Guderian

Rather different treatment from just about anybody else suspected of committing lese majeste, they're usually locked away in the nearest prison as soon as the fuzz get their hands on them.

Lol, last night I booked a car with Bolt to get from my house (Thepprasit Soi 8 ) to Marco's on Thepprasit. The first guy accepted the fare, started moving, then sent me a message basically saying, "Fork this for a game of cards, I'd sooner take my girlfriend out for a meal. Please cancel." So I did but the next car got lost in the streets around here, the Bolt map was playing up and showing silly directions. I got the GF to talk to him and try to explain how to get here but he was just moaning and grizzling, so I pressed cancel again. The next driver accepted but, before he even got going, he sent a message saying, "Sod this for a game of cards, the money's not enough, I'm not coming." Heck, I don't set the prices and I always tip generously, like rounding up a 60 Baht fare to 100 Baht. Anyway, my fourth attempt succeeded in getting a local driver who ignored Bolt's dodgy app directions and came straight to the house. Based on this, I'd draw two conclusions: 1. Around half of Bolt drivers evidently don't think the money is worth the effort. 2. Few Thais seem able to read a map well and, combined with the app sometimes going doolally, I think it could be a pretty frustrating job.

Blimey, the Baht must have taken a right old tanking overnight, that's an exchange rate of 35,616 THB/USD! I'm off to Wise to transfer $50 here, that should be enough Baht to buy a new Fortuner! lol

Yes, that's what concerns me, nobody wants to waste half a day on paperwork at the local Land Transport Office if you can possibly avoid it. OTOH, I have photos on the old and new passports on my phone, so in the event of something bad happening I could provide a complete "trail of evidence". Unless it's one of those things that carries an odd Thai penalty, like a fine of 5,000 Baht and/or 6 years in prison. <rolleyes>

That was my initial thought, but with over 5 years left to run on it I'm wondering what the possible downsides or penalties might be if it became an issue.

I got a new passport while in the UK last September. As soon as I arrived back to Pattaya in October I got the visas transferred from the old one and the new passport into the Immigration system. I also got it into the SCB banking system, and thought that was probably it. Now, though, someone has pointed out that both my driving licences have my old passport number on them and I should get it changed and new licences issued. There's still over 5 years validity left on the licences, so a long time to get caught out. What is recommended, to update the licences with the new passport number or ignore it and hope nobody queries it? I must admit, in almost 20 years of driving here I don't recall the cops ever checking my licence with my passport details. Is it something important or is it just a cosmetic matter? If I change it, I assume they'll charge me the usual amount for replacement licences, are there any other costs for the service? Thanks for any insights.

I wonder what the topic of the seminar was, maybe Safety Standards in the Thai Construction Industry? lol

It seems like bad news to me. Section 40 appears to class pensions and overseas investment income as assessable for Thai tax, which probably means the entire income of many pensioners living here. https://sherrings.com/personal-income-tax-in-thailand.html

Meanwhile, the sixteen cannabis cafes on the street were doing a roaring trade, lol.

Much as I sympathise with your situation vis-a-vis Thailand's daft defamation law, I just hope you realise that it's illegal to let a property for less than a month via Airbnb in Thailand? In the village where I live, we've occasionally had cases with people letting out their houses via Airbnb for short stays and the guests causing problems for permanent residents due to inconsiderate parking and making excessive noise at night. We've taken the owners responsible to court several times now and we always win as the law is clear, though as usual in Thailand getting people to enforce and respect it is a different matter.

Before getting worked up about the diesel standard or emissions from new cars they need to tell the testing centres that any vehicle failing to meet the required standard will not be passed and unable to renew its road tax and compulsory insurance. I've seen old trucks being tested and emitting clouds of black smoke, but they just end up being waved through, so what was the point of the testing? Start enforcing the existing rules properly before you make new ones.

Make things simple and change the headline to tell the truth, lol: Massive extortion network within the govt itself now probed by massive extortion network

I should have thought the only two viable industries Russia has left by now are oil and armaments, neither of which is one of Thailand's strong points. Probably just hoping they can persuade Mad Vlad to take some of their unsold rice harvest in exchange for some oil, discreetly delivered in an unmarked tanker with its transponder switched off, of course.

Thanks, that's what I'll do.

Is this north or south of Bangkok Hospital? I've got an appointment on Wednesday and if it's south of the hospital then it will be easier for me to use Third Road and Soi Photisan rather than Sukhumvit.

It's what the Cornish call tourists, basically ants. Much the same thing as people in East Anglia calling them grockles.

Lol, funnily enough I went for a walk along Dongtan Beach yesterday afternoon for the first time this high season. This is what I wrote to my brother back in the UK in my daily missive: "It was a nice, warm sunny afternoon, though a bit sticky, and the emmets were out in force down Jomtien way. My goodness, but there are some strange looking people around. The next time they want to film one of those post-apocalyptic films with lots of bizarre mutants all they need to do is go to Dongtan Beach during high season, no need for any special effects."

The last time I looked, the Thai government deposit insurance runs to a measly one million Baht per account. So to be safe, just make sure none of your accounts has over a million in it and, in theory at least, you can't lose a satang. Of course, a run on a major bank here would probably trigger a currency crisis, and your safe stash of Baht would then be worth a lot less in USD terms. Swings and roundabouts...

Inconsiderate parking is endemic in Thailand. I used to get quite annoyed by it, but now every time I'm back in the UK for a month I see that things are often no better there. Something generational maybe?

We had over an inch of rain in Pattaya yesterday afternoon. Very welcome, too, the garden will have loved it, and the fish seemed happy too.

I've thought about using this service, but I'm always apprehensive that I might arrive and find that there's nobody at the RP place. If it was manned by Immigration cops then I'd feel more certain that someone would always be around, but as it's evidently a private company I don't feel that sense of assurance.

Why not just go to the Soi 9 cop shop and ask?

I thought it had already been reduced to 300 billion Baht. Anyway, after the politicians and administrators take their share, the Thai public will be lucky to see 100 billion Baht.

Wilbur Smith said that he was more afraid of leopards than of lions. Not many lions to worry about in Hua Hin, but leopards are much less hygienic animals and any bite or scratch from one will likely get badly infected.

Please do, the Baht would tumble, expats and tourists would love it and flock here.