Denim

It's just a different place to visit to see different things. There are pluses and minuses. They have a lot of stunning beaches and mountain hikes. The women are attractive and open minded. The food is so so. Not as good as Thailand but you won't starve. Takes a little more searching to eat well. Accommodation is not as good value as Thailand. For retirement and permanent residence though Thailand has to be better. Better infrastructure and a lot better medicare.

A place like Angeles City does attract low life and corrupt officials but elsewhere no issues.

If you listen to vloggers might as well stay at home, triple lock the front door and wrap yourself in cotton wool. A friend just spent three weeks there. Experienced traveler and had a great time. No issues.

Thailands flesh spots built their dubious reputation on cheap sex with young affable women who were fresh from the provinces and not too worldly wise. Their clients were mostly travelers, Americans on R&R and a few young resident lotus eaters. Completely different now. Sex with a harder nosed worldly wise woman who is not especially cheap. Condoms are the norm rather than the exception and the clients are 30 - 40 years older reinventing the wheel. It's past it's hay day but those that live or holiday there couldn't care less. Where else can they go ? No need to integrate or learn Thai. Perfect for some.

Well. Look on the bright side. It has been a learning curve. What you have learnt is that when the Thai government departments make grandoise announcements regarding new laws or crackdowns just ignore them or file them away on a dusty shelf at the back of your mind. Just keep up with immigration rules and DON't overstay your visa. Everything else can be dealt with if it becomes absolutely necessary. Wife never filled in a TM30 for 30 years as I was doing 90 day visa runs. When I was finally obliged to switch to doing an extension because of Covid the immigration officer asked for a TM 30. We looked blank and we just paid the statutory fine of 1700 baht. No hiisy fit , nothing . All smiles and see you agains. Not bad for 30 years.

And the result is :

And then I woke up. One hell of a dream or just pure fantasy.

Still good dog walking weather . Forty five minutes almost every morning since the cool weather started. Won't last much longer then too hot. 20250120_081636 (1).mp4

Peace prize no . Piece prize . Millions around the world have already awarded him this.

Well, the best of luck to you and your comrades whatever the future holds. Stay safe each and every one of you.

John Bolton hits the nail on the head

Putin should have talked about Alaska being returned to Russia as well. Might as well strike while the iron is hot.

No, Tefal pots and pans are not teflon. Don't be misled by the name ( you can google for confirmation ) I like them because even more expensive brands I have tried are not as non stick. I only use a plastic or wooden tool with them and when washing NEVER scour with steal or scotchlite. I just wipe excess grease off with a tissue then sponge with washing up liquid. If on occasion I forget something is cooking ( chilli ) and there is a little sticking as a result I just soak in water for 15 minutes before washing.

Can we rename the Atlantic the Gulf of England ?

Because some people can't move on and get over it and insist on making daily posts on the subject making it seem like it must have been the seminal moment in their lives.

I can strongly recommend Tefal pots pans and woks. I have tried many brands but these are run away winners in the non stick department. Providing you are careful not to use metal cooking utensils with them they just go on and on without losing their non stick coating. They have in Big C but the same sets are available on Lazada for a few hundred baht cheaper.

Is that Darth Vadors mum on the left ?

Gross tattoo. Why do they disfigure themselves like this ?

January 30th 2083. Glug glug glug , splash splash splash.

Whole heartedly agree. The OP walked into the Lions den and got bitten . Stay well away from that place unless you are frog marched there by immigration. In Thailand it pays to keep a low profile.. In the old days you could not exit the kingdom without a tax clearance certificate if you stayed longer than 180 days. This would have cost a few thousand baht. However , outside the tax office there were moonlighting civil servants that would act as your guarentor for 500 baht. TIT not the USA.

Well done that man. Well worth learning basic first aid techniques. A simple thing like the recovery position can save a life. First Aid should be taught in every scool given how nmany rtraffic accidents occur here.

They refuse cash in London and I found out the hard way having walked to the bus station at Heathrow and waited 20 minutes for the bus. I had to walk back to the underground station and get us two oyster cards. Could have used my bank card to swipe but wife is too old to jog along behind bus.

It's called ' Rip Van Winkle ' syndrome. I got it too last time I went to the UK for a visit. Before people winge about the cost of living in Thailand, they should go home for a visit. A word of advice. Don't order a pint in a pub before asking the price. Oh yes , and remember ,buses don't take cash. My 90 year old mother has a home help who comes in twice a week for a bit of house cleaning. A snip at 12 pounds an hour.

Are the figures in for the Black Death or Bubonic Plague in yet. These have been brushed under the carpet for centuries. Time the truth was laid bare. Make a change from all this covid fixation.