Tropicalevo

E cigarettes are also harmful and can cause many problems. https://www.who.int/news/item/05-02-2020-e-cigarettes-are-harmful-to-health

Why is that a problem. Many people found guilty do not go to prison. Me for example.

In theory, that is correct. But. This is Thailand and one of the main issues is that the 'instructions' do not always trickle down the chain of command. (Not just in Thailand by the way.) A very simple example. When I first moved to Thailand, I attended a course entitled 'Thai law for foreigners'. A very useful course. It was given by lecturers from one of the universities that educated lawyers etc. When I came back to Samui and started talking to lawyers here about company set up, shareholders, owning land (or not) and so on - most lawyers that I spoke to had not seen the laws that I had been taught. Same with documentation needed to open a second or third bank account and so on.

I have just looked at the specs for both. Is weight an issue? A friend has a Chinese wife - about 55 kilos wet. She only wants a lightweight bike. Scoopy is too heavy!!! (91 kilos) Honda is 81 kilos. Yamaha is 99 kilos. I prefer a heavier bike myself.

Sometimes. But the Tessabaan have teams of street cleaners that go around tidying the streets regularly. Where they do not clean, we have local community groups/hotels that do it as well as clearing the beaches. We had a private street clean last week and beach cleans the week before. Obviously, with tides, the beaches are a never ending job. Pretty bad after a storm. We work with a group called 'Trash Heroes'. https://trashhero.org/network/trash-hero-koh-samui/

I do not know either bike but I have had bikes from both manufacturers. My first bike in Thailand was a Yamaha. It was OK - but quite a few problems over the years. Nothing major but starting it was a problem if I did not ride it every day. Honda - no problems at all. 15 years old and going strong. We are involved with a number of bike rental companies on the island and they all prefer Honda.

I am XXL and they happily take my stuff. If they sell it - so what, if it helps to improve their lives.

I do not know about Silom but pretty much every coffee shop that I know of that is part of a chain, and also most that are proprietor only, have very good wifi.

Every time that I 'throw things away' I put them on a table and the Thai staff help themselves. They take everything, no matter how old or tatty. Could you do the same outside your house?

I wonder how the tourists are counted. Flights only? As far as I know, the ferry companies do not separate tourists from locals from deliveries. Does anyone out there know?

The people did decide. Thaksin was voted in by the people. The military decided that they knew better than the people and Thailand has gone downhill ever since.

They are not new rules. They were first brought in when a bomb was found on the plane that Thaksin was about to board. It was under his seat. Before then, no checking of passenger's id for domestic flights. AND you could carry guns as long as you discharged the weapon into a barrel of sand just before check in. https://english.cambodiadaily.com/news/bombing-of-thai-pms-plane-bewilders-visiting-officials-20287/ https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB983784572920287408

No you don't - a photocopy will do. Hotels just need the information for the TM 30. Some hotels accept Thai id or driving licence. When I travel domestic, I never carry my passport. Too much aggro if lost or stolen. I never go to check in - always online check in and just a backpack. But I always have a copy of my passport including the arrival stamp and visa. For everything else I use Thai driving licence. Thai id is no real use for airports as the name does not match the boarding pass. The airline can refuse to accept it.

I feel for folk here on Samui. The immigration people have been tricky for years, although I thought that things had improved in recent years. When I first came to Samui, I was on a retirement visa. I had to deal with a gentleman called Nok. My first meeting with him, he led me to his 'office'. It was a store room where we sat on boxes of paper. He explained that if I wanted the visa, there would be an additional charge, payable to him. I stood up to walk out. The conversation then went - Nok 'where are you going? Do you not want a visa?' me 'yes I do, but I think that you are asking me for a bribe. That is illegal and I will not do that. I will get a lawyer to obtain my visa' Nok 'But I am much cheaper than a lawyer' Me - yes, but still illegal. Goodbye'. After that, every time that I went to immigration for the 90 days or renewal, Nok made me wait all day. Set up the company shortly afterwards and now the accountant processes my WP, Visa 90, day reports etc etc. I spend 5 minutes per year at immigration having my photo taken Apologies to readers who may have seen this story before.

At least Thaksin was arrested and deprived of his liberty. Unlike the killer from the Red Bull family that has got away scot free.

Agreed - vile stuff

They do all of the basic stuff here but Samui is a bit famous for expensive private medical care. For major ops - I guess overseas treatment must be cheaper. I do not know the prices, but they have done it more then once. Even some not so major ops here are expensive. I was asked to pay almost 400,000 baht to have my prostate removed. (TURP - I negotiated a discount.) Another friend, married to a Vietnamese girl, says that private medical care is much cheaper there. He goes to Vietnam for most non minor things.

Back to the old saying - Give a man a fish and he eats for a day.......... It was vote buying in the simplest terms.

Wrong. I lived in Sydney for a few years and rented great house with the living accommodation upstairs, bedrooms downstairs - for the views of the opera house. Washing machine in the kitchen upstairs. Mouse ate through the hose. The whole friggin house was flooded. Water flowing like a river out of the front door. (I was at work all day!)

I know a couple of people who have brought their elderly parents out to live here. With money, it is easy. Retirement visas (1.6 mil baht in the bank for two) and then self insure. For any major surgery, they fly to Turkey or Vietnam. Last op was hip replacement in Turkey. The old folk love it here and have no desire to go back to their own country. Good advice from cmjl - come for a holiday. If they like it - stay. The only problem the old folk had - Thai driving test. They are in their late seventies/early eighties.

It probably depends on location. My wife had always worked with children but did not have a degree. Back when Noah was a lad and English speaking schools started to open here on Samui, she was asked to teach young kids because of her experience with children. She enrolled on a 'distance learning' teaching course based in the UK. Sorry, no idea which one. That qualification enabled her to obtain a 'teaching licence' and to be able to teach in any school in Thailand. Just before she died, she was promoted to head teacher. Still no degree but she had been teaching for 15 years by then.

Automatic if they plead guilty. If they gave him five years, it would be reduced to 2.5.

Oh great. Let's make it cheaper for all of those diesel engines to pollute the air. A bit of advice - switch the engines off when you pop into the shop or are sitting waiting for your loved one to come. How many times do we see trucks, cars etc sitting there stationary with the bloomin engine running.

I hate those matchstick things that are similar to McDonalds. I go for sunny day Spicy Wedges - 18 minutes in the air fryer (turn after 9 minutes) Pretty good. I buy mine in Tops.