The contrast!

So I have a scooter back home ( Sym 150cc which would not have been my choice however we don;t have much in the line of choice) and then I have this Honda Wave here in Thailand ( already done 2000+ km on it) and for comparison in South Africa , which scooter I bought new so it had to go in for a 300km "check-up" and then a service again at 1000km . For each of these they charged! no free lunches there - (hello Suzuki South) . R1000 for each service!!! Insane. This morning I took my scooter to Honda in for its compulsory service at 8500km - cost was thb220 ( about R118) . this included labour , oil, sundries and was done in 20 minutes. And bonus , the guy who did the predelivery before when I bought the bike, kindly and without asking, mounted my licence disc properly into a holder I had bought and was planning to do after the service myself. Its these pockets of excellence that make the authentic Thai expereince good. Please understand, there are certainly cultural differences in many areas and you need to embrace them as the guest and don't expect them to capitulate to your way just because you are a paying tourist. I can see the tourist fatigue and I can clearly see why with every short term tourist that arrives with a heavy sense of entitlement. It's quite insane to see what the Thais have to put up with in many cases. Back to costs , at a self service car wash you can, for 20 baht ( about R12) , high pressure hose, foam wash, hand wash, rinse, and air dry your motorbike. I popped in at a physio therapist out of curiosity re their prices as I have a recurring issue at L5 vertebra in my back and their costs again are very close to south africa at R700 per session ( R650 per session if you take three). So the deeper you dive you find that the whiter the collar, the pricier it becomes.

Hunting season in Ao Nang !

Economic Indicators RSA vs Thailand vs Malaysia

A worthwhile comparison as there are many similarities however I was surprised that the SA Household Debt to GDP was substantially lower than both Thailand and Malaysia . This would speak to the banks in RSA having a far stricter fiscal control. I mention that Malaysia has reduced their national debt to GDP by 5% since Covid so there is a national commitment to drive national debt down. The household debt is high and based on the current GDP growth experienced the consumer spend will continue to drive the economic landscape but it risk of even further increased household debt. I asked Perplexity.ai and Gemini.ai to provide a breakdown by LSM but this was not easily available. I suspect this is very high with Gen Z's . Thailand government is toying with providing an eCard with thb 10.000 to each 16 to 20 year old . About R5500 and this in my opinion would be insane as this will do nothing in driving household debt down but have a once off stimulus in the luxury market ( games, name brands, etc). Government promises, what can I say !

The week that was!

Have actually been doing some work which would explain the "workation" part of my visa approval lol . Interesting times and we will see what the future holds in that regard. Still have had time to enjoy Krabi as a town and see the "underbelly of the beast " as it were. Highly recommended to stay away from the tourist places to truly get an understanding as to how the economy thrives and/or survives. My british friend, who has now returned to the UK for possibly up to a year before returning, always said I was a "people collector" and in many senses that is true. I befriend people quickly which can be to my own detriment in the process. No different , I have met a Polish guy who lived in the USA for 12 odd years and has travelled extensively . He is actually an Economics major yet when he got to the USA he could not get work in that field of study so he took a job in construction and qualified as an electrician. The irony I think is that with knowledge based skills migrating to AI at a rate of knots, the electrician papers will serve him in better stead for the future. Plus , its a portable skills which has seen him travel extensively. Guess the work in random countries is not 100% legit but most probably still gets signed off by senior, he just does the dirty work. So the football photos was yesterdays game and he had never watched a football game live before. Being European that is quite amazing. But obviously in the USA he would have watched NFL and NBL often. Travelled to Koh Lanta one day as will be staying there for a month and now have my mind wrapped around the prospect as i reckon if you don;t smoke weed or drink yourself to an oblivion at tourist prices , you could get bored. I'm looking forward to bored ! Haven't been bored since before 5 years old I reckon.

Takraw ~ SE Asia volleyball !

What a dynamic sport and glad I went to go watch the regional matches played over two days on the weekend. As these were indoors , the lighting was not condusve for action photography...but I tried. This video does it justice though Takraw