babsy65

I'm sorry, but i don't understand these kind of questions. Did you not ask in the banks that could not provide you with notes where you could get them?

That's right. You ask the teller to xchange the Baht for any western currencies and they dismiss you point blank by saying that they don't have any foreign currency available.

You tell them that you want to order Pounds, Dollars or Euro and that you will back in 3 days time to exchange the money (this process is practiced all over the world) and they simple say "NO, CANNOT"

This is a blatant example that the value of their currency is unrealistic... and another example of double-standard or if you prefer, a legalised scam to our expenses by the thais.

Banks in thailand only trade in one way... buy our currency at the rate we say, but you cannot buy your money back..

.

I had the same problem changing baht into pound sterling. I tried Phuket Town, Bangkok and every single banks in Patong, all I got was the same answer: Sorry no have. LIARS!!!!

I also tried to order Pounds directly from the FOREX departtment, but it seems that in this country they don't have such a department - hard to believe - LIARS!!!!

With such an inflated baht, the banks want to retain our currencies in their safes. They steal at least 30% of the value of our money, do you think they will want to give it back to you once it is in their vaults????? I think NOT!!

Having said that, there is a bureau de change in Phuket Town, in the chinese district. They are 100 per cent honest - believe me, they are- They give you fantastic exchange rates for any currencies and they seem to have large amounts of foreign currency always available.

If you have larger amount of money to exchange, you can book the rate on the day and the money is usually ready in 2 days.

dam_n.. I cannot find the biz card with their number on it....

The biz card is white with green letters.. The bureau de change is situated next door to the "French Hype Bazaar"

Hope this helps

How could the neighbours have stormed into the room if the door was locked on the inside and the lad was unconscious?

Never mind the location. I would be more concerned in finding a low-rise house with no balconies.

Pattaya is no more dangerous than any other place. You have deaths like those reported everywhere in the world on a daily basis, difference being in most places they are not news worthy so they are not reported.

Explain what makes someone's death, murder, assassination etc. worthy of being reported by the media as opposed to someone's death, murder, assassination etc NOT being worthy of being reported by the media.

As I understand correctly, only deaths like those happening in Pattaya and Phuket are worthy of being reported. Nevertheless, we "have deaths like those reported everywhere in the world on a daily basis".

Well, I live in Bali and I NEVER read about deaths or serious accidents like those taking place in Thailand on a daily basis. Are you perhaps implying that "accidents" do happen here, as frequent and as bad as they do in Thailand, it's just that they are not worth being reported by the local media??????/

Breakfast at the Dorchester

My daily strolls from Hyde Park to Portobello - Westbourne Grove

London black cabs

Fast internet

Good Gyms

Good looking men in suits

the 4 seasons (not the hotel)

Shopping in Harvey Nicks and Selfridges... and Harrods too!

MONEY!!!!

ps I am heading back home in May.. for good!!!!

I have a beautiful Japanese wife that is sweet and loving and doesnt play with knives.

Read the news and headlines on Tv and constantly we see the same stories!

Victor Bout coming and going!

Thai wife suspected of murdering farang husband!

Bomb found or exploded in BKK!

Jataporn blah blah blah against another person!

Anyone who feels I am making up this crap needs to read more and post less!

.... or perhaps they should have those pink tinted spectacles surgically removed by a good plastic surgeon.

Old saying has some truth : You can take the girl out of the bar but you can not take the bar out of the girl

Farang meets girl in gogo bar - falls in lust - marries her and expects a faithful wife by his side - hmmmm - dream on

There is really not that much difference between western women or Thai women - take the ones from the bars and you are asking for trouble - take a "normal" bird and most you will get is nagging. Nagging however is installed into women's genes and they just can't help it. At least you won't (most likely) wake up with a knife sticking out from your chest or your balls being enjoyed by the family duck ...

I am sure your idiotic comment entirely reflects the quality and quantity of your cerebral genes.

What kind of a cretin would compare a bar thai girl to a "normal" western bird?

no felt normal when i woke up the only odd part was my girlfriend is a light sleeper wakes up and then proceeds to wake me up at the slightest sound even a empty water bottle falling over . and when i got out of bed and opened the door she did not move and on saturday she is usually up early talking to her mom on skype

I am quoting your own words "the only odd part was my girlfriend..." etc, etc...

Forget about all the bulls gas theories and stick to the old saying: Cherchez La Femme

Er....I think he probably flew. How do you think he got there, by swimming??

Wonder how he got to England?

According to an earlier report, if I am not mistaken, his passport was found at his place.

I wonder what the old hags are going to say about this. They complained she looked too sexy before and now she has rightfully won both of the top awards other than the main title on the internet judging and with the main judges for the these two awards.

She deserves it but the old hags are probably jealous they can't win anything is except a lookalike contest of Helen Thomas.

I am one of the old hags who criticized the Thai contestant. - oh!!! I am ever so jealous!!!

I am flying out to Phuket in a few hours, arriving tonight. Thankfully, I am only staying one week.

Care to join me for a drink during my staying? Take a good look at me and perhaps you could give me a few tips on how to win the lookalike contest of Helen Thomas.

Tinkelbell, sweety darling, you are most welcome to join us.... I am not the competitive type..

... a new entry to the Helen Thomas lookalike contest!!!

Ima_Farang .... another pageant eaten up by jealousy!!!

Hon, fancy coming to the shortlisting??

I am sure we will win the first prize exequo...No hard feelings, eh?

Why is a Farang on a local train?

Because 8,000 baht wasn't enough to pay for a taxy.

I have a lived both in Finland and Sweden.

Not only is the weather crap, people are also cold.

Don't get me started on the taxes.

Finland and Sweden must be paradise for people that don't want to work.

I met a couple from Sweden last year while on safari. I guess the government is asking people to take vitamin D because they don't get it from the sun...guess there is so little!

I was just off the coast up near Seattle a few years ago. It was June and colder than heck, spitting rain. Happened to mention it to a local and she replied that they prefer it cold so they can wear their sweaters! Me, I prefer shorts, t-shirt and NO shoes! Thailand fits that bill perfectly...plus, the girls always look better without so many layers of clothing. Cuba fits that bill pretty well also!

Not vitamin D, they take their daily dose of simulated sun rays in the form of Light Boxes.

I had one of those once, attached to an alarm clock.. pretty neat, I must say.

The above is not a racist comment, because Thais are not a race. The only possibly racist comment here is the one referring to 'Miss Talilban.'

Way to go to blow up your own argument. Thais are not a race but the Taliban is? Right.

I want retract racist, as Thais aren't a race, you're right about that. So let's just say he/she made a broad generalization on a group of people based on their nationality. Namely implying that young Thai women are "trashy and vulgar".

"According to the organizers, the Miss Universe contest is more than a beauty pageant: women aspiring to become Miss Universe must be intelligent, well-mannered, and cultured."--- Wikipedia

Hardie... I hate to shatter your illusions but despite what the organizers of this beauty pageant may publicly aspire to, it is absolutely not about intelligence. "Well-mannered and cultured" in this context means "didn't appear naked in centerfold spreads, and didn't participate in adult movies". That's the bar that they set, and they're sticking to it! Welcome to planet earth.

P.S.: MY LAST COMMENT IS FOR YOU

I want retract racist, as Thais aren't a race, you're right about that. So let's just say he/she made a broad generalization on a group of people based on their nationality. Namely implying that young Thai women are "trashy and vulgar".

That implication only comes from your own twisted interpretation of what I wrote.

Please, do not go implying what you think I implied by saying what I said.... stick to the black characters on your white screen.

If I wanted to imply that young Thai women ARE "trashy and vulgar" I would have just said so.

What I did say though, is that the majority of young Thai women dress in such a way that makes them look trashy and vulgar.

And rest assured that this comment is absolutely NOT based on nationality.

You can't be a beauty contestant without displaying the goods.

Miss Taliban just flashing her eyes at the judges from behind her veils will never reach the finals.

Miss Universe is an international beauty contest, not a cattle market.

Of course, the "goods" must be displayed, it's a question of how they are displayed.

From a woman's point of view in the fashion business, I must say that the dress looks very vulgar, she doesn't look fresh, rather tired looking with too much pancake on her face and panda eyes.

She doesn't look groomed at all.

As far as flashing her fanny in front of the camera, that is simply poor taste. It may work for class "C" top shelves magazines, but certainly it will not impress the judges (some of which are women) at an international beauty contest.

Take a look at the pics of previous winners, sultry, elegant, classy... no chance of winning for this cheap looking "young" lady.

I don't care if you work in the fashion industry your words are no more valid than any posts on this thread. If you think a couple of friendly photos of the Thai entry in a short red dress having a bit of fun with a couple of other competitors is vulgar then there's plenty of places in Thailand where you won't see that. On competition day she and all competitors will be standing side by side on a stage in front of 3000+ wearing hi-cut swim wear being broadcast to a mainly male audience of about 100 million plus all over the globe. So what's more vulgar.....the sexy little red dress or the bikini waxes on display to the world on competition day?

From a detached, professional point of view, she does look trashy and vulgar.The bikini wax doesn't have anything to do with itn

At the end of the day, she has entered the contest to represent the epitome of Thai beauty, elegance and intelligence, not to be taken on by an escort agency..

On a second thought though, you mybe right. She IS the TRUE representation of young Thai women.

From a woman's point of view in the fashion business, I must say that the dress looks very vulgar, she doesn't look fresh, rather tired looking with too much pancake on her face and panda eyes.

She doesn't look groomed at all.

As far as flashing her fanny in front of the camera, that is simply poor taste. It may work for class "C" top shelves magazines, but certainly it will not impress the judges (some of which are women) at an international beauty contest.

Take a look at the pics of previous winners, sultry, elegant, classy... no chance of winning for this cheap looking "young" lady.

I'm really shocked that a Thai person would do this.

Is it sarcasm I detect there?

If not, you can't be serious... or are you???

When will the older guys learn to stop living in a fairy tale dream world and that these much younger women are only interested in their money.

It is possible that Raymond was murdered before nature took it`s course because his wife was concerned the money maybe spent on medical fees.

Love them, pay for the time and leave them. Do not get involved with these evil people.

Very tragic and sad for this man. Not only was he dying from a terminal disease but also suffered a terrible violent death. No one deserves that.

R.I.P and hope you receive true justice.

"Older guys living in a fairy tale dreams"?? Get real!!!

I know of a 33 yrs old Canadian who bought a yacht and a house and put the girlfriend's name on the ownership deeds.

As a naif first timer in Thailand, he believed her when she told him he still had time to renew his visa after it expired.

She then called the authorities and grassed him up. He went to jail, lost everything he ever owned in Thailand and my friend had to drive him to the airport after paying for his ticket back to Canada.

Apparently he is a good looking and well educated guy.. He just used the anatomically wrong part of his body to do his thinking!!!

I own a 105 sqm, 1 bed apartment in Patong, 100 m to the beach, minimalisticly fully furnished to high standards. Roof swimming pool.

I have pics and website, but not sure I can post the details.

Pls let me know if you are interested by sending me a private e-mail.

Its not hard to get your kitas 1 year paper.. Local lawyers can do it for <1000 usd per year.

You can also get a tourist visa and extend it up to 6 months IIRC.

Check www.balimode-biz.com

It is the best place in Bali to arrange visa, work permits etc

An interesting post. A few things caught my attention. "I can say that I have never been deceived into parting with my money - but it was the continuous little rip-offs that got me in the end." Is a "rip-off" not parting you from your money????

Deceiving someone and ripping someone off are two different things.

"The interaction with the Balinese people is fantastic." Ummm, I wonder would reaction you would get if you said this to the families of the 202 people that were killed in the bombings? (Yes, I know the bombers were not Balinese, but they were from the same country. It is a strict Islamic natiuon.)

I must admit I don't know any member of the families of the people killed in both bombings.

Nevertheless, I share a villa with a lady who lived in phuket for 3 years and also happens to be a very good friend of the mother whose son was executed in Phuket in Feb last year.

She will be back later today as she has gone to work in case you wish to discuss with her about this poor woman's reaction and the problems she had to face with the thai legal system.

The culprits of the bombings have been caught and executed.

And the canadian man's killer????

Perhaps like me he was in the wrong part of thailand dealing with the wrong type of thais.

I'm not having a go at you. I think it's possible the day will come where I feel the same as you did and move. I'm thinking more Vietnam, than Indonesia. (it's currently everything Thailand used to be - before they got greedy and so corrupt)

You are right, there is no Thai culture in Phuket. Phuket is just a big party island with a big underworld criminal element. At the moment, I like it here, but, as I have said in earlier posts, ask me in 5 years and the answer may be different. I don't blame the OP for his self assessment, and final decision. It's a decision we may all be faced with one day.

>>I now live in Bali where I intend to stay and start all over again. The interaction with the balinese people is fantastic. None of the expats who replied to your post mentioned Bali as alternative

Is there a big yacht industry in Bali ? OP works in that industry so please enlighten us that haven't had the crappy experience that you've had in Phuket.

Sorry, but I am dashing out to a party in Ubud.. I promise I will ask my friends about the yacht industry over here and let you know asap. Nusa Dua seems to have a lovely marina. I believe it is called Tanjung Bemoa.

ps. no crappy experiences so far.. and my low level of tolerance is notorious )

Well i have a different opinion to you, i think a lot depends on your own attitude

I am not talking about the stall holders in Patong but Thai people in general

The stall holders are no different to stall holders anywhere else in the world.

And what kind of attitude one must have to avoid being punched by a katoy simply for looking the way one looks?

My former staff told me I was lucky he didn't throw acid on my face as some of them actually carry a little bottle of it with them.

Perhaps the attitude you are implying is passive acceptance. Not me, thank you.