josephbloggs

I can't tell you about servicing costs as I am still under the five year free servicing period. Ay my last service they even replaced all the brake pads for free which really surprised me as usually that is normal wear and tear and not covered under warranty. Four years ago when I bought mine they were good value for money for the Thai market. Cheaper and much better specced than the equivalent BMW, Audi, Lexus etc. I've never been one to pay a premium for a badge. But definitely now they are overpriced as are many of the other legacy marques. If buying new now I would only go Chinese, and I would only go BEV. BEVs don't work for everyone but they would suit my needs perfectly. Anyway don't want to hijack this thread with irrelevant Volvo talk any more.

Actually if we are talking second hand it probably would have been assembled in Malaysia (as mine was). I think it is only the BEVs that are made in China and the Malaysian factory has now been closed.

That's why I was suggesting a used Volvo. Top of the range low mileage XC90, 321 bhp for a decent price within the OP's budget. Agree that in the current market new Volvos are overpriced, but they are great cars, great spec, not just an "OK" SUV. . A good second hand one with a warranty is worth considering. My XC 40 has a lovely interior, good responsive 2l turbo engine, Harmon / Kardon 13 speaker sound system and more safety tech than you can shake a stick at. A year or so ago I was driving down Sukhumvit at night, I indicated to move to the right lane and immediately my car made warning noises, swung me back to the middle lane and told me it had avoided a collision. At the same time a motorbike went speeding down my right hand side with no lights on. The tech saved his life. Two days ago I was stopped waiting to turn right. All of a sudden the seatbelts pulled me and the other occupants tight, hazard lights went off, and parking brake was applied - it detected I was about to be rear ended - thankfully the car missed, but only just. My friend spent way more on an Audi Q series. Better looking (especially on his 21 inch rims) but lacking in tech, inferior sound system, no self parking, no active safety to speak of. Anyway, would I buy another Volvo today? No. Are they fantastic and well specced cars? Yes. Just that today you can get better value for money with the Chinese brands. I do love the EX30 but I wouldn't buy one for the money now.

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At the risk of going off topic I took a few people to Raffles 11-12 years ago and said they had to try the Singapore Sling as it was the birthplace of the drink, all that history etc. £17 per glass and they just poured them out of a big bottle - they weren't even made fresh and they didn't try to hide the fact they had giant bottles of the stuff pre-made behind the bar. So disappointing. Nearly £100 for five glasses of pre-made rubbish.

I really enjoyed the food when I was there but don't remember a lot of the details of what we ate now, but I do remember eating a lot of Bacalhau, both fishy and non fishy. We were lucky because we met an Argentinian guy in Bangkok who had lived in Rio for 20 years and would be there at the same time as us. Obviously being Argentinian he spoke Spanish but he was also fluent in Portuguese so he just took us to all his favourite local spots, ordered all the food etc. Had some good nights in Help too. Outside of Rio we were on our own. I really loved the Bahia region though, think we stayed in Pelourinho. The carnival there was amazing although getting pickpocketed was less so. Also spent a few nights in Porto Seguro which was also fab. Fond memories of the trip.

I just completed this quiz. My Score 50/100 My Time 23 seconds  

You do make up some rubbish jonny, you really do. He's not being charging with having bad thoughts or expressing bad things is he. He's being charged with rape, human trafficking, and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women. It's nothing to do with his views, it is everything to do with his actions. We will see what comes out at trial, until then why do you automatically defend him? He is vile, nasty, a bully and coward. My opinion. What is yours?

Welcome to Asean Now where even the most innocuous post asking for recommendations on data plans descends in to mindless, pointless bickering. This site is slowly dying.

Oh dear. He wasn't jailed for singing a rude song was he. Where do you dream this stuff up? Or who tells you what to think? Is it Tommy? He was jailed because he plead guilty to violent disorder and there was video evidence to support it. He also later admitted he was ashamed and embarrassed by his actions. Anyway he's got plenty of time to reflect on that now, and hopefully it will deter more yobs in future.

Who was jailed for asking "who is Allah"? Come on, if you want to debate with adults please do so reasonably and don't make up ridiculous nonsense as it doesn't help your case. Or did Tommy say someone was jailed merely for asking who Allah was and you naturally believed him? Otherwise where do you get this nonsense?

Ah yes, "speaking out about it" by throwing bricks at police, smashing up shops and looting them, setting fire to hotels with the intention of killing the asylum seekers inside. Speaking out, I see. Yeah, it is really harsh to be going after those speaker outers.

Yeah, because an anonymous caller on a right wing TV channel said so. Must be true. Do you people just believe anything you see? I mean obviously, yes, and it explains why Yaxley-Lennon and Farage are so rich.

Everything I said was factual. The only contentious thing was me calling him a "loon". If I retract that word the rest still stands, nothing to debate. Sorry if it touched a nerve, I will be more mindful not to upset snowflakes in future with my choice of words.

Go on then, I am dying to hear this. What "immeasurable" damage has he done to the world and what damage is he continuing to do to it today, seven and a half years after he left office? This is going to be good.... Not just damage, but "immeasurable damage" to the world. Do tell. Did Trump do any damage?

To be fair your post was very difficult to understand, don't get your knickers in a twist. "GiffGaff £35 for a One month rolling plan No Unlimited on PAYG. PAYG £35 for 150GB"

AIS is unlimited data, it is not limited to 12gb - not sure where you got that from. 30 days for 1,599 baht. You get 15gb at maximum speeds available, after that you still have unlimited data but the speed is capped. I was in the UK recently and used that plan and didn't come close to hitting the 15gb max speed limit - you would need to be streaming video content all the time to do that. I was using it care free, browsing the net, calling, using Google maps etc and didn't come close to hitting the 15gb speed limit. You said you will be there 2-3 weeks. You can always start with a 15 day plan for 949 baht (8gb at max speed, then still unlimited but speed capped), then if you want to do another seven days it is 499 baht, just apply on the app. For a possible small saving why bother faffing around changing SIMs, then having to re-login to all your apps like WhatsApp etc.

That's utterly pointless. £35 is about 1,570 baht. AIS will give you 30 days unlimited data roaming for 1,599 baht and you get to keep your usual number, all your apps logged in to your usual account etc. To save 29 baht why bother with all the hassle of changing SIMs?

He just lost a relative less than 24 hours ago and you want to interrogate him?? Seriously why ask all that less than a day after he lost someone?? What are you hoping to gain??

You might be right - as I said I went in 2006, 18 years ago. No idea what it is like now. I just loved the whole thing at the time.

Not "nonsense". I just shared my opinion, if you disagree that is fine and I respect that - it's an opinion.

Three replies disagreeing with me - seems I am in the minority then. Still I think hand holding for adults is just weird. Hand holding your kids - absolutely! Teenagers holding hands, yes! But adults? Nah, cringe cringe. The occasional arm over the shoulder is fine, the occasional arm locking, fine. Hand holding, no no no. Just personal opinion, no right or wrong, I just don't like it.

Thanks, but just sharing my experiences - I am not an expert and could be wrong on the BOI thing. Other people here know more so will undoubtedly chime in.

Thanks for sharing. I had a different experience though. My friend and I booked a car and driver to take us there, we wandered all over the Brasillian side and it was quite busy but enough quiet spots to get pictures. We also did a boat tour which was fun as you go right in to the foot of the falls. And before we even started we did a helicopter tour of the whole thing which was amazing, especially when the pilot swooped down at an angle over the falls - a real heart in mouth moment. After that we went back to our car and he drove us over to Argentina and we spent the afternoon on that side. Much more impressive than the Brasillian side and much less crowded (if I remember correctly - it was 18 years ago now). Definitely busy but what amazing spot like that wouldn't be? But we found enough quiet places to get amazing photos. I would share them but I am in most of them so therefore don't want to. Definitely agree on the power station / dam though, we did a night tour there and it was very underwhelming and very boring. That was our first night in Brasil and a definite let down. The rest of the trip was amazing though. We did eat local food in Igaucu and it was good. But not as good as what we ate in Rio and Salvador.

Grown adults should not hold hands no matter if it is your wife, girlfriend or someone rented - it is pathetic. Hand holding is for young teenage kids. Whenever I see adults doing it I just feel cringe, it is horrible.