When crossing Thai roads I tend to look left, right, and upwards! You never know where they're going to come from. And, of course, hotels and nightclubs are notorious for keeping their fire escape doors locked. I watch a channel called The Raven's Eye which features global disasters, and it's clear that most tragedies are so avoidable. You still made the right decision to move there though.
Many thanks, Mark. I'd forgotten about the need to look uo when crossing the road 😀 I'll have to remember next time, if only to pray that I get to the other side!
G'day BC mate , always interesting and informative are you're videos coupled with great production quality. I personally have been riding scooters in Thailand since my first trip in 2004 , I ride like an old granny , always wear a helmet and as I'm always on holiday I'm never in a rush. Life's a gamble I reckon. When safety is taken out of my hands that's when I'm a bit wary . My wife was upset for days about the school bus fire , very sad business indeed. Bless their souls 🙏🏽
Morning SG! No doubt if you are going to drive, then defensive driving techniques are a must. People will overtake you left and right, and red amber and green lights all appear to me go!?! The school bus fire was shocking. Apparently, that bus chassis was 50 years old and has been remodelled several times. Also there was a similar crash of a minivan a some years ago that exploded, and at the time the government vowed to crackdown on the use of natural gas cylinders in public vehicles. Sadly, change is often slow in coming here!
Thank you for telling the truth about risks in Thailand to everyone who might be here someday, especially badly accident on motorcycle. In my opinion, I really concern about tourists safety when seeing them riding a motorcycle here. 😢
Thanks. People love the freedom here, which is wonderful. But it's too easy to get carried away and hire a bike and drive off without a helmet, not fully realising how dangerous the roads can be.
Great points You’ve highlighted BC I will be honest Iv never been on a motorcycle and don’t plan too . I think sometimes when we are on holiday we think it won’t happen to me , be it on bikes or trying a something new that you would not normally do .
Thanks, Jimmy. You are spot on. It seems when we are on holiday or living in a foreign country we think we can do things we'd never dream of doing "back home"! I know guys out here who never had a motorbike in their lives, but think it's a great idea to get a super powerful one here and start tearing around. I'm sure it's great fun, and I love a bit of freedom, but it's no joke if it all goes wrong! Stay safe, mate!
This is interesting. I lived from 2002 to 2006. I had never had an issue with that, not even realizing this was an issue. But this was also a long time ago, so it may have gotten bad over the years. I wasn't there.
Thanks. And yes, I've even noticed that things have changed in the 15 years that I've lived here. The weather seems to have become more extreme. Still a great place to live. Just try to avoid the negatives!
@@balloonchaser Smart Phil, I missed it as well. Love this song. Its not in the Soundtrack for the Movie 54, but I think I heard it played there in 1981. September was extremely popular in Discos and at parties in the late 70s🙂.
You can repeat positive comments as often as you like! I haven't actually seen a regular fire show in Pattaya. Pop down to an island like Koh Samet, and you'll see one every night of you wish!
i wear a real kn95 mask under the worst dry /smog period and have done that + 10 year in bangkok. A white mask is grey after just 2-3 hours out and the (white) filter is often almost black
That's really interesting. I know a lot of people don't like masks, but I found wearing an N95 mask to be essential on the high pollution days in Bangkok. If not, I would get a really sore throat and have trouble speaking. Not ideal for a teacher! Many thanks for sharing your experience.
@@balloonchaser Same here sore throat and hoarse(right word?) speaking, many seems to think that a real filtering dustmask is the same as the flimsy blu dental masks people did wear to prevent them to sneeze and cough others in the face.
@gmm5550 Yes, absolutely the right word. I think people have got a bit confused about the different types of masks since covid. But PM2.5 is a real problem because of the short and long term health effects. The government should do more about it other than just talk.
Doctor-tourists dont like to sunbathe.. When my/our generations grew up and went to places like Rhodos and Mallorca we were oblivious, the more severe sunburn the better🙂 Like smoking in the 60s-70s, when I was a kid our family always at parties had porcelain cups filled with cigarettes for guests
Thanks, Anders. Fortunately, as a kid I could still only stay in the sun for 20 minutes before burning. I learned quickly to head for the shade, which was probably the safest place to be. But it wasn't because I knew anything about the possibility of skin cancer. It's interesting that Thais avoid the sun, even though they're a lot less likely to burn than me. I think it started when they were convinced it was a "good idea" to have lighter coloured skin. Nivea must laugh at selling tanning cream to the west and whitening cream to the east. Strange world!
i checked into a hotel in pattaya once, went and found the fire escape to be locked, i went and spoke to the staff who refused to unlock it so i left. they all thought i was crazy (girlfriend and the staff), i thought they were crazy for not seeing the danger
It's not that uncommon to find locked fire escapes. There was a hotel fire some years back in jomtien where people died, and that was given as one of the reasons. I remember reading management were concerned that people might leave without paying. I'm 100% with you on this one. Plenty of other hotels to choose from.
Thanks, Anders. I think you've made a sensible decision. When I had my accident, it made me realise just how easy it would be to cause yourself lasting damage. Now I try to avoid motorbikes unless there's no alternative.!
@andersfant4997 That's my feelings exactly. What frustrates me is when you see the same issues over and over with no long-lasting action. I remember 10 years ago, the government declared "the year of 100% (motorcycle) helmet use" to a great fanfare. A few months later, it was quietly forgotten about. It can't be impossible to enforce, surely? 🤔
@andersfant4997 That sounds possible. In recent years, they've reported figures in the three hundreds, but an interesting fact is that road fatalities are only counted if the death is at the scene of the accident. If you pass away in the ambulance or at hospital or home, it's excluded. So the real figure is higher.
You pays your money and takes your chance. As you advise do some homework before you go and keep your eyes open. In my 30 plus years of travelling the globe, only once did I get my pocket picked and that was in New York. Good work BC
Thanks, BB. I've had my pocket picked 3 times, Paris, Tunisia, and Amsterdam. Well, Amsterdam, someone held a flick knife to my throat, and I "willingly" gave them all the money from my pockets!
The traffic is abysmal and the pollution is just as lethal. if I ever return, I would seek to live in a place with decent air quality - not an island though. Any suggestions?
Thanks, David. In my experience the cities near the sea fare best. So actually places like Chonburi and Hua Hin seem to fare better. I was surprised that the most polluted city overall is said to be Nakhon Ratchasima (Korat).
Hahaha, Alain. That's a whole video in itself! Although tbf, in all the years I lived in Bangkok, I never once saw an accident involving a tuktuk. And I've seen a fair few pulling "wheelies" just to add more excitement to the tourists' ride!
All true - run over on a Pedestrian crossing (Zebra) crossing in the UK. Smacked into when stationary on a motorway in the UK by a car going 60 mph. No place is safe but best to reduce risk.
Yeah, I remember you showed me some photos of that road accident. Nasty one. Overall Thailand's roads are more dangerous. But then, as my mother liked to say, trouble just follows some people around, Russ :-)
Roads in Thailand and the UK are not comparable. The objective reality is that the UK has one of the highest driving standards on the planet. It's far from perfect, most drivers in the UK are incompetent. But still, it qualifies as one of the highest driving standards on earth. When you go to Thailand and even worse, Vietnam you will understand that objective reality.
@@Alex-vr7yg agree in general and vietnam standards are worse I was driving on Samui and trucks were tailgating every turn they feel they are invunribul. Any country you have a driver who does not look or drives too fast as a driver or pedestrian you are vulnerable.
![Noob To Max With DRAGON REWORK In Blox Fruits [FULL MOVIE]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LnBMOinoOvA/mqdefault.jpg)
When crossing Thai roads I tend to look left, right, and upwards! You never know where they're going to come from. And, of course, hotels and nightclubs are notorious for keeping their fire escape doors locked. I watch a channel called The Raven's Eye which features global disasters, and it's clear that most tragedies are so avoidable. You still made the right decision to move there though.
Many thanks, Mark. I'd forgotten about the need to look uo when crossing the road 😀 I'll have to remember next time, if only to pray that I get to the other side!
G'day BC mate , always interesting and informative are you're videos coupled with great production quality. I personally have been riding scooters in Thailand since my first trip in 2004 , I ride like an old granny , always wear a helmet and as I'm always on holiday I'm never in a rush. Life's a gamble I reckon. When safety is taken out of my hands that's when I'm a bit wary . My wife was upset for days about the school bus fire , very sad business indeed. Bless their souls 🙏🏽
Morning SG! No doubt if you are going to drive, then defensive driving techniques are a must. People will overtake you left and right, and red amber and green lights all appear to me go!?!
The school bus fire was shocking. Apparently, that bus chassis was 50 years old and has been remodelled several times. Also there was a similar crash of a minivan a some years ago that exploded, and at the time the government vowed to crackdown on the use of natural gas cylinders in public vehicles. Sadly, change is often slow in coming here!
Thank you for telling the truth about risks in Thailand to everyone who might be here someday, especially badly accident on motorcycle. In my opinion, I really concern about tourists safety when seeing them riding a motorcycle here. 😢
Thanks. People love the freedom here, which is wonderful. But it's too easy to get carried away and hire a bike and drive off without a helmet, not fully realising how dangerous the roads can be.
Great points You’ve highlighted BC I will be honest Iv never been on a motorcycle and don’t plan too . I think sometimes when we are on holiday we think it won’t happen to me , be it on bikes or trying a something new that you would not normally do .
Thanks, Jimmy. You are spot on. It seems when we are on holiday or living in a foreign country we think we can do things we'd never dream of doing "back home"! I know guys out here who never had a motorbike in their lives, but think it's a great idea to get a super powerful one here and start tearing around. I'm sure it's great fun, and I love a bit of freedom, but it's no joke if it all goes wrong! Stay safe, mate!
This is interesting. I lived from 2002 to 2006. I had never had an issue with that, not even realizing this was an issue. But this was also a long time ago, so it may have gotten bad over the years. I wasn't there.
Thanks. And yes, I've even noticed that things have changed in the 15 years that I've lived here. The weather seems to have become more extreme. Still a great place to live. Just try to avoid the negatives!
interesting clear output :) gotta check more Balloon Chaser content! no need subtitles here :p
Many thanks for watching and commenting on this video! And of course I'd like you to watch many more 😅
Am I the only one that got the “Earth, Wind and Fire” reference?
Can always rely on you, Phil! 😃
@@balloonchaser Smart Phil, I missed it as well. Love this song. Its not in the Soundtrack for the Movie 54, but I think I heard it played there in 1981. September was extremely popular in Discos and at parties in the late 70s🙂.
@@andersfant4997 I would have loved to have put more of it in. But I don't need a copyright strike!
I hate to sound repetitive, but another great and informative video, BC.
Where can I catch a fire show in Pattaya?
You can repeat positive comments as often as you like! I haven't actually seen a regular fire show in Pattaya. Pop down to an island like Koh Samet, and you'll see one every night of you wish!
i wear a real kn95 mask under the worst dry /smog period and have done that + 10 year in bangkok.
A white mask is grey after just 2-3 hours out and the (white) filter is often almost black
That's really interesting. I know a lot of people don't like masks, but I found wearing an N95 mask to be essential on the high pollution days in Bangkok. If not, I would get a really sore throat and have trouble speaking. Not ideal for a teacher! Many thanks for sharing your experience.
@@balloonchaser Same here sore throat and hoarse(right word?) speaking, many seems to think that a real filtering dustmask is the same as the flimsy blu dental masks people did wear to prevent them to sneeze and cough others in the face.
@gmm5550 Yes, absolutely the right word. I think people have got a bit confused about the different types of masks since covid. But PM2.5 is a real problem because of the short and long term health effects. The government should do more about it other than just talk.
Doctor-tourists dont like to sunbathe.. When my/our generations grew up and went to places like Rhodos and Mallorca we were oblivious, the more severe sunburn the better🙂 Like smoking in the 60s-70s, when I was a kid our family always at parties had porcelain cups filled with cigarettes for guests
Thanks, Anders. Fortunately, as a kid I could still only stay in the sun for 20 minutes before burning. I learned quickly to head for the shade, which was probably the safest place to be. But it wasn't because I knew anything about the possibility of skin cancer. It's interesting that Thais avoid the sun, even though they're a lot less likely to burn than me. I think it started when they were convinced it was a "good idea" to have lighter coloured skin. Nivea must laugh at selling tanning cream to the west and whitening cream to the east. Strange world!
i checked into a hotel in pattaya once, went and found the fire escape to be locked, i went and spoke to the staff who refused to unlock it so i left. they all thought i was crazy (girlfriend and the staff), i thought they were crazy for not seeing the danger
It's not that uncommon to find locked fire escapes. There was a hotel fire some years back in jomtien where people died, and that was given as one of the reasons. I remember reading management were concerned that people might leave without paying. I'm 100% with you on this one. Plenty of other hotels to choose from.
BC’s scary voice at the start is giving me nightmares.
I'll have you know that's my very best Barry White impression!😂
Good video👍. I have never been on a motorbike in Thailand..
Thanks, Anders. I think you've made a sensible decision. When I had my accident, it made me realise just how easy it would be to cause yourself lasting damage. Now I try to avoid motorbikes unless there's no alternative.!
@@balloonchaser As a doctor I have seen the results of accidents. I am not in favour of a Nanny state, but some risks are unnecessary?
@andersfant4997 That's my feelings exactly. What frustrates me is when you see the same issues over and over with no long-lasting action. I remember 10 years ago, the government declared "the year of 100% (motorcycle) helmet use" to a great fanfare. A few months later, it was quietly forgotten about. It can't be impossible to enforce, surely? 🤔
@@balloonchaser I read somewhere that in 2018 there were 679 people killed in road accidents during Songkran, thats pretty high..
@andersfant4997 That sounds possible. In recent years, they've reported figures in the three hundreds, but an interesting fact is that road fatalities are only counted if the death is at the scene of the accident. If you pass away in the ambulance or at hospital or home, it's excluded. So the real figure is higher.
You pays your money and takes your chance. As you advise do some homework before you go and keep your eyes open. In my 30 plus years of travelling the globe, only once did I get my pocket picked and that was in New York. Good work BC
Thanks, BB. I've had my pocket picked 3 times, Paris, Tunisia, and Amsterdam. Well, Amsterdam, someone held a flick knife to my throat, and I "willingly" gave them all the money from my pockets!
@@balloonchaser Paris is such a dream city for pickpockets!
@@WanderlustReports Wish I'd known that before I went hahaha
The traffic is abysmal and the pollution is just as lethal. if I ever return, I would seek to live in a place with decent air quality - not an island though. Any suggestions?
Thanks, David. In my experience the cities near the sea fare best. So actually places like Chonburi and Hua Hin seem to fare better. I was surprised that the most polluted city overall is said to be Nakhon Ratchasima (Korat).
And you haven't even mentioned those unbridled Tuk-tuk drivers speeding at 100 km/h through Bangkok traffic!
Hahaha, Alain. That's a whole video in itself! Although tbf, in all the years I lived in Bangkok, I never once saw an accident involving a tuktuk. And I've seen a fair few pulling "wheelies" just to add more excitement to the tourists' ride!
All true - run over on a Pedestrian crossing (Zebra) crossing in the UK. Smacked into when stationary on a motorway in the UK by a car going 60 mph. No place is safe but best to reduce risk.
Yeah, I remember you showed me some photos of that road accident. Nasty one. Overall Thailand's roads are more dangerous. But then, as my mother liked to say, trouble just follows some people around, Russ :-)
@@balloonchaser 2 days driving in Samui no issues 😀 windscreen wiper may have warn out though?
@@Russ12189 Switching those on at every turning could have been a useful skill, had it been raining! Next time come in the rainy season, mate!
Roads in Thailand and the UK are not comparable. The objective reality is that the UK has one of the highest driving standards on the planet. It's far from perfect, most drivers in the UK are incompetent. But still, it qualifies as one of the highest driving standards on earth. When you go to Thailand and even worse, Vietnam you will understand that objective reality.
@@Alex-vr7yg agree in general and vietnam standards are worse I was driving on Samui and trucks were tailgating every turn they feel they are invunribul. Any country you have a driver who does not look or drives too fast as a driver or pedestrian you are vulnerable.
Big C sells cheap helmets. They are cheap and nasty helmets but better than nowt.
That's correct, mate. I've actually got one of those for emergencies and a "proper" one for the rest of the time! 😃
Don’t ever HELP if you see an injured Thai. You can actually be SUED if you are NOT a Medical Doctor. Just call 191
Thanks for your comment. Is that right? I didn't know that! But calling 191 has gotta be the best advice.