billyo

Yes I do, Europe we have lovely clean air it's wonderful. One reason amongst many why I will never live here or my (Thai) wife even though we have condos , land, family and money here.

I discovered the cure for cancer and gave up reggae music which seemed to be part of the rasta dope head scene. Plus I'm married and my wife takes a dim view of drug taking so it's no longer fun. Considering when she spends a few days in Bangkok in the next week of so of buying a couple of joints and having a sesh on my own to see if I can get the old magic back hopefully with no paranoia which was another reason I canned it in the end. The voices in my head....

accept,accept,accept...mai pben rai !

Since I've got plenty of time on my hands I see these visits as a sort of visit to a human zoo to watch the animals cavorting around. If folk are losing their rag it adds to the excitement and that way it's not a burden but a pleasure. Jomtien immiagration never dissapoints and you get to spot who are the mia nois to the pi yais for added interest.

I have no reason to doubt his credentials or the validity of the soldiers who choose to tell their Ukrainian war stories on his channel. The Ukraine Redditt which is heavily policed and moderated believes he is a good faith actor and not a Russian stooge. I never thought the Russians would ever invade , indeed when a friend asked me on the eve of invasion I said it won't happen, they would be mad to do so. And yet they did, Putin is both mad and bad most probably driven more so by covid. But I would rather hear the truth, if that is possible , rather than propaganda hence the reason I seek out first hand voices and apply my own due diligence to their opinions and views. He believes they can win but an honest appraisal of the situation is better than papering over the cracks.

Time will tell in. The first days if the war Biden offered Zelensky a plane out of there and Zelesnky said I don't need a plane I need ammo. That still stands, in spades.

I'm watching other videos on his channel. He is a decorated war hero with PTSD that wants soldiers voices to be heard and supports wholeheartedly the justice of the Ukrainian cause. That said he is finding a lot of differences between the official narrative and admittedly the experiences of foreign boots on the ground. I'm half way through a young US volunteer who fought with AZOV who is so experience is typical of all the young vets that fought in Vietnam. War is terrible. I fear Ukraine , if the army fails and in that previous video the solider says without much more kit , ammo , air cover and better command structures then it has 50% chance of a rout , then they will be abandoned by the alliance. NATO seems unshakeable of no boots on the ground and for good reason. I'm half way through an a comment underneath seems to capture it. Wow! I'm speechless. I watched this entire interview and I have to say this is one of the most intense video's I have ever seen in my life. I was captivated from start to finish. A true account of what war really is. I wouldn't wish this on anyone. Just wow. Thank you Justin for sharing. I can't believe you made it out alive after hearing your story. Just wow. I don't know what else to say except that I will never look at the war in Ukraine the same again after watching this. This video has humbled me. Amazing account. Thank you for sharing. Literally every person in the world needs to see this.

To the advantage of current owners though. If they were to take all the empty wing shells and put in a serviceable unit and knock them out a market rate they would make a tidy profit but no doubt dampen the value of existing units.

This is a very interesting video, a very pro Ukraine vlogger (ex Aussie army fought in Afghanistan) interviews at length an Aussie army volunteer fighting in Bahkmut - says the Ukraine's are losing the war slowly, the Russians are much smarter than we are being led to believe and there is a good chance they will 'win' the war. Oh and the Russian casualty rate is being widely exaggerated and Ukrainians are taking much more. And there is massive corruption in the Ukrainian army that is denying front line troops vital equipment and they are having to buy some from Ukrainian black marketers effectively. Wagner are utterly ruthless but highly competent and very well armed, the prisoner conscripts are used as bait to expose Ukrainian positions and are very much more well equipped and have Chinese contractors helping them out. It's Vietnam all over again but without embedded western reporters. It sounds like a cry for help - ex mil guys will know whether this guy checks out but he sounds very legit to me. He goes on to add that most of the foreign volunteers are aghast that the majority of the Ukrainian commanders are useless whereas the the troops are great. Probably the most sobering front line account I have heard to date. The interviewee is intelligent, his thoughts are structured, and his assessment isn't based on bravado (unlike some others I've seen). The examples were numerous, and the overall picture consistent. This seems like one of the best interviews I've seen so far.

It's the ultimate "cash crop". A lot of folk , particularly older ones aren't too happy that it is so prevalent. I smoked for 30 years before giving it up 20 years ago. Fed up of being monged and lazy and a hacking cough. I used to get nervous as well if my stash was going low. Don't miss it at all but have a puff once in a blue moon and think nah don't want to go back there. Stoners always seem to have great plans that are going to start tomorrow which of course never comes.

Interesting so a Brit marries a Russian and has children I assume born in Thailand - what nationality are they in those circumstances. Never Thai I assume.

That OP video seems to think that Russians here is a good thing.

Good agents are also useful for setting up finance - we are selling a condo for 1.15 and I am using Facebook Ads to push their listing and including their number. But they can get 90-100% finance so a much better chance of getting a buyer with a good price. Cash buyers are often looking for a bigger discount.

What do you suggest Thailand does then - ban Russians altogether and deny the country valuable money to help it recover ? There is no welfare state here and people need that money to live and take care of their families. Should we ban the Chinese because of their treatment of the Ughurs ? Or the US because of the Vietnam War (oh I forgot Thailand was Airstrip One to bomb them back into the stone age) ?

It's not Thailand's job to arbitrate on an European war their job is to look after Thailand and post covid attracting, money even if some of it was dirty to pay the bills doesn't bother me. After all Switzerland grew to be one of the richest countries in the world by not fighting wars and laundering dirty money.

Where I'm from the UK they can't give the stuff away so I imagine there are huge supplies of near to expiry stock globally that needs to be used and developed nations will donate it as part of their aid packages.

Prawit is apparently the fixer par excellence in the army the General Prem of his time. Thaksin has courted relentlessly the two folks that matter the most - if they come in for him then the votes will be home and dry. He has decided I think to die on Thai soil one way or another. I remember Prawit in Parliament trolling Prayuth when asked about the coup by a Move Forward MP joked it wasn't me and pointed to Prayuth - ask him. Everbody laughed except the good general. Looking like the fix is in. But then in Thai politics nothing is certain except the army always win.

Prawit is a friend of Thaksin and there have been discussions if he can bring the army on board then he will get a shot at PM (Prawit that is !). That's the reason for Prayuth leaving to join another vanity party.There will be a PP,Pheu Thai and Bhumjaithai coalition after the election and the final piece of the jigsaw is a pardon which rumours suggest might be forthcoming. Thaksin will be met by huge crowds at the airport like a conquering hero returned. Khun Prayuth probably needs to watch his back !

Well said sir. One of the great things about Thailand is on the whole everybody minds their own business and allows you quite a degree of freedom denied you in your home country. Long may it continue.

They seem like family people haven't ever caused trouble as far as I can see and have some of the most beautiful women if you're hanging out on a lounger in Samed watching them pass you by. Thailand's getting smart now attracting money from countries that might be unwelcome elsewhere, legalising weed and kratom and probably casinos next and didn't spaff a fortune up the wall over covid pretty much letting the people fend for themselves. Their future is looking a lot healthier than ours back home.

It's been discussed before.

They were built as a deliberate ghost wing with minimum embellishments so that they could register a much larger foreign qouta than they would be able to do otherwise which when they were built with less projects were the golden spot of buyers. Strange but true and what a waste of resources.

The Chinese spend at all levels from the zero baht to the richest. If Thailand has the will to open casinos as well they will hit the jackpot of numbers in the future. I was reading that their target is 80 million tourists by 2027 which is insane. Even if they only get half that amount in the main tourist areas they will ruin it for everybody else. The baht will go to the moon as well.

That would be ideal. We have a studio in Jomtien which since we only overwinter here is enough. But have seriously considered buying another studio if we were to want more. Obviously side by side would be best. Our agent friend said selling studios is the easiest the bigger they get the more problem it is. Plus if you have a row or just want some time away then you have two separate spaces.

An advantage of having 2 smaller condos is they will be easier to sell and allow for friends / family to stay separately if required and you can mix and match your living arrangements.