dunroaming

I seem to remember that is what they tried to do with The King and I. Not sure how they got on with that but it was banned in Thailand.

Maybe she has read this website. That would be enough to question the honesty of the RTP. Let's face it the RTP are notorious for cover-ups and their questionable credibility is well known internationally. And my wife's brother-in-law and uncle are both senior policemen in the RTP.

Gap years can be taken before or after going to uni. Many opt for after, before starting their post university jobs. Two of my son's friends are doing just that now. Both in Bali but heading for Thailand shortly.

Things get lost in translation and who you talk to. In my wife's family it was always the brides family that paid for the wedding. They drew the short straw there because they had three girls. My mother-in-law told me that was the tradition but often both families get together and share the costs. Also best to remember that at a Thai wedding all the guests bring money for the couple so the more guests the bigger the pot!!

I lived together with my Thai wife for nearly two years before we got married. Then we went to the local government office in Hang Dong on a Monday morning, joined the queue, signed the relevant paperwork and then went food shopping at Tesco Lotus. No fuss and no temple ceremony. That was all suggested by my wife. No sinsod asked for or paid. My wife's family are comfortably off and respected their daughters decision to do it that way. It was explained to me at the time that if I had been Thai then it would have been much more of an event and sinsod would have been paid (which would have been immediately returned after the ceremony). And the sinsod is shown on the day. That is what happened with both of my wife's sisters. This was twenty four years ago now but by some miracle she still puts up with me even today

Many Thais have Chinese origins, especially those in the north. Thaksin being an example. We knew quite a few in Chiang Mai when we lived there. Settling in Thailand was bever a problem for the Chinese and some chose that option. However now with the economic growth inside of China far outweighing that of Thailand, the attraction would be considerably less than before. But as always, people tend to over generalise when talking about different nationalities. Not all Chinese tourists are in budget groups anymore. Many are young professional families who stay at five star hotels and spend their money more freely than many other foreigners. For these people offering free visas or visa waivers won't mean a thing. It will to the budget traveler and tour companies though, they will welcome this rather desperate move by the Thai authorities to buoy up it's tourist numbers. As the Chinese people now have the opportunity and money for foreign travel this is a no brainer for the "short termism solution" that the Thais are so keen on.

Sounds like obnoxious drunk meets arrogant youths. This time it happens to be in Thailand but could happen anywhere. Bit of a non event really.

Young guy dates 16 year old girl. No story in that and nothing wrong with it. However it all changes when the guy is the girls tutor. He is in a position of responsibility for his students and that crosses the line. Leave the school and problem sorted. Too late to avoid the s**t storm now happening but none of this is a big deal.

You know that and I know that but Thai logic? It is important to be able to say that tourist numbers are up without having to look too hard at the detail.

Thailand is reliant on tourism and as long as they get the numbers the "quality" is mainly irrelevant.

And several players at the time!

A bit lost in translation. I don't think that blackmail is the correct description here. It should read "paid them to keep quiet". Blackmailers expect their victims to pay them, not the other way round. Doesn't change the facts though. Perhaps the parents of the children will take some action of their own.

Just another climbdown. Whisper it though! Brexit falling apart day by day. Nobody can claim that Brexit is the cause of all of Britain's woes but it is a hell of a big nail in the coffin!

One of my neighbours is an architect working with two of the biggest house builders in the UK. For the last three years they have been developing new ways to build and insulate houses to cope with the increased heat and cold that climate change will bring. He often goes to Sweden where they are leading the way in the new technology. He believes that many of the large Victorian and Georgian central London houses will need significent alterations to survive i the future

Sure enough the newspapers in the UK and in Europe are splashing photographs of Greece, Switzerland, Italy and California on fire and headlines aimed at shocking it's potential readers. The news channels have reporters on the ground in the worse affected areas doing live reports and asking locals what they think about it all. So nothing new in that. Newspapers need to grab your attention and the news channels need the viewing figures. However anyone still in denial about climate change being real or that it is nothing to worry about are living in cloud cuckoo land. The truth is that the effects are here now and accelerating much faster than the scientists predicted, meaning they are having to revise their previous assessments. There were several conversations in the pub last night about Spanish holiday homes and upcoming Mediterranean family holidays. Some knee jerkers there but in the main it was the concern of long term property investments. Many people around here retire to Spain, Italy and France and quite a few have already bought their retirement homes. I suspect there will be many changing their plans any time soon! Meanwhile here in Southern England the weather is fine although a little chilly for the time of year. We were threatened with a heatwave reaching 40% but that now appears to be inaccurate. So a pretty standard English summer is expected. Southern Europe is a different story altogether. The point is that whilst the media exaggerate things as usual and we are most influenced by what is happening in our own location, but you underestimate the severity of the climate changes at your peril!

I suspect there will be quite a rise in Russians buying second homes in Thailand thanks to the lunacy of Putin!

This is obviously not straightforward. The Sun evading questions and the police, after investigating said there is nothing illegal and no case to make. Then the victim claiming that the claims (made by their estranged mother and stepfather) are all rubbish! I have no doubt that Edwards has done some stupid things here and his career is certainly finished, but this baying for blood is just pathetic. Most men are guilty of being lead by their little head more often than not, just look at how many of them end up in Thailand!????

Lot of truth in that. We all know in Thailand that making someone lose face is not advisable. Especially for those of us with Thai partners. I remember having to stop my wife taking out a contract on Alexa!

Recently been looking at travel insurance for my son for travelling in South East Asia. He is similar age. Thailand does appear to flag up more than it's fair share of exclusions, mainly concerning medical costs. I spoke to a friend about this (he is an insurance broker) and he said that Thailand is notorious for whacking up medical costs for insurance purposes. Also for adding costs for treatment when no such treatment was administered. Therefore insurance companies tend to shy away from covering medical expenses, especially for the young and foolish. I olny have his word for this, but it does seem to fit with all the unsuccessful insurance claims we hear about.

Meanwhile another capitulation by Hunt to the EU over financial services. All going swimmingly well isn't it? No wonder the Brexiteers are spitting blood!

Certainly Mordaunt looks like being the next choice for PM before the GE. Question is, will the Conservatives risk being even more of a laughing stock with yet another leadership change so soon?

Pattaya is a party town with hoards of attractive girls, boys and Kathoeys vying for your attention. Of course it is a draw for many single men (and women) who are looking for that hedonistic experience. It does it very well and inevitably drugs are freely available to enhance your pleasure. Occasionally there will be those who over indulge but no more than other places with similar facilities. Because Pattaya has good, easily accessible media coverage, reports from there tend to get a lot more exposure. The Thai authorities always seem to try to sell Pattaya as a family holiday destination which causes some amusement to farangs. The Thai people however do see it as that and there are plenty of Thai families from Bangkok and other places who choose to holiday there. Their priorities are somewhat different to foreigners and you are unlikely to see them sightseeing on walking street. More likely in the hotels in Jomtien. There are plenty of ex-pats living in Pattaya with their partners and often children too. It's a place to embrace or not and nobody is forcing anyone to settle there.

I think you will find the families will cover any costs involved. The father and son are quite local to us. They live in a mansion in Surbiton and the father was a billionaire and one of the richest men in Pakistan.

Actually JRM was in the house for the debate and vote. He even had a go (stupidly) at Harriet Harman over their handling of the committee findings There were cries of "shame" from a few MPs on the Tory benches but Harman said she would respond. And respond she did, leaving Mogg lost for words and the other MPs shouting "that is what you call a mic drop" amidst much laughter

Interesting that Boris's biggest defender and future member of the Lords, Jacob Rees Mogg actually abstained!