@Rick ********

I'm not sure Asia is for you. You seem very defensive and not willing to compromise.

Firstly I do actually know alot about cycling. 2 weeks ago I was in the VIP Enclosure on the finishing line of the Champs Elysée watching the finale of the Tour de France. Yes I paid for it and no it wasn't cheap but I am a huge cycling fan.

So you are after a mountain ebike with suspension then?

The thing is you can get them in SE Asia as I know people who have them. One Australian friend in Vietnam has a high spec one and I guarantee he did not ship it from Australia because he's not a big cyclist. However he is very well connected and knows all the right people who can make things happen in Thailand and Vietnam.

I could easily ask him how and where he got his mountain ebike from, but you know what Rick? I think you would just waste his time as no ebike would be good enough for you despite clearly not being Tom Pidcock or Wout!

The irony is, if as you say, you can't find a mountain ebike with suspension in Thailand, who is going to maintain it for you? Where will you get the parts and the mechanic with the expertise? Ebikes need alot of maintenance. Mountain ebikes especially a huge amount due to the wear and tear Or are you planning on not using it and just exhibiting it as a trophy?

I suggest you pay and ship your precious ebike, hope it isn't damaged on route and buck up your attitude.

You may have a Thai wife but you don't seem to have understood the concept of compromise, or that Thailand isn't the same as the UK and mainly you need to know the right people to get what you want.

If you think you're getting the stuff you want from online links then good luck with that!

PS You're shipping your laptop because you think you can't get that spec in SE Asia? Wow? Do you know SE Asia at all? Oh and I guarantee you've heard or used some of the tech stuff I've launched in the UK because they're household names. So I know a bit about tech.

@Rick ********

you sure about that? I know loads of foreigners with heavy duty ebikes in Vietnam and Thailand.

What makes yours so special?

@Brad ******

to be honest it's been a blessing. I used to go to the USA all the time. Well its easy right?

But after when immigration went onto overdrive I started venturing outside the EU and English speaking countries.

Who knew the rest of the world was so amazing? 😁😁

@Brad ******

the policy has been in place since . I haven't been to the US since 2003 as result and I have a British passport.

@Sue *********

I know a few Brits who were rejected by US Immigration when Obama was President.

US Immigration has always been a nightmare.

I for example couldn't go visa free under Biden because I visited Cuba in 2019.

To be honest I'm not fussed. The USA is hugely overrated and US Airlines are dreadful.

@Jennifer ******************

I never realised how important this was as I have a British passport, so.immigration has never been an issue. I haven't been to USA since 2003.

However when entering Armenia and Georgia in 2024, I had big problems because I look a lot younger than my age.

They couldn't work out if the passport was fake or the photo was fake.

However it was having so many stamps from other countries, especially the EU swung it. They assumed if the EU was okay with my passport and me then it was okay with them!

Getting a new passport this year. Thankfully I travel a lot so it'll full up fast.

Supply and Demand.

Flight ticket prices are never based on distance. They are based on demand!

Yeah the "just drive into Mexico and stay there" visa has gone.

Not only do they have a computerised centralised border control system, they also check ID on most long distance public transport and the overstay amnesty visa has ended.

If you can't afford to get a Thai retirement visa, then you certainly can't afford to get TR in Mexico, and I don't think you could afford to live in either country!

@Luit ****************

I always have a legal onward flight because my travel is planned and paid for 6 months in advance

What you don't seem to understand is that only 2 airlines do this and they don't ask everyone for an onward ticket.

I am always asked no matter what class I fly and despite having a British passport.

If everyone was asked by every airline then fine.

But they aren't.

Oddly it's usually us non white folk always asked

I know many white folk who have never been asked once.

So yeah I'm entitled to call Qatar (in particular) bad.

PS I have a British passport. I don't need to buy any visa for Thailand. I get 60 days visa on arrival.

@Leo ********

Many countries do fine airlines for bringing passengers who don't have the right entry documentation. But that is in country's which check such things like the UK, USA etc.

Thailand immigration never does but I guess in theory they could check. But then if you showed the airline a fake onward ticket surely they would be fined anyway, so why don't they check??

Plus not all airlines to Thailand do this. I've flown to Thailand many times. Only Qatar have this policy, and in SE Asia only Air Asia and Vietnam Airlines have asked.