Tropicalevo

I have been here for 25 years now. Planned to retire and rent out a few properties on the land that I 'bought'.. Came here with my wife (Brummie lass) as she chose Thailand when I asked where we should live next. Retirement never happened. I ended up starting a small business and run that with 14 staff. Now approaching 74. Still work 7 days a week. Take holidays whenever I want as I long as the staff can reach me when they need help and a bit of farang wisdom. No desire whatsoever to go back back 'home' - UK. The place sounds terrible when I talk to my wife's relatives back there. Most of my relatives are dead anyway - just a daughter who can barely wish me Happy Birthday. (We fell out when I refused to change my will when my wife died. Daughter wanted everything.) Back to the plot. Thailand has changed a lot in the 30 years when I have worked and lived here but as others have said - so has everywhere else. (I came and worked/lived in Bangkok in 1993.) To me, the winter (6 weeks?) is cold and the summer (April) is hot. The rest of the time the weather is pretty dam good. I live on Samui - away from the tourist areas. Wife said 'I do not care where in Thailand but I want a swimming pool and sunsets so I have sea breezes for six months of the year. Plan B was going to be Tanzania but I would not go and live in any of the African countries now. Anyway, I cannot leave Thailand, as the memorials for my wife, son and a good friend are in the local temple. I still have to put the flowers and incense sticks there every week. A bad day here is still better than the a good day in the UK.

This is terrible. Just $2.3 million USD down to less than $1 million. And instead of sorting out the country's budgets, the MP's fight and bicker with each other. Always after 'their cut'. How much are those useless submarines again?

Make legal gambling available to the masses. What could possibly go wrong.

But does Prawit have an alibi?

Try telling that one to all of the foreigners that have (much younger) Thai girlfriends. Age is just a number. At 16, I was a part-time professional dancer with many older girlfriends. (28 years old was the record.) 16 in Thailand is old enough - with permission.

You are correct of course, and I am sorry to burst your bubble, but the USA's influence here in Thailand diminishes daily. China's is Thailand's best friend. Anything that China wants from Thailand - it gets. Unless it's own needs overwrite that. Marco Rubio's statement is just a publicity stunt following on from the orange buffoon’s claimed success in Gaza. (Now that is an even bigger joke.) By the way, she/he/it does not have the job yet. History.

Dear MP's Instead of bickering, in-fighting , and trying to get your own noses into the trough, PLEASE sort out the mess that you have all put Thailand in to. PS and stop interfering with the BOT who are better and more qualified at looking after Thailand's money than you are.

If you are coming to Samui by Seatran, there are hotels less than 500 metres from the ferry terminal.

There are a couple of small places near the Seatran ferry terminal eg Baan Suan Resort Khao Hua Bon Resort

The very bright sun here in Thailand does blind one at sunrise and sunset when on the roads. However, the one that makes me peeved is the number of folk who do not dip their headlights when driving a night.

Entitled <deleted>. I think that you are not about to leave Thailand.

No mention of not seeing the red traffic light.

I do not know what the side-walk is like in Pattaya, but down here one cannot walk on the side-walk for more than a couple of metres in the built up areas. In the photo, it looks like there is no side-walk. Everyone is walking on the road.

Interest emphasis on nationality here. Usually, when the Burmese are in the wrong, they are 'foreign' workers or immigrants. Here, maybe hoping to get sympathy from Thais, they are Asian.

No, the bigger question is why were the yellow shirts acquitted, but the red shirts not? https://apnews.com/article/thailand-protesters-yellow-shirts-airport-shutdown-acquitted-c078389fa87fcb449bb936f9fbec5cf7 It has nothing to do with right or wrong. It just about power and influence.

Are you sure? Yes, keeping out the riff-raff, but.... I read sometime back that most of the Burmese Generals launder gamble in Singapore and have other interests there. Singapore does excellent PR work on being a clean city. And on the whole it is. But it is not quite so squeaky clean when big bucks are involved. It is the only place where I have lived, where I was also offered drugs. In the pub, next to my apartment. Even here on Samui and when I lived in Bangkok - nothing.

They have the shooter. They have identified the middle man. (AKA the fall guy.) Just need to identify the guy that ordered it all. Or as Meatloaf sang it.........

Hi, I need to replace the electric gate mechanism on a heavy gate. Remote control etc - everything needs replacing. Recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Oh dear people. It may be the Land of Smiles but you are not allowed to have fun. Too dangerous? Note to netizens. Crossing the road here as a pedestrian is far more dangerous.

I disagree. Thailand will become the mega-hub of money laundering. Scams will increase - especially involving fake money (Bitcoin etc) Even more criminals and undesirables and netizens will become outraged as they are not getting a slice of the action.

So, you have to go the bank every month in order to do a manual transfer? No thanks.

My on-line banking (Bank of Ayudhya) sends a OTP to my phone which is registered with them. Money cannot be transferred without that password. Three false attempts and the transaction is stopped. Who do you bank with?

I asked my lawyer that question when my wife died. We had just sold a property and the money was in her account. So I transferred 500,000 baht every two days until it was back in my account. Told the lawyer, he said 'do not worry, everybody does it. Only tell the bank after probate.' (The will was invalid - we had just sold the property and needed to change it.)

And presumably, the end of the money. Hell hath no fury..........

Maybe it's an old trick used by vans and songteows all over the place. How much? 200 baht. Arrives at destination. 400 baht please. You said 200 baht there are two of you - 200 baht each. 400 baht! just sayin'.