Pilotman

Absolutely no excuse and the explanation you put forward here is not a valid reason for shoddy and unhelpful service and a poor attitude. They are a disgrace and have been for many years. You are wrong by the way, the busiest by most measures is in Delhi, he second in Washington DC.

Agreed, but unfortunately for us all, Ubon Joe is not in charge of Immigration and each Immigration office seems to make what they will of the new (and old) rules, regardless of the actual wording, or our interpretation of it.

wrong I'm afraid. The vast majority of my income derives from/in the UK, so I pay tax on it. Yes, dental and prescriptions free. I weaned myself of all my medication before I came here, proving the old adage, that if a Doctor can't find anything actually wrong with you they still prescribe something anyway. Never been or felt healthier for years!

I don't live in or particularly near Rayong City itself, but out in the country west of Ban Chang. it's 35k from Pattaya and about the same to Rayong City. Met when I did some business for my company with the company she worked for.

Nowhere is far enough away for that to happen

In many ways, yes it is.

It is owned by our family company, in which I am the biggest share holder, but not the majority share holder. The majority is held by my Thai wife and mixed Thai/Brit daughter. The company also trades in agriculture.

Its not the 'run of the mill' issues that worry me, the hospitals are fine for them, if a tad expensive. its the possibility of a big hit, cancer, heart issues etc. The medical services are good, if you can afford them. I can, but I would hate to 'waste' the kid's inheritance on a major issue here that would have been free in the UK, but that is the choice you make when you move here. .

I live in the countryside, in Rayong Province, just on the border with Chon Buri Province, a good choice I think. close enough to everything, but far enough away to avoid the crowds. I have been visiting Thailand for around 35 years. My Thai wife and I married some 21 years ago and so she is delighted after so many years living outside the country, to be back home. Interestingly, she misses the UK a lot more than I ever do, curios that.

True enough, but I guess my point is that such formal training is not an absolute requirement here. Too many village and small school teachers are not qualified to teach anything.

we pace ourselves, same with sex.

No point here mate

I have found that driving a little Toyota Yaris, a change from my UK BMW, has calmed me down quite a bit. I can't beat anyone to anything, so no point in trying.

Full marks to the TV execs. The changes to the website are excellent. well done you.

It may be the experience of your step daughter, but I'm afraid that the facts speak for themselves. By any international measure that I have seen, Thailand comes in the bottom third of all countries with regard to education attainment for the majority. The University system here is broken beyond repair and I am afraid that the village schools have such a narrow interpretation of what students require, that many if not the vast majority leave school with little to no knowledge of the world around them or curiosity about it. It leads to many facets of Thailand and its people, including a 'flexible' interpretation of the 'rule of law' , the social acceptance of the sex industry, the distorted perspective of the Thai authorities as to where they sit on the World, even the idea that a part trained doctor who has failed his/her final exams , working in a village hospital is acceptable. It all comes down to education in the end and if the teachers are not right the system will not be.