Kat Hao

I think the Thai economy will miss HiSo Chinese tourist, and not so much the tour groups. Tour groups typically spend much less, while a well educated an affluent traveler is always welcome, whether Chinese or European.

On this post it appears that a drunk that falls asleep on a public road is exempt from responsibility. Are we all crazy? The driver could have been checking his GPS, his phone, his customer. We live in a world with assumptions -- and one assumption is that cars will stop for a red light. Another assumption is that people will not be sleeping in the road we are driving on. Sorry, and I hate the blame game, but the poor bastard that got his head crushed should have responsibility for his actions. Actions have Consequences.

NOT GOOD ADVICE -- Each person is different and taking all 5 might land another person in the hospital. Always experiment with a small dosage before jumping in heavy. Always remember that different people metabolize differently and different products may be also be manufactured differently -- labeling in Thailand is not always reliable. What may have been nothing for one person could knock another over. Care with edibles is always good advice.

I have had a Dolphin for 5 years. Use it less than once a week -- sometimes don't use it for a couple of weeks. We live in the countryside and the pool does not get very dirty, does not attract much dust or dirt. 5 years in and the machine has quit and Bangkok want 25,000 THB to repair it. Generally, when repair is 50% of new purchase price I don't bother to repair. BUT -- there seem to be several others on the market for much less money than the Dolphin, and I have no brand loyalty to Dolphin at this point. Anyone have good experience with others? My pool is a perfect rectangle and is 800 square feet.

It's amazing how many people have an opinion about something that has no affect on their lives. What do you care whether or not someone wears a helmet? How are you impacted?

Driving 25 in a 60 zone is ok, even though everyone has to cross a yellow line to change lanes and face oncoming traffic in order to pass the slow vehicle. Slow drivers are a bigger hazard that speeding. But don't honk the horn. Pull out of a driveway or small soi without looking -- slam on your brakes but don't honk. The cultural consideration is lovely, but the reality is not so pleasant. The horn has a purpose, the worse the drivers the more important the horn becomes.

Reminded of the saying "everyone knows price, but very few know value". So much for your high-end interior finishes, thick hardwood teak floors, granite counters, imported porcelion tile, built-in teak cabinets, European kitchen and bathroom hardware. These features mean nothing to a person without the knowledge to discern. To some extent this is true throughout the world, but no where moreso that here. And if you spent 5 million to build, and then 1.5 million to fix their mistakes, what was the value of your time and agrivation along the way? In my book, this house cost you far more than 6.5 million when all is said and done.

If he/she has a bank account he/she can accept a phone transfer. Money moves faster and easier within Thailand than nearly anywhere in the world -- Thailand has that process nailed down. And maybe he was having a legitimate problem with his phone. We are quick to call out poorly behaved Farang, and Pattaya surely has many to chose from, but occasionally we must be discerning -- not so cynical.

As an american, I am often surprised by the number of people that can speak some level of english. It sure makes my travels easier, but that's pretty much where it should stop -- I have no right to expect people to speak english, no right at all. Even more so when we visit countries that are considered 2nd or 3rd world -- whatever those silly labels mean. Why should you expect to visit a country in SE Asia, that is one of only 3 countries never to have been colonized by anyone, and have some expectation that people should speak your language? Should the hospitality workers also speak Russian? Chinese? German? French? Spanish? OK, if you book at a resort that caters to your language, OK, good for you. But if you traveled all the way to Thailand to hear your native language spoken, it begs the question of why you left home in the first place. Try traveling for the cultural experience, less anger and hostility over a language choice.

Let's rank on Critical Thinking, scoring would be worse

Some of the people here entirely miss the point. Whether you believe Trump is up or down by a few points is irrelevant. Let's assume his approval rating is above 50% -- which is not the case in nearly any poll -- that statistic does not grant him the right to run roughshod over the other 49% of the US. 49% of the US DID NOT vote for him to entirely dismiss the world order and global dependencies of the past 80 years. Those of you who are from the US and know the New York finance community know, for sure, that New York banks stopped doing business with Trump many decades ago. It's not about his recent felony convictions -- its about him being an entirely dishonest person, as he has been for longer than most of us have been alive. Roy Cohn for President -- not what we signed up for. Let Deutsche Bank have his business, the major US banks don't want it.