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If you're a farang, you don't need to buy land in your wife's name. You can buy a condo and have clear title to it.

True, but the rice growing ability of 36m² of airspace is somewhat limiting.

I totally agree with the "when in Rome" theory, and that applies to anything to do with living in Thailand. Park where you want, stop in the driving lane and put on your hazard lights, run the red light if it can be done safely to avoid the bus behind you from nailing you etc.

However, my particular favourite is the lack of the western taboo of picking ones nose in public. As a lifelong furtive picker, it's refreshing being able to openly indulge oneself in public.

How about the Thai government allow reciprocity in buying land? Or, Western governments disallow citizens from making purchases of land/houses etc. e.g. Thais and Thaksin types. Turn around is fair play as they say.

I mean seriously if a Westerner buys land can he take it back to his Mother country??? Restricting land purchases only keeps the rich and powerful/ rich and powerful. And it prevents a Thai land owner from possibly receiving a more substantial amount for said land - when sold.

Um.....regarding a foreigner being allowed to purchase land in Thailand, I note below the translation of the first two lines of the Thai National Anthem.

"Thailand embraces in its bosom all people of Thai blood,

Every inch of Thailand belongs to the Thais."

Every farang arriving in Thailand for the first time should be locked in a rubber room and forced to read the Marriage and Divorce section on this forum for 24 hours straight.

Oh well, if some guy is determined to drink and/or drug himself to rags or to death with some bar girl no one can stop him. Even if he's completely sober but chooses to throw it away on some cute thing half his age no one can stop him.

Life has choices.

Agreed but the the one thing I can never get my head round are the farangs who are not the drink and drug types, some pretty wealthy, educated etc who manage to lose their lot in Thailand, for the most part one assumes these people are not stupid and are fully aware of the reputation of Thai ladies, and even if they truly believe, she is different, they haven't had the foresight to have a plan B in case thing do go tits up......for me personally if after nearly 12 years with Mrs Soutpeel, I had the dirty done to me, I know almost exactly what she could get away with financially, based on what i have " invested" in thailand, and this is the amount i have prepared to "risk" or walk away from if need be

I have further taken the liberty of keeping the bulk of my finances offshore in an account she can't get at directly, to me it's just common sense, you don't throw your lot in and hope for the best, you need to make provision for the rainy day that might happen

Which reminds me of the Kenny Rogers song called "The Gambler". Personally I hate the song, but some of the lyrics are quite sage:

You've got to know when to hold 'em

Know when to fold 'em

Know when to walk away

Know when to run

It's a quick stopover for a few days to say hello while we are visiting the ubon area. I really don't see a problem with this.

And that proves the very point - you don't see the problem. The fact that you aren't aware of the social, cultural, financial, and emotional issues is a major problem.

Did you realise that today is Friday 13th? Black Friday!!

OP - here's an analogy for you.

If a bloke (regardless of age/maturity etc) says to me "hey I've been riding this iddy biddy 110cc scooter for a few weeks now and I think I'm ready to buy that 1000cc Superbike - what do you think?"

My answer is "Mate, you may think you know how to ride that scooter, but a superbike is a bit of a jump. Chances are you'll kill yourself. You need a lot more experience and move up in size gradually as your experience increases.

Bringing it back to your original question OP, you're inexperienced and don't know anywhere near enough about what you are potentially letting yourself in for. Not just the actual visit, but the potential aftermath of the visit.

Inform yourself a great deal more before you twist the grip on your Superbike, or just stick with the Scooter and putter around Patts.

Yep, same with mine. I'm thinking True Visions just isn't worth the cost so will be calling to cancel at my next payment date and see if they beg me to stay with them and offer a huge discount, as mentioned in a recent thread.

Why does everyone on here insist on calling the police 'BIB'

Is it meant to be cool or funny?

I don't get it.

Because using the word "police" would be a gross misuse of a word, and even if it were slanged as "cops" it would still associate them with a semblance of organised crime prevention and protection of the public.

BIB is the perfect description as it has become synonymous with the level and quality of service they provide.

I can think of no other possible description - and whoever first coined the phrase BIB should be praised for not calling them MIB - Muppets in Brown.

<deleted> everybody, I'm reverting to a kilt. And as soon as I get the bagpipes sent out from home, Beach Road at 3AM will ne'er be the same again.

Be afraid, be very afraid!

I saw a BIB on Sukhumvit Soi 18 recently with an decoratively ivory carved gun in his holster. Very pimped up.

What, no flashing LED's along the barrel?

That must be the ultimate irony of the week - getting busted for attempting to bribe a BIB. Classic!!!

The double irony is that the BIB got the money anyway, as well as solving a crime. I don't know how they have the cheek to allow this to be published. I mean, the whole world knows about the high levels of integrity in the RTP.

+1

IMHO, the question is weather related.

When 'civilized' men first explored the tropics, they discovered people did not wear clothes, simply because it was too hot, so they improved the situation and introduced suits, thereby reducing everyone's comfort and shortening their life expectancy.

I wear short because they are much more comfortable in the heat. SHould I ever return to a temperate climate, I shall again wear the long trousers of an old man.

It wasn't until about 1940 that the then government decreed that it was required of all Thai citizens to dress more "internationally" appropriately, and for the women not to go topless in their daily lives. They even published a poster (below) that showed appropriate dress. The left of the poster is the DON'T and the right is the DO.

So essentially, all this "cultural" stuff about Thais not showing bare shoulders, not wearing shorts etc stems not from some distant cultural belief in propriety, but merely a government edict issued regarding dress standards designed to modernise the country.

In another cultural issue regarding the sacredness of the head in Thai culture, It was also an edict at the same time that Thais will not carry things on their heads, which until then was standard practice. Bizarre, but true.

Was told by Thai friends that only males to wear shorts in the city here are gay men and badly dressed tourists.

While we're on the subject of badly dressed farangs, if you don't want to look like a loser, give the beer logo singlets and any polo shirt a miss, especially ugly striped ones (for Indians only) pink or red ones with the horse on them (collar turned up of coarse foe extra idiot points) and the worst look of all......the back to front baseball cap: scientifically proven to lower the wearers intelligence by at least 50%.

Ahhh that's why every shop in Thailand doesn't have any polo shirts.

Oh hang on a minute......

And also why the staff at Jomtien Immigration were wearing polo shirts on Tuesday. Pink, I might add, in support of the King.

I guess that must be the ultimate form of disrespect, a government official wearing a pink polo shirt.

If you drive on Sukhumvit from Soi Boonkanjana to Naklua, you'll see about fifty outlets. If you drive the extra 12 klm's or so to Laem Chabang, you'll see another fifty.

They're nearly as common as 7/11's and ATM's.