Tent-atively, yes. The situation is not final as I have been proven incompe-tent in online shopping. Fearing another adver-tent error may po-tent-ially, in some way be consis-tent, annec-tent or perhaps coexis-tent with my current sleep deprived state, I am appe-tent to await results and see before I make the claim it has been resolved. Recall, it was my inat-tent-ion to detail and over whelming in-tent to create the po-tent-ial for a brighter future that led to discon-tent over my purchase.
There are many reasons to not use Amazon. Before the panic, I expended a lot of effort avoiding it for anything other than product research and price checking. Knowing it will cost more form a B&M store, I still preferred them. That was before the panic and these stores, including some long favorites banning my entry or throwing me out for being unmasked. Fauci them.
Another reason is the preexwife is still working from home. We have two four great awesome camping stores within easy drives from home, at least three are within easy bike hike range. One is a Coleman outlet store, another is a resale store that focuses on outdoor gear. “Resale” store in Japan are where we can sell unwanted stuff or go to buy used instead of new. One man’s junk is another man’s treasure. One big just down the street is called “Treasure Factory”. They also have the camping goods store but that is a couple of towns over, about half an hour distant by bike.
Most of the furniture I had from before marriage was purchased at resale stores. The lines for selling stuff have gotten much longer these past few years….wonder why that would be.
However, leaving the house without an excuse causes fights with the preexwife, so shopping online is the way to go. The dry bags arrived this morning without issue.
You are pedaling with purpose. I know that you will find some peace in the actions you're taking and I'm glad you post. I wish your kitties could be with you if your children cannot. 😸
The straw that broke the camel's back, leading me to renounce US citizenship, was when one of the banks I dealt with was featured in the news as no longer accepting American customers. Asking "for a friend" about what they intended to do about their existing American customers, I was told they'd close those accounts as they became aware of them. You're lucky that hasn't happened to you yet!!!
I was terrified that they would! Lost many many nights of sleep over that, years back. Instead, banks in Japan opted to spy on us for the US gov and raise fees for all their customers.
What was the response you got from homelanders when you attempted to explain the situation? The closet I got to a recognition that the situation was real was, “Well, you shouldn’t have left the States, then!”. Another was, “Serves you right! Why in the hell would a patriotic American pay taxes to another country anyway?” And, “You owe, you pay, You owe, you pay, You owe, you pay, You owe, you pay.”
I simply explain that having US citizenship is great for anyone living in the US, but that it was getting increasingly difficult, almost impossible, for those of us choosing to live abroad. In my case, it also helped that I'd never lived in the States or had any ties to the country whatsoever. I'm still bitter about the stress, effort, and expense. That said, part of me regrets it now because Canada is systematically being destroyed by the globalists, especially in terms of human rights. It'd be good to have a plan B. Ah, well.
Ah! An “accidental American, like my kids. I do not wish to pry out of you any information you are not comfortable sharing here, but how much time did it take to free yourself from Uncle Sam’s greeting paws? How intrusive was it? If you posted on any of this elsewhere, please direct me to where. Did you follow the Charter Challenge against FATCA?
It was very intrusive and expensive (US$2350), but it was during the Obama years, so it's likely that the paperwork and process have changed. Very easy for your kids if they do it at 18, especially since Japan doesn't technically allow dual citizenship so that's a rock-solid acceptable reason the US government won't question. At that age their net worth is also pretty much nil, so less issues there. Don't let their bank balances get high high enough to make filing FBARs mandatory! Warn their mother about the issues they would face otherwise.
I know that Obama said that as long as they relinquish before 18, then kids are exempt from the fee. However, apart from his lip service on the issue, I have not seen any actual law, regulation nor rule that allows for this. I have looked in the Federal Register but did not find it. Also, that gives them only a 6 month window to complete a process that many report taking up to 2 years. Won’t my kids have to file 6 years of tax returns too? My wife has been kept in the loop but disregards all of it as paranoia on my part. Although, she did cite it when she told me she is throwing me out. She believes changing the kids’ family name to her maiden name will protect them.
I learned of all of this when I renewed my passport over ten years ago. Damned near impossible to get an appointment to do this simple, regular function of the Embassy. They had like just 12 appoints a month and it took me months to be able to get to the page that had the schedule. Most links on the Tokyo embassy website were dead or misdirected. I started the process to renew my passport 6 or more months in advance but was not able to get an appointment until days before it expired and that was only because some one cancelled their appointment and I caught it int time to take the slot before some one else got it. It was a nightmare that by comparison to I what I would soon learn, FATCA/FBAR and CBT, turned out to be a nightkitten.
At the same time, an American relinquished his citizenship while living in Japan. He wrote a 4 part series detailing his efforts to get an appointment at the embassy here. After months of searching, he finally found the phone number, which he reported as “cleverly hidden”. Armed with this vital piece of information, he finally was able to call only to have the phone go unanswered until eventually someone picked it up but disconnected it immediately. He ended having to fly to Taiwan to visit our secret consulate there. They asked why he flew from Japan to Taiwan instead of going to the embassy in Tokyo. He told them the situation. Initiated in Taiwan, the Tokyo embassy contacted him and finished the process without further hinderance.
Part from the renunciation fee, were there any other costs involved? Did you have to engage the services of accountants and/or lawyers?
It doesn't take two years. Just phone ahead when they're 17 to see if there's a waitlist they need to join in time to get it done at 18. No need for an accountant due to dual citizenship at birth and essentially zero assets at 18. No need for lawyer.
One of your kids identifies as they/them, if I recall? That particular child might choose to give up Japanese citizenship at 18, and live in the States.
And no need for the kids to backfile taxes as they won't have even earned enough money to go over the income threshold for that. Changing the children's surname is a good idea for those that wish to continue living in Japan, but they will still have to renounce.
I use they/them as we once did for folks whose gender was not known, such as with a person whom has not been met and their name and titles not known, or when in is nor required or preferred to give it. I do not wish to broadcast how many kids I have nor their genders. Thankfully, they are not identifying as anything other than as born….yet?
We have savings accounts for the kids that will be above the reporting threshold long before they come of age. We were denied our preferred vehicle on account that I am an American. The Kid’s refusal to study and do their homework is going to have them beginning work at 16. Monday was the last day of school for the 5th grade at their school. They had to go in yesterday to drop off their homework which they did not do for the entire last semester and when caught, again, there was not enough time to complete it before the end of the school year. They have pulled this each and every year of elementary school. They lie and say that they have completed in it all but for the first 3 years we learned one week before the end of school that they have not turned in any homework for the entire second semester. Last year my wife figured it out one month in advance. This year too they did not do their homework, but for the first time did not finish in time. I’m not allowed to guide the wayward one on in any way and with my upcoming departure, I doubt they will correct course. So, they will start working as young as possible.
While I have not read how long for kids, I do know that there are some embassies where it did take 2 years or longer for some adults. That was pre panic. t took me 6 months just to be able to schedule an appointment to renew my passport. They will have to use the same embassy.
I'm jealous of the tent personally! We've just got what they call a four person tent which is overlaid with tarp for extra rain cover. Mosquitos are always an issue here. Camping life is not all bad and sounds like the best choice based on what I've read of your personal situation. FATCA is a problem for me in Thailand too only ONE Thai Bank, that being Bangkok Bank which has some sort of partnership/affiliation with American ownership (they're also the only one who accepts Discover Card) will easily allow a US citizen open an account. The rest avoid us due to reporting requirements. At one point my husband had an account specifically in his name opened while I was not around but that became a mess as his brother kept on draining the funds. It's sad the nefarious ways that FATCA reduces US citizens living abroad to unbanked and unbankable status.
Best of luck on your camping journey. There's an old joke about drunk online purchases I shared a meme about some time ago: With tequila and Amazon you can be your own secret Santa when the packages arrive...
It’s not just FATCA. FBAR, which FATCA was enacted in part to enforce requires us to report to US law enforcement all our assets if the aggregate of all our accounts reaches $10,000 in value at any point during a year. The accounts that need to be included in the calculation includes all you have signature authority over, including joint accounts, accounts you handle through work or the local kids group when/if the responsibility for this changes yearly among the parents of the group. These must also be reported, if the threshold is met. This is the simplified version, it is actually more complicated.
The penalties for not reporting or errors in doing so are staggering. A recent Supreme Court actually went in our favor. Instead of hitting us with the financial equivalent of the largest strategic nuke, the government is only allowed to use tactical nukes on us instead. Yeah!
Interestingly, the massive FBAR fines are said to not be a violation of the 8th amendment as they say they are civil despite FBAR being a criminal law statute.
I just found out that there are a large range of used tents available online. Lots of great deals on new tents too. Unless I just need a dry place to crash, camping without a screen room is out of the question for me now.
“There's an old joke about drunk online purchases I shared a meme about some time ago: With tequila and Amazon you can be your own secret Santa when the packages arrive...”
As a side note on something you wrote awhile back which might be helpful/pertinent regarding the legal mess /taxes that can be a nightmare for an American living abroad especially with children: you mentioned that your kids do not have US passports. My daughters both do in fact my older girl despite her Koh Samui birth is only a US citizen, being born to two US citizens and having a complicated path to Thai citizenship due to ever changing Thai laws. That said the first step towards proving both girls US citizenship, which was somewhat difficult my younger daughter, was applying for a Certificate of Birth of a US citizen abroad at the US Embassy in Bangkok. Without that I am not sure your children would be considered US citizens at all which might be useful to note should your pre ex wife officially turn into your ex wife...
Sadly, the US cares not for documentation unless it can be used against you. My children are at best, undocumented US citizens. My wife, under US law is a “Non resident alien”. That’s the actual term used. My kids and all kids with even a single US citizen parent are considered US citizens under US law. The issue really is, does the US know they exist? Once again, sadly, in the case of Japan, yes it does or soon will due to Japan’s “My Number” system. However, with the banks needing to find out if they have any US Persons, a group that includes but not limited to US citizens, amongst their clients, they will eventually find out who has US citizen identifiers. I forget the actual term true used here. Chances are, the US government already knows my kids exist and are getting FATCA reports from their banks. Still, I will not be outing them to Uncle Sam.
That's infuriating considering the living hell they've made my life over trying to get my husband a visa to legally immigrate to the US. So the point of all of this hell was that the spouse/kids are classified as whatever is most lucrative for the US agency involved? So if you want your spouse/kids to come to America, they have to jump through insane hoops in the visa/proving citizenship process. BUT when tax season rolls around viola! They're US citizens because you're a US citizen so pay up!
To add more information, through my studies into this situation and efforts to repeal FATCA, I came to know of an elderly widow who renounced her US Citizenship and naturalized as a Canadian. Actually, she and her husband both did decades ago. However, a US Supreme Court case later found in favor of another person who voluntarily renounced and naturalized as a citizen of another country who decided the wanted their US citizenship back. The result of the decision was that all who had previously relinquished/renounced their US citizenships had these revoked. They once again became US citizens without their agreement or even knowledge. It also meant they were immediately delinquent in filling US tax returns. UNLESS, they bothered to get a CLN, Certificate of Loss of Nationality, a document that was never required and many (most?) did not even know the existence of. This widow and her deceased husband did not.
One can immediately see the hell that this would cause anyone in this situation. However, it is far far worse. They had a son as Canadians whom, because the US court case restored his parents’ US Citizenship, was suddenly a US citizen. He is mentally incompetent and at the time in his late 30s, needed the care of his mother with whom he still lived. He is not allowed to relinquish US citizenship due to his mental dysfunction but this state does not relieve him of the responsibility of filing yearly US tax returns to the US. Not does it relieve him of the penalties for not doing so nor errors made when doing so.
Thus we get from the Land of the Free, Home of the Brave!
British expat and Bangkok based substacker Nicholas Creed wrote about his experience and his concern that it might be used to usher in 15 minute smart cities:https://substack.com/home/post/p-160111494
No, though who knows. My life contracts significantly once I am finally out of the house. my driver’s license will be of little good as I will no longer have access to a car and little need for one anyway. Trips out of the city will be rare, rail fare and hotels are expensive for those of us you live here, not to mention hard to find with the return of tourists and the closures caused by the lockdowns lite.
But I really enjoyed getting back into camping again and decided not to let them rob me of this pastime. While looking online to see what was available and at what prices, I found an unbelievably good bargain and jumped at it. That turned out to be the rain fly for the tent they went into great detail to describe.
Too bad you'll have less options without a car but you'll enjoy your independence from the stress and control of your current circumstances, and naturally begin to spend time with happier and kinder people.
It's very nice you'll be able to experience the serenity and adventure of camping again. I hope you have fun.
Even though likely some time off, thinking about and actually preparing for it has been therapeutic. Who knows, I might even take off for a weekend one my own even before moving out.
I still think you should retitle it "Now Is The Hour Of My Discon—tent.
Any reply I could give cannot do this justice. That is GOOD, no Great. Awesome!!
Discon-tent. Well done.
I like it!
Money Manacles and Traveling Tentacles
?
You folks are putting me to shame, gotta up my game!
Woe, I misread tentacles there for a moment. Yes...it's tentacles. good one!
Aisey!
Tent—ative Crisis Resolved?
Tent-atively, yes. The situation is not final as I have been proven incompe-tent in online shopping. Fearing another adver-tent error may po-tent-ially, in some way be consis-tent, annec-tent or perhaps coexis-tent with my current sleep deprived state, I am appe-tent to await results and see before I make the claim it has been resolved. Recall, it was my inat-tent-ion to detail and over whelming in-tent to create the po-tent-ial for a brighter future that led to discon-tent over my purchase.
😂🤣😅
You're brave buying online!
Amazon has made purchases in US so easy as to make buyers lazy and spoiled.
I'm pointing to myself here.
There are many reasons to not use Amazon. Before the panic, I expended a lot of effort avoiding it for anything other than product research and price checking. Knowing it will cost more form a B&M store, I still preferred them. That was before the panic and these stores, including some long favorites banning my entry or throwing me out for being unmasked. Fauci them.
Another reason is the preexwife is still working from home. We have two four great awesome camping stores within easy drives from home, at least three are within easy bike hike range. One is a Coleman outlet store, another is a resale store that focuses on outdoor gear. “Resale” store in Japan are where we can sell unwanted stuff or go to buy used instead of new. One man’s junk is another man’s treasure. One big just down the street is called “Treasure Factory”. They also have the camping goods store but that is a couple of towns over, about half an hour distant by bike.
Most of the furniture I had from before marriage was purchased at resale stores. The lines for selling stuff have gotten much longer these past few years….wonder why that would be.
However, leaving the house without an excuse causes fights with the preexwife, so shopping online is the way to go. The dry bags arrived this morning without issue.
You are pedaling with purpose. I know that you will find some peace in the actions you're taking and I'm glad you post. I wish your kitties could be with you if your children cannot. 😸
The straw that broke the camel's back, leading me to renounce US citizenship, was when one of the banks I dealt with was featured in the news as no longer accepting American customers. Asking "for a friend" about what they intended to do about their existing American customers, I was told they'd close those accounts as they became aware of them. You're lucky that hasn't happened to you yet!!!
I was terrified that they would! Lost many many nights of sleep over that, years back. Instead, banks in Japan opted to spy on us for the US gov and raise fees for all their customers.
What was the response you got from homelanders when you attempted to explain the situation? The closet I got to a recognition that the situation was real was, “Well, you shouldn’t have left the States, then!”. Another was, “Serves you right! Why in the hell would a patriotic American pay taxes to another country anyway?” And, “You owe, you pay, You owe, you pay, You owe, you pay, You owe, you pay.”
I simply explain that having US citizenship is great for anyone living in the US, but that it was getting increasingly difficult, almost impossible, for those of us choosing to live abroad. In my case, it also helped that I'd never lived in the States or had any ties to the country whatsoever. I'm still bitter about the stress, effort, and expense. That said, part of me regrets it now because Canada is systematically being destroyed by the globalists, especially in terms of human rights. It'd be good to have a plan B. Ah, well.
Ah! An “accidental American, like my kids. I do not wish to pry out of you any information you are not comfortable sharing here, but how much time did it take to free yourself from Uncle Sam’s greeting paws? How intrusive was it? If you posted on any of this elsewhere, please direct me to where. Did you follow the Charter Challenge against FATCA?
It was very intrusive and expensive (US$2350), but it was during the Obama years, so it's likely that the paperwork and process have changed. Very easy for your kids if they do it at 18, especially since Japan doesn't technically allow dual citizenship so that's a rock-solid acceptable reason the US government won't question. At that age their net worth is also pretty much nil, so less issues there. Don't let their bank balances get high high enough to make filing FBARs mandatory! Warn their mother about the issues they would face otherwise.
I know that Obama said that as long as they relinquish before 18, then kids are exempt from the fee. However, apart from his lip service on the issue, I have not seen any actual law, regulation nor rule that allows for this. I have looked in the Federal Register but did not find it. Also, that gives them only a 6 month window to complete a process that many report taking up to 2 years. Won’t my kids have to file 6 years of tax returns too? My wife has been kept in the loop but disregards all of it as paranoia on my part. Although, she did cite it when she told me she is throwing me out. She believes changing the kids’ family name to her maiden name will protect them.
I learned of all of this when I renewed my passport over ten years ago. Damned near impossible to get an appointment to do this simple, regular function of the Embassy. They had like just 12 appoints a month and it took me months to be able to get to the page that had the schedule. Most links on the Tokyo embassy website were dead or misdirected. I started the process to renew my passport 6 or more months in advance but was not able to get an appointment until days before it expired and that was only because some one cancelled their appointment and I caught it int time to take the slot before some one else got it. It was a nightmare that by comparison to I what I would soon learn, FATCA/FBAR and CBT, turned out to be a nightkitten.
At the same time, an American relinquished his citizenship while living in Japan. He wrote a 4 part series detailing his efforts to get an appointment at the embassy here. After months of searching, he finally found the phone number, which he reported as “cleverly hidden”. Armed with this vital piece of information, he finally was able to call only to have the phone go unanswered until eventually someone picked it up but disconnected it immediately. He ended having to fly to Taiwan to visit our secret consulate there. They asked why he flew from Japan to Taiwan instead of going to the embassy in Tokyo. He told them the situation. Initiated in Taiwan, the Tokyo embassy contacted him and finished the process without further hinderance.
Part from the renunciation fee, were there any other costs involved? Did you have to engage the services of accountants and/or lawyers?
It doesn't take two years. Just phone ahead when they're 17 to see if there's a waitlist they need to join in time to get it done at 18. No need for an accountant due to dual citizenship at birth and essentially zero assets at 18. No need for lawyer.
One of your kids identifies as they/them, if I recall? That particular child might choose to give up Japanese citizenship at 18, and live in the States.
And no need for the kids to backfile taxes as they won't have even earned enough money to go over the income threshold for that. Changing the children's surname is a good idea for those that wish to continue living in Japan, but they will still have to renounce.
I use they/them as we once did for folks whose gender was not known, such as with a person whom has not been met and their name and titles not known, or when in is nor required or preferred to give it. I do not wish to broadcast how many kids I have nor their genders. Thankfully, they are not identifying as anything other than as born….yet?
We have savings accounts for the kids that will be above the reporting threshold long before they come of age. We were denied our preferred vehicle on account that I am an American. The Kid’s refusal to study and do their homework is going to have them beginning work at 16. Monday was the last day of school for the 5th grade at their school. They had to go in yesterday to drop off their homework which they did not do for the entire last semester and when caught, again, there was not enough time to complete it before the end of the school year. They have pulled this each and every year of elementary school. They lie and say that they have completed in it all but for the first 3 years we learned one week before the end of school that they have not turned in any homework for the entire second semester. Last year my wife figured it out one month in advance. This year too they did not do their homework, but for the first time did not finish in time. I’m not allowed to guide the wayward one on in any way and with my upcoming departure, I doubt they will correct course. So, they will start working as young as possible.
While I have not read how long for kids, I do know that there are some embassies where it did take 2 years or longer for some adults. That was pre panic. t took me 6 months just to be able to schedule an appointment to renew my passport. They will have to use the same embassy.
I'm jealous of the tent personally! We've just got what they call a four person tent which is overlaid with tarp for extra rain cover. Mosquitos are always an issue here. Camping life is not all bad and sounds like the best choice based on what I've read of your personal situation. FATCA is a problem for me in Thailand too only ONE Thai Bank, that being Bangkok Bank which has some sort of partnership/affiliation with American ownership (they're also the only one who accepts Discover Card) will easily allow a US citizen open an account. The rest avoid us due to reporting requirements. At one point my husband had an account specifically in his name opened while I was not around but that became a mess as his brother kept on draining the funds. It's sad the nefarious ways that FATCA reduces US citizens living abroad to unbanked and unbankable status.
Best of luck on your camping journey. There's an old joke about drunk online purchases I shared a meme about some time ago: With tequila and Amazon you can be your own secret Santa when the packages arrive...
It’s not just FATCA. FBAR, which FATCA was enacted in part to enforce requires us to report to US law enforcement all our assets if the aggregate of all our accounts reaches $10,000 in value at any point during a year. The accounts that need to be included in the calculation includes all you have signature authority over, including joint accounts, accounts you handle through work or the local kids group when/if the responsibility for this changes yearly among the parents of the group. These must also be reported, if the threshold is met. This is the simplified version, it is actually more complicated.
The penalties for not reporting or errors in doing so are staggering. A recent Supreme Court actually went in our favor. Instead of hitting us with the financial equivalent of the largest strategic nuke, the government is only allowed to use tactical nukes on us instead. Yeah!
Interestingly, the massive FBAR fines are said to not be a violation of the 8th amendment as they say they are civil despite FBAR being a criminal law statute.
I just found out that there are a large range of used tents available online. Lots of great deals on new tents too. Unless I just need a dry place to crash, camping without a screen room is out of the question for me now.
“There's an old joke about drunk online purchases I shared a meme about some time ago: With tequila and Amazon you can be your own secret Santa when the packages arrive...”
LoL!
As a side note on something you wrote awhile back which might be helpful/pertinent regarding the legal mess /taxes that can be a nightmare for an American living abroad especially with children: you mentioned that your kids do not have US passports. My daughters both do in fact my older girl despite her Koh Samui birth is only a US citizen, being born to two US citizens and having a complicated path to Thai citizenship due to ever changing Thai laws. That said the first step towards proving both girls US citizenship, which was somewhat difficult my younger daughter, was applying for a Certificate of Birth of a US citizen abroad at the US Embassy in Bangkok. Without that I am not sure your children would be considered US citizens at all which might be useful to note should your pre ex wife officially turn into your ex wife...
Sadly, the US cares not for documentation unless it can be used against you. My children are at best, undocumented US citizens. My wife, under US law is a “Non resident alien”. That’s the actual term used. My kids and all kids with even a single US citizen parent are considered US citizens under US law. The issue really is, does the US know they exist? Once again, sadly, in the case of Japan, yes it does or soon will due to Japan’s “My Number” system. However, with the banks needing to find out if they have any US Persons, a group that includes but not limited to US citizens, amongst their clients, they will eventually find out who has US citizen identifiers. I forget the actual term true used here. Chances are, the US government already knows my kids exist and are getting FATCA reports from their banks. Still, I will not be outing them to Uncle Sam.
That's infuriating considering the living hell they've made my life over trying to get my husband a visa to legally immigrate to the US. So the point of all of this hell was that the spouse/kids are classified as whatever is most lucrative for the US agency involved? So if you want your spouse/kids to come to America, they have to jump through insane hoops in the visa/proving citizenship process. BUT when tax season rolls around viola! They're US citizens because you're a US citizen so pay up!
Insane...
To add more information, through my studies into this situation and efforts to repeal FATCA, I came to know of an elderly widow who renounced her US Citizenship and naturalized as a Canadian. Actually, she and her husband both did decades ago. However, a US Supreme Court case later found in favor of another person who voluntarily renounced and naturalized as a citizen of another country who decided the wanted their US citizenship back. The result of the decision was that all who had previously relinquished/renounced their US citizenships had these revoked. They once again became US citizens without their agreement or even knowledge. It also meant they were immediately delinquent in filling US tax returns. UNLESS, they bothered to get a CLN, Certificate of Loss of Nationality, a document that was never required and many (most?) did not even know the existence of. This widow and her deceased husband did not.
One can immediately see the hell that this would cause anyone in this situation. However, it is far far worse. They had a son as Canadians whom, because the US court case restored his parents’ US Citizenship, was suddenly a US citizen. He is mentally incompetent and at the time in his late 30s, needed the care of his mother with whom he still lived. He is not allowed to relinquish US citizenship due to his mental dysfunction but this state does not relieve him of the responsibility of filing yearly US tax returns to the US. Not does it relieve him of the penalties for not doing so nor errors made when doing so.
Thus we get from the Land of the Free, Home of the Brave!
That is the best summary of all this I have come across.
OT but I found no other way to easily message you. Are you and yours okay after the earthquake? I have no idea if you are near the area of not.
Nothing really happened here in Phuket other than some speculation about a potential tsunami afterwards which thankfully was not an issue.
https://sukwan.substack.com/p/friday-night-funnies-earthquake-edition
British expat and Bangkok based substacker Nicholas Creed wrote about his experience and his concern that it might be used to usher in 15 minute smart cities:https://substack.com/home/post/p-160111494
All is well here though....
Does a condition of truth beyond "insane" exist?
Why, yes! Yes, Amy just defined it as US tax code!
I had NO IDEA.
Thailand is a beautiful country. Spent only 4 wks traveling by bus, train and boat, so i didn't get everywhere. 🙏
2 days stranded in Koh Tao because of storms made the return to Samui a blessing. Hope you have a happy haven.
Maybe I missed something...Are you planning on living in the tent?
No, though who knows. My life contracts significantly once I am finally out of the house. my driver’s license will be of little good as I will no longer have access to a car and little need for one anyway. Trips out of the city will be rare, rail fare and hotels are expensive for those of us you live here, not to mention hard to find with the return of tourists and the closures caused by the lockdowns lite.
But I really enjoyed getting back into camping again and decided not to let them rob me of this pastime. While looking online to see what was available and at what prices, I found an unbelievably good bargain and jumped at it. That turned out to be the rain fly for the tent they went into great detail to describe.
Too bad you'll have less options without a car but you'll enjoy your independence from the stress and control of your current circumstances, and naturally begin to spend time with happier and kinder people.
It's very nice you'll be able to experience the serenity and adventure of camping again. I hope you have fun.
Even though likely some time off, thinking about and actually preparing for it has been therapeutic. Who knows, I might even take off for a weekend one my own even before moving out.
Great idea!