dunroaming

The Chinese have always been the main investors in Thailand owning most of the larger companies there. The Chinese people now buying property are mainly young upwardly mobile professionals. The same as in many western countries in the world. They are by far the biggest buyers in London although the vast majority are Hong Kong Chinese with very deep pockets. There is a shift in the world's economy and the "new money" is coming from Asia, China and India being the biggest players. I have spent the last thirty years buying in China and South East Asia and selling in the west. For the last three years or so, the trend has reversed and my biggest market now in Is Singapore, Hong Kong and certain mainland Chinese cities.

Should have said that we now live in the UK having left Thailand some years ago. So when I travel I do have the appropriate insurance, at an increasingly high cost depending on where I am going to. But if I worry about "what-ifs" all the time then I wouldn't go anywhere. Living life to the full is always going to involve some risk, a price I am very happy to pay.

When I was 17 my mantra was "I hope I die before I get old", along with most others of my generation. In my thirties I was fretting because I should have been a millionaire by then and pledged I would be before I hit 40! At fifty I became a husband again and a dad to a beautiful baby boy. At that point I put the "hope I die before I get old" bit on hold. In my sixties I started travelling to all the exotic destinations that I had read about but never had the time to visit. I am now 73 and my bucket list is only half completed. So while I am still fit enough and with a little help when I need it, I will continue ticking the boxes for as long as I can. And actually, I am rather glad I didn't die before I got old!

Let's not forget that Thailand has always attracted different levels of tourists. From those who head to the 5* resorts to be pampered and spoiled rotten, to the cheap Charlies who go for cheap booze, cheap drugs and cheap sex. Hard to get too upset for either group really.

I think it is worth looking at Hong Kong and Singapore, both in the green zone. It will depend on whether they accept travelers from Thailand without doing quarantine but if they do then it would be a good route back to Blighty.

If you are on a gap year then there will be no great urgency to return to the UK, so best to look at other destinations first. Secondly, I am sure the bank of Mum and Dad can be called upon at a push. After all they have probably financed the gap year travelling anyway. They usually do.

Apparently he also swore on his Lambo and Bentley as well.

This is too high profile to be just swept under the carpet. I think they will nail the people in the room and make a big deal of prosecuting and sentencing the culprits. That then stops any further investigations. Once sentenced, the guilty will be spirited away. If they do see the inside of a cell it will be with false identities and for a very short time.

They are introducing this at the end of August which is pretty much the end of the holiday season in the UK so is unlikely to have much effect on tourists going to Thailand. The high season will be later in the year and who knows what new restrictions will be in place then. Or removed. But I think some are reading to much into this decision. The UK will just look at the figures and assess the risks from that. The political situation in Thailand has no relevance here at all.

Usual way to get promotion within the police is to buy it (allegedly). Certainly the way it worked for my wife's relatives. The higher the rank the thicker the brown envelopes.

Who exactly is shocked! Everyone in Thailand knows about the police corruption so nobody should be shocked about this latest episode. Nothing will change and it will all be swept under the carpet as usual.

Thanks for the heads up! Why didn't I think of that.

The problem is that we are talking about tourists and when most come on vacation they have a very limited time for their holiday. In many cases two weeks or there about. If they have to quarantine for part of that time they won't find it an attractive proposition at all. Especially if they then have to quarantine again when they get back home.

And my target is for all my hair to grow back and I get a six pack before the end of the year. Actually I think my odds are better????

I think you need to look a bit deeper into Thailand. What you describe is all there but there is so much more. For me the Med is attractive enough but monotonous compared to Thailand with their spectacular limestone rock formations. As for the art then there are many historical sites like Sukhothai and some amazing temples. Food in Thailand comes in all varieties and doesn't have to be "too spicy" for western palates at all. You just need to avoid the food stalls that are for the locals. As for the garbage on the streets and chaotic street signage, that is to be found everywhere in most of Asia. Thailand certainly has all the grot that many go there for and has always attracted those looking for cheap booze and girls who will tell them how hansum they are. But it doesn't take much to find that Thailand has a lot more to enjoy for those who want it.

A handbag or two and a good pair of cowboy boots come to mind! However, as this seems to be a well documented case I think the snakes chances of being released unharmed in the jungle are better than many others.

Whereas the Thailand I fell in love with became extinct about 15 years ago. Obviously it depends on what you want and I won't wax lyrical about the difference between being a tourist and a traveler. Rural Thailand still has some of it's charm, but you are never far away from the scammers, con men, or kamikaze drivers.