WhiteBuffaloATM

we are a small complex of nine four story pool villa townhouses with seven owners and non- interfering legal thai landowner management co. who counter -sign cheques,pre approved by assigned owners rep(s), and keep accounting records. Each unit pays an agreed amount direct to the Common Fund which typically holds an average balance of half a million baht. We are able operate lean, direct & efficient because we are a small complex, with cooperative Owners.We don’t need bureacratic slow argumentative committees,MOM, budgets or separate sinking fund. I am the only present Resident Owner. We are fortunate to have a cooperative Resident Owner Rep. who controls the majority unit votes (5 /9) whom i support in agreeing Scopes / Quotations/ Contractors for Special Works. He oversees all the Monthly Utility / Caretaker/ Pool payments. This past 12 months we have competitively replaced our Main Water Pump System & Swimming Pool Water Pumps, with high grade equipment at cost prices, after 13 years of Complex Operations. We have a Resident Caretaker who does all the Minor Repairs/ Painting, Gardening, Cleaning, Security. We have a great specialist Pool Cleaning Contractor, which I sourced at request of Owner Rep. We have also developed a unique Building Paint Spec. which lasts 6-8 years. we have enjoyed near perfect success over the years, with some fund collection issues, compared to the many often disasterous condo management fiascos I read about…..

max bike size: Vespa 300 ; for convenient city handling. mimimum 300cc for power, speed, comfort and hills. consider buying used low mileage can always rent a small SUV for inter city trips.

“Sometimes the "conspiracy" becomes a true reality. It needs just to wait sometime.” No, it never does so no, we dont”. Ivermectin & Anti - Vaxx fans are oblivious to facts & reason or deliberately advocating false data. Ignore them as you would Flat Earthers. Its pointless engaging. They need to visit ICUs; to Witness their Stupidity ….or Engage with It as a Victim…..

there cant be any connection…….unless “computer says No” if you reach 100 !

Rimmer: never familiar with Red Dwarf although big on SciFi. Your handle/ picture / motto prompted me to Wiki the series as I vaguely recognized Barrie…..interesting stuff ; Barrie was Brittas & A. Jolie’s Butler in Tomb Raider ….. ! Barrie is a fascinating character with unique career……never appreciated that before… thanks !

When I reported here about Bangla open for business in this way 1Oct, all the “ experts” here slammed me as that was “ illegal “ and Police “ didnt know” and to “ read Governor Notice properly”. No, it wasnt / Yes they did./ Already Read & Understood. Then told by friends that Bangla was “closed by Police” for three days” (2-4 Oct). Why would it have been then ? Confusion all round again harming tourist businesses.

these righteous EV drivers probably either dont think that their car recharge comes from fossil fuels or maybe believe it comes from “ clean “ energy like solar / wave / hydro, which machinery in turn requires….. coal, oil.

khunLA: amazing & salutary ! now THAT is Living. sense of purpose big time. all you walking dead retirees out there take note and ACT for benefit of the needy in your community, if you have no one close to care for……

not concerned with law here. this is how we do it. all that practically matters is optimal asset maintenance. we have no committee. resident owners & owner reps. decide informally everything to do with our Common Fund.

would have maybe got a hospital letter then…… supporting my pink ID ………there’s enough levels of petty bureacracy here, without introducing another one…. wont be anymore compliant with the backwardness than I need to be….. “headman” bs a step to far for me…….

“an official letter from your village headman “…. really…..feudal medieval nonsense here again …. in 21st century…..and supported by an expat…..thought my opinion of the daft “culture..and servile expat compliance, couldnt get any lower……

seems pointless gadgetery…. charcoal main water filter at pump……..use only for washing & cleaning bottled water ( Minere best) for cooking & drinking….. job done.

working 40 years + in some <deleted> low level “ safe” job for a <deleted> pension you paid for fibe times over from numerous taxes,and will never fully recover, now divorced with no money, living in <deleted> rented accom. seems fairly typical…. that aint retirement or even living…..just miserable existing or surviving…..already in your coffins…..the walk into the ocean is that way…….

word “vaccine” is defined by current consensus of specialist scientists. not by your dusty 1970s version of Websters. also note that vax is “ experimental” only until conclusion of mandated clinical trials. these trials all long since done so now so vax is “ approved” . these are scientific processes which I know are confusing to all you pseudo science anti- vaxx nutters out there…..note that QAnon and Joe Rogan’s Podcast are not recognized scientific institutes…..

focus on what we DO know. we know Enough already to determine near zero “ long term effects”, etc earths core may stop spinning today. we don’t “ wait” to progress science, we dont die when the prevention means is to hand.

So I suppose there are so many North Americans resident in Thailand because they don’t understand how much better & wonderful it would be to live in Mexico or Colombia, right ? But yes there ARE nearly 800k USA immigrants in Mexico. Europeans about 25k. With 10 million native Mexicans choose ongto live in USA ? Paradox ? Merida might look good now but what if the cartels decide to move in there too ? Lawlessness, serious crime, total corruption, extreme poverty, kidnapping, violence are prevalent in those two countries. Why on earth retire to such dangerous places, especially being a white skin / blue eyes “ target” ……..

“Buy a property in your own country” right, at ten times the price here……… really dont get this “retire-rich- in- thailand”……. only to RENT here when comparable properties are a fraction of home country prices to buy…..

Buying a property is not all about “dead capital” and financial return on investment. All these old guys with foreign property & renting here from foreign rents. thinking they are Smart. Much more to life than accumulating money, especially if Retired. SELL IT ALL & LIVE your best Life. Otherwise you are likely to die leaving it all to the expectant and ungrateful relatives. That is not going to be the end purpose of my life. Had family here for last seven years. Would have lost around 3 million baht by now if Renting. I have never rented here. I want to have my own place here as Settled Personal & Family Home, to renovate improve furnish decorate garden as I please. I have earned that privilege.Money in the bank is important but would not compensate that situation & great feeling. I won’t need to deal with quirky cheating landlords on annual leases.moving upheaval every year, potentially. I initially had a small house which sold for a good profit. I then bought “off plan” a pool villa with separate apartment. Lived in the family apt. & rented the upstairs house for intl vacation short stay. Over 12 years pre- covid I recovered around half my capital cost in rents. Covid has killed that business.But banked around 6 million baht NETT Profit. Plus living there in Apt. Plus Saved Rent. So around now it owes me NOTHING ( still worth the invested 12 million). It has not increased in value. But should have using 2006 projections when bought. I doubt if that Accomodation Model has ever even occurred to anyone here. When Im gone my lady and son inherit. Trying to Sell now to fund our Dream Self Build Project.

Thailand Culture / History / Sport: very little indeed…. yes limited annual artificial imported “ festivals”, compare events here with just SE England alone : The Season- Opera- Open Air Theatre- Henley Regatta- Wimbledon Tennis- London Pro Football/ Rugby- Athletics- Cricket- British Museum- Art : Tate / National Galleries. West End Theatre / Indy Movie Cinemas- Stonehenge- Roman Arch ( Bath) - Sailing Regattas- Massive Live Music Festivals. Castles. Architecture. Kensington Scienve Museums. London Underground. Spain, Italy, France; similar equivalents on smaller scale

Fair Points JAH; each to his own indeed. but if you like the Pattaya setting, Phuket has everything that Pattaya /Jomtien has, plus way more, with higher standards ,cleaner, no flooding, less congestion, better seascape….great golf & sailing, nightlife, etc. Nothing on the planet beats Walking Street at Night though……. cant remotely understand the thinking of the up country expat crowd either…… love farming obviously …..afraid of open water perhaps ? huge no- no to live in your wifes village for SO many reasons…….

JDrake: know little about the game but love watching QB TD throw pass highlights ! Rodgers especially great for me as he gets incredible stats. with nobody special around him… Rule Changes protecting QBs & Receivers surely improved the creative game ? No sane fan wants to see QB’s helmet-tackled or Receivers clotheslined…. massive concussive hits. Even Brady was stating though that its gone too far with Defenders forced into, and over- penalized for, collision tackles, resulting from poor QB throws…. was we call a “hospital pass” in Rugby !

Reliable vehicles Germany would dispute that. They invented the internal combustion engine in 1884 ( Daimler & Benz) and all their motor vehicles since then have been extremely reliable. Not counting East German Ladas though !

ha ! well you must of course fully maintain any asset to properly enjoy it !

yes it can be and must be better explained clearly. Death way more “important” than “hospital” ! should not be a combined figure. even though technically correct. this important study finding needs to be made crystal clear to lay people like FDA final clinical trial protection findings for AZ , for example,i.e. Death (Final !) 100%, Hospital (Serious) 90%, Symptoms (Minor) 75%.

That accom. type is not really “living” , it’s more like “surviving”. better than being a cave-dwelling hermit, but hardly the idyllic tropical life we came here for, is it ? looks decidely unpleasant. I’ll stay with my seaview pool villa…….