Thakkar

Karen, your surname is not Bravo ?

No..............and I'm a bloke.

Dammit, Karen, couldn't you have left that fantasy alive for me??

T

BTW, that avatar is a close facsimile of my actual face.

If they do have English speaking capability, the obvious reason they don't speak to you is because they don't like you, but do like your wallet.

There are a lot of foreigners in your situation. Just avoid hanging with her and her friends, then you don't have to pay for all their stuff.

The real mirage is you not seeing you are being used.

I chose to be more kind, but I'm afraid there's a real possibility that that's all true.

It is an understandable mistake for a foreigner to make.

Most places in the western world people that don't like you just avoid you.

But here, many want to leech off you if you are daft enough to let them.

In some third world countries everyone appears to be your friend.

I've traveled in third world countries and made friends with people living in South African townships and Nigerian and Indian slums. I've found both poor and educated people, as well as poor and uneducated people to be among the most warm and hospitable I've ever met. On the other hand, I've found that it's often the well off, educated people that are more calculating.

Some of the best parties I've attended were at Capetown townships and Lagos slums. I just showed up with a bottle of Sambuca or a case of beer and had the times of my life. Many there took my number and address. When they contacted me, the only thing they wanted from me was advice.

There are leaches, of course, and they're not hard to spot, or avoid. It's not fair to generalize though.

T

As to why they don't speak to me much? There's light chit chat but I don't make much of an effort myself. They actually said to me I should learn more thai because they want to talk to me more. It's a big bunch of girls, 8 of them night and some don't speak much english so if some of them talked with me in english, they would be ignoring the friends that don't speak english. It's something that needs a bit of work on my part I believe. It would seem a bit self-centered to expect them to speak to me in my language, in their country.

If they do have English speaking capability, the obvious reason they don't speak to you is because they don't like you, but do like your wallet.

There are a lot of foreigners in your situation. Just avoid hanging with her and her friends, then you don't have to pay for all their stuff.

The real mirage is you not seeing you are being used.

You're being unfair. If some of the ladies don't speak English, especially the OP's GF, then those who do and spend an inordinate amount of time speaking it will look like show-offs, or worse, trying to steal her boyfriend. They are following the proper social etiquette in this situation by refraining from overuse of a language not common to the majority in the group, but especially in deference to the OP's GF, who is far from fluent.

T

Shorter version of the OP:

Anyone who visits Disneyland for a week and then assumes the whole of America is exactly like that would rightly be called an idiot. Same here.

T

Excellent.

And anyone who thinks that life on holiday (even an extended one) can be compared to a sustainable day today existence over the long haul is almost as much so...but so many guys choose to live here and choose their mate based on the experience they had on a holiday - it works out well sometimes but only of one is rather lucky and one adapts in certain ways (not the least of which, a change of lifestyle: that's the part the OP got right).

I've said the same thing many times when people consider moving to another location where they've had a good holiday. I always suggest they spend a month there at the worst time of year. That way they might have some understanding of what it might be like to live there full time. I never could understand men selling everything they own and moving to some tiny village in Thailand where they neither know the language nor the culture. And that is not even taking into account adding a partner into the mix. Living with anyone on a long term basis can be a full test of patience.

It's true. Men are prone to flights of fancy. It's not always bad, as instinct has its own intelligence. But such flights of fancy are also often the source of future tragedies- financial, emotional and otherwise. How things turn out depends on a combination of luck, one's disposition and one's ability to learn and change. It's more interesting to live by the seat of your pants. The real tragedy is failing to learn from experience and repeating one's mistakes.

T

Heya mates

Be back at the end of this month, hope to have more time to meet up with all ; the northern charm is indeed real and I'm back to start a family and life here..wish me luck ! Be here for more than the usual 2 mth stint.

Gkung Hei! Congratulations. Seems you've found your mate. Seems to me, from reading some your posts, that you have the right attitude to make things work. No doubt your mate is equally open and accommodating.

T

"Which one floats your boat?"

Is this a trick question?

T

A man named Jingting

Had a bent for bling

Multitudes came to gawk

Of whom many deigned to mock

Asked why the restraint was abundant

They said: to mock bling is redundant.

T

If this is an attempt to create some sort of poem, than you shouldn`t give up your day job.

_snip_

Just because it vaguely rhymes, don't assume it's a poem. If this was your attempt at some sort of literary criticism where none was called for, or even if it was the vaguest of attempts at some sort of humor, then let's hope you're good at taking your own advice. Congratulations, though, if, like me, you were just releasing a brain fart—you succeeded.

T

Eesat, on 03 May 2013 - 00:27, said:

"Add to that the Americans, Australians, Canadians and of course the British - amongst others - do speak one form of English or another."

Don't forget the world's largest democracy,one billion Indians use it as their national business language as they have hundreds of different dialects.In fact if someone in Kerala were to speak to someone in say,Kashmir,in their respective dialects they wouldn't understand a single word!

An educated Indian from one part of India meeting another educated Indian from a different part of India is just as likely to speak with them in English as they are to do so in Hindi (the main national language). This sort of thing exasperates the ultra nationalist Indians so much that, they pen angry Letters to the Editor of their newspaper—in English!

T

Once, in the middle of a conversation with a guy sat next to me on a plane, he stopped suddenly and said, "you know, your English is pretty good."

"So is yours," I replied, "you know, for an American."

Bad start, but I recovered and made friends with him, as is my wont. When I visited Honolulu, I gave him a call and he spent two days showing me around the beautiful island.

Point being, people who seem insular, can be very nice. And people who think themselves sophisticated (like me, above) can be cocky.

T

I have no problem with native English speakers, got more friends here among them then Dutch (we are a minority) so i know they can be nice but so can any other group. Just like there are idiots among them too, i know for a fact there are plenty of idiot Dutch too.

I just noticed all those topics popping up and wondered why, I don't have much problems with Russian signs just like Thai ones I cant read them. Ok i can read a bit of Thai more as Russian but stuff like that does not bother me one bit.

I thought ok.. lots or Russian bashing.. then noticed it ont he Germans and then on the French (cant really blame them there just joking)

I agree. Xenophobia, when one is living in a foreign country is hard to understand. I am as baffled as you are. This is especially so when the complainers have chosen to live in a bustling tourist town like Pattaya.

A few years ago there was much Indian-bashing in the TV Pattaya forum, which I rarely visit. I was alerted to it by my daughter, who, because we were planning a holiday there, was researching Pattaya restaurants to try. She was appalled at the almost overt racism and was put off ever visiting any Thaivisa forum, though I've told her there are many decent forums, and posters who give helpful advice and have thoughtful discussions. Imagine how much more put-off she'd have been if the forum wasn't moderated.

I guess the forums are a reflection of the sort of people that are out there. I try not to let it bother me. The good news is that, by all accounts, the younger generation everywhere are far more tolerant. For example, same-sex marriage is now supported by a large majority of those below 30 in many developed countries. My own teenagers don't even get what all the fuss is about.

T

We eat there very often. (Pro tip: the branch at Airport Plaza give bigger portions). I suspect they do use some MSG. It's probably, as one poster above said, in some of the preprocessed items they buy. So, strictly speaking, their statement that they don't use it in the products they directly make is true.

MSG doesn't bother anyone in my family as long as its used judiciously.

MK's vegetables are fresh and crispy, rice and noodles of very high quality and they are deservedly famous for their duck. I Normally don't enjoy pork, but their thinly-sliced roast pork is pretty darn good.

And at the end of the meal, that soup is a great finish.

So avoid it if you will. Easier seating for my family.

T

• Always wear a condom

.

Yeah, but remember to remove it before urinating.

T

Life is all about the six inches directly in front of your face.

OK.. I understand now.... this girlfriend of yours has that extra bit to offer that most girls don't.

I once had a date like that. When I finally got "her" out of the room, I too said. "Thank you God! Thanks for nothing! Now kill me, please."

T

Since a Thai smile has numerous meanings, all smiles, by law, must be followed up with an explanation. As in, "...of course I'm a man; did you really think a woman can perform fellatio this awsome?"

T

Is that anecdotal or do you have more to tell?

All I'm prepared to say is that the distance between delight and dejection is the narrowest of smiles.

T

Since a Thai smile has numerous meanings, all smiles, by law, must be followed up with an explanation. As in, "...of course I'm a man; did you really think a woman can perform fellatio this awsome?"

T

On the Pacific atoll of Majuro, I once stayed at a hotel consisting of several 40' containers on concrete blocks with all the mod cons and air conditioning. perfectly livable.

T

Mrs. T and I were walking in a shopping mall. An Indian couple were walking the other way, towards us. We didn't know them, and they didn't know us, but we all smiled and wai'ed. I said "namasté" and he said "sabaidi krap"

What does that say about our various preconceptions, I wonder?

T

Three years ago, a Euro bought you 43 Baht

Today: 38

No punch line.

T

Everybody who posted on this thread, or read it, is a loser.

~o:37;

Dammit, Orang, couldn't you have made this the second post after the OP so that I could've immediately stopped reading and thus only been somewhat of a loser?

Doh! Now I'm a poster AND a reader! That makes me a complete tosser!

T

Mrs. T was not keen on moving here and had to be hard-sold on the idea. As our kids will soon enough be off to college, I broached the subject of moving to KL, or further south or out of Asia entirely. No dice. It seems Chiangmai has a tendency to grow on you.

CM is great for some, but not for others. The real question OP should be asking is this: is CM a good retirement place for ME?

To even begin answering that question, one has to first understand oneself and one's situation, starting with three main headings: health, wealth and interests.

T

Why do their dresses never fit them? I saw one in Chiang Mai with her boobs sticking out. I thought she was carrying two puppy dogs.

Were "her" boobs that hairy?

T

I wanted to be lighthearted about this, but it's hard to find any humor in the face of such a detestable onslaught of misogyny. So far on this thread, a woman/women has/have been depicted thusly:

20 bht is the right price [for her]

compared to a farm animal

well-used

Old car

damaged goods

2nd hand goods

Fresh product

new supply coming in daily

well-driven

spoiled goods

And, shockingly, such posts have received multiple "likes." To the posters who say such things: do you kiss your mothers and wives and daughters with that mouth? This way of thinking devalues your own kith and kin, not to mention yourselves.

T

a spade is a spade ! describe it as you like ,....its still a spade !

Directness is commendable, as in calling a spade, a spade. However that isn't the case here at all. To think so would be boorish.

Apart from the fact that some posters have denigrated women in general, one specific woman is being denigrated for the *gasp* "crime" of having been married before and now "having the temerity" to demand a second dowry. She is free to ask, and the man is free to refuse. But anyone depicting this woman as "well-driven" or "spoiled goods" is uncouth in the extreme, and THAT, is calling a spade, a spade.

T

A woman of good up bringing, and one who is honest, wouldn't even think about or need a second sinsot..

*obviously the pasty faced attention seeking wannabes are excluded)