sfbandung

I was driving back home from Udon Thani the other day and said to my brother in law that I feel like it is just a matter of time before you have a prang with someone on a motor bike. I was turning left out of the Home Pro carpark and looking right for a break in the traffic as one does. Got the break and was about to charge out when a motorbike coming the other way on our side of the road wizzed past in front of me. If I had hit the gas I would have collected him and no doubt it would have been my "fault".

Substitute 'Thailand' for any country in the world - scheming bastards aren't exclusive to Thailand.

I can't believe there's actually a forum rule which states No Thai Bashing allowed !! Has it ever been enforced ?

Not that I've noticed. Ever.

Try quoting the Bangkok Post though. That gets stomped on very quickly.

My wife is pathologically jealous and at times domineering. But they are the only chinks in the armour. I like strong women so the domineering bit is ok and it is usually because I've been on the piss too much and need steering back on track.

She is also stunningly beautiful, fiercely loyal, a fantastic cook and homemaker.

I love her to death and it is certainly her "Thainess" that makes her what she is.

Thai women are lieing gold diggers! -- Well, that's basically every woman out West as well. Sorry fellas, but woman in general would prefer to marry a successful lawyer, versus someone who lays around and drinks beer everyday.

No, basically every woman "out West" isnt a lieing gold digger, thanks.

(..and your comparison regarding successful lawyer -v- lazy beer drinker is just plain stupid)

And neither are Thai women

• 

If he is at all attractive to women they will let him know here.

If he isn't the gold diggers will be interested in him.

What age is he ?

This is how you meet women in Thailand if you are attractive to them. ............... You walk out your front door.

Reminds me of a guy in PNG who asked his mate, who would regularly come home with a pretty lady he had picked up off the street on the way home, what he said to the girls to entice them.

He answered, "Get in"

You're talking about children and she's 17? That's a young adult not a kid.

Raising adolescents 101. Particularly girls. Particularly pretty Issan girls. Keep them close. Involve her in what you and your missus are doing mostly and keep the blokes with unscrupulous intentions at bay.

The fact is there are two very distinct components. There is Thailand itself with all its quirks and frustrations and plenty of advantages. Prior experience with a "non western" existence is a huge advantage.

And then there is your partner. Very often what makes people unhappy here is their choice of partner. To over simplify, it is typically a case of a substantial age gap coupled with a cultural divide. Often too wide to bridge. When these relationships fail often Thailand is blamed when realistically the union was always doomed.

So it is subjective. I am a career expat and I love Thailand. And my wife is a wonderful lady who I love very much.

Would I recommend my situation? Absolutely.

Make sure you have internet banking with your overseas account and of course a Thai account to transfer to. I transfer money from my ANZ bank in Australia and a business account in Papua New Guinea (of all places) all the time. It's not instant but the funds are here in 24 hours. The exchange rates are good and the overseas fees at the originating bank are reasonable. I have to have a chat with Kasikorn though because there seems to be an element of variability in the fee they charge for the inwards transfer, but it isn't silly.

Piece of cake. If it's first time to meet the family it will be a bit strange for a little while but that's all. Bring booze, the universal ice breaker and wai the oldies.

Has been said but yes, better to be upcountry than in BKK/Pattaya/Phuket/Chiang Mai during Songkran. Will be quite happily camped at our place in Ban Dung not far form where you'll be.

Also been said but yep, grab a room at a pub. At least one with AC, True Vision and serving half decent farang food for when your stomach needs a break.

It's all about attitude, if you want it to be good it will.

sf

Not everyone drinks...bring some of those sweetr things for the kids and book into a pub.

Visit and leave the family as you wish. You will be welcome and may spend more time with the family than you think you will. It is allways good to have the hotel though to sleep in,

Good call.

And sometimes they like the drinks sweet! I took a bottle of of single malt I figured I'd share with the old man. All he wanted to drink was the missus' Malibu and Midori.

Not sure if money is an object but my brother checked out of here literally on Monday. Raved about the place and 6 weeks later is a new man:

http://alcoholrehab.com/

But you have to want to stop. Really want it.

Piece of cake. If it's first time to meet the family it will be a bit strange for a little while but that's all. Bring booze, the universal ice breaker and wai the oldies.

Has been said but yes, better to be upcountry than in BKK/Pattaya/Phuket/Chiang Mai during Songkran. Will be quite happily camped at our place in Ban Dung not far form where you'll be.

Also been said but yep, grab a room at a pub. At least one with AC, True Vision and serving half decent farang food for when your stomach needs a break.

It's all about attitude, if you want it to be good it will.

sf

Have regrets. What's done is done and I'm always the better for the experience.

Anything Toyota for sure! Do not do Isuzu. Ford is okay as well. Nissan... never did like them. So go with Toyota!

Why not Isuzu? Currently own a Mu 7, fantastic car. Drove it form Udon to Chiang Mai and back in January. In PNG I have driven loads of Hiluxs and the D Max is a far superior vehicle.

Found the Toyota dealers arrogant and misleading, the deal was changing all the time.

And to the OP. Buy new. You don't save much buying used here and it isn't worth the risk.

Drove Udon Thani to Chiang Mai and back a couple of weeks ago at the height of the drama. Nothing except fantastic roads and crap Thai drivers.

Stop at the AOT booth and get one of their limos. Or hop on the Airport Rail and forgo the roads altogether.

Otherwise, suck it up, do it legal, and take your turn with the rest of us unwashed masses.

I've never waited more than 10 minutes for a taxi at Swampy, but that may just be luck. On my one trip into DM, the taxi line took over half an hour.

Me too. Never had to wait more than a few minutes even when there are loads of people, the queues move very quickly.

But reading this at least I know now what those bloody big turnstiles at departures have been installed for!

I've used Vipre for three years now after a nasty virus got past AVG (the paid version). No dramas and uses hardly any resources.

Ever caught the Shinkansen in Japan? If it is anything like the cost of that then no one will catch it.

My wife reads it sometimes but always says the same thing, "Too many people on Thai Visa don't like Thailand. It's silly, they can always go back home. Why do they stay and complain, complain, complain."

Like others I think I am most surprised that you don't already have a rice cooker! We have at least one in all of our residences.

if your kids have dual citizenship and you can prove that you are the legal father, then you dont break any law, just use the passports for your kids from your home country. Nobody (even court) can not forbid travel (for example english citizen) to england. If the family name in passports are the same, there will be no problem, I got from court a clear statement, because my ex-wife ask court to forbid me to take my kids to germany, what court clear refuse, a citizen can all the time travel to his country. And in 12 years after divorce I never ever any problem at check in or passport control, even never any questions. But for sure if you want to solve this, you have to take a lawyer after arrival and go to court in your home country and try to get custody or better to get a arengment with the mother of the kids

I don't know about England but you cannot get an Australian Passport issued for a minor without the express permission of both parents. In PNG I have a mixed race daughter who was entitled to citizenship by descent which I got very easily. The passport was a different matter altogether. Her mother had to attend the High Commission, they took her away and asked her loads of questions about whether I was paying her to sign the form and did she understand that it meant I could take our daughter to Australia and she would not be able to get her back to PNG.

Let;s all post our opinions about a broad and possibly incorrect generalisation. We can then argue about it and insult each other too. Yay !

That's pretty well how these topics develop here!

Re the OT. Missus reckons it's about having had kids before. When I first went to the village i asked her how her parents would be with us sleeping together. She said she has already had a child (Yep, to a Thai guy when she was young who is no longer around). If she hadn't and was "fresh" (so to speak) it would have been different.

None of this would be necessary if the elites in Bangkok weren't such bad losers and poor sports. Elections have consequences. The anti-government protesters need to respect the votes of the winning majority.

A very simple look at things indeed

Imagine you and 2 other guys had a vote on whether to steal your money and/or kill you, they voted for and you against. Would you then consider yourself a "poor sport" if you did not agree to that?

The government is literally trying to kill the country financially, backed by a majority who know nothing whatsoever about economics, and do not care either. Fortunately a minority does understand economics and other related issues, and are currently trying to stop it. You call them poor sports, but I bet people in Greece (the birthplace of democracy) wish someone had done something similar in Greece over the past 30-40 years.

Simple but real monkey. That's how democracy works. You don't want people you consider stupid to be allowed to vote, but that's how it is. The majority wins.

This bloke is spot on. Everyone's vote should be respected. Even the dumb rice farmers from the north. That is how democracy works. It is an unfortunate truth. At least Abhisit is smart enough not to actually verbalise his opposition to democracy as a principle. Unlike Suthep, who really believes that the sycophants he meets on the streets of Bangkok are actually representative of the majority of the population. Suthep and the Dems proposed plutocracy should get the condemnation it deserves.

Please don't refer to Northern people as "dumb rice farmers" My father in law is a rice farmer.He is also an incredible carpenter, mason and craftsman. He is actively involved in charity, and like the rest of the family, doesn't drink, smoke or swear. He has worked HARD all his life...and never had anything handed to him. He has four intelligent children, two of which hold degrees and have good jobs, one owns a successful business and a fourth who worked three jobs to help put her siblings through university (my wife).

Please give the respect that my family and the hard working people of Isaan deserve.

Sorry I am out of likes but very well said sir. There is a heck of a lot of generalization and stereotyping going on of late, much of it very ignorant and unfair.

Wow. I replied to Pompuiman. I was being sarcastic and speaking in defence of Isaan people. Who Suthep believes should not have the right to vote.