Bruce Mangosteen

Perhaps not unexpectedly, the article does seem to indicate that it applies to app-based ride-hailing services, but not regular taxi services or motorbike taxis. "The measures will apply to all ride-hailing platforms, not only Bolt. Other operators currently renewing licences (sic) can continue normal services during the adjustment period."

Dayum son! 8 years between posts! 😀

Interesting article on InDrive Thai here: https://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/business/2024/10/27/indrive-poised-growth-thailand-ride-hailing-market-for-2025/ The article mentions that InDrive was founded in 2012 in Siberia, and entered the Thai market in 2019 as noted above. Here's the list of countries they operate in: https://indrive.com/help/about-indrive/where-is-indrive-available Clearly the company has the resources to comply with the Thai rules, at least unless/until the Thais change them every 15 minutes.

IMHO the entire point of this exercise is that the taxi operators persuaded the government to kill ride-sharing services. But the government needed political cover, so they put in place a set of hurdles they calculated the ride-sharing services would never be able to clear, and that appears to have panned out. Don't get me wrong, I was a frequent user of Grab when it first appeared, and I'm a strong proponent of the so-called "gig economy". This just appears too much like a government put-up job designed to solve a political problem to me.

https://thethaiger.com/news/national/bolt-licence-2193-legal-cases-dlt Thailand’s Department of Land Transport (DLT) announced yesterday, April 29, that it may refuse to renew Bolt’s licence after finding 2,193 legal cases linked to the ride-hailing platform since the start of the year. Department director-general Sorapong Paitoonpong issued the warning during a press conference on measures to regulate ride-hailing platforms. [...] Sorapong said offences had continued despite the government allowing drivers to enter the system under rules issued by the Electronic Transactions Development Agency (ETDA) over the past three to four months. The Ministry of Transport is now preparing stricter enforcement, especially against platforms that fail to supervise drivers properly or comply with legal conditions. Bolt’s licence to operate app-based taxi services is due to expire on May 11. The DLT said that Bolt’s licence renewal in Thailand may not be approved if the company cannot show credible improvements in safety standards, transparency, and driver supervision. More at link.

On the bright (?) side, 40K gold necklaces are a lot harder to spot than they once were.

When I lived there it was in View Talay I. They have bars, restaurants and shops on the ground floor that open out onto the sidewalk, and water throwing is STRICTLY PROHIBITED. That worked out very well, because I could escape the water without becoming a hermit or a nomad, but go out in it if/when I wanted.

I think that, if there were one third of the bars in Pattaya that there are now, which I reckon would match the number of bars there were ~20 years ago, the place would look like a Japanese subway at rush hour.

IMO Champaign was never going to stand up to comparisons with the original bar before they fucked with it. It had a fun, funny vibe, and the girls were raunchier and more fun. The second version was worse than the first, and the latest version was worse yet, sterile and boring. Pattaya is a case study for the saying, "Not all change is improvement."

Been to that show a couple of times. Very cool.

Hmmm...

The name on your ticket won't match the name on your passport. Whether this causes a problem is at the discretion of the ground staff. Immigration and customs are generally not interested in your ticket except to check for whether you have an onward flight booked. I know this because the last time we went to Thailand the travel agent I used misspelled my wife's name on her ticket, replacing an "m" with an "n". That error is pretty subtle and I doubt all of them caught it, but the American ground staff for Asiana did before our trans-Pacific leg.

Moose on the loose!

Dunno, an inflatable kite seems kinda like a cheat to me.

^Oopsie! 😬

What the OP is looking for is either called a "pocket wifi" device, or a "mobile hotspot". "Pocket wifi" seems to be a Thai or Asian reference. For example, here's Netgear's page on these gadgets: https://www.netgear.com/home/mobile-wifi/hotspots/ ...or: https://www.netgear.com/on-the-go/hotspots/ Look for a device that's either certified for the Thai network you want to use, or more generally an "international" unit, certainly one that's unlocked. Some but not all support esim. If buying in Thailand you should be able to find these either in Tuc Com or a phone shop. I'd look in your preferred carrier's shop. Prices range widely.

You'll need a reentry permit I'd imagine.

Yes, agree. I was also thinking that the parent company might want to recoup their investment in the drivers' licenses etc. All in all a very good business move on their part it looks like.

Nice. Glad they managed to maintain the service level despite the challenges. Good company methinks.

Very glad the company was able to weather this. Did you notice any increase in fares?

Submitted the application for retirement benefits online today. Interestingly, they allowed me to select December 2025 as the start date of benefits, which would mean I'll get a check next month. Fingers crossed!

Been there, great show. Hope to catch another one soon, maybe next year.

Thanks for the great pics. Hopefully this upcoming Christmas season will be the last one I spend anywhere but Thailand.

I had to (past tense, did it yesterday) do this because somehow my birth hospital didn't notify the SSA of my birth. That's usually done automatically, accounting for why most people aren't aware that it happens. Interestingly, I found out about this when I tried to make a login for the "my SS" online service a few years ago. I could get to a certain point in the process but no farther. Called the office and the guy said, "Oh, that's because you don't exist!", and fixed it. He told me at the time that all my benefits were secure and there was no problem, but that I'd have to present a BC before I could apply for anything, in office or otherwise. I confirmed that by calling again some months later and talking to someone else. They also take the application by phone, and I made an appointment. What I figure is that I'll attempt to make the application online and, if the software blows chow for any reason, I'll already have the appointment to talk to them about it.

My wife likes the attached wat, and we went/will go there occasionally when we live(d) there.