OnTheLash

You can back pay some of the missing NI. It would be a good idea to do so. Its well worth looking into. You will probably only be liable for class 2 contributions. Deadline is sometime next year.

Everybody drink drives on the darkside. They have done for years. There are no checkpoints around the lake, none I've seen, anyway. The police tend to leave people alone. I am not sure what the Grab taxi situation is like over there at night, its probably difficult to get one.

I'm just glad I don't live next door to them. Imagine the racket. Inconsiderate muppets.

Its easy for you to sell a property without you being there. I have bought and sold from Thailand. I am in the process of selling a property that I bought during Covid and I have never even seen it. You will be liable for CGT. Consider a Vanguard or Fidelity fund and DCA in (DYOR). Maybe consider buying a small studio as a place to return to if things don't work out. I am slowly getting out of UK property. Too much hassle and when labour gets in it will get only get worse for landlords. If you are creative you will be able to bring the money to Thailand without paying Thai tax. Good luck!

This is a normal expense for many families with kids on the dark-side in Pattaya. I know people with more than 1 kid at an international school, their monthly expenses are a lot more than mine. Lucky I don't play golf anymore. I would have to add another 40,000 baht a month to that total. Yes, its a lot of money but that is the cost of living here for me. I would rather pay that than live in the UK. Each to their own.

PCM 1 x international school fee. 60,000 baht. 1 x uni fee + condo and allowance. 45,000 baht. Rent. 35,000 baht. If I pay 1 year up front (good deal). Socialising/eating out. 40,000 baht. Can be a little less but I eat out and go out everyday. Missus. Incudes bills, garden, pool, petrol, toiletries, food etc. etc. 70,000 baht. Electric has been up to 15,000 baht. Others. 2 x cars and bike (paid for cash) servicing. 5000 baht. Not to mention depreciation. Family medical insurance. 15,000 baht. Holidays. not much since Covid. Plus kids have grown up. Was approx 20,000 baht. +++++?? Grand total: Minimum 290,000 baht PCM

I know a British guy in Phuket that had a whole Condo block that he built from scratch stolen off him by some dodgy Thai's including a lawyer. He was 130 million baht out of pocket in the end. He tried the court route to no avail. Eventually he was forced to leave Phuket by some very influential locals. He ended up in Chiang Mai. He stayed there a few years. Eventually his money ran out and he returned to the UK. He was a decent person, a sad story and cautionary tale.

A friend of mine was hit at high speed from behind while riding his bike. The driver was forced to stop because his bike was jammed under his car. My friend had similar injuries to yours, luckily he was wearing a decent helmet. He had good international insurance. The police never even bothered to show up at the hospital. He was in there for a week.

The reason Thailand was never colonised is because the British and French wanted a buffer zone in between what is now Myanmar and Laos. Thailand being the buffer zone.

Very sensible and thought out comment.

He should receive the same punishment as if he kicked a Burmese migrant worker. The punishment should not be based on status. Oops, I forget where I was for a minute.

Cool. Thanks for letting me know. I will pop in and say hi.

Cheap Charlies bike rentals on Soi Pot Hole had 1 bike nicked the first week he opened. He had another nicked 6 months after that. He was never paid out on them. He was buying brand new bikes. It all went t1ts up in the end. I knew another guy on Soi Diana, I think he was from Manchester. He had a place called ''Escape car and bike rental''. It was opposite LK Metropole. Does anybody know what happened to him? Its a very difficult business for a foreigner. This was over 20 years ago.

6 to 8 large bottles of Leo knocks me out most nights. I keep a large bottle of water next to the bed which I consume on my nightly p1ss breaks. I don't eat after 5pm. Bed at midnight and up at 9am. I feel like cr@p for a few hours, usually by midday I am fine. I only drink water (lots of it throughout the day) and 2 x coffees in the morning. Eat twice a day. 6pm I'm back on it. Works for me!!

The Black Cat Bar has been gone for well over 20 years. It was around the corner from the old Johns place. I was in there a few times in the mid ninety's. I remember the owner vaguely. It was probably the most well know bar in CM at the time.