thailandsgreat

What guesthouse?

The guys in this forum seem to be long stayers. Getting to know your "second home country" is helpful to integrate and understand the shades of culture. You get more chances to practice the language outside the cities. When you meet Thai from other regions they appreciate if you have visited etc I guess the forum members still travel to other countries (like me). Domestic and international travel have different purposes.

But OP will probably make his second entry from this region which slightly increases chances of getting on the plane. The airports in this region usually know the rules better than in our countries. But has become harder with time also here.

And yomjinda road in Rayong. Chinese influenced, wooden houses in many places near the sea. And French traces in Chantaburi. The cathedral. Trat people friendly. Once two ladies on a tricycle stopped and offerered a ride. I said I was going to Robinson. But they took me to the bus station ????

Trat and the coast nice. Chantaburi was a natural stop on the coastal route from Cambodia. But the last couple of times it wasn't as inviting. I believe the gems were running out and Africans were smuggling in gems.

Yes. In Saigon the Vietnamese toured Pam Ngu Lao st. in buses for hippie-watch-tours.

Maybe Lao-philes love Pai and Vang Vieng ???? My best memory from Pai is two girls in bikinis, on skateboards in the middle of the road, having stopped for a red light. (sorry for bold font, it has got stuck)

Go to Baan Hin Taek, drug lord Khun Sa:s former base. He smuggled opium. Chinese nationalists also involved. In 1967 one caravan went wrong and was bombed by Lao air force that finally claimed the opium. Khun Sa had refused to pay the nationalists for free passage and had also 800 muleteers fighting KMT. CIA Air America flew opium for the minorities. When Pathet Lao took over they had to flee. Olympic gymnastic winner 2020 Suni Lee is Hmong. Her family probably escaped to US then. Now they have renamed it Baan toed Thai to erase memories ???? There is a museum in Khun Sa house I met a group of Burmese monks there. They invited me to pansang/burma which I failed to reach on several trips. So far I have met them in Tachilek and Kentung. I always wanted to take pictures of the poppies in bloom, but never made it. Any suggestions welcome. But respect for Thailand. All has been cleared up now and where Khun Sa had his base there is now paved road and 7/11. No drugs to be seen today.

I still somehow wouldn't really appreciate if my gf told me "Nobody does it half as good as you." While we are being picky. This famous model pictured in the thread looks a little trans in this image, in my opinion. But she is not. https://i.insider.com/5be5e6e748eb1257955951a9?width=1000&format=jpeg&auto=webp

What are yours?

I guess many girls you see there are working in shops, happy to be relieved of their 9 to 5 work to marry. Bangkok girls maybe high maintenance?

True. You probably have to buy/rent some condo in a reasonably civilized place but away from BKK, Pattaya. But I don't rule out finding non-bar girls in e.g. Pattaya. There is life outside the bar areas too. Building on wife's land is a real killer in Philippines too.

Topic well covered. But maybe better to head out of BKK, Pattaya etc and to the slightly smaller places where farlang are less common. But you must also be prepared to live that life. Where she lives is maybe more important than her age.

The reason Hollywood does not promote lookers is clearly stated to be that women are nowadays not to be appreciated for beauty but for merit. Victoria's Secret had the best looking models. Now they sign models of all shapes and also that footballer Rapinoe. It is all part of the woke agenda. Women looking like men, competing for the same roles in society. Reducing attraction between men and women. Breaking up families. Creating conflict in society. Americans may not believe this from what I know about US. They have housewives and voting system based on merit, not mixing in affirmative action. Instead, this is what the US is bombarding the rest of us with, via CNN etc. This is coming in Thailand. If you don't believe me, Pita will show you.

Macron is 24 years younger than his wife. Probably a cover up for that sex with children of any age was allowed in France until just a couple of years ago. I personally believe younger is better. Someone will have to take care of you as you get older. Their family general attitudes also matter.

In the end Thaksin will have put the farmers on the neoliberal Pita train. When the farmers eventually find out they were taken for a ride, old Taxie will be counting his money in Buddhist heaven.

Yes, there are different ways to write Thai using Western letters. I am used to Paiboon+ so I didn't think about shedding tears. It is a little tricky. Here is the word written with Paiboon+ and the alternative "English based" TLC (grey) I am not used to TLC so when I see waehp I imagine another vowel, like in Thai for eyeglasses (but longer). I also seemingly get support for some Thais pronouncing p at the end. That is how the dictionary writes the phonetic. Today I tried saying it in another 7/11 but the clerk started asking back using words like op and un ????

But what is the situation like in Pattaya and Thailand in general now? Some years ago and earlier I used to rent bikes sporadically without problem. Has this changed? I use a helmet but I see many drivers without a helmet in Pattaya. Is a careful foreign motorbike driver (Honda Wave 125i style) likely to be pulled over by the police? Will an EU driver's license for car be useful then? Formally I think you need to convert your license if your visa is longer than 60 days? But is this necessary? The bureaucracy can be time consuming.

Thank you. I also found this https://www.conciergepattaya.com/thailand-driving-licence/thailand-driving-licence-pattaya/

Yes. Like I wrote. That's what they finally told me Weep hai noi kaap. Weep is pronounced like this. It is written with thai f but I wonder if Thai people don't often use p at the end? https://en.bab.la/pronunciation/thai/เวฟ ... I can also add that I find better quality food in the semi-foreigner area Mongkol market in Pattaya than in markets further out, surprisingly. At least (cooked dishes of) meat and a few other items.

Kasikorn asked for 10 million B in an account, an 800.000 B life insurance paid 5 years in advance and a Thai wife or friend that could open the box in case I was abroad. These humble sums were for the smallest box, of course. Naturally no problem for a hi-flyer like me ???? but I still think I will go with some other option suggested in the thread. Boxes in current hotel reception also seems ok.

Yes. I was hoping for a recommendation of an agent that could help me convert my EU license. Maneerat did not do this. Reliable agent, procedure, prices etc. When I check the Internet I see different information on whether my EU driver's license would suffice if I was stopped.

I often used to rent bikes around Thailand over the years. I never had a problem with the police. But I have now heard they check foreigners for driver's licenses. I have got an EU driver's license for car. Will that help in case I get stopped? Is there any simple way I can obtain a Thai license? I stay in Pattaya on non-O visa and may go to Chiang Mai. Asked in agency Maneerat on soi Post Office, but they didn't do driver's licenses.

The politicians seem to have united to support Pita. If Thaksin just says he supports Pita, all accusations will be wiped.

To raise false hopes among Pheua Thai party members (farmers) to put them on the Pita-train? (Farmers will not benefit from Pita is my guess.) But I am no expert on this.