dogpatch55

Yeah another good and interesting post.. Great photos! Will have to have a look there next time..

Yeah its a good start... Better than doing nothing..

I think feeding dead mice would a good idea

A guy I knew in the Philippines about five years ago lived very well then on £500 a month.. Nice house, which he owned, nice car, nice wife and two kids.. And two girls who took care of the kids etc and lived in.. The house he bought about ten years ago for just £7500! A good deal I think!

Yeah a really sad story, but lovely as well. Yeah you are a lucky man to have a wife like that.. Sorry for your loss.. I know how you feel..

Well I found the hotels were expensive, Thailand is a lot cheaper for places to stay. I did like it in the Philippines, nice country, nice people.. Cheap beer.. Food better in Thailand..

After reading a recent post about the benefits of having Permanent residence in Phillipines I am seriously consideringh moving there,I am really tired of all the visa non-sense here-the work permits necessary even for residents etc,the non-sense re-entry permit,90 day report,certificate of residence which is never confirmed.Gawd,what a flippin nightmare.

the Philippines is one of the fastest growing economies in Asia.

The people speak English, and the beaches are truly stunning.

Apart from rental accomodation, (In the Big Cities, Such as Cebu). which gets you a great rental price if you want to buy. Everything else is about half the price of Thailand.

The ladies are great, its so refreshing to take someone out and have a laugh, because they understand you.

There are exceptions of course. But in the main these girls are not money driven, they just want a better life, than the slums they are in at present. Give that to them and they will be so grateful, and what a turn on, to have someone speak to you in English when your having sex hahaha.

I left Thailand, where I still have many friends after 9 years to go to the Philippines and I have not looked back one bit.

i will return to Thailand to visit my friends, but the Philippines is my home now.

And, by the way, dont believe all the crap you hear about it being dangerous, the people are great, just dont go where not not suppose to, same same as in Thailand.

You have to wonder why so many guys bring their GFs from PI to live in with them inThailand. If the Thai women were that great, why would they have to import a woman from PI?

Thailand invariably ends up being, "The first and last place people go", for a number or reasons.

1) They get married/GF or have property in Thailand

How many times have I heard my friends say:

A) "My wife/gf won't let me go to Cambodia....or anywhere for that matter!"

or

"I am not going to pay for airfare and accommodations to Cambodia/Vietnam, I have a condo/ house (or just plain pay rent) in Thailand. Why should I pay for two places?"

and then the ever troublesome problem-

2) They don't want to learn about a new place, they already have a knowledge of Thailand. Who wants to learn all that weird shit all over again?

_________________________________________________________________________

We all get comfortable in our lives.

but it is specifically because we broke out of our comfort zone in the West, that we even found Thailand in the first place!

You have to get up and go.

You will not regret it.

I was in just Cambodia 8 weeks ago- I am going back next month and then it's off to Vietnam.

as I said if you look for a new place "you won't regret it".

bob

I liked it in the Philippines, but I did not think it was cheaper there than Thailand, apart from beer... And as nice as the girls are, I wonder why so many guys want to take one to live in Thailand? The Thai girls are just as nice! And the food is better!! I do want to go back to the Philippines again some day..

Well, find the right places and Bangkok can be as cheap as anywhere else, but no beach to speak of. If you want a beach try Hua Hin, but its even more expensive than Bangkok. The thing is Thailand is not a cheap place anymore. Compared to say the Philippines. In fact it can be an expensive place. I got out 9 Months ago, for the Philippines and havn't looked back. And everyone speaks English....its a no brainer mate.

Well I did not think the Philippines would be cheaper than Thailand, apart from maybe beer?? The girls are nice, but the food is not as good..

I agree Thailand is not so bad to drive in when you get used to it... organized madness in someways,

One thing I would like Thai drivers to adopt is over taking on the right lane only (like in the UK) and not undertaking, I do find the whole over taking in any lane a bit dangerous and most of the problems I see stem from this. I also would like to see motorbikes have both lights active not just the front light, up here in north Thailand most bikes just have a front light and the rear light is often off, I was told by a Thai mate that alot of the younger riders actually think its cool to disconnect the rear light.

Driving down the wrong side of the road on the hard shoulder both cars and bikes is also something that should be stopped in my opinion but hey in the UK everything is so safe on the roads it actually becomes unsafe in some ways, plus driving in the UK seems so boring now.

One thing I would say, having drove for a year in Bangkok then a year up north in Sarakham, its a quite different, Bangkok being pretty unforgiving and a race for every meter of road which to me seemed alot more dangerous than here,

Interesting post anyway

Yeah driving in the uk is so safe!!? That's why there are so many RTAs everyday! There are as many bad drivers in the uk as there are in Thailand and anywhere else

Well I thought canary sun would have been on there! That's who I would have voted for!

In Thailand, people go bankrupt trying to look rich......

I see farangs trying that every day.

Yeah its not just a Thai thing.. People in every country do it!

I don't suppose anybody helped,this being Thailand. Great dog

I'm so glad I don't live in the same Thailand as you do.

I live in the countryside in a farming community,a couple of months ago i found a tiny kitten placed in the shade of the village shop to die. It had been bitten multiple times by a male cat and was covered in blood, the visitors to the shop ignored its weak miaowing. I took it home and have nursed it back to health,it took the full two months and still walks in a strange way,half forward and half side ways,it has gone through pneumonia and blood poisoning a real survivor, the villagers would sometimes come round and watch me feeding it milk with crushed mince meat with a straw and told me i was mad and that if i wanted to help it i should just drown it. He is now a great pet always by my side and has the name ''little fellah''. I am not a cat person more of a dog person really but little fellah is here to stay.

Yeah well done.. Good to know there is some nice people about..

Ayutthaya - Kanchanaburi 3 Day Trip ! " All Aboard Viewers " !!

Hello again Viewers! ( thank you for " tuning in " once again.... )

Well due to " serious financial turbulence & a broken Lumix camera " i haven't been able to take part in any Train Adventures recently viewers! So for myself it was " great excitement " when 2 of my good friends arrived at my front door and quite simply said " Pack your bag! - we are off on an adventure.........."

We have visited these places before in previous posts but i thought i would share my adventure with you all!

We took the 08.30 Express Train out of Bangkok's Hua Lampong railway station and made our way to Ayutthaya ( with the " wind in our hair " viewers..) The Train costs a cool 20 Baht and takes about 90 minutes.On arrival in Ayutthaya we found rooms opposite the railway station from 150 Baht for the night but ended up in a lovely room for just 300 Baht ( Fully loaded with all luxuries inc hot water viewers! ) A fabulous day was spent outside in the sun exploring all the great parks and temples ( with some " adult banter " on the way...) Quite a nice selection of places to eat in the evening just opposite the railway station.

The next day it was time to change locations and visit Kanchanaburi ! There is no Train (unfortunately that goes across country so you need to take a bus ( or minibus ) to Suphanburi to get a connecting bus to take you to Kanchanaburi ( 50 Baht ) Fabulous scenery all the way viewers! wonderful colours and everything very clean ( apart from my gags...),

From the bus station in Kanchanaburi its a 30 minute stroll to to the main " tourist drag " with some fabulous rooms on the water.You can find rooms from 150 baht but worth paying the 350 baht for a fabulous room " floating on water " ( it should be noted viewers that if you are staying in these " Water Raft Rooms " and have the pleasure to be staying next door to a " romantic couple " then you must expect that your bed will also be " rockin' on water " - a fabulous experience may i add ( Ladies kind respect where due...)

There are two trains running daily from Kanchanaburi to Bangkok's Thonburi (Bangkok Noi ) Railway station at a cost of 100 Baht. It makes a great 3 day trip and i would recommend it to all of you! I have attached some photos from the trip that i took on my Lenovo Mobile phone i hope you like them!

Until next time viewers!

Farang jaidee ( " on the tracks " )

Nice to see you out and about again.. Great photos..

Everyone should read Paul Rosolie"s book about his life and his fight to save the rainforest, its a really good book..

Happy Birthday to a great king and a great man.. He has done a lot for his country.. Long live the king..

Yeah nice post costas.... Nice place Khon Kaen..

I love Thailand...don't believe otherwise. On the whole it's a great country with great people.

Yeah your so right!! Could not have put better myself!!!

What does it matter if they worked the bars or not, it's what they are and do now that counts. If I found out now that my wife was a bargirl, it would not make any difference to me. What she did before she met me is none of my business, and vice versa.

Yeah that's true.. Also a lot depends on the girl, saying all bar girls are bad is stupid, just as saying that all Thai people are bad.. There is good and bad in every job or country..

I have always loved the trains in Thailand. Strange that Ive never talked to another farang that liked train travel! If not flying, they take the bus. I avoid the bus whenever possible. The bus scares me the way they drive.

Also, I prefer 3rd class. The air con is like a bus seat, wheras on 3rd class you can get up, walk around, change seats and talk to other passengers. Ive met a lot of very nice down to earth people on the train.

Yes, trains are slow and often late. Im sure this is a concern to many people, but Im never in a hurry, Im retired, and the problems we encounter here in Thailand, I like to think of as an adventure.

Im planning a small trip soon from Khon Kaen to Nong Khai. Its only 3 hours, very pleasant scenery and usually friendly fellow passengers. A night or 2 in Nong Khai and then the train back.

I would suggest anyone just try a short trip. You may be surprised.

Been on both the bus and the train Khon Kaen to Nong Khai, better on the train, also went from Nong Khai to BKK on the train.. Hope to do more train trips..

Okay, I live roughly 55 km east of Chiang Rai. As I say on my profile page, I have lived here for a very long time and I am very happy here. For those who need help visualizing life far from the city, here is the view from my front yard. Granted it looks different everyday, and right now they are halfway through the harvest, so it won't be this green again until next year.

It's truly lovely but I need the sight of neon and smell of traffic fumes. But each to their own. Good luck mate. Nice post.

After 30 years in Bangkok, I was in need of something a little different.

Yeah looks a really nice place!!

Don't have to pay council tax on your home.

Can do improvements to your home without having to pay extra cash to the local authority.

Don't have to pay this tax and that tax, Oh, too many to mention.

Don't need to buy a television license.

Can walk the streets safe at night.

Yeah all this is so true!! And most Thai people are nice decent honest and helpful.. The thing about the uk is you have to be rich or have nothing at all... If your one of these who have never done a days work then your ok there, you get a free place to live etc etc...

Can someone give me ONE reason to marry.

This isn't about justifying your hang-ups. Anyway, good luck.

Hang ups??? You kidding me. Was only married very briefly in farang world. Now retired and living in the lovely Los and Asia generally. Plently of money way more than I need. Have the Thai gf, two years now. About to take her on her second visit to AU. Would I marry her? NO WAY.

hangups ? Give me a break.

Thai gf?? Thought you paid your chick to take care of you?? Hardly a gf then??

TV licence is the only one I agree with.

Were you ever a driver in the UK sitting at traffic lights at 3am for ages when there are very little traffic on the roads? If you want to build a garage for your car, are you happy to let someone else tell you whether you can or can't, despite it being your land, and then charge you a fortune for their "services"?

Yeah I agree with everything you said... Paying for a licence to watch crap tv is a joke! I know of a guy who put a caravan on a small field, you could hardly see it from the road, yet the council threw him & his family off, then put them in a council house! Whats the point of that?? And some one down the road from there gets the ok to a big house right in the middle of a big field

Hello Viewers!

Sorry to sound " rather harsh " but nobody can get used to the heat by staying indoors all day! ( especially with air con ) My little 2000 baht a month room has a fan but i never use it! I take two showers a day in cold water.And spend most days outside in the sunshine.No alcohol ( that will raise your heat levels....) you must drink plenty of water ( not Fanta viewers...) I would also recommend daily exercise such as " walking " ( don't use motorbikes and baht buses as they will make you lazy ) Eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables every day too! I have about 8 pairs of Swimming shorts which i think are the best for spending most of the day outside.Nice and comfortable and " lets the breeze ventilate your more sensitive areas " .....( ladies kind respect where due..) Good quality Flip Flops are good ( not trainers! ) My newly resoled Kitto Flips make a daily 15 km stroll quite simple and enjoyable.( 350 baht at a store near you...) Living just 15 minutes from the waters edge ( the sea ) is also a great advantage with a constant breeze and perfect for afternoon swimming.

Are you still with me viewers......?

When you are walking i would recommend to take an ipod or MP3 player with you it will help you when " strolling alone " and you will have the delight of your favourite cool tunes " bangin' in your ears "........

Farang Jaidee

Photo attached taken yesterday of myself after a 3 baht train journey into the country and climbing 289 steps to a place so high - " Where Eagles Dare " ........ ( a cool movie )

Yeah good advice... Too many sit inside all day... Yeah a great movie!

Maybe he is better off where he is, better than being stuck on his own back in the dull cold uk!!