pattayadingo

More importantly, is the pizza safe?

I wanted to know what toppings the pizza had! It would have made a dull story interesting. Though I'm not sure what road safety has to do with Thailand being safe? I think we all know the answer to that!

Sounds like the pizza was 'Topped' full stop. No hope of a reprieve.

2 Iranians in custody who have confessed.....

And Iran blames the Zionists?

edit typo

Paragraphs, please. It is so hard to read and understand as is.

Googling brings up a few. But you know your needs and pricing best, so why not try that and see?

Out in the sticks I could live on that but it would be a lonely life and with very few beers and no real fun time. Basic food like chicken fried rice at 30 Baht a go. And that is only using my previous experience of knowing people and places.

2,500 for a place to stay.

500 electric.

60 Baht water.

2700 for basic food @ 3 * a day.

200 for 6 beers a week.

10 Baht big bottled water.

Bunch of bananas 20 Baht.

= 5990 a month not including extra drinking water or more than 6 beers a month.

The above does not cover coffee, tea, nights out, m/c taxis, visa runs, smokes and anything else you might want.

You forgot mobile telephone and internet

Not practical on that budget................

Stay home.

I pay about 50 baht a month for mobile phone and under 1000 for internet. You can fit that in on $300.

In fact internet would help a lot of people save money. You could play World of Warcraft 16 hours a day, eat from food carts, and easily come in under $300 a month since your main hobby only costs $15 per month

Interesting characteristic, "must have cell phone", "must have internet", not really a requirement of somebody that's going to be "homeless". Get real!

Why should someone on $300 a month be homeless?

As WAYNED said he can get the guy a place for 1000 Baht a month. It may not be a palace but it is a roof over your head. I have had a 3 bed house for 2500 a month.

No, life would not be pleasant on $300 a month but it is doable in certain circumstances. But not for someone who needs medical help / hospital treatment and visa runs etc.

Some of us have lived out in the sticks and know how cheap life can be away from the bars, a-go-go and restaurants.

That chemical spray available in every 7/11 shop does work wonders. But as a poster has already said, it stinks. Spray, ventilate and no more ants.

Spray doorsteps, around the windows and other places they can get in. Leave the house for a few hours and come back to an ant free house.

Also follow the lines of ants to see where they are coming in an zap them.

Don't be fooled by the minority. Any guy who lives in Thailand will tell you that the normal Thai girl, I am talking about the normal population is not interested in foreigners at all. Do you hang out in China town in your home country? Neither do normal Thais. Try to date a typical middle class Thai and she will be very afraid to tell her parents or friends. We go to Thailand and meet the ones who are targeting foreigners for the money. It is a small minority. After living here, I have met so many more that want nothing to do with us. We don't get exposure to them because they avoid the foreigner outlets.

I have to disagree.

A lot depends on where you live. In the 5 years before I moved to Pattaya I lived in places where there were hardly any foreigners at all and any 'working' girls were, more often than not, tucked away in some small shop waiting for a call.

In those 5 years I dated a few normal Thai women. I met their families, went to funerals, to parties, temples and all manner of social engagements with them. I had many a happy night sat outside listening to the frogs n toads while drinking beer with the families. Songkran was great.

One mother used to give me a massage every day. She would call to give me fruit and make sure I was happy.

Off out on a night to Thai bars and restaurants withThai friends I'd often have telephone numbers sent over to me. Other Thai women would talk to my Thai friends to get to know more about me and sometimes an introduction.

On the first few nights out with a new woman there would always be a chaperone.

All depend where you live

Many of these young women cannot afford decent health care. They are all to often ill advised on exercise and other ways of keeping stretch marks down.

There are also many white women with bad stretch marks so this is not only a Thai problem.

With regards to offloading their children onto other people, often it is a family member such as mother, grandmother who take over raising the child. This is common practice here where the young mother often needs to go out to work to support the child(ren) because the man has deserted them. (Just look around and see how many single parents there really are in Thailand).

In some cases the child is not seen very often by its natural mother. If you live in Nakhon Ratchisima but work in Bangkok, you often have little time or money to get home.

In other cases it may be there have been problems you have not been told about that stop the mother from seeing the children.

http://www.moneysavi...-charges#credit

^^^ A link to the cost of U.K. credit and debit cards and charges as of August 2011 (maybe some minor changes since).

Thought this might be worth a look

Surely that had to be a typo @ $300 per month? Less than 10,000 Baht a month?

$300 per week would be more like it?

At $300 per month that would, as others have said, be difficult. 1 year with no health problems, no ulterior expenses.

Out in the sticks I could live on that but it would be a lonely life and with very few beers and no real fun time. Basic food like chicken fried rice at 30 Baht a go. And that is only using my previous experience of knowing people and places.

2,500 for a place to stay.

500 electric.

60 Baht water.

2700 for basic food @ 3 * a day.

200 for 6 beers a week.

10 Baht big bottled water.

Bunch of bananas 20 Baht.

= 5990 a month not including extra drinking water or more than 6 beers a month.

The above does not cover coffee, tea, nights out, m/c taxis, visa runs, smokes and anything else you might want.

If I was deep in the red at the bank, I could manage until I cleared any debts but you do need to know your way around and that takes time and knowledge.

I will have to look into the alternatives mentioned above. It will also depend on their conditions for the accounts. But that is something I can do whilst I am here.

Barclays visa charge me over £12 for a £300 withdrawal at an ATM in Thailand.

From a bank statement I am looking at now. Barclays Visa Debit Card .....

Cash withdrawal £287.

This transaction was for THB 13,150 at exch rate of 46.5090 on 10 Dec 2011 and includes commission of £8.21 and a fee of £4.30

^^ From my bank statement.

Almost £13 in total. That is expensive!!

For those considering a 1 way to BKK from the UK (LHR) Jet airways own site comes in at £308 incl all taxes and that is a lot cheaper than the rest.

The flights via Dehli are obviously very popular with some as a check for the next few weeks shows many of them to be sold out. The flights via Dehli depart at 20-50 hrs. Flight time is 14 hrs and 20 minutes.

Via Mumbai there are plenty of flights, but I would not go via Mumbai for reasons I and many others have discussed on this forum.

Maybe not the classiest of airlines but considering that many like Emirates, Oman Air, Etihad and similar airlines are regularly charging over £500 for a 1 way flight, Jet are looking good value for money.

Kayak and others charge more than Jet airways own web site.

So, if you are looking for a cheaper alternative for a 1 way flight, give them a second look.

Yes, I have booked my one way flight with them so I can enjoy the 15 months off my visa and will be able to return back to the UK in the summer instead of now when it is cold.

I think whoever you spoke to might be confused over what they actually offer. The Select Card is a CREDIT card and offers unlimited commision-free PURCHASES overseas. The ATM charges you mention are the standard charges for the DEBIT card (a seperate card) attached to the Flexaccount current account which you need to open before you're eligible for a Select Card.

I am going down to the bank in the next couple of days so I will double check.

Maybe that the guy on the phone was confused.

And I have a job getting the ladies to kiss!!

An everyday occurrence that Foreign people throw grenades at taxis and police? That is how the Thai authorities seem to paint this picture. Then I would be even more worried !!

There have been a few times I wish I had a grenade to toss into a taxi.

Especially at 2 a.m. after a few beers and wanting them to use the meter.

Talking today to the Nationwide Bank regards creating a new account while I am here in the UK ....

A Nationwide managed account where you have to pay £700 upwards per month into the account and for them to manage your Direct Debits, Standing orders etc., they will give a me a Select Card. The select card allows you to withdraw at ATM's abroad for £1 per withdrawal + 2%.

They tell me this is a recent card they are issuing - started a couple of weeks ago, apparently.

So it may be of interest to some.

Personally it would save me £200 a year on ATM withdrawals. That may not seem a lot but £200 is better off in my pocket than compared with Barclays Visa Connect card.

Apologies if this has been covered already but I do not read this section of the forum very often.

I gave mine flowers and candy. The funy thing is the night before she called me to talk. She told me she went to tha market and bought me a surprise. I ask her why she did that. She said so she could surprise me the valentines day when she gave it to me.Big surprise huh. She then told me how much it cost her. So she told me I was getting a surprise and how much it cost does it get anymore romantic than that?

That is often the case.

You buy a Thai something and they want to know how much it cost. Their friends also want to know how much it cost. They buy you something and they need you to know how expensive it was so they get kudos.

No, it is not romantic when it all boils down to 'how much'.

I always explain that it is the gift that counts, not the cost

Sounds like yet another act of madness by a driver resulting in so many deaths and injuries. Crazy

R.I.P. and condolences to all those dead and injured.

An everyday occurrence that Foreign people throw grenades at taxis and police? That is how the Thai authorities seem to paint this picture. Then I would be even more worried !!

Too be honest I dont know why anyone in their right mind would frequent one of these clip joints, there is certainly none of the so called sanook factor.

At least the Thai bars know about customer service.

Indeed. The only thing that spring to mind, would be that many expats feel very insecure when they can't chat with their fellow countrymen.

I would go further than that and say many expats appear scared of entering areas where they might have to mingle with Thai men.

Or normal Thai women

Having lived in a variety of places where there are few or no Farang bars at all it is a great experience. You are charged low prices. No corkage fees. The Thai men and women will sit and talk to you more out of curiosity than anything else. IOt can be difficult with the language barrier at times but still fun.

A good night out can be cheap, unlike the touristy bars in Pattaya where I am now.

Another thing is being invited to parties by these Thai people you get to know. Take a few bottles, have some fun and some music. Not to everyones taste but you do learn more about Thailand, the real Thailand as you live your life this way.

40 yrs, 50 yrs, ......90 yrs.

When your number is up .....

Thai traditional VD celebration means buying some cute heart-shaped stickers at some stationery store and then attaching it to any female that comes within arm-reach.

Then you can hit the bars with a couple sheets.

VD day? Veneral Disease day? Considering all the leching going on

Checking ( as I have been lately ) for flights. I have often seen savings of 8-10 % by using the option to search + or - 3 days either side of the requested date on many sites.

So, look for the option. It might save you money

A 100ml bottle of CK Secret Obsession

She will have to wait until I get back, then she can wear nothing but the perfume all day

Sorry mate. She"s already opened it. Great body!

You will have a job, that bottle of perfume is here in the Uk :P

A 100ml bottle of CK Secret Obsession :)

She will have to wait until I get back, then she can wear nothing but the perfume all day