nanapong

If the police are are calling him in twice, they obviously think he knows something. Perhaps the village headman is encourageing the driver to be quiet.I dont think the cops just chose a random taxi driver and beat him up. There are two sides and i am standing by the police. The english police are known to give their suspects a beating now and then. I think the police are quite close to an arrest, but just need abit more information. If that guy was so innocent he would be sueing the cops a---s. All praise to the police, beat him up again and get his mouth relaxed

"the English police are known to give their suspects a beating now and then"?

What are you talking about? After that comment I can only assume everything else is not worth reading,, Yep just read it and i was right.

He probably lives in Issan with nothing better to do than watch old Sweeny episodes all day while guzzling the Chang. He's also another one who's seen Elvis herding buffalo through the village every Wednesday morning.

How is it possible to be friends with people you have absolutely nothing in common with. Those who claim to have good Thai friends are simply deluded. Only when the money runs out will they see how quick so called friends disappear. To the Thais who have money a farang is just a token to gain status. In general , your money is welcome , you are tolerated.

In the UK if you don't pay in a single penny, spend your life drifting around the world and rock up to the Uk at 65 you will get your rent paid and £650 ($1100) a month. Free health care and bus pass.

How is it in the USA?

If the OP were British I would be very tempted to say enjoy 20 years in Thailand with a nice gf and accept the low income retirement in the UK.

and if the OP was British doing what you suggest I would be calling him a scrounging b*satard of the highest order and suggesting this is why the UK is in the mess its in, and before you start bleating, I am entitles to this opinion, as I have the PP..

The UK is in the mess it's in because the highest order scrounging b'stards aren't actually British.

Holes in roads. Crap schools. Crap hospitals. Crap police. Corrupt govt.

But we don't want to pay taxes. Hmmmmmmm

I thought this was supposed to be about Thailand?

Sounds more like where I came from... and why I came

What !!! , are you from Cambodia.

A couple of days ago I renewed my Retirement Extension at Jomtien Immigration, as I have each Sepember for the last 3 years. My previous visit was mid July to obtain a re-entry permit. In July it seemed quieter, but this week I hardly recognised the place! No long queues, no need to squeeze in through the entrance door into a mass of bodies to get a queue card number. This was at 08.30hrs and when I collected my passport at 15.00hrs the office was barely 25% occupied. A colleague also made the same comment when he went there the previous day. I was told it's Low Season, but this was a lot, lot quiter than previous Septembers. If this trend continues, it won't be just restaurant, hotel and other tourist service staff made redundant, some of the staff in Soi 5 will soon be looking for alternative employment! Could well be that the NCPO/Immigration have 'shot themselves in the foot' with the work permit/visa crackdown

I,m just back from a 4 day break in Pattaya. There's a smell of death everywhere. The whole town is absolutely dead. The hotels , the bars , the restaurants , the malls , the markets are virtually empty. In 12 years i've never seen Pattaya so quiet. In fact so quiet it feels a little eerie. You can sense a nervousness in the community , all praying for a high season to beat all high seasons. I think a lot will be disappointed.

On the plus side , i,m hansum man in every bar.

Thank you all for your contributions. It was much as I expected.

There are some posters here who will never ever see a Thai/Farang relationship as anything but a transaction and others who think it is all one sided. Bitter experience possibly or just bitter. I have met quite a few people like this in bars, they treat Thais like dirt and have nothing but contempt for them. I really feel sorry for them stuck in a country they hate so much.

There are others for whom the age gap is everything. No woman would want an older man yet the evidence to the contrary is overwhelming. As an aside my last gf in the UK was 19 years younger than me and beautiful. We met when I was 40. She was a graphic designer and earnt more than me so it wasn't a money thing. We stayed together for 7 years and only finished because she desperately wanted a child and I didn't. To those posters I would say, get over it. Age is a number. If you met me you would not guess my age correctly so why does it matter? With age comes many things, not just wrinkles. Wisdom, maturity and knowledge.

Because of my experiences I am able to behave in a way that my gf obviously likes. I treat her with respect, I am romantic. Last night as we sat on the balcony watching the sun go down I asked her why she was with me. She told me that she feels like we have been together a long time (in a good way) and that it keeps getting better. She feels loved. She also told me she is looking forward to going back to work when her course is finished.

I said in my OP that I knew the answer and I do. I have bought a gf. But not just with money but with love and kindness, respect and fidelity. If you believe that then good, if you don't I really don't care.

Oh dear , that's sort of a disappointment really. You'll probably end up being mugged off dude.

More Brit crime tarnishing Pattaya's reputation. Hope they make an example of 'im.

I don't reckon he's an indigenous Brit. They are a rare race nowadays but not as rare as the indigenous American.

paypal "buyer protection" = assistance to fraud by buyers

as a seller I have been screwed twice by paypal I will never work with them again.

I've heard horror stories too. No wonder why nobody wants to accept paypal payment in Craigslist

Mmm , maybe because many of those selling on Craigslist wouldn't fit the criteria to get a Paypal account. I've used them a few times over many years and never had one problem. They don't give the best exchange rate but they sure are handy for immediate transfers.

You've bought a girlfriend the same as the rest of us. Problem is most guys don't want to accept it this way. They tend to believe their girl actually loves them the same as a Western girl would love a man. Unfortunately that's not possible simply because you have absolutely nothing in common and never will.

Any relationship between a man and a woman starts with a mutual sexual attraction followed by conversation which will usually determine any future interaction. Do you think your girl looked at you and thought " wow " he,s a looker , i doubt it with a 25 yr age gap. Did you start with stimulating conversation. Well no , you met on the internet and she can't speak English.

The answer is obvious or it should be.

Yes of course you have a relationship , she might be a great girl who treats you like a Roman Prince for the rest of your life. I hope she is but she's never gonna love you in the way you perceive love. If you can live with that a Thai woman can be the perfect choice.

Because its a poser car (with no practical value).

I even doubt it has as much space as Mazda 2 (4 door).

Just seen it once at a show in Khon Kaen.

Had a look in the back and had a laugh.

This is so true.

There are lots of people driving around in Dukes near me. They catch your eye at first but that's about it. They're tiny in the back!

A Thai friend of ours has one (black with a red trim and red wing mirrors, I might add) she thinks it's the bees knees, the reality is it looks ridiculous.

Yes but she's Thai , virtually everything a farang thinks a Thai will think the exact opposite. It's normal here. Leaves me speechless at times but you get used to it.

No arrestees No pointers No evidence No nothing

But I will say I love a bit of Uzbeki

You serious , i've often wondered how these girls do any business. They are so fat n ugly it's beyond belief any guy could find them sexually attractive. Still , if they turn you on dude , no worries , each to his own i guess.

A couple of things: NEVER BUY PROPERTY IN THAILAND and gold is a terrible investment. Savings accounts in Thai banks pay poorly, usually not even keeping up with inflation.

The mutual funds mentioned by Ayg above are the way to go.

Gold is a terrible investment. Not over the last 10 years my friend so how can you say such rubbish. Considering the state of World affairs at the moment i'd be very shy to put anything in any Mutual Fund. The Fed continues to print billions simply because the US is bankrupt , Europe on the brink of collapse , a spot of trouble in the Middle East again and the Ruskies invading the Ukraine. On top of all that stock markets are breaking record highs. Be sure the only winners will be the Banksters , the surfs will lose everything.

Buy Gold and bury it might not be a bad idea.

Buy 300k of Gold and stick it in a safety deposit box at the bank.

In the back of my mind when I look at the 30 yr old sun baked asbestos tiles + the amount of rain we get, some of this crap must run off into the streets and elsewhere. Perhaps not to be inhaled, but I suspect probably not that good overall.

In Hua Hin I remember walking along a street that was fairly central and outside a building under refurbishment was a stack of asbestos, some of which were broken. I could even see tiny 1 inch pieces next to it. I tried to hold my breath and every time I think of it I shudder because those Thai workers probably have no clue. like my GF who didn't know anything about the stuff and I had to pull up loads of info online to show her, why do they wear bio-cemical warfare suits when removing it? i think the Thai population do not know because they have not been told, why because sooooo many structures house the stuff and it would cost so much to remove professionally.

On a similar note and this is no joke, my GF recently has become ill, she never gets sick and if she does it is only a day or 2, but she started with a bad fever and then started coughing up blood and phlegm, she went to the doctor who said 'a bad cold' yea right, and 8 days later still has a bad cough and feels weak as hell. She is going to a different doctor on my demand tomorrow, it seems like a lung infection though, I had one as a kid due to being out in the rain with a cold, but I never had blood in my mucus...

please, everyone, try to educate Thais on the dangers of asbestos,. that construction site down the road from you could easily be angle grinding the stuff right now

You can't educate pork.

No mention of loan sharks, gold shop loans an other off the books sources?

Loan sharks yes, gold shops no - when folks go the gold shops it is to sell gold at an agreed price albeit it may be capable of being repurchased later at a different price, that's not really a load per se, it's commerce.

When folk go into gold shops they are going in to pay the 25% interest due on the gold they pawned for cash.

Thai people don't sell gold unless they have too.

Being isolated in those villages living among people who have absolutely nothing in common with yourself is a very strange choice of life for a Westerner. The complete inability to have any intellectual conversation must be torture after a while. Most of the guys i,ve met on my rare excursions tend to be pretty miserable souls but of course they won't admit it. Many lured by young wives and conned into building a house for the whole family to treat as their own ( well it's not yours anyhow ). Some live with the inlaws but all are doing something they'd never even consider back home so why now. There mere sight of a new farang in the village lights up their eyes with excitement but it's only for a few days until they're gone and it's back to the normal drudgery of life. Personally i think you must be a little crazy or just complete mugs. Yes , i know you're all going to tell me how different it is for you and how wrong i am but i still don't believe you.

Sorry that things didn't work out for you, but you really have to let your bitter feelings go. You'll be much happier for it.

How do you mean things didn't work out for me. I wouldn't live in any of those villages for anything so there's no bitter feelings whatsoever. My comment is just an observation of what i saw and that was many sad farangs wishing they had their chance again. It's much better to just use the women for sex and not be fooled into thinking they actually love you and not your money. Unfortunately many farangs are very guillable and only realize what a plonker they've been when it's too late.

Being isolated in those villages living among people who have absolutely nothing in common with yourself is a very strange choice of life for a Westerner. The complete inability to have any intellectual conversation must be torture after a while. Most of the guys i,ve met on my rare excursions tend to be pretty miserable souls but of course they won't admit it. Many lured by young wives and conned into building a house for the whole family to treat as their own ( well it's not yours anyhow ). Some live with the inlaws but all are doing something they'd never even consider back home so why now. There mere sight of a new farang in the village lights up their eyes with excitement but it's only for a few days until they're gone and it's back to the normal drudgery of life. Personally i think you must be a little crazy or just complete mugs. Yes , i know you're all going to tell me how different it is for you and how wrong i am but i still don't believe you.

In another 1,000 years from now, someone will still be asking the same question, and the answer

will be same, not much you can do to motivate Thai staff, they have their own logics, priorities,

timing and reasons to work the way they do and the western educated minds will never decipher

that code...

so the fact the employee is 21 has absolutely nothing to do with this ?.....he lacks motivation only because he is Thai ?..nothing to do with the fact that the employee, is still basically a "child" and as a "child" they get bored with things and will has other "priorities"

and if it is a "genetic" trait we also have understand the employee is only half Thai, what about his "farang" half then, where does that fit into your logical reasoning...

"bino's" response is most likely the correct approach...

Absolute tosh , at 21 he's not a child although he'll certainly act like one. The farang part of him is just a mere 5 mins of pleasure. The rest is pure Thai so the best course of action would be to look for someone else. Unfortunately the chances of the replacement being another waste of space are very high.

Any challenge to him will result in loss of face so he's going to walk anyhow.

It never occurred to me that the original post was meant to slight a particular nationality. I honestly took it as factual reporting.

Me too ...

Some of the politically correct Liberal prats on here try to turn every comment into a racist slur. It makes me wanna puke. These holier than thou type with a halo above their head but still have no problem rumping chicks young enough to be their daughter or granddaughter as the case is with some.

" both appeared in heavily intoxicated states " .... 3 Samsung sodas each then !!!

Without a doubt if you want full on madness it has to be Pattaya. The added bonus being all the bargirls in tight shorts and t-shirts.

For me , i'll be at home until it's all finished.

Just say 'sorry I didn't make the appointment'.

You're not Thai so don't bother acting like one.

Don't listen to this crap. Learn the language, culture, waiing, etc and integrate.

Thais are not big on making amends. It has to do with many believing that once bad karma has been made, there is nothing they can do to change it.

Ukrules - would you expect all the immigrants in the UK to learn the language and learn how we do things?

But there is a difference. Virtually all the immigrants in the UK for there for the freebies. Social security , housing , education , child care , health care and the list goes on .... It would be fair to expect these scrounging pond life to learn English. I don't see any of those benefits being available for farangs in Thailand. Strange how every single Thai laughs out loud when i ask their opinion about the farangs who act like Thais. The OP should just forget it and not make himself look a prat. The art of chivalry doesn't work very well here.

"It's great if you come from a country that's wet and cold.

It's great if you want a younger woman, or just want to go whoring."

After someone writes this you can disregard everything else they say. This is the only problem that I see living here is Sexpats like this poster.

What a stupid comment. A childs education should be paramount in any decision for a family to up sticks and move to another country. The education system here is dreadful , including the private schools. The OP and his family should stay where they are until the children are educated. I guess you came for the temples and the thought of sex with a much younger lady never crossed your mind ???