thecyclist

Card first, money second is nuts, if you are used to the Thai system, which is always money first. When I moved to Vietnam and got my Vietcombank debit card, I thought the bloody machine was malfunctioning, hadn't given me any cash ,went into the bank to complain. The lady came with me to investigate and an honest Vietnamese was holding up my cash, asking who that belonged to. They probably thought I was senile. I thought what an idiotic system they have an Vietnam.

Some people need to grow a brain. Unfortunately that isn't possible yet. AI might open up new possibilities, so don't despair .

The suspenders looked sexy too. Sexy man Pattaya. Probably inspired the song.

Probably felt sorry for the "veteran ", or didn't want to outright fire someone who had worked for them for 40 years.

Was he really fired? They terminated his night owl column, but he kept doing his book reviews for ages after that.

Farang = Caucasian in denotation ,that is rubbish. Nothing to do with being a snow flake. All about what the average Thai means when he uses the word.

That's probably why he kept repeating and insisting that he never accepted anything more than a free diet coke on his rounds.

Not that much changed in the eighties, but the construction boom started a lot earlier than 2000.I would say late eighties to the crash in 1997 was the most rapid development. Lots of high rises went up, the expressways and skytrain ,and ,worst of all, one shopping mall after the other was built. It all came crashing down with the Tom Yum Kung crisis of 1997. Took a few years for the economy to pick up again, but the changes after 2000 weren't as "dramatic " as the ones in the nineties.

Not an abomination, but, yeah, lots of cliches. Especially the one he regurgitated over and over again about the Thailand old hand, a status reserved for only a select few, those that had been in LOS for over 2 decades. He fancied himself as the Supreme old hand ,who can bestow this status on other insiders. Without this knighthood you didn't really know what was going on in the kingdom. He started out at the evening sister paper of the Bangkok Post, Bangkok Mail or something. His weekly column in that rag was a lot better, fewer cliches and more inside tips for mongers. When that paper folded, he was transferred to the post, and had to "tone down " his nightlife reports, no more tips of where to find the cheapest hookers, instead weekly warnings about relationships with bargirls. He was very proud of the fact that he was married to a school teacher.I saw him several times walking down Sukhumvit. Once he and his wife were sitting in front of me in a movie theater. His wife was as unappealing as he was. ,if that is possible. But she wasn't a bargirl.

Oh ,they most definitely want the "foreign exchange ", us in person not so much. If there only was a way to have us arrive at the airport, hand over our cash, and fly straight back to farangland.

Yes, I applied for one during that brief period, right after they reintroduced the 90 day TV.With it came a new webpage/application form that was absurdly complicated and frustrating. Took me countless attempts and 9 hours of my time to success. The Vietnamese must have realized how impossible that system was, because they quickly reverted back to the old system. Of course, if money is no object you can always go through an agency, and save some time. But that whole system of agents in cahoots with corrupt officials who are often from the same family is so rotten, that, unless absolutely necessary I do not want to give them my money. They fleeced us during Covid lockdowns when it was necessary to go through agents They fleeced many on the way out. A disgusting spectacle, a feeding frenzy, that makes officials/agents in Thailand angels in comparison.

555.A very good reason for staying away.

The owner must be an ex-hooker. They don't like Thai speaking farang. Bad for business.

That is total BS.You do not need an agent. Yes, filling out the e-visa form for the first time is a pain in the behind, but you will get through it.

I doubt very much that Caucasian is the right translation of the Thai word "farang ".Technically maybe, it denotes the same class of particulars, but the connotation is miles apart. What the average Thai associates with the word farang when they utter the word is certainly not what is usually associated with "CAUCASIAN ". in English. Whitey might be a more accurate translation. Farang has a racial/xenophobic undertone, not as strong as the N word, but it's there nevertheless.

The Swiss doctor kicker and the NZ cop strangulator Hamish probably looked like the average tourist at Suvarnabhumi Airport. Screen tourists for aggressive tendencies and short temper ?? Maybe a Rorschach test instead of arrival card?

Extension more inconvenient than it is already??Oh ,boy. My last extension of visa exemption in Pattaya took 4 hours. When I returned a couple of months later, I stayed only 30 days. Spending my money in other Asean countries instead. I bet I am not the only one.

If it is dressed up as a statement of fact. Fox comes to mind.

And then there are AL Pacino and Keith Richards.

Unless it is in self-defense.

The embassy either does not know, or won't tell. Had a friend whose visa application was refused .He asked why, and they told him to contact, best through a lawyer, the immigration department in Thailand It means he is on the blacklist, but they are not told why.

It certainly is his ex. Probably after some post conjugal intercourse.

Maybe some waterboarding before he dies. This s..m of the earth deserves to rot in hell.

Lucky for her that she didn't get the Sukhumvit Soi 11 treatment, indigenous professionals ganging up on her. It's Thai territory.

Yes, great reminder. Unfortunately, it was a reply to one of the Trumpian fascists ,who like their hero ,the orange retard, don't read anything longer than short slogans. This is way too long for the MAGA crowd. If you want their attention, soundbites that rile up their xenophobia, prejudices, and repressed frustration. It has to be in accord with what they hear on Fox.A simple diet for the simple-minded.