hopdafru

Thanks for all your advice, I agree with the responses I am getting.

I won't become emotionally involved with anybody who is from a country that is not a member of the Hague agreement again like Thailand this is why my wife has not been charged and my son returned, Parental Child Abduction is not seen as a crime in Thailand.

Is my best option is to just locate my son and bring him back?

British embassy can help locate my child, I will need to call them.

Surely as my son is British, I should have the control of his British passport? not a Thai in Thailand I don't think.

Would I need a court order for the return of the passport?

A suspect any court order regarding lengh of duration I can bring my son to UK could be Vetod from the UK because Thailand is not in the Hague agreement.. and a Thai court order is not likely to be valid in the UK is it? so I shouldn't think any Thai Court would try to do this when deciding custody rights?

I sound selfish I know, but I want my son to grow up in England where we don't have huge numbers of Hepatisis, TB, AIDS and much less road accidents, no babies on motorbikes, real toilets and showers in all homes.. not a hole in the floor and a bucket of water like I've had to put up with when staying with my wifes family.

Sadly this is your problem and yours alone. Nobody can or will help you in Thailand inc the embassy. You have no rights at all under Thai law and even if you did the authorities here will not assist you. You have as I see it just one option and that is to be equally creative and con your wife into bringing your son back to England. Perhaps a death in the extended family and an unexpected windfall for your son but he must return to England to inherit? Thai's are intoxicated by the smell of money use it to your advantage! She conned you so now you must put on your thinking cap and find something that will make her take the return trip ...

Make a copy of one of those 'you have won 100.000 GBP' as selected from a random list of travelers... you must pick up your prize in person or be accompanied by a parent / legal xxx 18 or older. who knows! put it in the name of your child...

of course if this is illegal don't do it...

Why don't you use the TV poll feature and ask TV users if they would use such a service and if they would prefer bus or plane. (and where they would leave from, are most of your potential customers from bkk?

Re. plane phongsavan airlines / central airlines has just launched a daily BKK/VTE service, they would be stoked at the idea of having regular groups at an even more discounted price (still more expensive than UTH+Bridge but way less tiring, and you could negotiate going through the diplomatic queue in VTE)

I have a few ideas for riverside accommodation with nice food / service / internet etc pm me if you're interested.

SokDee!

PS: buses from thailand can cross the bridge and move around in Vientiane, no need to change at the border + if the paperwork is done before just hand passports + 30$ + paperwork and they'll stamp on the spot

First, I was under the impression that the border between Thailand and Laos ran down the middle of the Mekong, so obviously both countries would have to agree, because it would be difficult to dam half the river, no? Second, why is Laos "selling" the electricity to Thailand if, as it seems, Thai Banks are underwriting the deal? Third, what guarantees do the countries of the lower Mekong have that their reliance on the rivers water for irrigation would take preference over the need to generate power from the dam? Fourth, since in the five years I have lived here, nothing I have seen gives me any faith in Thailand's conservation policies, why should this project prove the exception to the rule? Fifth, if, as I seem to remember reading somewhere, China is planning on building more dams far above this project, would there still be enough water to serve everyones needs?

if you follow the mekong west from Vientiane for about 100km, the river makes a 90 degree right turn to the north and 'loses' its border status thus flowing within laos via PakLai, xagnabury, luang prabang etc. The dam is therefore inside laos and funded by thailand with 90 percent of the electricity generated exported to LOS.

My wife bought a chinese made 'Cherry QQ', small 4 seater for 8000 dollars, automatic also available.

Cheap, easy to park, high mpg, almost no maintenance and we've had it over 2 years with no issues.

Changed my view on (some) cars made in china!

According to a recent survey in Europe 95% of women confess hoping that it is going to be short when giving oral sex to a man.

We just don't like it, why don't we say so is the real question ...

sorry to break your bubble big bendix, but regarding that women are the same everywhere, believe me.

If you don't believe me try telling your gf that you are going to find a way that it lasts 2 to 3 time longer, say 30 minutes, and just watch her face

What does "liking it" have to do with anything? A big part of the pleasure is the fact that she's happy to do it in order to please me whether she likes it or not. And it's definitely the case that many women love doing it, if not intrinsically then for the feeling of power, their ability to drive a guy nuts.

And it never takes less than 45min in my case, and that's only if it's been at least a few hours since the last one. One of my favorite games is Russian Roulette, each gets four minutes and then back of the line, the one who makes it pop gets a bonus. Obviously easiest to manage during the establishment's slow time. . .

Thank you this person exactly illustrates what I meant

PS: 45 min poor girl

hmmm... since I possess French blood I will venture with my personal point of view...

It seems Aneliane might have some difficulty satisfying her female masochistic needs in LOS and thus expresses them - rather poorly I might add - on TV. Unless she has gone tom I wonder how it works...

Re. the statistics of the 'huge number' (300!!!) of French women being killed by their companions, I understood aneliane's point was to show that french and thai women are in the same boat so to speak... and the opposite isn't even counted...how does that make anything in Thailand and France comparable?

Correct me if I'm off...

Great thread by the way, made my day!

PS: just asked my wonderfull wife how she felt about a 20min session and she said sure, no problem! with a big smile on her face - not the reaction of a poor abused woman...

Sokh Dee Der!

single room, single story, with very basic toilet yes

No kitchen, no extras and about 25 - 30 sq.m. 270 - 330 sq ft

Being very careful with your $10,000 and watching evey penny

Just about to finish a small house on wife's land, 50 sq/m + 20 sq/m upstairs. $2000 for the local crew and $8000 for materials, steel + tiled roof (100+sq/m, includes outside patio), 100 sq/m of walls, bathroom, sceptic tank.

No extra's or A/C, doing the electric work myself.

Definitely watched every penny and bought all the materials myself after checking prices from different sources (stores, other people building houses) for each item. Crew paid per meter or sq/m of finished work.

$10.000

Do have a conversation with the NaiBaan BEFORE you begin construction, preferably around a snack and their drink of choice, that will get them to know you better and make sure it's ok with them.

FYI, typical 'tax' for living in a village is 5.000 kip for Lao and 10.000 for falang (monthly)

Don't mean to get off topic here but do make sure things are as clear as possible before you start ;-)

Just found this post and am finishing a house not too far from DongDok (Baan Nasiao / Nongbeuk) - I'll happily send you guys the prices I've paid with the local Lao crew (plus materials). I insisted on paying per square meter (Ko + Bok (walls), Lanka (roofing) Tekhan etc...),,, none exceed $5 per meter or square meter, glad I did as their showing up was erradic!

Those are local prices so they were fed daily and a few bottles of free beer were shared on most days.

Going local as I did gets me a house for around $110-120 per sq/m, interior finishing extra - I went and bought all the materials myself (cement, wood, tiles, bricks etc.) - you definitely need to do some shopipng around and be on the premises most of the time supervising.

An aquaintance in Ban Bo oo went with a Vietnamese crew who did a great job, but it costed more: $200-300 per sq/m

[...] and that a new internatinoal airport will be built on route 13 near the stadium.

Last I heard the new airport will replace the protected zone / forest on your right side when driving to Tanghon from vientiane (2-3km after the Sikhai roundabout) - I heard it from a friend who is good with this kind of info but worth double checking!

Good luck and you're welcome to take a look at what my guys did, send me a pm.

Take care

I'm on the mekong as well, north of Wattay airport.

Have been watching my neighbors dealing with caged fish farms for 4 years and it's a lot of work, especially carrying and buying a bunch of 50kg bags of pellets for the fish, feeding them 2-3 or more times a day. (one neighbor bought 2 4WD since I'm here but it's a pretty large operation and the whole family lives literally on the farm)

Fish seedlings are cheap, but there is a loss of up to 40% in the rainy season due to low oxygen in the water (i'm confident there's a cheap way to reduce this figure!) - farmed fish goes for 15.000 kip /kg (2011) - do consider that the Lao buy from family members (pinong) even if it's a more expensive option (e.g. from a cousins market stall) - who will buy from you? and at what price?

2 years ago my Lao friend quit farming fish and moved to Gop (Frog) farming using the same fish cages (only added floating elements and shade), I noticed it was a lot less work, cheaper, no loss and the end product sells for more. here are the numbers:

2010 bought 6000 baby Gop for 200 kip each - a few months later was selling them 20-22.000 kip a kilo

2011 bought 10.000 for 250 kip each and sold for 25.000 kip a kilo

People would call or show up from market / food shop and pickup a few bags everyday for a few weeks (an adult Gop will reach 600+ grams surprisingly quickly) some would make their way down and 'borrow' a couple for free!

Just one guy handling the whole operation, feeding the animals is real easy and cheap: they feed mostly from the mekong and about 1 bag of pellets (the same previously fed to the fish), at the most every day or other day (?)

Sounds to me like Gop is the way to go and on most menus here in vientiane. I would definitely check with the Nai Baan beforehand and make sure someone is buying (check with your local Thalat/Market) - but you can always start small with minimal risk (perhaps around $500).

With the new road being build you could probably buy some cages from someone moving on to a new business.

don't hesitate to PM me for more info ;-)

C.

Also, note that work permits for foreign nationals will be limited to 2 years, renewable only once AFTER a 2 year leave from the country. This will be tested in Vientiane before being rolled out in other provinces and passed into law. A circulary has been sent to Falang owned companies in Laos regarding this issue. Sorry, no link at this time. If any of you have one, please post. thanks.

Didn't feel a thing in Vientiane, did though last month when a 4.7 hit Pak Lai 200 km west of the capital

Lot's of shaking going on these days nah?

It is certainly true that you can't help people unless they are willing to accept help.

Between simply walkiung away and trying to get this person to do XYZ there is a middle option:

Gather a set of resource information - lists of AA meetings (free), residential treatment programs (various types, not free), counselling (also different types, not free ut some places have sliding scale fees). Between what is on this thread and the pinned mental health resource list in the Health forum, you should be able to put together a nice little kit. For AA, make it a detailed list i.e. exact times, locations of meetings, contact numbers, website.

Then sit him down and tell him that you are deeply concerned and believe he has a problem which is doing him harm and likely to do him even more harm in the future. If possible, have some other people he knows join you. Be sure to convey compassion and concern.

Then the rest of it is up to him. If he avails of any of these resources, support him to the max.

If he does not, distance yourself but make it clear to him that you'll be there when and if he decides to take action.

This way you meet your moral obligation, do what it is possible to do, but do not get embroiled into something that is beyond your control.

Bingo! Absolutely correct middle way approach and avoids the highly probable win loose outcome which too often happens in these difficult situations.

On a side note and after going to both AA and All-anon meetings, what has previously helped me was the presence and availability of a close friend, who knew that all attempts to convince me usually produced the opposite effect from what was initially expected, thus delaying positive action even further.

The compassionate listening of the other enabled me to make sense of what I was going through and re-invent what I wanted. It is almost impossible to do this completely alone and one must be aware and careful not to give in to sometimes (often) unrealistic or unhealthy expectations... hel_l is often paved with good intentions!

I liked some previous comments re. drinking times, finding something else to do during those hours and having a reason to go to bed early can really help and produce rapid results (and/or reducing alcohol intake - perhaps alcohol free beer or lite beer - still a source of alcohol but much less while enabling liquid intake - not an AA recommendation I know) which quickly helps 'thinking normally' again which in my experience was often key to making progress.

The road to 'recovery' is long indeed - i'm inclined to think years rather than months - and often requires some effort and outside help as has been written above.

Finally, some readings can provide excellent insight such as 'The road Less Travelled' by M Scott Peck or any writings by Pema Chodron (audio books also available and easy to find online) - these are not self help books which haven't produced any result whatsoever in my case!

Just sharing my experience,

Good Luck!

Formality indeed... Exiting prime minister Fillon will be renamed... prime minister today so the government reshuffle can take place.

555!

For those believing Mister flowerman, here's a post he wrote today:

---

Is The Opinion Of Young Thai Men Towards Prostitution Changing?

Today, 13:38

what are the opinions of this generation of young thai males towards using female prostitutes? is their opinion different from previous thai generations?

---

The whole bad english thing is quite amusing... Check out his profile and see for yourself! (unless his wife with a nice bullock learned english as a first language?)

I had a good laugh though!

Sokh Dee Deu

I have used this company 9-10 times in the last three years, very good, otherwise I'd not have gone back to them.

You can request an English speaking driver as they do have several.

Asia Vehicle Rental : Laos Car Rental

Mac

You can also call Boon Soot at 020 5562 9315 who has a brand new 12 passenger van with A/C etc. and compare prices. He took my parents for a trip and they were very happy.

I don't understand the almost constant need to insult OP's on TV... In my mind TV could be a fantastic tool to share info about Thailand and when it comes to the cultural differences falang/thai couple face it would be great to use TV as a way to give/get advice on these issues and perhaps some positive input or examples of successful partnerships.

As for the OP's thread, perhaps some newcomers to LOS would benefit from, among others, his point of view, as there are indeed many girls out there who are after the money; perhaps we could discuss why this is and if there are any grounds for this... (ie uneducated background, social pressure to own stuff, perceived relative stability of being with a falang versus a local thai man who will undoubtedly have mia nois, kicks and what not, or even just take the run when the girl is pregnant etc.)

What would us falangs do if we were born upcountry in the 80's/90's and had very little to look forward to plus a financial responsibility to our family?

Personally I've met only a handful of falang who managed to maintain a loving and trustful long term relationship and I would love to hear from those on TV who have succeded and how they managed to do so. Each case is unique I'm sure, but it seems to me that it can be quite difficult.

Finally, on an off-topic note, I want to thank the very few on TV who take the time to make some very informative posts, it unfortunately takes hours of reading before stumbling on them!

I look forward to more informative and positive reading.

In northern Thailand, CAT offers hi speed internet using a USB key. Speed is 3.1 Mbps and very effective, you can download a whole movie (700mB = 1 CD) in less than 2 hours, so it's comparable to speeds found in the US and Europe.

Price is 790 THB per month for a 1 year subscription and when I subscribed in January there was a promo including 3 months for free.

You must buy the USB key which costs about 6000 THB and includes a micro usb slot to use the key a as storage (up to 8 or 16 GB). The software is in the key and installs flawlessly under XP and Win7. Not sure for Mac.

Do note that you need to present a work permit but I asked my tuk tuk driver to sign for me and was no problem (I paid 3 months in advance and got 6 months of service), we had a couple of beers afterward ;-)

In southern Thailand, the system is identical but under the brand Hutch / Huthinson (I tried it as well in Ko Phangan and worked great)

This works even in remote areas and uses WCDMA, u can purchase a 2000 baht antenna which boosts the signal up to 50 kilometers from the source (making this a great solution for users in Laos as well - if on the mekong though you should be fine without it)

For those looking for a cheaper / short term solution, dtac has a great offer if you have a gprs phone (Nokia and Samsung models have good connection software): unlimited monthly packages with for ex. 100 hours for 200 THB (50 hour promo, 50 hours free) which is great for email and speedy enough for basic surfing (230 kbps) - you just load your account with the desired credit and call 1678 to activate the internet option. They speak English and it works immediately, pretty cool!

There are certainly other solutions out there but I have found the above two to be the best in my case.

Good Luck!