Diablo Bob

I knew More & More ....... about Less & Less, Until I knew ALL there was to Know about nothing!

Does that pretty much SUM up the understanding issue?

I agree with this policy......

How else will the common Thai understand their local rice merchant, moneylender and gold shop proprieter.

When the strong arms come to collect on a debt and sieze their property, how else will they understand what the interest charges really were, unless they speak Chinese?

Or maybe this is a way for the "Have Not's" feel a little like the "Have's". They don't have the money or presitige, but "Shit" I can speak the same language!

Inasmuch as the logic seems to be, Well the largest country in the world speaks Chinese, while we are at it lets bring in Arabic since the worlds largest religion is Islamic!

The land of rising water of course...... Chiangmai!

Ahhhh ...... isn't Taksin's the solution ignorning the problem? IF these people had jobs that paid more money, maybe they wouldn't need the government to subsidize their housing.

My mate brought me a bottle of Jamesons. So i've had a few . It would be rude not to.  

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I am a Black Bush (Bushmills) man myself..........

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I'm partial to a bit of black bush aswell. Though the missus is shaved.

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Where are you from? I appreciate your sense of humor!

Personnaly, I love it........

I knew you did!

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Beat mw, whip me with strings........

I don't know about you, but here I sit in Kabul, and today is the first day of Ramadan!

What do I do? Drink whiskey all day and have the barbeque started for a great pork chop dinner!

Ahhhhhhhhhhh Life is great!

My mate brought me a bottle of Jamesons. So i've had a few . It would be rude not to.  

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I am a Black Bush (Bushmills) man myself..........

Well as many of you know i'm getting married on the 15th. So from yesterday the wedding guests started to arrive. My best mate(bigger pissshead than me) and his wife arrived. So as you can imagine it was a very messy sfternoon/night. My poor missus had to goto work. Suffering after drinking cocktails, Jack Daniels and then Sangsom. Poor girl. Oh ! Forgot about the red wine also. Anyway the mayhem has started. It can only get worse. Mad Welsh mate arriving tomorrow, Ozzie mate Thursday, Friday family and an English mate. Saturday kiwis, Sunday Canadian and South Afican, The rest of next week other people will be arriving also. This will go on for a month.   But hey you only get married once(well some people do). So will keep you updated on the hangovers and such in the coming days/weeks. Wish me luck!

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Jockstar,

Congratulations, I hope that you are as lucky as myself with the happiness that I have experienced since getting married. I waited 48 years before taking the plunge and have sometimes wondered what if I had done it earlier? My answer is every time, that I guess I was waiting for the right lady in my life....

Again, Congratulations and have a great celebration, prior to you wife putting a stop to all the fun........ Thai girls might seem to be subservient in public but when they get home can be incredibly dominating!

Bye.....

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Thanks very much bob. Did you say you like being dominated?

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I don't think I said anywhere about "LIKING" to be dominated....... remember, there is more than one way to skin a cat! I guess it comes down to compromise! Give me this and I can get that! Isn't that what marriage is all about anyway?

Personnaly, I love it........

for all you people who think she's hot, consider this....angelina jolie looks just like a female version of her father, jon voight, except maybe for the fat lips.

it is this fact alone that prevents me from having any fantasies about her..... .

i'll have to appreciate her good looks purely from an artistic angle.

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Well as long as everyone is using OLD adages: Look at the mother if you want to see how a girl will look at age!

Lets face it..... she is hot!

Personally, I dislike Tatoos! I had the opportunity back in 1971, I was in the US Navy, crossing the International Date Line, where as sailors we were given the choice (Tatoo or eat the balut): I chose the balut and can still feel the claws going down my throat to this day....... My reasoning at this time? I had none.... I had just spent 6 rotten months in Vietnam and I was going home (Spent 2 more 6 month rotten tours after this!)

Now as to Angeline Jolie, well with her looks she can get away with anything she wants..... she seems to be a more down to earth person the your normal Hollywood personality. She gives her time to the UN (Another worthless organization) and actually stays away from the camera lights, she does not seek publicity.

I wouldn't throw her out of bed for a tatoo........

Well as many of you know i'm getting married on the 15th. So from yesterday the wedding guests started to arrive. My best mate(bigger pissshead than me) and his wife arrived. So as you can imagine it was a very messy sfternoon/night. My poor missus had to goto work. Suffering after drinking cocktails, Jack Daniels and then Sangsom. Poor girl. Oh ! Forgot about the red wine also. Anyway the mayhem has started. It can only get worse. Mad Welsh mate arriving tomorrow, Ozzie mate Thursday, Friday family and an English mate. Saturday kiwis, Sunday Canadian and South Afican, The rest of next week other people will be arriving also. This will go on for a month.   But hey you only get married once(well some people do). So will keep you updated on the hangovers and such in the coming days/weeks. Wish me luck!

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Jockstar,

Congratulations, I hope that you are as lucky as myself with the happiness that I have experienced since getting married. I waited 48 years before taking the plunge and have sometimes wondered what if I had done it earlier? My answer is every time, that I guess I was waiting for the right lady in my life....

Again, Congratulations and have a great celebration, prior to you wife putting a stop to all the fun........ Thai girls might seem to be subservient in public but when they get home can be incredibly dominating!

Bye.....

I have a news paper clipping from the Los Angeles Times (Not necessarily a good source) circa 1997, which stated that Thailand had a 92% Condom use overall (Excludes married couples) and was the ONLY country in the world where the rate of infection to HIV was in the negative values.

I haven't been a client to Soi Nana or Cowboy in years (Happily married) but I would bet a beer that these girls are still using the condoms, it is the kids not involved with the sex industry who are responsible for this rise in the rate. In 1990, 7 of 10 boys intering the Thai Military tested positive for HIV......

Screw the statistics....... go back to education and free condoms, its cheaper in the long run. With Taksins health care policy the cost of education and condoms would be money well spent.

Well, I was born in Indonesia!

My parents are American.

My younger and brother & sister are adopted from Thailand......

I was raised in Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and California.

During the military years Vietnam & the Philippines.

After college: Chile, Argentina, Mexico, Bermuda, St. Kitts & Nevis, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia and now Afghanistan.

I now live in Thailand.

So in answer to your question: I don't really know where I am from or what culture I really belong too.

The Federal Hotel on Sukhumvitt 11 (Soi Chayos).

Rooms from 750-1200 baht.

First time I stayed there was in 1963, when I was a dependent (Father OICC Thailand) then started staying there myself from 1990 until today.

The staff are dughters and sons of the staff from 1963, the owner is the son of the owner from 1963.

Fantastic coffee shop, reminiscent of what a coffee shop looked like in the 60s in the USA.

My family is recognized upon check-in, they send cards for my childrens birthdays and I now feel that I am part of the Federal Family.

Hard to get a reservation during during high-season, even though the hotel does not advertise, the repeat customers keep them full.........

Hey this tour sounds great........

Being a little dense (Lazy) can you give me a few more particulars...... I would be driving the route myself with the family sometime this November.

I never knew them.....

But based upon your description, they seem to be two gentleman that I will miss the opportunity of communicating with...... and this will be my loss!

Backpacker is a designation that totally lacks any meaning IMO. I hope you are not seriously suggesting it is useful to define people by the bag they choose to carry when travelling?

Of course there are people wearing backpacks who behave like herd animals and don't venture out of their comfort zone, but that has nothing to do with their bag, it is an attitude thing, just like some people with plenty of spending power and beautiful brandname suitcases behave like complete turd sandwiches.

In my eyes, as long as you show other people respect, and an openness and a willingness to learn, you are ok, irrespective of budget, suitcase/backpack.

You are totally correct.........

Most of my response was tounge in cheek.

I can remember when a backpacker actually walked! Today using this descriptive term they now fly, take trains & buses, stay in low rent hotels/guesthouses and generally refrain from hygenic activities such as bathing...... today the true backpacker is called a trecker I believe, they actually walk, use a tent that they carry and generally refrain from hygenic activities such as bathing!

Regardless, I really have no problem with backpackers (Trekers), I used to be one and actually wish I wasn't so old as to go back to my youth and experience what they are doing. The world is so much more available today then when I was "Backpacking"..........

And I agree with your last paragraph........

Sorry if there is a misunderstanding. Gotta go and take my monthly bath!

Actually, my husband is from the South and finds Northerners/Central Thais making derogatory remarks about the South as well. For instance, the dialect he speaks.

It is human nature, not just Thailand.

Ask a northern German what they think of Bavarians, ask an American what they think of people from the South, ask English people what they think of people from Yorkshire and the north. etc etc etc.

Discrimination is part and parcel of human nature. I read somewhere that it goes way back to when humans were divided into tribes and it made sense to distrust anyone not of your own tribe.

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Maybe I am misunderstanding your reply.......

There is a distinct difference between Racism & Discrimination. To put it more simply Racism is "I don't like you because your skin is dark!" Discrimination is "You can't get an equal education because you are from Issan!" Let's not confuse the issues'

Where not necessarily liking someone because they are from an area different from your own, doesn't seem to be either Racism nor Discrimination if the unliked has equal benefits, regardless of where they come from.

The comments being made about another group of people aka. Centrals vs. "The rest of Thailand" are actually inconsequential. It is the government policy of excluding the benefits afforded their groups vs. the rest of the country which has consequence. It is the use of skin color to determine if you are fit for the job that is racist and carries consequences that breach not only the economic wealth of a region but the spiritual health of a region.

Please........ spare me the adage "This is Human Nature!" If it is wrong now it surely was wrong then and naturally will be wrong tomorrow.

Ps. I am from the United States and have no problem with the Southerners, its those ###### people from New York City (Don't confuse with NY State) I don't really like..........

I have been looking at a piece of property outside of Buriram. It is 6 Rai, 100m from the Huay Ratt road next to a resevoir.

The local rice barron (owner) is asking 80,000 bht/rai as long as the whole parcel is purchased.

So, 60,000 does sound somewhat in the ballpark.

Limited night life.......

No Soi Nana, No Pattaya just real people.

Actually quite cheap ........ assuming they go to rural areas and not city dwellers.

You wake up, you walk them out to the fields, they eat grass, you take them home.

I am not qualified to answer this topic. But I will anyway, because I can........

I agree, there is racism here in Thailand. There is a prejudice by the government (regardles of party) towards Issan.

Here are a few examples in my opiniom. As you are aware, most of the people in Issan are darker skinned than the rest of the country. Every time you turn on TV, the actors & announcers are all of the "Pale" variety of Thai. Fly on Thai Air, have you ever seen a dark skinned Thai stewardess? If so how often...... My wife being from Buriram is so envious of the light skin that whenever she goes shopping she always tries and sneak some whitening cream into the basket, without me seeing.

Another example is the funding in schools..... the Issan schools lack most of the advancements that schools in Bangkok or Chiangmai might have. A degree from a univrsity in Issan is not treated equally with one from BKK or CNX. Why, well the quality of the education doesn't match! Why, well the funding isn't the same for the schools in Issan, consequently, money is spread thinner by paying less for teachers, Not getting the computer equipment etc.

Now the above examples might not seem extreme or overt. They are not! Most might not even consider the above racism or prejiduce, but they are......

A whole geographical area of Thailand ashamed of their skin color, denied poitions because of skin color. A whole geographical region of parents who want their children to be better off then themselves being given an eductational system which will deny them this goal.

Now on another note, the popularity of Issan music has turned the tables on "whitey" so to speak. This is something that the people of Issan are extremely proud and they can call their own, and can never be taken away from them......

Personally, I LOVE Issan, Buriram in particular. If it wasn't for the sad eduction system, I would be living there rather than Chiangmai.

At least you admitted that you are a virgin to Thailand depending upon the advise of websites catering to backpackers, which do nothing but sully the reputations of their native countries!

My memory is fading but it seems that the original question had a budget and asked could he live on it? I don't really recollect him asking how he could live like Osama Bin Laden in a &lt;deleted&gt;&gt;--g cave to save money!

Please, PACK up your Jansport, take the train SOUTH, WAY SOUTH and join your compatriots in Bangkok.

Chiangmai is looking for a FEW good expats. We don't want to see the Pattaya calibur backpacker choose OUR community for their home!

I am sorry, we have our standards.........

PM THAKSIN ASSIGNS GOVERNMENT AGENCIES TO IDENTIFY FLOOD SOLUTIONS

The Prime Minister has assigned relevant government units to closely monitor the water problems and identify ways to solve them.

Prime Minister THAKSIN SHINAWATRA said he has instructed the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives to coordinate with the Meteorological Department in managing the warning system more effectively. Therefore, the residents in disaster-prone areas would be able evacuate promptly.

However, he said the reservoirs in the northern province of CHIANG MAI are not able to hold as much water as expected. Thus, he has assigned related officials to urgently drain the overflowing water in the province.

The premier said deforestation is one of the main causes of flood problems. If the flood situations in CHIANG MAI and LAMPANG have not improved soon, the Prime Minister said he will then travel to those provinces tomorrow (October 2nd).

Source: thaisnews.com ประจำวันเสาร์ที่ 1 ตุลาคม 2548

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Again, another simplistic answer to a complex problem..... Deforestation does not cause flooding, it causes mud slides. Development can/does cause flooding!

When the article says "reservoirs in the northern province of CHIANG MAI are not able to hold as much water as expected"...Woooo , the reservoir has only a certain capacity, did they expect it to contain more? What they mean to say is that we are receiving more precipitation than expected and we were caught with our pants down!

The bottom line is this..... the flood control people pretty much know what the capacity of a reservoir is +/-, from what I have been able to obtain from sources is that prior to last weeks flood, in an effort to make room for additional water they lowered the flood gates to release water. Then while this was happening, the rains arrived and the inflow of new water started entering the reservoir. The pressure of this additional water prevented the raising of the flood gates!

I feel sorry for the officials in charge of the reservoirs up-stream.....

It is like being in Vegas! Lower the water level in the reservoir anticipating a storm which doesn't happen and than have water shortages or wait until the last possible minute then make your decision and get caught with your pants down!

The problem really is the growth of Chaingrai and Chiangmai. Both of our communities are on a river, we have built on the river. The growth of our cities has necessitated the storage of water to sustain our cities, hence we always have this game of Russian Roulette being performed upstream!

Think about it...... IF Chiangmai Provence had NO tourist industry and the town was still mainly an agricultural economy. What would be the need for stored water? The rice season is over......the rice season depends mainly upon the rainfall in the fields and even IF there were reservoirs upstream, the impact of an un-seasonal wet spell would be minimal.

Where does the Thai Government go from here.....? Hopefully with qualified planners, not political lakeys!

Can't quite handle the crying & screaming of the Thai soap opera's.

I have heard that babies brought up exposed to two languages simultaneously will be a little slower than other babies starting to speak, but when they do start, like the Dr. said, they will be speaking in both languages very naturally. I know a lot of mixed marriage couples that both speak to baby in their own language, this apparently helps the baby figure out what is what in each language. (Is that last sentence coherent?)

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How about three languages..... my daughter is 2 1/2, my wife is originally from Buriram (Khmer) we now live in Chiangmai (Thai) and naturally my American English.

When visiting Grandma & Grandpa she speaks Khmer, when out and around Chiangmai its Thai and when talking to me English.

The amazing thing is up to around 24 months it was just individual words ...... now she is stringing the words together and making sentences.

For fun, we put on a Karake VCD and she sings in either Thai or English IF she likes the song......

Enjoy it....... these are the great times with the kids.