MangoKorat

I'll never understand why foreigners waste their days drinking in bars, talking rubbish and growing their bellies day after day. I go out and I have a drink but I have never and will never fall into the daily ritual that so many do. Get out, do things - you might just live a bit longer.

I can't for the life of me find a forum relating to plumbing so I'm putting this in here - hopefully the moderators will move it if there's a more appropriate forum. The ciruclation pump on my Air Source Heat Pump has failed and I could not find a replacement whilst in Thailand and the manufacturer appears to have gone out of business - he may have even died for all I know. I've bought a compatible pump in the UK but just discovered that the union size is different. I cannot find a pump that has the correct specification with 1" 1/4 BSP unions and 150mm height, union to union. In the UK, they are all 1" 1/2 BSP. The obvious thing seems to be to change the unions and I'm getting someone to visit my property and take photos of the pipes etc. to make sure I can do that and hopefully I'll take the correct fittings with me on my next trip. However, we all know Sod's Law - I'll probably find I need something I haven't brought. Buying brass plumbing fittings is easy in the UK but apart from some 15mm fittings used in aircon units, I've never seen any brass plumbing fittings in Thailand. Does anyone know a stockist? - Bangkok is not a problem.

Look again.

Unless the airlines get their act together, the whole thing will have failure written all over it. Just as there were people creating long queues at the immigration booths because they didn't have a paper TM6 - unless the airlines advise people that they need to complete this online application, the queues will return. I can already hear the critic's keyboards cranking up telling me that its up to the traveller to check the entry requirements - we know about this, many travellers don't. They check if they need a visa and that's about it - especially the ones that have visited over the last few years when there was no TM6. Provided these people are weeded out before they get to the booths/automated entry barriers, it won't be a problem. When there was a paper TM6, sometimes there were staff checking travellers had a completed one, sometimes there were no staff. When there were no staff, most I.O.s would send them back at the booth but there were so many that it still created queues. Ditto when you had to present your boarding card - many leave them tucked in the seat pocket on the aircraft. How many people are going to clog up the auto booths trying to go through, having failed to complete TDAC? I've just booked my June ticket with Qatar direct - e-tickets came immediately, no mention of TDAC and I don't expect anything further.

Not that is seems to matter sometimes in Thailand but all this talk of it being good for the island - increases in toursim etc. - let's not forget that most of the island is a National Park. The protections that should afford have already been abused. If this bridge goes ahead, the pressure to increase development will be huge.

Yes, I use that section regularly when I'm in country - can I ask you what you think about it being built with just 2 lanes on each side? I think that they have made a mistake doing that - its already difficult to overtake when its busy - much will depend on what the toll charges are when they introduce them. Another problem that will crop up when the cameras are installed, is the speed limit. On much of the old road (Highway 2), the limit is 120kph - the M6 limit is 80kph (50mph). If the cameras work that will put many off using the road - 50mph is way too slow for a motorway.

Don't forget the lights that they left on on the elevated section near Lam Takhong for around 2 years. Lasy week I used the open section between Pak Chong and the 201 exit - no lights 555

One of the main reasons many go to Koh Chang is because its not over-developed. If this happens, and I very much doubt it will, its at least 20 years away and it will wreck Koh Chang. I've been many times and I can honestly say that I've never had more than a 30 miniute wait for a ferry - maybe I've been lucky but I do try to avoid busy periods - the hotels are cheaper too. After a long drive down, to be honest, a rest is welcome. The ferry companies usually put extra boats on at peak times.

Unlikely in our lifetime. M6 still not open - 6 years late in September.

Woman's fault? Complete claptrap. Even a hooker has the right to say no. They have a right not to be raped and they have a right to expect their customers to behave hygenically and safely. You have a strange attitude towards these women. I find that treating everyone with respect, unless they disrespect me brings rewards - give it a try. In addition, although there are some that 'work' for years, the average working life of a hooker is actually very short. Many girls will not know anything about the disgraceful ways some Indians behave.

Doesn't take long does it? I've visited that area on and off for around 22 years and yes, I've seen badly behaved British tourists. However, I've also seen badly behaved American, Russian, German, Indian and just about every nationionality of tourist you can imagine in and around Nana. It has absolutely nothing to do with race and you make yourself look ridiculous with such claims. Don't be an ass all your life, have a day off.

No, the 'Indian Gang Bang Thing' is actually rape. What they do is agree a price with a girl to go back to their room. Only when she gets there does she find that the Indian's 5 mates are also waiting in the room. One girl who it happened to told me she was terrified - they were rough with her, refused to shower or use a condom. That sort of behaviour is horrendous in my book, everybody has a right to be treated with respect.

Believe it or not, there are non hooker staff in every bar. The Irish pub in question has never been a place to pick up girls. The waitresses working there are non p4p to the best of my knowledge. My ex wife worked at the Marriot which is not far from the top of said soi - she was continually harrassed when she waited for a taxi home by people who think like you.

Its pretty clear to most rational people, even those like me who know little about economics, that Trump's policies are not going to Make America Great Again. More like Make America Dive Again - as it did in the 1930's and to a lesser extent in 2007/8. I don't disagree with him (in principle) where countries such as Thailand have been imposing high tariffs on US goods. However, there is a way of going about things and he's way off the mark. Whether Trump likes it or not - isolation will be devastating for the US. Back to the Auto business again - the trade has spent years building plants and sourcing parts in areas where they are either cheaper to produce, enable additional trade through those locations or both. They can't simply just transfer engine production, for example, to the US overnight. In the short term the imposition of tariffs is likely to make cars more expensive in the US because of the increases in the cost of foreign produced parts. But If a manufacturer does shift production of components to the US, they will also be more expensive in the long term - there is no way that a part currently made in Thailand can be made for the same cost in the US. I very much doubt that US workers will be prepared to work for 350 baht per day. Car prices will have to increase. So what do the Auto Manufacturers do? Add to that quandry that the cost of transferring production could be $ billions and Trump will be gone in 3.75 years. Hopefully, if this madness, and it is madness, continues, the US people will wake up and either somehow get rid of Trump or reign him in before his term expires. His hardline supporters won't listen to anything negative about Trump, no matter what he does, they are as crazy as he is but from what I hear, there are rumblings coming from the conservative side of the US government with several Republicans voting with the Democrats yesterday. We can only hope that those rumblings grow into thunder before the world tips into a wholly Trump created recession. The man lives in Lalaland - how so many people could vote for him is beyond rational explanation. Finally, another reminder Mr. Trump: you stated that you would stop the war in Ukraine within 24 hours. Well its been almost 3 months now, what happened? Was it the same as getting the Mexicans to pay for your wall - just another fantasy?

But you should give a XXXX about other passengers.

Pure stupidity!

Which is precisely what happens.

I've shown them videos of what happens in accidents where rear passengers aren't wearing belts - makes no difference. However, as its me that's likely to be killed by a flying body from the rear - I simply refuse to move until everyone has their belts on. Fortunately my new truck has rear belt sensors so I know if they take them off again.

Well, another 3.75 years of this - what will be left of any economy by the time Trump is replaced - including the US? It seems to me that his policies are going to cause worldwide stagnation if not outright recession and all he will have achieved is isolation of the US. Exporters are already looking at alternative markets - by the end of this, the US may not be such an attractive place to export to or import from.

Just glancing through this and to be honest, I have no idea which US products are imported into Thailand and are therefore subject to high tariffs. However, I suspect that as with other countries, its more about what countries DONT export to Thailand BECAUSE of the high tariiffs. For example, a fair proportion of Japanese branded pick up trucks that are actually assembled in Thailand are exported to the UK. There are very few UK/European assembled vehicles exported to Thailand and that is most likely due to the protectionist tariffs the country imposes on them. BMW used to produce some 3 series models in Chonburi - not sure if they still do but that's a rarity. Not really sure what the answer is to be honest. Thailand seems to have been very successful in getting Japanese manufacturers to build assembly plants in the country but do any of those exports end up in the US? I suspect most are sold in the domestic/ASEAN market. Would they reduce tariffs on vehicles and risk what they have? If US auto makers are anything like others - a lot of parts might be made in Thailand and shipped to the US, along with parts made in other countries and then assembled in the US. The auto industry is one matter that Trump doesn't seem to know much about - its a global business with parts made all over the world. His tariff war must be creating a real headache for both the industry as a whole and US auto makers in particular.

Preclude to a rise in tea money. Pay or else.

Thanks for the head's up but all I can say is that my recent transactions have been fine - and those included a one off large amount. I've had payments (in the UK) held by my UK in recent months - one of which was to Wise. The money didn't arrive in my Wise account so I called my UK bank who told me that the transfer to Wise was being held on a random fraud check. It was a small amount to my own account which I make regularly to cover household running expenses. I complained and told them to either send it or return it to my account. I was called back, asked a few personal questions and the cash was sent to Wise who transferred it immediately. Last week I had occasion to send a large amount for a car purchase and checked with Wise whether it was likely to be held or not. They told me that if it was under $50,000 US it would not be held but I might need to be verified before it could be sent. Long story short, I took a chance and just sent it the normal way. It was not held my either my UK bank or Wise and arrived in my Thai bank account seconds after it was sent.

You and Trump supporters appear to live in a parallel version of the 'real world'. That's both a laughable statement and one from someone who really has nothing factual to come back with.

Perhaps you'd like to tell the actual truth - the whole story on that one?

He's actually creating problems - did you look at Wall Street today? I predict that this is just the start.