homeownership

Long live the King !

His Majesty has been a shining example of Monarchy, under his vision and lifes work, people from all over the world wish to live, work and visit Thailand every year. His people are happy and they love him.

His has taken the duties of being King very seriously and deserves our upmost admiration and respect.

Long live the King !

This has to be the strangest thread on TV.

The legal age of consent in the UK is as follows:

13 years old (Only if both persons are 13 years old) - Technically illegal - No prosecutable

14 years old (Only if male is are 13 or older years old) - Technically illegal - No prosecutable

14 years old (Only if both persons are 13 years old) - Technically illegal - No prosecutable

15 years old (Only if both persons are 13 years old) - Technically illegal - No prosecutable

16 is the legal age of sexual consent (Hetrosexual sex only)

18 years old (Homosexual sex)

So if you engage in sexual intercouse with a 18 year Thai Girl you would not be prosecuted in the UK, other counties do vary.

But that said, this leads me to why I think this tread is preposterous.

Personally, a female in her 30s or even better 40s with hairy armpits, a natural bush and wearing glasses preferably, flicks all of my sexual switches. The question remains why would you want a young girl, they don't bring much to the table, unless of course your into hurting them, which is easier to do when their young an vulnerable, but in my eyes your a paedophile and deserve to have your bits cut off.

Thats my opinion for what its worth.

My bags have been 'lost' three times... The worst part is the wait at the baggage carousel, you see everyone else leaving with their bags, the same one or two bags re-circling the baggage carousel....

The simple thing to do is just file a report at the lost baggage counter that every airport has.

On the 3 occasions my baggage didn't arrive (1 in the UK, 2 in Bkk) the bags were delivered to my home within 24 hrs.

Good advice.

We went

:

MANCHESTER TO DUBAI (Guess which airline).

DUBAI TO BKK

(BANGKOK AIR ) BKK to Chiang Mai.

No trace on baggage tags like the OP, never saw bags again. Claimed on insurance £200 excess, got a check for £140 pounds.

Your are right about the waiting at the carousel.

For the past 10 years since I have been visiting, semi-retiring, living and working in and out of Thailand my friends have asked if I have gone Elephant Trekking in Chiang Mai. I have replied, yes and enjoyed it but that was before I learnt about the cruelty inflicted on these poor creatures to "tame" them to do what we want them to do. Shooting any adult elephant that tries to protect its families baby, which this subjected to torture, when it suffers a mental breakdown, we as human being use the body of the elephant for our amusements so that we can be adventurous. Its a sour taste that I participated albeit in my naivety 10 years ago by going on an elephant trek.

But now there is something, that I must say is an activity that is unsurpassable in every way. Hot Air Ballooning.

A few weeks ago I woke up early, it was light and hot, I drove my Isuzu from my home in San Sai (Chiang Mai) to The Four Seasons Hotel Chiang Mai.

I don't usually drink champagne in the mornings as a rule, but it was 11am somewhere. )Perhaps Japan or Australia.

My Wife, My Son and Myself finished the bottle and by that time the balloon was full of hot air (not unlike me when I get going). (My Son is 3 yrs old and didn't drink by the way).

It took 6 hours 14:00 approx to reach the Burmese/Thai Border near Mai Rim (Wow, no really Wow).

I never knew Thailand and Burma had so much Jungle/Forest. I mean I knew they had a fair bit, but from the air it was endless and you couldn't tell where Thailand was or where Burma was.

The crew said "up here the world makes sense on the ground, things get muddled" or that was the general jist of it.

We landed late around 8pm and were driven to Shangri La, where we had a lovely international Buffet. A valet had driven our car from the four seasons to the Shangri La and we then drove home.

What a lovely lovely unforgettable experience, you really do have to try it.

Ok I am going to be the unpopular realist here. YOU WILL NEVER SEE YOUR BAGS AGAIN.

Why? You state that they could look up the tag (barcode) numbers. Every piece of luggage that enters the system is tracked via this barcode. If they have no record of it, then the bag is still at the point of origin and never entered the system. Usually these items vanish without trace.

As I understand your account of things, you came home and was tired, you opened the door of your car and tried to enter your own property peacefully. An aggressive dog intimidated you, so you ran back to your car to protect your self. You then attempted to manuveur the car in such a way that you could safely enter your home instead of re-encountering the aggressive dog. The dog began to attack the car and started barking at you in the car, you panicked through a fear of dogs and hit the wrong pedal, thereby striking the dog with your car. The dog got up and limped away, to the best of your recollection the dog was alive the last time you saw it and thinking no more of it, you entered your home peacefully and shaking with shock, had a shower and went to bed. In the morning, you learnt the dog was dead, it must have suffered from its injuries in its attempt to attack you. The owner had recently complained of money worries and now she was knocking on your door demanding to be compensated, which of course you reasonably going to do. A 1000THB should cover it, seeing a you are now suffering from post traumatic stress and feelings of depression. You have nothing further to add.

If you could get a decent drop of Newcastle Brown Ale in Thailand, more Geordies would go.newcastle-brown-ale-beers-photo-u1.jpg

I'm sorry Ring Ping Supermarket in Chiang Mai have these already in stock and have done some for some time now. The name of the game is keep up not catch up.

I have read some comments with a smile on my face, but the fact remains there will be a lot of Brits in the Land of Smiles both this Xmas and well into next year especially in the summer break.

No I am not involved in the travel industry, thats a stupid suggestion.

this is the same person who awhile ago was trolling about thailand.saying how rich he is etc......

The allegation of trolling is unfounded and should be retracted as it is a falsehood.

I personally prefer white skinned women. Luckily my wife is naturaly white and does not need the various lotions and creams but I would support her choice to use them if she needed to. I find the dark skinned girls ugly, to me they look dirty and uneducated. I am not saying that they are dirty and uneducated or ugly but that is just my perception, after all "beauty is in the eye of the beholder'" as so many keep saying here. In many ways its true, just look all over Thailand at some of the ugly farangs dating ugly dark skinned farm girls, just goes to show you that there really is someone for everyone, but it is going to take a lot more than some pc lefty liberal farangs to convince Thailand and SE Asia in general that dark skin is now beautiful just because those particular farangs have ended up with dark skinned women themselves. I personally believe that not as many farangs like the dark skinned types as much as they claim, I persnally think it is more about that alot of farangs just end up settling for what they can get here rather than end up with the type of girl that they would really like, hence so many farangs in Thailand dating or married to ugly dark skinned low educated rice famer ex bar girl types, yet these same farangs seem to then try very hard to convince everyone else that those girls are anything but... and these thai women know that they are ugly and unattractive to the masses and therefore try various methods to look better. I get so sick and tired of Thai people asking me why farangs like ugly dark skinned women, I have been bombarded with this question since a I was young (i grew up here) and I always tell them that farangs dont prefer dark skin. It is just the farangs they see in thailand that seem to end up with these women because 9 times out of 10 that is all that is available to the avaerage farang here. If all farang prefer dark skin then why is it that in places in europe such as london etc where there are lots of dark skinned women to choose from, do most white men end up dating white women? if the whole "farang prefer dark skin" thing was really true then you would see a lot more inter-racial dating in places such as the uk. I think if suddenly the white skinned beautiful thai girls started working in gogo bars or started showing more interest in farangs in general, then we would soon see the scales start to tip in that direction. There are white skinned thai women that are willing to date farangs here, but they are more in the minority, they know they are attractive ( to asian men too and not just farang!) they often have better education and better jobs and come from middle class families where financial support is not needed, so these girls can afford to be more selective/choosy about who they date, which in turn puts a lot of farang men off, because the girl is not easy to get into bed or is not telling him how hansum he is every five minutes, so farangs like to call these women snobs and try and covince everyone that the dark skinned counterparts are much more attractive and down to earth, just because you dont see many white skinned well educated thai women dating farangs does not make them snobs! The funniest thing of all is the farangs here that go on about "brainwashing" etc etc just because a nation of people have a certain perception of what is attractive and whats not. It is often these same farangs that are brainwashed before they arrive here that all thai women want a farang bf or husband and any thai women who does not show them any intersted must be some hi-so snob. So if Thai women want to use whatever methods they see fit to try and lighten their skin, then I say good luck to them and I think their husbands bf should support them! after all I bet if these same women started gaining 30kgs in weight there farang husbands would be force feeding them all sorts of weight loss polls and potions! Maybe these dark skin defending farangs are scared of their wives or gf becoming more attractive to a larger audiance and actually having the opportunity to end up with the type of man she wanted all along...

Have you heard of an English composition phenomenon know as Topic Paragraphing. Try it. People would be more inclined to read "everything" you you're trying to communicate, assuming that you're not trying to become an audience of one (yourself), just using this forum as a sounding board, to ventilate.

FYI ~ most white Asian (Chinese) women are taught to believe that most white people are "stupid barbarians" with superior military power, They will do business with, but are "forbidden" to marry you. So, when you see a Chinese woman married to a white man, rest assured that he is either bringing some serious money into her "family realm", or she is a real loser among her own people, with no place else to go.

Meanwhile, consider returning to your home country, where you can get some professional help,.....sir! You are in serious need of a reality check!

I have to agree with the whole paragraph thing, I couldn't even be bothered to take it on.

As for Chinese Women, I know a few and they say, that the whiter the skin shows that you work indoors. Work indoors such as office work, pay significantly higher than work outside (working in the paddy fields) and as such when people see their white skin, they think "she must be an indoor girl, hence she has money".

Attractration in Asian isn't about symmetry of face, its about zeros in your bank account. Whore the lots of them, my dear old Dad, would say. But just as women want to marry wealthy Men, Men also want a woman to come from wealth too. After all, why should his family pay for everything. The whitening of the face is but the first rung of the ladder.

It seems nearly every man and his dog has booked or are planning to book to holiday in Thailand over the next 12 months from the UK.

The Americans term it, the "British Invasion", it is because as a Brit and I can vouch that this is true, we tend to do things on recommendation.

Thailand as a holiday destination WILL become very popular and not just for men looking for friendship either.

Lets look at the traditional haunts of the British Holidaymaker.

1) Spain - Disputes over Gibralter (British Island) and the increase cost of holidays have meant that holidays to mainland Spain have fallen by 30% since 2008 and those retiring to Spain are lowest levels since the 1980s. No wonder they can't sell property to Brits at the prices they would like to.

2) Egypt- The current political instability means most Brits will rule out a trip to Egypt. Not much more to say there really.

3) Turkey - Turkey has seen a boom in recent years but there is a lot of Islamic Pressures meaning that alcohol is now restricted. Well without going in to the whys and the wherefores you can see the average Brit choosing to skim to the other popular place with the name "T" and that is Thailand.

If your lucky enough to get a seat on a plan in Summer, you can be looking at over £850 pp and £599 in Winter.

The Russians currently rule Pattaya and the Ozzies rule Phuket, I think were going to see a major boom in tourism over the next few years with British Holidaymakers choosing Thailand, many of which will be first timers.

The British are coming, lock up your Daughters.

I have been to Hua Hin twice. I find the weather very pleasant. Breakfast cafes offer a wide selection of English Breakfasts.

To answer the OPs question, Hua Hin is probably the most family friend seaside destination in Thai on a par with Krabi.

Going back in July 2014 for a few weeks.

Middleclass Thais are certainly better off than Middleclass Europeans.

In the UK of you earn over £50,000 the government tax you 40% off your income. Then theres National Insurance, Council Tax, Road Fund Tax, TV Licence, 20% VAT.

Hardly worth working is it. Certainly worth living in Thailand.

I would take up arms to defend The Kingdom of Thailand from any invasion force. Although I would not fight for Thailand to invade or attack another country.

Nowt as queer as folk.

Mailboxes etc is a particular bad idea. All the addresses are flagged and so are rendered useless.

I keep a house in North West England, but if I was in the position where this was not the case, then your best bet is pay a landlord of student accommodation for the use of the letter box. Most landlords offer this service if you approach them. Alternatively you can simply redirect mail from any UK address to a post office box or international redirection. All you need to do is prove you once lived there by using a debit card. Use a prepaid debit card like Vanilla Prepaid and simply put the address you want to redirect from to you thai address. As far as everyone is concerned you live in the UK. Except you don't pay council tax. Simples. !!!

Addresses flagged - but that doesn't mean they know where you really are, or why you are using it.

Post Office redirection - service only available for a maximum of 1 year.

I agree with both your points.

I wouldnt want to put down on a pension credit /state pension that I 'claimed' to live at a mailboxes etc address. You might have some explaining to do there.

Mailboxes etc is a particular bad idea. All the addresses are flagged and so are rendered useless.

I keep a house in North West England, but if I was in the position where this was not the case, then your best bet is pay a landlord of student accommodation for the use of the letter box. Most landlords offer this service if you approach them. Alternatively you can simply redirect mail from any UK address to a post office box or international redirection. All you need to do is prove you once lived there by using a debit card. Use a prepaid debit card like Vanilla Prepaid and simply put the address you want to redirect from to you thai address. As far as everyone is concerned you live in the UK. Except you don't pay council tax. Simples. !!!

Very interesting post - thank you. Can I begin by asking you about "Mailboxes etc is a particular bad idea. All the addresses are flagged and so are rendered useless"?

I suspect you may well be right about this. Especially as we live in the age of databases - and Mailboxes Etc have their own unique postcode (well, that's what my local branch claims). But do you have any specific proof that they are flagged?

Mailboxes etc have around 50 or 60 franchises in the UK. Your probably no further than 30 miles from one. In order to operate the type of business they do, which is a "second address", they are in a tricky situation. Lets say you rent a mailbox and start receiving goods from overseas (which is plausible and totally legal). HMRC will certainly know that the address is a hub of mailboxes some business and some private. They have the right to make enquiries as to the owner of any mailbox, this is why when you sign a lease for a mailbox they ask for you for photo id, plus proof of address.

Moving on, lets say you put down your address as 33 Great George Street, Leeds LS1 3AJ, when HMRC or Royal Mail do a postcode lookup search, it will display hundreds of companies. Try googling the address as an example.

There is obviously no problem saying its a mailbox as you live in Thailand, but you would be lying if you said you lived there. You simply wouldnt be believed and would end up losing whatever it was you were trying to obtain or retain. For instance lets say finally you wanted to vote, you would not be able to convince Leeds City Council that you lived at that address registered to so many companies and private individuals, which an address lookup saying Mailboxes etc and they would not allow you to register to vote.

Its not the proof you asked for, but I hope this illuminates an answer a little clearer for you.

Mailboxes etc is a particular bad idea. All the addresses are flagged and so are rendered useless.

I keep a house in North West England, but if I was in the position where this was not the case, then your best bet is pay a landlord of student accommodation for the use of the letter box. Most landlords offer this service if you approach them. Alternatively you can simply redirect mail from any UK address to a post office box or international redirection. All you need to do is prove you once lived there by using a debit card. Use a prepaid debit card like Vanilla Prepaid and simply put the address you want to redirect from to you thai address. As far as everyone is concerned you live in the UK. Except you don't pay council tax. Simples. !!!

When you see an older guy with a much younger girl, you know he sliding down a slippery slope.

Let me ask you this, regardless of culture or religion, have you ever known a woman marry and stay married to a broke man, regardless of how nice or good looking he was. NO.

Yet a woman will put up with a older rich guy at least for a little while.

Women love money, men love sex. Its just a balancing act, get it right and you have a long and happy marriage.

its not just women who love money,, why do you think i work away from my home for 6 months of the year,,??

funny i love sex too

Who doesn't ?

Which do you prefer sex or money, which do you like most.

There isnt anything special about Chiang Mai, quite a boring place really. Food is dreadful, mosquitos the size of birds, traffic is hell on earth. Its expensive. Did I mention it was boring. Why would anyone from Pattaya want to come and live in Chiang Mai. Bangkok is far more suitable place and nearer too. Leave Chiang Mai alone, give it a miss. Nothing really there. Your not wanted . . . get it.

Running a restaurant/bar in any country is very hard, let alone make money. Add to that the fact you can't work in it and are required to have a minimum number of employees, and can own only 49% of it...

Now in Thailand try to find solid, steady employees who will actually be dependable.

Now find employees who are honest because you can't spend every waking hour there and there is access to cash and booze.

Fight the Thai culture. Go to any 7-11 and see how many are just standing around. Same same in the shops in the mall.

The minute you turn your back you will have disappointed customers because service and organization will fall apart as will your instructions about preparing food.

I have yet to find a good Western style restaurant in Thailand that can serve 5 people their meals as ordered and at the same time, or even care about it. I'm not talking about the highest end hotel restaurants; I'm talking about the kind of place you most likely would rent and "own."

Good luck.

This is so true. Its a cultural things, Thais are actually quite complacent people. If they have a job, few strive to do that job to the best of their abilities. I recent visited a cafe in Chiang Mai and there was a rather pretty girl walking around for 45 minutes with a plate, when asked by the Dutch Owner, what she was doing, she said with a giggle, she forgot what she was doing. When your up against that, running a profitable business is an uphill struggle and isn't worth the bother frankly.

45 mins is nothing , I have had staff who after 4 months still did not know what light switch to turn on/off.

PS. There are only 2 switches

Classic !

When you see an older guy with a much younger girl, you know he sliding down a slippery slope.

Let me ask you this, regardless of culture or religion, have you ever known a woman marry and stay married to a broke man, regardless of how nice or good looking he was. NO.

Yet a woman will put up with a older rich guy at least for a little while.

Women love money, men love sex. Its just a balancing act, get it right and you have a long and happy marriage.

How about not a restaurant then, but a guest house / small hotel. You'd still have to be on call all hours of the day but adds another dimension.

They will take you to the cleaners and send you back to where ever you come from, with your pockets turned out. Broke !