Hanuman2547

How come the narrator can't pronounce the simplest of Thai words?

I used to fly THAI from the US to Bangkok.  We always purchased our own tickets but my Thai wife's father knew someone at THAI who would then bump us up to Business Class.  I never had an issue with the airline or the service but the ticket price was always more expensive than other airlines.  Now that THAI doesn't fly from my particular city anymore it is much more convenient to fly EVA, Korean, Asiana, or JAL.  I usually fly EVA as their prices are the best (usually) and the service is top notch.  They also have better departure and arrival times both on the departure and arrival ends of the flights.  The layovers in Taipei are also very short which is great.    

International travel to Thailand will not resume until the 14 day quarantine has been lifted.  That will be the determining factor provided that everything else surrounding the coronavirus continues to decline in relation to positive cases and deaths.  Luigi from Italy, Fritz from Germany, Sven from Sweden, and Johnny from the USA aren't coming to Thailand for a holiday until that 14 day quarantine is lifted.  When that will happen is anyone's guess but I would say December might be a possible start date to western international tourism if all goes well.

On 5/4/2020 at 7:53 PM, MyTHaiMyKe said:

Do you think I would be living in Thailand if I could afford to live in the US? The answer is absolutely not! I couldn't even pay my utilities in the US with what I get on SS! I would have to be on welfare and I do not wish to go that way! But soon I will be gone to live in Mexico, much cheaper than Thailand is now! Plus they give many discounts to retired people!

Mexico?  Seriously?  Too much crime there especially aimed at gringo.  Have you thought about Costa Rica and other Central American countries?

One of the bigger stumbling blocks that will hurt western tourism is that many people are fearful of being on a very full plane for 12+ hours.  That's not even taking into account the cost of the ticket(s), crowds at immigration, transiting, etc.  Many people will opt to stay at home and take holidays in their own country to lesson the cost and avoid air travel.

2 hours ago, Mulambana said:

I don't know where do you get your stats. 2017, 2018, 2019 tourist numbers 35.5m, 38.1m, and 39.8m, respectively. 

It's not that the numbers are declining but more about where are the tourists coming from.  Chinese tourism has been up but western tourism has been down.  If you're sitting at a bar in Pattaya and for the past several days and nights you see the bar only half full you will feel that tourist numbers are down.  The numbers aren't down it's just that they have shifted as to country of origin.  

I think this year the tourist season is pretty well shot.  First off, people will have to recover economically from the lack of income over the last two months.  They might go on holiday but it will be something closer to their home and in their own country.  If there is no second or third wave of the virus then it is possible to see things pick up in November 2021.  I doubt you will see the tourist numbers from Europe, North America, and Australia return to what they once were 5-6 years ago.  The businesses that cater to them will have to adjust their business model to stay competitive.  

I only read the first page and didn't see any posts about Arizona.  Excuse me if this has already been mentioned. There are a lot of retirement communities in Arizona.  You might want to consider some of those that are on the outskirts of Phoenix.  Tuscon is also a viable option and is a little cooler than the Phoenix area.   

For me, I prefer Jomtien.  Not quite as chaotic as Pattaya yet you are very close to it if you want to go out.  There are plenty of places to stay and a lot of empty units.  I would definitely offer much less than what they ask.  Leases are also negotiable.  Due to so many empty units you can ask for a lot of things to your advantage.  Sure a lot of landlords won't budge but you only need a few to offer something agreeable to you.  

On 4/27/2020 at 6:31 AM, khaowong1 said:

Snitches get Stitches.  

Snitches get Stitiches and end up in Ditches.

There.  Fixed it for ya. 555

I prefer a house.  You just have more room.  Unfortunately that leads to acquiring more stuff!  It is nice to have room to move about.  Yes, there are more issues with the mozzies but all the windows and doors have screens so it isn't too bad.  Haven't had much trouble with snakes.  Security has been good and luckily I have never had a break-in.  I do own a condo in Pattaya (Jomtien) on a high floor.  Only stayed in it about 5-6 nights over the 14 years I've owned it but I just couldn't see myself living in a 37sqm box.  

23 hours ago, unblocktheplanet said:

Smog in the red zone. No seats on the Skytrain. Queuing.

 

Come on! This is the way BKK should be: Thai. Before the selfish, the greedheads, the generals, the car owners got hold of it. Before a hundred shopping malls of the same stuff, a hundred thousand useless condos.

 

Bring back street food! Bring back Pak Klong Talat. Let's get back to being Thai, the reason most of us came here in the first place! Before Immig got to be so tight-as.

 

It is about the economy: local folks making a living offering whatever they do best right in the neighbourhood.

 

I'm not seeing any anger, any impatience, just cheerful resignation, making a go of it. We foreigners are here because we love it, just like Thais.

You must be talking about 1985.  Although there were still a lot of cars about and the generals were always around.

On 4/19/2020 at 7:32 PM, VocalNeal said:

There is some truth in this. 

 

I think "friends" need a shared history which is where the age thing above comes into play. 

 

For mates , depending where you live, try Hash House Harriers. Some nice nice people , some A holes but on the whole OK. 

There is an altruistic element which may be the secret?

 

 

On-On!

A friend of mine went to both Foodland and a 7-11 in Bangkok.  He wanted to buy a couple of Heinekens for his wife.  These were not the usual ones, but the ones that are 0.0 alcohol.  They wouldn't sell it to him even after he pointed out to them there was no alcohol in the bottles as labeled.  Don't know what to say except TIT.

Yes, I know of four people that have tested positive for the coronavirus.  Three of them that I work with.  They are currently being treated and are in quarantine.  Another one hasn't tested positive but his GF who he lives with did test positive.  He is now in self-quarantine and has been for the past 10 days.  I do not have any symptoms and plan on keeping it that way.  There are about 4X the numbers of positive cases and deaths in my one county then in the entire country of Thailand.  

I bought one of those shoe boxes in Pattaya about 14 years ago.  It's a small 37sqm unit on the 12th floor.  It's kitted out nice with a ceiling fan, 3/4 size fridge, two burner stove, and a locked screen door with big wooden slats.  (people walking by can't see in)  Helps to get the cross breeze when the sliding glass door from the balcony is open.  On the ground floor are a lot of shops including laundry so you're not stuck hauling you laundry very far away.  There's also a couple of small restaurants, mini mart, and a huge pool.  Lots of parking too for both cars and motorcycles.  Despite all this, I've never lived in it other than about one week many years ago.  I just rent it out.  Always been occupied until about a month ago.  Oh well, it's paid for so I'm not to concerned.  For me though, I couldn't live in it.  I need more space and prefer a house.  

I've done some RVing in the USA mostly in the western USA.  It is fabulous.  September is a great month as the kids go back to school so the National Parks are less crowded and the weather is still great.  

On another note, since RVing in Thailand is logistically a nightmare you could do the next best thing which would be to just drive and stay at small hotels and bypass most of the bigger cities.

We did this same thing for our two luk krung boys when they were 4 & 2.  Both were born in the USA.  We went to the Thai Consulate in Chicago and submitted all the paperwork that they requested.  Mother's Thai passport, Thai ID card and a copy of her house registration along with a copy of our marriage certificate and a copy of my birth certificate and passport.  Why they needed all my documents I don't know but we had them.  This was in 1989 so I'm sure the rules and regulations have changed.  

Unfortunately I will not be getting a stimulus check due to earning too much in 2019.  I would assume that many American expats that are posted to Thailand from their company in the US would fall into this category as well.  

Keep the school year as it is.  The weather is too hot during the Thai summer and many schools, especially in the provinces, don't have A/C.  

I haven't been down to Bang Saray in a good 15 years.  An expat friend of mine his Dad and wife moved into a house they own near the beach there.  They have been there almost 20 years.  Prior to that he was an expat in Bangkok for roughly 30-35 years.  He's pushing 80 but seeme to like it quite well in Bang Saray.  

As for me, well I know of a nice little place on the beach but I'm definitely not going to broadcast it and let the hordes move there.  

Unfortunately I went through this same situation 15 years ago.  My oldest luk krung son at the time was 19 and studying at university in the USA.  When he turned 20 I had him come back to Bangkok and the house and land was then put in his name.  He had everything he needed such as name on tabian bahn, Thai ID, and passport.  It was all pretty straight forward and not too difficult to do.  At the time we had one year to come into compliance with the transfer.  In reality the Land Office knows nothing about it until we filed which was 10 months after she passed away.  

On 4/6/2020 at 12:38 AM, Redline said:

Was he even born in Thailand?  Next we will see step sons and brothers died in England or Italy?  No Thais ever dies in China?  Or, nobody wants to live in China 

According to the article, he was born in New Jersey which is a state of the USA.

On ‎3‎/‎31‎/‎2020 at 12:32 PM, thrilled said:

I’m in the U.S. 1 in my county. Don’t know who. Deaths in the U.S. and in thailand are low compared to the cases. Ran Paul and I agree it is way over blown.

If I lived where you live maybe I might feel the same way.  But I don't live there.  I live in King County which includes Seattle and Kirkland in the state of Washington, USA.  This is where it started in the US.  I live 5km from the nursing home where it really took off.  It's a whole different game here.  Most businesses are closed.  Unfortunately I work in an industry that cannot be shut down.  We are open 24/7/365.  As of yesterday at 3:35pm we currently have 2,865 confirmed cases of positive tests for the coronavirus.  In addition, we have 200 deaths.  This is just for one county in the state of Washington.  Obviously those numbers will go up.  At my place of employment we have three people that have tested positive and about five that tested negative.  We are waiting on one who got tested yesterday as his live in GF has tested positive.  He is only 23 and his GF is about the same age.  It's very different in many places across the USA.

19 hours ago, jacko45k said:

Still think of it as the old Merlin... 

Me too!