Bangkok Barry

Lt. Col. Pichaya added that this wasn’t an unprecedented incident but normally only happened on Koh Larn That's okay then.

Has this clown ever been to Miami Beach? Has he even seen pictures of it? Thais seem to have visions of grandeur, as in short-time cabins being called 'resorts', normal hotel rooms being called 'suites', 'unlimited' internet that is limited to a certain level before speed is crippled, blocks of low-cost rooms called 'mansions' and so on.

That's always puzzled me. I can only suppose that, deep down, they actually like the neanderthal caveman-type. But I'm confused. Before I came to Thailand I read many times that Thai families are so close.......

Had one close to my house last night on a long straight road. My wife went to help out and said that a car had driven into the back of a slow-moving sugar cane lorry which had no lights. Lights or not, how one can not see a gigantic lorry in front of you is beyond belief. That's what headlights are for. Another accident that should never have happened. And that makes more than 20 over the past 10 years within 300 metres or so of my house.

The Chinese are back so... Next week: Everyone should wear a mask at all times. The week after: Lockdown with bars closed and restaurants selling take-out only. The week after that: All arrivals must have Covid insurance with tests at airports, with those (except Chinese) found to be positive to go into self-financed quarantine.

I've watched several street scene videos a week shot in China, and almost no-one was wearing a mask.

And be aware of and accept that you have moved to a lunatic asylum.

Thais don't use cones. They use small branches from a tree, but this was a built-up area so none were available.

It was the wind to blame. No responsibility required.

Of course. But this is Thailand.

I have a friend who has travelled the world in his wheelchair, and he told me that Bangkok is by far the worst place he has been for users. And as well as the problems listed in the second paragraph, add vendors and shopkeepers blocking the path, and add that very many road in Bangkok have nowhere for pedestrians to walk anyway. To fix all of that you would need law enforcement (doesn't exist), a sense of responsibility by shopkeepers (doesn't exist), street and infrastructure maintenance (doesn't exist) and a near total redesign of the streets (not practical). Some people see all this third world chaos as a positive because it isn't like the boring old sanitised West.

It doesn't matter what the limit is if the driver refuses to take a breath test. As many do. Or they run away and can't be tested. As many do.

There's a month left. But he said I couldn't have the non-immigrant O and had to have a tourist visa. What he finally ended up applying for, I have no idea. And nor does he as he doesn't know if I'll get 60 or 90 days.

Don't they all , he's really taking the mickey ,along the lines , they belong to dead friend ..... In Thailand many accept anything they're told - you know, the old don't ask questions culture taught since early childhood. It's only foreigners like us who ridicule them for spouting such nonsense, which to some Thais is why they don't like us and consider us troublemakers. The above excuse is the standard that a four year old would make up.

I'm half expecting to be called back there after KK find there's been some kind of error made.

He just said before the 4th, and they would call.

I'd prepared the TM87 and written under kind of visa 'non-O marriage', which he crossed out and changed to a two or three letter code, according to my wife. As he crossed out non-O marriage I guess he's given me a 60 day extension. But, as I say, he didn't know how many days I'd get. All clear as mud.

FYI, I endured an interesting and frustrating time at the Kalasin office with an IO who very obviously didn't have a clue what he was doing. Not speaking a word of English, a basic requirement I would have thought for someone whose only job is to deal with foreigners who might speak little or no Thai, everything was done through my wife. She had, fortunately, had the forethought to bring a folder the size of which wouldn't look out of place carried by a barrister at the Old Bailey containing every document demanded by man. The IO constantly referred to a rule book the size of an old-style London telephone directory, and decided I had to have a tourist visa. For that he took a signed copy of every page of my passbook, a photocopied page of the photos I had provided nearly a year ago for my one-year marriage extension, a nearly year-old Kor Ror 2, a copy of the marriage certificate, a copy of my wife's ID and house registration, and he at first wanted and then didn't want a map of the house location. Then we were sent away while he had lunch and when we returned he interviewed me via my wife about how we met, how long we had known each other (32 years) and who knows what else. I then had to sign a form listing the answers to all the questions he had asked. When I asked how long my 'tourist' visa would be for he said two or three months, depending on what Khon Kaen decide to give me. Then I can go through it all again, in two (or three) months, to get a new one-year marriage extension.

3 weeks….? in terms of Thai planning this represents long term thinking beyond the realms of practical understanding! ????‍♂️ Take no notice of the date. The 'no vaccination certificate, no entry' requirement was until January 31 too. The date means nothing at all. It could even be changed by lunchtime tomorrow.

That's perfectly normal in Thailand as they can only think of the moment and never, ever the consequences of what they do. You see it often in society when someone attacks or kills someone because of loss of face and then they lose even more face by being jailed. It - not thinking of the consequences - is exactly how children behave because they know no better. In Thailand that extends throughout society, and especially the government. It's possible that some lowly official knows that what they propose is utter nonsense, but Thai culture forbids them from pointing it out to their 'superiors' so you have what you have. By 'saving face' by not bending to someone with half a brain they lose face by acting stupidly and then lose even more face by doing a U-turn.

But then you get having to do an often fatal U-turn. There is no safety on Thai roads.

Nice rant. But the school van driver didn't cause the accident.

There is only one major source of concern over Covid, and that is China. But Thailand can't block Chinese from coming as that would offend the Chinese government. Which means that China effectively governs Thailand as Thailand cannot do anything that offends Beijing.

You think so? That people will book again to a country that changes the rules at a moment's notice? Would you?

Been going on for decades. Just part of the culture the Thais are so proud of.