kyb789

However, lets get realistic, during a normal flu season the US sees 200,000 people hospitalized and 36,000 deaths.

So what?

This is about a NEW BUG which has killer pandemic POTENTIAL. The kind of bug that kills healthy young people as opposed to standard flu cycles. Will this mutate that way? We all hope not but human efforts can and are being made to minimize the damage if that occurs.

Malaria kills 1 million people per year. Consistently. Oh, and yesterday I went outside with a short-sleeved shirt. Economic impact....

A lot of worthless comments here in my opinion. Let me try to help. You are getting pointed in a lot of directions because at the end of the day, it depends on the girl. Same as back home. Back home you are probably used to dating from your same social class level so the rules tend to be the same. If you are going to date poor girls in Thailand or girls much younger than yourself, then anything goes. It will depend on the girl.

Unfortunately there are too many idiots (in my opinion), that just throw money at these "poor helpless" girls and feel sorry for them and eagerly hand over money. But if you talk to the "real" Thai girls that have never had any exposure to foreigners, they behave by rules very much the same as back home. They share the cost of the dates, they don't order more than they can eat, they take the bus home, etc, etc. Basically if a girls is expecting more, you are being scammed. Thais just don't date outside their social class for this very reason.

I think the behavior of foreigners and reckless spending has tainted the girls image of us and some of them are very good at taking advantage of that. Yesterday I went on a date with a beauty salon girl. She makes very little money and I expected to pay for the date. But... I didn't expect that she would show up with 2 of her friends. Immediately they picked the bar they wanted to go, and when the cover charge bill came, I asked them all to fork out the money. The were angry and wouldn't talk to me the rest of the night. Personally I don't care and never want to see them again because their behavior was disrespectful and out of line, even to Thai culture standards.

I don't believe the lie's about "man always pays, Thai culture, etc". That is old school. I date many middle class girls (and poor uni students), that don't act like this. Choose your girls wisely, and don't be afraid to push back when you see a scam.

That is one of the examples I gave. Was the girls name "On" or "No" something like that from Khorat? laugh!

She cut my hair for months. . .

Not the same girl. But this behavior is common for beauty salon girls. Keep in mind the reason they went to beauty school in the first place is because they could not afford university. That puts them in a very low social class. There are many escape methods I use when I see a scam about to happen. Sometimes I hide until I see if she is alone or with friends. Sometimes I meet her and her friends and then say something to get rid of them. Sometimes I say hello, "Oh, sorry I see you are busy, we can meet another time." If you meet them in a bar, get there early and make sure you have already ordered your drink BEFORE they arrive. If you show up late you will be sorry. They will be waiting for the ATM card.

But best of all, do what the Thai men do and only date in your social class. That solves every problem. I get tired of the generalizations that Thai men are no good or they are drunk and lazy. Sure, that is true for the low class guys that sit around the rice farm and drink all day. But a normal educated Thai man with a good job is just the same as an educated man with a good job back home. I work with them everyday and these guys are good family men.

I will say it again, that these bad behavior patterns from the girls come because of the difference in social class and/or age with you, and bad foreigner's behavior with money. I meet many girls that have never dated a foreigner and know NOTHING about us. They don't scam or play these tricks at all. Find an office girl from Bangkok Univ or Thamasat, and you will surely be happy, especially when she offers to buy you dinner at a nice restaurant.

And most Bangkok middle-class girls I talked to tell me sin-sod is almost a thing of the past. Or, just a northern culture scam.

A lot of worthless comments here in my opinion. Let me try to help. You are getting pointed in a lot of directions because at the end of the day, it depends on the girl. Same as back home. Back home you are probably used to dating from your same social class level so the rules tend to be the same. If you are going to date poor girls in Thailand or girls much younger than yourself, then anything goes. It will depend on the girl.

Unfortunately there are too many idiots (in my opinion), that just throw money at these "poor helpless" girls and feel sorry for them and eagerly hand over money. But if you talk to the "real" Thai girls that have never had any exposure to foreigners, they behave by rules very much the same as back home. They share the cost of the dates, they don't order more than they can eat, they take the bus home, etc, etc. Basically if a girls is expecting more, you are being scammed. Thais just don't date outside their social class for this very reason.

I think the behavior of foreigners and reckless spending has tainted the girls image of us and some of them are very good at taking advantage of that. Yesterday I went on a date with a beauty salon girl. She makes very little money and I expected to pay for the date. But... I didn't expect that she would show up with 2 of her friends. Immediately they picked the bar they wanted to go, and when the cover charge bill came, I asked them all to fork out the money. The were angry and wouldn't talk to me the rest of the night. Personally I don't care and never want to see them again because their behavior was disrespectful and out of line, even to Thai culture standards.

I don't believe the lie's about "man always pays, Thai culture, etc". That is old school. I date many middle class girls (and poor uni students), that don't act like this. Choose your girls wisely, and don't be afraid to push back when you see a scam.

Fitness First quoted me 1,650baht per month for an 18 month contract.

How does that compare to any other offers there? Anyone have numbers for True Fitness?

Where to buy in Bangkok? I checked Villa 33 already and Emporium.

Tony, sorry to see you had to sit through some insults and smart #%$ replys, and no one even bothered to help. Where are the moderators?

I have seen all of these at Villa Market, but the stock will come and go. I noticed they don't keep regular stock, but after 3 months items such as these will re-appear again. I use Grahams for baking a lot and sometimes have to watch the shelves a few months. Last week there were still some Honey Grahams in stock at Villa Ploenchit Center. Usually, all the stores get stocked at once and all carry the same stuff. But the rate of depletion will vary. Hope that helps.

Never went to Admakers before they closed, but there is a place called the Front Page on Sala Daeng Soi 2 (just off Rama IV) that might be close. At least the names have newspaper themes.

TH

Quake at the end of Lan Suan seems to have picked up the AdMaker business. They even have AdMaker's house band playing there now. Inside looks almost the same. But I don't know about the food. Also, I was walking by last Thursday night and the place was completely empty. But the previous Friday it was packed. I don't know if that means business is going down or if it was just a strange night.

I also agree with Log Home on Thong Lor. Same vibe.

If your company is footing the bill, you have lots of options. And if you will only be here a short time, then take one of the serviced apartments. I used to stay at Embassy Place on Phloenchit Rd. I really liked it because it was very quiet, safe, next to the BTS, and in a good office neighborhood away from the riff raff. I couldn't hear the neighbors at all. Good central location and could walk, crawl, or stumble to the bars or even the large shopping malls. Too expensive with my own money, but on the companies money it worked great. Next door to the place is Centerpoint and I hear good things about there also. You can also check out all the places on Lan Suan Rd, but they might be a bit more pricey.

Zen,

You seem like a good guy and you came out for help. I respect that and you deserve some honest advice. Looks like you are still a little bit young (yes, I am jealous), but please listen to the advise from the posters. They may joke and poke some fun but there is some wisdom there. I have lived in Thailand for more than 3 yrs. Have you? I have dated at least 50 Thai women from all Thai subcultures and social and economic class levels. Have you? I am not the expert. I certainly know people with more experience than me.

But I feel in my own honest opinion that you are making a big mistake. Not all Thai women are the same. Some are the best and most sincere women you will ever meet in your life, and some are the most evil. You just don't know. If you have not lived here for a long time, and if you have not spent enough time with your girl while living here, then you still have a lot to learn. I have ended relationships over some basic principles and I have no regrets. It has saved me so much heartache and disasters that I read about time and time again.

1. Never give your apartment keys to your girlfriend

2. Never let her leave clothes at your apartment

3. Never ever ever live with a girl until you are ready for the "trial stage" for marriage.

4. Never meet her family until you are sure she is the one.

5. Never pay for all your night outs. She must contribute, even if in a small way.

6. Never ever ever give her money.

7. Never date a girl without a job.

These are my rules, and they have helped me find the best quality girls in the world. The cheap lazy ones leave like dust in the wind. My advice is to live here in Thailand at least 1 year alone, date her, spend a lot of time with her. Then you can decide if you want to live together. But I believe you are moving way way to fast. Do you know how many guys I know that met a girl in their 20's, and they are still with the same girl today? Not many. In fact only one. Think smart with your upper head, not the lower one.

So Gulliver's is trying to lessen the amount of darker skinned gentlemen from entering their fine premises by imposing a 200baht cover. If you are white you can enter still free of charge.

I hope it back fires in their face and they pay dearly for their racists bigotry.

Yep. The old "color of the skin" racism. Personally I find skin color nothing to do with it. Its about Nigerians scamming and praying on naive tourists. I saw it with my own eyes. Some Nigerian told an Arab that he was secret Thai polics and took the guys mobile. What mess that night, security was a nightmare. My friend is a bartender there and she told me the Nigerians are scamming the tourists night after night. It has brought business down and regulars are not coming back. Gulliver's is just taking probability theory into practice and trying to protect their business. They are checking IDs and not every "black guy" is charged.

Looks like another place amongst the hundreds I've walked out of before for not including all costs in their advertised price.

Ribe Eye Steak 599B +++

We had an excellent reply and explanation above about the E-tax. Now, can someone please explain why some establisments charge (no +), some (+), some (++), and some (+++). Why all the confusion? Is it a scam in some cases to pad the bill?

I'd like to try making my own corn tortillas, is it possible to find masa here?

I've been looking for it myself. Its great for many recipes, especially enchilada soup. Can't find it anywhere in Bangkok. Might have to bring some back from home during the next visit.

Hmm... where to begin. We can see you are searching for answers to a problem.

1. Honesty. Big #1. Your opening title was deceiving. Any smart good man would have his red flags up from the start.

2. You lived in another country and came back to LOS. Yet, you still targeting foreigners?? I am assuming you are Thai.

I will leave the rest of my comments to myself. The solutions are obvious. Wish you the best.

Its been going on for years. The street business really took off when the 2:00am bar closing crackdown started. Business hasn't been as good since the bars now stay open later. I'm sure the boys in brown get a little something to look the other way. Seems only the hotels and international companies follow the rules.

I just got mine last year in Bangkok. They required

Copy and evidence of my California license.

Health certificate.

Declaration of my current Thailand address from my Embassy.

Lots of forms to fill out. All were in Thai (bring Thai gf).

A reaction test. Not written, but required me to name the colors on an color wheel, measure how fast I can break, and a peripheral vision eye test. All was in Thai. I only needed to know RED, GREEN, YELLOW colors in Thai. gf helped with the rest. Staff not too friendly.

I just ate at the Great American Rib Company for the first time in Hua Hin. Last Friday night, the food was fresh, soooo good, and I felt like someone has finally brought American BBQ to Thailand.

We went back on Sunday night, and it was terrible. The food tasted 3 days old. It was dry. The white meat chicken was over cooked and hard. The cheese potatoes were burnt. Half the items on the menu were "no have". No corn, no curly fries, no corn bread, etc, etc. The staff was sitting down giggling and talking amounst themselves.

Just terrible terrible terrible service and food. I thought this was a sad sight to see, since this place had potiential to be one of the best American BBQs in Thailand.

Can you tell me your own experience? Was it just a bad night, or is this the norm?

Doctor prescribed me Cifloxin for food poisoning, but when I got home I noticed I only have 6 pills to be taken twice daily. Is such a short time normal for this antibiotic?

Is this the same stuff as Cipro? I was given that years ago in the US before my first trip to Thailand, but I never took it as the doctor said it had rather strong side effects. Can't remember what I was carrying it around for... in case of food poisoning perhaps?

It says to take it with meals, but I have NO appetite at all. Can I just take it with a glass of OJ or water, or should I really try to eat something?

Depends on the condition. Most food poisioning can be wiped out in 1 day (such as Ecolli infection). Cipro is a very potent drug. Other bacteria such as Salmonella can take months. I was on Cipro for 2 months one time for a very serious salmonella and C-diff infection. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. Learned my lesson with stomach illness. These days I take it seriously and treat it immediately. If you are not well, then go back for more. BTW... many of the local pharmacies have fake drugs, they just don't work. Good thing you got yours from the doctor.

It was very painful at the time, but its is all working fine now with no loss of any sensitivity, in fact I would say sex is better. Pre-circumsiscion I did seem to suffer more than my fair share of Thrush throughout my life.

This is a problem I no longer have.

Three cheers for the home team! Actually this whole thread has been quite informative. I was snipped as a baby, for whatever reason my parents had. Sex has been just great, so I can't say I have missed anything. In fact as a youth I didn't even know there was a difference. Face it... I just don't go around checking out other guys peckers.

Seems a lot of porno magazines and whatever show lots of circumsized guys. In fact, I know girls that have had it done to their.....( you know). It is a sexual thing, religious thing, etc, etc. So, what would I do for my child? I would have him cut also. For both religious reasons and for health. This thread seems to show lots of concern and problems over forskin. I can say I've never had to think about it. But I respect the opposite opinion and it sure made me think about it.

It's a love-hate relationship. Stay away from the tourist areas. Your sanity will last longer.

I've noticed in Thailand that if I buy a bunch of green bananas

Day 1: green

Day 2: green yellow. Still hard

Day 3: Yellow. Ripe and ready to eat

Day 4: Brown and mushy

Day 5: Throw them out

So, basically you have 1 day to eat the whole bunch. Back home they seemed to last much much longer. Is it the heat? Humidity? What can I do to make them last longer.?

I am going to Bangkok soon and will be getting some Botox done, I have norrowed it down to 2 places, has anyone used the following and can advise of the experieces please

www.sp-cosmeticsurgery.com

or

www.laser-surgery-bangkok.com/

Go with the cheapest place. Lots of competition, unfortunately they usually charge the same. ~5,000baht per area. As the other poster said, it only lasts about 4 or 5 months.

Hi guys thanks for the replies, I know the odds are against me and going by track record it looks a no brainer.

How do you think I should proceed? SHould I give it a chance in December or just tell her that this is not going to work and see how she reacts?

I dont think Im naive, just hopeful. There is no doubt she likes money, so do most women (but they play it in different ways)

And as far as the money is concerned she did mention a couple of times when we argued about if she didnt like me she could have other clients getting X amount of money and not be free to me. Also she saved me alot of money on the holiday but seeking the less expensive route, mentioning that customers would fly here and there, but she did not want that.

Be interesting to see if she lets me visit her parents then the whole thing changes then no? Why would she want me to spend 3-4 days in her village?

Dont flame me too much thanks

Steve Steve STEVE !!.. why are you even considering this?? Would you marry a prostitute from back home? Would you take a call girl from back home to your family? What is it that makes you think Thai prostitutes are different? If she is no longer working (selling her body), where is her money going to come from?... YOU! Thai men are smart. A good Thai man looks at this girl as damaged goods. He know what she is all about. Why do you want the rejects? She has no opportunity in Thailand other than ignorant foreigners.

I have lived here only 3 yrs and what I found outside the tourist areas with leave you in disbelief at the quality you can find if you look. .Just spend some time in the shopping malls and around universities. You will find girls that will make you so happy and would NEVER think of such a dirty life. Quality girls that live with their families, have respectable jobs, have to be home by 10pm, and would never ask for a single baht of money. Good middle class girls that have very low miles on the engine. They love their man with all their heart. Think about what you are doing.

There's not some taboo against farang dating Thai nurses. Some Thais merely don't like seeing a Thai girl with a foreigner. It's like when some white people don't like to see a black guy dating a white women. It's just racism and ignorance. If you like the girl, go for her. If she rebuffs you, then you lose. If she likes you, then go for it. All other issues should not concern you. If you were trying to date the girl and that was her excuse for not dating you, then from your perspective, it's her loss. Just move on as she's just coming up with excuses that might sound plausible and she has her own reservations either about you or about dating a "farang."

Thank you. I agree with your comments. My story is rather lengthy & complicated, but the bottom line with her is that 1. She would prefer a suitable Thai husband & any visable involvement with me would no doubt tarnish her chances and 2. She expects involvement with a Farang man will bring her great riches. I have explained this is not the case with me. The relationship is over because of these reasons and has been for about two months. The final air was cleared last night on the phone. Interestingly, she had no reservations about asking me for considerable sums of money or big ticket items, such as a notebook computer, when she knew the realtionship was basically over in her eyes two or three months ago.

Geez man. I can't quite understand where the emotional attatchment is coming from. What is you just said (if you read carefully) is that she left you because she didn't have the keys to your wallet. Run like the wind. Girls like that will ruin you. There are so many quality Thai ladies to be found with a huge heart, and honest intentions. There are SOOO many good Thai girls that would love a good foreigner husband and not want his money.

The fake monks that I saw were not even Thai. They are Chinese and can't speak Thai or English. They can't understand what you are saying. I like to follow them a little and warn the tourists as they walk down Sukhumvit.

One time he held out his cup to me which already had 20baht in it. I gave him a big smile and said, "Oh! Thank you very much!" Then took the 20baht from his cup and gave it to the poor begger lady on the street next to us. He looked like a deer caught in the headlights.

Furniture topics are getting trendy here, so I will throw mine in. Does anyone know of a place in BKK that sells a good selection of bar stools? I want something simple for my apartment. Prefer wood, moderate price, padded black seat. Chain stores just don't specialize in such things.

Try Honey Grahams...I saw them in Villa last week. (in the cookies section, not in the crackers section)

When making your crust, don't use sugar, just crush them fine and mix with melted butter.

If you can't find Honey Grahams, try Digestive Crackers (Chinese name in a red box) with sugar and butter. You'll be surprised at the flavor and firmness of the crust.

That's funny, because I searched all the Villa Market's around Sukhumvit last week. Either they sold out, or I am going blind (the last is sure to be true). I need to check again. If you remember which store, please let me know. Oh, and thanks for the alternate recipe tip. I will have to try it. I'm crazy for home cooked desserts.