Stevemercer

In my experience, most Thai women I have come into contact enjoy cards with friends. But, for most, it is just an occasional thing and the bets are small (20 Baht). Some Thai woman are addicted to cards. My wife has always gambled. In Australia it was always the pokies. In Thailand it was playing cards and I used to think it was harmless (e.g. it would take a long time to loose as much as 10 minutes at the pokies) until I saw the size of the bets (typically 1000 Baht). When does it become an addiction - when it disrupts normal life and the addict cannot function normally. My wife functions normally, and does everything for me she has always done, but she has piled on the debt. Luckily our house/land in Thailand is owned by her sister (who is very responsible) and there are no assets in her name that she can borrow against. Still, there are always ways and, over time, you learn to close off the financial loopholes one by one. There is no point giving your wife an ultimatum or cutting her off, if you want to stay married. You have to find ways to manage it so it doesn't turn into a crisis for your finances. You have to decide the threshold line she cannot cross (becasue you would consider divorce at this point). Sit in on a few games so you can see the stakes they are playing for. If the bets are in the 1,000s of Bahts, then almost certainly your wife has loaned money against the house (very bad), stolen from your bank accounts (bad), borrowed from a friend (manageable) or gone to the loan sharks (very, very bad if a large sum). I don't intend to divorce my wife, I hope we can continue to grow old together. I accept her for better or worse, just as she accepts me (and my womanising). If you, as the husband, have no secrets from your wife, and are 100% perfect, maybe you can take the upper moral path. Your wife will continue to deny there is any problem. You can let her know the parameters (e.g. you will not pay off her debt), but you also need a fall-back position if it looks like she will take you down with her. My wife is an Australian citizen and, I guess, can always go there if the situation becomes intolerable (e.g. she is hounded by loan sharks). I have money in Australia and, I guess, can also go there if things really go pear-shaped. As I said, our house/land is in my sister-in-laws name and I trust her (the family all know about the gambling). If I ask, she will help me sell it and give me the money (for a commission). The worst thing would be if my wife borrowed a large sum from loan sharks. This, in my books, would be crossing the line, becasue things would quickly escalate. Everybody would know and she would lose immeasurable face. I guess, for me, this might be grounds for divorce. At the moment we/I are managing the problem well below this threshold. My wife did once borrow a million baht from a friend. I guess I've learned to take the Thai approach and haven't really worried about this. There is no legal agreement, there is nothing in my wife's name she can be forced to sell, the lady she borrowed from is very old and may die soon. I guess I could be liable for this debt given our marriage. I did help mediate and work out a modest repayment plan (10,000 Baht per month with 75% paid from her Thai pension). But, in all honesty, I never think about it and am not worried. After all, we can enjoy today and tomorrow will take care of itself. I also hope that my wife's friends will learn not to loan her money because they might not get it back.

'On the occasional visits we use 2 aircons, one with 36KBTU (Seer around 20) and one with 12KBTU (Seer around 16).' I'm not really sure what this means, but if the settings are 20 degrees and 16 degrees you will have a high bill becasue the ACs will be working flat out when on. A setting of 26 degrees is more typical and comfortable?

Yes, the Australian dollar contiues to fall along with the Baht.

If I understand your post, you were married overseas and divorced in Thailand. Legally you are divorced in Thailand, but still married overseas. As other posters have said, you need to translate/certify and submit your divorce to the appropriate overseas authorities. Essentially the same as you did to register your overseas marriage in Thailand, but in the opposite direction. It could affect any pensions or benefits you receive from your home country if you are assessed at the married rate versus the single rate. But, then again, probably not. All you need to have done is to say you have been separated for 2 years or so.

The initiative was out of order, and well beyond Caretaker Conventions, as it may have bound the new incoming government to the old government's policy. Worse, it was politically motivated since the new government has made it clear it does not agree with the policy.

I don't think this is a particular problem to Thailand. Every country seems to work its interns and residents to excess. It's like a starting lawyer in a big firm, the interns are expected to put in the hours with little pay. The senior doctors all went through the excessive hours in their intern years, they expect the new interns to do the same, and so it goes on. It's an expected part of the profession.

As an Australian I am used to buying 'lemonade'. Of course, in Thailand nobody understands what this means. You have to ask for 7-Up.

I once thought about taking Metformin when it was recommended as a wonder drug for prolonging life (widely discussed on the internet). In fact, I thought some clinical trials had started re its effectiveness in this capacity. However, from my reading, any benefits would require mega-dosing.

You must log into the DFAT or Australian Embassy websites and follow the prompts to get to the online 'replacement passports form'. You just fill this out, and the onine service will automatically check/update your passport details. You can then make an appointment online. You print out the approved form and take it with you. In addition you need your old passport. I paid using an Australian credit card and paid in Australian dollars. Any Thai credit/debit card should be fine.

We did go to the Australian Embassy to get a new Australian passport for my wife. I noted the possibility of doing it all online, but there was an embassy appointment available in 2 weeks. We drove down from Khon Kaen and spent the night at the hotel where the recommended passport photo shop is located (mediocre accomodation). At the embassy they accepted all the paperwork and photos. We then drove back home. Two weeks later (yesterday) we received an email to say the passport had been posted to us so we should get it on Monday (I hope).

The least hassle option might be to pay an agent to complete your extension.

So did the OP get his phone back?

Our hospital recently introduced machines to get your ticket queue number for appointments. There is always a long queue. Of course, you need to enter your Thai ID number which I do not have. So I have to bypass the queue and go directly to the counter for my appointment. It's good for me, becasue it saves time waiting, but must be a pain for the waiting Thai people who maybe perceive a farang getting preferential treatment. To answer the OP, yes it is the way of the future, but there will always be a way around it.

China claims the whole of the sea and treats it as its own territorial waters (despite the claim being rejected by International Tribunes). The Chinese position is that anyone else is trespassing illegally on its territorial seas. China wants to bilaterally negotiate with each of the other claimant countries so it can screw each of them them for the best deal. The only way that these other nations can hope to face off China is by banding together to present a united front. China's diplomacy has always been to 'divide and conquer'.

Professional job or business, family-orientated, looking for self-improvement, willing to work hard. You are right, it's hard to define 'decent', but I guess it's someone whe can bring something to a relationship and whom you feel will respect you, support you, speak up for you (protect your face) and be your equal.

I tell Thai women who are after a farang to find some way to travel to a western country. It is much easier to find a decent man overseas. I also say do not hook up with a man who is a regular visitor to Thailand. Find someone who has never been.

If having a Thai massage, I always select the oldest and weakest looking lady.

As usual, the article begs more questions than answers. Does TV have a new translator?

Sorry, I should have clarified I was talking about country Thailand - the non-tourist parts.

Thai people like Thai music played loud, but have no tolerance whatsoever for loud westen music. Nobody will say anything when Thai music is too loud, but the complaints will come thick and fast if it is loud western music.

We still have plenty of geckoes around, but the insect population is still down. Normally, we get swarms of flying ants/termites attracted to the lights after the first few wet season storms, but nothing so far this year. So, yes, I think it is the hot and dry weather we have been having. Cats will certainly keep the lizard population down, together with native birds and any other wildlife.

Siem Reap, in parts, still has a bit of a frontier feel. If you are free to wander around there are some interesting nooks. I would agree with other posters that it is certainly worthwhile visiting Ankor Wat at least once in your life. I have been a couple of times and found it worthwhile.

I think there is something in that. I tell my wife I have been with many Thai ladies, but it is only her I fell in love with. Most ladies are forgotten when they are out of sight. But I knew I was in love with this one when she went back to Thailand and I really, really missed her and couldn't stop thinking about her. So why her, and not the many other ladies? I really don't know. I must admit I have some sympathy with the often desperate blokes who fall in love in what everyone else can see is a hopeless relationship. I'm not sure we choose who we fall in love with, it just happens if we are open to the possibility. Why are Thai ladies over-represented in the sex industry wherever you go in the world? It must have something to do with the Thai trait of living for the moment and not obsessing about the past or worrying about the future. Having said that, some Thai ladies will think too much and never adapt to the trade. I remember one lady who had a client die on her. She went crazy after that, and who can blame her.

If you are really interested in the land you should make an offer. If the seller/broker is interested in selling they will come back to you with a counter offer. If they are just testing the market they will get all huffy. Their reasoning is that the land is worth every baht of the asking price and you are trying to cheat them out of a fair price. Worse, if they accept such an 'insulting' offer they will lose face. It's like a landlord being forced to accept a rent of 7,500 Baht per month during hard times (e.g. Covid) when before he got 10,000 Baht. Instead of being grateful to get any rent at all, the landlord may be resentful believing the tenant is cheating them out of 2,500 Baht per month that is rightfully theirs.