dao16

Yes, you can have 2 accounts. I needed the Thai one because the US one wouldn't link to Thai banks. Paypal actually told me to make a Thai one for the banks here. Make sure you give yourself some time to verify it, as it took much longer here than it did in the US.

The whole thing with it being a foreigner seems suspect as well. I have a few Thai friends who almost look Iranian or thereabouts, but their roots go back here quite a way back. And given the quality of the pictures.....

I happened upon one when I was on my motorbike. Stopped to get a look at it and it reared back in a threatening way. So, they do put on displays of aggression, and I wouldn't really want to test them.

I wish the guys with the Rose coloured glasses good luck.

You will need it and a lot more.

4 years they say is the average White/Thai marriage.

Well, I am just past the decade mark with my wife and I am as happy with her as many people I know in the west. Sure, some may have "rose colored" glasses, but you have to realize that some people have marriages that work, at least as well as back at home (how long does the average marriage last in those countries?).

Of course, having some knowledge of Asia, Thailand in particular, and the language does help.

Well, for a lot of the women in Thailand (and in Asia in general), foreign husbands can be quite attractive as they value different things. As some pointed out, women who aren't seen as "attractive" here actually have characteristics that appeal to westerners. My wife turns heads among westerners and gets compliments from men and women. In Thailand, forget about it, as her skin is too dark (even though she isn't really that dark at all).

So, it would make total sense for a smart woman who doesn't fit the white, white, white thing to go to those who truly appreciate her. Of course, that is just the beginning of an attraction, but from there, things take off.

I have kind of lost faith in the regular mail here, even registered. Didn't have a problem for years, but just a month ago, the post office guy came with a registered letter, didn't see me, and left a pink slip. I went the next day to pick it up at the regular place. They had lost it.

Subsequently, they tried to blame it on everyone, including me, going so far as to say that they couldn't deliver to my address. No answer when I pointed out that the name was in English, so no one else would normally sign for it (I saw the register, and there were no foreign names around). 3 weeks and 3 trips later, I got my document. No explanation, no apologies.....smiles and done. Just how stuff is done here.

Maybe go with EMS from now on? Don't know how that works for what you do.

Edit/P.S.--the letter I was awaiting was domestic, not even from abroad.....go figure.

They could be trying to rip you off, but judging the way Thais deal with hospitals, it seems normal. From what I can gather from family members and what they do, they expect to see the doctor and will gladly pay for it, as they place a big value on the position and expertise. Not saying it's always necessary, but it does seem to be the way they operate.

The best way is to have insurance that covers it. Fortunately, I have full coverage from my job, so I pay nothing. Also, luckily, have only had to go to the hospital once here. I had an x-ray and some medicine and stitches for a cut, and that was just over 1000 baht. I am not sure if they tacked on more because they knew my insurance would cover it.....still, seems a reasonable price for what they did.

A lot of good ideas on this thread. One thing I would recommend (along with many of the suggestions above) is carrying a small notebook--a smartphone would work, I guess. During your regular day here, you will pick up words and think "ok, now I know that" but then you go on with the rest of your day and forget it. Jot it down immediately. It only takes a few seconds and you'll be happy to have it to review later or to ask Thais about the proper pronunciation and usage. Once it's in your head, you can delete it or whatever.

By the way, you're never too old to learn a new language. It gets more difficult, but still very, very possible. When I was in my late teens, there was a guy who was 92 taking a French course with me. Of course, his memory wasn't what it had been in the past, but he still made progress!!! Look up some tips for older learners online and you'll find some interesting ideas, too.

If you live in a nice area and apartment, near a BTS or MRT (maybe near a river taxi port), I think it is a pretty fun and laid back big city with some interesting stuff to do. I would hate to drive there (have done it, and never will again, fingers crossed). I live up country now and do miss having more options in terms of food and all. Mainly, it is the transportation that you would have to consider when making a move, but that goes for most large cities.

Actually, I think it can mean she really liked you, which is why she was looking away (most likely down). Like someone said just up this thread, call her back and ask her out again if you like her. You might be surprised.

Funny how you didn't explain the "argument." What was that about? What did you say? There are lines in every culture--maybe you crossed one here (I'm not going to waste time mentioning them...they should be apparent).

But the answer to the other part is, yeah, problem with one, problem with all, basically. The question is never "who did you fight?" but "how many were there?" This is true in most of Asia. Of course, if you are with locals who know you, that dynamic changes (again, depending on how much of an @*$ you are being).

I have been to many places where things turn violent much more quickly than here, often involving weapons of different types. Overall, Thailand is chill if you are respectful of people--and no, I don't mean cowering to all locals, just treating them like human beings with dignity.

So, I am not doubting your story, but it would be informative to know what, exactly, you said.

Well, I think anyone with some critical thinking skills will see things that are bad, corrupt, or could be better. Then they comment on it. Usually, but not always, those same people have strong opinions about the situation in their own country, and they are just applying a critical eye to Thailand, too. If pressed, though, I find most of them will instantly come up with a host of reasons they like Thailand more.

Of course, there are some really bitter guys who just hate everything--those people are beyond reach and will just live like that until they croak.

is there someway to trade currencies and make a profit for living expenses from a no fee site like maybe xe.com? I'm not sure what the mathematical equations are that might be useful in currency predictions

I knew a guy who made his entire living from trading currencies online, and he lived in a major European city (so, quite expensive). He lived a middle class life--he did ok, but he wasn't rolling in money or anything. He also spent a lot of time reading the news and analyzing graphs and whatnot. Didn't really appeal to me to try, but he liked it.

So, it can be done, but I am sure the learning curve is pretty steep.

In the end, it's up to you. I would be bored as %$^@ if I couldn't speak Thai. Of course, before I could, there were many things I didn't have to pay attention to, but once I could speak, I could deal with things more effectively.

I enjoy chatting with people and knowing what is going on around me. As people have mentioned, when people are out of line and being jerks, you will know. This can lead you down some bad paths if you overreact, but I find that simply speaking Thai at a certain level gets people back in line immediately without having to say anything. As a quick example: I have heard people casually discussing how much $ they can get out of me for an interaction. The second I utter a complete sentence in Thai, usually something like "really, you don't know the price for this product?," they come clean and give me the correct price.

SO, I don't know. I guess you could have fun here being a hear no evil/speak no evil monkey, but it doesn't seem like a very interesting, engaged life.

I go over an unmanned crossing several times a day on average....all you have to do is look both ways down the track. That said, I have seen drivers here just get right up on the track with bumper-to-bumper traffic and no way to get out if a train comes. Up to them, I guess.

The only outrage should be the condition of the canals...maybe she comes from somewhere where you can actually safely swim in them.

I get the same contract every year, with a small raise each time. Everything else remains exactly the same, although they did try to get out of paying for WP and visa one time. I told them I wouldn't be renewing if that were the case. Voila, the $ for all that magically appeared.

They will try things on, and I think the only real strategy is to be calm and firm, and ready to walk.

They paid too much in my opinion. 8000 baht for 4 people eating seafood is way too much for Thai standards.

Normally it is about 3000 baht eating crab, shrimp and fish for 4 people.

But the problem is we don't know what they had and how much they had? What kind of crab? Was it blue crab or king crab? Fresh blue crab is about 400 Baht/kg in the market so a restaurant could charge 800 Baht/kg. If it was blue crab, then they were ripped off.

Next prawns, what kind of prawns they had? This varies from type to type and their size. Huge river prawns are sold about 500 Baht/kg in seafood fresh markets. If they had those prawns they would be about 1000 Baht/kg in a restaurant. If it comes to real big sea prawns than the price would be even higher.

Expensive sea fish is about 400-500 Baht/kg in the fresh market. Whole salmon is less than 300 Baht/kg in Macro, and "pra kapong" is even cheaper. Of course the restaurant could add up a 100% increase to these prices.

The problem is we don't know what kind of crab, prawn or fish they had. It is like arguing about something without knowing the facts.

Exactly. That is what I was trying to get to in my previous post. If this were one of the nearby restaurants to me now, this bill would be totally silly. I would freak out with that bill for most restaurants I know here.

The place I went to on the island was first class, and it was featured on TV, magazines and tourist guides after we went. Totally worth it and would have been about the same price for 4 people.

You get what you pay for. Thailand is cheap, but 5-star service costs the same all around the world. Look at the hotel chains. The big, high quality ones here cost the same as in the rest of the world. Take a few steps down, and they are really cheap.

I had a great seafood meal on an island one time...2 people, the wife and me, and it was about 3,600 baht. Was delicious and totally worth it. Five courses. It was a seaside restaurant, fresh seafood, steak, Thai and foreign style foods, lots of alcohol (including some upmarket stuff on all ends of the meal). I would have paid much more for that meal in the US or Europe.

If they ate something like that, this bill doesn't sound crazy to me for 4 people.

It really depends on what they actually ate. Judging on what the check says, I would think it would be like a thousand or so in a regular restaurant, but once you go on the high end of things, you are paying for the experience.

I would say two things about this:

1. Most foreigners can't make good Thai food, outside of people like a friend of mine who an absolute fanatic. He has never been to Thailand, but fell in love with it in his teens. He frequented Thai restaurants and markets in the US, has a lot of Thai friends, and eventually got to cooking it for himself. He still tells me the vast majority of what he eats, in the middle of the US, is Thai food he cooks at home (plus nights out at his favorite Thai restaurants).

Most people in the US, though, would have a very difficult time getting it right.

2. Pizza Company does not sell pizza. Full stop. Pizza Hut and Domino's are a sort of edible version of it. That said, I have had some great pizzas in BKK, ChiangMai, and Rayong (I would imagine Phuket and Pattaya also have some good spots). Look around and find a foreigner or a keen Thai and you'll find what you are looking for.

By the way....the guy who said the US has no good pizza either didn't go or spent his entire time there in a McDonald's or something.

Well, the uproar seems dumb. You don't need a special "Thai culture course" for these people. I would assume that there are public nudity laws on the books. So, you just grab them, take 'em in, book 'em, and have 'em pay a fine.

Here it all seems to require a "special law," which it doesn't....if you had law enforcement with a priority of enforcing its regular laws.

My wife drops all those crappy habits when we go abroad.....they get worse when she comes here. Not sure why your dynamic would be different, but it is possible.

I just wonder how long it will take for the lack of maintenance and the un(der)trained staff to result in the system breaking down. I teach in several classrooms that have great technological solutions for students and teachers. GREAT....except, none of them work anymore.

There was a job posting for a full time french teacher on aj forum just the other day. Go look. They are around. If nothing else, go to the Lycee Francais in BKK and ask the French teachers there. They should have an idea of where other French speakers go to teach.