2 hours ago, Guderian said:

Maybe .... there'll be a coup or something in Thailand.

 

We already had one in 2014 in case you missed it, and it didn't hurt the Baht at all. Nor did the one back in 2006 as far as I can recall.

Yeah, I know. It would be ironic if the General currently in charge became the 'civilian' PM after the next election, only to see his military brethren overthrow him 6 months later. Unlikely, I know, but still possible. A coup would put a headwind into the Baht's ride and at least hold it up a bit.

The Aussie dollar was 30 Baht just 5 years ago. Now it is 23 Baht (25% drop). Most predictions have the Aussie dollar down to 18 Baht by the end to 2019 (40% drop compared to 5 years ago when I moved to Thailand).

I always figured I could live comfortably in Thailand on half the money I needed in Australia. If the Aussie goes down to 18 Baht things will be getting desperate for me. If it drops to 15 Baht (50% drop), it might be cheaper for me to live back in Australia. That's my break-even point.

The main problem I have is that I don't own a house or any property in Australia, so it would be hard to move back even if day to day living was cheaper. Even at 15 Baht, rents in Australia will still be prohibitive compared to Thailand. The only way I could swing it would be to try and find work to pay for the rent.

<deleted> it! Maybe the Aussie will turn around or there'll be a coup or something in Thailand.

21 minutes ago, moontang said:

usually exactly what a labor overseer does....just like an insurance company..maximize income while minimizing expenses...integrity goes out the window.

 

As long as the job gets done...

It has nothing to do with you being a farang, or even the amount you pay. It is just difficult to get decent casual/unskilled staff to stick to the job. 

Can you 'contract' out the work? What I mean by this is to employ a Thai supervisor/farm manager at a higher salary (say 800 Baht a day) and let him/her do the hiring and firing, as well as making sure the work is all done to an agreed standard. 

You could even work out a weekly budget with him/her (including wages for staff) and let him/her manage the budget. There might be an incentive here to work more efficiently and earn himself/herself a bit extra. Of course, you would need to stay involved for the first few weeks to make sure too many corners aren't cut..

Of course, it might all end up in tears, but it could save you some aggro.

Today I spent a few hours trying to 'verify' my signature for an insurance claim. I often seem to have this problem - a government, bank or insurance officer wants me to sign something so they can compare my signature to the original they have on record. Although it looks the same to me, they often seem to find some fault and I end up having to repeat my signature 4 or 5 times. 

I then think the business is all finished, only to get a call later in the day that the supervisor is not satisfied with my signature and to come back in. Four or five tries later and the supervisor is satisfied. The next day I have to come in again because the head office is not satisfied...

Anyway, does anyone else have this little annoyance, or it just me? I've never had any problems like this in Australia.

The only brand of expanding foam earplugs that I have found to work are the 3M ones. Other brands aren't as effective.

2 hours ago, BigC said:

Koh Tao but the Population is small

And tends to get a little smaller every year (at least for farangs).

Try Koh Chang on the other side of the gulf. It's quite a large island, with a car ferry for access, and some nice remote islands further offshore.

If you still have some hair left worth saving, you can go the Finasteride (1 mg) route. It'll stop the remaining hair from falling out.

3 hours ago, lordblackader said:

You overstayed 635 days - be grateful you're not banned for life because you would be in many western countries.  Crying foul is more than a bit rich. 

But most western countries have avenues for appeal against immigration decisions (or 'non decisions') and may allow for entry based on individual circumstances, family or compassionate grounds.

I'm not aware that Thailand allows appeal or redress against administrative decisions? Most western countries have some sort of immigration admin law built into the legislation and a clear, defined process for appeal.

I reckon it's a bit of a myth about Thais discriminating against black Americans. I've met a few and they have complained about being swamped with women and amazed by the general friendliness and happiness of Thais.

As other posters have stated, it mainly depends on your personality and how you present. A jerk is a jerk no matter the colour of his skin or what he looks like. It doesn't matter if you are in Thailand, America or Australia.

If you're a snappy dresser, polite and smile a lot, you'll do well at whatever you want to try. First impressions really do count over here in Thailand. I'm not saying Thais are superficial, they are just conditioned to assume that someone who looks good must know what they are doing.

Every country has its honkers. Thank God Thailand is not as bad as countries like Indonesia where everyone honks at the slightest thing. It makes busy roads sound like a cacophony.

I hope Thailand doesn't get into this bad habit.

I know Mahasarakham Immigration is getting into this 'scam'. Everyone who has gone for a marriage or retirement extension in recent months has been told they must pay a 2000 Baht fine for not notifying their address within 24 hours of returning home from overseas, or even from a local holiday when the hotel owner filled out a form for their temporary occupancy.

Of course, most of us don't bother noting we have been married and living at the one residence for years, and that we confirm the address every time we do a 90 day report.

One bloke refused to pay the fine and most others had their missus negotiate it down to 500 or 1000 Baht. No receipts have been given.

People who live in tropics more likely to die seven years earlier

People living in the tropics are likely to die more than seven years younger than those in other regions, according to the first findings of a new global research project.

From 'The Telegraph' (19/11/2012).

Living in a tropical climate will shorten your life span. Countries with high life spans are inevitably temperate or cooler climates.

There is just a great prevalence of bugs, germs and other nasties that may potentially get you from time to time. Things go off much quicker in the heat and one has to be more careful about hygiene. Living in a third world country doesn't help.

These things add up over time and take their toll.

50 minutes ago, sanemax said:

My Thai Wife is well educated , has her own job, never worked in a bar , never asked me for money and has never borrowed any money from money lenders  and doesnt gamble and she also looks 20 years younger than she is  ?

Me too!

I should say that the Stallion will travel at 120 km/hr and has a top speed up to about 140 km/hr. However, comfortable cruising is 100 - 110 km/hr. Above this speed the bike feels busy, the vibrations increase, the wind blast is comfortable (as with any naked bike).

In my view, the Stallion is engineered for comfortable cruising up to 100 km/hr. If you want to cruise faster than this you will need to spend more money and move up to the 750 cc class.

As I've said, the engine is strong and should last for years. Components on the rest of the bike are engineered to a price and will need replacing or upgrading over time.

Sorry, my mistake. I rechecked the manual. The engine is a 397 cc single with, as you state, a standard SOHC set-up and 2 exhaust valves (twin exhausts). It has a single fuel injector and single spark plug.

According to the manual, the engine power is 19.5 Kw @ 7000 rpm and torque is 30 Nm @5,580 rpm. Compression is 8.8 : 1.

The bike's stated gross weight is 160 kg.

Yeah, I reckon the mossies have been bad this year. They seem to wait outside the door and swarm inside when it is opened. Plus there are many more of the mini- mossies that have a 'stealth bite' mode - you don't feel their bite until after they've gone and wonder where all the itchy lumps came from.

I often say that, in Thailand, if you stand still outside for more than 30 seconds something will bite you.

On the plus side, the fireflies have been out for the last few weeks and in good numbers.

16 hours ago, jimn said:

What a ridiculas response

Good argument Mr jimn!

Yes, Bangkok 'opinion' does not always hold for Thailand as a whole. What is acceptable, or typical practice, in Bangkok is not necessarily the norm in rural Thailand.

In rural Thailand the groom is expected to pay sin sod. It is a matter of face for the parents of the bride. It also means that the bride's family must accept you into the family for better or worse.

Assuming your intended has not previously been married, a reasonable sin sod would be about 200,000 Baht for a girl from the a poor family, and 500,000 for a middle class girl.

If you can't afford this much, often the family will accept less, but may make arrangements to 'borrow' the full amount for the wedding day to save face.

More important is the arrangement for the sin sod after the wedding. Wealthier families may return it to you or they may keep it themselves. Regardless, you would expect the family, rich or poor, to give your wife some land to build a house if you so choose.