spidermike007

Decent choice. It is a spectacularly beautiful province, you will have easy access to Samui, Krabi, Phangha, some incredible nearby national parks, etc. And the weather is nice. It can get hot, but you have good breezes, more rain, and way better air quality. Smart move. Keep us informed. The riverfront area is nice for dining, the central market is good, and the highways in the province are some of the best in the country. Otherwise, it is a fairly non descriptive town. If it were me, I would find something just outside of town, as the surrounding areas are very scenic. The air quality around large parts of the country stink, between now and April. The authorities should be holding their heads in shame, if only they had any pride, or concern for the masses. So much could be done to improve this situation. I have a simple solution, since so much of the pollution can be traced to the burning of the crops. It has been made illegal, but as usual, nothing is being enforced. So, it continues.

There is a very simple solution to this problem. If the authorities were interested in solutions. The burning has to stop. There are alternatives, to this 19th century technique of burning after the sugar cane harvest. Either the government starts to encourage farmers to switch to more environmentally friendly crops, or they start to penalize farmers for burning. This heinous burning, is leading to a tremendous degree of environmental degradation, and alot of lung disease. So here is what I propose-

1. Fine the farmers 5,000 baht for a first offense, and give them a stern warning, that burning is now prohibited, and the second fine will be very harsh.
2. For a second offense, fine the farmer 100,000 baht, and warn them that if the burning continues, their land will be confiscated.
3. On the 3rd offense, confiscate their land. Period. No questions. No legal proceeding or appeals on the part of the farmers. Allow others to come in and purchase the land at a fair price, with the caveat that sugar is prohibited as a crop to be grown on that land.
The news would travel faster than the toxic smoke, and farmers would change their ways overnight, and move into the 21st century.

Then they can move on to tackle the sale of diesel vehicles, and the government's enthusiastic support of such. It is inane in this day and age. Most nations are moving away from diesel for good reasons. When they are not well maintained, they foul the air, with large, nasty particles. And who properly maintains their vehicle here?

2 hours ago, ChipButty said:

I've not been to Samui for about 10 years the place looks a dump like some shanty town in Bombay, they have had ample time to re tarmac the roads and re paint the kerb stones depressing place that looks

The primary issue there, has always been a mayor that is so corrupt, it boggles the mind. He stole hundreds of millions of baht, earmarked for the Ring Road projects many years ago, and went on a buying spree, acquiring many small hotels around the island. Finally, the pressure got to the boiling point, and he started spending some money on the roads, the sidewalks, and the sewers. 

I moved to Samui over 15 years ago. It was still fairly close to paradise. Over the years it became more and more developed, the construction never stopped, the hillsides became inundated with villas, that could not be sold, nor rented out too easily, due to over development, and too much competition, and now it feels like one of those diners, where the dishrags have not been replaced for years. Wrung out. 

The other issue I realized, is that there is very little local pride. Most of the locals (people born in that area) left a long time ago, with their cash. So, nearly everyone living and working there, are from other areas, and there is very, very little pride in the island. Unfortunately, it really shows. 

The reality is, that if you get away from the Ring Road, or are sitting on some of the hillsides and some of the beaches, it is a very beautiful island. As shown here. But, it is shame it is not better maintained. 

17 hours ago, newatthis said:

Mike, you wonder what these people are thinking when they throw their weight behind a man who is a compulsive liar lacking any sort of integrity. Surely, losing is better than trying to live with all the deceit necessary to back Trump. At sometime in your life you gotta say: “I am better than this” and walk away believing morality is higher than loyalty 

Yes, good points. Anything for a buck? Protection of the status quo? Who knows. Very hard to get into the mind of a die hard Trump devotee. One conservative friend says Trump already lost, fair and square. And the other? He sent me this message this morning. And he is a sharp guy. 

Dear Donks -

The burden of proof is on you to prove you aren't stealing this election. Everything you've done so far are the actions of the guilty. Don't feel safe because you think you'll win in a court of law. You have to win in the court of public opinion. And right now, there are 70 million Americans who KNOW you're stealing.

Good luck trying to govern against that.

2 minutes ago, J Town said:

And SDNY is starting to salivate uncontrollably.

Before all of this is over, we very well might see Little Don joining Thaksin in Dubai. 

Utter desperation is setting in. And this guy is being true to form. He is without one nanogram of grace, dignity, honor, courage, patriotism, or honesty in his entire body. Biden is on the verge of winning Georgia. It will happen within minutes, or hours. And that puts him one electoral vote away from victory. Yet, the orange one screams they are stealing the election from us! Stop counting votes in the states I am ahead, and keep counting votes in the states I am behind in. What does this guy think a democracy means? Has he ever pondered that? Does he even care?

Billions of people around the world cannot wait to put this nightmare in the rear view. 

9 hours ago, a977 said:

Wish Bangkok Bank and Kasikorn Bank would apply these new rule,  just to get new passbook require Passport even when showing old passbook is full

Yes, the banking is the same as immigration. They always require the original passport, except for money exchange. Usually a copy is fine for that. Or a Thai DL. Those are the only times my passport leaves my safe, unless I am leaving the country. 

This shows you how incredibly out of touch with reality these fools are. No connection whatsoever, or they would understand they are not only the laughing stock of their nation, but they are known around the world, as being ineffective, incompetent, and super corrupt. 

Thai police are franchisees. They are about revenue collection, not law enforcement. They are about as detached from law enforcement, as Prayuth is detached from working for the benefit of the masses. 

However, having said all that, the one good thing I will say about them, is that they tend to stay out of my face, which is good. 

A ten year plan? Has this administration followed up on anything for longer than a month? Proclamations, declarations, crackdowns, and then nothing. Only a void. Zero follow up, on anything. For me, that is the very definition of incompetence, combined with insincerity. A dangerous combination for all. 

There is absolutely nothing in the way of a deterrent here, and both the local governments, the central government (weak Little P.) and the police do not take traffic safety seriously. Not even one iota. The safety of the public means less than zero to the small men in charge here. Nothing. They show that on a daily basis.

They will not do a thing. Why? They do not care about the people one iota. Not the common people. Not the average pleb. No way. Never have cared, and may never care in the future. It is all about protecting the elite, the super wealthy, those that are connected, and those in power. The rest of the population? They do not matter. The ex-pat community does not matter. And the police and the absolute joke of a "highway patrol" will not get involved unless an accident has already occurred. There is no prevention. None.

The idea of getting the police more involved, is an interesting one, and it would be an effective one. But, the issue is money. They are grossly underpaid, and until the government steps up, and spends the trillion baht on updating the police equipment, and paying each cop a living wage, it is not going to happen. Until then, they will just work the franchise.

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, nor enforcement of the law.

When I was growing up, we took drivers education courses. They showed us horrendous films, of semi trucks plowing into cars, and literally obliterating everything in their path. They also showed us graphic images of head on collisions. 120mph impacts. Even as a young kid, it made quite an impression. It was horrific, and it was hard to get those images out of your head afterwards. But, it left a lasting impression, and when I started driving, I understood it was serious business, and that it was a very dangerous thing to do. Also, my Mom gave me alot of tips, advice and driving lessons. She was very kind and patient with me. She was always stressing courtesy and respect for other drivers. My guess, is most Thais do not benefit from the same kind of experience and teaching skills?

I see people driving here, with their entire 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? We are talking about your wife, your kids and yourself. A terrible accident would utterly devastate or eliminate your entire family!

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? Where is that? 

21 hours ago, NanLaew said:

In your first paragraph, you pointed out how "goons in charge" have imperiled the Thai sex industry.

 

In the second paragraph, you failed to mention ANYTHING that ANYONE can do to change that.

The youth can keep up the pressure, and eventually oust the toxic army from power. 

21 hours ago, newatthis said:

Besides a big, toxic mouth what are her abilities / qualifications to be in parliament?

Sucking up to the powers that be. Honoring her commitment to never, ever represent the people, and always sell out her principles for almighty baht. 

If one were to calculate the amount spent on tourism infrastructure here, by private parties and international companies, it is probably close to a trillion dollars. And those entities counted on an administration to have their back, in the event of an emergency. Big mistake!

I doubt if we will EVER see 20 million tourists here again, in our lifetimes. I predict no more than 300,000 tourists in 2021. Even before Covid, the industry was declining. Numbers were up. Quality of tourists was way down. Things change and Thailand did not get with the program, and do what it needed to do. Many other more progressive nations did. The army has been moving the nation backwards, and betraying both the Thai people and investors, long before Covid. 

The longer they wait, the harder it will be to restore the industry. People have short memories. Thailand was already being forgotten by millions, before Covid, due to a dozen reasons. Now? Too many alternatives. This administration continues to see Thailand as the COTU (center of the universe). Say it ain't so! No humility seems to be manifested, as of now. 
 
So, we have about 3 trillion baht missing from the economy, minus the little bit of domestic travel going on. 20%! Millions of jobs. How long will that vacuum remain? Will the army develop some guts, courage, creativity and stop the panic mongering? It is unlikely. And what about the people? They are not really a consideration. If you are not rich or connected, you do not factor in. Woe is the average Thai, who worked in tourism. 
 
What can one say? Desperation is setting in. Heads are going to roll. Just returned from Samui. Utter devastation. 90% of the businesses on the beach road were closed, and hundreds of hotels are closed and for sale, many at half price. Trillions of baht are going to be lost here. Annually. Tourism will NEVER recover. Not in our lifetimes. Too much timidity. Too much cowardice. Too little juice and creativity. Such small minds. 

Get out Prayuth. Admit failure. Get out now. 

14 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

But then, life was never fair.

And that is precisely why we have to strive to make it such, with our own actions, which is the only power we have to influence others, behave in a noble manner, and make things right.