Nana Cowboy

Wow pal you got stench troubles. sorry to hear about it. As for my personal experience no more stench here than I got back in the USA

really great thread. I want to thank the OP for taking it all the way to the end and much was learned here. certainly we learned that all those cheapos who claim you can rent places for basically nothing are full of it. the OPs 12K is a realistic number that gets him a decent place close to BTS

It seems to be the normal course of events. I remember a brit who lived in bkk in the 90s, ir got too exp so he moved to PP cambo. then cambo got steep and he was searching for his next move.
I never saw him again so dont know how this story ended

check point sir

This is pretty staggering indeed but I dont believe a word of it. My old building had a vacancy rate of under 20% (no I didnt own but I did bail). The 1BRs started at 35K band in late 2008 and by 2010 you couldnt give them Awat for 18K. not even a lower ball offer. Oh and this was the prestigious bed supper club area. LOL. I got the bleep out of there rapid fire and my rent went to zero. how about that

Leave the country my friend. I wouldnt test any other options. Youre well being is at risk

Is this dollars or pounds or qiods, I mean quids. Who uses these quids. I see USD being used aound some places and of course baht. Is there some converter on thai visa o get a feel for this?

"This is an interesting thread and I am very interested in people's opinions. What I'm wondering though is the opposite. Is it worth having the whole ceremony thing as opposed to simply marrying at the Amphur as I did?

You mean I can get sleep in a Sauna that comes with a fan and wake up in a puddle of sweat several times per night? This is beyond great really.
It's heaven

Well for certain the teacher collecting the fees will be making cash. anyone else making money is anyone else's guess

Hiya there Jobo. sorry I didnt see your post until 3 weeks later. Sure I can help u out with some info here having done this trip twice in the past 3 years. I flew Delta to ATL. My god that was a killer via Tokyo and the worst part of the journey. ATL to MIA was a breeze of course. Trip 1 I went from Mia via Tamiami Trail and recovered from the Lag in Naples over a long 4 day weekend. We cruised up to CT over 3 or 4 days. We then went across I-80 thru Chicago and I-90 to Rapid City over another 4 days. Hung in Rap with family for 3-4 days. then went and did Rocky Mtn Ntl Park and onto The Utah Ntl Parks and down thru Monument valley. I had a bad flare out of gout that slowed me to a crawl after Zion Park. We stayed a week there at a Super 8 before going thru Vegas, Hoover Dam and Carlsbad Caverns. Never did more than 400 miles per day up to that point. I got motivated after 2 days at carlsbad and drove straight thru to Pensacola, FL (like 900 miles). Then took the final jaunt back to Naples in a day and stayed there our final 2 weeks

Bottom line is we had a 2 month trip planned and good thing due to my gout flare up but 1 month is just about right for this trip I've outlined.

Trip 2 I knew this so we planned a 1 month trip and it was perfect but we didnt't drive 10K miles, lol. we drove onlty 3Kmiles. So if you're motivated I say go for the 10K drive. It's a cake walk to do considering how few miles per day we were driving. I'd do it again.

Oh no going bkk via Europe. Stay out of Europe. In 30 trips to BKK I went via Germany once and it was the worst way to go. Always go thru Tokyo. Europe is a place I've avoided my whole life except for that one trip. I say those that want the place can have it. I wont do battle for it. LOL. I love the USA and Asia, I never go anywhere else for travel or via. lol.

Oh the rent a car cost was steep I am sorry to say but my wife wanted that "bumble bee" , I guess that was the camaro's name in the movie transformers. It was a whopping $3500 for the month. Oh well you only live once I suppose. Next time I'll try and talk her into doing a Chevy Impala from Alamo or something. those would be at least $1000 cheaper. Love the trip though. Hey I used to drive hundreds of thousands of miles around the USA in the 40 years I lived there. I loved it. If you're into it and can handle it then go for it. If you have any other questions try PMing me. Stay out of Europe, Africa or the middle Eaast is my rec. Cany comment on the UK but 80% of this forum is UK so you dont need me for that. LOL

Oh a final thing, the OP of this thread said he was going to be staying in Tucson, AZ. I figure the guy hasn't a clue about Tucson as I mentioned Mount Lemmon and he had no comment. Anyone who lived in Tucson would have eyes light up if someone mention the great Mount Lemmon. Great spot where you can ski in the winter less than an hour away from the desert floor. very unique place. go from 85 degree to snow in such a short drive. So many great memories of that place. Maybe he's just humourless. not sure

Actually according to the serial overstayers of multi-years and multi passports it is us who are the fools spending thousands of dollars on visa runs, flights, hotels and everything else. A 45-55 y/o guy looked me straight in the face and said it was a total waste todo it. He said no one ever checks your passport or stops you on the way to the airport. he say that was totally ludicrous, he goes back to his country every 5 years or so and shells out the 20K fine then comes right back after his visit. He has done this at least 5 times and saved a ton of money. The vast majority of posters in this and other threads totally confirm this. We honest ones are the fools but after 10 years I'm not changing now. congrats to those who do it and no doubt have huge bank accountsrisk/reward way on the side if the overstayer. just re-read this very thread, moderators verifies also

It's a white golf ring with 1carat diamond

Wow I just bought my wife a 1 carat single stone 14K white gold engagement ring for $1150 on my USA trip in May. Those rings get hugely overpriced. We got a smoking deal but quality is not so high as you would expect for that dirt low price

http://www.adiamondbuyingguide.com/diamondpriceguide.html

$2,000 - $3,500

Absolutely exquisite quality diamonds in the low carat end of this range, but use caution when considering the larger stones. Make sure you are familiar with the "Four Cs" of diamond qualitybefore purchasing. The 1-carat stones in this price range often have one or more of the following: visible inclusions (flaws), mediocre color quality ("faint yellow"), and/or a lower grade "cut" (which affects the "brilliance" of the diamond).

Carat Weight: 0.40 - 1.00

Diamond Quality: Varied.

Setting: 14-18K gold (white or yellow), Platinum

You bought absolutely cheap, a -Industry- working Diamond?

Oh yeah I know it's low end. from Kohl's in USA. 14K white gold obviously on lower end of scale of the famous 4 C's/ none the less I'll gladly take it and pocket a grand or more. It looks fine and its a racket anyway

Yeah I think diamonds are a scam so when I got a low end 1 carat for $1150 I was ecstatic no matter the quality. the whole diamond thing is a racket. especially the boggle your mind with the 4 C's. omg. isn't it true that the world's diamonds are in few hands and are super plentiful and fake shortages are created. LOL

LOL, sorry typo

I'm 52 but when I was 25 in the USA I met the wrong one. She was a high school GED with a job at a jewelry store. She was from a western state and she was dumb. We had a kid and tried to have another 2 which were miscarried. She had been a whackjob from a previous marriage/divorce where she was deemed an unfit mother. So she really went Whacko after these miscarries and demanded a divorce. I was willing to try and make it work but she'd have no part of it. divorced 6 months later and she gave me custody. My kid had to go 2000 miles to be with my mother so I could work (I was 32). I was actively seeking a GF/Wife. I found a 40 y/o who was smart and attractive (turns out she was 42 so a little white lie, I didn't really care). I dated her and gave her a go. married a year later and my kid came back and things were great. Then she turned Whackjob from menopause. I called her the SS Meno. I could take no more after 2 years and divorced her. She stalked me the 3 years after the divorce that I lived in that town

Fast forward I retired at 40 and moved to BKK. Found an uneducated Issan 18 y/o and had her live with me for 5 years. She picked up my English really well and spoke like an American. I knew there was no future with her though. finally she walked out and after 7 years in BKK I found Miss tight, a 25 year old working University Grad (not from Issan if that matters). She had so much common interest with me that it was incredible. I was 49 at that point (its 4 years later now). So it was an unexpected dream come true. She could easily be a finalist for the swimsuit Sports Illustrated edition. Face is perfect. Mind is super intelligent. Obviously she's Thai but I would have taken her whatever she was. I never met anyone like that,only dreamed about it. If I had when I was 25 I'd be married still. So to OP, go to where you have more supply. I think the vast majority of farangs in Thailand are looking for Miss Perfect. If you're her then this is the place. otherwise I think other countries would be better suited

The interesting thing is that Thailand does in fact make quality goods. These quality good are for EXPORT only. The junk is sold in country.

All computers, cameras and phones are 25-40% less in the states than here. It makes no sense to buy any of that stuff here. And my question how can the Thais afford any of that stuff? I used to think everyone was so poor here but they all have new $50k cars and new cameras and the best phones.

Ever hear of getting a loan from a bank or using a credit card? Thai, like most other people in the world, are amassing a huge amount of consumer debt.

Thais are getting ripped off so badly. It's just insane. Posters here used cars as an example. Paying for a car what several houses would cost. What a rape job. Face it the day will come in short order when the bank will confiscate whatever security that was provided to get those loans. Thai banks are not stupid. "They don't hand out loans without collateral or hand out credit cards with huge limits. Day of reckoning around the corner. $100,000 for a $27,000 car. LOL. insanity folks. total

Because you are American.

Nearly all, if not all Americans i know of complain about cost in LOSTD,

i dont know of any other nationality that complain,

on the contrary the rest think its cheap.

Most Americans complain about the prices in Europe and especially the UK where a pair of shoes cost a 100 GBP, the same pair of shoes in the US cost US $100. You must have money to burn in Europe.

No as an American I never complain about the prices of Euro shoes or anything else in Europe. May they charge 10 times the amount and then Europeans can run to BKK and talk about how dirt cheap the low quality goods are here. I don't think Euros have money to burn at all. I think they are getting ripped off badly for everything they buy which means they can't buy very many goods. Poor folks

Because you are American.

Nearly all, if not all Americans i know of complain about cost in LOSTD,

i dont know of any other nationality that complain,

on the contrary the rest think its cheap.

Most Americans complain about the prices in Europe and especially the UK where a pair of shoes cost a 100 GBP, the same pair of shoes in the US cost US $100. You must have money to burn in Europe.

I'm American and I never complain about ripoff Europe prices. May they charge 10 times the US price. I've never been to Europe and never will go. I'm fond of keeping money. No I don't think Euros have money to burn at all, I think they are getting robbed and have little money to buy few goods. Poor folks. Oh well.

yes you're right, Canada is cheap except for Food, Gas, Tobacco, Real Estate, Taxes. wait that is just about everything. seriously Canada doesn't come close. It's a ripoff country