bosun

I am sure your friend has done the rounds already ...  but I took my MRI scan of a rotator cuff tear from Bkk hospital to the UK's leading shoulder surgeon in Harley Street. He recommended everything but surgery ! Sure enough 6 months later I was active again . Now my other rotator is very painful and this time I went to Bumrungrad to a sports injury surgeon.

Same advice. Basically shoulder surgery has some of the worst success rates of any joint surgery. Please ask your friend to think very very carefully and as others have mentioned choose very carefully as it is a big risk especially if he is a bit older. All the best

And sorry the cost is around 350,000 plus at the leading private Thai hospitals

I will be there plus one

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RCA used to be 99% Thai but the last couple of years have seen increasing numbers of Westerners ... So now the Thai girls are very wary as they know what young western guys with a bellyful of beer are looking for!

There are some good clubs in Thonglor that are still mostly Thai, Funky etc.

In general if young Thai girls are in a larger group it will be more difficult for a Westerner to approach..there is still a lot of hurdles a normal young Thai girl will have to overcome if she openly dates a Farang. Many are happy for more discreet liaisons.... All the best !

As many have said before your advice Ubonjoe is invaluable. So hopefully last question ... The single entry non-o visa from Savannaket/Vientiene is valid for how long a stay for those of us over 50? As I understand it I must have funds in a current Thai bank account for at least 60 days.

Hope it's not off topic but is it possible to get a tourist visa ( 60 days) at Savannaket? And how long would it take? UK passport holder. Done too many visa exempt entries (4) and need more time to show funds 800k have been in a Thai bank for 3 months for retirement visa

Many thanks Ubonjoe . I have four as my gf happens to live in the area so it was (too) easy just to go there and see the family and get another stamp. Will fly out and then get myself sorted . Thanks again

Sorry Ubonjoe but that has left me confused. I thought land border runs to get another 30 day visa exempt stamp were stopped now?

Hawkeye76 can I ask how long they took to process the visa? Has anyone used an agent in Vientiene to speed up the process? Many thanks

Another quick suggestion after one or two taxis have refused you then wait a few minutes or move a little coz the taxis backing up behind will see you have been refused and will follow their co workers. They probably won't even listen to you... they just stop for a second and get away as fast as they can thinking " there must be something wrong with the farang coz the other taxis won't take him!". Bit of a sheep mentality but as I said adapt and think of a way around the problem!

An interesting post though sadly for the OP not a single clinic has been recommended.....!

Instead the long debated money, good looks or just Mr. Nice guy.. what do Thai girls prefer..!

Well obviously the vast majority prefer Thai men. Hang in there coz there is a point to this...!

Thai men have, in general , dark hair and lots of it. They also speak Thai, if they have money they dress well..

Get my drift so far... Now let's look at the tiny percentage who try to have a farang bf/ husband/ provider...and ask why!?

So often I think the Mr. Nice guy was missing from their experience of Thai men.

So back to the OP,s dilemma ... My advice is adapt to the country you have chosen to live in without of course losing your own identity. So if a natural hair transplant works go for it , if money is an issue then budget and/or get more coz it is so often about survival for Thais,keep your weight reasonable, wash coz it's steaming hot , dress appropriately, learn some Thai ... and above all respect and love the country and the people whose country we have nearly all chosen to live in!

Just intrigued by why you both, as smart, younger (than most of us) people didn't figure out to get a place near her work?

I think you have found the solutions already but please if you have time , tell us what is so much better in your town than hers?

and why she didn't suggest it? I know it's a bit nosey but I am perplexed.

Many thanks.. Reassuring to know there are laws in place!

My 10 month old I phone 5 has been getting hot and the whole body of the phone is now warped slightly.

I went to the apple dealer in Emporium Bkk where I purchased the phone and they told me that because I brought the phone with a True phone packet I had to go to True in Siam for repair!

True said the fault was not covered by them and they want 9,500 baht to fix! Any help with this will be welcome!

Try reversing your question...what sort of a guy has she got?.....75% of the bills, no plan to live here..of course she will have other options in her life coz right now you are not a realistic prospect. Up your game or as many have suggested before let her get on with her life and do the same with yours.

I don't mean you have to "buy her" just show a bit more commitment ...take a 3 month sabbatical and rent a condo here for you guys to get to know each other, get her to do the same and spend time together in your country... This approach will soon give BOTH of you answers to your questions.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-21738733

Maybe the OP is just following the old rule 'when in Rome..'

Without a photo we are all a little in the dark, excuse the pun...please post one to counter all the negative posts

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"There is nothing ridiculous about this guy, whether dyed hair or not.

The ridiculous factor is how he looks when he tells people that the young girl beside him is his wife and not his daughter."

Sorry I didn't mean the OP was ridiculous. I was just pointing out to the many who had said he was ridiculous that indeed the natural look can , well , look a bit odd as well.

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The natural look can be equally ridiculous..

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I live in a high rise in Outer Sukhumvit , Bangkok . About 90%+ Thai around here and just 20 baht on a bike to the BTS.

I would love to go into 2014 with a few positive stories, anecdotes, one liners ...for me it's 'so far, so good'..been lucky...but my basic situation is like a lot of TV members, a bit older, younger GF from countryside, not got unlimited funds etc. Reading TV for the last 4 years since I 'landed' here has always been educational but all too often has left me wondering if I have made the right decision to try and live here. Here are a couple of positives for me and mayb hints why things still seem pretty good for me......

My GF has learnt excellent English and has made a lot of effort with her business etc.

I landed a very good job whilst I was here and have something to keep me motivated.

I am learning Thai and that does seem to enrich my life bit by bit in day to day interactions.

We limit our contact with the family, village etc not because they are bad people but just because the gap between the hometown and our life here is so huge that we both realise it would be very hard to have normal relations without envy etc creeping in tho I am really not very well off.

I have a few good mates here who I can have a few beers with and know how to sit down and talk/banter.

So for me as I said 'so far so good' but I would love to hear from a few of you that have been here a bit longer! Happy 2014 to you all and thanks to so many of you that have helped me learn so much about life here .