slipperylobster

Not sure what are rambling about but as a very prolific traveler my self having boarded

hundreds of planes and gone to hundreds destinations, no one ever asked for any

kind of proof of onward travel ( not even sure what is it )

Sounds like you may have missed a few countries...such as the Philippines. They will, however, escort you upstairs (NAI Airport) where you may buy one.

Rubbish.

and who would pay for it?

Pay for what?

sensible dog ownership?

Sent from my phone with the app thingy.

killing all the strays. by definition they dont have owners

So that is a reason enough to kill? Because no owners.

Gee, why not kill all the animals and wild life, after all according to your logic none have owners.

Now that we finished talking total and utter nonsense , back to OP.

No one does anything about dogs for the same reason why no one does anything about holes in the roads , bikes riding on footpaths , little kids riding bikes, banks not having charge backs for credit cards, major utility company's not having basic options of paying by credit card and list goes on.

Either deal with it or get over it.

Or if you feel somewhat patriotic, can spend some money on curing sick ones( sometimes it only costs 10 baht) so sickness does not spread and desex a few per week or month.

Sure, make them all healthy and send them back out on the streets to procreate. Ingenious.

Perhaps the cure is some good old fashioned neutering.

Oops, that was a mistake in the formula in my spreadsheet. Correct dates:

12.08.2013 visa issue date

11.11.2013 "Enter before" date

15.08.2013 1st entry

13.10.2013 "admitted until" date

12.11.2013 expiration of extension of stay

10.11.2013 2nd entry

08.01.2014 "admitted until" date

07.02.2014 expiration of extension of stay

07.02.2014 depart from Thailand

Very Big OOps. Glad you resolved it. An example of how one typo can change the whole outcome.

I just came back from three weeks in Cambodia. Nice to visit but I sure wouldn't care to live there full time. It is considerably more "third world" than Thailand with more in your face poverty and beggars. The roads were overall HORRIBLE and in my opinion very dangerous. I sure would not want to do the Phnom phen to Sihanoukville or PP to siem reap road anymore than absolutely necessary.

I spent ten days in Sihanoukville mostly sitting on the beach reading books etc. It is a nice beach there and the water appeared clear and mostly clean....at least along the main beach. ....but walk up toward Otres beach along the undeveloped section and it looks like a plastic garbage dump all along the beach as the cambodias seem to have zero regard for litter etc....it truly was pretty disgusting in spots. The main beach area along serendipity beach is kept clean by paid workers who pick up the trash every morning. Prices in Sihaoukville are overall cheap....tons of guesthouses and hotels etc from $3 usd a night up....I stayed in GBT 3 which is right in the middle of beach area...nice room, ocean front, tv with 50 channels, refrig, new a/c etc etc ...$18 a night and well worth it.

draft Angkor beer is avail everywhere with some bars offering 24/7 drafts for 50 cents though 75 cents is more common price....booze all over Cambodia is way way cheaper than Thailand...beer/wine/hard spirits a fraction of thai cost. Food overall seemed more geared to western and was cheap as well....every night along the beach they have BBQ set up where you can have a really nice fresh tuna steak/ homemade fries/salad for $3...a real bargain.

Kinda weird that all prices are in US dollars and that is the currency used by most everyone....camob money is basically used as change as I never saw a single coin in use anywhere.

Several things you'll notice. No songtaeows anywhere which is strange as it sure seems it would be a big hit. Most of vehicles are passenger cars or vans with a fraction of the number of pickups as Thailand...motorbikes of course everywhere...their version of tuk tuks are little trailer carts pulled by a motorbike...it works but overall I think Thailand transport is vastly superior to Cambodia. I found few Cambodians that knew very much Thai at all but overall I think they tend to speak more English than the average Thai.

Sitting on the beach is a constant stream of one armed/no legs type beggars who literally will drive you nuts after a few days...there are also lots and lots of kids on the beach selling fruits etc but they aren't really all that aggressive and seem happy to sit and practice their English with you...of course they can be good smart sales kids getting a lot of tourist to agree to "later" thinking the kid won't be back...but they remember and do come back and point out that you told them "later" ....

Lots of backpacker types in sihanoukville and it is a big late night party place down around seredipty beach with some really loud music until the wee hours...lots of cheap booze as well as nitrous oxide balloons...pot is openly smoked in many places in Cambodia and nobody seems to care at all. I really didn't see that many older retired types in sihoukville as it seems most of them live/stay up near the victory hill area which is back away from the beach but has all kiinds of very cheap rooms/apts and more girly bars/massage and the like.

Siem Reap is a decent little town but of course very very transient with all the Angkor wat tourists coming and going to include a lot of pretty obnoxious Korean and Chinese tour groups...PP is of course the big city and can be interesting for a few days but I would have zero desire to live there.

The beaches and islands around sihanoukville are going to be developed a LOT over the coming years..there are miles and miles of beautiful beaches (expcept for trash everywhere) with no buildings in sight...there are boats going daily from the pier at serendipity beach out for day trips to "unspoiled islands"..there are also several big party boats aimed at the backpackers

The "girly bars" etc to me were really not all that great and overall I find the thai gals to be more fun. Apparently farangs can run a biz in Cambodia and there are a lot of bars/restaurants/guesthouses with farang staff/managers.

All in all I enjoyed Cambodia for a visit but frankly I suspect that a lot of the thai guys talking of moving there might want to do a few visits first as overall I don't think it is nearly as pleasant as Thailand.....of course your experience may be different.

A very accurate report. I concur. Two years ago, I did the Cambodia thing...in a series of trips. First I flew in to Phnom Penh....it was not for me. Siem Reap was just way too touristy, in a bad sort of way. Sihanoukville had the tourists, but they were laid back, and I enjoyed their company on the beach at night. I had a gal with me and we spent mucho time on the beach under the lights. Alot of action....kids dancing, fireworks, inexpensive drinks, conversation, music. Sihanoukville was just enormous...but I managed to walk to all the beach areas. Took about 2 hours from Orcheteul Beach to Victory Beach. There was another in the middle. A few sleazy nightlife bars, you might be disappointed with the quality. A good gym near the Golden Lion Circle. Not much good for shopping. Found a casino. I could live there, if I had to..but I just spent 15 years straight in the Philippines, and was looking to upgrade. Thailand was my choice... Cambodia is just too pathetic in many ways.. beggars, thieves, children running wild, a feeling of imminent mugging.... etc. etc.

The medical care is a big issue for older people.

You got that right. When it comes right down to it, you want a warm fuzzy about having a half way decent hospital with trained doctors and staff nearby. Especially when you are talking about the "Retired Expat". Everything else is secondary. But the price of beer in Cambodia during happy hours two years ago was 25 cents in a few places there. That almost sucked me in, and I would die for cheap beer.

If I can give you my personal observations through experience and research doing my master's degree and when I was a principal in the US. I also did a survey on this particular topic during my PhD.

My conclusion was depending on the age of the child. The child should be near the fourth grade or 8 to 9 years old before teaching and additional language. They had a tendency of being the most receptive to any foreign language is during those years. Prior to those years they had a tendency to display mass confusion.

Parents have a tendency to promote an education at times way too early. The readiness level depends on the individual child. However, if promoting a foreign language to a child I would walk very cautiously at doing this at a very early age.

If seeking any additional information I would be happy to honor any questions that you may have.

Can you point to some information on the web to support your theories? I am reading through several sites, and none support your claims.

Bilingual skills are best learned from each parent speaking to their child in their native language at a very early age.

I would be willing to read anything on the web that supports your slaims

9 years old is wayyyy too late to start learning. Why would the mom and dad not speak to them in their own languages starting at birth.....?

Why restrict the baby from that opportunity??

Many references to this subject matter. They all are pretty consistant on this.

For example:

Simultaneous Acquisition occurs when a child is raised bilingually from birth, or when the second language is introduced before the age of three (10). Children learning two languages simultaneously go through the same developmental stages as children learning one language. While bilingual children may start talking slightly later than monolingual children, they still begin talking within the normal range (11). From the very beginning of language learning, simultaneous bilinguals seem to acquire two separate languages (10). Early on, they are able to differentiate their two languages and have been shown to switch languages according to their conversation partner (e.g. speak French to a French-speaking parent, then switch to English with an English-speaking parent)

Courtesy of.... http://www.hanen.org/Helpful-Info/Articles/Bilingualism-in-Young-Children--Separating-Fact-fr.aspx

Last time I was in the States, I actually saw a billboard that said...

"Phuk it! Lets go to Thailand !"

Sleeping busdrivers! Drugged ferry-captains! Kamakazi minivan-drivers! Drugged/drunk cardrivers!

Weekly derailments!

Seems like the only way to survive in Thailand, is to stay home, and post on Thaivisa!!

I would definitely consider staying within walking distance of my favorite hangouts. For the most post, I am only a short walk/short scooter trip away from 90 percent of my activities.

Now, if they would only deliver my passport without my presence for those border runs. It is almost like I am saying goodbye for the last time, when I board the bus.

Sorry, but I cannot see anything humorous about this at all.

Did anybody notice the old fat farang woman sitting at the back of the restaurant?

As the fat man nears the exit, he appears to discretely say something to the woman and then she gets up and follows him out.

Can`t really tell, but it is possible that the couple are Russian.

Yes I noticed that, they seemed to be russian out of KFC together!

Yes, and the getaway taxi mafia were waiting just outside.

Another well planned heist, with all the elements of an organized bank robberyl

1. The front man

2. The lookout

3. The getaway vehicle.

I suggest everyone cling tightly to their backpacks, as this Organization is going to go on a crime spree.

A few years short on my Psychology degree...but, from what I remember in my Child/Developmental Psychology course, the best thing you can do is utilize both languages. My son had no problem whatsover, Filipino, and was fluent in both English and Tagalog before entering Kinder 1 (Preschool at 4 yrs of age). He is now leaps and bounds ahead of his classmates.

Another pointer.... Children begin lose their ability to pickup a second language at a very early age...I am remembering by the age of six or seven.

The possibility of confusing your kid is non existant. They pick it up. You might have mom speak one language (Thai) and you another (English) as you are each best at your own.

You don't want him speaking "Tinglish"...so do away with the baby talk / mixed thai english. That goes for both you and your wife.

Is the question "Are there Thai cougars?" Yes. It is rare but young men are often not that different than young women in wanting to have an easier life (in college or whatever) It is not as obvious though.

Actually, cougars are pretty common in Udon Thani. Many middle aged ladies hook up with younger guys. Some of the young men consider the lady as wealthy. I know more than a few that act like groupies.... One in particular would follow a group of singers/dancers to whatever wedding/event they were scheduled for. They would tip them heavily and get rewarded after the event.

As to why this exists, consider that their husband is supporting at least one "mia noi". The First wife (if she has access to funds) feels free to do the "rounds".

Another place where this happens all too frequently is at those "Ballroom Dancing" clubs. Many of these older ladies are married to well off businessmen but "let it go" when they find an affable dancing partner/relationship.

See this daily...its real.

He may have thought there was some Goat Cheese inside, and therefore, could not resist.

Release hundreds of millions of years of captured carbon in about 200 years and see what happens, sounds like a great plan, what else can we do to change the weather patterns? I know let's go fracking to speed up the cyclones even more, I bet we can get to 1000km/h by 2050.

strange you mention this but the island that was hit main center front right was Leyte, the home to the geothermal power plant that supplies most of the regions power. yes hit by a category 5 storm dead center and guess what power outage in much of the region was something like 4-5 hours mainly due to precautionary shutdown. compare that to the disaster struck japanese fukushima power plant.

as for carbon, not from geothermal but the main thing from power/electricity is heat and yes geothermal is still yes a contributor.

i guess they get plenty of practice but that type of efficiency for keeping power up in major natural disaster isnt going to be matched in many, if any parts of the world. give credit where it is due. sign em for a contract quick.

Are you seriously reporting that power is not a problem for that region after this typhoon.? How sad and misinformed you are ! Please read a newspaper or tune in to your International News on TV to view the devastation that you obviously cannot comprehend.

Here is a link that may better inform you...

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/335147/news/nation/leyte-and-samar-islands-still-without-power-days-after-yolanda-super-typhoon

Oh my Gouda !

Just an observation, relating to the Title of the subject matter...

Why is being married so important to farangs here?

Exactly...why?

Many men are genuinely sincere...and find nice wives.

Others scour the sex sois in Pattaya and sample many younger ladies, before choosing one. In this case, it is amazing that this sort of man will pay Sin Sod (a million or more) for a prostitute, in order to salvalge the virtue of her and her family. That is the confusing part. Up here in Isaan, many families joke about how their daughter just acquired a Farang and is now driving a Mini Couper up to Isaan every month, to hook up with her neighborhood lover. Now this farang shows up, and all the people in town are farwning on him, inviting him to parties, and just remarking how handsome this guy is. He is shown some land (probably belongs to the girl's family anyways (she gets to live for free there)...and it is sold to him (her). A million or so later, two baht gold, and then the big buddha wedding. Notice all the men dancing with the bride....eh? The farang, of course, cannot stay forever. He goes back home, and bam, miss bar lady is back in business. Ten farangs on Date-In-Asia and 13 other lucky ones on Asian Kiss. Local Thai boys poking her good and partying at the discos.

So you see, the question is not totally covered in one answer. There are two paths.

1. If the girl is an honest, hard working, educated lady who loves and communicates with you.....Marriage is an honorable, and sociably viable path.

2. If the girl was broken in on Soi 6 in Pattaya, they you get a lot of leverage.

Obvious viewpoints for an obvious question.

Why do not you take a Thai license. It is easy

Not for everybody.

For people like me with a multiple yearly O visa can not get a Thai licence.

Thai licence office requires a signature from the immigration office.

I was given a Thai license on a tourist visa. Just needed Residency Certification (Immigration) which was done in an hour. You get one year probationary license, and after that .. a five year license. Tourist Visa was good enough for all that. You will need a guarantee person...such as the land owner where you live...to go with you to the License office. paid 300 or 400 each for a car license, and again for a motorcycle. No test. Just a cheap quick medical certificate, and a eye/color blind test. Took an hour at the Licensing Office. Glad I did it. No excuse not to. I can use both licenses for 3 months in most states of the usa.

You will not get a 5 year licence on expiry of your temporary one if you are still on a tourist visa.

They will only issue another 1 year temporary one if you are still on a tourist visa.

Sent from my GT-I9300T using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

You are right, after reading the PDF here....http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&cad=rja&ved=0CD8QFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thaiconsul-uk.com%2Fdownload.aspx%3Fid%3D20130520184535&ei=MEmEUsmEAYm5iQeq94CQDA&usg=AFQjCNHz9iGLPc9MO8vBOrc4aD2DyaPUTA&bvm=bv.56343320,d.aGc

I will send a photo (with name blacked out) of my tourist visa and 5 year license.

This was done here in Udon Thani.

Not picking an argument, and not sure if they just overlooked my visa...but I copied the pages and they approved it.

Looking back a year prior, I had a property owner who "guaranteed me. Perhaps she had circumvented the system, but I personally showed up with all the other requirements.

I have a friend from South Africa, that bought a new car and has no license. He is here on a tourist visa as well. They stop him and ask for a license from Thailand...and fine him for not having one. There is a person who approached him and mentioned that for 4000 baht he would not even need to show up at the Licensing Office. I suspect this will not be a "true" license. Mine has been checked several times, and it's good.

Thanks for the info, however.

Now, if I wanted to have a good time, I would be hooking up with this monk...

Good idea. They could also warn people that when they try and exit an elevator not to be surprised that most Thais will try and push into the elevator first. They're too dumb to understand it would be easier, quicker, safer and good manners to allow people off first. Same with some at BTS/MRT. Me first !!

They are afraid the elevator will leave without them, the same as they believe the plane will leave without them.

Same as the trains, buses and immigration then?

I am totally confused......have we mixed up the forums? I was thinking this one dealt with a lady who fell off a balcony????

Must have been drunk. She is too young and wrong gender for Phuket balcony diver.

Never saw that part in the story, but here comes the detective work..... pushed, drunk, depressed, off balanced while hanging laundry, sneaking out/back in to the apartment, lost her key, attempted murder.....

My guess is that your own conscience bears witness that getting married is the "right thing to do", if not for your own sake...for the sake of the child. To not consider his/her own feelings for bringing them into the world as a BASTARD would be totally selfish on your parts. Do the right thing my friend, and get married.

Just make sure you two are in love, and respect each other.

Do not get married just because she had a baby. That, by inself, would be more harmful to the child, to grow up in a home where there was resentment, fighting, and insecurity. Sometimes getting married is the worst thing you could do to a child. But do provide the support.

I just hate to see two people who cannot possibly co-exist, get married and then have the child grow up in a disfunctional home.

Let me say this... The divorce rate among Thai couples is incredible. Also, many couple just do the Buddha Wedding so they can live together, but never register it. A Buddha wedding....if what I hear is true.... would be a way to save face. I have been living with my lady for 2 years. She is in her forties, and, thank God/Buddha, her two daughters are grown up. We both decided not to have children, and she has taken measures to that end (tubes tied).

Do not believe that every Thai does the traditional honor of marriage rituals, as we are told. Many people here had eloped with no sin sod, and some later did a Buddha Wedding. Even fewer had it registered. This is in Isaan, however. Several of my gf's prior classmates are still in touch. Most, believe it or not, are divorced, or never had a husband. Some have chosen the life of a Mia Noi.....mistress. The ones that are married constantly complain that their husband has a mistress (which they do) and are seldom home.

Bottom line....for the kids or your spiritual uplifting..ok. For me, if the pressure ever gets on...perhaps a Buddha Wedding.

Why do not you take a Thai license. It is easy

Not for everybody.

For people like me with a multiple yearly O visa can not get a Thai licence.

Thai licence office requires a signature from the immigration office.

I was given a Thai license on a tourist visa. Just needed Residency Certification (Immigration) which was done in an hour. You get one year probationary license, and after that .. a five year license. Tourist Visa was good enough for all that. You will need a guarantee person...such as the land owner where you live...to go with you to the License office. paid 300 or 400 each for a car license, and again for a motorcycle. No test. Just a cheap quick medical certificate, and a eye/color blind test. Took an hour at the Licensing Office. Glad I did it. No excuse not to. I can use both licenses for 3 months in most states of the usa.

How's your beloved fido - the one that I see in that there profile photo of yours? Don't accept your dog's admiration as conclusive evidence that you are wonderful (Ann Landers, 1918 - 2002)... nor witty. The pussy jokes are getting real old and quite frankly, they aren't very creative. Reeks of desperation and is pussy behaviour on your behalf (use of the word pussy can also denote a weakness of character... funny that).

Can you describe it more clearly.... I am not much of a pussy detective, but I am willing to search high and low for it....in Phuket.

Drats! I been pussy whipped again.

And I suggest you to read the thread again. Craig and myself talked about blockage of eztv.it (a torrent site he suggested). Hola Unblocker has nothing to do with a VPN. They are two different things. They might serve the same purpose, but work differently.

I suggest next time you try to make a clever post, you visit Wikipedia first and wipe the sh*t out of your eyes.

First of all, Hola Unblocker has "everything" to do with dealing with a blockage of eztv.

Second, Hola Unblocker has much in common with a VPN....You just have too much on your mind to handle reality, or your rude comments lead me to believe you are some kind of self-proclaimed expert on Hola and VPN, and refuse to read material to the contrary.

such as...

'The Hola Unblocker is a free, configurable VPN service, similar to many such services that exist on the Internet."

see this.....http://hola.org/faq.html#ub_whatis

Ok...so now that the sh...t is in your eyes....deal with it. Sorry I had to point this out in this manner, but you were so rude about it.

None so blind as those who will not see!