cgphuket

Bangkok is a very bad place for a wheelchair bound person. I would avoid.

If they report him as making a bad debt or theft to the police/immigration, they might stop him at the airport and make him pay the claimed amount before he can go. It happened to a friend of mine. Best option is to take the bike to a neutral shop and have it fixed for a reasonable price...

Bought a top loader at Bic C for about 14k and it has been working fine the last 3 years.

Always have,always will. Thailand has changed a lot of things about me, but not my morals.

And I caught a (foreign) guy trying to lift my wallet at a crowded market in Pattaya a few weeks ago (posted in a different thread). Got to watch carefully, as they sometimes operate in pairs and probably have "contingency" plans in case things go wrong.

Not surprised you got targetted. Anybody seen with a wallet is an instant easy target. Only an idiot would carry a wallet, presumably in your back pocket, and then wonder why it gets nicked. In Thailand you should carry money in shorts with several zipped pockets and spread the cash around the pockets. No pickpocket will touch you. And yes, the good ones always work in groups of at least 3 people. The stolen item is moved quickly away and you will never know. When I was in India some of the boys showed me how they steal from tourists and I can assure you they are very good and fast. You will never stop a woman from carrying a hand bag with lots of goodies inside. They are the best to steal from.

"carry money in shorts with several zipped pockets" However, not all of us dress like tourists who wander away from the beach...

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Don't feed the Thai weakness,there is no such thing as Ghosts, haven't you learned that from your own Country for the last 40- 50 years?? if not go home for a refresher course.

Thank you for making your opinion fact. You don't believe in ghosts, thats ok. We don;t believe in you.

Same here. Most residents I kno are either chronic drunks who only ant to sit and get pissed, or the other type ho sit in front of their TV every night. Got sick of tourists long ago; same stories, same observations and same expectation to be cared for, with never reciprocating. Need a meeting place for the minority resident : )

Sukhumvit Hospital; Ekamai is good and cheap.

Can someone explain why anyone would pay 200,000 to get a job that pays 8-9k a month (I assume this is correct because full teacher pay does not exceed 12k). Is there some secret tea money they tap into or do they just love classrooms so much? I must be missing something. Please enlighten.

Sounds silly, but you will need to "prove" that your son is the same child that was born. Your main hurdle is the USA birth certificate, then the passport is easy if at the same time. You may need to provide a lot of photos and DNA at their discretion is possible, and expensive...

Black Mercedes = @#$hole. Add a red plate and means huge @#$hole. Every close call I have had in driving in BKK has been with Rich jerks in German cars. No matter. The rich can still kill whoever they want in Thailand. Hope some day people driving cars that could pay for 500 medical operations for the poor will become targets.

Apparently this cost them the shirts off their backs.

And you point? I have been stopped on my bike in Phuket several times and never paid a baht, because everything was legal, unlike Bangkok where if you are stupid enough to stop you will never leave without paying a 200 baht "driving while white" fine.

Try to separate the groups of friends if possible. Put them into unrelated groups for activities as it is easier to control 8-10 groups than 50 individuals. And may god have mercy on you.

The problem with Phket is the schools assume everyone wants to live there. The pay is the same (or maybe 10% higher than BKK), but cost of living (rent, transportation, etc) is about 40-50% higher. Only the few high-end international schools (British international and headstart) pay 60k+ , but unless his Masters is in ESL or education, he will not get in there. Tourist destinations are not always the best locations to look for work.

Why? Short on cash?

I live in Phrapadeng, West of the river in BKK. Only 120 baht taxi ride to Sukhumvit, but in the last year I have seen a total of 3 farang withing a 5km area, and 2 were just visiting for sure. Being the only Farang in the area is nice, but I have toi behave as i stand out and am remembered...

Maybe I'm a cheap charlie... Last night I was at a hole in the wall bar, about 100 meters into Suk soi 22, I ordered a tonic water (9 baht from 7-11). No booze, gin,etc, just a tonic water. They brought it to me in a highball glass. 2 drinks of the small glass and it was empty. I asked where my can of tonic was, so I could refill the glass and was told, "NO!!! you only buy one drink, not the whole can. Must but another drink if you want more...." I asked, how much is the drink? "60 baht". SO, i said, Your charging me 180 baht for a 9 bath tonic, because you pour it into a small glass 3 times? If I ordered a beer, would you sell me 10 shots of it or would I get the whole bottle? Of course they got indignant and I walked out, and will not return. I dont mind paying a mark up in a bar; their in it for the money, but dividing a 9-10 baht bottle of tonic or soda water into three separate drinks so they can charge 3 times seems to be taking the piss. Maybe I am just a cheap charlie...

Options are limited in Thailand. As a licensed addiction counselor (master level) who recently left the field out of disgust with the employers, I can tell you that there are 3-4 rehabs (Western style) in Thailand and none are run by proper clinical staff and most are run by foriengers with raging drug problems themselves. Same goes for nearby Malay and Indonesian "rehab centers". There is no regulation or oversite so anyone with a few dollars to spend can open a dodgy, unqualified "rehab". There a few counselors in the Kingdom (don't use Thai, never met a qualifed Thia drug counselor) but none specialize in addiction or have any real experience in addiction recovery. Your best option is to find a place outside of Asia, or contact one of the few out-patient counselors who are good and can combine a hospitalization detox with ongoing out-patient counseling. PM me if you would like some leads.

Stamford Universityhas a weekend international MBA program.

I admire them wanting change, but Thailand is so innately corrupt and dysfunctional from years of elitism, it is hard to imagine it ever becoming a 1st world country.

So will he get let out early if he is a good boy?

Maybe if he gets out early he can go after the judges kids. Pathetic legal system.