Gary

I have been using Chrome for a couple years with no problems. The past couple of weeks it has been freezing once in a while. I Googled best 2017 browser and Chrome was number one with Opera in second place. I gave Opera a try and am surprised at how fast it is and no hangups yet. It worked out good for me because my surveillance cameras won't work with Opera so I am still using Chrome for my default. I leave the cameras on but minimized and Opera for browsing. Just a click back to Chrome and I can see the cameras without reloading them.

Some guys like the Songkran insanity. A good friend of mine always came over during that time. The last time he did that, I told him that if he ever comes over during that madness, he is on his own. During the holidays is good but prices for everything are at their highest.

I designed and built my solar systems myself with help from the Internet. I should add that a lot of information on the net is pure bullshit. Kind of like the experts on Thai Visa. That said, there is valuable information there but you have to carefully sift through it. I was warned repeatedly that the Chinese components were junk. It appears that the overpriced western manufacturers convinced the prospective buyers that their products were worth more than double the price. I did listen to some of the posters but still bought the Chinese components. I bought spares so when the original components failed, I could easily replace the ones that failed. More than four years later I have NOT replaced any of that Chinese "junk". By the time my panels are worn out, I'll no longer need them anyways. I'll be dust in the wind by then. ADDED - I did fry one inverter. I was experimenting and ended up back feeding into the inverter. I found out that's a no no and it popped. It did work for a while but it turned out to be a $140 mistake. So I did replace one component that I destroyed myself. I still have a spare.

One of the benefits of living out in the boonies is that we will never go hungry. We drink rain water and have a fiberglass tank the holds 1,500 liters. We have enough chickens for eggs and to eat. Probably 40 or 50 chickens and a few ducks. Solar power is plenty for a freezer, lights and fans. There is probably a ton of rice stored in the garage/workshop. If we should run out of LPG for the BBQ and normal cooking, the wife has several big burlap bags full of charcoal. We also have several ponds for fish provided the locals don't steal all the fish. The wife quit gardening because the local fresh market makes buying easier than the work required to grow our own. Maybe best of all is that we are a thousand feet above sea level and have no floods. I also have a generator at the house but there is the issue of gasoline. The solar electric never stops.

Squirrel Problems The Presbyterian Church called a meeting to decide what to do about their squirrels. After prayer and consideration, they concluded the squirrels were predestined to be there and they shouldn't interfere with God's divine will. At the Baptist Church , the squirrels had taken an interest in the baptistery. The deacons met and decided to put a water slide on the baptistery and let the squirrels drown themselves. The squirrels liked the slide and, unfortunately, knew instinctively how to swim so twice as many squirrels showed up the following week. The Methodist Church decided that they were not in a position to harm any of God's creatures. So, they humanely trapped their squirrels and set them free near the Baptist Church. Two weeks later the squirrels were back when the Baptists took down the water slide. But the Catholic Church came up with a very creative strategy. They baptized all the squirrels and consecrated them as members of the church. Now they only see them at Christmas and Easter. Not much was heard from the Jewish Synagogue; they took the first squirrel and circumcised him. They haven't seen a squirrel since.

Things like that make me even more happy that my computer room runs off solar. My printer and router also run of the solar system I have TOT fiber Internet but the steel cable is not attached to the router, only the fiber cable. Other electronic and electric appliances are vulnerable but no problems for the past ten years. My grid electric supply is now the worst it has ever been. Very frequent outages. Some for a few seconds or minutes and others for hours. It is an everyday occurrence. At least my computer room has fans, lights and of course my computer and related equipment. Good luck sorting out your mess.

Makes me wonder who decided on a tunnel. An overpass needs minimal maintenance and would have been much cheaper. TIT!

I also know nothing about Apple. I do know that every Android phone I have ever had has the option to turn off data. Since Apple is supposed to be the ultimate phone, I'd be shocked if you could NOT turn off data. If data cannot be turned off, I'd certainly buy another phone. Service providers will usually give you the option to turn off data if you call and ask them, or do it yourself. AIS code to turn off data is *129*2# then the call button.

Go Go bars can be dangerous if you don't pay your bill. Of course most farangs are not that stupid.

I never had any intention of renting out my condo. At one time I did rent it out to a friend of mine. Since he was a friend and a dependable guy the rent was in my bank account every month right on time. During that time I discovered that I missed the place when I went back for visits, especially during high season when hotels were full and rates were high.I'm not wealthy by any means but I am able to live exactly as I want with a surplus from my pensions every month. If I sold the place, what would I do with the money? No way would that affect my lifestyle and I would lose my way of changing scenery whenever I feel bored at home. The condo has a separate bedroom and is totally furnished including a desktop computer and a washing machine. When I go down for a little holiday, all I need to take with me is a backpack full of clothes. There is a small restaurant across from my condo in the complex. There is a 7-11 right outside the gate. Security is second to none. Monthly maintenance is 10 baht per square meter or 600 baht per month. There are no taxes and the maintenance fee pays insurance and trash removal. I consider that quite reasonable for a second home away from home. Different strokes for different folks. I am also aware that a hearse has no luggage racks.

I view paying rent as a total waste of money. That said, buying a condo in your own name is pretty safe. I never viewed my condo as an investment. I bought mine when there were 41 baht to a dollar. I no longer live in the condo and I don't rent it out. I like it there when I want a change of scenery. It also serves as a security blanket for me. After more than ten years with my Thai wife, it's not likely that she will throw me out but one never knows. I could be out of her house within a day. I will always have a roof over my head and certainly won't miss any meals. How do you put a price on peace of mind? I could never put up with the feeling of being or feeling trapped. My policy has always been to never to spend money that you could not afford to walk away from.

I got priced out of my health insurance policy here. That means that I am self insured. I have money in the US in case I should have any major medical problem. There is more there than the limits of the policy that I had. I only have a son in the US. He has done well for himself and certainly needs nothing from me. If I don't have any serious medical problems, he will inherit that money. One never knows what the future will bring so having that nest egg is comforting to me.

Here upcountry, it's mostly the kids having water fights. It is amusing to me seeing them having such a good time. I had all the car windows rolled up tight and I got a number of free car washes. The only thing that really irritated me was some of the older boys throwing some sort of white powder mixed with water. It's a good thing that I had plenty of water in my windshield washer. The mix was so thick that it was impossible to see through the windshield. Nothing funny about that. Of course some of the older kids, male and female, were drinking heavily, stumbling around and dancing on the road. I was somewhat concerned for the motorbike riders who were hit with two inch streams of water from irrigation pumps. This is the first year up here that I have seen them using irrigation pumps. In years past the heaviest streams of water came from garden hoses. Most of the pickup truck drivers drove responsibly, including my wife who hauled kids and their water supply. I have not heard of any serious injuries although some motorbike riders were knocked over. I didn't see any fist fights. I went up the mountain to Kun Ming with a friend to a restaurant. They have tak taks with trailers full of visitors who go on the tours. It must have been understood that the people who took the tours were off limit. I didn't see anyone throw water on them.

Back in the old days a group of us would go on a nice long ride on Sunday afternoons. I was seriously thinking about buying a Harley Sportster to fit in better with the boys. They made fun of my Honda rice burner. Sanity got the best of me and I ended up with a BMW shaft drive. I fondly remember the guys wanting to swap their Harley with me just until the next gas stop or until the feeling came back to their numb hands. Those little Harley gas tanks did not give the hogs much range. The BMW had a huge ugly gas tank but I could ride several weeks with one tankful. I ever had the desire for a huge heavy bike of any brand. If my bike fell over, I wanted to be able to stand it back up myself.

I got another surprise from selling out my retirement fund. I thought I had good information regarding income taxes. At age 71 I thought that money would be tax free. This just shows that the fund manager did NOT do his job. He had told me that there would be no tax penalty. I paid over $1,500 dollars income tax on the funds. When I asked the fund manager, he said there was no penalty but that I had to pay regular income tax. Had he told me that, I could have taken it out over several years and not paid any tax. Then again, there would have been fees for each withdrawal. At least I'm done with the greedy bastard.

Hmmm, that's where I went wrong. I bought high and sold low.

Very old thread but an interesting topic.

I wouldn't be at all interested in buying a derelict unit. Too many headaches and potential headaches. It is much safer to buy a unit that you can put the key in the door, turn on the lights and see if the toilet flushes. Check how the electric is billed and how much the monthly maintenance will cost you. Most complexes will allow you to look at the books and check the balance of the fund. Maybe the most important thing is to make sure the unit can be in your name. I know guys who bought off plan and when it came time to get the chanote, they were told that the farang allotment was used up. That meant they had to have the unit in a bogus company name. That's NOT good for resale. Depending on your circumstances will determine whether to buy or rent. I would NOT buy a condo for an investment. You should plan to live there and if you eventually want to sell, you don't have to be in a hurry. Many guys buy shoeboxes and get tired of being cramped up in it. They want to upgrade to a liveable sized unit but are basically trapped in their shoebox. Larger units are much easier to sell. I consider a separate bedroom, room for storage and a washing machine as a must have. There are some circumstances where a 500,000 baht cheap unit would be fine especially if you only want to use it occasionally. It's kind of like a hotel room, fine for a week or two but not suitable for full time living. I consider paying rent as a waste of money. To each his own.

A 500,000 baht condo is not really that bad if you can stand to live in a shoebox. You can live there several years and you will probably be able to sell it for what you paid for it. Much better investment than paying 1.5 million for 30 square meters.

When I first retired, I bought health insurance. The company I bought it from had a clause that said they would never cancel me because of age. They said nothing about pricing me out and reducing my coverage. They even added a deductible, If I remember correctly it was the first 20 percent that I would have had to pay. At age 65, I cancelled the policy because of the outrageous premiums and they had reduced the maximum payout to 1.25 million baht. I can pay that much myself. I might add that I had one claim and that was appendicitis. Now at age 72, I am way ahead of the game. I do have a nest egg put away that would be used for any major medical emergency. If I never need it, my son will inherit that money. Yes, you should always have a plan "B".

After I retired, I really had no realistic idea how much I was going to spend. I had lived here more than five years but the company I worked for furnished everything including my utilities and a car. After I retired, I kept a very detailed spread sheet and kept track of every baht, even baht bus fares. I lived exactly like I wanted to. My entertainment category was by far my biggest expense and if necessary that was where I could have easily cut back. Fortunately I didn't have to cut back. After several months of keeping the spread sheet, I decided that I could use some of my savings to buy a vehicle and a condo. The condo saved me even more money and I was able to wait until I was 65 to get the maximum Social Security. I have never looked back. I am by no means wealthy and I have a healthy surplus every month from my pensions. Life is good. I would hate to have to live within a budget. I like to think that I planned carefully.

Unfortunately the immigration office you will be forced to use will simply be the luck of the draw. You can have a friendly officer or you can get an asshole. When I first used the Loei immigration office, I had the income letter from the US Embassy. That officer didn't like those letters. He had me make another trip to Bangkok to have that document "legalized".I had to take the document to Laksi in Bangkok. I had never heard of anyone having to do that. That old asshole then told me straight out that some people lie. He told me that if I had 800,000 in a Thai bank account, things would go a lot smoother. I put the 800,000 baht in my local bank and although the old guy always accepted my paperwork, he always found something to complain about. He retired and there was a new boss. He was a really nice guy and I never had any problems. After him came a snotty bitch. She accepted nothing that would help you. Even the 800,000 in a Thai bank was not accepted. It was in the wrong type of account even though it was fine before. I offered to change accounts the very next day. That also was not good enough. The money had to be in the savings account for 3 months. That was the worst hassle I ever had. I ended up going to the Bangkok embassy for an income statement. After I returned to immigration I had to pay a thousand baht fine for two days overstay. The next time, I got the letter from the bank verifying my account the day before I went to immigration. It was dated the day before but I still had to go to my bank and make a transaction the same day for an update before I went to immigration. I know I didn't help myself by loudly complaining but it made me feel better and made the bitch uncomfortable. Now even for the 90 day check ins, I have problems. A copy of every page in your passport and the form filled out is required. Before the bitch took over, no copies or form were required. They scanned the bar code and I signed a form. That was it. In and out in ten minutes. The bitch also told me that I needed a yellow house book. That was another SNAFU. The local amphur is run by another woman. She really didn't know how to process a yellow book and told me I had to go to Bangkok for some other bullshit paperwork. When I went back to immigration the bitch said "Never mind". My wife then spent about an hour filling out forms for me and making copies of her house book. I don't mind following the rules and jumping through the hoops, BUT, it would be great if they all followed the same rules. ADDED - After the big hassle, I went back for my 90 day check in. The bitch wasn't there. Everything went smoothly. I asked where the bitch was and the gal who was taking care of me started laughing and asked me if I missed the bitch. I told her I missed the bitch the same as I would miss a migraine headache. Several other officers were listening and they all started laughing. I had hoped the bitch had gotten transferred but no such luck.

Looks like too many farangs to suit me. Beautiful but too touristy.

The 800,000 baht in the bank is not dead money. In fact immigration likes to see you using that money for living expenses through the year. You just have to make sure you top up the bank account three months before your extension expires. The first year that I used the 800,000 baht requirement, I didn't touch the money. The first question immigration had was "where did you get the money to live"? Fortunately I had another bank account that I used for living expenses. That satisfied them. You are better off using that deposit money throughout the year.

When I was 13, I hoped that one day I would have a girlfriend with big tits. When I was 16 I got a girlfriend with big tits, but there was no passion, so I decided I needed a passionate girl with a zest for life. In college I dated a passionate girl, but she was too emotional. Everything was an emergency; she was a drama queen, cried all the time and threatened suicide. So I decided I needed a girl with stability. When I was 25 I found a very stable girl but she was boring. She was totally predictable and never got excited about anything. Life became so dull that I decided that I needed a girl with some excitement. When I was 28 I found an exciting girl, but I couldn't keep up with her. She rushed from one thing to another, never settling on anything. She did mad impetuous things and made me miserable as often as happy. She was great fun initially and very energetic, but directionless. So I decided to find a girl with some real ambition. When I turned 30, I found a smart ambitious girl with her feet planted firmly on the ground, so I married her. She was so ambitious that she divorced me and took everything I owned. Now that I am older and wiser, I'm back to looking for a girl with big tits.