MrWorldwide

MOST, I readily admit that I have only spent two weeks in Jakarta and a similar amount of time in Bali, but I'm curious re your experience in Indonesia, esp your experience of their visa system.

Yep - reports of his death have been greatly exaggerated. By him, mainly.

If you are in the medical profession, I expect that you know that Katoeys are a higher risk group for HIV transmission, and presumably practice safe sex. What concerns me is the number of 'straight' men on forums who openly admit that they refuse to wear a condom with working girls, but I'm sure none of those guys would also be banging Katoeys, would they ? Particularly thrilling when these same 'straight' men try to tell me that it's none of my business if they want to have unprotected sex with anyone that takes their fancy - apparently the risk of HIV transmission are being exaggerated by the 'HIV industry'. Interesting thought processes at work there.

apparently the risk of HIV transmission are being exaggerated by the

'HIV industry'. Interesting thought processes at work there

Thats because its true the highest risks are intravenous drug users closely followed by Gays and yes it is exaggerated and lots of fear mongering its extremely hard for a man to catch HIV from a women

I'm sure there are men all over Africa telling themselves that even as I type this. Even if the odds are 1 in a thousand, is that that a risk you are comfortable with ? As a man with a vasectomy and a circumcised penis, I *may* have a reduced chance of contracting HIV (the jury is out on both), but none of that gives me any joy whatsoever when I consider how many men (and women) each of my Soi 4 associates has had sex with. If a working girl is prepared to go bareback with you, its pretty obvious that you aren't Robinson Crusoe. Outside of the industry, many Thai women seem very ignorant of the risks of having unprotected sex with a Farang - ymmv - but dont we owe it to them to at least use a rubber until there is something resembling a real relationship in place ?

Not naming names or giving specifics, but i have witnessed first hand corruption at the University level and it was one of the most prestigious Universities in Thailand. This does not surprise me one bit. Corruption, cheating, and zero sum games are so ingrained in the culture its amazing Thailand has made it as far as they have.

Thailand, China, Russia, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Brazil - need I go on, or have I named enough of the biggest economies in the world for you ? Each riddled with corruption from the lowliest official to the people making the decisions at the top. When the former top dog of the Chinese Communist Party refers to the currenct govt as a 'kleptocracy', what hope for the others on that list ?

As previously mentioned in this thread, those of us who still live in Farangland are routinely treated to corruption cases - usually politicians, but here in Oz we have many people in positions of trust in business who are caught with their 'hand in the till'. Every decade or so, they have to put a broom right through one or more of our state police forces - about the only area which hasnt faced allegations of corruption is our military, mainly because the focus is on bastardisation and sexual assaults. Fantastic stuff.

Lee Kuan Yew and his successors have made corruption a high profile, ongoing target as part of their drive to turn Singapore from a tropical slum in 1960 to the economic miracle it is today, but I doubt that anyone in Singapore believes the country is completely free of corruption. It's human nature to want more than we have, and for some the temptation is just too great. The problem with endemic corruption is that everyone simply throws their hands in the air and says 'Thats just the way it is'. Lee clearly didnt agree - whether you love or hate him, I believe he is one of very few genuinely benevolent dictators and I salute him for pulling off the transformation of the 20th century.

http://www.the-star.co.ke/news/article-99222/fighting-corruption-singapore-way

In 1989, the maximum fine for corruption was increased from Singaporean dollars(S$)10,000 to S$100,000. Giving false information to the CPIB became an offence subject to imprisonment and a fine of up to S$10,000. The courts were empowered to confiscate benefits derived from corruption.

I dont know about you, but I didn't have 100K SGD in 1989 (the Army paid me the princely sum of 24K AUD p.a.), nor did I have any desire to see the inside of their jails. That was around the time the Singaporeans were copping flak from Canberra for their willingness to execute foreigners for drug trafficking - I doubt that they were any kinder to their own countrymen. Tough love.

Let's face it - Asian women are hot. Unfortunately, I've only met a few who can keep to their own side of the bed - the best make some feeble excuse about 'Have to take care baybee !' and leave. I dont have a problem with sharing my bed, but waking up with 3 feet of hair in your face and an arm flapping around on your back isnt my idea of 'sharing'. Filipinas, FWIW, seem to have a better understanding of 'personal space' than many Thai girls.

(the 'baybee' line always brings a tired smile to my face - apparently 'baybee' didnt need taking care of at 1am when you were throwing down Jack Cokes like the zombie apocalypse was about the hit the Soi .... that's one very understanding baybee, Tilac)

Tell me more about these middle-aged Farang men with money to spare. Time - sure. Time to start threads on TV saying 'Help ! The pound just dropped another penny and I'm going to have to move the entire family to Cambodia ! Please come with me !' .....

The mythical fathers you speak of live in Singapore, and I'm guessing they have wheelbarrows full of the local currency. Given that I saw one house advertised on an expat forum at 30K SGD per month, I expect they need wheelbarrows full of the local currency ......

If you are in the medical profession, I expect that you know that Katoeys are a higher risk group for HIV transmission, and presumably practice safe sex. What concerns me is the number of 'straight' men on forums who openly admit that they refuse to wear a condom with working girls, but I'm sure none of those guys would also be banging Katoeys, would they ? Particularly thrilling when these same 'straight' men try to tell me that it's none of my business if they want to have unprotected sex with anyone that takes their fancy - apparently the risk of HIV transmission are being exaggerated by the 'HIV industry'. Interesting thought processes at work there.

I do not see the issue with Thailand enforcing it's own immigration policy. Try renewing a "tourist visa" repeatedly by crossing a border and then returning to the USA, or most western countries. I don't think you would be able to do that in your home country. A tourist visa is for a tourist not someone that lives there for years at a time. My personal opinion is that the immigration policies of Thailand are overall quite reasonable.

I guess if you are breaking the law and working illegally then enforcing immigration policies might seem unreasonable, but you are wrong.

I met a lady in Malaysia who has to fly out with her daughter every 90 days, fly back in and they stamp her passport no problems. The issue in Thailand is that people were rorting the system to work illegally - obviously, Malaysia has sufficient enforcement in place to ensure that this doesn't happen. Both countries have major problems with corruption but clearly the Malaysians have decided that it's better to punish the people who are actually working illegally than treat every new arrival as a potential outlaw. By contrast, the qualification requirements for their MM2H retirement visa are much tougher than Thailand - things really only get easier when you buy a home in Malaysia - making the visa run (ok - visa exemption run ..) much more attractive than it currently is in Thailand.

One hot tip for 'fending the attention off' is to avoid lower Suk, but if you are heading off to work at 3:30am chances are don't get out much : Soi 4 could be all that is standing between you and an early grave.

I'd better phone the POTUS - that revelation re the Euro will come as a shock, but he needs to hear it

'Mr President, I know its 3am in Washington and you have a meeting with the Joint Chiefs at 6, but I've just come across something on the internet that I really think you need to hear'

<click>

Is this another 'Lets all run away to Cambodia' thread ? You'll be back by CNY, 2014

implicitly imply ? David, I know how grammar Nazis are treated on TV, but seriously ......

Still haven't seen any firm proof that the aforementioned 'thugs' are on the payroll of the aforementioned 'university-which-cannot-be-named'..

That's me - Mr Bitter Jealousy. You should see the emails I send Richard Branson

'it just happens' sounds a lot like Bruce Willis line in 'Last Boy Scout' : 'let's see if I understand : you tripped over and your dick ended up in my wife ?'. Years of visiting Thailand and I've had more conversations with openly gay men than katoeys - at least the former know who they are. Katoeys are wayward schoolboys in a dress - the fact that some of them eventually go back to being men (complete with a family) tells me all I need to know about their real motivation for wanting to be 'the third sex'.

I thought the idea of paying the cops every month was so that you wouldn't have to live with such blatant standover tactics ?

Wait - a 25-year old gay man who has to pay for it ? &lt;deleted&gt; ?

(if the katoeys are giving it away, I expect there will be some serious issues with the union. Not sure where you go once you've been kicked out of the Whores Union - moto-taxi driver ?)

5 years in Dubai and it's not what it used to be ? 4 years ago, I vividly recall reading accounts of near new BMWs being left at the airport with a note on the dash apologizing to the finance company : contractors laid of from high-paying gigs and unwilling to face 'debtors jail'. Not sure where it went from there, but I'd say things weren't what they used to be virtually from the day your plane landed. A co-worker in Brisbane relocated to UAE in 2001 - I'm guessing he was one of the beneficiaries of the 'good times'.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/feb/13/dubai-boom-halt

draftvader, I'm not going to quote your extensive post, but I agree with you 100%. The 'chooks with their heads cut off' mentality in this and the earlier thread (where I attempted to make a similar point to your own) makes me wonder where the 'stiff upper lip' Brit has settled - India, perhaps ? I'm not seeing the same level of hysteria on the Indo and Malaysian expat forums I periodically skim - certainly none of the 'abandon ship !' calls that have accompanied each of these threads. Churchill would be rolling in his grave.

OK,clever boys. So which country do I retire to now?

Panama is recruiting Expats, offers of easy residency, ability to start a business, ability to work, ability to own property... Low cost of living and pretty women ...

Some very rosy images there. Let's see what else Panama might have for retirees:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_in_Panama

A lot of the stuff listed below can happen to you in Thailand, but I'm not aware of 'express kidnappings' being a concern when you visit and ATM in Pattaya - YMMV.

Crime in Panama is moderate but becoming more frequent, particularly because of the narcotics-trafficking related violence and activities of youth gangs. Police checkpoints have become common place on weekends on roads in between cities. Based upon reported incidents by local police, the high-crime areas around Panama City are San Miguelito, Rio Abajo, El Chorrillo, Ancón, Curundu, Veracruz Beach, Panama Viejo, and the Madden Dam overlook.

The crimes plague metropolitan areas and include rapes, armed robberies, muggings, purse-snatchings, "express kidnappings" from ATM banking facilities, in which the victim is briefly kidnapped and robbed after withdrawing cash from an ATM, and petty theft. There have been several targeted kidnappings in Panama with the complicity of corrupt law enforcement.

Tramadol is the only thing that works for me - they give the anti-inflammatories a chance to do their job.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tramadol

I was warned that it is potentially addictive, and only use it on the very worst days, but I wouldn't wish muscle spasms on my worst enemy. I spent years laughing at people with bad backs - still think some were hypocondriacs - but the laughter disappeared after I fell down some stairs and crushed two vertebrae in my lower back. Given that most of the pain was in my knee at the time, I didn't think too much about my back until the first set of spasms kicked in. Thankfuily, the worst of it seems to be restricted to a stabbing pain between my shoulder blades when I've had a long day - any hint that I might be looking at another bout of muscle spasms and I have to sit down, usually spending the entire evening on my back.

Spent virtually my entire life thinking I was 'bulletproof' - no childhood diseases, no broken bones and no allergies - only to be reduced to gingerly trying to ease my feet onto the floor so I could get off my bed each morning. Pride cometh before a fall - indeed it does

Why hire a foreigner when a Thai is a fraction of the salary??

Because he/she might actually do some work and bring some value to the position and company?Instead of stand in a huddle with all the other Thais,gossiping,eating,sleeping or exchanging make-up tips!

And that's just the guys !

is 'infaous' even a word, krisb ? You young kids are always coming up with words I've never even heard of

Here's hoping you won't live that long