AndreasHG

Only idiots are always right, never experiencing a change of heart or mind during their whole life. Good leaders must have the ability to change opinion, which is possible only if they have the ability to listen.

Australians have no word in who the monarch is, but bear also in mind that Australia does not pay a cent for the maintenance or security of the Sovereign. Only when the Sovereign visits Australia at the request of the Australian government are expenses incurred, and those expenses depend on the planned itinerary, which may be the shortest and simplest to keep expenses down. Let the Aussies enjoy their free-of-charge head of state, and the Brits happily foot the bill. They (the Brits) are ready to do anything to upkeep pomp and circumstance, and Aussies are practical people who know how to get straight to the point.

Unfortunately, a land lease in Thailand is a contract binding the lessor exclusively to the lessee or to the lessees, if multiple lessees are nominated in the contract. The lease is terminated upon death of the lessee/lessees, unless a valid succession clause is included in the Thailand lease agreement, enforceable by the heirs of the lessee against the original lessor. Leases are only transferable to third parties if the lessor permits it. Finally, unless otherwise provided by the contract of lease, a lessee cannot sublet or transfer his rights in whole or in part of the property to third persons. Without the permission of the lessor, the latter may terminate the lease. I would recommend you ask for sound legal advice, and assess your options based on your age, how solid is the relationship with your "lady", and foreseeable worst-case scenarios (such as death of one of the parties, etc.). Or keep it simple and buy a condo, but always basing your decisions on sound legal advice.

On safety grounds I would suggest the train. The road connecting Hua Hin from and to Bangkok is infamously dangerous. There is a special express train leaving Bangkok at 7:30 am and another one at 10:50 pm, both arriving in Hua Hin approximately 3 hours later. All other trains are in average one hour slower. Prices from 144.00 THB. Info here: Bangkok to Hua Hin | Train Times & Tickets (thailandtrains.com) Tickets are sold online by several vendors, offering also tickets for vans and busses. This is the one I used a few times in the past: Trains from Bangkok to Hua Hin from THB 144 Oct 2024 ✅ (12go.asia)

On safety grounds I would suggest the train. The road connecting Hua Hin from and to Bangkok is infamously dangerous. There is a special express train leaving Bangkok at 7:30 am and another one at 10:50 pm, both arriving in Hua Hin approximately 3 hours later. All other trains are in average one hour slower. Prices from 144.00 THB. Info here: Bangkok to Hua Hin | Train Times & Tickets (thailandtrains.com) Tickets are sold online by several vendors, offering also tickets for vans and busses. This is the one I used a few times in the past: Trains from Bangkok to Hua Hin from THB 144 Oct 2024 ✅ (12go.asia)

Actually the news was first published by the WSJ (Mystery Drones Swarmed a U.S. Military Base for 17 Days. The Pentagon Is Stumped. - WSJ) but reading this article requires a subscription.

Insecure characters tend to over react. I noticed this to be true for people, monkeys and even dogs, including those who currently rule North Korea.

Mysterious Drones Swarmed US Military Bases For 17 Days, Pentagon Was Not Able To Stop Them: Report (ndtv.com)

It's an average of 6.7 million visitors per month or, by and large, 2.2 million visitors present in the country each day, assuming each one of them stays in Thailand for 10 days on average. It's not an accurate estimate, because the number of tourists arriving varies seasonally, but this should give you a rough idea. You may find some interesting statistical data here: EC_EI_028_S2 Tourism Indicators (bot.or.th)

Not what True Corp. claims. They launched the single grid network in November 2023 and, if not fully deployed by now, it's just a matter of time. See: True Corporation’s Nationwide ‘Single Grid’ Network: Boosting Speed, Signal Strength and Coverage while Reducing Greenhouse Emissions with AI - True Blog (dtac.co.th)

I know and I hear it a lot: "when I was young the world was so much better"... Truth is, there has always been a fair share of crime, sometimes really ugly crime. We only lost memory of it. Charles Sobhraj - Wikipedia

Thailand geographic location is what it is. It has never exclusively attracted high quality tourists in first place. Already 25 years ago Khaosan Road was full of Western backpackers and travellers of dubious economic wealth. These tourists are still visiting Thailand. However, the combined effect of the emergence of low-cost airlines, the growing disposable income available to Russians, due the demise of Communism, Chinese, Indians (and Malaysians, Indonesians, Bangladeshi), their sheer number (over 3 billion just considering China and India) and proximity, has diluted the presence of Western travellers so much, that they are now almost invisible. For your reference, the number of foreign visitors setting foot in Thailand grew from approximately 8.5 million in 1999 to over 38 million in 2019 (the chart below is from Wikipedia). Thailand expects to receive 80 million visitors in 2027, further amplifying this phenomenon.

DTAC and True are one and same company since they merged, a process completed in March 2023. You're left with AIS if True-DTAC signal is weak in your area.

Genetically Europeans, culturally Mongols. This has two main implications: 1. specific cultural attitude toward private property. Pastoral communities traditionally have an aversion toward granting full private property of the land to private individuals, and the Mongols assigned the ultimate ownership of their lands solely to the Khan and no one else. In today Russia everything ultimately belongs to Putin, who can award or deprive his boyards of any asset (and their own lives too) without recourse. Russia is the only known country to have enthusiastically embraced communism, and for a reason. The Czar took the place of the Khan, the Communist Party of the Czar, Putin of the Party. Nothing fundamentally ever changed. 2. In 1717 the Tushetu-Khan Tsetsendorj of Khalkha wrote: ‘a large territory is the means of life’, and ‘for the increase of the herds it is necessary to expand the territory for ample migration and grazing the stock’. Wealth does not come from work, innovation, entrepreneurship, personal initiative or scientific knowledge, but only from the subjugation of an increasingly vast territory. In today Russia land still come first. Before human beings and their wellbeing, before innovation, before entrepreneurship, before justice and fairness. That's why Russia is such a miserable country, with no noteworthy great corporations created in its millenary history, besides those directly connected to the exploitation of natural resources or the production of weapons. Humans are disposable, control of the land is of essence. I apologize for my brute frankness, but I hope the message is clearer now and that you enjoyed the reading.

And counting...

Dear Cameroni, only I now understand your contempt for Ukrainians, and the support you convey in numerous posts, in favor of Putin's criminal war against their country. But try to see things from the positive side: Evidently the Ukrainian frequenter of prostitutes who preceded you in the relationship, raised her well. You got a good package despite, as the saying goes, "no rose is without a thorn". And your thorn just happens to be a STD. Not a big deal for a big Eastern European guy like you: learn to live with it.

Indeed: that's why they enslaved the Russians for over two centuries (making them unique among ethnical Europeans). And the Mongols also enslaved China, despite the mighty wall.

Chinese units are just as good v/s competition as their prices are. But to each its own.

It's the second time I read that the Thai police arrested a housemaid serving food at a crime scene, and I can't help but feeling sorry for the poor maid. Is she going to serve long years in a Thai jail? Was her food instrumental in committing the crime? Or was it that the food served was found disgusting? Maybe a hungry policeman got food poisoning? Hard to tell, but housemaid is definitely a tricky job in Thailand.

Definitely not a good idea. Besides the fact that the panels alone wouldn't do the job, where would you install them? On the vehicle's roof 😜?

Good post but this only works with obsolete air-conditioners. If the air-conditioner is equipped with a good quality inverter, the cooling capacity is adjusted based on the airflow, being the temperature set point the guiding factor. At lower fan speeds the cooling rate would not be 12,000 BTU anymore, but let's say 6,000, even 4 or 3,000 BTU for a high-quality inverter, capable of operating at a wide RPM range. Instead of using an obsolete, inefficient (electricitty-guzzling) air-conditioner, and a dehumidifier to fix its pitfalls (more electricity down the drain), I would recommend you install an efficient, high-quality Japanese inverter unit (plenty of them also made in Thailand). Possibly with dual rotor compressor for the highest RPM operating range. This will improve your comfort and save you money in the long run.

A dear Russian friend of mine once said that we mistakenly think they are Europeans, because (at least in most of the republics) they look ethnically Europeans. In reality however, Russians are Mongols, down deep in their hearts and souls. It took me a while and a bit of reading to come to terms with this reality.

I am saying the roundabouts which are designed to be mistake-proof and have greatly contributed to reduce the number of road accidents in Europe. Like the one below:

I have a lot of experience with roundabouts in Europe, and that exactly what it is: just your imagination.

LOL. What kind of secret project is it if any average Joe can discuss it in this forum? Let me add some more "top secret" projects: Superman disabling "kryptonite", the laser gun of "Santo el Enmmascarado de Plata", the scary "Ray of Disintegration" and the most letal weapon of all, in the disguise of an unpretentious, harmless and kind-hearted alien being, who became famous thanks to the movie "ET". psst: those are really Top Secret! Don't mention them to anyone 😉