js007

I've never stayed there, but it looks like a nice place. It's close enough that you could walk over to Bangla Road at night. It might take ten minutes or so, but so what? The tuk tuks will try to rip you off. J

Assuming there's a Wi-Fi switch on the computer somewhere, turn it on. The computer will find the available Wi-Fi networks in that area and tell you whether they're locked or not. If you're staying at a guesthouse or hotel, you usually have to get the password for their network from the front desk. J

Excuse me for not wanting to read 8 pages, but does anyone know the history of the apparent hostility to Indians? There must be a reason behind it. J

I'm disappointed. I saw the headline and thought the article would say "Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad calls Rush Limbaugh an asshole." Which would have been true, by the way. J

From what I understand, when you buy an annuity you're gambling with the insurance company as to your life expectancy. They look at your age and their actuarial tables. They then sell you a product to pay out over a specified term or for your life, at a specified interest rate. They then go into the market to purchase securities that will fund the payout and give them a profit. You get a tax break and they make money, usually. Are you feeling lucky? J

I've never thought seriously about buying an annuity, but don't they have some sort of tax advantage, being an insurance product? Or am I thinking about some other type of policy? But other than the tax advantage, then yes, the insurance companies are screwing people, more likely than not. J

I could have had a deal like that one time in Minneapolis. I was going on a Northwest flight to Tokyo when they asked for volunteers to take the same plane the following day. They'd put you up in a hotel and give you an $800 voucher for another flight. I should have taken it, but I wanted to get to Thailand, as I was just going on vacation. In retrospect, it was probably a good deal. J

No, it was definitely Drinking Street. I still remember the commercials. I was sick in bed with the flu for a few weeks, and so all I had to watch was the Pattaya TV. They had commercials on every hour or so. Some older guy that usually did all the commercials for the bars and restaurants. Not Howard, but some other guy. J

I'm thinking about doing a multi-country trip this year. I'm open for just about anything so long as the countries involved aren't too expensive. Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia. Maybe parts of Eastern Europe? I'll have to do my homework, though, as I'd like to keep the airfare expense to a minimum. J

I've pretty much decided that's about how I'm going to handle it for the foreseeable future. Stay in the USA for a few months every year to do taxes, take care of business, and for any necessary medical appointments, and then off to Thailand or some such place for nine months. That would be easier than trying to move there entirely. I could still get the retirement visa, though. That's not too much trouble and it's good for a year. J

Well, if you're sure your connection is OK, then try Firefox or Opera. Or even Safari. Anything but IE. Then, make sure you have the necessary plug-ins. J PS Have you tied emptying your cache?

I'm supposed to be finishing my taxes today, but so far all I've done is to play around on the Internet and eat Chinese food. Maybe I'll actually get them done, although the schedule D is a pain in the neck. Anyway, I think they owe me money, so if I finish them tomorrow instead it's no big deal. J

I have a cable modem and my connection is pretty fast. I just loaded the page without a problem. The picture screen is black, though, until the page fully loads. Maybe you just have a slow connection. J

A couple of years ago, they were advertising business opportunities all the time on Pattaya TV. So much for the key money, so much for the monthly rent. J

I've never been there, but I got the impression that it was over by Big C somewhere. I'm probably wrong, though. J

Obviously. Actually, I'd never rent a house in Thailand unless it came with armed security guards, 24/7. Too many burglaries, from what I read. And in any event, I wouldn't need that much room. J

Nice house. Do such places typically come furnished? That would be my problem. What would I do for furniture if the place came empty? Anyway, you can't beat the price. J

Actually, I think Zimbabwe now uses US dollars, or at least that's one of the currencies that's recognized there. Did anyone see the news about the possible devaluation of the Singapore dollar? I wonder if that'll start a trend in Asia? J

I don't agree that it's now an either/or situation. Surely it's not a black or white issue. Why all the pessimism? How about this. We're at choice #1, but on our way to choice #2, over time. But it won't happen overnight and it might not happen anytime soon. Let's say they manage to patch things up a bit and the current financial institutions emerge intact, but severely damaged. Some players fall by the wayside, others come in to take their place. Maybe we'll see hyperinflation, or maybe we'll just see a gradual erosion of the purchasing power of some of the currencies currently being inflated through central bank actions. We experience a prolonged recession. Perhaps, in 15-20 years, we'll have another crisis but by then, the world population is even bigger and the problems more severe. In short, I think we muddle through for a while. Of course, some sort of natural disaster or world wide plague might radically alter the outcome. Who knows? J

Even if a person were to apply in Thailand, what's to say they can't do some sort of a police records check using your passport? Certainly, the immigration people might have that capacity. For example, I've heard of US people being turned back at the border from Canada, as apparently the Canadian immigration is able to hook into the US database(s). J

If you're over 50 you can try for a retirement visa or retirement extension of stay as they say. Otherwise, you can maybe get a double or triple entry tourist visa and then extend that one time. I don't think you'll get a year that way, but you'll get some time. Then, you can maybe start all over by flying out of the country. Another thing you might think of would be to spend a few months in Malaysia, a few months in Cambodia, some time in Vietnam, etc. That would be fun if you planned it out in advance. J

Thanks for the link. I poked around on the site the other day. Interesting. Mostly, I came away with the impression that Cambodia wouldn't necessarily be any cheaper than Thailand and can be somewhat more of a pain in the ass. The one positive was the ease of getting the business visa. J

Hong Kong? Singapore? Do your homework, though. J

Has anyone seen a good discussion board on Cambodia? It might be fun to spend some time over there. J