Sydebolle

As the saying goes "there is no fool like an old fool" - serves him right. I am sure he also believes in Father Christmas, the Easter Bunny and Porky Pig!

The Saudi royal jewel disaster springs to mind, some 35 years are gone since and Thailand paid billions if not trillions in lost wages as the Saudis took Thailand off the map for decades. The office of the Saudi ambassador was empty from 1989 until 2022 as the fairy tales read by Thailand just would not go away 😉

Compared to Europe they are on the lower end of the scale despite top equipment and professional staff on the entire front. AMD can, if diagnosed earlier enough, be treated/reversed with monthly, six-weekly and ultimately bi-monthly treatments of (expensive) medication which must be administered in a sterile operating theatre at the hospital. Alternatively, a skilled expert, can try to apply sclerotherapy of capillary blood vessels in the back of the retina. This is done with a low energy laser procedure. In my case Dr Roy could help me and I shall be thankful for his endeavours for the rest of my life. The costs however are another thing. But while many have ample cash for snooker halls and beer, they turn stingy once it comes to health insurances. I opted for the second and thank the Lord for that.

We've all been there; local eateries do carry normally only a selection of local beers. If your preference is not available, they offer to get it for you - which I find perfect and very customer-friendly. I - for one - do not know anybody who would not be happy with this customer-oriented attitude and certainly the diner(s) will gladly wait for their drink of preference to arrive. Me thinks, that there is a flip side of the coin, lost in translation. Alternatively yet just another example where this Farang-bashing, taking place all over Thailands upcountry provinces - by default, education and ministerial point of view, has sank in. If Somchai is being told over and over and over again, that Farang are dirty, are rich and are an non-caring bunch of people which are tolerated in Thailand only for their money, it will eventually sink in over time. As said, there is a flip-side of the coin; I cannot see a couple of foreigners going over the moon while waiting for some staff getting their preferred tipple next door.

Go and get it from the horse's mouth. Make an appointment with www.rutnin.com - a hospital dedicated to eyes - and eyes - only. See Dr Roy Chumdermpadetsuk, fluent English (bilingual) with an excellent sense of humour and decades of experience. He is one of the few medical experts giving unbiased advice, explains everything in layman's language and details and a professional in his own right. Rutnin Eye Hospital is on Asoke and they are as "generous" with their patients time as in most other private hospitals. The (nice) flip side of the coin however it, that once it is your turn, Dr Roy has all the time for you, irrespective of whoever is still waiting after you. Treated me successfully on my AMD (age-related macula degeneration) and accompanied me 3 ½ years in regular sessions and restored my eye sight to 100%. See him and he will answer all your questions on the subject; price wise Rutnin is on par/below the other hospitals like Samitivej, Bumrungrad etc. Good luck!

"The _____________ department is actively engaged in addressing the ______________ issue." To facilitate matters, one has to just fill in the blanks. On second thought - forget about it as nothing ever happens anyway. Put the pen back where it belongs and have a drink instead!

Guess whose desk it is onto which one should put the enormous bill of health issues related to the haze in Northern and Northeastern Thailand; who runs the feed mills? But the nine digit cheque on a yearly basis, hand delivered, seems to smoothen the pain and suffering of 60% - 70% of the citizen. One day the chicken will come home to roost, it is on its way but has not hit home just yet 😞

You are absolutely right but it is guaranteed, that this particular culprit will never ever commit any crime ever again apart from saving millions of UKP, EUR or USD taxpayers money. It's like the death penalty on drugs in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. It does not eliminate the problem completely but it certainly diminishes it and, in case of a drug dealer, see above. The security and safety of the majority is relevant, so kiss the human rights goodbye and rid society of pedophiles, rapists and drug dealers - me thinks 😉

The only time window where an airline in Thailand can make serious money on domestic flights ........ and then they come and throw in a discount of 30% for good measure. I would have kept the airfares, dusted off the A380 (some five airframes were standing around for a LOOOOONG time) and get the show on the road.

Well, now you have it from the horse's mouth - the "prima-inter-pares" with the standard reply which I've been graciously listening to; still worded as "There's no confirmation yet. I still don't know." The underlying issue is the absolute absence of character and spine of this as well as many other governments before. Once Beijing whistles, it is "The Pied Piper of Hamelin" all over again. What a farçe all this is, nobody has had the guts to stand up for Thailand and state, that as a sovereign state Thailand will make its own decisions rather than collecting instructions - ongoingly - from the lovely red brethren in the North. Shame on all of those involved. In closing, thank you tax payer (i.e. I am one of them) for allowing yet another splurging school excursion of the divine government representatives to China which just underlines the impotence of all those goons and geeks!

How can 800 cars end up in Mae Sot? I've been there and even crossed into Burma/Myanmar with my own car in 2018. Back then there were not 800 cars crossing the old bridge over the river and the traffic in Myanmar is driving on the right hand side of the road. Just curious; there might be closer parking lots available for all those "imports" - me thinks as the registration of such vehicles was done - in the past - usually in Sisaket or Ayuthya as the officers there might have been a little more flexible after someone forgot some little brown manila envelopes? Just wondering ........

"rejected the State Railway of Thailand’s (SRT) appeal to permit alcohol SALES on trains" so it is nothing but the BYO again for all those millions of us who travel by train ............

Tell this to all those tree huggers and do gooders - I still advocate the gallows for pedophiles, rapists and drug dealers. The damages done by those culprits cannot be undone but you would avoid - guaranteed - any future repetition of "misbehaviour" while saving the tax payers hard earned money.

Dirty farang have been kicked out of the promised land for much, much less. Wondering therefore, why Thailand does not deport the fellow to the German Embassy and let them deal with the problem which will be a repatriation back to Allemania. Apart from getting rid of the problem I would assume, that professional help - if so needed - is easier available in Germany than here.

Nong Fa Sai - as written in the passport and official ID papers? "Delivering a swift slap to the tourist's face." Never ending chicks with dkics story in Pattaya and then the authorities and goons at the tourism promotion board wonder, why Thailand in general and Pattaya (among other places) in particular gain such a pristine reputation. But then again, the Thai face is holier than the holy and they would murder for up keeping their fake façade!