khunPer

Sin Sot and monthly support are always subjects that create big discussion, as it for many foreigners are against our culture. However 1500 US$ (some 45,000 baht) a month do sound as quite a bit, but all have individual demands. Often a Thai man will show that he can provide for a family by making regular monthly payments for a period, which can be a couple of years, before a wedding.

I will, as other posters, also recommend you read the book “Thailand Fever” (se more at thailandfever.com). Furthermore i suggest you read Phil Nicks’ book “Love Entrepreneurs” (Monsoon 978-981-05-9211-0).

Relationship based on money – combined with love – may work very fine; or may just be a scam, however difficult to see when blindfolded by love. Sin Sot is both a tradition and a make face in the local society – especially when the daughter’s husband to be is a farang. Sin Sot is based on a negotiation, but the money have to be shown at the local wedding party – it is often a major part of the ceremony to count the money (slowly) in public – sometimes it can be agreed, that the money, or part of the money, is returned after the ceremony. Anything less than 100,000 from a farang will be a “loose face”. Thai-Thai couples may show anything from around 100,000 and up to several millions, depending of social rank and status of the bride.

The village ceremony, which is cultural but not an official marriage unless certified at the Amphor (paperwork at District Office), are normally paid for by the groom – but that can vary and sometimes there will be two parties in both the bride’s and the groom’s home, where the party from the groom’s home will walk in procession to the bride. Guests at the party will either hand over an envelope with money or tie a band with a money note to the marriage couple’s wrists; that money is normally used as (partly) payment for the wedding party. I presume, that when the groom is a (rich) farang, that recieved money at the party may be minor. Traditional practice may vary from community to community, and also social rank.

What I am saying is based on my observations through the about 10 years I’ve been staying in Thailand. I attach a Sin Sot picture from one of the typical Thai-Thai weddings I’ve been invited to.

But do yourself a favour and read the two books, they may improve your understanding and be good help for a lucky Thai-relationship.

I wish you all the best for your future plans.

Can be real nasty. Only cure seems to be papaya leave juice, squeezed from fresh leaves. You can find more details on the Internet; scholar.google.com will show the scientific studies.

I agree with that lot of the answers to OP that suggest a good amount of scepticism for a Sin Sot demand of 5 million bath, especially as the family from the OP’s description does not seem like middleclass, or perhaps even lower middleclass. I will, as a couple of other posters, recommend reading the book “Thailand Fever” (se more at thailandfever.com); and also Phil Nicks’ book “Love Entrepreneurs” (Monsoon 978-981-05-9211-0).

It is polite Thai custom that the one who is “rich” – who the farang/foreigner often is considered as – or of highest social rank (money moves one up the list) pick-up the bill; meaning it’s natural to expect that you will pay. Often Thais will be very generous, as this is a way to make face. A proper lady will always bring a chaperon. Dating (with chaperon) may be a long time process, can even take years.

When it comes to Thai tradition I have experienced both expensive engagement presents of several bath of gold and sometimes diamond jewels – can also include an amount of cash money – and rings. Isaan little up-end farm family engagement can easily cost some 50,000 baht in gold.

For marriage Sin Sot a plain farmer family will pay from 40,000 baht and up, more likely around 100,000 baht, plus an agreed amount of gold, which can be two bath and more. When it comes to more middleclass Thai weddings the Sin Sot will be a million bath and up, plus gold and diamonds.

Furthermore the groom (or groom’s family) will normally pay for the wedding party, which can be quite costly when including several hundred guests – I’ve been to a middleclass Thai-Thai wedding with several thousand guests.

The above is based on the number of Thai-Thai weddings I have been invited to. The attached photo (I have cropped the faces away) is from a typical Thai middleclass (presumably lower middle class) wedding in 2013; there are 100,000 baht in each bundle, I could count 12 (1.2 million), and an unknown amount of gold and diamonds, including what’s hanging on the bride.

You will always be in the risk of being scammed or “just a bank” – which may also be question of your cultural baggage, where it for some foreigners is a scam every time that money to family or Sin Sod is raised – in my opinion it’s a questions of how much one is willing to follow local culture and tradition; personal limits; and never loosing your head, meaning think clearly with both feet solid planted on the ground.

No matter what treatment used, the lice will be back in “no time” if not all kids in school and the homes do it at the same day. Lice are a common problem even in countries one would not expect it; it’s not a health or social problem. The best may be a national “de-lice day”, as they try to do in some countries.

Save your money and live well for more than 40 years with 40 mm bath

You would be broke long before 40 years are up with that little money. Even with zero inflation it's only 83,000 baht per month. How much do you think inflation will be over next 10-40 years. Your money would be wiped out very quickly if inflation took off, as it is bound to do some time over the next 40 years.

How – Just 3% pa interest is 100,000 a month?

Normally it is 10 years after which you normally can not get 1st class. May have to shop around to find an agent who will do it but may be a premium price.

I bought an 11 year old car and could have a 1st class insurance at Viriyah. Had it going for 8 years, till I sold the car.

The Gov recommendations are 74 trees per RAI. They have a thread about rubber tree in this forum, look for the user @James Colister he seens to be a professional about it.

Thanks for update – my GF’s family planted rubber in 10 rai some eight years ago; sorry, the number I quoted by memory above must be for 10 rai.

Gold is a money resting-place when markets are unstable; World market control the price, and that may go further down when interest for bond and stock holdings raise. From last peak it took some 25 years to regain the loss until early in this recent peak, which now seems to be on its way down. (I would not gamble with gold.)

The SET (stock market) is down due to the political instability so cheap bath currency and an under-priced stock market may be a good option for profit, but not without risk. (This I am doing, but only with “smaller” amounts.)

Real estate is good – in some areas very good – in long term, but difficult to hold as foreigner and not easy get out of – sell – fast.

Just holding Thai bath, eventually in bonds (Fund Book) at some 3%pa; or 3 month fixed accounts. When political stable the bath may well go up again, can be anything from 10 to 25 percent. However the risk is that a coup or whatever may happen as well can cause the Thai bath to fall further.

Always remember: Don’t gamble more than you can afford to loose (with a smile).

I think it's 400 to 700 trees pr. rai. It will take some six to seven years before you can tap the trees. The first few years you need to keep the land between the trees clean; some may grow vegetables like beans between the smaller trees. 3½ rai may be to little to run a rubber production, but if someone else in the area do rubber, you may be able to to have them tapping the trees and produce the rubber-sheets. Normally split is 50/50 or 40/60, often paid in rubber sheets, you have to sell yourself. After some 20 years the trees cannot be tapped anymore, but are quite good value as wood.

where is that baiyoke 2? a street?

...

Baiyoke 2 Tower is a hotel, stated to be the tallest building in Bangkok, stands next to the original old Baiyoke Tower Hotel (now called 1). The area around is a wholesale cloth/fashion market, and also with many Indian shops/tailors (seems like the Indian part of the town). Close to Baiyoke is Platinum Mall, said to be more than 1,000 fashion/cloth stores, in the basement you will find wholesalers. Ratchaprarop Station at the Airport Link right next to Baioke or Phaya Thai on Sky Train (Mo Chit line) also pretty close.

Have celebrated Xmas for the last five years, since our little daughter turned three; she loves it and now masters everything with tree and decoration herself, plus wrapping gifts in nice paper. The tree comes up around the 20^th so not getting bored before the actual event.

My Thai girlfriend and other Thais we invite I presume mainly enjoy Xmas for the dinner, if not a Thai neighbouring family with child/children already celebrating some kind of Xmas tradition with tree and gifts. We dine at home and I will cook a traditional Nordic dinner (in Scandinavia we celebrate the 24^th in the evening) of crispy pork in oven, brown-sugar-sweeten potatoes and double cream sauce, which has become pepper sauce to give it some bit of spicy Thai-style taste – actually so popular among our Thai friends, that it’s on request several times during the year. Chocolate and Danish butter cookies are also served.

We do not put any religion into Xmas apart from “believing in Santa” – my daughter is Thai national and I presume Buddhist – just the cosy tradition a bit adapted to our living in Thailand, often supplemented with a snowy Xmas movie on video or in cinema, like Disney’s “Frozen” this year.

So most important is that Santa can find his way down here even we missed the chimney when I build my Thai house, but he’s a good old friend of me and knows where I am – comes by the evening of 24^th even most of his business in this area is in the morning of the 25^th – and my daughter’s fine tree shows him the last bit of the way to our house…!

Ho, ho, ho…

»…how hard is it to open a company…«

If you ask about opening a company in Thailand, you will need some Thai partners/shareholders, as a foreigner can only hold 49%. There are lots of good information about this on the Internet and presumably other treads in TVForum.

If you yourself wish to be active in the company, including active director rather than just sleeping partner, you will need a work permit. For that the company needs a minimum shareholder capital of 2 million bath and four Thai employees. Both numbers goes up, if you need more foreigners working. The company may need to show annual statements (accounts) before a work permit can be granted.

A lawyer can do all the paperwork for you; normally you shall count something like 35 to 60,000 baht in costs for straight paperwork and registration, however depending of advice and complications.

»…and create a fashion brand??«

No idea, but presumably like everywhere else in the World, you will need design, advertising, promotion and lots of hard legwork. However, several have told me, that it’s fairly possible to make a business success in Thailand (and/or Southeast Asia) if you have the right idea in the right niche.

I wish you good luck.

Cannot recall – only had good and smiling service everywhere, local shops up Isaan; shops, larger stores and shopping centres in province towns; Bangkok at both markets, malls and Seven-elevens; major tourist areas; and where I live, in a tourist area.

I have been wondering the same, for example just gender; age and resident area, but seems like most forum members wish to be anonymous.

The days of "Charlies Hut" Chaweng

Ha, ha – Charlie’s Hut is still at Samui – but the owner sold the original plot in Chaweng, probably made a fortune (his wife plays stock market all day) and opened a smaller Charlie’s Hut at the middle of the ‘Big Buddha peninsula’. They love visits from old time customers, I’ve been told from a friend who used to stay at Charlie’s before Samui lost its innocence.

I doubt that the installer perforated the thousands of holes in the tape himself, and I also doubt that Ceris doesn't know what they are doing as they provided the butyl sheets.

This is the best picture I can find now. Notice the slits in the silver part of the Drytech system.

USPs: Easy installation Aesthetic and cleanness Protection against water leakage Air ventilation 250 m³ /hour/m RollFix Plus length 3.3 m., longer than any other brands in the market

Not familiar with this brand's system, but holes in the butyl rubber make no sense - that's what makes it waterproof. Are you sure they're actual holes, not just divots to make it more flexible?

No wonder your neighbors were asking if your roof leaks - they must have seen your holey butyl rubber sheets

Ceris which is originally French is part of the Cpac Monier group and distributed through every Cementhai homemart in the country.

You will notice that the slits are only in the middle of the Drytech, which is at the top of the metal saddle that is mounted below and on which the ridge tiles are screwed and therefor is also completely covered by the ridge tiles.

The part that has the slits is also not Bitumen, but some synthetic material, while the edges that stick on the roof tiles are in Bitumen.

What you think would be the purpose of a drytech system if no ventilation would be available?

By the way, I don't have neighbours, it was another poster who was asked if his roof leaked.

You don't actually expect anyone to see detail in those images you posted do you?

It really doesn't matter how the holes are implemented - if water didn't make it way under roof caps, there would be no need for the butyl in the first place right? I can't possibly see how holes could let heat out, but not let water in. Sounds like a design made for climates where you don't get wind and rain at the same time

As for benefits, read my earlier post

»No wonder your neighbors were asking if your roof leaks - they must have seen your holey butyl rubber sheets «

I am the one with the neighbors asking…

My roof tiles are a kind of “dry fit” with no cement or any other adhesive; the tiles lock into each other with a protecting double water groove. No bitumen bands or any other stuff needed.

May help if you specify where on the island you stayed years ago, as many of the huts has been replaced with resorts, often 4 or 5 star. Samui is peak-season at Xmas-New Year period and some years it may be very difficult to find accommodation if not booked in advance.

All I remember is that it was a beach and within walking distance was a beach of pure whuite sand and in the distanced was the "bar beach" with a long pier (or maybe street), massage joints and stuff. It was a one time visit round 2005 and I think the beach was not too far from the ferry dock.

You can probably guess which one it was.

From your description could well be Lipa Noi, sounth of and close to Nathon, and with Raja car ferry pier in sight. The sea view will include a number of small islands or rocks to the southwest (left).

Can also be Bang Rak, where the smaller passenger only ferries for Koh Phangan and Koh Tao piers; however then you will have the big sister island Koh Phangen in sight.

Both areas you may find bungalows at your price range, but not beachfront at Bang Rak (not sure about Lipa Noi). This time of the year you shall expect 1500 to 2000 baht for a beachfront bungalow, however there may still be some “old fashioned back packer bungalows” – fan and no hot water – for less than 1000 baht. I know of some at Maenam Beach.

The weather is a bit windy and clouded for the past couple of weeks, so hard to say how many people may stay at the island this season, but it seems like less than last Xmas, where almost everything were full; however Chaweng Beach area is as usual extremely crowded in the peak season.

May help if you specify where on the island you stayed years ago, as many of the huts has been replaced with resorts, often 4 or 5 star. Samui is peak-season at Xmas-New Year period and some years it may be very difficult to find accommodation if not booked in advance.

»Maybe Khunper can elaborate if he has the same issues as me currently ?«

(Post #50)

No, I have no noise at all from house structure (only noise when there’s a party somewhere, but that'). Your description sounds to me, like it may well be from the steel construction and the temperature difference, but I’m in no way an expert.

A difference to my house, with similar type of Cement Thai battens – the rafters are widely spaced, but they were standing fine alone before battens were mounted by the special roof tile crew from Cement Thai, but the may have something to do with structure stability – and tiles that indeed are screwed in (something like “Neu Style” I think they are named), may well be that I live on Koh Samui, an island down south, where a cold night temperature almost never falls below 20 centigrade; and when it’s that cold the day temperature will be only up to around 25 centigrade, not a huge temperature difference. Furthermore I have heat reflecting aluminium foil insulation between roof tiles and battens, which may reduce the steel from warming up to fast when Sunrays hit the tiles.

For info I attach a photo of my battens and rafters.

Thanks for the info. My roof looks similar with that difference that the reflective foil is between the rafters and the battens. I think I will have to wait till the cold nights are over and see if it gets better, and otherwise learn to live with it.

The strange thing to me is that it happens so early in the morning, between 8.30 and 9.15am depending on what time the sun rises, when the outside temperature isn't hot yet and in the loft it also isn't even warm yet. My tiles are not screwed but "should " be fastened with springs. You will notice that I put should between quotation marks.

What also might make a difference is that you had a Cement Thai roof team and I had a professional Isaan clown team .

If your battens are inside of the reflective foil, I will presume that the roof tiles in sunshine heat them up as being inside a stone oven. Believe the correct way shall be as described in the Cement Thai folder and made by their roof crew; roof tiles, reflective foil, battens and rafters.

But only a thought, perhaps some other TV-member knows more about it.

A side remark about “Professional Isaan clown team”, just mentioned if someone is about to build a house.

When I got quotes for building my house, my constructor offered to put the roof tiles on for free. When I saw the instruction manual from Cement Thai – foil, sarking (rain protection), edge water protection to be mounted in the cement wall, etc. etc. – I realized it was more than just putting some tiles up, so I kindly said thank you, but no thank you. The professional roof crew were actually quite cheap labour (standard Thai price), and taking the battens out of the steel construction quote and replace with galvanized steel from Cement Thai, I saved so much in the steel construction that it paid both galvanized battens and half the labour cost of the whole roof (today they can make a whole steel construction in galvanized steel, including free detailed computer drawings). Any materials delivered in excess of the actual use could be returned and credited. Furthermore I got a five-year guarantee certificate – probably worth more than a five-year warranty from a local Thai Constructor. When the roof crew – they come from Bangkok – has other jobs on the island, they always come by to say hello and check if everything is still all right, and they even sometimes bring a little gift like Cement Thai logo towels or glasses. So far their only guarantee service needed during a visit has been to cope with the offered beers or soft drinks.

My Thai neighbours kindly ask me during the monsoon raining season if my roof is leaking, when I say no they answer: »Your roof must be the only not leaking…!«

I believe that was one of my better decisions during the construction.

»Uh - 49% tax - where in Europe is that paid and by whom ?« (#38)

Denmark is a good guess, 48-49% in average tax – you will not like to hear the maximum top percentage, vat rate and car tax.

My first choice of a place I could settle in Thailand were Chiang Mai – a wonderful area with a beautiful nature and very quiet, just one get out of the town. However later, when I had the possibility for an early retirement I choose an island down south.

I do not regret I moved to Thailand and I have been living here permanently for some eight years now. I am also happy I did not settle in Chiang Mai, as I would miss the ocean, and the weather up there can change from being too hot to bitterly cold. But we all have different preferences, and I still enjoy visiting Chiang Mai.

You may hear different stories about and from people settling in Thailand, may even hear more of the “bad” stories that makes headlines, than the good ones. The country is different from your homeland, and if you wish thing to be same or almost same as home, then Thailand is not a place for you. If you can accept and enjoy the different culture, then go for it…

Wish you good luck with your plan.