js007

When I first retired, I moved to Thailand for about a year after getting rid of most of my stuff and putting the rest in storage. After that, I decided it might be better to do six months in Thailand, six months in the USA. I did that for a few years and then came back to the USA for two years. Then I started the on and off to Thailand routine and that lasted a few years. For the last two years or so I've been dealing with a sick father who finally died a few months ago. After I straighten out that mess, I may well move back to Thailand. BUT, I may keep a house in the USA and just rent i

The problem is, how do you know you're getting the real thing? In Thailand, I wouldn't assume you'd be getting the real thing, even if you pay for it. Sometimes you do, sometimes you don't. Maybe if you go to a Thai hospital clinic? Certainly, someplace is honest.

So would it be logical that a Turk would somehow be involved with the Uighur thing? The whole thing seems bizarre.

7:30 AM is kind of late. Still, I remember one time being in a Walking Street go go bar at 3:45 AM, but I left soon after that. And it's not unusual to see people still in some of the beer bars early in the morning on the way to breakfast. Maybe they should just allow them to open 24 hours a day. Down in Phuket, it used to be that when you heard the noise from the bars die down, that mean that the sun was getting ready to come up. Once in a while they'd crack down, but usually things went on most of the night.

I realize all that. In fact, I'm probably guilty myself of overpaying for Thai food. I guess I was just trying to alert anyone on a budget that you don't really have to pay 100 baht for Pad Thai.

Isn't 100 baht for Pad Thai sort of expensive?

I've only just stopped at the Japanese airports. Narita and Osaka. But one of these days, I'm going to stay a while and check it all out. That is, if I can convince myself that there's not much radiation danger. They still haven't fixed that problem, but we don't hear much about it anymore.

I used to use the Premium Economy non-stop flights when they were available. I tried both the NYC to Bangkok route and the flight from LA. Nice seats for the price. I also once flew on a Thai Air 747 from LA to Japan and then on to BKK.

Anyone who could accurately predict these kinds of moves could be a billionaire in no time. The world is a complicated place. Big moves are underway. China seems to be in trouble and has been selling US treasuries. They've also been buying gold. Japan has been printing lots of Yen. Europe has its own set of problems. In the US, the Fed would like to raise interest rates sometime soon, but probably won't for a variety of reasons. And the dollar, for what it's worth, seems to be a safe haven of sorts. My guess on the dollar high for the next year? 40.

The procedure definitely isn't painful. They usually give you some demerol and another drug and you're knocked out. The worst part of the whole ordeal is there prep the night before.

Ten years goes by pretty fast. or so it seems. My guess is that not much will have changed. A few new hotels, perhaps. Some older structures demolished. Fewer Western tourists. Better transportation options. That's about it.

For what it's worth, YouTube has some videos of a guy down in Phuket riding around various parts of the island on a Ducati at very high speeds. Looks like a fun bike that could get you killed fairly easily if you ride like that.

Sounds like they're trying to do a good job. Good customer service goes a long way. Here in the USA, Amazon can be incredibly fast. They now have same day delivery on many items, and from what I read, they're testing out drone service for even shorter timeframes. Buy an item and a drone flies it to your front door in no time .

Believe it or not, Secrets isn't necessarily noisy. However, they do have a few rooms with windows that open onto the back of the What's Up go go bar. This rooms can be noisy. But on the other side of the building, it seems to be fairy quiet at night.

Mostly, it's a day off for some people and an excuse to have a cook-out and a few beers.

Went out to a Greek restaurant yesterday, for lunch. I forgot to take pictures, though. Today, a local tree company is supposed to be cleaning up some huge tree limbs in my yard that came down in a storm the other night. And that's going to cost me $1000 or so, unfortunately. The weather report is not good for this week, so I may well be repeating the same scenario next week. With any luck, I'll have this place fixed up and sold before one of the trees falls on it.

Maybe I've just been luck, but that's pretty much been my experience as well. You might wait for our or five minutes, and then you're through. The bigger question is this: will your luggage be there? They always seem to lose my luggage if I've had to change planes a few times. Of course, they usually find it in a day or so, but still. Nothing's more annoying than to wait around for your luggage for 45 minutes, only to figure out it's not there. From now on, I'm seriously considering just taking a carry-on. No checked bags.

It sort of seems like most of the Western world is in deep trouble. The USA, Europe, Japan. Even China has trouble brewing, according to some. In other words, if most of the word's economies have similar problems with debt, maybe the problems aren't so bad after all? Personally, I'm hoping that the system continues limping along for the rest of my natural life.

Putin a problem? Really? I know there are some within the US Foreign Policy apparatus that are pushing for a war with Russia. They somehow see Russia as a "threat." I don't see it, though. I think it's just the same old crap. Certain elements pushing for another war because wars are profitable. Of course, any nuclear exchange would be catastrophic.

Most big stores in the USA have those motorized scooters at the front door for customers who think they need one. That's what that one looked like. Obviously, it didn't appear to be necessary.

Obviously, if there are pictures that you don't want anyone else to ever see, you can delete them from Flickr it that's where they somehow end up. Most of my pictures are totally boring, so I don't really care.

I use Flickr. It's pretty neat. If you have a smart phone, there's a way you can have the phone automatically upload every picture you take to Flickr. Within the account, there's a way to designate which phot0s are public, which are private, which are for family and friends, etc.

The Pattaya classified ads are filled with rentals. 15,000 baht a month should do it, easily. Maybe check out Baht and Sold.

I this the Novatel by the airport? For what it's worth, traffic is light very early in the morning. There's no real need to be close to the airport. You could easily take a cab from lower Sukhumvit and be at the airport in no time.

I guess I would want to see a penalty stiff enough so that no team would ever again try to cheat. It's supposed to be a sport, after all, not some contest with no rules.