Carry

Well my investigation into the Tesco Lotus express shops taught me that they sell a nice variety on veggies and fruit and that that is waaay cheaper then the local vegetable stalls/shops, due to the tesco selling by the government price. Sooo thats ok, for the rest they sell holiday maker orientated stuff and a large range of pet stuff [litter box sand?!] and a nice isle of baby products...dont buy fabric softener 52 baht is the cheapest one, now that can be bought for half that price or less in just about any local mini mart.

To answer someone's question, me and our daughter are back in Thailand, trying to run my husbands business which is very tough as a foreign woman alone, silly me to think people would maybe cut me some slack.

Its a good experience though, learning more in the last month then in my whole life before that!

True colors are shown in bad but certainly also in good ways! Help comes from unexpected places and people...very intense.

The future is unsure at the moment but being here in the place we were happy for so many years feels like the only place I want to be now.

My husband truly put his heart and soul in his bar and I feel like I cant just turn my back on that.

Trying to get through every day, some are better then others...I cant shake the thought if he comes back now, our daughter wills till remember him...painful.

All four Tesco Lotus express shops are done, no clue why four, since the all sell the same [just about nothing and way overpriced...] and all less then a mile away from each other...

Cant bring your own car and in low season only the slow wooden boat from Laemgob [300 baht singel trip p.p.], sure some bungalows cheaper then others, no big market for private houses, barely any electricity only generators.

Lots of smiles...it's the backstabbing part that kills me sometimes really...

Ok, but anyone knows of books and/or dvd/cd thats for sale and good?

How about that Learn thai quickly thats promoted here on Thaivisa, any good?

I dont want to get a TEFL I want to improve my Thai language skills, located on Koh Chang....

To give u an impression of the Thai folklore about a funeral: when I heard he had passed away [and was in disbelieve since I had spoken to him hours before] I asked the family to please not move him yet from where we live but leave him in the hospital until I got there. but because the next flight wasnt until the next day, they didnt want to wait [they live 1600 km down south] and took his body in a car uncooled all the way home.

So by the time I got there it wasnt really possible to see him anymore...and then there was the traditional Thai coffin, with flickering xmas lights under a party tent that was dressed up with fake silk ornaments and the whole garden that had turned into a 24/7 kitchen for friends, family and neighbors to come at all times to pay their respect...the date of burning the body was set ten days after he died, so this circus [with all do respect] went on for ten days straight, the monks coming in the morning and evening to pray at his coffin.

i ended up being a waitress which was good, keeping busy. a few of his friends and our staff went to all the trouble to come over there for the whole ten days and with them we went to waterfalls I used to go to with my husband, it ended up being a 'good' experience to take all this time to mourn and only talk about him, the memories etc, with his family and loved ones.

The day of the cremation was one I was affraid of, I had been to the local temple where the oven is a central point on the compound and wasnt sure I could handle it.

His coffin was put on the back of a truck, we were along side and there was a very long trail of cars following us.

At the temple I was surprised by the warm story that was told by one of the monks about his life.

His friends and cousins carried his coffin up to the entrance of the oven and after the chants from the monks, it was time to open it, I couldnt watch. It's such a raw experience, to see someone poor over a jerrycan of gasoline over your husband and a match and shut the oven door....

The next morning at 4 we went to the temple again with food for the monks and at sunrise, we were led to the same building on the compound and in front of the oven was a table with a pile of ash and bones...all thats left of him.after a few rituals where we were to pour flower water over his remains and give rice to the monk in each corner of the platform, we all got a little white linnen cloth with some pieces of bones and a bag of ash.

Typing it now it seems awful but at the time, it was closure to a very long period of waiting for this, closure.

To bring some of his bones felt like I was taking him with me.. but it is still wrong, he should be here alive at the age of 38, to play with his daughter he loved so much....

Although I've been living in Thailand for several years, my Thai language skills are still not that great, I get most of the conversations between Thais and I knwo many words but still don't speak it anywhere near fluent!

Part of it is that my partner always spoke english very well and so did our staff and no place to go and learn in class...

See many adds about different courses, anyone a recommendation?

Appreciated.

Thanks for all the lovely messages, gives one courage. we flew straight back to Thailand and after the 10 day ceremony and cremation, finally back on our island, very double, it's feels good to be home and still can't believe he is really gone...

A lot of support thankfully.

Whatever relationship you guys are in, count your blessings.3 weeks ago when on a family visit to my family, I got the phone call that my dear husband and father of our almost 2 year old daughter died very suddenly. ..life became a nightmare over night.

Leaving it to god? Wondering if there's ever such a thing...

Just need a 2 entry as stated in the subject, thanks for all answer, very helpful.

You have choice of air/bus/train (and none would be anywhere near that price). You could fly direct to Vientiane and not spend that total amount - but going to Udon is normal and much cheaper.

Fly to Udon and van/taxi to border at Nong Khai and short ride into Vientiane on other side of bridge.

Bus to Udon or Nong Khai.

Train to Nong Khai.

I believe the normal all inclusive trip from Bangkok by visa company is normally about 7,000 baht - nothing close to your figure - but very easy to do yourself and much more comfortable than a Bangkok to border van ride.

Thanks a lot, anybody know what time the border closes?

I heard of a company that will take you to Vientiane and arrange hotel and visa for you from Bangkok but this costs 27.000 baht.

I figured there must be a cheaper way [and faster one, since they leave at 19.00 at night and you get back 2 nights later at 23.00 in Bangkok, by minibus]

Flying from Bangkok to Udon, seems to be faster but then? Anybody did this before, got any tips/tricks or recommendations where to stay?

The one in Chaichet is finished now.

Have a look at the I am Koh Chang Website or the Koh Chang guide which both have a number of recommendations.

Sea Food - JE Seafood in Klong Prao and Ruan Thai in Bang Bao are good. You could also driver over to Salek Phet, where there is the Seafood restaurant over looking the sea. All pretty good places in my opinion.

In Whitesands, if you want cheap Thai food, Nong Bua Seafood has a good range on their menu, it's always busy as well.

If you want traditional Western food, you can try Paddy's Palms or 15 Palms, both have a decent Western menu. The Sunday roast in Paddy's is good. Monkeys, also offers some good dishes.

Had Kai Mook - You have the Hungary Elephant if you want Western food and there is also Saffron on the sea.

Lonely Beach has a good Thai / Issan food place on the left hand side in the middle going up towards Bang Bao - cant recall the name now, but it is a two story building (very easy to find). There is also a Mexican there.

Pizza - Joe and Marco's in Chai Chet - V.J Plaza do very good Pizza's and there is Ciao in Kae Bae also offering reasonable priced Italoian food. For German food there is Paul's in Whitesands opposite Paddy's Palms.

Bai Lan has the Happy Turtle, good Thai and Western food and also does cooking classes.

That should be a start.

Dont forget Budha view in Bang bao, excellent Western/Thai kitchen, nice place over the sea [but a bit pricy]

And the Issan restaurant in Lonely beach is called Sign nam, deff. a great place to eat, but in low season closed for longer period of time due to family visit.

When are they done? Where's the White Sand one going to be?

No clue when done, they are building at all four at once, the one in whitesand is gonna be close to the Indian restaurant [sorry, not in white sand often!] on the left hand side. There's a sign up saying they're building a Tesco.

I still dont see how your judgement about Mia nois has anything to do with Thailand being a men's world...but that might be me

The border is open till 19.00 every day.

It's less of a hassle than PP border, I can tell you that!

Safe travels!

Welcome to Koh Chang, where 3G isnt even a fact and mobile data as electricty will go off and on in the raining season just a few more months!

Wow big Johnny, you either hang out with only a few unfaithful bastards or in a world I cant even imagine, in 10 years of Thailand, Ive come across many couples either mixed or Thai and I am sure tat the majority was not cheating i.e. having sex with other people outside of the relationship/marriage they were in nor did they think that was ' normal; to do so...its incredible you state that that is such a common thing, it will give people a wrong impression about how the vast majority of people think/live in Thailand...

I cant believe the first things people warn the op for is the risk of her husband cheating?!?! Seriosuly?! Nice one.

I would be a bit concerned bringing your kids, so have a good look into schools you want to put your kids in to and prepare them well obviously.

By the way cheating is something known in all cultures [so is having more then one wife but that's a bit irrelevant to the topic and well a bit old fashioned too!]

I appreciate your noting that having multiple partners doesn't have to be equivalent to cheating, but dispute the "old-fashioned" bit, modern polyamory is very much on the rise in the west and I think Thai culture is just ahead of the curve, IMO it's faith in monogamy as the one right way for people to arrange their relationship that's old-fashioned.

it doesn't really matter, what's in fashion on relationships summer 2012, when it comes to the point of this topic. Although I really think that the idea that rich men have multiple Mia Noi's is something that happened a whole lot more last century then it does today in Thailand...but maybe there's bigamy on every street corner now a days, no clue not the point.

Don't get me started....here on the island [where there's lots of bars, with lots of Thai boys working] there's young girls [some as young as 18] hanging around these boys/bars, being the girlfriend.

Nothing wrong with that, it's just the attitude!!

I remember when I first came here,I was interested in meeting other people [who had lived here for longer then me] and seeing how the community was build up. [maybe this was naive of me]

So I made my friends a long time ago, it's not that I expect people to come tome or pay me respect, I have my own lifer here. Im just amazed by how they seem to think they rule the place, as in maybe some day u might need someone and then who u turn too, get what I mean?

These days you get stared down by girls half my age who have an attitude like they own the island, the sad thing I notice:

Some of them have a hard time, lots of fighting with the bf [nobody said it was easy] no money and still posting on fb how amazing your life is in Paradise, just to keep this brave face for friends & family

To me this is such a pathetic new development...why would you wanna do that?