Lancelot

Think yourself luky. Here on Koh Tao the big bike hire shop, run by a German guy, think of German shorts charges 1000 baht for a broken clutch or brake lever. The cost to replace 60 baht. Any scratch or mark is charged at ful replacement cost with around a 500% mark up. Thats how they make their money. They love it when farang hire these bikes when they know they cant ride them. ANY mark on the bike should be agreed before you take the bike but tourists very rarely take much notice. It just pees me off when you get a farang blatantly doing it. Its a hard life being a tourist!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah, sell it and you've still got it. TIT.

Simple answer here is to park the bike on a piece of hard ground !! would you leave your car in a swamp or on a sandybeach beach over night?? didn't think so... shut up and pay the money

The ground was well drained, far from the beach and hard as a rock before the rain.

F*&( off moron

The guy was right. Pai pai pai out of Thailand. A fuss over 20 baht. Are you kidding me?

Those people have been there for ages. It is their job and their surly attitude towards the rest of us is due to people like you.

The guy was wrong and so are you Pay him B1,000 per hour if you like but don't impose your ideals on the rest of us.

Late last night, walking some of the side sois of Asok I also, like others here, tried to be stopped by 2 cops on a motorbike and got my pockets checked.

I was well dressed and polite, and so where they . They certainly looked like real cops to me incl. ID badges, side arms Etc.

I, on purpose, took out my mobile and wallet which they also checked - I myself pulled out the pockets of my jeans so was not "man-handled" in any way.

A few coins fell to the ground as I did that and one of the cops dutyfully picked them up and gave them back to me with a "thank you".

Not much drama - but just to let all know that it is still happening.

Cheers!

I think it was because you didn't finish your Chang at the Cat House

Long time; no see

Just returned from a week in Kho Chang Island (Nov 14) and had a great time. Not very crowded and reasonable prices for food and lodging.

We rented a Yahama Fino from a shop (Vuu Travel/Tours?) opposite an immitation 7-11, about in the middle of White Sand Beach. We rented the scooter for 6 days for 1,000 baht and enjoyed touring the island. Unfortunately it rained hard on the 13th, the scooter was parked outside our bungalo on hard packed earth, which softened up a bit and the bike fell over...

Took the bike back to the rental shop the next day and long story short, they charged us 1,100 baht for two scratches, one on the front panel (size of my thumb) and one on the front left turn indicator lenz. The owner got on the phone and made a show of calling the Yahama dealer for the price to repace the parts, 925 for the front cover and 175 for the indicator lenz. My gf called a shop in BKK and they priced it at B600. Of course the owner blew that information off and didn't budge on price. I paid up and we caught a songtaew to the ferry.

I fully expected to pay some money to repair the scratches but B1,100 seemd a little excessive. The owner was a nice guy when I rented the bike but a total @ss hole when there was a problem. TIT...

Yesterday I was on the government bus from Leamgnop (Kho Chang Island) to BKK. The driver was yapping away on his cell phone most of the time, letting go of the steering wheel to shift gears.

Later I caught a wift of tobacco and -you guessed it- he was smoking.

TIT....

Let's not assume that everyone can't handle THB 25 per USD. Perhaps some folks will no longer feel that the level of service/quality of life in Thailand is consistent with the cost of living here. Just because some guys can afford $4+ drinks is Thai go-go bars will mean that they are willing to pay that amount

Well it looks like the girl friend and the guy from power buy are both scamming him, and your right his cable bill looks excesive too.

I guess he could just be one of those victims who gets taken for a ride by everyone he meets.

I wonder what he does to be able to spend B600,000 per month, he's not in economics thats for sure.

this thread is quickly degrading in jealousy , obvousily i dont buy a new television every month, but there are always new toys, i am sure you can relate. a television this month, sound system next month, new furniture etc. fwiw, on average i probably dont spend more than 170-180k/month.

You rock Dude. You've managed to save 400+K Baht in just a few posts.

Why don't you start a new thread in the vein of "Real men spend at least 600K THB and have a minimum p%^$# size of 12 inches

it is easy to spend $ people.

television lcd 200k baht...

...its very easy to spend 600k baht in a month.

I feel bad now, I only buy a new TV every other month

American man falls to his death from 12th-floor condo

His Thai wife, Duangta, 28, told police that she went to bed when the man was reading his emails and she was woken up by his shout... She said she saw her husband jump down.

She woke up and managed to get to the window in time to see him fall?!? Very fleet of foot...

FWIW, A Thai girl jumped from VP Tower around a year ago. I don't think any foul play was suspected in that sad event.

Greetings to all,

Both my wife and I have either had an unusual run of bad luck, or BOTH of us are no longer suited to living in this wonderful, intoxicating, enigmatic land.

We are both fed up with the double standards, lack of clarity, exploitation, inconsistencies, dual pricing, prejudice and Lord knows what else.

Nothing wrong with going home. Oz is a great country, go back and chill out for awhile. Thailand will always be here when/if you want to return :)

Thais will steal the shirt off your back if you're not looking. Never give them the opportunity and you're alright.

It is really a shame that some farangs will generalize about all Thais based on their experience, which almost always involves living and cavorting with riff-raff--both Thai and farang.

Well put. What are these vehemently anti-Thai people doing here if they hate Thais so much?

Who said they hated Thais?

I thought octagon only said you couldn't trust them when it comes to money?

Forget it man. Unless you are in the "If you don't think Thailand is perfect, then go home" camp, all you will get here is abuse. Many of the self absorbed Thai experts aren't even in Thailand

Went to Immigration today and they're definitely 3 month stamps. Because she changed over from a 30 day stamp, they say she first needed a non-immigrant "O" and in the last 7 days before those 3 months expire, she should come back and make the annual extension. Obviously presenting all the documentation again. It would have been easier to do it in one, but maybe it's not supposed to be easy.

I had a similar experience when I arived in coutry.

I entered Thailand on a 30 day visa exemption stamp, then went to Penang and got a 60 day tourist visa. Back in Bangkok, I converted the tourist visa to a 90 day type "O", then before it expired, I went back to Immigration and received a retirement visa (about 7 months stay on original retirement visa because they backdate to your entry date to Thailand)

All subsequent retirement extensions of stay have been for the full 12 months, even when I apply one or two months before expiration.

Good luck

Did you receive and pay for your 7 day extension, or did you just inquire and not go ahead with it and opt for a border run instead?

This is bad news. If we can't be gauranteed a 30 day extension on tourist visas, then definitely it's time to move on.

Nowwho hates the Thai people? Its their country, they may do as they please.

PS-You never bought me a coffee, you cheap charlie

I'd rather discuss issues with a "sex tourist" than some of the pompus, self absorbed "WeBeThai" morons that have 10,000+ posts on Thai Visa

sort of stupid thread really. ok you are getting older so what. so is everyone else. it makes no difference where you live. if you want to excersize either go jogging in lumpini park or other parks or join a gym. the diet well makes no difference too you can just pick and choice as with any place where the healthy choices are.

Stupid is as stupid does

Hmmmm, and I thought it was all started those naughty Viet Nam troops R&Ring in Thailand. Surely there was not a P4P scene prior to that

naive tourist - baht buses are used by mostly thai(s) so raising the price triple - isn't going to make the masses happy.

Agreed!

I'm no dog expert but I had a Welsh Cardigan Corgi when I lived in the US. We had him neutered when he was a pup (forget the exact age) and didn't have a problem with him until one day my (ex) wife picked up his toy bone and he nailed her. Didn't break the skin, but I was going to put him down but she talked me out of it.

Long story short, I was the dog's primary contact (feeding, exercise, etc.) but for two weeks I totaly ignored him and he had to depend on my ex for feeding, etc. Seemed to work as he never offered to bite her again.

Looking back, my ex and I were having some issues during that time, and maybe the dog was picking up on the "tension" and he was adding a little if his own.

Good luck and keep your child safe

Thanks for the info. I've successfully completed five retirment extensions and they've kept the original pension letter every time

I've heard that with the new "certification" of a pension letter will allow us to retain the original pension letter as long as our current passport is valid.

Time will tell

Jing, I can understand your concerns (own a condo but can't be assured of a visa to live in it.)

Sure some of the Visa changes can leave us scratching our heads but I doubt that the powers to be will ever truly slam the door on farangs living here long term. Im my (subjective) opinon, there is too much money at stake and the Thais will not allow that income stream to slip away.

Good luck

One of the better qualities of Pattya is that nobody cares about what the other guy is doing

Sometimes I think we farangs tell a fib or two as well. I can't speak for others but if my (Mom or GF) cooks something that I didn't particularly like, then asks me how I liked it, I tell her it was gourmet! Whe my GF asks if she looks slimmer, you guessed it, I fib again.

And then there were some of the job interviews I've had. I lied like the proverbial dog (not sure a dog has ever lied to me.)

I understand the OPs concerns, but personally speaking, I'll admit to stretching the truth a bit to save some hurt feelings (or get that job!)

So many generalisations of what's 'right' for everyone else.

Who is anyone to judge or feel embarassed or full of pity for anyone else's relationship. In the word of my dear old dad, perhaps people should mind their own f****g businesses what other people are doing, and worry more about themselves.

If a 50 year old guy wants to date a 22 year old, so what? If a 50 year old, wants to date a 65 year old thai woman, so what?

It's nothing to do with you, me or the garden post.

As for marriages failing? They fail for a million reasons so generalisations don't help. My first marriage failed because we were both lazy. I will try to avoid the same mistakes second time around.

Agreed. Live your life to please yourself

I understand the OPs concerns, but once you leave your home country it is totaly different. I have been on a retirement visa since 2003 and I do not plan on buying any real property here, ever. Rent is cheap and I like the idea of being flexible and mobile.

One of the downsides to asia is that westerners are mostly tolerated but not totally accepted. Its just the way it is...

South America anyone?

You are a wiser man than I am. (I bought.) Somone was looking for a business idea for Thailand. How about a Spanish language school?

On the other hand, while jogging on the beach, I met a fellow farang that couldn't say enough positive (bullish) things about the Pattaya property boom (his words.) He said he was making a nice rental income from his units and was looking for more opportunities to invest his capital here. I hope he makes a bundle but I am still not persuaded to buy any real property

Good luck with the school Jing!