dddave

I nearly got t-boned by one recently. At night, I was exiting Jomtien Soi-5, turning left onto Beach Rd. I looked right but no headlights approaching so pulled out---VROOOM!!! A large motorcycle in full wheelie mode at high speed missed me by inches! Because the bike was pointed skywards, the headlight hadn't been visible. He continued down Beach rd, holding the wheelie until out of sight. I had to stop and gather myself...hands shaking. Too close for comfort.

Only James Bond & John Wick can survive that many bullets. This guy must either be very luck or very, very small.

Daddy & Mummy will buy baby boy a new one. Of course, it was the car's fault.

Many times every day I see families such as this family, four-up on a motorbike, frequently one child in front practically overhanging the handlebars. More often than not, the children are not wearing any form of head protection. I can somewhat understand adults making the decision for themselves not to bother with head gear, they are after all, adults, albeit idiots To not care enough about your kid's well being to provide that child with head protection is criminal negligence

Don't lay too much blame on poor journalism. Thailand's judicial system is far less transparent that most Western countries. Hearings and trials are frequently held behind closed doors and results rarely announced. Thailand does not use a jury system. Trials are held before either a single judge or a panel of judges depending on the court and the offense. Judges have the option of closing proceedings to the public and press and do so more often than not.

Interesting time discrepancy in the story. The lead paragraph states he fell overboard around 0245 am Sunday morning. Following paragraph says police were notified at 10:40am, same day of the incident, 8 hours after his reported fall overboard. How is the time of his fall overboard at 0245 known unless it was witnessed and if witnessed, why 8 hour gap in time before being reported to authorities?

Issue solved by doing a re-start of her Samsung mobile phone.

My friend lives in Koh Samui and uses D-Tac for mobile service. I'm in Jomtien, using AIS. We normally speak daily. The last three days, whether she calls me or I call her, the call immediately terminates when answered. Just a quick "BEEP" and gone. Neither of us is experiencing difficulty calling others. Both accounts are up to date with payments. Difficulties with different providers interfacing are long in the past AFAIK. I can't figure out what would make this happen.

In New York City, in 2023 they had 10 deaths directly attributable to EBike batteries. Four of those deaths were from a fire in an apartment house with a ebike shop on the ground floor.

I was in a small, enclosed Jomtien restaurant yesterday, enjoying breakfast. There were several other customers having quiet conversations. Two men came in, sat down and began talking in voices more suited to an iron foundry, really loud and intrusive. I won't mention their nationality as no nation is immune to rude behavior. Then one started a phone conversation, literally yelling at the person on the other end. I and the others just sat there, annoyed but not wanting to initiate what would almost certainly be a fruitless confrontation but the Thai cook/owner surprised us all as he emerged from the kitchen, pointed to the door and told them to pay and get out! They were as shocked as the rest of us were! Actually said: "Sorry, sorry." as they paid up and left. We applauded.

I live in Jomtien and whenever I just want a peaceful drive in a beautiful area with mountains, trees and uncrowded roads, I head to Hua Yai and the area surrounding the "Buddha Mountain" and especially the almost unspoiled forest preserve behind Wat Yan Sang Wararam. One can almost feel like it's a country drive only 30 minutes from Pattaya. No doubt, this is exactly the area they will feel compelled to despoil to create their new urban jungle. I feel fortunate to be too old to be around when it happens.

I have to believe that the police must have been momentarily distracted by the sound of several large bundles of baht hitting the floor... "Ohh!!! Look....!!"

I wouldn't want Mr. Artem's future. Possibly Thailand beach to Ukrainian trench. Interesting that Immigration's vaunted biometric system didn't flag this guys over 300 day expired passport beforehand.

Granted that there is a hard core bunch of taxi drivers who ply the tourist areas and take advantage of passengers any time they can and there is always hope that some of them will be weeded out in crackdowns like this.. At the same time, In my more than 20 years in Thailand, most of it in Bangkok using taxis daily, the number of issues I've had with dishonest drivers has been minimal. Easily 90% of my taxi interactions have been straightforward, on the meter, no arguments. Most of the drivers are just guys trying to make a living doing a miserable job. Obviously, I've learned a few tricks that avoid problems. I always try to flag moving taxis, rarely those sitting parked in front of entertainment or shopping areas. When I am in such an area, I try to walk a block or two away where I'm more likely to find a driver just passing by. I NEVER ask "How much?" to a destination. I just open the rear door, say my destination and if the driver tries to quote a flat rate, close the door and flag the next taxi.

"Pulled that tape off for the first time in over 10 years earlier this month." So, your Nitroglycerine tablets were also 10 years old and worked as they were supposed to? Good to know. Thanks for the detailed information on the differences between the nitro and the Isosorbide dinitrate.