Furioso

It does get boring here I can do about 5 months max then go to Vietnam, Colombia, Brazil, etc. It's a good home base b/c it's inexpensive and the Thai's are mostly friendly but that's about it.

Well you'd be crazy to hang out at the bar or with your next door neighbor

Yes, doesn't she want to live in Thailand? Or is it great there in Australia for some reason?

But you knew that already.

Then you know it's a great place to live.

It's a pretty tough decision but then again the Western world is a boring world. Thailand at least is cheap and mostly friendly people. Now if we're talking Australia back in 1985 no way would I leave. Live into your 90's here in Thailand doesn't sound bad at all.

I used to live in Tokyo yes they have a lot of convenience stores but they don't stock them up with nearly as much junk as Thailand. It's really a night and day difference. Plus nothing in Japan is cheap.

It's probably the ultra processed food that hijacks the brain at a very young age. It's really a worldwide problem where the cheapest food available is the worst for their health. I was in Vietnam last month it's not nearly as bad there. Da Nang has over a million people but not nearly as many grocery or convenient stores. Many of their food stores are almost exclusively visited by foreigners such as Koreans, Russians, Westerners. In other words Vietnamese are eating much higher quality food, and very few of them are obese.

The dollar is sinking. The sky is falling. I'm so scared lol!

- Is his cause just? I don't think so because Russia has been such a total failure for so many decades, you can't just fix it in one fell swoop. - I see Putin's logic he wants a much more powerful Russia ala Soviet Union. I just doubt he can pull it off. - Putin is failing. Russia needs a better leader. Russia needs reforms.

Yes, the rash was where the helmet contacted my face and all over my neck from the chin strap. I've had this problem for maybe 2 years and since I thought it was mold in my condo I really didn't think it was the helmet. This year I started taking trips out of Thailand(UK, Bali, Vietnam, S. Korea) and I didn't have nearly as much problem with the face/neck rash. I just came back from a 6 week trip to Vietnam and within a week the rash came back, even though I washed my liner. Then I washed my liner a 2nd time, I first soaked it in plain water and saw how filthy it still was. Then I got rid of my helmet AND super cleaned my shower walls/floor and now my rash is gone. I have a new helmet on the way.

I was in Heathrow this last February. Uh, are you kidding me? there were literally thousands of immigrants it is a national catastrophe. Every single day it must be getting worse. Back here in Thailand I met a bloke that used to drive an ambulance in London. He told me he flew back to London a few years ago, shook his head, and immediately flew back to Thailand the next day. I'll be honest I did like visiting London, even now it's a great city and most people really nice. Outside of London in many cities must be even nicer. The problem is the corporations are trying to ruin it all, and they might be succeeding.

I'm looking to replace my old A24, which has been very good but dropped too many times.

Thanks I just bought it online for 6K. Which begs the question if these Shark helmets are made in Rayong why are they cheaper in the U.K. than here?

Go to where you'll be the happiest. None of us are guaranteed even one more day.

Those old, nasty, skint, drunks on Soi Buakhao are smarter than this lot.

- If you have the Bangkok Bank Be1st Debit card take your passport to the closest branch and ask them to activate it for online/international transactions. - Yes, it's difficult to use home country credit cards without a home country address. They're trying to prevent fraud. Some banks will do it, some will not. You have to call or email them to find out. - Can I use a Thai bank issued prepaid credit card anywhere in the world? or is it only good in Thailand?

Schedule everything well in advance, esp to save money. If you think you might need to change your flight, then pay for this feature. Be ready for any emergencies.

Iran now has no capability to quickly assemble a nuclear weapon. More bombing attacks likely from here on out.

Thanks, I'm going to try on some helmets today. You're right Ridill is available at a reasonable price I might buy two helmets. First, a higher end helmet like the Shark Spartan 10k-15k then a Ridill as a backup for 5k.

Thanks for all these links and info. I was up really late last night looking at helmets online. I read a lot of reviews on Billy's helmet review website. I'm going to a couple of motorbike shops today to try on a few helmets, I'm almost always a medium 57-58 I'm looking for a name brand 4 star safety, hypoallergenic, full face, clear shield with sun visor maybe even eyeglass grooves now between the 10,000-15,000 baht. I think Shark Spartan might fit the bill.

I use the coin op for blankets, bath towels, etc. Am I the only one who hand washes t-shirts, shorts, socks, light towels, washcloths, pillow cases? Then dry under the ceiling fan.

Yeah lesson learned from being cheap. If fits great but caused A LOT of suffering. Any chance of finding something of quality between 5k-10k baht? Is Bilmola a quality brand?

- My current helmet is a 2 year old RKN Crazy Bear bought from Lazada 1,200 baht. - Yes, it could be bacteria or mold in the liner. Initially I didn't clean it as often or as thoroughly as I do now. Tonight I sprayed the liner and chin strap with white vinegar and then washed with liquid detergent, not anti-bacterial though. - Not a lot of allergy problems on the rest of my body or from other clothing. I have had problems with allergies my whole life, especially pet dander and mold. - This problem is so bad I took a 6 week trip to Da Nang to see if my face rash would go away. I even rented a motorbike there and bought a new helmet for 12 Euros. The face rash completely went away..then I came back last week and it's terrible again. - Also, I initially suspected mold in my apartment was causing my face rash. - I'm currently in Jomtien, prefer to buy locally but if I have to ride to Bangkok I'll do it lol.

I get a terrible rash on my face/neck from my current helmet, which I clean quite often. It's quite possible I'm allergic to the interior lining. Anyone know a good place to buy a hypoallergenic helmet here in Thailand? Full face helmet; either online on local shop.