NanLaew

So they're told or read about other, uninsured tourists enduring pain, injury and financial loss as a result of doing something that's risky and not covered by insurance and then go ahead and do it as well just to gain life experience? Sounds more like extreme Darwinism.

The font size, colour and placement is totally irrelevant. There's a declaration that states the applicant has read, understands and agrees to the all terms and coverages of the policy. If they pay for and sign something they haven't bothered to read, then there's no pretence and fraud being commited by the insurance company, only collosal ignorance and stupidity by the person signing who assumes that it covers everything. You probably can't fix stupid but you can only cure ignorance when the ignorant want to be cured.

I hate it when they supply and charge you ~800 baht for a weatherproof box with punch-outs for 5 baht sealing glands... and then just drill holes and wrestle the conductors through. It's called a gecko house.

Isn't it easier to keep the pp and extensions up to date, rather than try this 'doing a passport flip'? When I came thro BKK where you can see the IO computer screen on the next queue now they are sitting back to back, everyone as they passed through was showing two or three previous screen images of the same person, presumably from previous visits, almost instantly. The IO databases seem very fast these days. The reason I flipped both passports regularly was simply to stop one of them filling up faster and needing replacement. I never managed to get a full ten-years usage out of the regular 48-page UK passport before it would fill up with visas and entry/exit stamps from the many countries I either visit or work in. Having two passports meant I could 'spread the load' and and only need to replace them every nine-and-half years. They told me at BKK several years ago that I could only use the one passport. By doing that, one passport has had five extensions plus associated re-entry permits. So along with entry/exit stamps and a couple of "under consideration" stamps, that's over a dozen pages used up just for Thailand. This passport now has only three usable pages remaining whereas my 'new' one has twenty five totally unused pages. But the big bonus for me is reducing any dealing with Thai immigration to the officer that stamps me in/out. No more local immigration office vagaries, bank letters and address paperchases or hand-drawn maps or home visits or being "under consideration" or arbitrary requests for additional bits of paper or 90-day reports.

Same goes for hospitals. So, who's got a soft spot for young foreigners, probably without any form of bike license, that ride a bike in Thailand but don't bother to read the small print on their insurance (if the even have any)?

Not unexpectedly, DMK immigration made a bit of a fuss. After doing the fingers, thumbs and photo bit, I was watching the immigration lady flipping through my half-used 'new' passport for the tenth time when I offered that it was a different passport with no extensions and no visas and I just claiming a visa-exempt entry. She then asked for my other passport which I said I didn't have. She eventually called not one but two immigration blokes over who were busy herding cats with some Viet tour groups who were getting rowdy. Eventually he led me to the supervisor's desk, an older lady who first asked how long I was staying; about five days. She didn't ask for the other passport but did state again that I can only ever use the one passport for Thailand entry. I told her the other one was full (which it almost is) and the extension had expired hence my making the change. She took my dabs and picture again and she asked where I was going and I confirmed Udon. The stamp I got was the standard for a visa exempt with the flight number and "30-day (45)" annotation. Taking this experience at DMK along with my previous rodeo several years ago at BKK, it appears that the 'front desk' immigration officers are maybe unable to edit/change what they see in the database with regard to passports, hence my being passed over to a more senior officer. Interesting to read of anyone else doing a passport flip at either BKK or DMK (or any other international Thai airport on arrival) these days since there's no such thing as 'standard' rules or common application of the law when it comes to immigration. BTW, despite being right in front of the big "no pictures" placard, the clown right in front of me in the queue took a flash picture of the immigration lines which was spotted by one of the other immigration ladies about four lines over. She couldn't get the cat-herder's attention but loudly said it was the guy in front of the farang in green (me). Sure enough, the lady handling my line stamped him in but was asking him about taking the picture and pointing at his phone but he was playing dumb. Then she came up against me and I guess her 'bad hair day' kicked off.

Waiting with baited breath for the review of Long John Silver's in Pattaya.

Slap that on the plate at any 5-star hotel chain restaurant along with the sides orders, call it lobster tail and most customers won't argue the difference.

Raw. Via UK VPN. Via US VPN

I have, but since... I won't bother.

On that same job in China, we had Onan diesel engines belt-driving 4 large alternators that charged 4 pairs of 200 Ah, deep-cycle truck batteries for the 12V DC supply for our instruments. This was in an enclosed space on the back of the truck. One of the mechanics accidentally dropped a large crescent wrench across the bus bar. The wrench mostly vaporized and we were still finding balls of melted steel in the engine compartment a few days later. Luckily the mechanic was shielded from the molten metal by the generator housing but he couldn't hear properly for a few hours.

This is Thailand so why does the author appear to be surprised by this?

Similar thing happened to one of the engineers I worked with in China back around 1982. He was driving a Toyota BJ47 pickup at night that had an intermittent headlight issue. He leaned down to give the fuse block a thump as this had worked before. Unfortunately, the cover had been removed from the fuse block and his wedding ring bridged the 24V and ground. As he jerked his hand free, the hot ring skinned his finger.

The pub nearest my mates gaff in Ormskirk sometimes has old, unwashed 7-series Beemers and the occasional dinged up Evoque with Burberry seat covers blocking the kerb. When we see this, we know the chav pit bull breeders are having a sale.

Honestly? Now you're getting desperate. Understandable but still desperate. Did I mention silly?

In high school, we were taught that term by our French language teacher. And?

Citation needed. Otherwise we can't honestly respect you either.

Well buggar me with (another) stick of rhubarb, that was easy, eh? Are you wearing flip flops by any chance?

And to think some have complained long and loud about England's speed cameras as only being cash cow.

No harm done. These days, I sometimes find myself biting my tongue... then I go read The Daily Mail to make me feel better.

Same same as Leicester and Blackburn then? I guess bigots aren't unique to France after all. PS: The Blackburn taxi services are second to none. Ask any pished up white bloke wanting to get home from the pub.

Don't get too stressed about Patong and Pattaya going to the dogs. We've had some total wallies pop up in deepest Isaan and try and pull similar stunts (and worse). They don't last too long and we can get back to watching the rice grow.

Besides not wearing helmets, causing a nuisance and possibly not being licence.... What else do you think this ‘gang’ were doing wrong ??? Do you think all groups of tourists are gangs doing their ‘gang culture’ thing ? Easy there richard, our @rankric is a rookie.

Well buggar me with a stick of rhubard... name me something that you can't do back in your lameland?

Citation? Not an Israeli in sight? How come?