Neeranam

Good News Indeed

An old work colleague went to the immigration a couple of days ago to extend his 'Thai wife' visa and had no problem. His second time extending and he 207,000 baht shown in his passbook. I had heard all sorts of stories that it would not be 'grandfathered'(I believe the term is).

and other Sports,Golf, Hobbies and Activities.

Isn't golf a sport?

To add my two bahts worth, none of these English football institutions are going to be in the top 2 places this year.

There is a forum on Thai visa dedicated to English football.

Go to the bottom of my website at http://member.cscoms.com/~mglatz or go to http://www.michelonia.com/usefulinks.htm and click on the link named "made with NVU" download the program for windows or whatever operating system you use and you have a licensed and free editor that works like a charm.

Then just use you imagination with photos and text. Find a server where you can place the webpage and then anyone in the world will be able to see it.

On the page of useful links, you will also find many other useful programs such as Open Office.org which is an almost identical copy of Microsoft's Office Suite available for free and totally legal. 

Thanks a lot for that info Mouse. I am looking into it right now.

I haven't seen any floods in Bangkok for a few years now. I wonder if they have finally sorted things out- I doubt it. Maybe I have just been in the right areas. I remember when I lived near the river in Oct 95. Wow,they were the worst floods I have seen. The newspaper then said that they were the worst for 200 years. Some guys I know said there was a worse one in the mid 80's. I was walking down Charin Sanit Wong near Pata Pinklao and I was up to my waist in some partsof the road nearer Rama 7 bridge.

I saw a flash flood in Siam Square, where the water was only about 1 foot deep but a group of motorcycle taxis were charging 5 baht to take office workers across one small road.

Down south of Suratanni gets some bad floods.

These are only the areas I have seen,off course there will be more.

QUOTE (IamMaiC @ Sat 2004-09-18, 12:33:25)

same same me !

here here

How do you make a web-page like that? I would love to do one for my family.

It would be much easier than sending the photos.

Is there an easy way, as I am a luddite(and many other things) when it comes to computers?

QUOTE (Neeranam @ Sat 2004-09-18, 04:55:57)

I would say if you can save that amount of money in a hear and a bit, you obviously don't have any money worries.

Why not save a bit more and buy a condo - good investment??

Transferring to a UK account is simple,well when I did itearlier this year.

I transferred 200,000 baht to a UK account. Just went to the bank and filled in a simple form.

I personally wouldn't do it now, I would wait til the pound goes down a bit.

Did you pay a transfer fee to transfer back to the UK or was it "free" (ie. a poor rate of exchange)? I'd be most interested to know. I bank with Kasikorn (Thai Farmers Bank) if that makes any difference.

Regarding your suggestion, I've never seriously considered buying a condo here in Thailand. I don't have much confidence in the economy and I'd be too bothered about someone trying to rip me off. Anyway, 400K THB in savings over one year isn't that much (is it????) and I'd want to be earning much more before I considered doing something like buying a condo. Presumably I'd be spending most of my earnings on the mortgage (if such a thing was available to me as a foreigner). Or did you mean buy-to-let, in which case the rental would cover the mortgage?

BB

You ould BUY a condo outright for 1 million baht(even cheaper) the baht for renting it out. Probably around 5,000 baht if you spend 1 million. My friend bought one for 7 million on the beach and gets 60,000 a month for some months of the year!

I am also with Kasigorn, but they told me that I could only transfer $1000 dollars at a time. The fee was 500 baht(so 2000 Baht for 200,000 Baht), and a crap rate. I went across the road in Siam Square to Siam Commercial, where I also have an account(but one isn't neeed), and they said I could transfer the whole 200,000 but the rate was even worse than Kasikorn. I settled for my 3rd bank - Bangkok Bank - as they gave me the best rate. To be honest, I can't remember if there was a charge or if it was just a better rate. Anyway the total was much better. I am not sure what happens if you want to tranfer more, but from what I hear, the best thing to do is to get travellers cheques,and take them with you the next time you go, or post them.

Too much money, a nice high-class problem to have.

You must be joking!

1000 pounds for 30 days- plenty. If you spend more you are throwing it away.

I would say if you can save that amount of money in a hear and a bit, you obviously don't have any money worries.

Why not save a bit more and buy a condo - good investment??

Transferring to a UK account is simple,well when I did itearlier this year.

I transferred 200,000 baht to a UK account. Just went to the bank and filled in a simple form.

I personally wouldn't do it now, I would wait til the pound goes down a bit.

Book Airasia before Sep 19 and you can get flights for 99 baht from Nov to March

You fail to mention if you are looking for a lady-boy prostitute or not.

I automatically think that lady-boys are prostitutes or easy to get, having been approached by this type. I have, however, met a few who aren't.

If you can't find a lady-boy prostitute in Patong, there is something wrong somewhere. If you do find one, there is nothing wrong whatsoever!

I hear Thai people calling me "prayaat"(economical) alot which doesn't offend me.

I think "mayaat" means the same.

I bought one lottery ticket yesterday, and heard 'prayat'. The somtam lady who always complains about being broke bought 500 bahts worth!

When you hear "kee nioew", it is not good.

Should I run away to Thailand?

This is the question that many men ask themselves each time they put down their heavily-soiled copy of Asian Babes. Do you have what it takes to start a new life in the exotic East? Yes?

Do you want to live with a raddled prostitute who cheats you into financial ruin before legging it back to her drug-dealing Thai boyfriend?

Do you want to amuse the ladies of the Nana Disco with your ridiculous dyed comb-over whilst trying to coax them back to your place for a grudging sympathy-shag?

Do you want to become a fat, tedious, no-mates <deleted> with a bottle of Chang beer welded to your hand?

Do you want to buy a dream bar, go broke and stage a dramatic death-plunge from your Pattaya balcony?

answer yes to these questions & you'll qualify to join the rest of us 

Bloody Idiot

QUOTE (IamMaiC @ Tue 2004-09-14, 14:27:59)

QUOTE (lopburi3 @ Tue 2004-09-14, 14:26:21)

He might also want to keep in mind that:

QUOTE 

Foreigners who fall into any of the following categories are prohibited to enter the Kingdom.

        ((cut))

(4) Being mentally unstable or having any of the diseases as prescribed in the Ministerial Regulations. 

Wow Will the authorities know about it?? I mean How will they know? 

the answer is YES.

If as suggested by him, he is going to apply (now is too young to get pension) for social security based on mental instability, this (when approved, and US are not so easy going) will be public and pretty easy to be notified to Thai authorities whenever he will apply for a working Visa or register a company.

If he stays in Thai as a Tourist, no problem, but 1,000,000 Baht won't last so long!!!

Nonsense

I'm in my late 30's, born American and fell in love with Thailand and the girl. I'm not rich and don't need western comforts other than the occasional coke. Has anyone left the west with little money (1 mil bat or less) and eeked out a lifetime of an existence in Thailand? I plan to marry a nice Isaan woman who is a cook and a massage therapist, not a bar gal. We plan to open a restaurant in northeast Thailand and live a quiet life. 95% of the people call me crazy for doing this. "It's not realistic." "You gotta have millions more bat to live the ex-pat life." "What are you gonna do when you're 70 and have no retirement funds? Make a border crawl?" I can bear the heat, the mosquitos and the rats, not neccesarily in that order. Can one collect Social Security while living in Thailand. I have been diagnosed with clinical depression which may qualify me for benefits. The depression seems to lift when I'm in Thailand. Coincidence?

In Isarn you could buy a nice house for half a million. Once you have this you don't need much more. Maybe a pick-up for a couple of hundred thousand. The Isarn people believe that buying a house is the first thing you should do. If you don't have much work at least you can survive, buy growing your own food etc.

If you can speak reasonable English, there will always be the chance to teach it.

If you have your house then to live quietly but comfortably, assuming you are not a boozer, or with other compulsions which cost money, you could live on, say 2000 baht week. I have been offered to teach the kids locally for 500 baht an hour(some call this peanuts, or seashells), just talking to them. I can buy a meal here in Isarn for 15 baht!!! 4 hours a week would be enough to live on. If you needed any more just work a few hours more, not very taxing. I know lots of guys who spend 10,000++ baht a month sitting around bars and complain about how tough it is being an expat here.

Must admit I used to do this years ago(apart from the complaining).

If your disease is "cured" by living in Thailand, go for it and good luck.

I have a mate from the Uk with a similar condition, he used to have to make a twice yearly trip to see the doc, but now he doesn't have to go back for 4 years! Not entirely legal.

It isn't nearly as bad as half the people on this board would make it out to be.

Once in Isarn, there are lots of ways to make enough for a comfortable existence; you could try import/export(this also gives you time "back home" if you need). I go "home/abroad" once a year for this purpose.

I came here when I was sick of the Thatcher govt. in the UK, and have been penniless(literally), but always survived.

I now live a very comfortable life, supporting a wife and family by "working" about 10 hours a week. My wife has a small restaurant - don't expect much from this type of venture. You can rent a place for a restaurant for a couple of thousand a month, fit it out with kitchen stuff, air-conditioners, etc, etc for 1-200,000.

What is an Ex-pat lifestyle? It doesn't have to be earning a heap of money, although the Thai people assume you do, which is a bit annoying at first, but easy to overcome.

I came here for an easy,good standard of life, and have found it. I suggest you be positive, keep your options open, and try it as well.

What will I do when I am 70? What a thought! 30+ years to go. I suppose I could still do a bit of business, maybe my family will look after me - this is the Thai way!

Ignore all the posters who think that life ends in Bangkok or Pattaya and all expats are sad, prostitute seeking drunks.

I saw it a few weeks back on DVD

Somebody will punch them soon

I agree. They tug on farangs arms to see how much they can get away with. A big joke for them, as the could never do it to a Thai without being punched. After tugging on my arm, I asked the guy why he was being so rude. I nearly lost it, but didn't and he actually apologised and was quite embarassed.

Two weeks ago, I sat nextto a young "punk" . I couldn't help asking him if he knew what the badges he was wearing were.

A swastika, and an anarchy sign were among them.

My old mate used to wear a swastika when he was a young punk, re 1979.

He wore it just because Sid Viscous wore one and to try to be outrageous without understanding what it meant - ignorance!

Boy, did some old codgers give him the evil look.

Anyway this young "punk" said he knew what they meant, which he didn't.

Even after questioning him about Royalty in Thailand, he just looked at me and smiled, probably thinking who is this crazy old farang.

I felt like asking some young Thai girl why she was wearing a t-shirt insulting "my Queen" once(a sex pistols God save the Queeen one) , but why, again ignorance.

Ignorance

If I remember correctly "svasti" is sanskrit for "good being".

It is a symblo for "spiritual victory", not what A. Hitler used it to mean.

As both Hindi and Thai come from Sanskrit, the Thai word for "good being" is written Sawasti, pronounced "sawatdee". The linguist guys from the Thai language section can explain better than I.

So swastika, and sawadee ka, very similar.

"Although the sight of a Nazi swastika still gives people a jolt, if they

look deeply and try to remember that the older meaning is benevolent, it

will be very uplifting.

The swastika as follows is a spiritual symbol of good, spiritual victory,

betterment. It should be flying over the United Nations."

funny if Kwiz is from France

I suspect England though.

You meet a sexy, beautiful girl, who used to work as a bar-girl/hostess girl(what reason did she do this job do you think?). She moves in with you so soon!

She doesn't care if you aren't loaded. You will pay in some way or another man!

I don't want to sound negative but it doesn't look good!

Sounds like a rich guy probably saw through her and saw that she was a gold-digger and dumped her. She is looking for ane nice easy guy while she plans her next big kill.

Don't be a sucker.

It most likely is destiny and danger.

My feeling is it probably won't be too dangerous, she will make up some excuse to leave, maybe only for a couple of weeks. Enjoy "it" while you can.

Never met ANYONE, let alone know anyone who can handle this sort of woman.

No offense to you, but what have you got to offer her? She can pick anyone.

I could be wrong. There is a small chance of you having a 50 year long wonderful relationship.

Still give you 2 weeks.

One thing I love about Buddhists and many Thai people is their ability to "live and let live", and dont get into a state about the "wrongdoings" of others.

Look into your reaction to these events- are you feeling "sabai jai" at the moment, or getting yourself into a worked up resentful mode?

Take it easy.

A Thai rfiend was asking me earlier this week about British people wearing underpants/socks with their country's flag on them. I know about this, but I never knew about some brand of shoe which is made in Australia, called Budhha,and has a picture of the Budhha on the shoe. Anyone ever heard of this?

She seemed really confused as to why someone would do this.

She asked if farangs would wear a cross on a chain around their ankle. I said I had never seen that.

On many occasions,I have taken a special woman/friends and family to the floating riverside restaurant at Nontaburi. Take the boat to the end of the line(Nontaburi),and you can see the rest. just before the end on the right.

The food is great and cheap. There is live music(usually a woman singing). Can oly get a long-tail boat back to Bkk(after 8pm), or go by land.

The sunset can be beautiful