FOR THE EXPAT IN ALL OF US! ISSUE 459 29th December 2017
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Good Times Every Night A DJ To Save Your Life
glass half full?
what to learn from 2017, what to expect in 2018
•Every • year at this time, most of us look back on the year that has gone, and look ahead to the year hua hin
beginning; AWOL has done so almost every year since we began, but looking back on those issues, beginning with issue 63 on Christmas Day 2009, the general theme of our review of the year has been pretty dour, while we have generally tried to have an optimistic view on the year ahead. What is striking though is the number of issues that repeat, year in, year out. One of those is that the year just gone has been the worst, business wise, that most have seen, and 2017 has ticked that box; ditto with unexpected weather extremes as the past year has seen unprecedented rains. A third recurring issue, since 2014, is the fact that planned elections were pushed back again, so forgive our opinion that we are unlikely to see them in 2018 either. Of course the major thing dominating the whole of Thailand since October 2016 has been the mourning of the loss of the beloved King Bhumibol, and while that official period ended with that incredible ceremony a year later, we are sure that his loss will be felt for a very long time. The question is now, can we be optimistic for 2018? In some respects 2017 did feel like a turning point for the nation, but it is open to debate whether it is a turn for the better or not. For Hua Hin there is no doubt that there will be more houses built (but also many still left unsold), but fewer, if any, large retail, condo or hotel projects undertaken. A big question mark hangs once again over the airport, as it has gone very quiet since the prospect of Air Asia flying in and out was mooted. While there would be some negatives to some of having a busier airport, the positives for most would far outweigh them, and is the major thing that AWOL wishes to see happen in 2018...as well as AWOL still being able to publish by this time next year. And on that note, Happy New Year to you all.