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Well I am/was neither an old fart or hang/hung out at Tesco in my single days so can not comment on those/that.

Jim, I have been living here for five years and spent a total of 133,000฿ (yes Baht) which works out to 2,200฿ (yes Baht) per month. My wife owns her own house and land, vehicle, etc. When we need new items (we buy used if possible) then we budget plan and save. Our total monthly income is just over 21,000฿ (yes Baht) and can afford all the luxuries we need.

Then again I have gone Native as you say and do not need a freezer etc. Have our Thai cooking pot, buy fresh everyday at the market, three dogs so there is no left over food at the end of the day.

Of course we do have help from the family as they pay rent, half the electrical and water bills and food bills. So yes my day to day expenses are certainly lower than the average.

Actually I have a CD player, as my stereo system got held up in Canada trying to bring it here.

After entertaining some people on another thread thought I would like to hear people's thought's on how road rules, regulations and general ideas of safety are enforced in Thailand. Some of you have told me were to go in another thread, thank you for your input.

My question is do you believe the main reason you are living here (Thailand) is because they enforce upon you the rules and regulations or is it because the Government does not enforce their rules and regulations upon you? Driving, drinking, prostitution, gambling, immigration, social welfare cut backs, cost of living etc.

Driving as an example:

how many times do you not wear a helmet when driving a motorbike (you know 30 seconds up the soi to get a beer)

not wear your seat belt in the car

do you have a VALID drivers license or do you just hope the check stop will not bother with you

do you have an international drivers permit as required, have you been here for more than 3 months, if so do you still drive illegally (thai license)

do you carry your passport with you everywhere you go as required by law especially when driving

do a 65 point vehicle inspection checking for lights, belts, fluids, cracked windshields, chip in the windshield, worn tires (tyres for uk people)

is your vehicle MOT tested for emissions

thanks.

Yes, you are correct. Thailand has the same laws as those in the West. Road rules, drinking and driving, immigration rules, prostitution, drugs, gambling, etc...But for the Farang living here it is a good thing that they don't enforce these rules as most of them would be desperate and alone (same as they were back home).

So Thailand could start to enforce all these rules. For me, I am here legally (visa & work permit), don't drink, don't do drugs, have a Thai drivers license (international permit, vehicle & motorcycle), do not use prostitutes, don't gamble and have a very enjoyable life. I do not want to see all the rules and regulations that the West and Thailand have, "enforced" here.

Every life is precious. No one should be killed from another persons stupidity.

McMagus, please stop thinking Western, that is the problem. You are still that driving instructor expecting everyone else to be like you. I have a feeling you like Thailand for many of the same reason most non Thais living here do. There is more freedom than in the West, which is a great thing. However it is impossible to cherry pick the good and the bad.

As for your point about not Thai bashing, you are. I hear this come from nearly every Farang (tourist & living here) I see in the GH. I have talked with and know more Farang living, working and doing what ever here than nearly everyone on this website. I see 30-40 people a day, 365 days a year for 5 years and 85% all begin with the same words 'I am not bashing the Thais...but" when it comes to matters concerning Thais'.

If it is your safety that you are most concerned about then "maybe" Thailand is not the right country for you. Things will certainly not change in your lifetime living in Thailand nor will they for the next 50 years that I have left here.

So Jai Yen Yen. Stop thinking like that 9-5 instructor from Sheffield with his toast slightly crisp, butter on the side, napkin neatly folded with fork, spoon and butter knife correctly laid out left to right and join this wonderful country and it;sThainess.

just a point about learning Thai, it is easy and usually only costs about 200฿ (sorry for using a thai character). Go to a local thai bookstore or Tesco and in the children's section there are coloring books with a symbol of a rooster on it. At the top right hand of the page is a sign that reads 3 +. Inside are all the tools you will need to learn thai. How the characters look, sound and are pronounced. If you are lucky it should take no more than 3 months to be stringing words together and 6 months to fully understand the basic language structure.

Goh Gai, Koh Khai, Koh Kwah etc...

Udon.....never heard of it! Just kidding....check out the numerous udon thani real estate pages and you will hundreds of houses to rent.

Chiang Khan 40 km or so North of Loei is full of Westerners (teachers and others) so good for a weekend break.

I just assumed he was like the rest of us, skilled enough to get it for free. And that is from the tourists, let alone the locals. There is nothing finer than a lonely French Girl backpacking around Thailand.........like softened butter.

God has nothing to do with it, good driving skills do though. Love this website.....my Great-Grandfather used to talk about something from TV called a Muppet Show about these two old farts sitting in the balcony. Too old to do anything but complain about others......I hear Tesco has a sale this week on Depends. Anybody tell me what the average age of the "contributors" are on this site?

By the way my comment was based on my opinion having lived and driven in these countries. I am too busy racing up and down my soi without a helmet to look up facts!

I see Westerners every day at the guest house banged up from motorbikes and they are all either British or US. If they are such good drivers why so many?

Keep to Nong Khai, great little town. If you are serious about sightseeing here are some of the best things in the area that a lot of people have never heard of.

Wat Phu Tok - 7 stages of staircases built AROUND a mountain in the middle of vast open plain. Very cool spot very popular with Thais but very few Farang head here. Those that do though love it.

Chet Si Waterfalls - nearby to Phu Tok, name says it all, 7 colors waterfalls. About a half hour walk up the side of the river to the main waterfall and you will see why again very popular with Thais but not many tourists.

Phu Phr Bat Historical Park- closer to Udon but well within reach from Nong Khai. Amazing 8 km of hiking trails through a park (on the unesco world heritage listings wait list) originally believed to have been carved out by glaciers. left behind these unique rock structures that have been in the past used for ceremonial purposes.

Wat Sri Mon Khon - or sacred cave temple. Near Sangkhom one of only a few true "underground" cave temple in Thailand. You will venture up to 500 meters underground through an actual operating temple. However if you over 150kg you may need to ask before going in if youwill make it all the way through. Some parts get a little "tight"

Wat Hin Maak peng - fantastic forest temple outside of Sangkhom and Sri Chiang Mai. Fantastic history and remarkable forest grounds make this a must see.

Wat Pra Taat Bang Phuan - similar in construction and style to Wat Taat Phanom this temple has been destroyed and rebuilt many times but the history and the hosting of a Budha relic make it a must see as well.

SalaKeowKu - sculpture park - is worth coming for this one attraction in itself.

Thang Thip/Thang Thong - waterfalls near Sangkhom again...excellent for a Saturday day out playing in the water, eating some good food and drinking whiskey.

Bars in Nong Khai - if quiet with sometimes live music is your thing - Gaia Bar at Mut Mee is a must for a Farang Night out. Nok's, Nong's, Brendans, On's. are all within Farang Alley and there are plenty of local and international visitors to keep you company. Riverside Country Bar and Barnana at the Thai - Laos hotel are for live music (country style _ riverside) and Top 40dance music (barnanas) and will certainly keep you entertained all night long. There are plenty more but these are very popular with the tourist trade.

As with others wish for the young boy to be okay and have a speedy recovery.

It always seems that road safety and drivers education in Thailand is a popular subject among westerners. I have more faith in riding on the back of my bike with my 11 year old son driving than I would any western person currently living in Thailand. Why? Believe it or not there is a system to how they drive. It is an awareness that is impossible to understand unless you were born or raised here from an early age. I drive all sorts of vehicles here and never once have been close to having an accident. WHY? My son taught me how to drive!

Do young kids do stupid things, yes. Do they make mistakes, yes. Do these mistakes sometimes take a life, yes.

Have lived in Canada, US, UK, Ireland, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Morocco and Thailand. The worst drivers were from the US and the UK, hands down. As one poster mentioned one of the reasons they moved here was to escape all the rules and regulations the west has in place. Most non Thais living here do so because it is inexpensive. There are many other factors but this is one I hear all the time. If you start to, as they say, "sanitize" this country with all these little rules then you will have a country that resembles the US, Canada or UK ,cost wise, only warmer.

As for breaking the law or safety standards. When you do not have any money it certainly is acceptable (in my opinion). Some families here have NO money and what little they MAY have comes from items they can sell or find or fix and re sell at local markets. Without this income they have no food, no shelter, nothing. So I will excuse them if they do not meet your idea of health and safety from some North American handbook.

Have a Honda Jazz (making payments), Nissan Urvan 10 Pax van (paid for), Mitsubishi Triton (paid for), 2 motorbikes (paid for), Wife, 1 x 10 year old child in school, parents, 1 brother and girlfriend in a 5 bedroom house with AC and live on my wifes 20,000฿ / month wage that includes food and utilities with a few baht left over for an evening out at least once a week and the usual clatter of stuff one accumulates through out the month.

So it sure is possible to have a comfortable life here on an income of this level.

I do not drink so maybe that is the big difference.

Normal day starts at 6:00am as the wife gets up and irons our sons and my clothes for school (son = student, me = teacher), back to sleep again till 7:00am. Wake up again to get ready for work. Out the door by 7:45am. Arrive at work by 8;00am and ready for first class by 9:00am. Usually home by 3:00pm for a quick nap before dinner. Wife after a quick snooze gets up at 8:00am to head off to work and usually comes home around 4:00pm. A little afternoon nap then off to the market to pick up items for the evening meal. Start cooking dinner around 7:00pm, eat around 8;00pm, clean up, a bit of a chat with the family, and off to bed around 9:00pm. Shower, T.V. and finally asleep by 10:00pm. pretty boring but not much different to my family and friends back home in Canada.

Have been living here for 3 years to a wonderful Thai woman (yes there are some, in fact many) who truly enjoys living with a Farang.

Try looking in Nong Khai. You can get a single room with shared bathroom, free wifi in the courtyard in a fantastic guest house along the river for 150฿/night, food at around 200฿/day, a few beers a month 1,000฿/month and you are still looking at less than 10,000 all the while having fun.

As for using a service....went through this process about 3 weeks ago, Canadian Embassy, got my affirmation letter ($50 CAD), guy in the office recommended a translator who charged 1,200 baht I handed them all the papers, signed on the line and they did the rest. They delivered the completed documents to my hotel the next evening as scheduled. Had two free days in Bangkok which for me is priceless.

Ooops...Savannakhet (opposite Mukdahan) and they were great!

Posted on another forum but just did this route and the Thai consulate sent me the following reply;

I would like to answer your question that you asked Non-immigrant Type O visa based on marriage like that:

- Visa application form

- 2 photos

- Passport copy and original

- Wife Thai ID card (copy)

- Wife Thai Tabien Ban (copy)

- Marry certificate (copy) and original

- Wife Thai Passport copy

- Bank statement

Fee 5,000 THB

Time for give Visa 9:00A.M – 11:00 A.M you get back next day 2:00 P.M

They "did not" as for the bank statement though. Was at the consulate for a total of 3 minutes and had my passport returned the next day at 2:07pm.

Just did all of the above on Tuesday April 24th as well. It went as smoothly as listed above for me. I had emailed the consulate before leaving and they gave me the following list of items required;

I would like to answer your question that you asked Non-immigrant Type O visa based on marriage like that:

- Visa application form

- 2 photos

- Passport copy and original

- Wife Thai ID card (copy)

- Wife Thai Tabien Ban (copy)

- Marry certificate (copy) and original

- Wife Thai Passport copy

- Bank statement

Fee 5,000 THB

Time for give Visa 9:00A.M – 11:00 A.M you get back next day 2:00 P.M

I was not asked for any of the above I just handed them all over except the bank statement and was not asked for it. On the line How long is your intended stay? I entered - 1 year multiple entry - and was not asked any questions. Was in line for a total of 45 seconds!

Had a vehicle and found it much easier and quicker then the Nong Khai border..as much less busy. Just one snag which I did not catch in time. Sister in law had a border pass from Nong Khai and the Laos official would not let her into the country with it. had to go back to the Thai border and get a border pass issued by Mukdahan authorities. Other than that easy border crossing. Given the time frame to drive, how easy it was to get a visa and the quietness of Savannakhet, it makes a great option if you have your own wheels (or if you don't still a good choice).

Also the casino there is fun for about an hour, some good restaurants (river front), and decent guest houses and hotels. Looked at the Nong Soda and it was terrible. Looked at 4 different rooms and they all had a terrible body odour smell to them. DaoSavanna (i think) was very nice rooms 4,000baht ish. My wife talked to the front desk clerks and they had three guests staying there...bit creepy for such a large place. Stayed at a place called the Savansouk Hotel (i think) with big elephants in the courtyard and some great teak furniture inside. Rooms okay. Do not need WIFI so do not if they had it or not. 520-720 baht per room.