@Dave *********

I think you must have mis-read my comment.. the very point i was making was that Thai banks are every bit as safe as (if not safer) than banks in western countries.. and it's the western banks that will go under first when the sh1t hits the fan.. every retort has automatically focused on US deposit schemes for some reason.. whereas the term 'western' covers just about every North American, European, and Australasian country on the map.. and I'm pretty sure we have expats living in Thailand from a multitude of such origins.. all with different banking regimes and different deposit insurance schemes.. and taking a cross section of the 'rest of the world' into consideration I'd suggest it's safer to trust the (bigger) Thai banks with your money.. so I'm not sure what you think is 'hogwash' exactly.. unless you have a crystal ball of course!?

@Jason **********

I'd like to know your definition of 'safe' then.. because btc is largely unregulated and largely untraceable.. it was invented by a 3 letter agency as a means of funding their black ops.. an ideal 'currency' for the criminal underworld to trade without conventional banking oversight.. which allows its value to be manipulated of course.. but then it was sold to the man on the street as an 'investment' product.. to suck more money into its coffers and to try to legitimise it.. it remains a soft target for cyber criminals and fraudsters.. and the biggest risk has to be the volatile nature of its value.. with the current high of around $73k comparing to a low of just under $16k 2 years ago.. and its been a rollercoaster ride in between.. so it's definitely not for the faint hearted or anyone that cant afford to lose all of their holdings.. most people are also unaware that the world is on the precipice of a quantum financial revolution.. the evolvement of BRICS being a taster of what is to come.. but ultimately only 2 recognised (and regulated) crypto's (XLR and XRP) will exist in the quantum world.. so the future of btc is precarious to say the least.. when it starts to drop again it will look like a lead balloon on steroids!

The irony is that people are fearful of trusting Thailand's banking system with their savings.. but many banks in western countries like the US and the UK are on the verge of going under.. and when they do something called a 'bail-in' will happen.. which basically means they swallow up your money and say sorry we can't give it you back.. since the state insurance schemes are only funded to cover approx. 10-15% of all the monies deposited with the banks.. you could lose 85-90% of your savings in such a scenario.. you have been living with a false sense of security for too long.. and if you think the western banking system is 'safe' (or safest) then brace yourself for a nasty surprise.. and while we are on the subject of investments.. you'd better prepare yourself for the mother of all stock market crashes.. sorry to be the bearer of such bad news but personally I'd get out of cash and paper investments (including digital 'money' like btc) and get into real assets like gold and silver.. the stuff you can hold in your hand.. there's a reason why the spot gold price hit a new high these last few days.. you just gotta figure out why!

@Eric *****

Brandon has explained the downsides in great detail.. and imo people should heed his warnings!

@Jan *****************

You are absolutely right!

@William **********

What is, a 'motorcycle endorsement' exactly.. the motor car and motorbike licenses require completely separate applications.. and their own set of supporting documents.. and you receive individual licenses for each category.. however, your comment infers the motor car license will be 'endorsed' to allow you to also ride a motorcycle.. which is not true of course.. I'm sure you are well aware of this already.. but your terminology could be misconstrued and mislead someone if they are new to Thailand!

As others have already pointed out.. parts for any US/European car are very expensive in Thailand.. compared to any of the Japanese marques that is.. but added to this you'll find independent garages will shy away from tackling repairs on a Ford.. mainly because they don't have the knowledge base and lack the experience.. whereas they can handle literally any repair on a Japanese car.. so driving a Ford means you will become tied to main dealer servicing forever.. and sadly the standard of service from the main dealers here in CM is appalling.. and I'm speaking from personal experience! Ps. I'd also consider an Isuzu M-ux or Mitsubishi Pajero.

Given that you are both Canadian.. I'm assuming that you were not married in Thailand.. and unless you have done this already I'd suggest you obtain a translated copy of your marriage certificate.. meaning from English into Thai.. before you travel to Thailand.. this is likely to be needed at some stage of your future dealings with the Thai authorities.. and will probably be less costly to acquire in your home country.. it also removes the inconvenience of trying to get it done here.. especially if you suddenly need to produce it quickly.. just a thought!

@Jason ******

I've sent you a PM via messenger 👍

Why does your bank need to know you are no longer intending to be a 'tax resident' of the UK.. you should change your correspondence address to your son's / daughter's address in the UK (with their permission of course) in order to give yourself an official or 'bone-fide' address for all your UK business.. then you get on with your life.. you can even maintain your UK mobile number by transferring it to a low cost expat telephony service.. so you will still be contactable on the same number.. and nobody needs to know where you choose to sleep at night ;)