Guderian

From their FB page, it just says they're sorry they're closed for one day today, no reason given, open again tomorrow.

Along Jomtien and Dongtan beaches there are plenty of shops across the road that offer you a shower for 15 or 20 Baht. Pattaya beach may have the same thing but I seldom go there these days.

She probably read that Keir Starmer is giving away fishing rights, so she thought she'd ask for a few million tons of mackerel every year, lol

Don;t worry so much, have a look at this topic:

It seems to be an interesting about-face by the TRD. The article says: "Under the new guidelines, Thais with foreign income will not be taxed if they remit that income in the year it was earned or the following year. For example, if income is earned in 2025 and brought into Thailand in 2025 or 2026, it is not subject to tax. However, if the income is remitted after that period, normal tax obligations apply." (Later on, the article does state that the change applies to all tax residents, not just Thais.) That implies to me (due to the 'for example') that this change doesn't only apply to 2025 income remitted into Thailand in 2025 or 2026, but will also apply to 2026 income remitted in 2026/2027, 2027 income remitted in 2027/2028, and so on. If so, then great news. However, someone already suggested that it is in fact a one-off only applying to 2025 income, as global taxation based on FATCA/CRS will soon be introduced (dream on, I hope). The article was presumably written by a journo, not a tax specialist, so we probably shouldn't read too much into its exact wording. A press release from the TRD clarifying matters would be welcome.

50,000 Baht??? The GF empties her bank account of every Baht as soon as there's anything in it, usually deposited by muggins here, lol. Having 50,000 Baht in her account is an unimaginable dream - well, for me, anyway.

Is anyone really interested in a 99-year lease? Why not just allow foreigners to own up to 2 rai of land for residential purposes?

I've used Expat Car Rental a few times in the past and they were fine, though the cars had seen better days (it was many years ago and their fleet may have improved now). You can also have a look at Mak's Car Rent on Soi Wat Bun: https://thai-rent-car.com/ A Toyota Fortuner for 1,000 Baht a day for long-term rental is pretty good value.

Meanwhile, two days ago there was this report in the paper that must not be linked to: PM says third phase of handout not scrapped Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has given an assurance that the third phase of the government’s 10,000-baht handout programme will not be scrapped. She was responding on Thursday to reports that the government would review the third phase of its digital wallet scheme in light of the impact of US tariffs on the Thai economy. etc., etc. Mind you, it's the same everywhere. In the UK, the Labour government promised to live up to its manifesto promises and said it would not increase taxes on working people. It then promptly imposed a massive hike in Employers NI, often called the 'Jobs Tax', which will be paid in the end by working people receiving lower pay rises and fewer job opportunities. Plus ca change...

Things could be worse, at least they don't have problems with soil liquifaction like they do in the San Francisco area....

Hmm, it doesn't look like 'Serene Phla Resport' will be very serene if this expansion goes ahead, lol.

I'm pretty sure that, before they book a holiday, most people will check the brochures to reassure themselves that they'll be tracked by AI facial recognition cameras and followed by AI police cars every step of their trip. <rolleyes>

https://www.bringfido.com/lodging/country/thailand/

5:00 AM - no wonder there weren't many punters around! lol

A shame that most of the Thai craft beer caters to the locals' preference for excessively fruity beers. One I bought even admitted that they added lychee juice to give it that special tropical flavour. And then the few good ones that suit farang tastes for bitterness and malt rather than sweetness, like the Full Moon Andaman Dark Lager, cost an arm and a leg. A 330 ml bottle of this excellent beer typically sells for 119 Baht, which makes it considerably more expensive than the best imported German dark lagers and dunkelweissbiers, like Erdinger and Weihenstephaner. Even the mediocre stuff like the Thai Myth beers cost far more than they're worth. I see no point in drinking way overpriced locally brewed fizz when you can get better beer cheaper from breweries in Germany and Belgium with a brewing tradition going back centuries, not months.

Better enjoy the beaches and swimming pools before they close them all again. We were two months into the last outbreak in 2020 before they banned the sale of all alcohol, so there's still plenty of time to stock up! lol

Have they extended the Rama II construction project eastwards into Lat Krabang now? lol

The Winter smog is getting worse and lasting longer every year. In Pattaya, it starts in late November or December when the cool, high pressure system from China makes it this far south, bringing with it stagnant, still air that traps the pollution from vehicles and fires and gradually gets worse. Northern cities like Chiang Mai must get it even sooner. And then it goes on and on for months, until early Aril this year. That means four months when the air quality is often classed as unhealthy and, if you happen to be out and about on holiday, you won't see much beyond a murky blur in the distance where the mountains are. If I was a European tourist looking for a Winter break in the sun there's no way I'd be coming to somewhere with such filthy air as Thailand.

When I was back in the UK a few years ago, a car parked opposite my place had been clamped. I was vaguely familiar with the owner who was a local tradesman and always seemed to be very hard up, his car was an old jalopy. While I was making a cup of tea, I saw him pull up in a mate's van. They got out with their tools and proceeded to dismantle the wheel clamp. When that was done, his mate drove off in the van while he stuck the pieces of the clamp in the back of his car and also drove off. I had to give him points for doing a thorough job, but I do wonder what happened when the cops finally caught up with him, he'd have been facing multiple charges including property theft by then, not just a parking charge.

Brilliant idea! Spend 3.5 billion Baht that you can't afford promoting Thai tourism to the Chinese who'll then mostly come on zero dollar tours that provide hardly any benefit to the Thai economy. No wonder the country's broke if this is the best they can come up with.

This genius was smuggling cannabis INTO Thailand when you can buy it cheaply on every street corner?

It's interesting that, when inflation is above target and rising, in most countries the central bank will raise interest rates to dampen the economy. One notable exception in recent years has been Turkey, where the strongman in charge firmly believed that high interest rates are a root cause of inflation. That didn't work out well for them so a new central bank governor started to increase rates, and it has had some effect on cooling rising prices. Is Thailand going to go down the Turkish path? Because if so, then the poor citizenry ain't seen nothing yet when it comes to inflation.

The bar beers in Jomtien where I drink aren't missing the Chinese tourists at all, so it's not all bad news. lol

Poor Vietnam, another 10 or 15 million oiks each year and they'll find their doctors being kicked, their cops being assaulted, biker gangs everywhere, and their streets full of foreign yobs fighting the locals or each other, they don't really mind which.

That's hardly a stetson, it looks more like the kind of thing a sharecropper would wear. Maybe the famous soi is misnamed? lol