qualtrough

The outgoing server is working again. I was unable to send mail from mid-evening last night until a few hours ago.

Thanks Crossy and Coder. I have not had ocassion to contact True for some time, but their customer service seems to have deteriorated. I used to be able to speak with people who could ocassionally fix the problem. Hope this clears up soon. I can use Web mail to send, but that is annoying.

Since last night (8/25 from evening onwards) I have been unable to send mail on my Truemail account. I can read incoming, but no outgoing. I didn't change or mess with any of my setttings. I just called True, and whereas formally you could talk to a human, now I get a garbled message instructing me to enter my number for callback. Second time I called I got a busy system, which is a first. I suspect something is up, but would like to hear if anyone else is in the same boat.

Use the Post Office EMS system. Trackable and fast. Somewhat pricier than airmail, but better than courier prices for small envelopes.

More sad than funny... A few years back I was in a taxi on some side soi waiting at a light to get onto Sukhumvit. All of a suddent there was a thump!. We looked back and a motorcycle had run into the back of the taxi at slow speed. The driver was completely drunk, so much so that he could barely keep the bike upright. Some passers by tried to get him to get off the bike but he refused. I have seen few people drunker on foot, much less a MC. Would be a miracle if he made it home that night in one piece.

A long time ago I used to approach tourists when they looked like they were lost or needed help, but stopped that after a number of negative experiences. The final incident was amazing. I lived in Soi Moh Leng, and at the time the soi was flooded to a depth of about half a meter. Flooded right into the ground floor of the the apartment I lived in. Whenever farangs ventured into our Soi needing assistance the apartment staff would summon me, thinking that I could help them. So one day I get a knock on my door, "Mr. Qualtrough, your friend downstairs." I go down and wade through the ground floor area to find a farang couple. They were looking for the Bangkok Doll Factory. So I wade out to the Soi with them and point out the directions. They then ask if I could help them get a Tuk-Tuk. I flag a Tuk-Tuk and I negotiate a price of something like 20 Baht. Next thing I know they have a frown on their face, "too expensive" and push me aside to negotiate with the driver. That is the last I saw of them, no 'thank you' or even a 'good-bye'. That did it for me.

I would use the mail to send those. Do not use a courier service like DHL, Fedex and the like as they are much more likely to attract the attention of customs. There have been threads on this before. If possible send the documents separately as there should absolutely be no duty on those. The post office will deliver to anyone and don't care a whit about your visa status, etc.

Tip-If your suspicions are confirmed then you should under no circumstances, repeat , under no circumstances, consider taking this woman back. This was not a momentary lapse, it was a major long-term deception akin to a scam, as hard as that may be to accept at the moment. Not only did she take advantage of you, but she potentially exposed you to harm because she was sleeping with another man who could well have had an STD or even HIV. Get as many of your assets back as you can and start a new chapter in your life, older but wiser.

Thanks Tip. Whatever you do avoid the temptation to rush things. If she is cheating the damage is done, but if not you could end up creating a problem where none existed before. Having said that, I am sorry to say that I have been in similar situations before and understand the emotional roller coaster you are on. Not getting any sleep can't help matters any either...

He's talking about the emailer. He's already said his wife is not computer literate.

OK, thanks. But when and how was it established that the e-mailer was a woman for sure? If anyone can point me to that post it will be appreciated.

Hi All,

[snip]

I've given her a laundry list of questions and hopefully not overburdened her. I've offered her both the option of emailing me in passa Thai and having me email her likewise. I've also offered her an opportunity to speak to a very close Thai friend of mine. He would provide his number to her. I've tried my best to assure her that our communications will remain strictly between the two of us. So now there's not much else to do but sit and wait. But it is my expectation that she will divulge information which will ultimately prove telling.

[snip]

Are you referring to your wife or the e-mailer? If the latter, when was it established that the e-mailer was a female? Sorry if I missed something, it has been a long thread! Good luck too!

[snip] Personally i cannot imagine she would stray for a low paid policeman, why? It's not likely to be even for sex, from what i can gather sex is not particularly high on a Thai womans list of priority's! [snip]

Good Luck

Thai police salaries are low, but that is probably the smallest portion of their income. They have additional resources both legal and illegal. For example, like many of our neighbors and many businesses, we pay a cop 1000 Baht a month to stop by our house several times a day. I would imagine this cop has quite a few houses and businesses on his route, so 1000x X could add up in one month. There are also the individual bribes, and the cut from larger bribes that come from further up and are divvied up for those further down, as well as tips and payments for good or extra services. A poor cop is an honest cop, and unfortunately they are far outnumbered by the bad ones. I would say that the cop cannot be ruled in or out on the basis of income.

Thanks for that, Soju. I've been through the hateful and spiteful partings before. Never again. They rip you apart much more than allowing yourself to let go of something with love and compassion.

I respectfully disagree. I still have no regrets about leaving a cheating girlfriend's belongings on the curb. My only regret years later is that I didn't leave them in a dumpster.

I've been dealing with Thais for 20 years in business and marriage.

Screwing over Farangs is a national pastime.

Her friends would probably ridicule her if she wasn't taking advantage.

My best friend married a lovely Thai lady.

Single with no kids.

He is out to Sea every 2 months.

If ten years down the road I hear she had a Thai husband and kids would still not suprise me. TIT.

Truth, integrity and trust are important to westerners, not Thais.

Not saying they are bad people, just raised different with different priorities.

Skipper I know from your previous posts that you have had a bad experience, but your saying that Truth, integrity, and trust are important to Westerners and not Thais is pure BS. Yes, there certainly are dishonest Thais who seek to exploit Farangs, but to extrapolate from that to a blanket statement about all Thais is ridiculous. I think part of the reason for this perception is that a good number of Farangs get involved in relationships or situations here that they would never get into back home simply because they are ignorant of the social. linguistic and other clues that would tip them off as warning signals back in their home turf. They also tend to meet up with a subset of Thais that already know English and have experience in dealing with Farangs for one reason or another, and thus are not necessarily representative of the Thai population as a whole. I found that my perception of Thais changed for the better when I learned to read and write Thai and thus was able to operate independently. I no longer had to depend on English-speaking Thais for help with anything, and could venture out beyond those areas that cater to Farangs.

1st reply:

I am hoping you will reply to me with more information. My heart is very much broken by your news.[ I am sorry] I must be sure it is right.[That all right] Can you tell me how long she has been seing this policeman?[ more than 1 year] Who is he?[he have nickname ‘ya’] And what of my pick up truck?[she and him use you car and drink by you money ] Is the damage bad?[damage the left the car] Has it been fixed?[ I know they sent repair by insurance] Please, you must tell me more if you know.

I think if you need to know this about when you go to Thailand you don’t tell everybody

Everybody to cover up this about to you Everybody know this about very well

I tell this about because it not fair for you

You can to decide by you self good luck

Please keep this about between you and me only if you need to more information can ask me

See you

2nd reply:

I can not give my moblie to you i can not speak english [you can speak thai]

you can contract by mail only

i sent to you by open dictionary

i understand this new it shock! for you i sorry again

before i tell you i think many day verymuch

i think you can sole this preblem you love them

Jai yen yen

I can information for you by mail

I observe a big difference between these two replies. As someone pointed out earlier, the capitalization in the first one is better than most Thais with a rudimentary grasp of English would manage. In the second reply there are only three instances of caps, and the writer no longer caps 'I' 7 out of 9 occurences. Spelling is a ###### sight better than many native speakers around these parts too-very odd. Never seen or heard a Thai say or write 'preblem' either for that matter. I too have my suspicions whether or not this was written by a Thai.

That being said, even if it was it doesn't necessarily mean that the writer is being truthful. The whole incident reminded me of something that happened to a friend here a long time ago. His girlfriend got a call from someone saying that her boyfriend (my friend) was gay! This person obviously knew them both because of some other info supplied that I now forget. He called me and asked me to tell his girlfriend that he wasn't gay. The idea was so absurd that I told her, yeah, he's gay. Big mistake. They got over it, but he tells me she still has her doubts. I don't know if they ID'd the person for certain, but they had a strong suspicion it was one of her friends.

Bit early to throw in the towel unless there are other things we don't know about...

Try to explain the sense to climb a mountain to a Thai......

I mean walking, not with the car....

About 16 years ago I lived in Chiang Mai for a few months. Decided to take a walk up the mountain. Nobody had any idea how/if it could be done, nor knew of any reasons why anyone would do that. I eventually found a path that led about 2/3 of the way up, and then finished the hike on the road. Whether or not there was a path all the way to the top I never found out. We shouldn't be too hard on the Thais about that attitude. The Swiss didn't climb their mountains until the English took an interest, and with the heat the Thais have even better reason not to.

Unless Thais are from the countryside their ideas of spending time are not necessarily the same as ours. Appreciating nature is one of those lovely things.

My wife is not Thai, but she is Asian brought up in NZ, and we went to a most beautiful picnic spot in the Cameron Highlands - simply stunning views.

All the family could think of was how to unpack the food and then have a nap . . .

Lucky my wife was brought up in NZ and has similar ideas in relation to nature and not always having to be in malls - I find it difficult to see how so many Caucasians have that much in common with Thais particularly. (in reference to the above)

(Edited for spelling)

Sing_Sling-You account of the trip to Cameron Highlands reminds me of a similar experience I had there many years ago. At that time I had a good Thai friend (my only good male friend in all my years here) and we decided to travel by train down through Malaysia to Singapore. At that time I lived in the heart of Bangkok in a tiny flat. I was so relieved to get out in the countryside and see some green. So we get to Cameron Highlands, and I was esthatic. Green, green, green, cool weather, hardly any people... My Thai friend? "Let's go find a bar, this is boring, nothing to do here..." Different strokes for different folks I guess.

I have mellowed somewhat now, but the people rushing in the lift before letting people out really used to irritate me. Back then if I was in a particulary bad mood I would position myself right behind the lift door, I mean 1 inch, and spring out the moment it opened. That gave the dolts standing right in front of the door on the outside a taste of their own medicine and was quite satisfying. Results are even better if you have a shopping cart...

Here is the irony: I have lived in Thailand so long that I sometimes find myself standing right in front of the lift door without thinking.

Must mention my favorite peeve: People who decide stopping and standing at the bottom or top of an escalator is a wise thing to do. This just happened to me again yesterday. Blocking the bottom is annoying, blocking the top is dangerous. At least once I have seen a small pile up at the top due to this behavior mode.

I am thinking of sending parcels of the things i am gonna buy thorugh Thai Post back to my country. Unfortunately i dun read thai so i am unable to find the nearest post office thru their website. Can anyone help?

Also are u able to find out for me what's the operating hours like and do they sell carton boxes for postage? Thanks a bunch in advance guys...

I think the last time I was there may have been 20 years ago, but at that time there was a post office in the basement area of the Indra Hotel. Who knows, might still be there?

It is pretty easy to remove snakes yourself if you want. Get a hollow bamboo, metal, or stiff pvc tube about, say, 5-6 feet long, and then thread some thin rope through it and back again so that a noose sticks out of one end. You can then put the noose around the snake's neck at a safe distance and then pull the rope to tighten the noose around the snake just behind the head. What you do with it then is up to you!

Back during the period 1980-84 I used to have to visit Penang almost every 3 months. I enjoyed the place because they had not torn down all their old buildings like Bangkok. It was also a pretty sleepy place as there was no bridge and the economy had tanked, and like you said the food was good. A really interesting history and culture in my opinion. My wife and I honeymooned there in 1996 and stayed on top of the hill and on Batu Feringhi. OK, the beaches suck and the water is dirty, but only fools would visit Penang for that.

Unfortunately, most Farang teachers in thailand are under qualified and overpaid in comparison with their Thai friends, they are accepted because they are native speakers. They are as bad as their counterparts from China.

Most teachers are not tutors at all, they are great in everything except in teaching.

In this case the chap was qualified, but physically dangerous. In most cases teachers are screwing up the curiculum of their students. Chapeau if the Thai authorities enforce the quality from now on. Hardly any teacher in thailad would be allowed to teach in the West.

Care to back up your statements with any facts or figures? It seems only fair if you are going to trash an entire community. Judging from the grammar and spelling mistakes in your post I can see why you might have a grudge against teachers. BTW, I am not a teacher, nor am I involved in any activities related to education.

Hope this is indeed the guy.

BTW, if Thailand starts deporting 'undesirable' farangs this forum might become a pretty lonely place soon

I have heard of this too. A few years back there was a case in the news about a woman who conspired with someone to kill her husband who was royalty here. I can't remember all the details, but one of the things that came out was that the victim had adopted or sponsored the girl with that same view in mind. Perhaps other readers can recall more about that.

I think the Post article said the Thai cops were tipped off by overseas counterparts. I suspect that a good portion of the people busted at airports were identified even before they stepped into the airport. I have heard that large dealers will sacrifice some mules as a distraction, and that makes sense. Perhaps while all the attention was focused on this group another group or package with more drugs got through. What is clear is that the big guys almost never get busted. I am not a fan of illegal drugs, but the War on Drugs is a stupid waste of lives and money in my opinion.