teelac777

5555 Singapore Lite

Face mask requirement in public was lifted last month. It's not apples to apples anyway because that rule was to protect people from COVID, not related to social integration.

I understand banning of the burqa for security reasons, just like you can't enter a shop in France wearing a bike helmet. I also understand that for the French lifestyle the burqa is generally a tad extreme. But I don't follow all the fuss over burkinis at all. Who could be offended by someone wearing a burkini?

Duh obviously the answer to the ice question somehow erroneously got in this thread.

Look it up! https://www.worldnomads.com/travel-safety/southeast-asia/thailand/health-hygiene-in-thailand Normally, this ice is in the shape of a large cylindrical cube, with a gap through the middle. If you are served solid chunks of ice, which look like they’ve been made in trays, I’d push it aside.

I wouldn't. Even the ice acceptable for putting in drinks has a hollow center so it can be easily recognised

Your wife gets a 30 day free pass because Thailand is also an ASEAN member. UK citizens get 15 day free passes. COVID tests not required by the VN government but your airline may require it pre-departure

Great yarn about Faith and Charity! I used to ride the Jeepney often with a mall saleslady in Manila who sported the name tag "Everlasting Love"

Her being older can be a good thing, at least she's not some ditzy 18 year old. Her antics are a childish form of bullying. Why doesn't she work? I agree, 23 is too young to be a dad.

Oh, the irony of it all. 30 years ago they filled in the BKK canals and built condos oooops. Manila and Jakarta followed suit later.

As a result, Thailand welcomed fewer tourists in the first 4 months of 2022 than used to enter in a week.

That explains why only 740k foreigners entered LoS Jan through April this year. Sex trade has always been the big draw, always will be

Food in the Phils is a microcosm of the culture. Most is borrowed from US junk food, but authentic Filipino food is delicious. Dinuguan, sinigang, kaldereta, kari2, adobo, kinilaw etc

This works for me: To download a Facebook video on your computer, right-click on it and choose Show Video URL. Then paste the URL into a new tab and replace the www with mbasic. Finally, right-click it and select Save video as… Log in to Facebook on your computer.

Great. Please start by getting Vietnam to reciprocate with 1 year tourist visas again and add a retirement visa.

Numbeo is primarily for transferee expats, so naturally those on comfy relocation deals make more than they could ever spend. Try "expatistan" for realistic living costs for typical expats, it's very realistic.

Every country in S-E Asia has been trying to attract the high rollers for many years without a lot of success.

Article says Phu Quoc could be the next Dubai. <deleted>

Dubai? Where did that come from? I can't think of anywhere less similar to Phu Quoc.

I'm a long-time VN resident and journalist, have been following this closely. I think the 90 day tourist visa is based on reciprocal agreements with the related countries, not sure. I do know for sure that the 1 year tourist visa for US citizens that was implemented 6 years ago was based on reciprocal agreement that allows VN passport holders to remain in the US 6 months at a time. Therefore, I believe reinstatement of 90 day and 1 year tourist visas is imminent, so in your position I would await a formal announcement.

Since when is Thailand bigger than Vietnam? Vietnam has almost 1.5 times the population of Thailand

Vietnam just started issuing evisas again. I'd go with Cambodia right now because those borders reopened in November

Great idea! The tree-hugging foreigners may not like it, but the locals who make $200 a month working in fish sauce factories are ecstatic about expansion. 70% of Phu Quoc is national park, recent developments have barely made a tiny dent in the landscape.

Indigenous Phils food is wonderful but not always easy to find. Sinigang, dinuguan, kare2, kaldereta etc. Unfortunately the junk you mention has taken over. Scout around a mall food court and you'll find yummy rice shops.

Thailand was 9th last year and was regularly in the top 10 globally until this year.