pete98146

Jim Thompson House is kinda cool! Take them to Sky Bar which is on the 64th floor of the State Tower Building. Both fun!

The massage place on the first floor is the Ananda Spa. It's definitely upscale massage place (without any hanky panky available). Expect to pay 1200 Bhat for an hour massage. I've been there twice and it's amazing. Staff is definitely trained at the top massage schools.

If you are looking for other legitimate massage places, I suggest the Prawn. Just walk down Soi 11 to Sukhumvit, walk over the big overpass and come down the other side of Sukhumvit and take a left and it will be just a few establishments down on the right. It has a Thai name but the name LOOKS like the word Prawn. Prawn will be less than half price of Ananda.

Nothing wrong with hanky panky joints, but it's nice to get a good 1-2 hour quality massage to recharge your batteries for the night!

I've never stayed at President Park but it seems ok. You'll be very close to Q Bar which is a trendy bar that's frequented by Thai socialites and wealthy expats. It's usually packed but definitely fun.

Good luck!

I'm spending 1 night in BKK in the Nana Area but don't know the area well. Could anyone recommend a good straight thai massage in the area? No happy endings. 100-150 baht preferred. Thank you.

One really awesome place is Prawn Massage (everybody calls it the Prawn... in fact it's a Thai word that is very close to the word Prawn). Anyway, all the girls are well trained and specialize in oil massage. Price is right around 300-400 bhat an hour but well worth it. They focus on the actual massage and they do NOT offer extras. It's consistantly one of the best massages that I've ever received for the money.

I normally stay on Soi 11 so if you can find Sukhumvit and Soi 11, go up and over the pedestrian overpass crossing Suk. Come down the other side and take a left and you'll walk half a block and it will be there on the corner. Believe it's cross street of Sukhumvit and Soi 8.

It's the perfect daytime activity. What's nice is that you know what you are getting (or what you are not getting..lol) so you can just lie back and relax and really enjoy the massage.

I'm right there with you! A year ago, I married a gal from Cebu. Best move that I've ever made. Filipino women are wonderful, they speak the english language, their cultures are definitely more western than Thais, and they don't have any problems walking hand in hand with a non-asian man.

As good as Filipinas are, I don't think you could pay me to actually retire in The Philippines. No way. Too many people, too much poverty, the food isn't very good, bad traffic, poor infastructure. The list goes on and on.

I'm 45 and we'll retire somewhere in Thailand in 5 years. I've taken my wife over to Thailand a few times and she absolutely loves it! Problem is that she fell in love with Bangkok. Filipinas really dig malls and she said she can just ride that Skytrain all day long going from mall to mall to mall and never get stuck in traffic. lol.

I'm not sure if I could handle living in Bangkok so Chiang Mai may be the place to put down the tent posts. I agree with the other person in that for some reason there are A LOT of negative posters on Thaivisa.com. Don't let them ruin your fun. It's good to plan ahead because the entire process of finding a wife, bringing her abroad etc will take atleast 2 years.

I'd recommend that you first find a filipina that you like. Plently of ways to find them online. When you make your first trip to go visit her, extend your trip over to CM and see how you like it.

My wife is not Thai but from Philippines. We are looking to retire in either Phils or Thailand in 5 years. We'd prefer retiring in Thailand, however we have a question on the retirement visa.

Our biggest concern is my wife's age. Will they grant BOTH of us retirement visas if ONE of us is 50 years old? If so, how much money do we need to pop into a Thai passbook savings account ie is the 800k per person or per family?

Thanks for the replies!

based on present rules you'd need 800,000 baht in a bank in Thailand, or an income of 65,000 baht a month or a combination of savings and income. Your wife will be your dependant, and just your finances will suffice.

Sorry Dr Pat Pong, but I'm a Visa-bete (knowing nothing about visa ) but is that 800K in a Thai bank, per year, or a one-time amount which 'sits' there ?

And, what type of Visa counts for a 50+ man with his non-Thai wife ?

No Visa-runs for both required ?

Sorry for so many questions.

LaoPo

My understanding that it would be an annually renewable Retirement Visa. You would need to show that the funds have been in a Thai bank for atleast 3 months prior to each annual renewal.

I believe the Retirement Visa is good for 12 months at a time. No visa runs would be required for either me or my wife.

I'm no expert either so I'll let the experienced guys clarify.

sorry to dig up quite an old topic, but since it is already in existant let me ask here.

since it's now 2007 and not 2005, i'm thinking maybe more members and different prices might come about.

here's what's happening, i'm looking to have my bf get veneers, about 4 top front teeth.

we will be in bangkok, chiang mai, or phuket. has anyone ever had veneers done in the areas? if so where? and at what price? i've looked at some sites and they're ranging from 10,000-15,000 baht per tooth. i'm thinking of getting him ceramic porcelin as it seems like those are the better options for the long run.

any idea or suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Similar to the initial post, I also had 2 veneers done at Asavanant Dental Clinic 3 years ago and they could not have done a better job! They use the CEREC 3 machine so they take precise measurements of the teeth and then the veneers are milled right there in the clinic which is ultra convenient because everything can be done in one sitting.

I've had no problems with mine (two upper front teeth). FYI, my dentist back in Seattle said they did an amazing job. Best part is that they were only $200 per veneer. The US dollar has slipped a bit of late, but even if you had to pay $300-$400 a veneer, it's an excellent deal.

I HIGHLY recommend Asavanant Dental Clinic. Just google them and you can see their web site. Oh, and they speak very good english.

My wife is not Thai but from Philippines. We are looking to retire in either Phils or Thailand in 5 years. We'd prefer retiring in Thailand, however we have a question on the retirement visa.

Our biggest concern is my wife's age. Will they grant BOTH of us retirement visas if ONE of us is 50 years old? If so, how much money do we need to pop into a Thai passbook savings account ie is the 800k per person or per family?

Thanks for the replies!

It would seem that your most logical target would be the Issan girls that work in the service industries. So, next time you are getting your hair cut, getting a "non-sexual" massage, ordering food etc, strike up a conversation with one of the girls. Usually they are quite shy and won't talk unless you first speak to them. But once you break the ice, I've had some really nice talks and many express interest in obtaining a farang bf.

Just looked up the word "icy" in Webster's Dictionary. Definition: Farang walks up and starts talking to Thai hi-so girl. Her typical reaction = "icy"

I've been in Thailand for almost a year and it's been hard to get a decent girlfriend! Found some nice (seemingly) and pretty ones that turned out to be two-faced liars...man, that really kills!! Sick to the stomach so many times....

then another one that was absolutely great but her parents drove her away...this one being Chinese-Thai.....######! I still miss her...

So, guys....tell me about some good stories of your girlfriends so I can have faith! And don't tell me I'm in the wrong country because I know there are some good ones out there.

And, I think it's only appropriate to ask the ladies about their best bfs in Thailand.........may be there are lessons to be learned for us guys....

IMHO, finding a Thai girlfriend/wife is too much of a hassle. I married an amazing girl from the Philippines. Couldn't be happier! She is 19 years younger than me, college educated, and beautiful. More importantly, there are fewer cultural differences to deal with, and she is not embarrased to be seen walking hand in hand with a foreigner.

With SOOOOO many filipinas available, I'm surprised more guys don't think along the same lines that I did. Marry a young, beautiful filipina and THEN bring her to Thailand. She'll only be a 3 hour plane ride away from her country and she'll adapt quickly. Lastly, most of them are very loyal, loving and make great wives.

Thais are pretty darn good at telling hookers and former hookers from regular girls.

Not always! In fact, my wife isn't even Thai. I'm married to a Filipina and we stayed in the Asia Hotel last April. Couldn't help but notice that the entire staff was rather "icy" towards me and the wife. I'm 44 years old and she is a 25.

The most embarrasing moment came on our second night of our stay. We went out for dinner and drinks and came back to The Asia around 11pm. As we were waiting for the elevator, the security guards rushed up to us and said, "sir, you are not allowed to bring women up to your room."

Imagine the look on the security guards faces when my wife started talking to them in Tagalog! I had a nice long talk with the hotel manager the next day. Funny how quickly the staff turned their frowny faces to bright smiles.

Moral of this story is that not every asian lady/farang man is a hooker/john relationship. Many Thais just assume the worst and it's unfortunate for everybody involved.

Hello!

What would be the best thing to do in the gym to lose, and then keep lost!, 10kg of fat?

What is the best machine to go on? That sort of thing...

Maximum bang/effort

I'm a 44 year old male. Although I'm tall at 6'4", I used to weigh 240lbs I am now down to a constant 205lbs.

I lost the weight by going on a strict diet. Think like a caveman! What did they eat? Meats, fruits and veggies. You'll be amazed how much weight you'll lose if these items become 90% of your diet. The goal is to stay off the carbs! No beer, no dessert, no pasta, no bread and little to no rice.

Augment the diet with some excersize and you'll be shopping for a new wardrobe before you know it.

Of course your wife can receive a dependent visa and as far as I know that has always been the case.

As noted above, it has been the case for spouses of holders of retirement visas only since the beginning of last month.

Phew!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks so much for the help folks! This is a big sigh of relief for us.

Hello,

Enjoy reading your forum. I am a 45 year old American living and working in Seattle. I'm married to a 26 year old Filipina.

As an alternative to retiring in Philippines, we are contemplating Chang Mai.

I understand that once I turn 50 and put a certain amount of money into a Thai bank, I can obtain a permanent retirement visa in Thailand. How does this work for my wife? She'll only be 31 years old at the time of my retirement? My question is that if one spouse qualifies, does the other as well?

Thanks in advance for the help.

A whole lot of decent, intelligent girls INCLUDE the internet as ONE of the ways they meet others. Many of these girls WOULD NEVER go into a bar. Sometimes, if things click beyond the net, love can happen. That's a good thing.

This is a very good point! I live in Seattle and I know a ton of American couples that met online. I don't think it's a matter of not having confidence at all that brings folks to meet their partners online. The online sites allow you to sift thru thousands and thousands of women thus allowing you to concentrate on a few dozen women that really meet your particular needs.

For me, it was a matter of convenience. If I had to hit the streets and troll of a woman with my wife's qualifications, it would have taken a LONG LONG time....this to me is finding the needle in the haystack.

Again, I'm talking about my experiences with Filipino women over at cherryblossoms dot com. Dating Thai ladies online may be a completely different experience.

As a side note, many guys fall in love with Thailand but have problems meeting a respectable girl. Why not date/marry a filipina and then take her to Thailand? She'll be happy. It's only a 3 hour flight from Manila to Bangkok so her chances of getting homesick are minimized.

I took my wife to Koh Samui and even the Thais could not tell that she wasn't Thai. Funny story: last April we stayed over a few days at Asia Hotel in Bkk. We went out for dinner one night and we were about ready to hop on the elevator and the hotel security guard races over and says "sir sir sir, you cannot have any girl in your room at this hotel!!!!!!!!!!" Imagine the look of shock when my wife started talking to her in Tagalog...lol. Had fun ribbing the wife that she looks like a bar girl...got a lot of milage out of that one

So, I have a beautiful college educated 25 year old wife (all 5'1 and 103 pounds of her) that speaks perfect english and has NO PROBLEM one day packing up and retiring in Thailand. So, online dating does offer a good alternative to traditional dating.

Now married to a remarkable Filipina. Couldn't be happier and she treats me like a KING.

We are a couple.... that's all.... the biggest problem with on-line dating is that you can spend weeks chatting to someone who will mould themselves to your way of thinking before you ever get to meet them, that precipitates a disjointed relationship, which will eventually unravel.

Never been treated like a king before? Sorry to hear that! I play league basketball and 3 of us on the team are married to filipinas. They make incredible wives. Wish I would have discovered them along time ago. But that is just my personal preference.

The one thing that I failed to mention as advise to everybody is that I took 3 years for my relationship to develop with my filipino wife. Don't ever be in a hurry to get married. Get to know your mate and be careful. I just lucked out and found a gem.

I've had two experiences with online dating sites. One was fantastic (now married to my 25 year old filipina as a result) and the other one was "interesting."

I'll write a bit about the "interesting" experience. About 5 years ago, I was married to a travel agent. She used to love to go to Koh Samui. As time went on, I also grew found of Thailand. Unfortunately, the marriage ended up in divorce. Soon after, I went online and started corresponding with a 24 year old lady from Bangkok.

We got chummy online enough for me to take a trip over to meet her. When she showed up to the airport, I soon discovered that she was closer to 18 years old...certainly not 24 yrs old. She ended up coming from a good middle class family and was a full time student at the uni.

In the end, she admitted that she was had a big attraction to farangs but her views are not at all supported by her family/friends/Thai society as a whole. So, we had a great time and kept the tryst on the hush. Spent two weeks with her and had a blast but never saw her again after the trip.

The entire experience left a bad taste in my mouth. Didn't like the idea of having to go against the grain by dating a Thai lady. Too much of a headache IMHO.

Now married to a remarkable Filipina. Couldn't be happier and she treats me like a KING. I still like Thailand so I'll probably end up retiring over there with the wife in 5 years.

Generally, I had good luck by using the filters on the website to look for a lady that has a 4 year degree and comes from a solid family. Quality women are out there.....just need to be patient.

I'm only 43 years old.

Since you are too young to be considered a retiree in LOS, and you are not married to a Thai, your only bet I believe is to apply for a Multiple-Entry visa.

Each entry-visa is good for 60 days, and can be extended for 30 days at the Thai Immigration office of your choice. Generally you can only apply for a Multiple-Entry visa from within your own country (namely the US), although I have read that others were able to do it from Penang, Malaysia.

The cost for each entry-visa is $25 (therefore, 2 visas = $50, 3 = $75, etc), and the extension costs 1900 Baht (about $47) each time you extend the visa.

At the end of the visa's expiry, you must exit the country, and then re-enter LOS using the next visa. Most folks travel to Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, or elsewhere if money/time permit it. You do not have to return back the US.

Bear in mind that with this type of visa, you are not permitted to work. Undoubtably, if your wife does not have a job already lined up, she will enter with a similar type of visa. Both you and your wife are entitled to look for work, but just can't do the work itself. This would require yet another flavour of visa, and more importantly, a work permit. This is another can of worms that you can search for here on TV.

Good luck!

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Thanks for the info Gumball. This is the answer that I was expecting. Four visa runs a year really isn't bad! Happy New Year to you.

Pete

Pete,

What do you mean by "essentially" retired?  Are you 50+ years old, or not?

If you are 50+, then you can apply for the Non-Imm "O-A" visa.  Search the TV site for more details on this type of visa, and the requirements to obtain such.

Or you can visit the Thai Consulate's website in Los Angeles concering the O-A:

http://www.thai-la.net/visa/visa-non-im-oa.htm

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I'm only 43 years old.

I am an American citizen married to a Filipino. If we move to Bangkok, I'll be essentially retired, however my wife is still young and she wants to continue working as a teacher in Bangkok.

I know that she'll receive a work visa thru the school, but I'm curious about my situation. I would prefer not to work if I don't have to, but volunteer work may be an option.

How often would I need to make a visa run and what are the approx costs involved per run?

Happy New Year,

Pete/USA

Hi,

Was just wondering how many bowling alleys exist in CM and if there are any farang bowling leagues available?

I've been to Bangkok a half dozen times and I will usually purchase custom made dress shirts for the same taylor (Peter Clothiers who are located in the lobby of the big hotel on Soi 11....having a tough time remember the name of the hotel).

I currently pay approx $10 per shirt and the quality is generally quite good, but the colors tend to fade around the collars at about the one year mark. Therefore, I'm looking to pay a tad more (around $12-$15 per shirt....I'm still cheap) to get higher quality.

Any recommendations?

Thank you,

Pete

I was able to look at a few homes for sale in the CM area and many of the homes are nice but need some updating. I find a lot of dark teak colors (reminds me so much of the 1970s) or all white in the Thai homes.

I'm sure I'd be looking to lay down some medium colored Pergo Flooring along with nice maple colored kitchen cabinets and window blinds.

Are there any stores in CM that offer home remodeling products?

Where on Phuket do you want to stay?

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Thanks for replying. How about Patong or one of the more lively spots? Any deals to be had?

A group of us are heading over to Thailand (mainly to visit Chaing Mai) for two weeks in November/December.

We had originally planned 5 days in Vietnam. However, one of my buddies seems to remember reading an article advising that EXTREMELY good deals can be had because establishments are attempting to entice people to come back to Phuket.

So, does anybody know of such deals?

Thanks in advance!

Pete/Seattle

Am currently planning a trip to Thailand in late November. So far the cheapest tix that I've been able to locate are thru Expedia.com. Round trip from Seattle to Bkk is $816.

It's not a bad rate, but I'd love to see some cheaper rates. Any recommendations?