thecyclist

You are very optimistic. Has a Thai government ever really worked for the people for their glorious future?? Unless you mean by people the people at the top, their privileges and wealth has been preserved by every government in a country that has one highest inequality in the world. There is a glimmer of hope,if the young blood of the Move Forward Party gets to form the government(which would make another coup more likely)The populist measure of the Shinawatra crime family feel good for while (and guarantee their support in Isan and the north),but don't lead to systemic changes.

Yeah, I know .I was sarcastically referring to his arrogance. After he won his second election by a landslide, Mr Square face thought he owned the country. Free and fair elections, really. Not even in western countries do we have genuinely free elections, with the plutocrats owning the media and the politicians, the tentacles of big money are everywhere pulling the strings. In Thailand with all the vote buying even less so. Of course, military coups can be justified. If the military in North Korea toppled the Kim dynasty and then opened the country up, that would be a morally justified coup. Any government even a "democratically " elected one, can be rebelled against and overthrown once it turns autocratic. At least that is what John Locke thought, the thinker that most influenced the western Liberal order, a right that is also enshrined in the American constitution.

There is not much to choose between these two" families". While King Thaksin is smart enough to hand out "candies " to ensure reelection , both families are power hungry and have autocratic tendencies. Military coups are sometimes justified. Chatichai Choonhavan's administration was extremely corrupt [came to be known as the buffet cabinet],even by Thai standards, that a military coup became almost inevitable. If the fascist GOP under the orange clown regains po wer in the US of A, a military takeover would be the only way to save America and the world. A cancer whether in a body or in a society requires drastic solutions.

More power to the young generation, and some real change in a country that has massive inequality. The last thing Thailand needs is the fourth oligarchic Shinawatra taking the helm. They would overtake the Kim Jongs dynasty, only 3 of them so far.

Of course you can.You think you're dating a non-professional, when the bill is presented to you.

I have often asked myself this question. With the exception of your visa number and proposed address ,they get all the information by swiping your passport, plus your mugshot and fingerprints. Was different in the pre-digital era. In the BBC series "The Serpent", the immigration officer goes into a backroom to get the cards of the two murdered Dutch tourists for the Dutch consular official. The good old times when forging documents and murdering people was still easy.????????

Has the TM 6 arrival card been scrapped for good at airports, or have they been reintroduced when the 45 day visa exemption reverted back to 30 days.

Add to that collection a couple of waterbuffaloes, and you are deemed a local.

I was told there is a packaging/boxing service at the airport. I am not talking about the plastic wrapping, which some airlines consider insufficient. plan B would be to get it boxed at a bicycle shop ,and take a taxi to the airport. where would be the bicycle shop nearest to the airport?

Handing sufficiently stuffed brown envelopes on a weekly basis to the relevant authorities.

It wasn't mentioned , but it stands to reason that someone who stabs or cuts himself has serious mental issues.

Must be an ant athlete training for the ant Olympics.

Have you tried talking to the ants ? You gotta talk to the queen ,the worker ants have no authority.

Most trains take bicycles. The ones without a freight car usually do not. i used to pay around 170 Baht for BKK to Hadyai. It's a lot more hassle free than getting a bicycle on a plane.

If that is true, did the Pattaya Mail drop the ball, and fail to report on it,? Would be a hell of a story.

There was an article/interview about /with Tony ages ago in one of the Thai newspaper, where Tony portrayed himself as being more farang than Thai in many ways after an upbringing in the US. I assume you are referring to the gym on 3rd road. Is that really Tony or some new owner, maybe keeping the recognizable name? In Thailand you gotta be careful with anything life time membership, unless you anticipate your life ending in the near future.

I always thought that Ajarn Andrew Biggs was the most recognizable farang face in Thailand.Guess the Aussie is getting too old for recognition. The nightowl Bernhard Trink also faded out of the limelight after passing away. So that leaves this whippersnapper to bathe in the glory.

It's just for show.They do that 2or 3 times a year. Was in a Soi 6 bar once years ago when the cops raided the place. They checked upstairs too; came back down and asked the mamasan what the used condoms were doing in the waste baskets. Mamasan said that they rent out these rooms ,and that the bar is not responsible for what tenants do in their rooms. The cops were satisfied and left. The cops know what's going on upstairs and the mamasan knows that the cops know ,and the cops know that the mamasan knows that they know......It's a little game they play.

It's just for show.They do that 2or 3 times a year. Was in a Soi 6 bar once years ago when the cops raided the place. They checked upstairs too; came back down and asked the mamasan what the used condoms were doing in the waste baskets. Mamasan said that they rent out these rooms ,and that the bar is not responsible for what tenants do in their rooms. The cops were satisfied and left. The cops know what's going on upstairs and the mamasan knows that the cops know ,and the cops know that the mamasan knows that they know......It's a little game they play.

It's just for show.They do that 2or 3 times a year. Was in a Soi 6 bar once years ago when the cops raided the place. They checked upstairs too; came back down and asked the mamasan what the used condoms were doing in the waste baskets. Mamasan said that they rent out these rooms ,and that the bar is not responsible for what tenants do in their rooms. The cops were satisfied and left. The cops know what's going on upstairs and the mamasan knows that the cops know ,and the cops know that the mamasan knows that they know......It's a little game they play.

The old ,fat and ugly ones are there because they still get their occasional john. The darkness of the bars . the intoxication of punters, often stoned as well .bad eyesight of older customers ,all these factors can turn the ugly duckling into something desirable.

Two decades ago it was the South that was in the pollution headlines. Year after year during the burning season, Singapore, Malaysia and Southern Thailand were blanketed in smog, most of it coming from Indonesia. Is it seasonal in the north as well?

Pretty sure it was for one eye. At the Sattahip hospital they explicitly asked me on which side. Makes sense: Rayong and Sattahip are close to sin city, I assume they just doubled the price for those of the "wrong" ethnicity. Isn't it free for Thais under the 30 baht scheme , as long as they have it done in their home province?

My definition of idiot farang : Can't differentiate between apples and oranges, different logical inferences or analogies: What has two tier pricing (racial) to do with price differences between bars and stores,which is a global phenomenon, a totally different type of two tier pricing. I can point you to some books on the basics of logical reasoning to get started. Aristotle defined man as the rational animal , but the rational mind has to be exercised to develop.

A month ago, while still in Vietnam, I posted a query on this forum about cataract surgery in Thailand in order to compare rates in Vietnam and Thailand to help me decide where to undergo this procedure. During the last week I inquired at 3 hospitals in the Rayong/Pattaya area about prices. at the Rayong provincial hospital a monofocal lens will set you(if you are a farang like me) back 60000Baht. When I protested that this is almost as much as at private hospital she started ignoring me by sorting paperwork of other patients. Next up was the Sattahip military Sirikit hospital, where I was once 20 years ago(I still had my card from that visit), and which back then I found very cheap. Not anymore:50000Baht. I asked whether this is the farang price ,and she said yes. I replied in Thai that in this case I would have it done in Vietnam as over there they are not as "kee kong" as in Thailand. The last stop was the Banglamung hospital (pattaya area),where they were much friendlier than their Rayong counterparts.They said there is a 2 year waiting period for cataract surgery at their hospital . and they referred me to the Sri Racha Somdech hospital. I won't have the time to visit there on this trip. Anybody familiar with this hospital. Any chance that this Farang gouging on steroids is a Rayong thing? In my 30 years in Thailand I have never encountered medical racism like this .I thought the trend was towards abandoning 2 tier pricing. Vietnam seems to be way ahead of Thailand in this respect.