ngeean

I can tell you what ISP NOT to use, TTT. Horrible. I have currently been with unusable internet for nearly 10 days. Each day I call they "are sending someone out tomorrow to fix". I'm switching to True tomorrow.

Hello

What is the best way to sort out an internet connection to ones home in chiang mai?

I use the web a lot and will do for the next 6 months or so. But maybe it is better just to use the internet cafes?

I talked to one guy in bkk and he said get a truth phone line and a truth isp.

But I am clueless. What should I do....

If you can do a poll on this one i would be grateful! I dont know the ISPs in chiang mai

It is difficult to rate the ISPs for me, since I have not used them all. Anyway, I can tell you that TRUE's cable modem service in central Chiang Mai is good. If you only need a modem connection, you can buy Internet refill hours from CS-Loxinfo. This is a reliable ISP with fairly constant speeds and very little downtime. Do not buy any of the cheaper dialup packages, they usually end up more expensive because you will be disconnected and face lower speeeds (they often use the same dialup number that gets very congested.

Hope that helps.

I certainly hope that cinemas will enforce the film ratings. I recall watching the last Rambo film with a Thai family sitting behind me with a young child (4 or 5 years old) clearly very distraught (crying screaming etc) during some scenes that no child of that age should see.

The karaoke thing is a huge double standard, why crack down on that and turn a blind eye to massage parlours and go go bars?

Probably because the Karaoke bars don't generate enough "Ngan thai thoa" for our friendly tumruad to skim off the top.

I certainly hope that cinemas will enforce the film ratings. I recall watching the last Rambo film with a Thai family sitting behind me with a young child (4 or 5 years old) clearly very distraught (crying screaming etc) during some scenes that no child of that age should see.

The karaoke thing is a huge double standard, why crack down on that and turn a blind eye to massage parlours and go go bars?

I think that we may congratulate Foreign Minister Kasit, he considered the airport occupation "fun". We may congratulate the army too for using absurd force and distrusting the police for not being able to do the job. We may congratulate Suthep and Newin fro assembling a shirt of Blue shirted ex convicts who ignited the red shirt mob in Pattaya and we must absolute congratulate the army for screwing up the economy. The bottom line: economic crisis? Sure, but in the case of Thailand: Som Na Naa

SUM NUM NAA... NAAAA NON!!

Scarey, life is cheap in Thailand.

I have been saying the same thing for years. Most Thais never think past the here and now, which is a lot of the problem. Attitudes towards farang have really changed since I first moved to the kingdom in 1994. It seems we were once a novelty; now we are becoming pests :-p

Enjoyed the BBQ! And Hog Head it was nice meeting you and yours...

I posted this in the Real Estate Section. But, I would like everyone to know. This can happen to anyione. Things do change drastically.

Here's my experience on relationship with a livein and building a house and having a future.

I knew a TG for over 7 years. I lived with her for over 4 years, been with her for 3 years on my trips to LOS. When I decided to move to Thailand in February 2004 things were great with her. After about 10 months or so I decided to sell my condo in Jomtein (big mistake). So we decided to move up north by her home in the Phetchabun area. We built a excellent nice bungalow. Had everything there. Granite flooring countertops, satellite, all new furnishings for the house. The area was building up so there was a few things for farangs to do. I was leary on building a house in a TG's name so I had it put in a corporation. Then about a 1 1/2 years later my livein mentioned she had some land. We could build a house on it, cheaper and save some money from the sale of the house, I had built. I figured things were great and had no problems. So I sold the house and her relatives built a house. They did a horseshit job on building it. But, I hired a thai guy to come in and replace and fix the fuc_kups on the builders they did. So things were great. Life was good so far. Then about a 1/1/2 later she started getting moody. In January 2008 she started giving me the silent treatment. After a bit, I asked what's the problem. The response is "Nothing". So after 2 months or more of the cold treatment and her comng to bed at 1, 2 or 3 in the morning and being a starfish. I started getting mad. I was giving her around 7,000 or 8,000 baht a month. Which is good for up there. Since the average thai joe makes about 4,000 a month. So I told her, I don't give any money to someone I don't talk to and money to someone who doesn't want to come to bed. I kept asking her all the time. What is the problem and we could work things out. Still she would say nothing or just ignore me and walk away. So around April 1st. I didn't give her money. Then things really went bad. So I decided to move out. I had to get my stuff out of there. So a friend that lived by me bought some of the larger items and helped me get a truck to get out of there. When he was going to get the stuff. There was a problem. Even with receipts in my name for the beds, satellite, water tank pump, TV, tables, refrigerator, washer and other things. They are not mine. Because it's in her house. I finally worked out a deal with her. So I could sell the things. So I would have some cash to get the <deleted> out of the village. In the process on the day my friend and his wife came to pickup the stuff she brought a long a policeman to fill out a list of the things I could take. My girl had to sign it. Otherwise, if she didn't sign it. I couldn't sell it and I could not take anything. While signing, her mom was there and her mom was giving problems. Telling my girl what to do. So on that day most of the larger things were sold & my things I wanted were packed up in a pickup to move to Pattaya.

Finally I got a little response from the girl as to what the problem is. Her mom was finishing her thai boyfriend and she needed a place to live. So it's easier to give me the boot and let her mom have the house. Since her mom has the house, my girl is now in BKK working with her sister. I told her why she didn't tell me this before. If she needed more cash I could give her more and we could have worked out things between us. There was no working out. Her mom wanted the house, more money and everything. I told her I could give more money to her so she could give it to her mom. Her 2 sisters could give some to her mom and her useless brother could send some money to her mom. But, no way. I am a farang so her sisters and brother don't have to. I think her mom has told her 2 daughters to also finish there thai husbands. So she could get more money.

Here is a good example or two on how f****n bullshit before the move. I was cleaning up the house because I knew I was leaving. So I seen a recycling guy in a truck to stop by. Take the plastic (a lot of Pepsi Max bottles), scrap steel that sat by the house for 8 months and some empty coffee cans from the states that was in a cupboard for over a year. Her mom seen them come by and she flipped out. My girl came and said why are you selling now. I just said I was cleaning things up so it wouldn't look like junk around there. Her mom was still mad. But I did get 300 baht from the recycle guy. I was also told my girl and her mom took my motorbike to a motorcycle shop to see what they could get. Good thing my bike was in my name. She couldn't sell it.

So after everything is done & over. Seven years with a girl you have been with. Who you think really loves you and trust. Will give you the walking papers in a flash of a eye. Or her mom tells her daughter to finish you immediately. I lose a house approximately 600,000 to 700,000 baht, a Nissan car that needs to be fixed, my mental health was f****d (didn't have much to begin with) and a few other things.

My advice to anyone. No one is safe with a thai girl with a relationship. They will try to get as much as you can. In building a house for board members up north or a girls village. Expect to lose as much as you can afford. Or as much as you can walk away.

I will also put a disclaimer on this. Not all girls will do this. There are some good girls out there. Good luck to everyone one with there relationship and building a house. You might be in the same situation. After the house is done. So are you.

If you live in Thailand, what does it matter? If the US dollar is 38/39 and then strengthens to 44/45 what is the big deal? Unless you are very heavy in Thai Baht and you should not be because over the long term you lose with holding cash as an asset.

The average Joe on holiday won't notice Thailand suddenly much cheaper if he gets a few thousand extra baht in his pocket.

For those on pensions from abroad, praying for a 45 to the dollar, it is foolish. fuel and utilities will rise in price.

The best way to stay rich in this world is to invest wisely (not in currency) and spend carefully.

Anyway, I reckon the baht might well hit 35 by year end; but that is because I expect more US dollar weakness, the U.S.A. might well suffer a meltdown financially; a big crash. So think Swiss Francs and Gold.

You're a wise man and the only one from this blog to hit the mark. I am a former diplomatic mission employee and, until recently, a resident of the Kingdom for 9 years. My wife (Thai) and I have been looking for land near her home in Chiang Mai and I am losing buying power on a daily basis due to Baht strength.

In 97 the expectation was that the Baht will eventually stabilize at 36 to the US dollar. I cannot see the Baht keeping this pace of strengthening for much longer without Thai Gov intervention.

What are your thoughts on future trend over FY07?

Shrek

I lived and worked in Bangkok for nearly 10 years. I love Thailand and the people, but there is a clear distincition between bar girls and the rest of the population.

So many foreigners have come to Thailand and experiened what you are describing.

The facts our these girls (be they good or bad) are from very poor backgrounds and winning the affection of a farang and being removed from the fated occupation of a prostitute is what they call "Winning the Jackpot".

She currently does not love you and you could not possible love her. I am sure she is nice and beautiful but the odds of her wanting more to leave her current state of affairs are much higher than her truly being enamoured by you.

Don't do something you will regret. Come back to Thailand and stay a few months. Go out with some non-bar girl type women and then see what you think:-)

This message goes to Daveh regarding his statistics for HIV tests.

Again, I have worked with HIV/AIDS projects in Thailand for nearly a decade.

The average prevalence rate of 1.8%; however, one must take into account that this is the general population. Prostitues have a much higher rate of infection which is between 15% and 30% depending on a number of factors. In the late 90's a brothel which served truck drivers in Chiang Mai province was found my Thai MOPH to have 100% of the girls HIV + !!

With respect to the assays and the comment that they will throw False positive and False negative numbers around 24% this is simply UNTRUE. The tests EIA/ELISA test use for screening currently have a sensitivity/specificity at or near 100%. It should be noted that if anyone is found to be REACTIVE by the EIA/ELISA this sample will be confirmed or refuted by additional testing (wester blot and sometimes RNA/DNA PCR).

So false negatives are what should be of concern. But again with the sensitivity/specificy of these assays it is an uncommon occurance.

Just to answer your 1/100 infection question.

I worked for 7 years in Thailand with the US Govt on HIV/AIDS projects.

Although the statistic you mentioned is true (actually think it is 1/1000) with respect to odds of infection it should be noted that this is the average probablility.

In fact, infectivity is dependent upon a number of factors. For example, if one has been recently infected (within 90 days) or is symptomatic (AIDS) then these individuals will have an exceptionally high number of viral particles in their circulating blood and will be EXTREMLY contagious.

On the other hand if they are in the HIV positive "quiet", i.e. asymptomatic, phase of disease the circulating virus is lower; therefore they are less infective.

Other factors that increase transmission are blood involvement, vitamin deficiecy and general robustness of the host's immune system.

In conclusion, you can contract HIV from a single exposure quite easily from a person that has a high viral load. I don't think it is worth taking the chance and I will bet that the German in question is probably not healthy due to his age and having been infected for a number of years.

Clarification for Mr. MaiNoiDoi!

I did intend to marry my fiance but you must undrstand that most Thai women (that are not bar girls) do not want to leave their country.

Our plan was to have her stay for the 90 days and then evaluate whether or not she was happy. Now that the end of the 90 days is at hand she would rather be in Thailand.

I might add that 90 days is not a sufficient amount of time for ANY expat to overcome the culture shock of living in a new culture.

You need to THINK OUT OF THE BOX...instead of jumping to conclusions like a jealous school girl!

Alright! Here it is...

I lived in Thailand for nearly 8 years working for a US govt sponsored project. I returned to the states a little over a year ago and have been miserable ever since.

I secured a fiance visa for my Thai gf and now she is here. Her fiance visa will expire soon and my problem is 2 fold: 1 we need more time together to see if this will work and 2 I may be taking another job back in Thailand but will not know the status for several months (in this case we will return to Thailand together unwed).

If we let her fiance visa expire and she stay illegally in the US, what are the odds of her getting caught? There are many Thais here that came to the US on student visas and never returned to Siam and they have been her working and living illegally for years.

Does the fact that she carries a fiance visa make her easier to track and deport or is getting caught just a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time?