spidermike007

The police likely kept most of the seized cash. Wonder if they have legal standing with regard to these seizures. It is their own assets that need to be seized. I wonder how much Chinese crime money finds its way to Xi, and the CCP. Likely, alot.

Many foreigners are forsaking the face masks finally. In Bangkok I would say 90% are without masks. Closer to 95% of Thais still wear them. Could be many years before they are able to shake the indoctrination. And they seem disinclined to be the first ones without them. That takes a bit of boldness.

I love Bangkok, but I would never want to live there. However, I find the people to be quite warm and easy, for big city people. Bangkok is fairly reasonable to visit. Funny they mentioned Valencia. I have a friend who has been living there. He said the people are not a big plus. Grouchy, and not friendly.

While I agree with some of what you say, the 750% of GDP is ridiculous. Even taking into account that there is likely up to $15 trillion in debt that is not accounted for, that is still around 200% of GDP. And if the recession happens next year, as anticipated, the tourism restart here will suffer greatly. Thailand is facing many financial woes, that are under reported to a large degree, due to a high degree of incompetence on the part of the current administration.

And the reality is, that the Thai economy is in tatters. Retail sales are down, car sales are down, home and condo sales are down. Tourist spending is down. So, there is more going on than meets the eye. As usual.

I was at a memorial service yesterday. My friend had paid the temple 20,000 baht. Plus we all contributed to the monks. The amount of money that temple alone is taking in boggles the mind. They are like a franchise.

Sorry, I am clinically blind. I miss these things.

And why are hotels getting away with their felonious behavior? Because weak Americans are paying whatever they are asking! If people just said no, this is ridiculous, proves would drop. A friend was quoted $900 a nite in a Four Seasons hotel she has paid $350 for, for 8 years now. Inflation in the US is stupid. Another friend who has a place in Monaco and London, said he recently visited NY, and LA, and could not believe how expensive things were. Far higher than in Monaco.

It really does not get much better than that. The alternative is a $9000 a month nursing home, with 160 kilo attendants, with attitude.

I am speaking of EVA or ANA. Both are far better than Thai air. And besides, sometimes you just have to tell her NO! Especially when she is being nonsensical.

If you are financially stable here you can hire a lovely young live in care giver, for a fraction of what those dreadful nursing homes charge back in the US. Not a bad thought for a single guy.

Covid was one grand excuse for corporations to show their lower nature, and in addition to crazy price hikes, they also dramatically reduced customer service. All with covid related excuses, while recording record profits. What can one say? We had a grand opportunity to show our higher nature. It did not happen.

I have paid $840 round trip to Los Angeles twice already this year. You can get bargains. However, the projections and the numbers being quoted are entirely fake, no doubt.

I tend to agree. There are few things in this world more boring than drinking one beer after another.

I was just in the US. Happy to be back here now. And happy to be back with my wife, after a month away. Independence is healthy. Time apart is healthy. She has her life and I have mine. And we have a nice life together, but we don't smother each other. Glad to be living here. I find the life back there fairly joyless. People seem so anxious, stressed out and serious. And prices on nearly everything are so unreasonable. Everything is overpriced. Yikes.

Is this guy still relevant? In his own mind, maybe. In real life? His supporters appear to be dwindling daily. Was just with some folks who voted for him last time. They were going on and on about how the man cannot keep his mouth shut, and how he cannot help but make a fool of himself. He is a rather sad figure.

Absolutely spot on. Can anything being reported by this extremely toxic and dishonest administration be taken at face value? Why wouldn't they lie? It is just who they are, and how they roll.

I disagree about no movement. However, I think the movement has been backwards. Thailand used to be well regarded. And they used to be the tiger of SE Asia. Now, they have been reduced to a whiny, sickly alley cat, begging for scraps. Blame it on the army. They are perhaps the second most regressive force in the nation.

I was not aware that Thailand had any foreign policy, other than obey China, don't criticize them, nor Russia, nor Burma. In other words, tolerate madmen and never step on their feet. Is that foreign policy, or just extreme fealty and submission?

The moral to this story is, don't be possessive, give your woman some freedom, give her some space and independence. If she abuses that, then let her go. Very simple. Such drama queens here. Such insecurity and self loathing. Real men allow women to have a life.

Well, I have spent time there and have friends who have lived there for a decade or longer. And while Muay Thai can be a very effective fighting skill, unlike in the PI, where there are alot of skilled street fighters, there are tiny number of Thais who are good at fighting. A pinhead.

Likely try duck down, and mow him down, if there is no escape route. The bike becomes your weapon of choice, at that point.

Nothing can ever be assumed here, when it comes to traffic and pedestrian safety. Always assume you are walking into a war zone, and always look out for hostile forces, drunk, stupid or dull drivers, and assume danger is lurking everywhere. Look both ways before stepping onto the pavement, and walk fast. Assume danger. Casual is not the right attitude here.

Does anyone care if these two dinosaurs get along? Does it mean anything to the people?

Sacrifices need to be made. I do not hear ANY discussion about what sacrifices Thailand is willing to make, to get the tourists, and that multi trillion baht cash cow back. The very first thing would be to repeal the anti farang wine bill, that was passed by a few very corrupt senators way back when, to protect an anemic local wine industry. They are losing billions of dollars a year in revenue, that would be had from a 100% wine duty, instead of 365%. The five star hotels would have major wine events, and the entire industry would flourish here. Thailand keeps droning on and on and on, about how they want wealthy tourists. Again, what sacrifices are you willing to make? Rich tourists like to spend money when they travel. And they cannot do that here, as they do not like getting taken for a ride. Most wealthy people are smart with their money. Thailand could be making a fortune on a 25% luxury tax, instead of the 100% of more, which discourages most people from buying. How many people do you see in the luxury stores here? They are almost always completely empty. Inane. They want the tourists but they are not willing to sacrifice anything to get them. Beyond inane.