jing jing

eventually the word is going to get out about the "dangers of thailand" and tourist will stop coming here.

Already have.

Quality tourists are going elsewhere. Most of the remaining tourists are loyal sex tourists.

Nice. Well at least it's good to know the "dangers" have scared off the disloyal ones...

I think any red-blooded male that either visits or ends up in Thailand permanently will ,at some point ,want to Point Percy in some direction other than his partner at some point, no matter how much he loves his wife/girlfriend! It's just a fact of life that men are men and women are in such plentifull supply in Thailand(God Bless Them ALL )

I've been married now 19 years, have a great wife, wonderful kids etc. But the primal urges DO occur. As hard as one tries to resist, you WILL eventully succumb to temptation! Is that a sin?

19 years? You must have some great excuses figured out by now...

It's an interesting question. My son, 3 months old now, is half Thai and half Caucasian. I made the conscious choice to raise him here in Thailand partially because I felt he would receive positive attention from Thai people, and so far it has proven to be the case. Wherever we go people seem to make a huge fuss over him, so much so that it is almost scary. Folks have no compunction about poking, pinching, and prodding someone else's child here, do they?

What lies in store for him here... who knows? I know that in the USA he might be considered a cute kid, but otherwise nothing special, whereas here in Thailand he is definitely something special. Whether or not that is a good thing, long term, we'll just have to wait and see.

...also get one of those mosquito tennis racquets and do a patrol of the room before you go to bed , make sure you wave it in all the dark areas and prod the curtians.

Love it... the sheer excitement of bar-b-queing several of those little b@stards at a time with a graceful backhand swing is priceless. Only problem is you've gotta wake up a few times a night to go on patrol, but it's so much fun you won't mind.

I've seen a few farang girls at the Hard Rock Cafe, Siam Square...

Don't know, I've got a good friend living in Bangger and I believe his costs are about the same? I recon on about 20K baht a month for power, water, ubc, internet, phone... etc etc Thought that would be about the norm, or am I missing something?????

Rent?

Never mind... people in situations like this don't listen to advice.

Currently 39.7 THB/USD and dropping like a stone...

http://finance.yahoo.com/currency/convert?...=THB&amt=1&t=5d

I have noticed some poking fun at us yanks on this forum and I know a lot of it is just joking. However I got to thinking about it and wondered if there are some people in Thailand who would rather not be friendly with a Yank. I am not posting this to start any @%^$, just wondering. I have joked with one of my friends that when I move to Thailand if I want Thai friends I will need to speak Thai and if I want any other friends I should speak with a British accent. So, really I am curious if I really will encounter such a person?

Of course you will encounter folks who have a negative opinion of Americans. Let me tell you, I've been spending too much time at the American embassy lately (family visa and passport matters) and every time I go I'm reminded why we're stereotyped in much of the world as obnoxious, ignorant, self-centered asses... all sorts of sketchy looking characters in there ranting and raving at high volume about how slow the process is and how they need immediate attention, acting as though the poor overworked sods behind the window are their personal valets and should be concerned only with satisfying their every whim... and it's usually because they've gone and done something foolish like lost their passport or shown up on the wrong date for their appointment, to boot.

Most fellow patrons at a pub will have a good natured go at you for being American - granted the abuse has gotten a lot worse with the current administration - but generally speaking, people don't really dislike Americans, they just find us rather amusing in certain ways. There's also a certain element of resentment for our government's recent, shall we say, absence of diplomacy in the foreign policy department.

Then there's the fact that many music, fashion, and technology trends are started in the States, which contributes to a love/hate relationship between us and the rest of the world.

None of that stops people from coming from all over the world, including those that consider themselves culturally superior, and living in the United States.... hey, the country that gave the world Britney Spears can't be all bad, can it?

There's a place on Soi Rangnam called Teesud Isaan Inter which was apparently proclaimed "the best burger in Bangkok" by The Post, I believe. I've had the burgers there -- not bad, but I'm a little spoiled by having lived in Los Angeles for 20 years and eating at places like The Apple Pan and In-n-Out Burger. The flavor is good, they give you ketchup, mustard, onion, pickle, and a toasted bun, but the size is a bit on the small side and it's New Zealand beef, not the same quality as American stuff, with a few bits of gristle mixed in so that occasionally you'll bite into what feels like a pebble.... yechh.

The other decent burger I've had is from a cart at the entrance to Nana Plaza - they fire up the griddle at 9PM - of course I only go there for the burgers...

If there is no traffic than that road is not so bad. I've driven there at night at 150 kmh on a few occasions, not the whole way but for considerable distances. It seems that everyone else drives faster at night as well - no need to weave in and out , just go with the flow.

No kidding? I've never driven to Chiang Mai, but if you drove 150kph at night between Bangkok and Pattaya or Hua Hin you'd most likely end up in a smoking, twisted pile of debris.

I found it strange, but not only did I attend my fiancee's K1 visa interview (US embassy), the consular officer spoke almost exclusively to me. He only asked her about 2 or 3 questions. Very odd... but the good news was that she got the visa.

Not in Bkk..! Went down to ChiangMai....most of times 160-180km/h....had 135km/h average. Left Bkk at 5am..arrived 11am!

Very impressive Emillo, but don't you think that driving at those speeds, on the not very well maintained Thai roads, weaving in and out of traffic driven/ridden by Thai that don't have much of a clue what they're doing on the roads at the best of times, a trifle stupid?

Amen.

Dude's looking to become another statistic.

I've got no dog in this fight, but it is interesting how folks' egos are tied up in the sorts of books they read and enjoy. It seems that if someone says "I really enjoyed Book A" and then another person responds "that book is an unmitigated steaming pile of excrement with no redeeming social value whatsoever and only a mental patient would find it the least bit interesting," well, maybe the person who said he liked the book would feel as though there was a bit of a personal attack contained within the "innocent" book review.

As you were...

well when all is said and done one must realize the type of person they are dealing with - this usually means dealing with people in a sober state - wake up people, never get involved with a bar girl period. Bar girls are in the bars for a reason, and honestly is NOT one of those reasons folks - wake the hel_l UP!

On the other side of the coin, there are many many MANY FINE BEAUTIFUL KIND SEXY and GOOD thai women that are not in bars but are available to meet and greet and have 'good' fun and relations with.

These are the ones to know,

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^^

A lot of folks have read this bit wrong... I think what he's trying to say is that massage parlours, not bars, are the best venues for meeting your future wife in Thailand.

Coming from the USA I am amazed at the number of folks who consider Thailand a "violent" country. Try living in a big city in the US, where you wouldn't even consider venturing after dark into certain neighborhoods for fear of your life. Try driving on the roads in L.A. where if you cut someone off in traffic there could be a bullet with your name on it. Try going out into the bar scene where an ill considered comment to a drunken fellow patron will virtually guarantee a fistfight at least, and a knifing or gunplay on occasion.

People are making comments as though Thai women are the most materialistic women in the world, which couldn't be further from the truth. Try dating in L.A. where the first few questions girls ask are, "what do you do for a living?" and "what kind of car do you drive?" and a divorce will cost you half your assets.

Folks, considering the number of stupid (and naive) drunken foreigners patronizing prostitutes in this country, it's a miracle this sort of thing doesn't happen a dozen times a day.

I respect the woman's input but the final decision is mine. I have never allowed a woman control over my finances... if things go bad then I've no one to blame but myself. Now if she earned the money, things might be different...

I'll add my endorsement of Tee Sud Isaan Inter to the rest - good food, reasonable prices, Doug the owner is a character.

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned Yum Sap, a franchise operation that has restaurants in most of the big shopping centers like MBK and even in some Tesco Lotus centers. They have some of the spiciest, tastiest Isaan-style fare I've ever tasted outside of Isaan, but sorry - no bugs.

I was under the impression that any child born in Thailand to a Thai mother was automatically a Thai citizen, not a foreigner, regardless of dual citizenship in the father's native country. Therefore he should not need any visa to (re)enter Thailand. Is this not the case?

EDIT in: My bad, I just noticed the OP said both parents are British. That would change things regarding the child's nationality. Never miiiiind....

Its quite simple really,

An expat is anyone who has taken up residence in a foreign country.

Not quite that simple - I've resided in Thailand for over 10 years on contiimuos visas with worl permits and drivers license etc. My family is Thai and I don't consider myself to be an expat. I consider an expat being some guy who has been sent over or asked to come over keeping the same job or with the same company, usually getting lots of money to do it.

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That's interesting... I've always felt that the most critical part of expatriatehood is the voluntary leaving of your home country to take up residence in another country. In other words, leaving not because you are being paid handsomely to do so, but because you want to do it so much you're willing to forgo compensation indefinitely. When I think of what "expatriate" means, I think of Ernest Hemingway, Ezra Pound, and Dorothy Parker moving to France in the 1920's to get away from American culture and experience life from the European perspective.

EDIT: another definition (from bartleby.com) is one who was "excluded from or self-exiled from" their native country...

One thing to check out if you're looking at the 4 door models is the spaciousness of the rear seating area. That's what swung the deal for me in favor of the Toyota Hilux Tiger. I sat in all the back seats and found the Toyota was the only one that had a comfortable, car-like rake on the backrest and ample legroom even with the front seats slid back. There's even a fold-down armrest and a cupholder in back, nice touches that are appreciated by rear seat passengers on long trips.

I also noticed that the D4D commonrail engine seemed smoother and more powerful than any of the competitors.

Finally, Toyota offers the Prerunner configuration, which is basically a 4WD ride height and heavy duty drivetrain without the transfer case and front diff... a nice compromise between 2 and 4WD.

^^Kayo, re: helping people - I agree on the Karmic thing. Can't speak for all, or even most Americans, but my take is that they will go out of their way to help a stranger. The only thing expected in return, I reckon, is not to get slapped in the face by way of thanks.

re: Thailand not involved in WWII - well there was that bridge over the river Kwai thing I s'pose... There we go, eh? ....reinforcing the stereotype of Americans' ignorance on matters of world history (especially since it was mentioned in this very thread )

No I am not a troll. The friend of my wife is the supposed lady boy. This relative is supposed to be going to Australia. I am a American. And yes I feel folish for not trusting my wife. But sometimes the way she brings things up they sound of the wall and sort of odd.

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Obviously a troll, attempting to perpetuate the stereotype of the imbecilic American.

After watching 'saving private ryan' with my girlfriend we were talking about history and it turns out she has never heard of the second world war, Adolf Hitler or the Vietnam war, and was astonished when I told her the Vietnamese won. Is this normal or have I found the most uneducated girl in thailand??

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Considering the second world war ended in 1945 and didn't involve Thailand, it's not all that surprising your girlfriend doesn't know much about it.... of course I'm assuming she's not a world history major and is younger than 45.

Some Americans are surprised to learn that in Vietnam, they didn't call it "the Vietnam War;" they called it "the American War."

Regarding the gratuitous American-bashing - which I've noticed is de rigeur on this forum - yes, Americans are about the dumbest and rudest folks on the planet (as an American I can say that), but if you somehow get yourself in a spot of bother, when the going gets rough you would find they can be rather helpful. Actually they're pretty friendly and generous folks, in general, though their knowledge of world geography and history may not impress the more erudite European crowd.

It's a ###### shame the religious zealots all got together and elected that twit we've currently got in the White House.

Hi first timer here

Does anyone know if car sat nav systems are available that cover Thailand and are in English?? I've tried various Internet sites when in england and failed miserably 

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Go to THE IT MALL in Pantip Plaza here in BKK...on the second floor. The Thai salesman spent 27 years in New York so his English is Bronx. He sells GPS navigation systems for Thailand. He knows his stuff. His name is Jimmy.

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Can you be a bit more specific please -- where on the second floor?