47 - Bangkok - settling in..
🇹🇭 We are now into our second week in Bangkok - this was planned to be the week of arrival but see last week for how we nearly did not get here at all and then ended up here a week early! We had a blast of a time this week - we are loving it here!
I have been in Bangkok many times over the years but almost always on business or short stay; this time it is and feels different. We will be here for an extended period and we are taking our time. It just feels great to have all the possibilities at your fingertips and no rush or pressure to do anything in particular on any day!
Of course we headed out to Chatuchak to enjoy the weekend market. Pro tip is to take the MRT to Kamphaeng Pet station (do not get off at Chatuchak station!) - you will find yourself right in the corner of the market near the second-hand book section - no need to walk along the road and through the park as you do from the other station. Click here for my walkabout video - you can compare it with what we found when here last October.
Another great find was Mega Bangna. Just Wow! They claim it to be one of the largest shopping malls in SE Asia and I can well believe it. It would take more than a day just to walk around it and you still would not see everything. The trick to get there is to take the BTS to Bang Na station and there is a shuttle bus downstairs at street level that will take about 15 minutes to get you there.
If you like shopping, Bangkok will blow your mind - see here for no less than 46 shopping malls to visit here.
Of course we did also look around the Grand Palace of Thailand. It is one of the more pricey tourist locations and they do strictly enforce dress code and even facemask to enter (though once in nobody seems to bother much!). They will also confiscate any lighters that they find on you at the entrance!
We managed to get back to IconSiam and discovered that they have built a new train link - the Gold BTS Line; it still does not seem to be fully open yet - they seem to have one train that does up and down on one line instead of using both lines - connecting at Krung Thon Buri and Memorial Bridge.
Read on - more in this week's newsletter
- Around Bangkok - photo memories from the week past
- Bitcoin in Bangkok - quite a lively scene
- Podcasts of the week - rather important - listen and take action
- Links for reading, listening and learning
- Some rather mind-blowing closing thoughts..
Around Bangkok this week
Below are a few photo memories from this past week in Bangkok - enjoy... Needless to say there are rabbits popping up everywhere and I have even seen the first clusters of Chinese tourists.
💰 Bitcoin in Bangkok
Recall from last week that there is quite a lively Bitcoin scene here in Bangkok, ranging from pure, Bitcoin-only to the inevitable chicanery of the other forms of crypto. I guess like everything else here - you have it all on offer and you make your own choices!
There was inevitably some buzz around the recent 25% rise (nice!) with everyone wondering if this is the start of the next run-up (and did they miss the bottom) or is the worst still to come. Everyone seems to have unfilled buy-orders and consensus is to leave them in case and continue to DCA!
Worth pointing out that a couple of influential commentators have done major buys recently - Click for details Bob Loukas (mentor to Guy!) and CTO Larson. For full balance and perspective you might want to watch Guy's Genesis-DGC commentary and his weekly news roundup.
A first step everyone can take..
The simplest first step that we all can take is to have and use a Lightning wallet and use it wherever possible. If you are in a coffee shop - ask if they take bitcoin for payment or tips. When out with friends one person can pay the bill and others pay him/here with lightning. Many websites will let you pay using Lightning (often for discount or other better service). You can also practice peer-to peer exchanges for small amounts (100 or 200 THB for example) using Lightning - this is a good way to give someone their first bitcoin and something that I do often.
Good wallets to get started with are Phoenix and Breez - suitable to hold up to as much bitcoin as you would be comfortable to hold as cash in your wallet. You can refer to Issue 14 of the newsletter where I explain all the steps to get started and FAQ.
If you meet me at one of the in-person meetups here in Bangkok, let's do some peer-to-peer exchanges to get experience and more familiar with the steps; it is still early and each of the wallets has its own quirks - good to be aware!
Self Custody - it's not that hard - just do it!
I have got to recommend this Twitter Spaces recording, hosted by NVK. There are two parts - the first is the basics that will help anyone get started once you go beyond your lightning wallet and need to store a larger amount of bitcoin. The second part does a deep dive into multi-sig options, entropy, attacks and more - everyone will learn from listening to this. NVK's audio gets fixed at 37mins!
🎙️ Podcasts of the week
The ESG Scam: Do listen carefully to what Vivek says in his interview with Saifedean. This is hot on the heels of Saifedean's reporting on the Cholesterol Scam and the Climate Scam. Listen carefully around 19mins and you will understand how evil forces use your (and other investors) money to manipulate markets to enforce their own agenda regardless of what you and the population wants.
This reporting from Davos should make the above rather clear to you:
🎓 Reading, listening and learning
- I have to recommend Lex Fridman's reading list - click below for his full list and motivations. I have read quite a few of these but he will be ahead of me by the end AND he will have done a video of key takeways on each! For example his summary of Orwell's 1984.
- Surveillance Report: ANOTHER Password Manager Has Been Breached! - SR117. Henry does this week's update on his own - it gives fantastic insights into what is happening on personal privacy front - you ought to be concerned about what governments, police and companies (often as "public-private partnerships") are doing with your money and taxes. You can support them - Monero is preferred route.
- I am continuing to read up and study on Nostr. Progress this week is that I found this handy "cheatsheet" - and I was happy to meet up with a developer working on enhancements for Nostr at the bitcoin meeting here in Bangkok!
- I am not sure if it is because of Elon but recently I have been making more use of Twitter. I do find it to be a preferred channel to get direct information and it certainly seems to be more unfiltered/uncensored than before. In doing this I have also started using Bookmarks and with that in mind I have re-discovered Philipp's Birdfeeder! Very nice - thanks!
- Neil explains why you really should be concerned about the latest ESG nonsense that is being made mandatory and it will affect you more.
Lastly - a rather important Press Release from UK Doctors.
🤔 Closing thoughts..
Consider this one from Lei - so many signs to note and consider: meteors, falling doors, blood-red skies and sea, planetary alignment, white feathers falling, snow in summer - not to mention the hidden words in stone! Do not discuss the 6th word!
Remember - a deadly pandemic does not require 7/24 advertising to remind you it exists. Real pandemics do not need marketing campaigns and endless propaganda, but psychological operations do!
If you cannot question it, it's not science... it's propaganda.
- Robert Malone MD
And do watch Jason's latest update on Ophis track record for 2022 and outlook for 2023. Among quite a few other things (that will surprise you) he also foresees similar developments in China to what Lei sees.
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