Ideally, that is a good recipe to follow . ( but seriously... this is AseanNow forum 🙄).
I came to Thailand when the few travelers roaming around lived by their wits , not always successfully to be honest . There were no guidebooks and internet experts to show the way . Sooooo. I learned the old fashioned way , and there is no substitute for experience (as the saying goes) .
I have the thrills, the scars, the scratched car, the banged on door at 2 in the morning, the live=ins that lasted various time periods, the lies, ..... but also the cycle trips on unknown dirt roads through the mountains, the small towns with no english and me with little Thai , the giggling and oogling villagers, the drunk nights at all types of venues. And many "invigorating" short encounters (not just sexual ) , but just riding down the road to be met with a big smile as a real cutie passed . ok ok that was long ago haha.
But....... eventually my number came up . Found one that didn't change from the original "promotion" stage. In fact exceeded my expectations. And, my luck was...... I was too old by that time to let the little brain drag me away from a good thing .