forcebwithu

Replying in this topic to avoid going too far astray in @la8rat's topic. This time of year we'll have more bad air days than good due to meteorological conditions that will vary day by day. This morning was particularly bad because we had a slight overcast which prevented the sun from heating up the landmass and breaking through the nighttime inversion layer. Below is a C&P of a post I made on another forum as to why see more bad air days in the cooler winter months. The reason why rain, or any silly attempt by the govt to spray the air with water, doesn't do much to alleviate the air pollution this time of year... As we enter into the cooler "winter" months, the winds shift to predominantly offshore winds which in turns means we see less of the cleaner air over the ocean and more of the air pollution from the industrial estates around Pattaya. To add to the fun, later in December we'll have to contend with the winter inversion layer which traps all the gunk in the air closer to the ground. It's the industrial estate pollution that is the primary source air pollution around here rather than farmers burning their fields.

Another source for good quality, 100% cotton polo shirts is Littel Embroidery. They have a good selection of sizes and colors to choose from. We've been using them for years for Hash House Harrier award shirts. Cost with embroidery is 350B, so shirt only I would expect to pay around 300B. Map Link

Caught them in the act on the 19th. Then noticed on the 28th they had put these marks down on the alley next to the Rock Factory. Not sure what idiot thought there's enough room for two way vehicle traffic on this narrow soi. Apparently the locals think the same as half of what is really wide enough for a motorcycle is taken up by parked motorbikes and an entrance barrier.

^^^ That's what I did when I first moved here. Now fully retired, but the first half dozen years here I did data warehouse work for my old company back in the US. It was sweet deal, charging western consulting rates while living in a country where the cost of living was a fraction of the west; not to mention much better looking eye candy.

It used to be we could get an income affidavit from the US Embassy. That was the route I went until immigration changed the rules and would only accept the affidavit if the embassy guaranteed what was stated on the affidavit was true. Only a couple of countries do that and unfortunately the US isn't one of them. So about 6 or 8 years ago when the new rule came into effect I started using an agent to fund the 800k for a few minutes. For the 65k/month route it would be good to hear from someone that uses Pattaya immigration how that's working out for them. Everyone I know, or have read about their experience either has the 800k in the bank or goes the agent route for the quickie loan. The area I live is between Arunatai and Sukhumvit. Many houses similar to what I'm living in that are available for rent.

For health insurance I'm with IMG. I also have the worldwide rider that includes coverage in the US. Annual premium at age 68 was $2,800 paid this month. That gives me $5 million of coverage with a $2,500 deductible. Another popular one with expats is Pacific Cross. From what I've seen, cost is about the same for almost as good of coverage as what I have with IMG. On the subject of shaving, I switched from foam in a can to shaving soap years ago as it's much less expensive. Both my Mach 3's and shaving soap are sourced from Lazada. The razors I buy from the official Gillette store to avoid the poor quality knockoffs (link). I see the current price is 594B for 12 which is probably the best you'll see. Watch though as the price varies widely week by week. Here's the link for the soap I buy that works just as well for me compared to foam or gel. Used to be 99B for a bar, now up to a whopping 109B/bar. 🙂 For mobile data, it's a confusing minefield of pricing and plans out there. I use AIS for calls and have a 2nd sim from True I use for data. I purchase a new sim each year as it's cheaper than renewing the plan as they want a much higher price for the renewal. Cost is currently 2,099B for the year (link). That gets me 70GB of fast 5G internet each month. Home internet is True Gigatex Fiber Pro 500M/500M. Cost is 640B/month. For housing I have a nice 3 BR, 3 bath, 2 story detached house I've been renting for 16k/month the past dozen or so years. Electric runs me about 2,400B/month and water I think my last bill was 86B. It helps somewhat on water usage that my lady's garden gets watered from a rain collection system I installed consisting of two 5,000L tanks. I'm on a non-O visa and my extension to stay that used to cost me 12,500B/year using Manareet for the use of their 800k for a couple of minutes. That cost has now gone up to 15,500. I would still be willing to pay the higher agent fee, but with all the uncertainty around that still being a viable option two months ago, I made the decision that this year I would have the money in the bank. Since my renewal is in November I had to act on that decision in August to make sure the money had sat in the account for the required time. I'll still use Manareet for the extension at a cost of either 7 or 8k. The advantage of still using an agent is I can then use the 800k after the extension to stay has been processed for living expenses. That avoids the utter lunacy that the 800k has to sit untouched earning fck all in interest for five months, and then only being able to use 400k of my money for other seven months. The other usual, day to day expenses are more affected by personal lifestyle choices. I choose not to own a car, so only have the cost of a motorbike. I really enjoy Thai food, and my lady is a great cook, so food cost is relatively low. Maybe 15 - 20k/month. That leaves me plenty left over to spend on booze and other "entertainment".

CAAT bans drone flying nationwide until August 15 CAAT bans all drones nationwide until August 15 due to Thai-Cambodian border tensions; violators face fines, jail time, and possible drone seizure. The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) on Wednesday issued an urgent announcement prohibiting all drone activity across the country until 15 August 2025, or until a new order is issued. Nationwide ban covers all UAVs except for security agencies According to the announcement, the ban applies to all types of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and all areas nationwide. The only exception is for authorised security agencies. The CAAT said the temporary restriction was issued for security reasons amid heightened tensions along the Thai-Cambodian border. Legal authority and penalties CAAT Director Manat Chavanaprayoon stated that the ban is supported by national security laws, which empower the CAAT to suspend UAV operations if they pose a threat to public safety or national security. Violators will be prosecuted under the Air Navigation Act B.E. 2497 (1954) and face: Up to one year in prison, or A fine of up to 40,000 baht, or Both penalties

dkmotorbike is his user name on the Line app. I'm like you, I have my old tried and true methods for communicating and am loath to adopt anything new; and this is coming from a tech geek that enjoys coding and database work.

dkmotorbike is pool hustler's aka pattayagolf's business. I see @sinbinjack has posted on PA and already received a reply back from pattayagolf. I had tagged @PoolHustler in my previous post since that will generate an email to him if he has notifications turned on.

@PoolHustler is active on PA as BM pattaygolf. Last login was within the last hour, and his last post was on 30 June listing the following rentals available. Does the contact info match what you have? Bikes available, NEW 2025 Honda ADV 350 cc Free Delivery and Collection Other bikes available ADV 160 PCX 160 Click 160 Line dkmotorbike. 0899326716

Another good video from this guy's channel. If nothing else, he has some beautiful background scenery.

I'm sitting at BKK now after another safe ride with one of Nam's drivers. Excellent service. She arrived about 30 minutes early, which I appreciate as I'd rather have the driver wait for me than me wondering if they're going to show if they try to show up exactly on time. Got my first ride ever in an EV too. Her car was a BYD model.

I remember reading somewhere that tremors from quakes are directional in nature. Google AI confirmed my memory.

When you see videos of high rise pools sloshing water back and forth during an earthquake, that's a good thing as long as a person doesn't get tossed over the side of a building along with the water.

Another article about the building and companies behind the construction. From the article, "He reported that the structure was about 30% complete and had resumed construction after delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic." Under-construction audit office in Bangkok collapses after Myanmar earthquake And a reddit topic about the same...