calbear09

15 hours ago, Deli said:

Try Phuket International Physical Clinic. Opposite the main police station. Not really a massage place, more a physio. 076 217134

Thank You. Will give it a try? How much is one session?

My regular shop which had very talented blind workers on Phoonpon Rd closed down at least one year ago. Can anyone recommend a medical massage to treat chronic pain?

Two separate flight tickets would be needed...

I feel like you can get by pretty easily in LOS without a car...

On 7/24/2022 at 1:56 AM, Kopitiam said:

Taxi stand price at the airport going to Patong is 800THB.

True. But pull out a 500 note and walk around to see who will do it for 500...I never paid 800...usually 600 but that's only if I can't find the Phuket Town Bus which is only 100! Going to the airport, I usually will see random taxi drivers and ask if they can do it for 500 and someone always will but again for those staying in town the bus is 100!

On 8/23/2022 at 3:39 PM, Jerno said:

Can't make up you own mind?  Need strangers to plan your trip for you?  What are you, 10?  Sheesh.

Nope. I didn't really enjoy my Bangkok experience the first two times (stayed near Terminal 21) but wanted suggestions on other areas to stay in (the city is massive of course). I got some great suggestions here from from those who know the area a bit better so glad I posted ????

13 hours ago, KhunLA said:

OK, that's a bit more info, so not exactly a 'beach' holiday.  Phuket Town is great, especially since the buses are running again.

 

First 10ish times overnighting in BKK, I hated it, but didn't explore.  When I did, now, considerate one of the best places to visit in Thailand, if not going for Andaman Sea 'beach' holiday.  Or Surat Thani / Phang Nga area.

 

Has all the good & bad, of a huge metro, with lots of gems, out of the slum tourist areas.  Plenty of hostels to choose from, or inexpensive private rooms.  Overall cost about the same, along with great bus system, aside from rush hour.  Whole area is in gridlock anyway,   BTS/MRT might be faster, if making the 1st trains, though I really do prefer the buses.  Planning essential of course.

 

Canal market, riverside is usually where we hang out during the day.  Actually prefer the west side of the river; Khlong San & Bangkok Noi (Wang Lang) areas.

 

Bang Rak or ChinaTown / Rattanakosin Island works well also.

Ok hopefully 3rd time will be a charm for me. First two times I stayed near Terminal 21 and don't plan on returning. Thanks for the tips!

12 hours ago, Burma Bill said:

With respect, may I suggest continuing to Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai or Khon Kaen. The budget airline Thai VietJet offers inexpensive tickets from BKK to these resorts. Personally, I found Bangkok a busy, polluted "concrete jungle" and Phuket an expensive "rip off" resort. 

Agree on Phuket but the trick is to stay in Phuket Town! I always stay at Fulfill Hostel (they offer private rooms!!). You can take the bus to different parts of the island and plenty of things within walking distance. I pretty much only eat, drink, and relax at the places the locals do.

Normally, I am able to find direct flights into Phuket but due to cost I have purchased a flight to BKK and will purchase a 2nd from BKK to Phuket.

I always stay in Phuket town. Are there any quiet places to stay in BKK for a few nights? I really disliked the hustle and bustle the first two times I went but I may have simply stayed in the wrong places...

I've gone round trip from SFO to HKT seven times since 2015 but nearly every time I've gone with a different airline depending upon the best deal I get. Planning another trip and airline prices are much higher at the moment of course. Wondering if there is an airline with a solid rewards program which would benefit me traveling to and from Thailand regularly.

Unbelievable that they arrest the Swiss man...This happened a couple of times in the last year in the bay area. California law around this is:

California Penal Code 198.5 PC explains that a person will be presumed to have a reasonable fear of imminent harm when someone unlawfully breaks into their home. If the person, while in their own home, uses deadly force to protect themselves and their family, it can be justified as self-defense

Dealing with a lot of tightness and numbness in my right hand. Anyone know a good acupuncturist in Phuket Town?

Do you need multiple hard copies of all documents? Is one copy sufficient. Will PCR test results on my phone suffice?

15 hours ago, ezzra said:

I actually have arrived at my sandbox hotel yesterday where we all had our documents checked, asked to install the morchana app give a pcr swab and sent to our hotels,

the next day i got the all clear from my earlier swab and was allowed to roam the island free, i could have walked out the hotel even the day i have arrive coz no one pays attention to what you do and the hotel stuff barely know who's who, and i see foreigners walking around with no masks on, many shops and restaurants are open but many others are not, to me it seems that the sandbox policies and guidelines are very loosely observed here...

Wondering if I could possibly stay at a hotel of my choice? I've traveled to Phuket every year between 2016-2020 and always stayed at the same place!

Hello. I was hoping to visit in the next couple of months (likely a two week vacation) however I do not see any Phuket Town Hotels listed on the thaiembassy website as approved accommodations. 

36 minutes ago, houlicha said:

I'm in the category of very happy to live in the US (married 43 years) but if I were ever to find myself single I would be in Thailand within a year, need time to wrap up my affairs. 

So what brings you to TV?

To the OP - do you have to do this every 90 days? Even if married to a Thai national, you have to do this every 90 days? (Just trying to get an idea of how everything works).

Anyone know what the history is with the large Indian population in Thailand in terms of gaining permanent residency? It seems as though many are permanent residents and according to some statistics there are 60k plus who were actually born in India

38 minutes ago, MadMuhummad said:

 

A mix of super hard work in my 20's to 30's, wise investment and to top it all off nearly losing my life in a motor vehicle accident. Changes your perspective on quite a few things.

Now I can afford to live quite comfortably anywhere I choose really.

Insurance payout after the accident?

On Sunday, July 24, 2016 at 9:19 PM, MadMuhummad said:

First visit in 2012 for me. Visiting 3-4 times a year for total of up to 3 months.

Now I'm minimum 50% Thailand @ a minimum with next year starting full time. I'm inly 38 so looking forward to the next 30+ years!

Did you win the lottery back home? Otherwise how are you able to do this?

18 hours ago, JAFO said:

Lots of good debates going on in this thread. Good Read. I had a nice break browsing all 11 pages

 

One thing I take away from it is that clearly there are some extremely angry bitter western men that  seem to want to blame western society on their marriages that went bad. I guess it easier to blame people then take part responsibility for it failing 

 

Also a tremendous amount of stereotypes. There are many sections I was going to quote but decided naah. 

 

Clearly a great majority of men posting on this site are late 50 through 70. They either pay for sex or live out in the country and have a skewed view on things in most cases. Sometime back I used to be disgusted with old men that would pay a young girl for sex. It still doesn't sit well with me but I have let it go. They will do what they do. I read a post from one guy in this thread where he said he loves their body, and the talk and fun up to the sex part and soon as they are done he can't wait to have them leave. Weird dynamic to me. To each his own. There was also talk about STD's. I stand that I couldn't do it because the thought that the gal who that guy just hooked up with just took a nut from some other guy (or guys) a few hours earlier (maybe even minutes). Just wouldn't fly with me. I prefer a monogamous relationship and a companion where we share a balanced life but its just us. Sex is a just a part of it. Sex can't keep a man, the novelty wears off and its boring, even if a different gal, VJJ is VJJ and a Nut is a Nut, same same 555 

 

To the OP wanting to find a women, You user name is CalBear09 so I will go out on a limb and guess you are a Berkeley grad. Congrats. I know quite a few Berkeley, Davis, Stanford grads.

 

 For what it is worth, here is my take on the difference between women here in Thailand vs US. In the US women have much higher expectations(Especially California).  They are educated and independent. Typically they are looking for a man that has suitable characteristics, drive, education. The Asian women that go to the US do it for that reason as well. They want more out of life. I totally respect that. The men on this site that have an issue with it are the ones that could not handle that type of relationship.They prefer this world in Thailand where they can land any girl at any age and where they perceive there is no threat of their woman leaving them and they do not have to work at it much to make it work. Just grunt and open their wallet. I took my wife to the US (Silicon Valley) for 4 years and it did not change her one bit. But she is a college grad, older and had worked gainfully in Thailand. She enjoyed the experience in the US but was happy to leave and move back home. I could live in either place. Did not matter much to me I just prefer Thailand at this juncture in my life. I know quite a few guys years ago when I was in my late 30's early 40's that did the "Travel to SEAsia get a bride move back" deals. All failed in short time once back ( 1 guy did it twice). Here is why. In Thailand these younger girls will hook up with just about any westerner man. They turn a blind eye in hopes of a better life. If this said couple moves to the US, society pressures take there toll,. They are always being stared at, snide comments, laughs, pointing (especially if the age difference is significant). Then of course she starts to realize she is with some old guy and she sees that many other younger western guys are attracted to her. Soon she realizes this guy who was a good catch in Thailand is not a good catch at all in the states. They quickly leave the guy because they can. You being young would likely avoid that if you are a nice, clean cut, educated guy who is polite and has some manners. I do not think there is anything wrong with coming here to meet a women but you should live it here for awhile because if you move back it will have its own set of problems with her adapting. If she has a degree here it will not be applicable or recognized in the US. ( I know my wife struggled with that when we moved). There was another poster in this thread that had some good insight by saying that not all Thai women here are ignorant young uneducated peasants. Many are quite the opposite and I know this because I work in Thailand at a large company so a 30 to 35 year old Thai women working at nice job is going to be a hard sell to get her to want to move back to the US. She might be well set up here.  And it is an absolute load of shit that educated, well of Thai women have no interest in Westerner men. Sure maybe not that fat dumpy old coffin dodger guy but not the working business men type. In fact I find that quite the opposite. These gals want more and to become a bit more worldly. My point is come visit, get out and about. Stay away from the low rent scam areas. Do not internet date. Go live in area that suits your style and then just go sit in a coffee shop, walk a mall, go bowling, whatever. You will meet a gal and the journey begins.

 

Btw, I came here to Thailand exactly opposite  your intentions. I did not come here for a woman. I didn't care. I figured if I met one, I would meet one. I wasn't in a hurry, wasn't glazed over, wasn't trying to go back in time and shag anything on 2 legs. Sure I got hit on by many at the company I worked at but I just smiled and politely moved on.

 

Anyway Good Luck. There are good women in the US. You happen to live in a extremely competitive area. Yes they take more effort and work but you just haven't met the right one. Yes it harder to date and develop a relationship but it happens and they do work and many are very happy. Just keep in mind all women want security. Its their make up not matter what part of globe.

 

 

 

 

Thanks. Good advice.

On Friday, December 23, 2016 at 11:23 PM, sanemax said:

 

   We need to face reality . Most educated girls with a job and future have no interest in relationships with felangs .

All falangs including those in their 20's and 30's? Not sure what the future holds for me but I do think my prospects with finding a solid relationship in Thailand is better today at 29 than if I were to migrate at say 40+...And yes a girl would not be my SOLE reason. If I loved my job here, I wouldn't want to leave..

On Friday, December 23, 2016 at 10:58 PM, lostinisaan said:

Hermann, the German was already 40 yrs. old and couldn’t find the woman of his life. So, he flew to Thailand and almost every girl he met told him how handsome he’d be and he finally met Noi at a café.

 

Noi had to buy a notebook to keep all her paying partners alive. When Roy from the States wanted to see her, but she’d already made an agreement to stay with Herbal Ed from the UK, she told him that her mom was so sick that she couldn’t see him and Ed postponed his holiday to see his big love Noi.

 

Noi knew that Hermann was constantly looking at her, her skirt wasn’t too short to make her look slutty, but it showed her well-formed legs to ignite a man’s imagination. But she gave him the smile that Hermann needed to have the balls to go to her table to invite her for a drink.

 

They spent all day and also the night together, but Hermann couldn’t score and Noi gave him a free Thai culture course that “good Thai women” don’t have sex on their first “date.”

 

It took Hermann three days until she gave him what he was looking for. He phoned his mom back in Germany to let her know that he finally found the right woman to marry.

 

Noi was never asking for any money, always paid her own food and drinks and when she came to Don Muang airport with Hermann to say goodbye she didn’t take the 20 K Hermann wanted to give her for the nice week he’d spent with her.

 

Hermann, back in Germany showed Noi’s photos to his colleagues, his mom was also very happy that her son actually found somebody. Hermann called Noi every day to a certain time Noi had given him.

 

All was planned to get married in Thailand, mom was excited to fly to Thailand to meet her new daughter in law. One day, in the middle of the night a phone call from Noi that scared the <deleted> out of Hermann. And finally also out of his mom. 

 

Noi told him that she’d be in police custody because a little girl ran into her car and got killed when she drove along the road at the beach in Phuket when she wanted to buy a phone card to call her future husband.

 

Noi then told him that she’d rather kill herself rather than staying in a Thai prison for 20 years without the chance to stay with Hermann, her beloved man, and soon husband.

 

Hermann was the one who raised the question if something like that couldn’t be solved with money. Noi, clever as she was started crying even louder than before and told him that she wouldn’t want him to pay so much money for her. “They want 6 million baht to release me” was her short answer.

 

Now Hermann was the one in tears, he woke his mom and told her about Noi’s misfortune. The next day they sold the house they had from aunt Lucy and both took a credit to get the needed money.

 

The 6 million baht were on Noi’s bank account that of course wasn’t under her real name.  “Men are really stupid when it comes to girls she said to herself when she sat outside at the café place when James the American from Chicago started to watch her.

 

Hermann never heard from Noi again and James went through a similar nightmare about 2 weeks after his first meeting with Noi. Noi had six paying customers who sent her between 17 and 30 K per month.

 

OP, I hope you get my point. You don’t find love when you’re looking for it. If I were you, I’d try a few dating websites and once you’ve got the e-mail address of her and you at least know each other, I’d give it a try.

 

Don’t be a Hermann now and please believe me that teaching without a degree here wouldn’t make you happy at all.  

 

You wrote that you don’t have good luck with women in your country? Thai women are pretty similar, even when they look so different. Best of luck and Merry Christmas. 

Teaching without a degree or teaching without a degree in education? I do have a degree..

1 hour ago, puukao said:

You want to be nice to humans, YES?  Then help them financially so they can be better mentally and physically.  You will have to spend at least 30,000 baht a month so they can enjoy their life.  

 

then buy them a house, why not?

 

you will never be fluent, but that's OK, they prefer you don't know everything.

 

and get them an iphone7.

 

now, after a few years and a few million baht spent, you might understand things.

 

since you can't work in Thailand, your career will be zero.  Your education will diminish.  Your health will diminish.  You will be an outcast back home.  

 

Which is fine if you have lots of money....

 

Many regrets puukao?

2 hours ago, chilli42 said:

In my view that would be completely the wrong motivation.  You will of course find girlfriends and wives aplenty.  What you will also discover the unintended consequences of achieving that goal, particularly given your apparent awkwardness in establishing stable relationships with women.  The women/girls you are most likely to meet here will come from poor families.  Many of these same women/girls here are unscrupulous schemers due to their upbringing, values and economic circumstances.  You will learn the hard way what it is to be burned emotionally and financially.  You can avoid all of this by not being so "needy" ... forget the girlfriends and wife goal.  Your goal should be to enjoy the kind of life that you can have in Thailand.  Find a good group of male friends and establish a wide circle of women/girls that you fancy and have a great time.  Do not get locked into anyone until you have been here for at least 5 years and you have developed some sense of what is really going on here.  The worst case is that you will have the time of your life.

 

PS ... The other advice above has mainly been good.  Be sure you have the money to make it work.  Be sure you have a plan B.  Never ever, ever loan money to anyone here male (especially foreigners) or female.

Good advice. I guess my title was a bit misleading. The girlfriend would be the main reason of course not having to continue a typical cubicle job here would also be a plus