scheme. Otherwise it would be around 1.5 million I would think, given what the Japanese EVs are selling for. Time will tell if the thing lasts. I'll be the first to put my foot in my mouth if it doesn't LOL. I have a backup dinosaur burner when it does! ????

The only real solution to our pollution problem is less consumption per capita. Less population would also work in this regards. I vote we start the population reduction with Loong Tuu and Anutin and all their friends! ????????

I have a Ford Ranger to do that if I need. I've gone 1150km on one tank before being careful. Electric cars are fun, cheap to maintain and drive, and reserved for people with time and money, and the mental capability for planning and foresight. Certainly not most Thai people, though I know many who have these qualities. Not designed for retired expats with no disposable income. I know from other posts that you are not poor, why not buy a 2nd car that doesn't pollute and is much cheaper and more practical for every day driving? For me it was no-brainer, my work pays me a car allowance and my truck was paid off. For most others it makes no sense, so I respect your opinion.

I would hardly call myself an environmentalist, but I have always tried to minimize my impacts. Only 4 cylinder cars, efficient house, appliances, etc. I thought electric car would be useless here in Thailand, and crazy expensive. Then 6 months ago I met my MG EP. Less than 1 million baht. As nice as a Honda City inside... so, not very, but very functional and at least modern. NOT a driving computer as a Tesla is, no app, no <deleted> sim cards etc etc. Just a car. With a 50kw battery, and real-world 280-300km range here in Thailand. (They claim 380km 5555555) I charge at condo with 3 pin, 3,500watt charger. At work, I just installed the included 7,500 watt charger. It needs Single Phase, 40amp circuit to run (charger pulls 32 amps @ 220v). Nothing too special and most newer homes can easily do this. I drive 100-150km per working day (nil on the weekend as I live where I play). My Ranger 2.2l with manual transmission was costing about 5000 baht/month for fuel. 11,000 km and 6 months, the MG is averaging 2,400 per month, and that is with 7 baht/kw electricity at Condo. Now that I have 2.5baht/kw at work, it will be even cheaper. Did a 2 day road trip from Jomtien to Trat and back. Charged twice, PEA Volta system. 30 mins for another 200km of driving. 40kw fast DC charge. Ate lunch each time, would have had to stop anyways even with the truck. PEA Volta 40kw stations are now open every 100km or less the entire way down Route 3 to the border. Oh, and this road trip cost THREE HUNDRED BAHT! Would have been 1200 or more in the truck. That's quite a lot of extra beers ???? So.... do whatever you want, keep blasting nasty black smoke out the back of your diesel, but if you are a cheap charlie, electric REALLY can save you some money. Infrastructure issues are a LONG ways off here. No one will buy these things. Meantime, I will continue to enjoy my instant torque, blowing away motocys off of red-lights, and (barely) enjoying that I'm "doing my part"

My boss has been trying dozens of times to get through. I'm here in Thailand, just successfully registered for him from here. Chrome browser in Incognito mode, no add blockers etc. And using AIS phone as a hotspot. I did not put extra spaces on passport number. No API errors. Big pitfall is max filesize. 2mb max!!! And of course no PDF, but not a big deal. But if your file is over 2mb, which EVERY smartphone camera on the planet produces larger than 2mb photos by default, it will just sit there after you click upload. No warning, no message, no nothing. AND... NO CONFIRMATION NUMBER? Literally, just a box, with an 'OK' button and it kicks you back to the landing page again. This was marginally easier than COE, which I did 2 months ago. But still a royal pain... Now the waiting begins. He's flying on 7th... tik tok tik tok....

You can buy BTC ETH and two others directly in your paypal account now, so if you have an account there, it is incredibly easy to do. Not as flexible as other online wallets, though.

You are apparently Nobody's friend... since we should trust Nobody, does that mean we can trust you? ???? ????

Good luck finding a 7/11 that is open EVER in Patong! Okay, that's not really true, but the 3 7-11s and 2 Family Marts within walking distance of the very nice hotel I sandboxed at in the middle of Patong 10 days ago were ALL closed permanently. No curfew, at least not any enforced. I sat drinking with a just-off-duty police officer (Still in uniform) and his wife outside their bar on Bangla Rd until 4am one night. No issues walking back to the hotel. ???? TIT!

Supposedly the 'Thailand Plus' app could monitor movements, but when I got out of the sandbox a week ago, it still didn't work, nor did I have it installed. The 'Morchana' (Doctors Win!) App, required to be installed on arrival, supposedly could as well. But I just force closed it every day after scanning the QR code. No one seemed any-the-wiser. In fact, for about 5 days, the hotel's scanning phone did not even work! This is at an expensive, 4-star, name-brand resort in the middle of Patong. TIT! From what I could tell, you could have several friends over to "watch a movie" and no one would care... Just don't make your own movie! ????