BigSnake

Hello everyone!

Just returned from holiday in thailand,had a great time except for one upset in bangkok!

I was in a bar on nana drinking, snip

Thanks, for the info, I do visit this area often, will this person a hello and a wide wide BERTH, conversation with him is not worth a shake down by the cop.

Bring it on my friend don't worry about the weather, sure there will be a rainy day or two, but nothing that will keep you stuck in a Hotel and off your Bike, I would be more concern with speeding ten wheelers, drunk drivers, speeding tuk tuk and just plain old foolish, selfish drivers then the weather. Beware bike riding in Thailand can be very HAZARD to your health and even deadly, JUST a few short months ago two Experience farangs rider(England) if I recall correctly was kill, speed and booze mostly like the cause say the report, one just plain old careless driving, trying to make his superbike FLY, one more>a farangs in our town in hosptial broken rib, broken collar bone, normal driving, very safe, old water buffalo decide to make a U-TURN while crossing the road>sorry for the rant>nuff said Be safe.

1.  Electronic funds transfer (domestic wire transfer with a charge?) may work but have not seen a breakdown to show the costs/exchange loss that would make me want to try it.  Your example of person living here on 30 day runs is not a confidence builder for me.

2.  You say direct deposit works if sent to savings account but your above post says it can not be done (pension is not going to be sent SWIFT without intervention).

3.  Cashiers check also begs the question at what exchange rate?

4.  One ATM card (where did that come from?).  I have two with our BBL Savings account.

I am not trying to be obstructive here and know you are working hard to find the best alternative - it is just that I do not believe we have enough information to decide yet. 

Another method that some have reported using is a debit card to withdraw money at counter of bank and deposit into savings account - that seems to be attractive if immigration is willing to accept it and reported exchange rates are true.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

1 - I agree, which is why I will have the bulk of my pension put into a US account.

2 - What I mean was that if it is a paper check it will not work unless accompanied by instructions. An all electronic transfer will work.

3 - Yep.

4 - We called Bangkok Bank in Bangkok and that's what we were told. Joint account: only one ATM card. I'm glad to hear that's incorrect.

I've also thought of doing the ATM withdrawal and redeposit. It seems convoluted, but may be an inexpensive option.

I'd sure like to hear from more people who are actually doing this.

Question to Wash: What exact exchange rate do you get on your Social Security checks that are deposited at the New York branch of Bangkok Bank?

I know you're not being obstructionist. I think it's great that you and others are raising issues that might not have been considered. Keep it up.

Any update on this requirement folks.

i am sure he needs one. if i interpret Thai law correctly i need a work permit to have legally sex with my wife.

Naam, you Got one it's call a Marriage Certificate, "Pun Intended" I'm sure you saw that one coming.

My guess would be yes, I was told back in 2004 that a WP was required to do volunteer work for the Vitcim of the Tsunami vitcim, you figure it.

Head South 100 per cent least traffic the farther south you go. Best bet head north to Korat, Khon Kane, just be sure to make a little detour around the city center.

Toilet are a blood shame in most of the public school. I have seem them on attend several events for son/daughter. There are Jaintors, but in our(this) public school there are some 5500 students and 10 or so Jaintors, almost and impossible task to cleanup behind all the kids, suggest to the Principal one time was have the bad boys caught smoking in the toilet, do a little cleanup duty with the Jaintors, just a little smile and from him, I could see a parent getting all up in arm about his or her child being punish like this,"I send my child to school to learn not to clean toilet" Well hello mom/dad did you tell your CHILD this, I don't think so, or he just don't listen to you ever. RANT!! nuff said

First of all, normally i don't discuss these matters on internet, but i couldn't get any good advice from my friends in Thailand. And since many people here know a lot about the Thai culture, i hope to hear some advices.

A girl i like very much got beaten up by her ex-husband last week, but she just told that to me.

She was a night out with a friend until that asshol_e showed up begging her to come back to him, but she said no, so the lunatic lost face in public and went berzerk on her.

It's not the first time he assaulted her.

I know her for about 6 months now and i'm thinking about going into a real relationship with her, but i don't know much about this "dark side" of her life. Everytime i ask about it she gets silent. One time we were a bit drunk so i asked again and she told me a bit about it, well i understood half of it because she was crying all the time.

Short story, if i remember correctly he's a drunk or yaba user and assaulted her frequently during their marriage.

As far as i know she didn't go to the police yet, she's afraid of him or she still loves him.

I'm currently not in Thailand but i'm considering to buy a lastminute ticket to fly back to BKK tomorrow morning.

My heart tells me to beat the hel_l out of that guy, but a part of my mind is telling me to go to the police.

That guy is probably a thug with a lot of thug friends who all carry a knife or gun. If this would have happened in my homecountry then i would not hesitate to beat the shit out of that guy, but we are talking about Thailand here.... different mentalities.... i've seen and heared how some Thai people can kill someone else for nothing.

I'm not scared or anything, but i think some caution is in place here.

One other thing can i really trust her? Isn't this some sort of game or scam? Why did she tell me days later?

So far she has never lied to me, asked me for money or anything else. When i was really sick she took care of me, bought me food and medicines, cooked for me, brought me everywhere and paid her own bills. I feel extremely angry because she's such a sweet girl. I don't understand why none of her friends or her brother have taken any revenge.

Maybe her friends or brother knows somethings that you don't, i.e., maybe they did help her in the past and she went right back to his after in did his little sweet talk thing.(??) It was indeed noble or her to take care of you during your illness, however; it seem so strange that she would withhold the truth from you for days about the beating(?) why didn't she file an assault charge againist this FOOL. I think it is all up to her she needs to press a case to the police on him. Show one and all a legal divorce paper, cut all contact with this fool, make it clear to all that it is over, in done so I think family and friends will step up/standup for her.

It's very hot here at the moment. I'm talking well over 20 degrees. Maybe even topping 30 in some parts. Crazy times.

How's the rainy season treating you all?

Rainy season just great here, everything is nice and green, no flash flooding so far, a few snakes here and there, overall weather is some what wild.

hi,

my question is a bit simple but i'm the only farang in town and have no one to ask,

i put up shelves then moved them.

now there are ugly quarter inch holes with wrawl pluges in them where the shelves used to be,i want to fill and paint over them,

questions,

1-how do i get the plugs out,

2-what filler is best and how do you say it in thai,

if no body knows better i will buy a pointy nose plyiers and try to choose a filler in the hardware shop but from expierience it's best to be prepared in thai hardware shops

thanks in advance

I'm sure you have your hole in the wall problem solve by now just from the posts I see here. Now for surely you jest about being the only Farang in town, There are many Farangs in CR, at there were about 18 months ago when I visited the place. Get out and about you will see.

There is a super burger place in All Seasons (Ruam Rudi). It is called The Garage and serves a dozen or so different kinds of burgers. Last night I had a lamb burger with a chicken breast. This is one of the restaurants that is found on Chef XP (Internet order, home delivery).

Yum Yum, on my merry way.

Not a problem, when you arrive just get out and about you meet many English speaking farangs in and around Sakon Nakhon, many made the trip to Udonthani, which is about 120km west of Sakon Nakhon, as I recall my friend in Udonthani said there was a Big C on that route and many farangs meet and greet there.

You people are SICK, for sure the dude had FLAWS and don't we all, let his RIP for awhile. Sad people.

Thaksin Where are you?

With pics, I wonder if they ever caught these crooks, my guess no, police are to busy check dead farangs in Pattaya, to worry about petty crooks.

Sad, with all the News far and near about this kind of scam some ladies still fall for it hook line and sinker, no wonder it is very difficult for a Thai woman to get a visa to certain Country, my understanding South Africa is not one them, I have Thai lady friend of the family who travel to South Africa quite often along. She is well to do by any standard.

It's all in the Genes!! Sex is easyer and chepear here>a NO Brainer.

Smart A_S scammers scam you on a call to your mobile, you answer your pay.

A keyword on google produced this in its list of links. Its an opinion (on another forum) regarding some of the kinds of things written on ThaiVisa.com, from a Thai persons perspective:

What's wrong with thaivisa.com and many of its forumers?

** Rant warning **

Proceed with caution as my opinion may sound like a rant to you.

Ok, I have to get this off my chest. It never fails to amaze me how negative and cynical the expats community in Thailand can be. I know that I have to be fair about this, and I definitely hope to believe that most farangs in Thailand are nice and friendly and are willing to embrace the Thai culture since they have decided to settle or work here anyway. But every time I browse through their forum at thaivisa.com, especially threads concerning the Thai people, the new airport and Bangkok in general, I never fail to come across many sarcastic, cynical and harsh comments about anything and everything associated with Thailand. We all know that our country is imperfect in many ways and we ourselves aren't too happy with a lot of stuffs that are going on, but the level of negative-ness found at Thaivisa.com is unbelievably intense and I cannot help but feel a brimming sense of superiority complex among its members. While it is heartache to read some of the strong opinions and derisive words, I simply cannot help but think why would anyone be so sour over a country and still choose not to pack and leave (since most members there seem to have made it clear that countries like Singapore, Malaysia are so much better than here or that their country of origin (European countries / America / Australia) are so much greater than Thailand).

There are plenty of examples of degrading jokes directed at Thai women, ladyboys, and many are very keen at highlighting the general incompetence and laziness of the Thai people or to pass off "damned if you do and damned if you don't" or "this will never make it" kind of opinions. Whether these are intended as jokes or to what extend that their comments are true is not my main focus here (while I do admit that Thailand and the Thai people will have to pull our socks in many ways), it is my feeling that many farangs there simply loathe Thailand and still not finding themselves taking the next flight out. Can these people be those old pot-belly farangs in shorts and slippers strolling down the road of Pattaya with a beautiful Thai girl young enough to be his daughter? Or could they be those middle-age high-pay / high-bonus BTS warriors in suits from the wealthy West who firmly believe that 'farangs are always right or better'? Sometimes, based on some of the sweeping comments which are overwhelmingly negative littering the mentioned forum, it's hard to think about how these individuals could live a life without secretly looking down upon the locals. No matter who these people are, there seems to be a growing community of expats who migrate here simply to whine or become so full of themselves that they make sure that their acerbic opinions are either heard through 'letters to the editor' published in the local English dailies or at least made clear in an online 'farang forum'. Should this be taking place in Singapore, I believe that the locals would have responded furiously to counter many of their criticisms but it's always unfortunate that Thais are generally not as vocal or are not so confident in their command of English or it maybe a simple reality that Thais and the local expats use different forums as platforms of their online discussion.

One of the trends which I have observed at thaivisa.com is the level of ignorance exhibit by many members there on issues related to Thailand. When these ignorance are exchanged at the forum, if left uncorrected, sometimes evolve into an even more ridiculous ignorance or a wild misunderstanding of what is really going on in the country. Part of blame may be due to our lack of communication skills in English, hence the Thai media and the Thai people in general are not very good at explaining in-depth of what is really going on with regards to some issues. This means that these expats are often left on their own to interpret what they think might be happening -- sometimes based on facts mixed with Google journalism and sometimes based on prejudiced views brought with them from the West. If you regularly browse through some of the views at thaivisa.com, you'll be unpleasantly surprised to find how much misunderstanding there are from individuals who seem to have settled and lived in Thailand for a decade or so.

I must admit that most Thais don't fancy criticisms at all, be it one brimming with good intentions or remarks simply aimed at deflating one's ego, so it may be time that we learn to live with a bit of 'feedback' from the outsider point-of-view. However, I cannot see how such sheer cynicism, bitterness, pessimism, schadenfreude and superior complex that are often passed off as "jokes" can become something which can easily go down the throat of even the most liberal-minded Thais without stirring in him a feeling of disgust and distrust towards farangs? Don't the people at thaivisa.com ever remember that there might be many silent Thai audiences around who may find some of their comments bordering rude or even offensive? Or maybe they don't even care about feelings at all? Personally, I never expect online discussion boards to be politically correct or diplomatic, so while I welcome a regular dose of constructive criticisms, balanced views and objective debates, I feel that it shouldn't be too much to ask for more culturally sensitive comments from the majority of forumers there.

By sharing my views here I know that I am about to land myself in a hot seat. But before you shoot my opinions down, I'd urge those who take pleasures in seeing things not going right in Thailand to pause for a moment and think that regardless of whether I'm right or wrong, this could be the kind of reaction that a typical Thai person would have upon reading some of the dark and tasteless comments that have been cruelly crafted. There's this deep-rooted concept of 'kreng jai' in the Thai psyche, so when one shows restrain while being negative, respect would be earned and reciprocated in kind, and I believe that this will go a long way in making sure that a farang's stay in Thailand a pleasant one.

There were also some interesting replies.

I think its against tv rules to post a direct link, right? So just google "What's wrong with thaivisa.com and many of its forumers?" for the source if you wish to read more.

Thanks for the warning, a Rant indeed now get over it. It takes all kinds to make this world go round so we must learn to accept it and move on. NUFF said.

Last I heard they still haven't found the black Box. Sad lost of many lifes, RIP ALL

Believe it or not ten I my household, 11 if you count the one that open the main gate to the house. my god talk about remote CONTROL!!

Great now you got it off your Chest, now you should count your blessings, it could have been TOT ro CAT crap, but those two are a hold bad dream as well.

Nice pictures. Love the WaterFall. A tough choice if you have to choose only one for a front page.

The problem I have with my Thai bank account is the 150bht fee added for any transaction from the ATM's ,when withdrawing money from home . Another way to screw us !!

150 baht fee from your Thai Bank account,(ATM transaction) when withdrawing money from HOME??

150 years just on paper to please the victim, old Guy will live another 10 or 12 years Max, why just sentence for the rest of his life without possible of Parole. . Maybe/hopefully with a little luck the power that be will recover some of the money.