jing jing

A smile like that deserves a banana cream pie across the face, agreed?

Lucky basta**

Take away the banana and that phrase takes on a whole different meaning..

totster

And what does different meaning does 'cream pie' have?

Several days ago I visited the building site of my married ex secretaries new condominium shop house in Thonburi. Of course, all of the workers gawked at the falang walking with the owner. At one point she turned to me and said, “they will think that you are going to give me some money for this project”.

Maybe she was just dropping a hint?

The OP mentioned a "high standard of accomodation" and a member of his party having spent time in the south of France. My experience tells me, having been diving from Koh Tao a number of times, that Coral Grand will probably suit the OP's needs better than any other option. Notwithstanding the plethora of independent dive operations on the island, all of whom claim to have the best equipment and most qualified instructors, again -- my experience in bringing friends to Koh Tao to get certified tells me that Mel Brooks' party will probably be happiest staying at Coral Grand and going through their certification course. I've been there, I've been to several others, and I base my suggestion upon what my experiences were.

Thanks for all the input everyone.

Jing Jing,

Yeah, the high end accommodation is a major factor as she loves her creature comforts. The captain's cottage at the Coral Grand looks ideal for them. What size diving classes might they expect at the Coral Grand?

Cheers.

I typically saw classes of about 6 people at Coral Grand. Please don't get the idea that I'm trying to railroad anyone into a particular program; I've got no dog in this fight. Koh Tao is not like Samui, that is, there are not so many high end places to choose from. I'm sure there are other more luxurious places than CG somewhere on the island but as the poster above stated, they don't have dive schools attached. Believe me -- when you're taking a 4 day certification course, you'd much rather have the convenience of stumbling out of your bungalow in the morning, walking 50 yards, and being in an air conditioned classroom rather than piling into the bed of a pickup truck with your gear and trundling off halfway around the island to sit through a few hours of video in a "nice fan room." For backpackers and adventurous types who are happy with just a roof over their heads it's fine to arrive on the island, schlep around for half a day comparing lodgings and schools and fly by the seat of their pants, but if you've got 5 people and some of them are used to being comfortable the best bet is to go to one place that you know has everything you need. Coral Grand may not be like a villa in the south of France or a luxury lanai on Maui but it's one of the best in that particular area. I doubt anyone would be too disappointed there, especially once they saw the alternatives.

The OP mentioned a "high standard of accomodation" and a member of his party having spent time in the south of France. My experience tells me, having been diving from Koh Tao a number of times, that Coral Grand will probably suit the OP's needs better than any other option. Notwithstanding the plethora of independent dive operations on the island, all of whom claim to have the best equipment and most qualified instructors, again -- my experience in bringing friends to Koh Tao to get certified tells me that Mel Brooks' party will probably be happiest staying at Coral Grand and going through their certification course. I've been there, I've been to several others, and I base my suggestion upon what my experiences were.

Coral Grand is probably the best all-inclusive dive resort on Koh Tao. The island is quite small so there are a few other restaurants in walking distance and the rest are a short motorbike or hotel shuttle ride away. They have some nice bungalows right on the beach - not exactly cheap - and the quality of dive instruction is arguably the best on the island.

PS - Google is your friend

Unfortunately the statistics - even if you could get the information in question - would not tell you much about your GF's chances of actually getting a tourist visa to the USA. It is very much down to a case-by-case review, and the gent has nailed the situation as far as the applicant "proving" his or her intent. It seems that having a good salaried job, property in Bangkok, and over 100,000 baht in the bank definitely will make it more likely that a tourist visa will be granted. Is it fair? hel_l no... but who said life is fair? The workaround is to first get a fiancee visa but don't get married in the US, and then for some reason subsequent tourist visa requests seem to be treated more favorably.

Buffet and Gates... them's some heavy hitters. So how does the little guy hedge against a dollar decline? Buy Berkshire and Microsoft? There's got to be a more direct way.

My eggs are far from being in one basket, but unfortunately all the baskets are American at the moment. I just moved here for keeps about 6 months ago. Diversification is obviously part of the solution but that's a pretty broad term... the specifics are where it gets tricky.

The question is, what to do if you live in Asia but your assets and income are in dollars?

Excellent post, ray23. It's just a little painful for me right now 'cause I'm in the midst of building a house, and hearing that the cost of materials has doubled in the last 3 years and the dollar is off over 10% doesn't exactly get me excited about my timing on this deal.

Fortunately my (wife and son's) house is a modest one, the land didn't cost me anything, and the money I'll be spending - even at higher material costs and lower exchange rates - won't cripple my lifestyle. It's just a little disappointing to know I had to spend a bunch more cash than Joe Farang down the road who got in 3 years ago.

Interesting... 999,999 baht, eh? You're quite a negotiator there, Mr. Helicopter.

The Cambodian border is about 4 hours from Pattaya by bus. The most popular border crossing is Poi Pet but it's jammed up especially on weekends; there's another one just a little bit further (I forget the name) that's becoming popular as a place to avoid the crowds. There are a few visa run companies on Soi Post Office, I believe the going rate is around 2000 baht all inclusive -- the one I used even included an English brekky at the guest house where you pick up the bus. You can take a VIP bus or minibus; I would opt for the VIP bus coz I think they're more comfortable.

There are no taxicabs in Pattaya, only songthaews (baht bus).

I don't live in Pattaya but have made visa runs from there... the locals might be able to give more specifics.

I suspect, though skip hasn't confirmed yet, that another big drive in the female's bizarre behavior is the new replacement girl/factor.

As I've observed, that's the biggest reason Thai girls will act like this. They can't stand the idea of being replaced by anyone, especially someone younger and prettier than themselves.

Hmmm.... that would certainly explain some things... is there any additional information you'd care to share with the class, Skipper?

In the States, where almost everyone's ancestors came from somewhere else, you'll hear a lot of people refer to themselves as mutts.... no big deal.

So, how about your mixed race child? Who did she/he take more after, physically? The tendancy (or perhaps a myth) is the boys will take more from their mom, and girls of their dad. It's difficult to say anything about my mutt...uh I mean mixed son. as he's only five days old. And even in those few days, his face has changed much..

He's got my ears, eyes, hair, and body hair thus far. The nose is half his mom's half mine, and mouth and chin, his mom's. I won't be surprised when he changes form altogether after months, years, etc...

So anyhow, one of the thoughts I was thinking when I started the thread was having to do with the dominate/recessive traits. Except for dark eyes, I've observed that the farang traits seem to be more predominate with Luuk kruengs and Luuk Siaws and was curious if others have noticed the same...??

For example, most luuk kreungs/luuk siaws I've met/seen could easily pass for farang, but not so easily as an Asian...

What's your thoughts (not about me...about the topic)

Korp khun krup

Ya, I'm farang - all 4 grandparents were Russian - wife is Thai but kinda light skinned, our son looks much more farang than Thai. He's got really white skin and huge eyes. His appearance did change a lot from the first week or so, before his eyes opened up. Dark hair and eyes, but I've got those too.

The interesting thing is that even though his mom and I are both quite thin, he's a real chunky boy... not fat at all, just kinda beefy and square. He's not quite 6 months old yet so there's plenty of time for him to thin out, but for the time being he's in the top 75 percentile of weight for his age, and the same goes for his height.

BTW congratulations on your first kid!! Quite an experience...

I offered her allot of money because I can afford it and hoped to avoid a costly legal war.

Bad reasoning, IMHO

I would not feel good if she went without food, shelter, medicine, etc.,

I'm no saint but I do enjoy helping people when I can.

She survived OK before she met you, and from your description her family isn't hurting, so I'm sure she'd be fine if you gave her what it is now obvious that she deserves, which is nothing

She made a good effort at being my wife for a long time. She earned it I thought.

Didn't you make a good effort at being her husband too? So where's your payoff?

I'm sure her lifestyle while you two were together was a little more pleasant than she could expect without you around footing the bill. I can't believe how nice some guys are... no wonder women have gotten to expect being handed a fortune simply because they divorced a rich guy. Your story is one of the best arguments I've seen for why it is NOT in a man's best interest to marry a woman, especially one of much lower financial status.

If you're with the wife, staying in lower Sukhumvit (around sois 1 thru 40) may not be the hot ticket for your first accomodations. It's more of a single guys and gals cruising area, if you know what I mean. In your price range there is a place just a couple of minutes walk from the skytrain, which you will soon discover is the key to getting around Bangkok quickly and cheaply. The name is Sukaa Place, located on Petchburi soi 14, very close to the Ratchathewi skytrain station. Google it for more information. They have rooms from 5,000 to 10,000 baht, nothing fancy just clean basic stuff, very well located, that will at least give you a good base of operations until you can get your bearings and sort things out a little better.

The Duke's is the best tasting one that I have had in Thailand..

The other night, I ate half of a medium sized pizza with a few beers and was too full for more. I took the rest home and it supplied me with two Song Kran lunches because I didn't want to go outside.

THREE meals from a 170 baht pizza!

Sounds good, where is this Duke's place?

Like some other folks here, I've eaten pizzas all over the world, including various places in Italy, New York, San Francisco, and L.A. Been to Chicago too, but I don't care for Chicago style deep-dish pies, so as far as I'm concerned they aren't up for consideration. In my humble opinion, the best pizzas in the world are made at North Beach Pizza in the North Beach (ethnic Italian) neighborhood in San Francisco. Whenever I'm in S.F., come hel_l or high water, I absolutely must go to N.B.P for a pie. New York pizzas, at any number of pizzerias in the City, are right up there too. If you like some trendier toppings, the barbeque chicken pizza at California Pizza Kitchen is a must try. Pizza in Italy was delicious as well, but having been brought up on American pizza, there was just something missing for me.

OK, as far as Thailand is concerned -- if you've ever had good pizza in your life, The Pizza Company and Pizza Hut are not even worth considering. They just plain suck. Ronny's on Nana is under new ownership and makes a decent, but not really very good, pizza. The best pizza I've had in Thailand was at Spicchio's, Victory Monument BTS station, when they first opened. Since then Spicchio's has really fallen off in quality, IMHO -- instead of reheating the slice for you in the oven they just wrap it in paper and stick it in the microwave... a bloody cardinal sin of pizza preparation. That's what they did at the National Stadium station store, anyway, before I had a chance to stop them. The slice came out wet, soggy, and glued to the paper. What a disappointment.

'

Lay low for a few weeks, they'll get bored and move on. Saves you 100K too!!!

Sure, she'll forget all about that 100 grand (4,000,000 baht or so) you promised her in a few weeks and just leave you alone... after all, she's got that kind of money coming to her every week.

Meanwhile, back in the real world, you've got yourself one helluva situation there Skipper. This one has all the earmarks of a tragic downward spiral that could really end in tears if not handled very, very carefully. At least you didn't mention kids, so I'm assuming you don't have any with her, which is a huge plus under these circumstances.

From the information you've shared here with us, her behavior is beyond erratic and unpredictable and crosses well into criminal territory. She has broken into your apartment. She has stolen money and valuables from you. She has threatened to frame you with a felony drug charge. Is this really someone you feel deserves a 4,000,000 baht gift -- on top of the 480,000 baht you've already given her? Please tell us you've decided against giving away any more of your money to this thieving witch!

I would join my fellow members in urging you to immediately disappear from this woman's life; absolutely, completely, totally cut off any further contact with her except through your lawyer. Go wherever you have to go, as far as it may be, to be inaccessable to her -- it doesn't sound as though money is a problem for you... yet.

Let us know what transpires, Skipper. I know many of us here can read your story with great sympathy and say, to quote the old cliche, "there but for the grace of God go I."

its true that most caucasians look a sorry sight compared to their asian couterparts .

the sweat , the fat , the sandals with socks , the often socially unacceptable companions and the general unkempt nature of so many visitors is just highlighted when put next to the well turned out thai , who can look $1,000,000 even when wearing B200 worth of street market tat.

Maybe.... but what if I told you that I'm slim, fit, fashionably dressed, have all my hair, don't wear socks with sandals, have excellent personal hygiene and grooming habits, am not unattractive (trying to be modest *blush*), and STILL occasionally have an empty seat next to me while people are standing? I guess folks are just intimidated by my dashing good looks and are afraid if they sat next to me they couldn't resist my charms, and would fall helplessly on their backs with their legs spread in the air?

Lots of discussion about a rather simple topic... doesn't it all boil down to the fact that in most cases you get what you pay for?

Back where I came from, I don't think you could even buy a new swivel chair for 2000 baht -- you'd have had to go to a secondhand thrift store to find such a thing. IKEA, considered the option of choice for college students and the very frugal, would sell their most basic model swivel chair without armrests for about twice that amount.

On the other hand, outside of the big cities many Thai people don't even use chairs at all. I brought a couple of 85 baht plastic chairs from Big C into the village, and from the kids' reaction you'd think they were looking at the lunar rover.

Perspective, man.... perspective.

It happens on occasion. I will often do the same thing - move over if there is extra space, even if there is a pretty girl next to me - just to return the favor and keep them guessing.

I've gotten half a dozen visas from the RTC in LA, and never once showed a travel itinerary. Passport, application form, photos, and money are all they needed.

2000 baht seems a bit pricey. You could rent an apartment for a month for that. Didn't they have anything in the under 500 baht range?

I do pity the motorbike riders, especially anyone older than teenaged, because the brutal soaking has got to take a toll after awhile. At 37 I'd reckon you're way past the age when getting hammered mercilessly by buckets of water all day long is any fun... maybe an alternative form of transportation would be in order during the holidays. Then again, I saw quite a few songthaew passengers getting soaked today as well.

As for me, I love sitting by the side of the road with a 50 gallon barrel full of water and joining in the fun. Nothing better than throwing a bit of water on a pretty girl and getting that wonderful Thai smile in return, and I certainly don't mind taking the same wetting as I'm giving.

Have a Happy New Year and enjoy!!