A British expat died Wednesday after crashing his motorcycle near Phuket
 

Sad news indeed when one reads news like this:

http://www.thephuketnews.com/news-lo...mash-27710.php

Re: A British expat died Wednesday after crashing his motorcycle near Phuket
 

Sorry to say that this is very very common. Things happen in Phuket daily... I wouldn't know where to begin.

Re: A British expat died Wednesday after crashing his motorcycle near Phuket
 

Is the traffic really bad there?

Re: A British expat died Wednesday after crashing his motorcycle near Phuket
 

In Phuket? Not particularly. As bakedbean says, this is very common - pretty much everyone rides without helmets and nobody cares about drink driving.

Re: A British expat died Wednesday after crashing his motorcycle near Phuket
 

Alan, you're so right. I was trying to find a positive slant to this, but gave up :( The article also mentions that notorious Aussie bar in Patong.

Note to Sue: Patong is really the pits IMHO. Just sleazy, full of drunks and old men ogling the Thai girlies (and some aren't even girlies). It's the worst of Phuket I think, but still people choose to book their holidays there and they seem to think that is Phuket. It isn't. (I might do a new post on this ;) though I think we've covered this subject before)

Re: A British expat died Wednesday after crashing his motorcycle near Phuket
 

Very sad, although as someone said, all too common. It makes the news when it's a farang, but it happens to countless locals every day.

Some Australian kid died in Bali the other day when he touched an electrified pole in the street.

Sometimes the fun and excitement of living in a new and exotic land makes us forget that it isn't as safe as home.

I agree re Patong. Sadly I never made it to Phuket in the early days - before it became such a tourist destination, and when it was still a tin mining island.

Re: A British expat died Wednesday after crashing his motorcycle near Phuket
 

nothing new here really, a daily occurrence all over Thailand, although not on my housing estate as there is still a boat service from the nearest dry point. Came back on Tuesday , got a taxi from the bus station , he took us as far as we could go and then we got a boat up the high street and into our estate. Never thought I would be doing that ! Might do a thread about the floods if anyone is interested. Some funny stuff and some not so funny stuff.

Re: A British expat died Wednesday after crashing his motorcycle near Phuket
 

I'm interested. I started a Bangkok Floods thread earlier, so if you want to tag onto that one, feel free.

Re: A British expat died Wednesday after crashing his motorcycle near Phuket
 

+1 - I am very interested to know what is happening. Anyone know any good photo sites of the situation. Someone did a very good one of the riots last year....