spidermike007

It does appear inevitable, but alot can happen. China faces a multitude of serious problems, from within. And they still lack a serious navy, with long range ports. Time will tell. The current system appears to be unsustainable in the long term.

You are a unique one. You sound like my mother, if she was not so kind and supportive. Do you even comprehend the concept of having lighthearted fun?

1. I would increase my budget. 2. I would do as many doubles and triples as possible and insure all of them were with beautiful gals with great attitudes. 3. Drink as much ridiculously fine wine as I could. Within reason. 4. Not watch the news for even a moment. 5. Reflect on a life well lived, thank those who helped make it so rich and be very grateful. 6. Figure out some other priorities. 7. Not spend a minute of that those 180 days worrying about death. We are all going to croak someday, anyway. Embrace it.

I only carry it when going to immigration, or when heading to the airport for an international flight. Always carry a color copy. Never had an issue. Who carries their original passport around? A completely unreasonable expectation.

This is likely the number one reason their level of desperation to cling to power is so high. The power itself? Likely very intoxicating, but largely secondary. For men without souls, money is everything.

A further promise was made to listen to the views of tourists to make their experience better next time. Yeah, right. That would be an admission that perfection has not been achieved, and improvement is possible. I do not see that happening. Covid was the perfect opportunity for a reset. It did not happen. No improvements were made, nothing was learned. Frankly Thailand does not deserve the support anymore. I love alot of the Thai people, and it is a shame for them. But, in a sense they allowed this to happen with their extreme passivity. It is about the leadership, which is so toxic, so lacking in moral authority or the ability to govern effectively, they have brought the nation to it's knees and utterly decimated the once vibrant economy, ruining millions of lives in the process. It was never really about Covid. It was about abject oppression, opportunism, and an unwillingness to surrender power. Just another broken promise, from the broken PM. It is time to admit that the tourism industry has been sabotaged to the point where it will never recover, to any meaningful extent. Ever. Decades from now it will be limping along, and thousands of large hotels will either be closed, or they will attempt to convert them into low priced condos. Eventually many will be razed to the ground. Trillions of dollars in tourism infrastructure down the toilet. Prayuth, Phiphat will go down in history as the men who destroyed the Thai economy, and set the nation on a scorched earth path toward a position of 80th in the world, in GDP, and a dramatic decline of the standard of living, for all but him, his cronies, and the very rich. Millions of tourists will be giving Thailand a pass, well into the coming decades. Tourism in Thailand is essentially finished. They murdered the Golden Goose.

It seems to be a fact, that when the grim reaper is ready for you to exit this lifetime, there is no getting away from him, whether you are in the relative safety of your home, or out picking mushrooms. Man is no match for the power of an elephant. He was in the wrong place, at the wrong time. Some could argue alot of "accidents" are exactly that.

What can one say? Was he really in that much of a hurry? The only way to survive here on the road, is to be patient, have eyes in the back of your head, drive with caution, and always, and I mean always watch out of the other guy. Chances are, he does not have much driving skill, nor patience, nor reason, nor common sense. You cannot be too careful on the road here. Especially considering that the toy police offer no traffic safety, prevention, enforcement of the law, or concern toward the prosecution of very reckless drivers. Those of us with driving skill, and a strong desire for not only survival, but the avoidance of terrible injury, are constantly scanning the road, in front of us, beside us, and behind us. There are an exceptionally high number of reckless fools on these roads, and it is the only way to preserve our lives, and those of our families, and friends, who may be driving with us, and depending on us. I see people driving here, with their families in the car, and doing things, and taking the kinds of risks no rational or sane person with common sense would do. What for? To gain one minute? Why take those risks? What is the logic? Often, when I am cruising along at 100kph, someone cuts right in front of me. Or someone comes out from the side road, right in front of me. I have to slam on my brakes, or change lanes to avoid him. I look in my rearview mirror, and there is nobody behind me. So, if he had waited two seconds, he would have had completely safe passage onto the highway. What gives? Where is the intelligence, caution, and prudence? Where is the common sense? What about just the survival instinct? This applies even more so, if you are driving a tuk tuk type vehicle or a motorbike. Not to sound too cold, as I feel for this older couple, but Darwin was right. Some people are better equipped for survival than others. It takes some effort here.

Likely just one of his overseas LLC's used to shelter his massive, ill gotten fortune from scrutiny. Which name is his Swiss lakefront villa in? How about the Manhattan penthouse?

If you are lost, you need to spend alot of time in contemplation, mediation, and do alot of inner work. This can be done anywhere. Any house or apartment, anywhere in the world. Being a quiet place is the only requirement. If you are not willing to do the work, it does not matter where you are. You will remain lost from yourself.

One of the huge issues here is the princely treatment given to boys. They are nothing special. On any level. Yet, the parents let them get away with nearly anything, and spoil them rotten. What Thai parents need to start saying to their sons is this: You are nothing special. Your sister is as good as you, or better. She works harder, she is more ambitious and she does not take everything, and everyone for granted. So, until you prove to us, to the family, and to the community that you are special, by your deeds, actions, and hard work, you are not anything but a normal kid. Nothing more. My guess is there are alot of Thai parents who wonder later, where did I go wrong with my son, and why did he turn out to be so self entitled, so spoiled, so unwilling to put in a hard days work, and how did he become so rotten, and so undeserving of our care and protection? Also, it is my observation that alot of parents seem to have lost the art of parenting. The child sort of becomes the boss. This is epidemic in Thai households with the sons, who are treated as if they are very special, when they are just ordinary boys, who have proven nothing to the world yet, as to their worthiness for adulation. As a result, children today are less self-reliant. Many preteen children don’t yet know how to be alone at bedtime and they haven’t been forced to learn. Parents band-aid the issue by allowing co-sleeping.

This overly rich, overly entitled, under talented, and not so intelligent creep deserves to be outed for his many crimes against the Thai people. If people knew the full extent of the corruption, rot, and enrichment this administration has engaged in, there would be a revolution, and it is likely these goons would flee into exile. Instead, they rule the nation. Woe is Thailand and it's people, under the reign of dinosaurs.

He must have offended the wrong people. The justice system feels upside down here. And it does appear that if you have enough cash, you do not serve the time. Having said that, it is likely few are going to miss this creep. Preying on children is pretty low.

I have used Thai both internationally and domestically on a few occasions, over many years. Always found them to be substandard. Always had issues with service, and often with baggage handling. In addition, an airline that considers itself to be world class, figures out a way to refund money to passengers and does it within a reasonable period. I had tickets canceled by EVA due to covid and the money was returned. Took a few months, but there was no fight required to get the money back. Thai Air might be in the top 30. Toward the bottom. Maybe.

I have not been a fan of Thai air for well over a decade. Multiple poor experiences, poor service, and slow baggage handling. They are NOT a superior airline. Not even close to top 20, in my opinion.

Total BS. It is the companies fault. 100%. They make a conscious choice to cut back on customer service, because they can. In an ideal world, government would care about us little guys. But, they don't. Not one iota. And the corporations are allowed to cheat us, steal from us, pillage, rampage, and abuse us, the consumer to no end.

It would be a tough job. If you are being scrutinized. How do you answer for the massive pyramid scheme under you, and how do you justify the fortune you are making, by acting as Master franchisee?

I am surprised it was not voted #1, by Really important backyards of SE Asia Magazine. Just the fact that Thai Air was voted #3 is suspect. EVA, All Nippon Air, Cathay and Singapore Air are vastly superior to Thai.

This was expected, from a totally compromised and failed administration. But, it is a horrendous tragedy, nonetheless. While mergers may benefit mega corporations, they never benefit the people. Look to True Visions for a good example of that. This is very tragic for the people of Thailand. As always, they are the last ones to be considered.

I do not eat beef, pork or lamb. So, that eliminates most Chinese dishes. Not the case with Thai cuisine.

Speeding, illegal lane change, fleeing from speed traps, just riding around Pattaya on a motorbike, and being a target for "opportunistic franchisees". I pay as little respect to the cops as I possibly can, unless they have a valid cause. It usually works. They do not like the extra effort required when someone pushes back. In the US, I would likely get gunned down, or locked up for my lack of respect and deference. Not here. Never even came close. If the cop is not cooperating, I ask for his superior.

Hindsight is a terrible thing. I had so many opportunities, and a financial mentor who wanted to lead me by the hand, and show me how to be financially independent and wealthy, by the time I was 50. He became a multi millionaire, using his real estate instincts. Had I followed his lead, I would have been there too. It was a combination of cowardice, lack of vision, and the desire to enjoy today, without regard for tomorrow. If I think about it too much, it makes me crazy, at this stage of my life. Instead, I try to focus on the many things I have to be grateful for, the wonderful choice I made by moving here, and the many blessings I have in my life. What else can we do?

The drive from Hua Hin to Bangkok can be horrendous. The massive number of trucks on the road really slow down the drive. And the traffic in Samut Sakorn is terrible. I only make the drive through Samut past 9pm, or before 5am, or on Sundays. Thailand desperately needs alternative to the choked and over crowded highways, and is now paying the price for 70 years of regressive policy, and ignoring alternative means of moving cargo. Secondarily, if anyone ever gets their act together, Hua Hin could end up being a very practical regional hub for air traffic. It is currently one of the least utilized airports in the world, much less Thailand.

The authorities will say anything to deflect from the real cause of the demise of tourism. Years of neglect. Extremist and highly selective shutdowns of business and tourism. Sabotage of the nightlife. I could go on all day.

Total defiance. I do it often with the police here. It works most of the time. You want 1,000 baht? That is not going to happen. Here is 100. See ya. I just say absolutely not. Get out of my face. Most of the time they back down.