Bangkok Black

4 people in the truck in the first place is bad enough.

High possibility of mobile phone use and wait..... look there.... yet another scooter with no number plate. I see this more and more these days. Says to me, no license, insurance, tax, or inspection.

304 claims another. Any big accidents will happen between Khlong Rang and roughly around Non Khlang. Anywhere between these points, it seems that's where it's gonna happen.

Its the safety aspect that puts me off

Yes i forgot to add that

Yes ! Usually to be found in a convoy of up to 10 others all driving in the outside lane, refusing to move over and spewing large clouds of black smoke.

get knotted

I had the idea the other day of driving my Ford Transit from London to Thailand. I could fly back to London, then hit the road and drive back to Thailand. Some countries could be a bit dodgy, I thought. So with the help of Google Gemini, I asked the question. Safest route to drive from London to Thailand. Reply came back, and I thought maybe not !!

And again, the 304 claims another. Those coaches I see every day past the moo barn, where I am on the 304. One broke down the other day, just by Lotus at Khlong Rang. That section of the 304 is either a coach accident or a truck rollover.

Frisco Kid's reply is 90% correct. He missed one thing that many do if they are on youtube/facebook etc. An online course or some sort of "lesson on how to be as good as me", or sign up for my website to learn more. There are still a few punting this crap. To be a true digital nomad, I think you have to have all the right skills and be an expert at things like marketing, coding, anything A.I, Excel and have a proven background. Also, be employed by a large company. But it seems most don't. Digital dickheads is a term that came out a few years ago on youtube between someof the thai vloggers. <deleted> packers was another term. Some thai vloggers started punting this crap and a few started calling them out for it and then the term E begging started. So, earning money while in Thailand, but with no work permit. Then doing multiple boarder runs.

Second observation, Everest is another vehicle owned and driven mainly by expats, as mentioned already. Another is the Fortuna and MU-X. Popular modification to the Everest and Fortuna is the illuminated Everest or Fortuna badge on the back. Some I have seen are a white light and not red. Of course, the only white lights that should be on the rear are the number plate and reverse lights.

Ok roll with me. This is something I have noticed over time. Picture the scene, there you are driving along a dual-carriage way or main highway. You move out to overtake a slower vehicle. You're not going crazy fast and in control. A glance in the rear view mirror before moving back into the left lane reveals a vehicle approaching at warp factor 9, flashing what seems like the light from a 100 suns. The vehicle then sits 1 inch off your rear bumper until you move out of the way. Then speeds away leaving you in black smoke. Later on the journey, you pull in for fuel or whatever at a service station, you spot said vehicle and see who is driving and the passengers. What is the vehicle that was being driven like that, and who could it be, I hear you ask? The vehicle is usually a Ford Ranger, but no ordinary Ranger. No, the ranger has wheels and tyres so big and with so much tread they should be on a tractor, it's also got enough added lights to light up a small town and every other bolt-on accessory that you can find on Lazada. Who could own such a vehicle? Usually an expat with a beer belly and a tiny Thai wife. This is just one of many observations I have made. Stay tuned for more .

Try it and report back

The first few times I went to Thailand, I used EVA. One time, I paid £420 (economy) return, which at the time was cheap. But I got tired of the flight times. Leaving LHR in the evening was alright as it gives most of the day to get there with no rush. I used to fly out in November or December, so once again the evening take off was good as I could get to LHR in daylight. What I came to dislike and hence why I stopped using was the landing time and Thai Airways. The flight is supposed to land about 4pm (from memory, could be slightly out on this) Anyway, the flights I was on always landed late, and the baggage always seemed to take a long time. Meaning getting to the hotel gone 7pm. When friends do the same flight no delays WTF!?!?!? On one trip I wanted to go to Udon Thani first, so I looked around. Rather than EVA then have to book another flight I found Thai did a multi-city ticket, so I booked. Cost more than EVA but less hassle. LHR to BKK then onto Udon. Take off at 12.30 pm on the A380 was nice, and by 1pm the next day I was walking down to road from my hotel in Udon. Since then, I like the 12.30 pm take off from LHR. Gets me into BKK early, which I like.

I bet that smelled great

And another child on a scooter dead.

Ok, you two"know-it-alls "555 Blue plate with white letters. Not on your magic link

but less fun

As I drive and ride around, I see different number plates. The most popular, if you like, is white with black letters/numbers on every type of vehicle. Some trucks and coaches have yellow and black Some scooters are yellow and black, mainly bike taxis But some vehicles have white with blue letters Some green with white letters White with green letters Blue with white letters Then, the usual red with black letters for new, but I've never seen red on a new truck. Any ideas what the different colours indicate?

yea same. In the "work"photo she looked better.Done up,nothing special imo

oh well who cares.

same

Thats gone 100,000 wow, So many questions, why leave it there is the main one?

About a month ago, I was out with the Mrs. in Bangkok on one of our scooters, and the Mrs said she wanted some noodles. So we stopped, and she had a bowl. I wasn't hungry, so I was sitting. One of the two women at the stall was clearing away the tables as they were closing soon. She was wiping the tables and chairs with a cloth which, shall we say, didn't look very new. Then used the same cloth to dry the cutlery the other woman had just washed. The other day in town (Prachin Buri), I was sitting in the local big c food court at lunch time. Outside, there's a small stall selling those meatballs on sticks with the dipping sauce. From where I was seated I could see the stall from the rear. A young man and woman are working the stall. I just happened to look out the window and saw the young man sneeze near the uncooked meatballs. He then had a "sneezing fit" and sneezed a few times .H e wiped his nose with his hand, then carried on cooking and serving. I then told my Mrs and told her never to eat from that stall. He could have used the toilets in big c to clean his hands butno, just carried on.

Good old 304 strikes again. Last night on the 304 near the house I was sitting at some traffic lights and thought,did I see smoke? I did, a 4-pick-up accident with 4 pick-ups all in a line rearending each other.