kiwisr

51 minutes ago, Caldera said:

At this point I almost don't care which companies produce the AstraZeneca vaccine, as it's such an inferior product.

 

Yes, way behind the Pfizer one in efficacy. The AZ one is about as good as the Chinese made one

7 hours ago, internationalism said:

Not sure, why overweights have special treatment. You would have to include in the same group hiv positives and aids patients, alcoholics, drug users. All are in a risk group, but it's mostly self-induced illness, due to their lifestyle.

It’s based I’m on death rates, after old age obesity is the highest mortality. Usually people with immune disorders are included as well, however someone on HIV meds is no more at risk than anyone else

3 minutes ago, Phuketshrew said:

hahaha - the soi dogs will be vaccinated before the farangs ....

Mentioned the obese and over 60, that would cover a large proportion of them 

15 hours ago, Brian Hull said:

It might be possible, long term, but not until Thailand is run by young businesslike technocrats instead of ageing and ineffective tin soldiers. The present government couldn't come up with workable and sensible visa plans for tourists and retirees even before COVID.

Not happening, the younger generation are just as bad, maybe even more so with the entitlement attitudes these days. 

6 hours ago, Shocked farang said:

Maybe, if the right investments are made it could be rebranded as a digital nomad destination. That's a big maybe as there's a lot of global competitors... 

Chiang Mai and Bangkok have that sewn up, most people still associate Pattaya with sleaze and old men - whether true or not, that’s the perception and younger digital nomads aren’t attracted to that 

All joking aside it’s a very delusional thing to say, but in some regards it’s also a bit lacking in confidence.

-Singapore is a borefest, it’s max 2-3 days of doing the zoo, Universal Studios and a couple of other touristy things.

-You can’t swim in Singapore and not expect to get coated in oil and end up with a skin reaction. The water is filthy

-Singapore is a major financial, business and travel hub - that’s why most people go there, not for holidays (and maybe casinos)

-Pattaya has probably got more going for it - better hotels, better spa’s, better water parks, more attractions, better shopping, better nightlife 

I haven’t been to Dubai but imagine that is similar to Singapore, but more expensive.

I’m sure there are lots of things that could be developed in Pattaya to make it better but trying to emulate other cities is rubbish.

10 hours ago, PatOngo said:

It's a depiction of what passes for manhood in Thai society...the fragile wimps view the domination of women as something that elevates them. Viewed from an outside perspective, they are the weakest "men" I have ever encountered. 30 years in Thailand and I would'nt call 1 Thai "man" a good friend!

I’ve generally formed the same view, and it applies to rich and poor. Obviously there are exceptions. 

However I think in reality women rule the roost in most cases, whether that’s the matronly wife with the henpecked husband or the mistress/pretty that milks males dry. Maybe that’s why they are weak and frustrated.

15 hours ago, cucme said:

A flat floor bike can be great to transport gas bottles, but that's about it. Can't do that with my Nmax.

Otherwise the Nmax is a really great bike, nice acceleration, great handling, eats about 2L / 100km on average, ABS, intelligent fuel injection, 2 helmets under the seat.

For the PCX luggage hooks are available, for the Nmax not.

His channel has a few useful videos. I prefer the NMAX over the PCX, just looks a bit better

I’m aware of the obvious physical differences between flat floor, step through scooters like the Honda Click, but why would you spend the extra on something like a PCX?

-Less manoueverable

-Heavier

-More expensive

-Less practical (less storage, no bag hooks, no floor space)

-In some cases slower (a Suzuki Address 110 is actually faster than no the the PCX and NMAX)

I’m interested to hear why people went for these low capacity maxi-scooters over the smaller ones.

And maybe some experienced riders can explain, does having the ‘frame’ between your legs mean better ability to control the bike through corners etc.

Thanks for the review, we've been looking for an SUV for my Thai wife and the X-Trail is currently leading the pack, mainly because of it's looks and it really was extremely comfortable to drive, seems to have very good build quality too. Very spacious car. Only let down is the stereo, it's a bit old-school. (Also discovered it's called the Nissan Rogue in the USA and is one of the world's biggest selling SUV's)

We looked at the CR-V - I think Honda has lost some of their quality, I also hear there are major issues with their engines, there was a massive recall in China and the regulators even got involved and stopped them selling them for a while.

Toyota's RAV4 is also a bit long in the tooth, the interior design is a bit messy, another brand living off past reputation. 

I'd prefer a larger car, but I think for my wife it's just too much effort driving a Pajero Sport/Fortuner around the city which is 95% of her driving. Plus the short trips aren't good for diesel engines apparently

Scammers? Sounds more like straight out robbery to me.

In any case does sound fishy. i walk extensively around Bangkok late at night, in fact I was there on Saturday and walked back from Soi Cowboy to the Hilton on Soi 24. The place was crawling with army and police personnel on both sides of the road with multiple checkpoints. Can't say I even notice any tuktuk's either - the roads were dead as Asoke is obviously blocked.

And you can see Asoke from Soi 25 - why get a Tuktuk?

Also in my multiple dealings with police I have found them to be more than helpful. Amazing how all these victims have a magic number of 10,000 or 20,000B that is stolen.

Just another sanctimonious idiot trying to push their own agenda.

Funny how Eastern values are always placed higher than Western ones, I wonder why this is because it is not the truth in reality. Most of the world wants to live in Western societies with Western values that have lower crime rates, more equality, better health systems, better longevity and quality of life, fairer laws etc etc the list goes on much longer.

I was on a job in Singapore and thought that my wife could join me when the job was almost done. I already stood four weeks in my hotel and told the receptionist, that my wife will join me for the next three or four days till I check out.. So I had a reservation for her and agreed to pay more because the room will be used by one person more. As my wife arrived late night the receptionist denied her access to my room because that's against hotel's philosophy!!! It took me quite a long discussion, argue, to take my wife to my room, without breakfast vouchers and douple price for the room. Next day I checked out and left a letter for the management: ...."Not all Germans are Nazis and not all Thai women are prostitutes..."

SINGAPORE SUCKS

I've stayed at many SIngapore hotels, The Fullerton, both Swissotels, Pan Pacific, Mandarin Oriental, Hilton etc and have brought plenty of 'guests' back to my room without a problem whatsoever, in fact it's much easier than Thailand and feels less judgemental.

To the OP, it is arrogant to expect that because you are a farang it should impart some sort of preferential treatment for your travelling partner. Plenty of working girls in Singapore and many of them ask customers to meet them in Thailand/Indonesia/Phillipines and to fly back with them precisely to try and avoid the situation where the girl is deported. Additionally Singapore doesn't ban for life, it's normally a 12 month ban. That is what all the girls I know got who were caught working and deported.

I am wondering what sort of things are getting stolen from the bags. Are people really silly enough to put valuables inside their checked baggage. I travel often out of Thailand and my bag has clothing in it, possibly a pair of shoes and towel or two. I would imagine that its not clothing that they are after.

Are people really silly enuf to put their handy cams,the cameras, ipods, jewellery etc in the bag? What do they carry onto the plane, invaluables?

This is Thailand remember - when i go to through grotty old shoes or clothes in the bin my wife often stops me and says her brother would like those - and it appears to be quite true.

With the thieves at London's Heathrow it's a wonder there is anything left at all the suitcases for the Thai baggage handlers to steal.

That's OK for those of you who are blessed with good ears.

For myself, I would like residency, but the language requirement scuppers me.

I am somewhat-considerably tone deaf, and have zilch aural memory. (I have to see a word written down to have any chance of remembering it.)

I don't think that tones are that important in reality, it may not sound perfect, but 99% of the time when you say a sentence the word will be taken in context.

Also the best way to learn Thai is to see it written down, personally I always have to see the word written down in Thai script to fully understand how it is pronounced.

The fact is is you want farang stuff it's going to cost you, blame that on globalisation

???

You mean "before globalization" "farang stuff" used to cost less (let alone being available at all)?

PS: Never quite understood the mentality of some people coming to a country like Thailand and wanting like for like in their home country. If you want Western food and Western accomodation then stay in a Western country.

If you were living in Thailand full time would you be eating those 25 baht meals all (or even most) of the time? Are you eating those 25 baht meals all of the time even on your short stays?

And aren't you staying in a 1800 baht hotel on your short stays anyway? How much Thai is that hotel?

The Thais themselves wouldn't (and in fact those who can afford to, aren't) live like the average Thai does if they had the money...

Well the first point probably isn't clear, of course they did. Luxury brands already tightly control their worldwide prices. there is minimal difference in prices for Apple, Chanel, Louis Vuitton etc. Further down the chain we have the Macdonalds, the Starbucks, Nike etc. They also control their prices to a large degree and the only direction we'll generally see those go is towards the upper prices.

Secondly, I eat Thai food 95% of the time in Thailand, I used to stay at my girlfriends apartment but as we are now married and living with me we have to stay in hotels.

My point still stands, if you want western facilities then why not live in Queensland, Florida or somewhere in the mediterranean, then you'll have your 1st world quality and 1st world prices.

As a regular tourist it really hasn't got anymore expensive in the last 10 years for my needs. (OK, I used to live in Australia, but have lived in the UK for the last 6 years so it's even more of a bargain destination for me)

Taxis still cost about the same, I still buy Thai meals for 20-25B, the hotel in Bangkok I stay at has gone from 1500 to around 1800 (20% increase in 10 years), airfares, bus fares are all similar too.

The fact is is you want farang stuff it's going to cost you, blame that on globalisation and having to import the goods or the expertise (and pay for marketing)

They have also got their act together and really target the farang dollar now too, there are plenty of people who'll pay it as well.

PS: Never quite understood the mentality of some people coming to a country like Thailand and wanting like for like in their home country. If you want Western food and Western accomodation then stay in a Western country.

Sparked by the other thread about what you do when arrested, I wondered about the types of people arrested in Thailand.

Firstly it seems to me that the majority of cases are genuine, ie: not too many genuinely innocent people seem to be arrested.

Secondly virtually every arrest I hear of is because of violence, drugs or sex and is perpetrated in an "adult" entertainment area or involves people who frequent these places or fraternise with people involved in those areas.

What are the realistic chances of a "normal" person/family ever getting into trouble with police in Thailand?

For example if I married a Thai girl, an accountant for arguments sake, moved into a nice house in the Bangkok suburbs, never strayed to Patpong/Pattaya etc and never took drugs.

I think the chances are almost zero.

There certainly seems to be 2 different worlds in Thailand, those that are there in legitimate areas and businesses rarely seem to be involved in any trouble, while those expats that live in say Pattaya, always seem to be surrounded by trouble.

This goes a bit off topic, and there is most likely better topic for this, but anyway... my gf applied for UK visa last year and in the interview in Bangkok UK embassy she was asked about the size of her bf penis for example...

It serves absolutely no purpose because it's unverifiable, if she is an undesirable "working" girl she'll know anyway, if she is a girlfriend she'll know as well. One can only assume, if true, that it's some form of sexual harassment.

The countries I know that are no visa, or visa on arrival :

SE Asian nations (Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar etc)

Brazil

South Africa

Amzing how many people actually support this scumbag.

And yet I'll warrant half of you will be the first to jump up and complain how bad itis back home because of pricks like this.

Banks rip you off? They'll rip you off more now to cover events like this. Who do you think will be paying for new security screens or guards? Wake up, banks are businesses not charities.

From form 47P :

Apply at :

Police Clearance Service Centret

Special Branch (Building 24)

Royal Thai Police Headquarters

Rama 1

Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330

Resident Citizens Provide :

passport; Thai ID card house registration; evidence of name change; evidence of military service (Sor Dor 8 or Sor Dor 43); marriage certificate or divorce certificate, if availible; in case of minor, the parents or the guardian must be present to give consent.

The Police Clearance Service Centre open Monday to Friday from 08:30-16:30

Phone: 02-2052168 and 02-2052169

Fax: 02-2052168

Internet: www.sb.police.go.th

E-mail: [email protected]

Fee: nil - processing period is 7 working days.

I spoke with a lady at the Australian Embassy at London, who was very friendly and helpful.

She said we really had 2 options.

1) Apply for the residence, which takes 8-12 weeks (fastest processing in the world apparently) which would be best in the long-term if my wofe wanted to eventually become a citizen.

2) Apply under the NZ Citizen Family relationship (Subclass 461) which takes 25-30 working days, is a temporary visa that lasts for 5 years and you can just keep renewing, or apply for residences once in Australia.

She didn't recommend entering Australia as a tourist as if questioned by immigration on arrival what her intentions are she could be refused entry on the grounds she isn't a genuine visitor. (Of course that's the official line, we could always go on a 2 week holiday and then "change" our minds.)

The residence visa will require a large fee, as well as full medicals and police certificates (from Thailand and the UK). The other 461 visa will just require an application and a fee of $185 - so is a lot cheaper and easier in the first instance.

That's an interesting link, Thanks. I think I'll ask the consulate for some more details.

Does that mean that for an eligible NZ citizen it would be potentially easier for him to bring in a Thai wife than an Australian citizen? (In a similar way that EU citizens can easily get UK visas for Thai wives compared to UK citizens).

I recently got a Bangkok Bank Be 1st card, Visa Debit, it works everywhere. Online at Amazon and I even used it to pay for shopping at Tesco (in the UK) the other day.

Think it's part of the terms that Visa will allow their logo to be used on a card.