AZBill

I'd never live there again but not because it's a bad place! I just prefer my own country though I still enjoy visiting.

Don't need to. My wife has a job and earns her own money. and contributes to the household income. I will say that I did give my western first wife a very healthy allowance as she did not work, but it was never enough for her and I finally had it with her and her selfishness. I never understood this whole money issue being a Thai thing. If you marry a poor girl from anywhere you better know her family may need help and why would you have a problem with that if you're a real man? My mother came from a poor working class family and my father who became successful helped my mother's family for years as they struggled. Why wouldn't you? If you can't afford it or don't care enough to do so then don't get involved. It's your choice to make so don't bitch if you choose a poor farm girl as your wife. You're not buying a pet for Christ sake!

Regardless of custom or location I will always tip for good service. People in the service industry work very hard and get paid very little and take a lot of crap from all sides. it's more about appreciation for their efforts in the face of all that than anything else to me.

It's the messed up western marriages and relationships which usually cause the guy to get fed up and look elsewhere. One could just as easily write about the gold digging, angry, heartless and self centered shrews comprising western womanhood. Look anywhere in your own country and you will see some pretty dysfunctional stuff between the sexes. As you say there are many like my wife and I who are in the middle of the extremes, as most of us are (that's why they're called extremes) and we are quite happy and have been so for a decade. For those that aren't, well someone has to make up the extremes or sites like this would be pretty boring!

You got the wrong girl! My wife is nothing like that.

She simply needs to change her name to Rosarita Lopez and she won't have any immigration issues. In fact she'll get all kinds of free government money!

Is he related to Li'l Kim? Disgusting.

Wow the sexism and ignorance is flowing from the old PM on this one!

My experience with Thais is that they aren't good with money. Nobody teaches them about handling it. My wife's family makes a pretty good living by Thai standards but I can't believe how they piss money away and forget about saving a dime. I've tried to show them how to handle money over the years but it just falls on deaf ears.

You're seriously complaining about paying 5 U.S. dollars for medical treatment?

Agreed! 10 very happy years with a wonderful and loving woman. I think the vast majority of us who didn't make disasters of our lives and marriages don't really feel much need to post about it on the Internet. But good from time to time to dispel some of the stereotypes that get created by only hearing skewed views of western Thai relationships.

Why do you think there are so many poor, unfortunate and misguided Thais? They are the continued result of their own bad karma carrying over from life to life. Takes many lifetimes to break free of samsara!

So how is he different from the thousands each night in the entertainment venues seeking out and sexually abusing underaged bar girls forced into sexual servitude by their own families?

Nice photos. Funny there would be outrage from a society that openly allows the nightly sexual abuse of children in the middle of Bangkok!

Never give it a thought. It had zero impact on my life. Karma will eventually will take care of them.

Did they notice the 14 year olds working down there? Just asking.

You have much in common. They don't see the real you, and you don't see the real them!

Starting to each too much crap and not getting enough exercise. No big mystery here.

I think in general the people are very sweet and kind. Never had any kind of run in with the locals and have always been treated well. I like the beaches and scenery. I do not like the hot and humid weather. Love the food!

I like Amazon coffee.

You answered your own question.

Not much changes

He may love his country, but the government? Not so much

Nobody wants to do business with a dictatorship,

Watchdogs? You mean they need to rat people out!