[T21 Foodland]

2 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

The foodcourt at T21?

I think he means Took Le Dee restaurant at Foodland in T21.

[Veterans victims of Gerrymandering]

I don't think anyone was 'denied their right to vote'. Voters in the UK have to show photo ID at the polling station. There is quite a long list of acceptable forms of ID including driving licence, passport, various types of travel passes, disability badge, defence ID (MoD 90) etc.  The 'Veteran's ID' card is a new thing, introduced only a few months ago and not yet added to the list. The government have said they will update the list ASAP. Bit of a 'storm in a teacup'.

[Are you thinking of returning to the UK with your Thai family?]

1 hour ago, Muhendis said:

 

Good question.

 

I guess someone important enough decided it was worthy of pulling apart officially by the government influencers (backbenchers to you and me).

 

Some of the comments highlight the fact that something like 70% of the UK population live on less than the £38,500 minimum income limit for migrants, so why are migrants required to have more?

 

I think I'm going to answer my own question.

 

Immigrants need more money to pay 150% of any NHS treatment they may need irrespective of any income from working in the UK.

 

 

I'm not defending the £38k income threshold but many countries do require immigrants to have an income well above the national average or median.  For example in Spain a long term visa for non-EU nationals requires a minimum income of something like €30k plus health insurance. Thailand of course requires ฿800k for retirement visa, which is a lot more than the average Thai lives on.

Immigrants to the UK do not pay 150% of healthcare costs, they pay the NHS Surcharge when they apply for their visa (immigrants working in healthcare are exempted). Once they get ILR there is nothing more to pay.

[Frozen pension policy turns British expat's dream into a nightmare]

I'm not yet of state pension age and a 'frozen' state pension is unlikely to affect me much in future (I probably won't relocate permanently to Thailand and I have a high passive income from part-ownership of a family business). Notwithstanding my own circumstances I do think that the freezing of pensions for pensioners who have paid the required NI contributions is one of the most unfair, unethical and immoral policies of successive British governments. The freezing of pensions is made all the worse by the provision of Pension Credit.  Pension Credit is essentially a non-contributory UK state pension to which the entire global population above retirement age may claim, if they can show residence in the UK.  Late last year I assisted an elderly Asian lady claim Pension Credit. She is not a UK citizen but by some fairly convoluted means became UK resident a couple of years ago. She has never worked or paid NI. On account of her almost nonexistent English I did a Pension Credit application for her. She was successful and now receives c.£800/month plus Housing Benefit, free dental and optical care etc.  I would guess her benefits amount to in the region of £1600/month.  She lives in a rented room in a shared house. Not a great lifestyle but tolerable. She's a very pleasant lady and I don't begrudge her the Pension Credit, but if does highlight the unfairness of policy when expats who were given no choice but to contribute to their state pension over many decades are deprived of a substantial portion of its value based on some archaic and whimsical policy.

[Moving older Thai children to the UK]

1 hour ago, Rich888 said:

All good points. In an ideal world we want to live together as a family, but my job is specialised and I wouldn't be able to do it in Thailand. My fiancée is keen for her and the children to move to the UK for better educational opportunities. I think the younger child would flourish here, very outgoing and confident, but the older is more introverted and sensitive. If they do come I want to send them to a private school where they should get more support and hopefully meet other children in the same situation. They both seem very keen although I have a nagging doubt that some of that stems from not wanting to disappoint their mum. Ideally I want them to attend an international school in Bangkok for 6/12 months first to see if they can manage the British curriculum.

Not sure if you have a particular UK private school in mind but my experience of 'private schools' is that there can be quite an element of selection (I attended boarding school many many years ago and my three children - now late 20's early 30's attended private day school). Many schools are over-subscribed and there are likely to be entrance tests and admission criteria relating to previous schooling.

[Thai wife driving in UK]

Cost of car insurance for a few months cover for a non-resident foreign national with non-UK licence will be astronomical - if you can even get a quote.  Cheaper to rent a car with included insurance and/or use taxis, depending on distances to be travelled.

[American tourist pretends to be German, then hits waitress in the face]

Wanting to be German?  Clearly has serious mental issues...

[Thai doctor in Swiss expat case says she has ‘stress’]

2 hours ago, Silencer said:

Both the Swiss idiot and this Doctor are a piece of work. Apparently, neither has any class or control.

Well he started it. And in the video of the incident he certainly doesn't come over as a particularly pleasant character.  Something odd about his whole background - a security guard in Switzerland then comes to Thailand and is renting elephants for his elephant sanctuary and living in a ฿1M /month villa? More holes in that story than in a piece of Swiss cheese!

[Smokin’ scuffle: Foreigner’s taxi tantrum goes viral in Phuket]

The wife and I were planning a trip to Phuket later this year but seeing all the violence and crime kicking off down there I think we'd better stay in the relative peace and tranquility of Pattaya.

[Thai doctor in Swiss expat case says she has ‘stress’]

4 hours ago, Martin71 said:

If this minor incident gave this Dr PTSD what will she be like working in a busy A&E dealing with people with horrific crash / violent assault injuries....when there is blood and guts and brain matter all over the place...?

It just doesn't work like that. I have a daughter who is a doctor. She's worked in A&E and had to deal with all kinds of major trauma, illness and death. She just gets on with it. She now works in Urology and is in theatre three days a week and clinics two days - mostly dealing with prostate/kidney/bladder cancer patients. But away from the hospital she's actually quite shy and even gets nervous returning faulty items to a shop. I can imagine her being traumatised if she were to have her name and picture splashed over national media.

[Toilet paper on the dinner table]

9 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Maybe it was mentioned here already: Toilet paper only becomes toilet paper if it is used in toilets. Otherwise, it's tissue on a role.

Actually not. Toilet tissue is specifically manufactured for use in waste and septic systems - it contains very little binder and breaks down into fibers after a few minutes in water. Other tissues such a facial tissues and kitchen tissue have much higher levels of binder so they stay intact when wet and don't shed fibers and disintegrate. Toilet paper is therefore pretty poor for drying hands and mopping up spills. 

[Wifey Into Menopause]

28 minutes ago, glegolo18 said:

I have a question about helping wife and her menopause-problem which is: she is gaining weight,

She is Isaan, of course they are gaining weight, but this is a bit too much for her.

 

I do not know how to help her more than to find a doctor or a hospital who can advise her about weightloss. problem is NOT food, she is eating like she always has, but still gaining weight. She is in june only 49, seems to be a pity to start to be too "big" at such an age.

 

You guys can you recommend please any hospital or doctors in and around Chaiyaphum, Khon Kaen or Khorat-area, that would be highly appreciated by me.

 

Thank you

Glegolo

I don't think menopausal weight gain is inevitable and I don't think  doctor can help much (other than put her on Hormone Replacement Therapy, if that's what she wants).

My wife has gone through the menopause but is the same weight as when I met her about 13 years ago - slim and fit and looks better than most 30 year olds.  Partly its likely lucky genetics, but she is very very active (always exercises at least 2 hours a day) and always moving around doing something. She also eats very healthily - Isaan food but very little sugar, a lot of vegetables, chicken and fish, not too much rice.  Mentally she is very stable and not moody at all - so I think diet and exercise helps with that too. I think basically we all know what to do to stay fit and a healthy weight - move more, eat less and avoid all the sugary and fatty stuff, alcohol etc. That is probably all a doctor can tell you - other than prescribing HRT, which is another subject.

[Toilet paper on the dinner table]

Toilet paper everywhere but in the toilet..

[Dried Thai herbs back to UK]

Over the years my wife has bought hundreds of kilos back to the UK.  We have travelled many times with Emirates with a combined 100kg of baggage - 70kg+ of it being foodstuffs of every kind.  Customs never taken an interest in it. Part of her 'empire' is a restaurant which serves Thai food and she likes to experiment with different foods/regional styles etc. and if recipes work out she then finds a proper importer to source for the business. But in truth you can now find everything you need, fresh, in the UK provided you're prepared to pay.

[Why am I going CRAZY, these days? In this New Age?]

19 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

 

Not to mention, my love of Suzy Wong before you were born....

 

 

Do you even know what it was like to romance a WanChai Girl?

 

Just sayin'....

 

 

 

 

Suzie Wong was played by Nancy Kwan - she was Eurasian (Chinese/British) hardly a Wan Chai girl.  She was actually educated at Kingsmoor School in Glossop, England, very close to where I was born and brought up.

[Thoughts on car? Chevrolet]

3 hours ago, dlclark97 said:

Ford has a 10 year contract to support Chevrolets.  Parts are readily available, see https://www.gpautoparts.co.th/en/products-service-2/after-market-2/ac-delco-products-2/.  After reading other comments I have to add a little.  Toyota is the top selling brand with good record of their maintenance services.  Honda a close second.  In my time here I have purchased four 4 door Colorado pick ups.  Very happy with all of them.

1. The link you provide relates to provision of SERVICE parts by ACDelco.  Obtaining service parts will not be a problem. The issue will be obtaining slow-moving non-service parts because there is almost no profit in them so no incentive to hold stock. This can be a challenge for vehicles that have an active dealer network, let alone one without any dealers....

2. The OP is specifically asking about the Captiva. This is a GM-Korea product and completely unrelated to the Trailblazer, Colorado, which are GM-USA originated, part of a joint venture with Isuzu, and a different prospect altogether. 

[I wonder who controls the Borough....]

16 hours ago, transam said:

Oh dear, Hauptmann is angry at Chris, The UK has always had building advertising, it's only people like you who are offended by it, as it might have an impact on the value of your street......

Do a Google search on UK business wall advertising... 

 

 

Or how about modern wall advertising............😂

 

I am not angry at Chris. Obviously very old wall advertising was done in a different era when there were fewer regulations and some of it is actually now protected by heritage legislation (it can't be overpainted).   Modern wall advertising and OOH signage is covered by planning regulations, as I stated above. Not really surprising or difficult to understand, is it? I know a bit about the subject since I've had to apply to a local council to install and change signage.

 

[I wonder who controls the Borough....]

Its nothing to do with the union jack. The regulations around what is called 'Out of House Advertising' (OOH) - which includes most external signage - have always been pretty strict. For most councils for anything bigger than 0.3 sq. m. (which is actually quite small) you need planning permission.  If councils let this sort of thing slide then half the walls in the town would have stuff painted on or stuck on. The chip shop owner is milking it for all its worth for the free publicity.

[Everything i need to know about buying a car in Bangkok]

1. Up to 90 days in Thailand you can use home country license+IDP. You should get a Thai license after 90 days.

2. For car insurance there are many brokers. Roojai is a popular online broker (Thai + English website). Class 1 is the most comprehensive level of cover. Try to choose a policy with the highest level of third party cover (probably ฿5M). Thai insurance is often a bit lacking on coverage. Ask for the basic compulsory insurance to be included as well.

3. Yearly road tax needs to be purchased - cost depends on the specification of the car. I usually buy at a vehicle testing station (they are all over the place - have a gear-wheel sign outside) or you can buy at DLT office or some post offices, shopping malls etc.  They need to see valid insurance and your vehicle registration book. They will give you a square tax sticker for the windscreen.

4. Vehicles over seven years old need an annual basic roadworthiness check at a testing station.

5. Up to expiration of car warranty (typically 3 years) its best to have services done at a franchised dealer for your brand of car. 

6. Consumer protection is rather poor in Thailand so dodgy dealers abound. Some brands have 'Approved Used' schemes (e.g. Toyota's ToyotaSure), but prices can be high.  Last year I helped a friend buy a car from an outfit called Cars24 (www.cars24.co.th) at Lat Krabang. Not the cheapest place but they had a good selection of cars and those that I inspected were straight.

7. For cheap commuting in Bangkok get yourself a 'Bobby Basic' Jap car - European cars are trouble in Thailand. Avoid anything with a turbo'd three-cylinder engine (that's basically Ford Ecoboost and Nissan 1.0T and Honda 1.0T).

[Thoughts on car? Chevrolet]

The first series Captiva was a product of GM Korea (formed after GM bought Daewoo following bankruptcy in IIRC 2002). GM Korea had assistance from GM Europe (Opel) and came up with the 'Theta' platform which underpins the Captiva and the Opel/Vauxhall Antara. You don't say what engine the Captiva has - but probably a GM 'Family Z' Diesel. Another GM Korea/Europe co-production.

These cars were generally quite cheaply made - not bad cars but not particularly good either. From a UK motor dealer's perspective we were never a great fan of selling use GM-Korea 'Chevrolets' because the quality was never that good and you could guarantee the customer would be back in a month or two with a fault. Although to be fair they were not really any worse than a Renault or Fiat, but suffer very heavy depreciation. The exception was the little Matiz/Spark which was based on Suzuki-designed mechanicals and pretty hardy.

After the GM bankruptcy in 2009 the Chinese (SAIC) 'rescued' the company and GM small car design in Asia shifted from GM Korea to SAIC.  SAIC own the brands MG, Roewe, Baojun, Maxus etc.  These SAIC brand vehicles are largely based on legacy GM-Europe products.  The MG ZS (Roewe RX3) is actually based on GM's D2-PATAC-K platform (a low-cost derivative of the D2 platform developed by Opel for the Insignia) - the engines and most of the running gear are also old Opel designs. The latest Captiva (MG Hector) is also based on the same platform (as is MGES, MG5 etc).  The problem with SAIC products is very average quality and poor parts availability and repairability (at least in the UK). Corrosion is a problem in the UK - probably not in Thailand.

 

In your particular case I would not be paying ฿250k for a 13 year old Captiva. It would need to be really cheap - half that. You can pretty much guarantee it will require some repairs and will not be a particularly easy car to sell in a year or two's time.  Mechanical service parts should be easy to source but you may encounter problems with trim parts and more obscure clips and fittings, should you need them. That may sound like a minor inconvenience but if a little plastic clip on the gear shifter breaks half way up a mountain in Chiang Rai and the only replacement is 3 days delivery away in Bangkok then it can be a major inconvenience.

 

Remember the cost of a car is the difference between purchase price and disposal price. I'd be inclined to pay more and buy a Toyota/Honda/Isuzu which will hold its value better and ultimately cost less.

If you just want a reliable small car to get about on a tight budget then take a look at the Suzuki Ciaz. Cheap as chips. The Suzuki K-series engine is one of the most reliable pieces of machinery on the planet and although the trim feels a bit flimsy it seems to last the distance. They are also reasonably roomy in the back. A bit sluggish but quiet and comfortable enough once you get up to speed. ฿250k should get you a two year old example.

[Tattoos]

I agree that tattoos on women are a big turn off.  Seeing older women with blurred tattoos on saggy skin is gross.  Tattoos on men are a useful indicator that the guy is a mutton-head and to be avoided. Guys with good jobs don't plaster themselves with tattoos.

[Thai man in Pattaya tries to reunite Russian woman with family]

Strange story.  Its not like there is any shortage of Russian speakers she could communicate with....

[The owner said if you speak Thai then get out!!]

Saying 'hello' in Thai (สวัสดีครับ - sawat di krap) hardly qualifies as 'speaking Thai' since even foreign tourists straight off the plane can often manage that.  If you said you'd engaged her in a political discussion in Thai then I might believe you.

I speak reasonable Thai for over 30 years and whilst its true that some locals can be a bit wary ('you know too much') I don't ever recall an unwillingness to take my money.

[Confirmed 60-day Tourist Visa from Wellington $300 NZD]

Bizarre when a 30 day entry is free. Can't see it being a popular option......What has NZ done to upset Thailand?

[Thai Embassy in New Zealand increases visa fee 600%]

Single entry Non-O is NZ$800 !   Very harsh on Kiwis wanting to visit a Thai wife or child.  Surely will be preferable to enter on 30 day waivers and take two return trips to neighbouring countries?