spidermike007

That will be very convenient, they have a lot of products that are not easy to find here, and that location is hard to beat. That is quite a mall they're putting up. I cannot even begin to imagine what the land values are at that location.

That is very funny, thank you for bringing a smile to my face. I used to live on Samui, and I would see quite a few guys with hot women, but you're right, on the mainland I don't see that too much. I'm often shocked to see good looking guys that are fairly fit, with old women that are not attractive, but like you say a lot of guys just don't have good taste. I also think this is self-esteem issue, I think some guys just do not think they deserve a good looking woman, or perhaps they are afraid of the attention a pretty woman attracts?

1. Many Thai men are jealous of foreigners. They assume we have more money and they know we get the hotter gals. 2. He does not have to be concerned about his behavior. He is above the law. YIf arrested for any offense his defense would be: Your honor, I am RTP. You and I both know I am above the law, and protected at every level. They even told us that in the academy. That is all the evidence I need. The person making the complaint is just a citizen. They don't count. You know that. I know that. The RTP are superior to citizens. We have the power and you are sworn to protect us. So, drop the charges and let me get on with my franchise.

It's imperative that you do it, if she has any expectations at all they need to be stopped entirely. Open and frank communication is the order of the day here, as little as she might like want to hear it. I like you, but I don't feel any romantic connection, or I have no interest in a GF.

Yes. China invading Taiwan would likely result in a naval war of some sort, and it is likely China would be crushed.

This is not big news. Other airlines have had direct flights from Delhi for quite some time. Most Indians prefer to avoid Air India.

I wondered how long it would take for Sretta to start making Prayuth style declarations. How long have you lived here? How often have we seen promises like this? These guys are infamous for pledges, declarations, proclamations and promises. Few are even remembered, much less followed up upon two weeks later.

They will do anything to avoid taking responsibility for the drop in tourism. 1. None of the issues existing before Covid were ever addressed. Typical Thai style. These goons in charge won't take responsibility for anything. 2. Many economies have been devastated, and Thailand's tourist base of primarily lower income Indians, Chinese and Malaysians were hardest hit. 3. Thailand cannot and will not attract wealthy or even affluent tourists, for a dozen good reasons. No sacrifices are being made, to make Thailand more appealing to them. 4. Thailand is a nation in reverse. It is moving backwards, and represents the polar opposite of progress on countless levels. It is simply NOT becoming a better version of itself. The environment, traffic and public safety, horrific law enforcement, corruption, air quality, etc. Add to that heinous luxury and wine taxes, and you have an environment wealthy tourists avoid like the plague. 5. You cannot shut down the entire tourism industry for nearly 2 years, decimate the nightlife, hotels, restaurants and countless related businesses, engage in a very poorly planned vaccination program, create a climate of fear and panic, and then just expect because you open your doors again, millions will flood in. The world does not work like that. 6. Thailand is NOT the center of the known universe. It is becoming less relevant by the minute. Tourists are forgetting Thailand. Thailand needs foreigners 100x more than they need Thailand. I could go on and on and on. The goons just do not get it. At all.

First of all, the RTP at it's inception seems to have been created with a status quo from the government. We will NOT pay you a living wage, but you have a franchise, and the limit of your income is based solely on your own creativity and initiative, and you will always be protected. So, how do you get these guys to engage in real law enforcement, if they are overly focused on collection? They are engaged in protection rackets, such as the Phuket taxi mafia. Are they out finding government officials who are engaged in drug trafficking or sex slavery? No. Why? Because those goons are protected. Are they patrolling the highways to find reckless drivers? No. Why? Because they do not care one iota about traffic safety. It is all lip service. The only obscenity committed here, is the one done by the RTP. The level of pretense, the level of fake purity, the dumb and mindless application of laws here is beyond inane. Women are getting abducted, raped and trafficked at this very moment, by Thai officials, and the police are pretending to be engaged in law enforcement. And even if a cop is caught committing a crime, here is his defense: Your honor, I am RTP. You and I both know I am above the law, and protected at every level. They even told us that in the academy. That is all the evidence I need. The person making the complaint is just a citizen. They don't count. You know that. I know that. The RTP are superior to citizens. We have the power and you are sworn to protect us. So, drop the charges and let me get on with my franchise.

Are you afraid the CCP is going to invade during your transit at the airport? What is the statistical probability of that happening? I have long ago stopped fretting over things I have no control over, nor things that are highly unlikely to happen. The CCP are insane. No question about that. But, are they insane enough to invade Taiwan?

I think under most circumstances many of us would be happy to watch somebody's bag, it's just not a big deal, I would never even consider the possibility that they were drugs inside, it would never enter my mind for good reason. The fact that he reacted the way he did just means that he's a butthead, the world is full of buttheads, who cares? Water off a duck's back, those kind of situations mean nothing to me. See you. Bye. Good riddens.

Great reply, thank you for that information, a very informative story. Very happy to hear that your daughter is doing so well. The only explanation that makes sense is that all of this is deliberate, they deliberately want to prevent students from being outstanding, and they are essentially trying to keep the population dumb. Nothing else makes sense.

Many of us are hoping he will take a serious look at retirement. The world would be a better place without him. Goodbye Don, see ya, let us dream on.

The criminals are likely quaking in their boots at the thought of a crime-free zone. I guess this means that the police are going to start practicing law enforcement and setting their personal franchises aside. Maybe there are some geniuses in government after all.

The fact that she invited you to celebrate like Loy Kratong with her is not significant in and of itself. The fact that she asked you out on a date shows she is obviously interested, so it's incumbent upon you to make it clear to her that you're only interested in remaining friends and hopefully that will not put a damper on the good service you've been getting at your restaurant. 50 and single, and her prospects are very limited.

Not only is China having some enormous difficulties in the real estate sector, but let it never be forgotten that Prayuth, Prawit and Anutin engaged in a deliberate sabotage of the economy, by using highly selective shutdowns of hundreds of thousands of businesses across the country, while favoring their cronies who had enormous factories and construction companies, which remained open and became super spreaders of the virus. Same applies to the tourism industry where a tremendous amount of cowardice was demonstrated and the nation remained shut down for far too long. Some things should never be forgotten, and blame needs to be directed at the perpetrators.

When you have an educational system that refuses to fail students, when you have a system that does not allow students to question teachers, when you have a system that stifles curiosity, and when you have a society that is utterly obsessed with the stunningly cowardly practice of saving face, you have a recipe for disaster. There are no surprises in the results of this survey. Thailand will never be able to move forward without addressing these issues.

I agree that it would tend to be hit and miss with a hotel. They know that there's a good chance that you'll never be back, so there's a limited amount of motivation for them to go out of their way. With the company like home Pro, or a big box retailer, they know that you're likely to come back, especially if you're spending a lot of money like I was doing for a villa that I had on Samui. So it's definitely a circumstantial kind of thing, but there is good service to be had if you really push for it, and you step up the chain of authority.

Some time ago when I was living on Samui I had an issue with an air conditioner that I had just bought from Homepro. I went into Homepro asking for service and got no satisfaction at all. I asked for the manager which is something that I usually do, when I am not getting anywhere, and she had a terrible attitude and was very unhelpful. I got her name, went home, looked up the head office in Bangkok, sent them a quick email explaining the situation calling her out by name and within an hour I got a phone call from a vice president telling me that everything would be addressed, and he said that I should go back into the store the following morning. When I did I got a deep bow from the manager, I'm so sorry I misunderstood yesterday. What can I do to make you happy? It was the exact response I wanted the first time around but that I got after she had been scolded by the VP, and likely her job had been threatened if her attitude didn't improve. Sometimes we just have to escalate things to a more senior employer or manager in order to get things done here, sometimes the fools on the floor just don't know what service looks like. My Thai wife was shocked when I first started doing this, as she tried to explain to me that they do not have customer service in Thailand. I explained to her that they sure do! Now she realizes that service does exist, can exist, and will exist if the right amount of will, force and action is brought to the table. I did not reach out to a VP. I simply sent an articulate note to the email contact on the website. And, it was responded too quickly. Might have helped that I added that I was averaging 100,000 to 200,000 baht a year in Home Pro expenditures with my hilltop villa, at the time. A VP took it upon himself, called me that day, speaking perfect English, and asked me if I would be kind enough to visit the store again tomorrow. I suppose with any service anywhere, it comes down to the approach one uses, negotiating skill and fortitude. I do not let these things go. You can lay down and die, like a submissive sheep in this life, or you can defend your dignity and put up a fight. I usually choose the latter. Don't consider myself to be a dog or a doormat, and prefer not to let others that I do business with treat me like either. My Thai wife has been astonished a dozen times when things like this have come up, and she has seen me wage battle. She just shakes her head and says great job. I had no idea!

For many of us expats we have a very good life here, I was referring to the quality of life of the average Thai person, which is very difficult right now, they're not living on a pension, they're trying to make ends meet. As far as immigration goes, I have to assume that you're not here on a marriage visa, because if you were you would know how ridiculously difficult the whole process is, and how many hurdles they put in your way. I abandoned the marriage visa and went with a retirement visa, because I just don't need the grief. Point number six was about the previous administration sabotaging tourism, and deliberately trying to destroy the nightlife. That was not an accident nor was that about covid, that was diabolical and intentional. Point number 8 was about a bunch of goons who consider themselves to be holier than thou, trying to clean up the country. There's no question that they're trying to get rid of "the industry", and there's no question that they're trying to get rid of nightlife, clean the place up and make it into a family destination. However, in the process they are sanitizing the place and they're getting rid of some of the flavor that we love so much.

Here, as I have for a long time now. However, I have never been a tax resident. And I do not plan on becoming one.

Anyone who is wealthy or even affluent, would have little interest in retiring here. So, it is mostly about affordability. And I agree with that. It is reasonable here. Most of us live well, on a relatively modest income or pension. I plan to stay. But, a good part of this decision is financial, and ties to my Thai wife and family. If I were wealthy, my time here might be limited to a few months per year. There are at least a dozen good reasons why someone without our financial limitations would NOT pick Thailand. Do they need to be repeated? We all know what they are. And these are part of the reasons why there is a mass exodus of expats leaving Thailand over the past few years. No question the number of expats here is dropping. I used to have more issues than I do now. I worked on my attitude, which was getting in the way of appreciating Thailand for what it is, and was clouding my experience here. Used to stress over stupid stuff, as you can see from some of my past posts. Used to allow the politics to make me angry. Now it is not something I take seriously, just something I comment on, without anger or an emotional investment. Now, I just tend to laugh it off. Spent some real time back in the US recently, and it allowed some clarity and perspective, that I am very grateful for. Now, I just chuckle at most of the nonsense. Water off a duck's back, so to speak. Woe is Thailand. Where is the hope for the future? Just a few issues that an ex-pat would consider. 1. Overall, a declining quality of life. 2. An oppressive government that was not sincere about letting go of power. Ever. 3. High prices on most import goods and wine. Crappy selection of beer. 4. Rampant xenophobic on the part of the government goons and immigration. 5. A nation in reverse. No hope for a better future here. 6. Extreme timidity and destruction of the economy, many lives and businesses. Please, don't blame Covid. That was only one element. 7. Little in the way of good education available for kids. 8. The sanitization of Thai society, the elimination of anything that resembles character, and the tired, insincere, increasingly fake purity campaigns. 9. The continued environmental destruction and worsening air quality, coupled with no intent of effort to fix anything. 10. The worsening dependence on China. Will Thailand eventually be a communist colony? 11. The dinosaur creeps are moving this nation backwards at a breakneck pace. Truly regressive reptilian leadership.

I think the headline says it all. Are you a tax resident? I am not. And do not think I will become one.

Napoli. On a little side soi off the beach road in Patong. Run by two brothers born in Italy, who are half Napolitano, half Thai. Great guys. And an amazing place. Outstanding food, world class pizza and pasta. Also Red Snapper in Karon Beach, also right off the main beach road. Excellent sushi, and I have high standards. Super fresh caught tuna. Everything we had there are good.

At one time I had a desire to see China. No longer on the list. Hate the CCP, and I am just tired of their lack of grace, and the constant flexing of their newfound muscle. No thanks.