Kratom #expatlife

Kratom...Good Stuff

The legalization trend should pull Kratom in too. It's almost as useful as ganja.

How Pretty Thai Girls Make Money #expatlife

Wages High for "pretties"

A very good infographic about how young, attractive Thai women earn money. This is a Thai industry...not expat. But, it's important to understand to have perspective and knowledge...

Watch Out! #expatlife

Bank Employee Steals Cash

It's easy to feel complacent. You have more money. No worries. Things are fine. You have some lazy days running errands while everyone is at work. But, be careful.

This happens. The level of professionalism is different. Not better or worse, just different.

Expect everything to happen and pay attention to the small details. Your life here will be much easier.

A Lesson You Must Learn #expatlife

A Lesson You Need to Learn

If you want to be an Expat.

A friend who teaches at the university with me is in big trouble. About 1 year ago he had an accident. While making a left hand turn, a motorcycle tried to pass and they collided. The motorcycle driver, a young woman, was injured and spent about 2 months in the hospital treating her broken shin and ankle.

His insurance was paid up; he actually had a Thai driver's license. It clearly was not his fault. When the police got involved a lot of paperwork and conversation was passing back and forth between his wife and the officers and in the end the wife knowingly or unknowingly signed a confession for the husband which, apparently, is legal here. Crazy?

My friend assumed his insurance would handle things as it would back in the states. He never imagined his wife would sign a confession! And no one discussed it with him at all. He went on with his life. 1 year passed... He forgot all about it.

And now my friend is in court defending himself from the judge's threats of jail because he didn't visit the girl in the hospital, the insurance hadn't paid the claim and my friend had not paid any cash-based apologies all stemming from his apparent confession written in Thai and signed by his wife. It didn't help that he was not contrite and servile...

Surprise!

He ends up paying the court 300,000 baht for an appeal and is put on probation. You get a big red X on your immigration screen that is quite a shock.

He went to court 5 or 6 times over the course of a year and has been constantly paying out small fees to the lawyer, court costs, and to the complainant.

And living with the threat of jail is not easy.

Lesson learned? Do I need to write it out?

Draft Law: 6 Ganja Plants...Maybe

Thais Allowed 6 Plants....Maybe #expaatlife


Expats will not be allowed to grow if the law passes, but there could be an abundance of ganja in town if it does!

There is no way the laws will remain restricted to medical use. 

It's just too small a market. Give it 1 year before the oversupply emerges.

Most Interesting Interview Ever Recorded #expatlife

I found this article today about bugs in space.

ISS

First learned about the idea of bacteria and organisms in outer space and some of the reasons for them from James Horak. Originally, I learned of James through the Kevin Smith podcast out of Thailand. Kevin is not with us anymore, but James sure is...

This is the link to the 4 part series of the most fascinating, enlightening and engaging interview ever recorded:

A Refined Cosmology to Address Cosmic Anomaly

Enjoy.

                     

                   

Bizarre Russian Visa #expatlife

There must be more to this story. Why sell a visa when they are so easy to get? I assume they are much longer than tourist visas or they are multiple entry visas for businessmen?

What else is going on here? Such an interesting story.

The Visa process here is currently being unraveled and updated which is very good news because it is extremely confusing.

Russian Consul Charged

Big Joke Promises

This should eventually lead to an updated immigration process with long term expats like me not having to renew the visa every year, check-in every 90 days or even keeping lots of money in the bank.

Most of the odd regulations and outdated paperwork relates to the benefits of confusion and handwritten rules...

Big Joke Promises

And finally, marijuana will be legalized:


LEGAL