Stevemercer

I'm going to feed the fish at the beach and get a nice photo. What could possibly go wrong.

I doubt it will cause a ripple in Russian tourist numbers. For every dissatisfied customer, there are 1,000 (presumably satisfied) we never hear about. My opinion is that this lady has been treated way too harshly. Her holiday has been ruined. I assume that someone, somewhere behind the scenes, will make things right for this lady so that, at the very least, she is not out of pocket.

While the lady may not have suffered a 'legal' penalty to date, she has nevertheless been penalised through having her liberty denied for 2 days (jail) and bail (fine) set at 100,000 Baht. Assuming she returns home as per her booked holiday (and assuming her passport has been returned), she will miss her court date and loose her bail. I wouldn't blame her if she does this rather than face the risk (no matter how small) of up to one year in jail.

So what happens to the bail money? 

White or silver will reflect sunlight, but black will absorb it better. However, black is better at radiating heat away. This is why motorbike engines that are air-cooled are often black because they radiate away the heat better.

Having said this, if the air temperature is 40 Celcius, with sunlight all day, whether the roof is painted black or white is not likely to make any difference to the inside temperature. Similarly, if the night temperature is 30 degrees the colour of the roof will make no difference.

Maybe the answer is that, in a tropical country, it doesn't really matter what colour your roof is - the orientation, passive design, insulation, shading by trees etc. make the difference. 

I'll try and explain the Aussie pension deal with an example.

You are single and get a pension of $100 per week. If you are married to an Australian citizen, the pair of you get the marriage pension of $160 (because 2 can supposedly live cheaper than one).

If you marry a non-Australian resident that person is not eligible by law for any Australian pension. However, Centrelink will still recalculate your pension based on half of the the married rate. So your new pension is $160 divided by 2 = $80 per week. Cetrelink makes the assumption that your wife is probably bringing something to the marriage. Anyway, they don't really care, they just follow the formula.

So, instead of a pension of $100 you now get $80 (whether or not your wife contributes anything to the marriage is irrelevant).

So can any farang who feels they are Thai tell me what to do when you just have a squat toilet and a cistern of water (no bum gun)? Do you carry around a roll of toilet paper just in case, or just splash yourself even if you have the trots?

I still don't get the bum gun business. They always develop leaks or need to be replaced. It's just another appliance that can go wrong. Toilet paper is simpler. I can see it might be good if you have piles or a sensitive anus.

In my part of Thailand most people just have a squat toilet and a cistern of water. What do people do then (particularly when you have the runs)? I don't really want to wipe my ass with my hands. if you splash the water around things can get messy. 

Even if you are the father, you have not committed a crime or criminal offence under Thai law. You therefore cannot and will not be arrested or charged with an offense.

The only legal action she can take is to sue you (under civil law procedures) and try and get a court order that you pay maintenance. She will have to pay her own lawyer and I doubt she would be organised or disciplined enough to pursue such a case.

If she really hates you, I would be more worried about her paying someone to hurt you. You must cut off contact with her and make sure she does not have your address or contact details. If you disappear from her life there is a good chance she will move on an forget about you after a year or so. If you keep in contact, she will not forget, she will continue to fixate on you, and will do something that you will both live to regret.

What would a Thai man do in this circumstance?

The mother clearly wanted the child (for whatever reason), but didn't tell the supposed father until after the child was born. If she wanted the father in her life (or the child's life), she would have told him once she knew she was pregnant. The father could have paid for an abortion if that is what she wanted. Her choice.

Maybe the mother doesn't really know what she wants. Maybe she just wanted a farang baby, maybe she just wants financial support, maybe she wants the farang back, maybe the father is someone else who has done a runner. Who knows? But the best advice for a farang is to stay out of the whole mess if you can.

You should stay out of it and let the lady pursue a civil action if she wishes. If she does so, then engage a lawyer and follow his/her advice. 

She wants a monetary payment from you. The chances are that any lump sum, or child maintenance, you give her will be spent by herself, for herself, with the child looked after by her family. Realistically, it is unlikely that you can improve the life of the mother, or the child (whomever is the father), except in a committed relationship with the mother (which is clearly impossible). 

Do not respond to her. If she does commence a legal action then lawyer up as I said before. Do not take a DNA test unless your lawyer advises. 

This is something that happened in the past. Leave it there and try and move on.

If you sell the BMW for close to your asking price, and buy the Honda for the same money, then go for the Honda. It will be trouble free and a load off your mind for the next 5 years.

This assumes that your job doesn't require you to have a prestige car to ferry people around or that you have loads of spare time to enjoy the BMW out in the country. If your mainly driving for work or the family, rather than pleasure, then get the Honda. Driving in Bangkok, and stuck in traffic, maybe the interior of the car is important because you spend so much time looking at it!

29 minutes ago, YeahSiam said:

Drivel

Snivel!

The 250 Max is a nice looking bike and a good price. But you are right about the tyres. The front, especially,  is far to fat and will make the steering unnecessarily heavy. Presumably they can exchange it for a thinner tyre as part of the deal.

Sometimes it is hard to tell a fake orgasm, and most times it is easier to just pretend along anyway. There are some 'symptoms' that are impossible to fake. The most obvious is a sudden hot flush and perspiration all over her body. Many Thai girls are reluctant to kiss, but will become enthusiastic approaching orgasm.

Of course, as a bloke, we have to fake sometimes too. 

Thai women are a sucker for a tidy, polite, generous and handsome man. They fall in love hard. If you fall in love too, then you probably have a winner. However, as other posters have said, every couple is different. I must have met literally a hundred or more Thia woman before I fell in love with my (now) wife. What makes her different from any other Thai? She has the same foibles and annoying traits. I honesty don't know.

All I can say is that I knew it was love went she went away for a few weeks and I missed her terribly. For all the others, I never thought about them when they moved on.

So, what is true love? If you find it you will know even if it means putting up with the wayward family, demands for money and all the other shit that goes on in Thailand.

From the topic, I thought the thread would be about virgins.

I doubt we will ever hear the true story. The alleged hit man will never be traced and any links to 'boiler rooms' or other unsanctioned enterprises will be suppressed. I doubt the Thai police want to crack down on these sort of enterprises. It could get very embarrassing for all concerned. 

The cruiser (Stallion Iron) is pretty cool looking in my view. It looks stripped down, has forward controls and sells for about 70,000 - 80,000 Baht. Unfortunately it is only 250cc and a true hardtail (e.g. no rear suspension). I think it has great pose value, but probably not terribly practical.

'Website design' is a cover for just about any internet crime on the books (typically money laundering or avoiding taxes/charges). The killer (or his masters) will not be caught because he/they seem pretty confident about their 'protection' (e.g. the hit was decided pretty high up the line).

Big C and 7 Eleven sell Cadbury chocolate, but only in small bars and the taste/composition is nowhere near as good as in Australia.

I think M&Ms are OK and, of course, they withstand the heat. If you come from Australia you might remember Chocolate Wheaten biscuits which (in my opinion) are delicious. You can buy identical biscuits in Big C ('Vita...' brand). The chocolate melts very quickly in the heat, but it is melt in your mouth.