rene123

Sorry to hear of your mishap, blether, but do make sure that you take antibiotics. I have been assured that road rash is absolutely certain to get infected in Thailand. Falls are just part of riding two wheel vehicles. All you can hope for is that the accident is not a bad one.

Many times I've helped out strangers and friends. I never ask for anything in return. That way nobody is beholding to me. It is strictly a situation of charity. A little bit of money goes a long way in Thailand and a donation to her cause will show her you care. If you can't afford a few thousand baht then you can't afford a girlfriend. Whatever you give will never go to waste. Somebody will benefit.

After all the horror stories I've read on Thaivisa and elsewhere I can understand the questionable replies here, even though they are very callous should the OP's story be actually true.

What I'm finding is that a lot of Thais just can't count even with a calculator. I think it's a counting issue as much as anything as I'm often given too much change.

They find it amazing that I can calculate bills in my head, I find it sad that they can't.

Oh, and anyone that's been out for dinner with a Thai lady knows that they strike like a cobra to grab the bill when it comes, and they pour over it with forensic accuracy. They are more aware of overcharging and over pricing than any of us.

I used to sit there and say "just pay it already" but a couple of sharp stiletto blows to my shin put and end to that.

I don't take Thai women out for supper, so I don't know what they do, but I do agree with the remainder of your reply. However, I NEVER trust gas station attendants. At least 6 or 7 times I've had them try and short change me.

I\m also a woman (38) with enough income to survive a few years. I have enough income to live comfortably in Thailand for a long time should I want to. However, I would suggest that neversure gave a good reply. I would not burn my bridges and move to Thailand without having some alternative options. I have traveled a fair bit and I've learned that things are MUCH different when you live somewhere as compared to having a holiday in the same location. I've also learned that you don't need a lot of possessions (including property) to enjoy a happy life. In North America we've been sold a falsehood that we need to own a big house on a hill. As an old friend keeps telling me, you can only sit on one chair at a time.

Long story short, I do like the idea of a year in Thailand. You only live once. You don't need your parents permission. Your son is old enough to look after himself.

I do not give her parents a monthly sum.

What I DID give ......

Mothers birthday - 1000

Fathers birthday - 1000

Sisters birthday - 1000

Grandfathers funeral - 5000 towards the cost.

Storm damage - 5000 towards the cost.

Total for 1 year = 13000 Baht.

I was asked to help with the storm damage but not for the grandfathers funeral, nor asked for the birthdays.

I am not here to support her family except for the odd voluntary donation here and there.

If the long term g/f wants to give her parents / family money, that is up to her.

Good post, PD. You treat it as everyone should, as a form of charity or as a personal gift. No foreigner should be required to help out family, should choose to do so out of compassion and good will.

A pretty visitor looking for sunflower seeds

Very impressive young man. After watching Took live in Chiang Mai I am impressed by the quality of musicians in Thailand.

I'm somewhat in the same boat as the OP because I don't spend all my time in Thailand. I agree with a few others that long trips are a little nicer in a car or truck, but for pure enjoyment a motorbike has it hands down. After riding rental bikes in Chiang Mai for a few months and finally buying my own 250 motocross bike, I've fallen in love with riding and said to hell with the risk. I love it so much that when I got back to Canada I bought a Yamaha XT 250 and I have hardly driven my car in the past 4 months. I certainly would not want to be restricted to only driving a car in a Thai city like Chiang Mai or Bangkok. It's actually fun weaving in and out of Thai traffic on a motorbike, and it all flows like water. It is boring in Canada where everyone has to follow rules.

The pictures I took of keelbacks look similar, but it is hard to tell considering the poor quality photos and without seeing the head.

Mosquitos and blackflies didn't bother my grandfather at all. They didn't even come near him, but my poor grandmother suffered terribly. One bite and she would swell up. Any fly or mosquito that came into the room would go straight for her. Unfortunately, my grandfather was not very tolerant to other people's weaknesses. I'm about 50-50 when it comes to bugs. Some bites bother me and some don't. Living in a rural village for several years as a child I was bitten many times and I seem to have built up a bit of an immunity.

what's the point, don't all Thai girls wear shorts under the dress?

I thought exactly the same thing. Boys will be boys.

Are there fines if I ride too slow?

It would be ashame when in comes to get his bus that it got a few flat tires every morning.

Removing 4 valve stems is very effective and easier than puncturing a tire.

I'm going to let this topic run under Admin discretion. But ask for no discussion of financial donations as that butts up against the solicitation rule. And kudos to the OP for his concern.

Thanks Tywais. Sometimes rules have to be circumvented.

Good post puukao. It's also about people in their teens and early twenties who believe they are invincible. All those injuries are accumulative and will come home to haunt you in later life. Old sports stars come to mind. Many in their sixties need a cane to get around.

Thais don't talk to foreigners about such things.

I agree. Whoever can get his/her Thai friends (outside of marriage) to discuss any number of sensitive topics has really made quite a breakthrough.

Check out Thai Cultural Mandates and, in particular, Mandate 2.

They don't care much about what you do so long as it doesn't affect them. However, if your choices are thought to affect them, then you might learn of a different story. As such, I think Thais (and Asians, in general) are largely indifferent - not really tolerant. They care only about their circles (family circle, friends circle, regular acquaintances circle)

I think Paully nailed it. Thais are just indifferent to anything other than their friends and family's advice. Gays and trans-gender people are just part of the every day scene. Depending on where they live will have some influence on their perception of life in general.

First of all, China can be a hardship posting, it is a place that many people detest working in and regret moving to. A couple I know just returned last week after a month working there and hated every moment of it. I see though you've decided not go so that's a moot point.

My experience of being separated from wife was that it effectively ended our marriage. We both changed, we both got into a new routine and we were never the same again. In fact, a month after I returned after two years working abroad ( we saw each other at holidays ) we separated. After a bit of soul searching we got back together three months later. That was a mistake, we should have stayed separated. The marriage floundered on a few more years then finally collapsed.

In my opinion, what you have now you will never get back, and the new reality may not suit you. It's got nothing to do with fidelity, and everything to do with the effect of a year of solitude on each of you. My advice is don't ever do it, as you may gain a few quid but lose your wife.

It's as simple and brutal as that.

I think the blether's reply was a good one. After I got over the original shock of our divorce I think my husband did me a favour by leaving. It is easy to start enjoying a single life style and your freedom again.

Absence does make the heart grow fonder... but for someone else.

Take 2 young female university graduates. Same degree, same everything. One is pale, the other Isaan-Brown. Witch one is going to make an impressive career?

A sad state of affairs.

Cheers.

Unfortunately, I believe this is true. It is also obvious within the film industry where all the actresses have pale skin. As one who has pale, freckled skin I can say for years I envied the girls who could get a nice golden tan, but after a while I just accepted things as they were. I do know that every Thai girl who wears whitening cream looks terrible in photos, and especially so if I use the flash. It makes them look like zombies.

I guess I was wrong, this can't be a boring topic, it's gone on for 8 pages. However, it is still about the same old topics depending on the age of the participants... the war between the sexes. Who cares? Accept the good with the bad, and when relationships end then just walk away with few regrets. Nothing stays the same and we can all get by with far less than we think we need.

Mark me down as one of the "pussies"... both literally and figuratively. I enjoy strenuous hiking, skiing, motorbikes and bicycles, but I stop short of doing crazy stuff where I'm most likely to get hurt. I have some Canadian male friends who a serious mountain bikers and everyone of them has been in the hospital with broken bones from riding. I've done rock climbing, but I've always used ropes. I don't need to show how brave (or stupid) I am.

But, thanks for the topic because the trails up Doi Sutthep are the reason Chiang Mai is my favourite city in Thailand. Unfortunately for us hikers, someone mentioned in another topic that the National Park has closed the trails up Doi Sutthep

Although I grew up as a young girl hunting with my father, and I'm familiar with rifles and shotguns, I never understood the need for guns for protection. But, I would hazard a guess that in some rural areas of Africa a land owner might need a gun. I could never understand the need for a gun in Thailand unless I was living in the deep south near Malaysia.

. Because I'm female I don't spend money on hookers.

Most sexist thing I've heard since 'my Asian girl."

Why, it's the truth? Lots of men come to Thailand expressly for the women. I see nothing wrong with it, but it does add to the cost if a man wants to indulge. Women don't usually have to pay for it. Unless I am mistaken, the topic was about expenses in Thailand. Like Winnie pointed out, It is possible to live very cheap like a monk, but what red blooded male would want to?