Tropicalevo

Come on you lazy politicians. Stop treating the symptoms with band aids, and fix the problem.

Yes. They eventually 'stole' the plane after a refurb and flew to Singapore where they were arrested. Singapore sent fighter jets to intercept them as they had no flight plan to go there. They were supposed to be just 'engine testing' around Samui. https://<URL Automatically Removed>/thailand-and-asia-news/23991-koh-samui-plane-forced-land-singapore.html

List from a website watch out for #33

Not quite the first. Samui Seaplanes This was a thread on Thai Visa back in 2006. Flights to Burma for visa runs (amongst other things). There is a long murky story behind it.

☹️

I think that is a typo. Mum is 16. Maybe 8 month old?

There is usually little follow up on stories, but I have just read in a Phuket news outlet that the poor man's body has been found. The body was identified by a tattoo. RIP

Well done that captain ????

But we cannot take his words seriously. He only has one row of badges on his uniform.

Very sad ☹️

Bit of a silly comparison. A restaurant table does not have storms throwing rubbish and seaweed onto it at high tide. ????

All of the major shops are in the Chaweng area, but that is touristville. Not really a place to live depending on your circumstances. (Age, mobility, how do you spend leisure time etc) Lamai could be a good halfway house. Northern beaches seem to be favoured by ex-pats and locals (Choengmon, Bangrak, Maenam) but taxis would be needed for major supermarket shopping. Grab is still here but it is unreliable. Cars do not turn up when they see a 'higher fare' on the way to the pick up. Taxis are bandits (same as Phuket, Koh Phangan etc) but you would soon find a good one who gives special rates for loyalty. In the towns there are some motorcycle taxis but rare in the villages. Cycling is OK but parts of the island are very hilly. (Especially where I live.) Most locals/ex-pats seem to prefer scooters but unless you are an experienced rider, do not do it. (Four large private hospitals with a fifth one opening soon. Only 50,000 official residents!) We are all different. Others, hopefully, will give you a different aspect on living here.

The islands here by Koh Samui are pretty good at the moment. https://www.iqair.com/thailand/surat-thani/ko-samui We get quite a few guests down from 'up North' at this time of year. Mind you, the island is pretty full. Pre book your rental if you are thinking of coming.

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I wonder how long it will be before Thailand tries to stop social media - similar to China.

I too import bank transactions and I use Krungsri Bank (Bank of Ayudhaya) online banking. They recently changed their statements and they were rubbish. After lots of emails, complaints etc they finally added a bit of common sense. This is what I see on my private account. The business account is slightly better but that will change in 6 months apparently. It is a bit messy putting it into the spreadsheet but doable. 12/01/2023 11:31 Transfer Deposit 24,612.00 Balance MOBILE BBL From Acc No. : X263470 12/01/2023 14:01 Transfer Withdrawal 165,792.22 Balance INTERNET BAY To Acc No. : X111698

It was not PayPal's decision. It was restrictions imposed by the Thai government in order to stop 'money laundering'.

Yes. I have a Thai id and the PayPal application said that it was not a valid id. My account was closed.

Another clue is the dates? 178,077 plus one more week.

ia Yes, apart from the fact that April can be very hot. We have always had guests here from Chiang Mai at this time of year onwards - escaping the haze.

Worth going to TOPS for supplies though. Waitrose brand and very good quality. A bit more expensive than the other supermarkets but well worth it. I highly recommend the marinated pork chops - with the spicy marinade. ????

It seems that some of the 'powers that be' are determined to stop this progressive party by fair means or foul. ????

First time that I have noticed this one. I do not know many Thais who have had 4 doses of Covid vaccine. 2 seems to be the norm.

Personally, I think that Pattaya is much more dangerous than Koh Tao. Many more deaths per annum in Pattaya. Then again, the only times that I have been attacked or threatened with a knife was in my home town back in the UK.

When my wife died, her body was taken to the local hospital for an autopsy (that never happened). The hospital will not release the body until it has received a document from the embassy. The document will probably vary depending on nationality. This was the one time that I found the British embassy to be very helpful. They emailed the document to me within 24 hours of receiving the death certificate. However, getting the police report, having the hospital release her body for the cremation and avoiding sudden 'supplementary charges' after the cremation - that was a totally different story.