rene123

Tourists are unaware of the risks. The Thai government takes no responsibility and you can see advertisements for the tiger parks at every tourist hotel and tour company. I don't blame the tourists and the fake monks get a free pass from the government.

This thread ought to be interesting to read if i have the time.

Yes too many to list, about one a week sometimes.

My first night in Thailand was something else but a bit x rated.

Some weeks later, at about three in the morning, on a wet messy khoa san song gran night,

some lovely thia gal said hello to me, i stopped, we chatted, she bought me breakfast, we went to my place and were a couple for three years!!!!

Odd thing, she was Christian and i am Buddhist!!!

OMG and a virgin to boot!!!

well not for very long after b-fast but i think i said too much now

Sorry to take this up ...but was your new g/f 14, 15, 16 years old? Hard to understand, if she was an adult, who had saved her virginity for so long, that she would give it up after a few hours and a breakfast ...to a guy she just met??

In the West, in a similar situation, I doubt any women would even THINK of trying to say she was a virgin (when she isn't), however, something about the "allure" of Eastern women and virginity, it seems to come up quite a lot, and is believed quite a lot. Maybe too many romance/adventure novels about Asia, that also, are not quite true??

However, I guess it made you happy, and that is all that matters, right? My great memories of Thailand, are probably mostly flawed, or actually, I am sure they are/were.

I agree with you, amykat. This site attracts some strange creatures right out of the gutter.

I walk a lot and love hiking in the forest, but walking on a Thai street has its own special attraction. It is seldom boring like walking on a Canadian sidewalk. In Thailand you have to pay constant attention. It is sort of like a dance without music. It is the same with riding a motorbike in Thailand as compared with riding in Canada. In North America it is a bit boring because everyone follows rules and laws. In Thailand it is all free form where everything flows like water and goes in all directions at once. It keeps you on your toes with all senses on high alert. That is invigorating.

I can't say I know all there is to know about taxes, but countries with a form of public medical care get their funding through all forms of taxation. Canada, the UK, Australia and New Zealand are good examples. I believe Sweden is similar and also has one of the highest taxation rates in the world. The system is good for the basics, but falls a little short for intermediate procedures that are not life threatening. Many Canadian physicians go south of the border where they can earn a lot more money.

The USA. has a different system where people have to purchase private medical insurance. It works very well for the wealthy who can afford it and for those with business or union contracts that supply a medical plan. They receive the best treatment in the world but comes at a very high price. US medical costs and dental are the highest in the world and greatly over charge for everything.

As a Canadian in Thailand I would have to pay more for medical insurance than I would just to pay a Thai hospital or doctor, so it is just not worth it.

Good luck for the future, pattayadingo, and hope you can turn your health problems around. But, that doesn't mean you have to be a stranger here. After 9 years in Thailand you should have a life time of data to rely on.

Certainly it is foolish, but when did that stop the public from doing foolish things? Take for example, the people who have never ridden a scooter before and yet will take off on a rental bike in the middle of the crazy Thai traffic.

Thanks for the funny story, theblether. I had a good belly laugh. Good humour always needs a good dose of truth to it.

Not often am I speechless ... though you have achieved that with this post ...

A joy to behold and read that ... your perspective on Thailand is truly unique and I am sure, not shared by many, if any.

Good Luck to you Sir.

x2

That is twice in one day that I'm struck dumb. I can hardly believe what I just read! There was a similar dumbfounding reply in the woman's forum.

Putting new power lines in Chiang Mai

My favourite memory was the first time I hiked to the top of Doi Sutthep using the old brushed in trail along the creek flowing down the mountain. That was before the parks wardens shut off the trails to the public. The air was filled with butterflies and birds were singing in the ancient forest of giant trees. The only sound was from water tumbling over rocks and falls. It reminded me of hiking in the mountains of New Zealand where the foliage is similar.

Speechless, really. Just speechless.

You and me both! Talk about a bitter man! It sure opens a woman's eyes about some men here.

I've removed scorpions from my tent and my boots using a cloth and just tossed them into the woods. No need to kill them. Like snakes, they only bite or sting if they feel threatened.

Saying something against a person's country seldom goes down well, even if it is true. It is like saying something against someone's family. A family might fight like cats and dogs, but if a stranger takes sides with anyone in the family then the others will all join together and take it out on the stranger.

Ban Mae Su bridge

The UK government website has just issued a travel warning of possible increased risk of anti western sentiment in Thailand, does anyone know what has instigated this warning

They were obviously reading all the negative comments on thaivisa and jumped to the conclusion that Thailand was a dangerous country. I heard some tourist fell of his rental scooter.

I haven't done that entire trip myself but I've met a few dirt bikers who have. I've ridden my bike in from both directions but never done the complete trip. Although highway 1263 is shown on most maps there few if any road signs when I was there and it would be easy to take a wrong turn. Even my GPS was only of limited help without a back-up map with co-ordinates on it. I'm sorry I can't be of more help. If you can speak fluent Thai and make yourself understood it would help, but don't expect any rural Thai to read the most simple of maps. They just don't understand the concept. The roads I was on were actually quite good, although somewhat narrow. I would bring extra gas in case you get lost.

The two times I've dumped my bike in Thailand was on oil previously spilled on the road. Fortunately, I've only received a little road rash but needed antibiotics for the almost sure infection.

I've been up and down Doi Sutthep many times on my motorbike but I've yet to have a problem there. And, so far I haven't seen any accidents either. But, I always take my time and never go as fast as I could. I get passed all the time, but I've seen so many bad spots along highways that I always expect the unexpected and I don't take chances. It certainly helps me in Canada as well where vehicle drivers just don't notice or expect motorcycles.

I'm not sure why this topic is not in the Chiang Mai forum, but I'll agree that this northern Thai city is a pretty nice place to spend time. The city has a large number of Caucasian expats and that leads to a wide variety of interests to sustain them. The city is large enough and changes constantly to never know it all, and yet it is small enough to walk anywhere in the heart of the city within an hour. You can have an enjoyable day just walking around the perimeter along the moat.

I'm fortunate that I can bounce back and forth between Canada and Thailand, so I can miss out on the worst weather of both countries. During the smoky season in March I can easily take a month long holiday in a beach area in the south of Thailand. Some day I might grow bored of it, but I don't see that happening any time soon. There are still too many back roads in northern Thailand to explore on my motorbike.

For the longest time I didn't even notice that little column up there and I missed a few private messages as well. I would imagine you could easily increase your likes total just by agreeing with a lot of people, but what point would that be? I like an honest debate of an interesting subject and I usually learn something... even if it is only learning something about my adversaries.

Like it or not, in western, democratic thinking it is the attractive people who get voted into power. Take a look at recent past US presidents. The same is true in Canada. And physically ugly man or woman would have no chance of being elected. It is charm first with brains and sensible policy a distant second.

Why would anyone want the burden of living with a cheap Charlie?

Never heard of "love"? Not every woman in the world is a financial mercenary.

It is hard to love a cheap Charlie because he only loves himself.

Rene ... as a sweeping, all encompassing generalisation ... your comment is well wide of the mark.

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Your definition of a cheap Charlie must be different than mine. To me a cheap Charlie is a guy who never pays his own way or repays debts, and expects others to cover for him. A frugal person is something entirely different and lives within their own means..

Ah, now I understand what you were wanting. I thought you were describing the standard Thai construction. 555

The suspension bridge over the Wa river in Nan province