haha

the usa is my first home. I believe in the spirit of the country. and it will always have a place in my heart.

but the fact of the matter, the places where I like to live in america like the bay area (san francisco, menlo park, etc.), it costs money to do so. last I heard, the average house in california averages about $700,000 usa dollars. and I cannot afford this.

if I want to live in the bay area, I would have to work. and even then, I would be hardpressed to pay the bills each month. even on my humble existence.

on the other hand, living here in thailand affords me many of the same pleasures I had in the bay area at about 1/5 the cost. ..and I don't work.

of course, thailand is not perfect in every sense, but what country is?

to me, happy memories are the most important thing in life. but if you don't have the time to gather happy memories because you are working all the time, what's the point?

yes, if you really look at it subjectively, happiness is a state of mind. and some would say it should be possible to attain happiness whereever you are.

I personally think it takes a person who has a highly developed state of awareness to be able to attain this level of existence, OR, someone with total ignorance of the world around them.

I am neither of the above.

so, I try to find the best place for me, and through my travels I have found that, currently, it is thailand.

if you know of another place where -

1) the weather is warm,

2) first run movies cost about 2 us dollars,

3) bowling can be found for about 1 dollar a game,

4) meals outside can be had for less than a dollar,

5) simple lodging can be found for about 150 dollars a month.

6) public transportation is available for about 15 cents a trip.

(...the list goes on.)

let me know. I'm all ears.

drink more water. when I first came here, I couldn't get used to the heat. and experienced many physical ailments.

then, someone told me that cramps, muscle aches and pains, the such, occur more often if your body is craving for water.

so, I drank more water......

check out www.curezone.com. I don't know if the info is correct, but it is very interesting.

..I'm no doctor. so, you need to make your own judgment call as to whether you need to see one.

bring along a bottle of insect repellent. and one of those portable mosquito nets that people use when they go camping.

also, keep in mind that there might not be air conditioning in the house that you are going to.

a will is good to have available too just in case the worst happens. ..you wouldn't want your love ones to worry about what to do with you belongings if you were not coming back, would you?

do you have a bio cheat sheet? ..an encrypted listing of all your important numbers like credit card info, emergency numbers, passport info, etc. something to refer to if you lost a credit card, passport, airplane ticket, etc.

last, but not least, I always leave notice with someone before I go on a journey somewhere. providing them with data as to where I'll be going, for how long, how, contact phone numbers, etc., etc., etc.

no joke.

..you did ask for people's feedback, didn't you?

the above is my routine travel procedure.

just my 2 cents....

this whole string seems so unreal.

reminds me of the sort of brainwashing done by the nazis during wwII. the communists during the cultural revolution. the anti-american discussions in the middle east. ..the list goes on.

rallying people to kill, to hate others.

scary...

to johpa:

it would be in the hands of the religious powers, right?

people are so clueless, it's shocking. that's why I don't post on the internet as much as I used to.

the internet is a very powerful media.

I don't think I'm the smartest guy in the world. but it seems to me that many of the changes that have been occurring in thailand started at about the same time that the internet explosion started.

my 2 cents....

every critical remark, every racist comment, every discussion is being read on this forum and many others by people around the world including many in thailand.

constructive criticism is always welcome. but most of the stuff I've been reading does not fall in that category.

when you a##h#les, redn##ks, etc. finish shoving your insults down someone else's throat, what do you think they are going to do?

...still clueless???

then, ask yourself what you would do if someone kept telling you that you are stupid, and useless? how would you feel if someone kept telling you that your country is inferior to theirs? ...and then, you wonder why nationalism is so prevalent here at this time? ...you wonder why taxi drivers shout at you that quote, "THIS IS THAILAND!"

oh? you don't think that thai people know enough english to understand what is posted on these forums? ...is that it?

talk about being stupid...

you b##tards are ruining it for the rest of us.

nuff said.

ooppps

about 2 years ago, I moved into this apartment near patunam. (don't want to name names to protect the innocent.) when I got the place all set up, I invited my girlfriend at the time over for a house warming. as soon as she entered my room, she said that there was somebody looking at her from the corner of the room. I looked and saw nobody. so, I said quote, "you must be joking." she looked at me seriously. so, I didn't say anything anymore.

later, she asked me if I had spoke to the ghosts in the room before I moved in. (?) evidently, it is a thai custom to "bless" a new home before moving in. I replied that I didn't. so, the next day, she brought me a buddha amulet to "bless" the room.

I still have the amulet, and it is in my room near my bed.

on another occasion, I did a day trip to pattaya. just wanted to get away for a change of pace. as was my routine at the time, I went to this hotel along walking street. normally, they gave me a room on the 8 floor, but because the place was full on this particular day, they gave me a room on the fourth floor. after partying a little, I got tired and decided to make it a early night. it was around 11pm as I recall. I was dead tired so as soon as I laid down, I was fast asleep. sometime during the night, I heard a noise coming from the bathroom that woke me up. a cold chill went up my spine because the sound was like someone was gibbering something. you can imagine how fast I got up and turn on the light. ...scared like ######, I looked at my watch. it was about 3am. all of a sudden, I heard the noise again. in silence, I sat there on my bed listening to the noise. ..what was it? I said to myself. for about 10 minutes, I just sat there trying to figure out what was going on. fact of the matter, I was still groggy from waking up so quickly. anyway, after another 5 minutes, I finally got the courage to wander near the bathroom to see what the noise was coming from. all during this time, I kept having this feeling that someone or something was in the room with me. I decided to turn on the light in the bathroom before entering. I turned on the light as soon as I could. the light gave me courage. when I entered the bathroom, there was the noise again. it didn't seem to come from anywhere. all of a sudden, the noise stopped, and everything suddently stood still. not a sound. the walls seem to be pressing down on me. all of a sudden, I thought to myself, I need to get out of here for a little bit. I left the room in a hurry, and went wandering down walking street in a groggy state. after wandering around tired, and sleepy for about 3 hours, I said to myself, I need to sleep, and no ##### ghost is going to scare me out of my room. so, I went back to my room at the hotel cursing the ghosts to come and get me. as soon as I laid down on the bed, I went to sleep. that was how tired I was. when I woke up, it was about 8am. not feeling comfortable in the room, I quickly went downstairs to the lobby to read the paper. my eyes were wide open from last nights excitement. I was still tired. not scared. more like in a numb state. while in the lobby, I told the reception folks about all the noises I heard in the room last night. they just looked at me, and said nothing. get this, not more than 30 minutes later, about a dozen monks in yellow robes came down the stairs, and left the hotel. evidently, they stayed in the hotel for the night. I thought to myself that maybe it was the monks that were making the noises last night. but the gibberish that I heard was still clear in my head, even to this day, and I am convinced it was not anyone praying, or somebody in a conversation. ..more like a crazy persons ramblings. then, I thought to myself, "why would 12 monks stay at this hotel when they normally stay at the temples?" needless to say, I never stay at that hotel anymore.

..true story.

I told some thai friends about this experience of mine once, and they replied that I was a lucky person. I replied quote sarcastically, "yeah, right."

once, I had 2 birds shit on my head at the same time. I know it was 2 birds because I looked up when it happened to me. the amount of bird shit that landed on my head was enough to fill my hand. that is more shit than one bird can shit at one time. this thai lady who saw it happened just laughed at me, and said I was lucky. her point was that not too many people have the experience of 2 birds shitting on them at the same time.

my reply to that was again - "yeah, right."

sometimes, I think to myself that maybe it would be better if I wasn't so lucky.

to unbiasbob:

I don't go to starbucks everyday, nor do I go bowling everyday. when I go to starbucks, I usually get a short coffee of the day which is 50 baht. and as for bowling, there was a time I used to go every weekday, the cost of 3 games was 100 baht.

I don't smoke, gamble, or take drugs. and my drinking is very minimal.

my lifestyle is pretty much the same as when I was in the states except I'm not working.

granted, there are a lot of people who couldn't do what I am doing. I know that for a fact.

but I also know that most people in the world live on a lot less than the 20k baht a month that I live on.

for a single old guy, 20k is plenty.

everybody is different with different priorities. my guess is that if you have a smoking habit or drink alcohol daily, you could not do what I do.

definitely, if you are into eating out at places like lemon grass or even mcdonalds, you could not live on 20k a month.

thank god I'm not into those things.

did you read the article on retirement vs. longevity?

last, but not least.... no, I don't just eat rice. hehehe. at my apartment complex, you can order a rice plate for 20 baht. I like thai food. ..that's another thing, I don't eat like it's the end of the world which helps me with the budget.

after you get an apartment and buy all the basics like frig, tv, etc. it doesn't cost much to live in thailand.

I live on about 20k baht a month. which is about 1/5 the amount I spent when I lived in the usa.

my studio apartment costs me about 7k baht a month. eletricity, water, phone - all included.

I have a dedicated phone line for internet, a playstation2, and cable tv.

I cook a lot at home, but I go out now and then to eat.

I take the 4 baht buses most of the time to get around town. there are times when I wait a while, but then, I'm in no hurry to get anywhere. I just look at the "scenery", and smell the roses when I do. hehehe.

currently, a typical day for me includes going to the gym for a workout, maybe seeing a movie, drinking a cup of java at starbucks/reading the paper, window shopping at the malls, bowling, thai massage sometimes, and of course, hanging out with friends.

some people tell me I live a boring life, but I'm content with it for now.

the best thing I like about my routine is that I don't work. so, I wake up when I wake up, and I sleep when I get tired. no stress.

yes, if I work and make more money, I can enjoy life a little more. I could get a bigger house, the latest car, the newest cell phone, go eat at the best restaurants. ..but for some reason, I don't value those things. ...I value a long happy life more.

to me, the more you want, the more you suffer.

the above is what I get for 20k baht a month.

sometimes I feel like I want to spend more, it's normal. but then, I look around me, and see all the people who are less fortunate than me, and realize I shouldn't be complaining.

check out the following website for a study done regarding retirement vs. longevity.

www.geocities.com/dtmcbride/health/retirement_age.html

just sharing my opinion. so, if it's not your cup of tea, don't get upset. everybody needs to make their own decisions in life.

happy memories...

even if you get knocked out, a person should be able to remember the last place they were in.

so, what bar was it?

I don't hang out much at nanaplaza anymore. but I enjoy the change once in a while.

variety is the spice of life.

not all the people in nanaplaza are bad people. many are hard working individuals just trying to make a living. some with families with many mouths to feed.

in every group, there are some rotten apples, whether it be in nanaplaza, in the police force, in a big corporation, or in politics.

to condemn all the people in a group for the actions of a few is in my mind, criminal. ...possibly racist. definitely discriminatory to anybody thinking about it rationally.

the people at the bar where the scene happened should be prosecuted.

...to not do so will leave the impression to everybody that ALL the bars at nanaplaza are bad, and that they should ALL be closed.

is that your intention?

when you have a rotten apple, you need to take it out of the basket to protect the healthy ones. right?

remember the japanese lady who cried rape?

get this. last night, I passed by the big pharmacy between sukhumvit soi 4 and the marriott hotel on sukhumvit soi 2. lo and behold, there on a counter, I saw astroglide. boxes of it!!!! didn't ask them how much it costs. but it's here now.

finally.

..only saw the big bottle on sale. but hey! put it in your pocket when you go out, and make an impression.

I just got back from a visa run to penang last week. got 2 tourist visas. paid 100 riggit per tourist visa. experienced no problems.

to pudge:

I am not a teacher. just an innocent bystander who just happened by. here are my 2 cents...

your replies to the other people posting are very insulting. you may not realize this. so, as a third party looking in, I thought I might mention this to you.

house by the pond on sukhumvit soi 22. check out their website - www.housebythepond.com.

admiral suites on sukhumvit soi 22. check out their website - www.admiralsuites.com

I stayed at both places in the past. both nice in their own way. house by the pond is probably the cheaper of the 2. it is further down the soi, but you can't beat the character of the complex. house-by-the-pond. if you stay in the newer building, they have a swimming pool at the top floor that provides you a view of the city. there is also a build-in bbq area that is great near the pool.

admiral suites is good too. closer to sukhumvit with free 15 minute internet in the adjoining coffee shop.

if you were staying for a longer period, I would recommend places on sukhumvit soi 12.

at 50k baht a month, you have many options.

hope this helps you out.

the latest on lubricants.... went back to the states for some personal business. bumped into some guy who said he was a sexologist.

he told me that maximus is better than astroglide.

...the stuff lasts longer when you are in action.

water-based, and ready for those with a yearning. satisfaction guaranteed.

anyway, they don't sell the stuff here in thailand, but you can buy it via the internet. check out the website - www.goodvibes.com

how much does dr. don charge per visit?

to elysium:

when you replied to my previous posting, you said quote, "off with you". and I misunderstood the meaning. sorry about that. I asked a british friend what it meant last night. so, I know now. but to be honest with you, I thought you told me to "f##k off".

hehehe. sorry.

as for your claim that most of the wealthy thais moved out of the area, I wonder about that.

like you, I know some thai people too. the ones I know have places all over. many have purchased condos here and there where all the popular spots are. they don't just live in one place like all us lower class people do.

some I know have condos in every major district of the city, and some have houses from sanam bao all the way to thonglor. that's how rich they are.

as for the original idea that I posted suggesting that maybe some local rich thais are behind the crackdowns at the Qbar, I still think it is a serious possibility.

..why are you so sure that it is not the case? could it be, you live in the area?

I know several people who are english teachers here in thailand. the word that I get from them is that someone just starting out as an english teacher here will probably get about 24k baht a month.

curious as to what the typical thai person gets paid to be a teacher here, I asked my friends what they know. ..they replied that the thai teachers get paid around 6 to 7k baht a month for doing the same numbers of hours or more.

for that matter, according to an article in the bangkok post newspaper that I read not too long ago, the average daily salary of a thai person working in bangkok is 184 baht. and the average pay is lower outside of bangkok.

working at a fast food joint here in thailand, people get paid about 25 baht an hour. places like starbucks, mcdonalds, burger king, kfc. etc.

live-in maids are paid about 3k baht a month plus room and board. that's the norm for maids who work for thais. at least for the thai folks that I know. for a chaffeur, the pay is 7k baht.

if you want a part-time maid to come in only for a few hours a day, I have been quoted 1500 baht a month. if you want to find someone part-time, you just have to go from condo to condo looking for maids working in those areas, and talk to them. naturally, if you request a maid via a newspaper ad, you will pay more.

the pay may seem low here. but keep in mind that:

1) you can see a first run movie for about 100 baht,

2) eat a meal for about 20 baht,

3) take a bus for 4 baht,

4) rent an small apartment with air/con for about 3 to 5k baht a month.

it's all relative...

the current exchange rate is about 41 baht to 1 usa dollar.

I'm just curious if there is any review boards provided for people to voice their opinions before something is built in bangkok?

does anyone know?

in the united states, before a new business or building is constructed anywhere, people are allowed time to voice any opposition to it.

people can't read minds.

...so, when someone wants to open a new business somewhere, the city tries to find out if the new business will be bothering someone in the neighborhood.

scheduled monthly meetings at city hall are setup for local folks to voice opposition to any new businesses and/or buildings that may be planned for construction.

if enough people oppose the proposed construction, then, the new business or new building will not be constructed. easy as that.

do they have the same procedure here in thailand?

I get this feeling that people build things here without asking people in the neighborhood where they are being constructed as to whether they are welcome or not.

if you are poor, you can't do anything. if you are rich, you call in the police to harrass the business owners in the hopes of forcing them out of business.

..is this how it works here in thailand?

tell me if I'm wrong.

to elysium:

in an issue of chilis published sometime earlier this year, there was an article in it regarding the daughter of the owner of the asahi glass company. she was being interviewed by the magazine.

in the article, she mentioned that her family lives around the sukhumvit area, and that she often walks around the nana vicinity. in the article, she complained about how foreigners would look at her like she was one of the working girls.

and yes, many rich people live around the area.

I know of a rich family who lives behind NEP.

they live all over the city. where do you think they live? I also know some who live in the thonglor area, and the ekkamai area. some very prominent politicians, mind you.

did you know that at one time, this section of town was the suburbs?

has it ever occurred to you that wealthy people don't want other people knowing where they live? ..that they would prefer to use their influence to get the police to intervene for whatever reasons?

bangkok is basically a small city. and you may not believe this, but the rich, and very rich thais are walking on the same streets and shopping in the same places that you and I go to.

here are some other bits of information for you to chew on.

1) why is it that the BEST hospital in town is located in the nana vicinity?

2) why is it that some of the most expensive art galleries are located in this area too?

3) why is it that so many hostess bars opened up on sukhumvit soi 33? did you know they were built originally for the purpose of entertaining wealthy thais?

as for your insulting comments, I'm not sure where you are coming from. are you a redneck?

I've never been inside the Q bar, but I've passed by it many times when I took a taxi. ..what is a surprise to me is that they say there were 373 people in that "little" place. how the ###### can you pack that many people in that small place? it must have been like sardine city.

....I wonder if any of the neighbors around there are influential thai people? ..maybe a big thai tycoon? someone told me once that the owner of some big time glass company lives in a house near there. have you people considered that?

...imagine this scenario.

you have 2 or 3 REALLY RICH thai folks living in houses around the Qbar. in the past, there was peace and quiet. then, the Qbar pops up. the neighborhood goes to pot because of all the tourists. so, the rich folks get pissed off. quote, "I can't walk around in my own neighborhood anymore without bumping into somebody."

..sound familiar? hehehe.

I used to get 2 (back-to-back) tourist visas all the time. but am considering migrating to a retirement visa soon. regarding your situation...

if you apply for 2 tourist visas, then, most probably, you will get a multiple entry sticker put in your passport. this sticker will have imprinted in it the type of visas you got and the number. this multiple entry sticker has it's own expiration date separate from the expiration dates of any visas that you may have activated. the multiple entry sticker has a valid usage period of 6 months. in other words, when you get your passport back, look at the sticker, and you will see how long the visas listed in it are valid. keep in mind that you need to use up all the visas you have purchased before the expiration date on the multiple entry sticker. for example, if you purchased 2 tourist visa in january, they are valid until july. if you go to thailand in june, and activate the first visa, the second visa will PROBABLY be wasted because it will never be activated before the expiration date of the multiple entry sticker. ...UNLESS you leave thailand early, and come back to thailand before the expiration day of the multiple entry sticker.

when I lived in san francisco, my life style was: wake up, drive to work, do 9 to 5, drive back home, watch tv, get on internet, then, sleep. the commute to and from work took on average 2 to 3 hours. this was my life in san francisco. my monthly budget for this daily routine was about 2k dollars.

my apartment in san francisco was a 3 bedroom flat in the richmond district. I shared it with 2 other guys. we each paid about 800 bucks a month just for the rent. (this was about 7 years ago.)

in comparison to my above previous lifestyle in san francisco, the following is my current lifestyle here in thailand.

wake up when I wake up, play computer games for a while, go to the gym to workout, hangout at starbucks and read the newspapers, maybe see a movie, take a power nap, go hang out at the lobby to shoot the breeze with friends, look at the girls. go back home to check on the internet, sleep.

my monthly budget for my lifestyle in thailand is about 20k baht, or in us dollars, about 500 bucks.

1/4 the cost, and not having to work.

...a easy decision to make. ...wouldn't you agree?

in another 11 years when I reach age 62, I'll have another 900 bucks coming in per month. sounds like a plan.

ahhhh! ooohhhhh!

life is great! life is grand! ..when you live in thailand.

I think there are more thai people reading this forum than you could possibly imagine. not only this forum but many others.

why are they reading forums like these, you ask? I think because they are curious to know how foreigners think. and also as a way to practice/learn english.

now, imagine if you are reading a forum, and everybody on the forum is criticizing your country? how would you feel? if there were no rebuttals, and everything was one-sided. how would you feel?

...frankly, I would be pissed.

...I know, you are saying - don't read the forum then.

that is a solution for sure. but have you heard the saying, "be close with your friends, be closer to your enemies."?

if I knew of a website where all the people were criticizing my country, I would want to pay particular attention to that website.

why, you ask? it makes good common sense to do so. ...more so for governments than for individuals.