HugoFastor

Nice story. Thank you for sharing. I agree on the issues you mentioned. The tax issue has a lot of people concerned. Pollution is a problem. And flooding could become a bigger problem in the next 5 years. Hopefully never a major earthquake though. The fault lines in Laos aren't that far away.

I realize you posted this topic seeking some validation and for others to concur and support your reasons for stopping, but, the things you don’t like, such as the veg states, I think are wonderful. I’m not into watching mindless YouTube videos, but obviously that’s not a requirement and there are lots of alternatives for enjoying the time. I also enjoy lying in bed, contemplating nothing, and feeling happy. Nothing wrong with that if you don’t have to do something or be somewhere. I’m not really focused on being overly productive anymore in my life so it’s perfect. Sometimes I stay up and don’t go to sleep until very late because I’m enjoying the high. When I was younger it would have been more of an issue, but now it’s bliss. Also, that’s what weed typically does. Chill you out and put you into a zone where you may timelapse a bit. But if you’re looking for focus and clarity then it’s probably not the right thing and never was. Anyway, my biggest take away is, despite all the stigmatization of cannabis, that it is not an addictive drug. This thread proves that. Those who want to quit just quit. There is no need for rehab. No withdrawals. No AA meetings needed. Just stop. Much less addictive or habit forming than alcohol or cigarettes.

What brought you to Thailand in the first place, and what made you decide to stay and become a resident? Was it one of the many common or typical reasons or was it something more unusual?

Let's see. Still never know what will really happen in the land of flip-flops and the hub of u-turns.

If you go over to BS's latest nauseating, slush pile of a post from today you will find a whole bunch of negative, fear-mongering, anecdotal spewing about this topic, which all seems like fairly useless conjecture. What's been written here so far is very sensible. I do the same as the OP. I have copies of everything in my phone, never carry my passport, and I've never had a problem either. Will be interesting to hear what other sensible people think about this subject and if there is any good reason to change personal practices or not. I doubt doing anything different will be needed when going forward.

Looks like Roberta is on the tins early today.

Lots on Lazada.

Yes, I got that same message earlier too. Prices just keep falling. All their stuff is mid range, so I don't really buy it. I prefer stronger stuff, but it's still good value. Good weed for making oil too. Always pretty fresh.

Fark me. If I drank like that I would feel like total sheet all day. And you're saying getting off the weed fixed you? Wow, imagine how you would feel if you stopped being an alcoholic. Try stopping the booze. You'll probably feel like a million quid.

I'm a daily user and I recently took a break for a few weeks when I went to a country where it is dangerously illegal. No problem. For me it's part of a lifestyle and I use it when it's convenient. And it's not "the thing", but one of the things I enjoy. No problem, can do without it too. But it does enhance a lot of things in my life so why not. It also doesn't make me incapable of doing other things productively that I want to do like what you are referring to. I also don't use it all day. Only in the evenings. But if I felt like you then I would drop It. Also, the fact that you knocked a couple of things off your to-do list in the last couple of days has nothing to do with going off weed for a day. That momentum to get stuff done (like your taxes) started the day before you stopped smoking weed for 2 days. So you just carried that momentum a day forward to get some things done that day and now you're saying it's because you didn't smoke weed that day. No. You're fooling yourself if you believe that. If you said you went off it for 2 to 3 months and started a whole bunch of new and productive things then it would make more sense to attribute it to going off of weed. Anyway, if you're tired of it then just stop it. No need to make excuses to yourself and then try and find some crowd-sourced positive reinforcement and moral support to justify your decision. Do it if you want and drop it if you don't. And if you really want to stop it, but feel you can't, then you will need to make more of an effort and possibly seek help. Also, booze is far more destructive. Better quit that too. Seriously. Alcohol causes cognitive damage over time. It's documented.

You mean you're that screwed up without drinking or taking meds? At least GG has an excuse with a substance abuse condition. What's your story?

What could possibly go wrong?

I've finished reading the book "But I Don't Give A Hoot!" by Jennifer Bliss. It wasn't a book I had expected to read, and certainly it was no literary masterpiece, but it is only 230 pages and, if you can find a used copy somewhere, I would say it's worth a read if you are a Trink fan. And, although, I never was a Trinker, nor did I ever follow his column, I found the book even more interesting and informative as a historical retrospective of the nightlife scene in Bangkok dating back to the early sixties, which was also prior to it being transformed into the more untamed Vietnam War nightlife hub in the seventies. The book also carries the nightlife history all the way forward through to the end of the nineties, some of which I lived first hand, but a lot of what was covered was also new to me and still before my time. I give the writer credit for being able to compile a detailed account of Bangkok's history, to a time to when it was still a very SE Asian city, but had a vibrant international nightlife scene, though, in my opinion, that all ended about 20 years ago. On the subject of books, and one I don't recall reading is "Thai Ways" by Denis Segaller which I believe was published in 2006. Has anyone read this book? Trink was concerned about longevity because of the fact that he smoked a pipe so heavily every day. But four different fortunetellers in India had told him that he would live to be 84. He made it to 89. So he did well.

I noticed that this seller has a public chat group in the LINE app with nearly 1,200 members. I also noticed that when they ship their parcels out that they post a list of all the buyer's names and associated tracking numbers for the parcels within the public chat group.

From what I read, Trink had three children, two sons and one daughter. His first son was born in 1965, his daughter in 1967, and his younger son (Terry) was born in 1969. Terry died of cancer in 1996.

I think there may only be two branches of Asia Books remaining now between Suk Soi 1 and Suk Soi 24. One is in that Nana Square shopping plaza on the corner of Suk Soi 3 and the other is in the new Emsphere Mall where Washington Square used to be between Soi 22 and Soi 24. There might be one in the Queen SiriKit National Convention Center too. To be honest, it's been quite a long time since I've bought a new book from a bookstore in Thailand. Everything I've read in recent years has been digitally and usually in ePub format. It's kind of shame because going to a bookstore and discovering some new books used to be exciting, but it's just another way in which the world has changed.

Thanks. I picked up a copy already. I've read the first 35 pages so far. Easy reading, even with my 3rd grade level vocabulary. So far it's only been about Trink's formative years, but the going back in time to the early twentieth century is the fun part. The book was released in June 2000. It says this about the author: Following are the first 3 paragraphs of the book's preface (some of which also appeared in the Time article I linked earlier):

The Dynasty Inn is still there. About 40-50 meters past Nana Plaza on the same side of the Soi. Has a small and sparse open air bar area in front of the entrance. You can find it on Google Maps. Charlies Kitchen is still there too. Almost right next door.

There was a short, interesting article written about Trink and that book in Time Magazine in 2000 titled "A Walk on the Wild Side". Jennifer Bliss worked with Trink at the BP as a sub-editor. She wrote the book as an unauthorized biography about Trink, but Trink said it was a fair assessment. I believe it was probably well written and probably worth a read I think. The Time article lays out a number of points about the book and is written like a book review. You can read this short article published by Time in their archives on the link below: https://time.com/archive/6954971/a-walk-on-the-wild-side/

It has the Emporium logo on the tablecloth in your photo. There was an Asia Books there by the back escalator. Don't know if it is still there as I haven't been to Emporium in years, but I suspect it's gone. In the nineties I used to mainly buy books at either the Asia Books branch in The Landmark Hotel or the one on Sukhumvit Road close to Robinsons between Soi 15 and Soi 17. Both those branches are gone now too I think.

Thanks. I had been thinking of the main section of the Soi and had forgotten about further down into the Soi after the left and the right turns. Right after where Q-Bar used to be there is at one small dead-end Soi of townhouses on the left, and then further down, after the junction of the cut through Soi that leads to Soi 3, I think it is high rise buildings mainly until the end of the Soi with Kallista Mansion being the last building on the right.

I did some checking on the tallest buildings in Bangkok dating back to the early nineteen hundreds and they were as follows: 1925-26 Nai Loed buiding near Phitthayasathian Bridge (Saphan lek Lang), 7 stories. 1927-1937 - Phraya Sombat Phaisan building, Yaowarat Rd, Yaowarat. 9 stories. 1966 June - AIA (American International Assurance) building, Surawongse Rd, Silom. 10 stories. 1970 February - Cathay Trust Building (Esso Building), Rama IV Rd, Silom. 12 stories. 1970 - Dusit Thani Hotel, Rama IV Rd, Silom. 1970 - Rama 1 Hotel, Rama IV Rd/Surawongse Rd, now called The Montien Hotel. As we know, the Dusit Thani hotel was recently demolished. Not sure how many stories it was though, but I think it was about 82 meters tall. Also, not sure exactly how tall the Montien Hotel is, but it and the Dusit Thani were both the two tallest building in Bangkok in the early seventies until the Royal Orchid Sheraton was then built in the late seventies. Then, in the early eighties it was The Bangkok Bank Building on Silom that became the tallest and eventually Baiyoke in the late eighties. Then it went on from there.

I bought and read that book in the late nineties. Probably gave it away to someone after reading it. Despite the provocative title, I believe it was a clinical analysis of the gray market economies in Thailand by two PhD writers from Chula. It was interesting I thought. Can also read it online for free here: https://archive.org/details/gunsgirlsgamblin0000pasu Here is one that had no literary value, and not worth reading IMHO, but might be interesting just to flip through for the historical value of some of the B&W photos from that period: https://archive.org/details/mywifeinbangkok00omer/mode/2up

Looks like Asia Books at Emporium. Those two books I mentioned weren't literary masterpieces, but they were fun reads when I read them curiously around 30 years ago.

That was a good find for 60 Baht. I probably would have grabbed it too out of curiosity. I haven't been down to KSR looking at used books though since the nineties. I used to see some interesting used books at JJ market, also many years ago. I assume you read "Inside Thai Society" by Niels Mulder at some point? I think it was first published in 1979 by DK Books in Thailand.