Tropicalevo

It is a bad crop this year. Drought. (A friend has a durian farm.) There is a fresh market at Bangrak - opposite the road to the airport. Foreigners always pay more there. That is why I never go. When the crops are ready, there will be pop up stalls all over the island. Again, foreigners pay more.

They need language skills. Higher salaries.

Silly boy. Tourists will buy their duty free at departures where they start their journey. I never buy at arrivals.

I would suggest staying with a certified service centre. I used a 'local' guy to fix my 30 year old De Ville. He did a great service and had it working again, but he could not do the pressure test for making it waterproof. As I do not wear it often, that is not a problem for me but a Seamaster.........

She was not given a choice. She was attacked from behind before any attempt was made to take her bag.

I suspect that that is a naive comment. Do not look just at the price. Look at what you get. Guided tour of 2-4 hours (the people are experienced), safety features in chambers 2 and 3 and improved facilities at the cave. Someone has to pay for all of that. Extras are the clothing and insurance. The main entrance chamber is still free.

Your first sentence is correct - in theory. I sprayed the land before we started construction - in the dry season. We still soon had termites in the houses. The land where I live is riddled with the little devils. Every villa has termite damage somewhere. Continual spraying everywhere is the only solution. We do it every month for termites, mosquitoes and other insects. Snakes and rats are on a call out basis. I remove the monitor lizards myself. Spraying does not have to be toxic. It is a matter of costs. We use a local company that is eco-friendly. They just cost a bit more but safe for pets and humans (young and old). The only smell is from the fogging outside. www.facebook.com/Ecopest

All of those schemes are 'part time' schemes. No permanent help for the people that voted the opposition in.

There have been military coups in Thailand well before Thaksin was born. (Started in 1933?) It is part if the uberrich's plan to keep the masses poor and uneducated whilst leaving the rich to enjoy their spoils.

The 'masses' actually like the guy and prefer him to the alternatives. He won elections and did follow up on his election promises. The others didn't.

I have answered some of the steps to go through in your other thread. If your wife does get a visa and go to the USA, tell the airline the reason why. The airlines are usually very sympathetic in these case. (My F-I-L passed away whilst visiting us. His widow et al were very well looked after by the airline.)

My F-I-L passed away in Australia when we were living there. He was cremated there and his ashes were posted back to the UK. A little bit 'cold' but much less then 450,000 THB. Cremation in Thailand is straight forward. You will need to contact the embassy as the hospital will not release the body otherwise. When my wife passed away at home, the police came to check that there was no 'foul play' and the hospital also needed a police report in order to release the body. My wife was cremated here and as I live here, her ashes are at the local temple. The really sad bit is that both the hospital and the morgue both wanted a 'payment' before releasing the body. (I refused and threatened to call the police. Body was released.)

I do not disagree with your synopsis. I just think that 'better off' depends on current circumstances and where 'back home' is. I have nothing back home and I would not want to live in the UK now anyway. I would be arrested for my views before I had found somewhere to live. Thailand is stuck with me. Sorry.

And it does not mean that it is all true either. Who can tell. AI is ruining factual reporting.

What an exciting way to end ones days! And no doctors, computers or TV.

I struggle to understand these people that spend so much time, money and energy on 'preparing for the worst'. I things are so bad after a nuclear war or natural disaster, why bother? OK. So I am in my 70's and I have had a great life but would I really want to end my days drinking contaminated water, eating 'nuclear' fruit and berries off the trees and fighting zombies? Bring it on I say.

OK - I was suckered. I thought that it might be a serious comment, not just another conspiracy theory by yet another Tik Tok wannabe. Tik Tok has to be the biggest time waster on the planet. Boy. The Chinese have suckered everyone it seems.

From the main article - they are going after the Thai guy as well.

Same for me last year at SCB. I showed them DL, WP, yellow book, pink id and bank book for existing account there. No - COR please. Opened two accounts at Krungsri instead. (I did not need anything there except passport last year.)

I would think that a work permit is the least of your worries here. As you say, playing/education etc. The only very slight worry might be a jealous 'concerned citizen' complaining to the police about possible child labour. Your D-I-L would be able to handle that one. It is just the granddaughter 'playing'.

Just a thought. Is the arrivals car park the same cost per day as the departures? (I try not to make assumptions when dealing with BA and charges.)

The one time that I had check in luggage a year or so ago, I went straight to Business class check in (I fly economy but have the Bangkok Airways resident card), showed my A4 check in form and that was it. No problem. At first, the security folk were nervous about my A4 form and would ask the supervisor if it was OK, but lately, no issues. I follow the same process when returning to Samui. I ask the hotel to print out the A4 check in form for me. Head for security at the airport. Sorted and then straight to the Bangkok Airways lounge.

I concur with the first sentence - until this year. I tried to open a second account at SCB (been with them for years) and they asked for a COR from immigration. Samui immigration will not give those any more. I showed the SCB my passport, existing bank book, work permit, yellow book, TM 30 etc etc. The bank insisted that it must be a COR from immigration. Went to Krungsri and just gave them the money that I wanted to deposit. Job done. As you say - case by case.

Here on Koh Samui, cold season is at an entirely different level. It was cold(er) and raining during November. Daytime temperatures down to low 20's. And yes, I was under the duvet and wore socks and a T shirt in bed at night. Now, we are back to sunny and 33 C at the moment. It is not usually this warm in December, but in 23 years here, the lowest that I have know in 19 C and that was many years ago.

No they do not. I use this trick when I go to the airport on my motorbike. Leave it at arrivals rather than departures. I usually check in online and only travel with a back pack. Straight to the gate. No queues.