zd1

I can't see the difference between a gun for protection or a gun for assault, guns maim and kill whether they are for protection or assault and for that reason they should all be banned.

Why would any sane person want to own a gun? the only use a gun has is to kill, maim or threaten people or animals.

We are supposed to be the smartest animal on the planet and we spend far to much time wanting to kill each other and not just each other but the other animals we share the planet with as well some to the point of extinction.

As for hunting as a sport what sort of sport is that when the odds are stacked highly in favour of the hunter with his high powered assault rifle, it isn't sport it's barbaric.

There are comments on here from a poster who would happily flog people for smoking a joint but would own a gun and by owning a gun would therefore use it as there isn't any reason to own it if you don't use it.

Guns should be banned and the punishment for ownership of guns should be severe, more severe than the drug laws in my opinion.

We are in the process of moving back to Thailand from the UK and rightly or wrongly we are taking our dog and cat with us. Snakes are one of the issues we have as our animals aren't used to snakes and I was wondering if there is some sort of electric type snake thing we could buy that gives our animals a small shock when they touch it, so that they become wary of snakes. I think that this would be the best option as this would instil a fear of snakes in our animals so that they then avoid them, rather than to try and eradicate all the snakes in the vicinity of where we will be living. I don't know if such a device is available but I will be looking for one if they are.

I agree that it is difficult to recommend anywhere without having any idea of what the op is in to doing, so here is what I did my first time here.

When I first came to Thailand I stayed on the khao san rd and after a couple of days I decided that I didn't want to go to the same places as a lot of the people there were going to, I simply opened the lonely planet guide and went to whatever page I opened it on, it was Nong Khai.

Back then I couldn't speak any thai so I went to the northern bus terminal and bought a ticket to Udon Thani as I for some reason couldn't get a ticket to Nong Khai, the journey was somewhat evenful as between Khon Khan and Udon we had an accident as the bus was playing chicken with a lorry nobody was hurt but the one side of the front window was smashed when we went of the road. After a short time we continued the journey to Udon then changed to Nong Khai.

I don't know what Nong Khai would be like now as this was before they even started to build the bridge, but I really liked it, I stayed at the Mutmee guesthouse and met a couple kiwi lads that I had met in Bangkok, we had a great time there and I stayed a week as I had met a local girl by then. I ended up taking her with me and we went to Loei and Chaing kaen before going to Chaing Mai, when it was time for me to go back to Bangkok for my flight she went back to Nong Khai .

Back then I really liked the issan and travelled a lot more around the area on my next couple of visits, to me it seemed I was getting a more cultural experience than what I would have got on one of the islands, the local people appeared to be friendlier as there wasn't a lot of tourists and I ended up drinking with local people a lot as they would just invite you into the homes to drink, eat and talk, by my third visit to Thailand I could speak quite a bit of thai and a bit of lao as I had learned a lot more as a lot of people didn't speak much English I was also a lot younger and could pick things up easier then.

These days I still like the issan and was in Ubon in February as the Mrs parents come from this area, but I also like to spend time in Koh Chang and the islands around there, we also found a place in January called Ban Grood in Pratcuap Kiri Khan province which we really liked, we were only going to spend a day or 2 there but ended up there a week and we will definitely go back there as it is our type of place, nice and relaxed with a beautiful beach and an impressive temple on the northern part of the beach.

I tend to stay away from places like Pattaya and Phuket as that is no longer my type of scene, but a lot of people coming to Thailand love these places so I suppose it is horses for courses.

Thailand has a lot to offer depending on what you want to do or see and I have had great times all over, it all comes down to yourself and what you want to do or see.

It really depends on yourself and what you are looking for, what might be great for me might not be for you.

I don't particularly like Koh Samui or Koh Phangan any more but that is more to do with me comparing these places to what they were like 20 odd years ago and feeling disappointed that they aren't the same now, but times change and people and places change sometimes for better sometimes for worse.

There are many beautiful places in Thailand let us know what your interested in and it maybe easier to suggest places based on that.

I would like to wish the op good luck on his move, it appears that he has done this primarily for his son and that should be admired.

Myself and my missus are moving the other way we are both mid to late 40's we don't have any children just our dog and cat which are spoilt rotten but they don't need an expensive education.

We are now both at a stage in life where we want to go back to Thailand for a while the missus has been in the UK for almost 30 years now and her parents aren't getting any younger, my both parents are dead so there isn't really anything holding us here.

We have just sold one of our properties which will fund the move and give us some capital to invest in a business, we will keep a couple of properties a flat in London and a holiday let in Wales which will give us some money that we will keep in the UK.

With regards to brexit I voted to remain mainly for selfish reasons I was just about to put a property on the market and didn't want any turmoil in the housing market and I was going to be taking money out of the country and didn't want sterling to fall drastically, well the house sold for the asking price so that was ok but the pound has taken a bit of a hammering I think it will eventually go up again but not sure on the time frame so will only be changing smaller amounts until things look clearer.

To be honest I think that the western world on the whole is going through quite a bit of turmoil the American people have the choice to vote for either an orange nutter or a dangerous nutter, Europe isn't any better and I can see the eu falling to pieces which will be very unsettling for a lot of countries to say the least. The UK with its unelected pm and tory party fighting everybody from the teachers to the doctors to the disabled and poor is in my opinion looking bleak.

I personally don't have an issue with the noise or music, I think thai people are generally immune to the noise whether it be music or someone peddling their wares.

Being brought up in a very rural area in Wales there is virtually no noise pollution apart from sheep bleating from time to time. When I was living in Holland I did have issues with the blokes who used to drive the organ grinder thing around the streets on a Saturday morning and the incessant church bells on a sunday morning, my lie in days, but I was living in Holland and if the dutch people wanted these things who am I to try and change it.

Our flat in London where we used to live you could hear sirens from police, ambulance, fire engines all the time not to mention the young boy racers on mopeds with the baffles removed, when my father used to stay with us he said he couldn't sleep but me and the Mrs were used to it and even though we would hear it it wouldn't bother us.

In Thailand I quite like the vibrancy and the different noises of people selling their different things and after a while you stop hearing it as noise and it stops bothering you, its just an everyday thing.

I will point out that I am deaf in one ear so if i'm in bed and any noise is bothering me I just put my good ear on the pillow and I don't hear anything.

So a possible if not practical solution maybe to have some sort of surgery to become deaf in one ear, it will affect you balance for a while but you get over it. This last sentence was in jest.

I was in town the other day and was stopping random people to show them pictures of my dog, cat and also what I have been eating, I was asking them if they liked the pictures and if they would be my friend.

I now have a few followers a policeman and a couple of people with white coats.

I think that at 25 the op has his life ahead of him, by the time I was 25 I had already been living in Thailand for 3 years and I don't have a university degree, I do however have 10 O levels and 3 A levels and a can do attitude.

In Asia generally appearance is very important I remember have to have my hair cut (my hair was half way down my back) so I could get a teaching job, it was a tough decision but it had to be done. Another thing is being polite, respectful and willing to learn.

A university degree isn't everything but it does show a potential employer that you have the commitment to complete 3-4 years further education and it is often the commitment to do this is what employers are looking for.

The world is a big place and there are opportunities all over it, some people here have come to Thailand with nothing and now have successful businesses, but beware a lot of people have come to Thailand with a lot of money and left with nothing.

At 25 you have enough time to make some mistakes we all do, it's how we learn from them, I would say to you why not give it a go it may work out it may not but you are still young enough that if it doesn't work out you can try something different.

Good luck whatever you decide to do.

5 hours ago, Khon Kaen Dave said:

Zd1

Wodehouse (Jeeves and Wooster?) was really a bit dated for me.Sort of 1920's."The aged parents"and all that.didnt really appeal to me.I dont know what age you are,but i grew up with Richmal Crompton (Just William) Jennings,and the adventure stories such as Robinson Crusoe,etc.

Sharpe was more modern in his approach e.g the vibrating dildo's in the old womens house when the vicar comes to visit (Throwback)

Loved them all.

I agree about Wodehouse a bit dated but still quite funny but not as funny as Sharpe, I also read Robinson Crusoe and also Swiss Family Robinson as I liked the desert island fantasy stuff.

Trying to think of the names of the Tom Sharpe novels the one where the main character licks the frog and ends up riding a motorbike across the country and the other one where the main character creates mayhem in a small village terrace.

The Wilt one where they are on holiday in America is another good one, but they are all good really.

2 hours ago, Khon Kaen Dave said:

Zd1

Thats it,Indecent Exposure,brilliant.

I loved Harbinger.

Sad to know that Tom Sharpe is dead.

There will never be another.I believe he was deported from south Africa due to the books.

He died a couple of years back at his home in Spain, he said that one of his influences was PG Wodehouse and I have read a couple and they are not bad but not as good as Tom Sharpe in my opinion.

He wasn't deported from SA for his books, I think the reason for his deportation from SA was due to his speaking out against apartheid and I think his south African books somewhat mocked the regime.

I've got most of his books and will have to start rereading them.

On ‎27‎/‎09‎/‎2016 at 6:19 AM, Khon Kaen Dave said:

Zd1

Can i suggest 'The Throwback by sharp?Like you,i couldn't stop laughing.

Ive read them all.Among the best are The two about South Africa(i think Riotous Assembly is one,cant remember the other)Blott on the landscape,Porter house blue,and obviously the Wilt books.(every time i think of the student in 'Plasterer's 5' bashing Wilt,i have to chuckle)

The other South African one is Indecent Exposure possibly my favourite, the bit when the sa police are having electric shock treatment to stop them being attracted to bantu women and the captain is showing his holiday slides of a safari, pure comic genius.

The Throwback is also hilarious, I have read all of them most of them several times, it's a shame that the great Tom Sharpe is now dead and there won't be any more of them.

6 hours ago, DUNROAMIN said:

Hi zd1, thanks for your input, good to talk to somebody on an adult level, Thai Visa Forums sometimes end up being a bum fight with people who just want to shit stir. I guess we all have our own perspective on life, depending on our family up bringing, whether western or European style country, religion, race, etc. Maybe over time here I will become accustom to the Thai way of life. I can see by what you have written you had your share of ups and downs with your family, I don't think there are too many perfect families around these days and everybody has a story to tell about their up bringing.

Strange as it seems, talking about this subject, this morning while having breakfast my girl looked at me and burst into tears, and told me she misses her two daughters, we discussed this issue for a while and hopefully I have convinced her to visit them or they come and visit us. I am sure you understand that over time you need to fill that missing space in your life. Leave it too long and it becomes harder everyday to take that first step. She does not know that I am discussing this issue with anybody, sixth sense or deja-vue, took me by surprise.

Cheers

It seems that what I thought about the father brainwashing the children against their mother is probably true, unfortunately this often happens when relationships break down and there is children involved. Your girlfriend seems to have done all she can even by staying with a cheating husband for a year for the sake of the children.

I don't think there is an easy answer to this problem but talking to her about it and offering support is a good start. Try to arrange a visit or a meet somewhere, beware that the children may have a skewered view of things and may behave insolently towards both of you but it isn't their fault and they have probably been listening to what their father is saying.

I sincerely hope that everything will work out for you all in the end, as a good mother needs her children as much as the children need their mother.

2 minutes ago, DUNROAMIN said:

Hi, you are close to what you say, however my Thai G/F raised her children up to their early teens, and after her Thai husband decided to have it off with one of her close girlfriends. She stayed with him for a further 12 months for her children. Eventually the husband gave her the marching orders and she was forced to leave with just a suitcase to her name. I do agree that Thais come together when there is a family crisis, if it wasn't for her extended family she would have been homeless.

I'm sorry to hear that it appears that she tried to do the right thing by her children and I can only guess that her ex husband has probably brainwashed the children against her, this happens unfortunately and is not restricted to Thailand.

I am from a similar situation when my parents split up, my mother was having it off with a builder working on the house next door when my father found out about it all hell broke loose, my mother ran of with the builder and my father was understandably very bitter about the whole thing and I didn't see my mother for many years. My fathers love for my mother turned to hate and he didn't want to hear anything about her after that and he did turn me against her to a degree.

I ended up having a good relationship with both my parents who are now both deceased but I was always closer to my father as he was the one that actually raised me.

I think the op is generalising a bit  in regards to his girlfriends family, it appears that his girlfriends family is a dysfunctional family and there are a lot of dysfunctional families in Thailand and indeed the world over. Maybe in his case the girlfriend went away to work, the children were brought up by their father or grandparents and possibly view their mother in an unfavourable light and don't really want any contact unless they want or need something from her, I don't know if this is the case but there are many cases such as this.

With my particular thai family they are affectionate towards my Mrs and myself and generally can't do enough for us when we are there, of course like any other family there are arguments from time to time, but I wouldn't consider them to be dysfunctional just normal.

With the thai way of doing things another poster made a very good comment about logic or lack of it and indeed when I first started coming to Thailand I found the way somethings are done to be quite frankly bizarre, you just have to accept that this is the way things work here and adapt to it otherwise it will drive you crazy.

If your looking for something funny try Tom Sharpe, he wrote the Wilt series among others and I find when reading his books I often have to stop as the tears of laughter are streaming down my face, the way he writes leads to a crescendo of hilarity.

I also had difficulty putting down any of Steig Larsons Millenium trilogy even though I thought the first and second were the best the third one isn't a bad read either.

A friend of mine from my old Bangkok days in the early 90's recently had a book published it is called "A Field Of Virgins" by Ian Devey and is worth a read but I think it is only on kindle.

After reading a couple of your recent threads I fear that your time in this world may come to an abrupt end, helping yourself to older/rarer looking figurines at shrines would in my opinion not be a very wise move  and could end in a lynching.

In your other thread I was referring to, having an affair in a village well I suppose I value my genitals more than you probably do.

We are going to be doing this as well, we are in the process of selling or giving away a lot of stuff at the moment but we would like to bring some things mainly tools, our expensive mattress, a few bits of personal furniture, a couple of guitars and my old computer with all of our music on it. There is also a few bits of art that we would like to bring some one of pieces purchased in Cuba around 12 years ago and a couple of pieces by my Mrs sister. There is also some classic art Vermeer prints, Monet prints and a Constable print which were my fathers but we are going to sell these. I also sold my motorbike a hornet 900 which I had for over 12 years and wanted to take with us but found out it was going to be cost prohibitive.

We would probably only need half a container if that but it would be interesting to know about other peoples experience in bringing their stuff in and how much it costs and if any problem with customs.

15 hours ago, laislica said:

 

To get her Thai PP she will first need Thai ID and she will need her birth certificate for that and if her parents are alive, they can guarantee her and help get everything done.

Name added to a Tambian Baan etc.

 

Good luck.

Thank you, yes she got her thai id back in January it was an all day job with both parents, elder sister and a bottle of whiskey for the helpful official. She also go her house in Bangkok put back into her name, it was in her Dads name as when she purchased it she wasn't allowed to have her name on it as she was married to a foreigner this law has since changed. She also registered for the 30 baht health scheme.

Apologies to the op for derailing his thread with my questions.

27 minutes ago, Lite Beer said:

You do not qualify for a Non Imm O Visa.

Thank you, fair enough I was just wanting to explore all options available, I think what Ubonjoe said in his reply may have answered my question.

21 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

You can do a change of visa status at Bangkok immigration (or perhaps at one or two other offices) to get a 90 day non immigrant visa entry. It would take two trips to immigration 15 days apart to get the visa/entry stamps.  You wife would have to be with you when you apply.

You wife would not have to be with you to apply for the non-o visa.

You will have one little snag after you wife gets divorced. There is rule that she cannot get married again after divorce for a period of time which is based upon the chance she could be pregnant from her previous marriage. But now a negative pregnancy test can take care of that waiting period.

Thank you for your sound advice, this looks to be the best option for us.

The little snag you mentioned isn't going to cause us any problems as she isn't pregnant and if she were it would it would be mine anyhow.

4 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

You will not be able to get a non-o visa for a de facto marriage. You will need  to get a tourist visa and then get a non-o visa after you get married.

Thank you after reading loads of threads about this I thought as much, is there another option to get a non im visa based on money in the bank for example, its just that when we arrive we will have our pets with us and I don't really want to have to leave the country within a few months of arriving, or is it possible to change from a tourist visa to a non im without having to leave the country.

We are in a similar situation, me and the Mrs have been together for over 10 years and have known each other for almost 20 years. We live in the UK at the moment and we are returning to live in Thailand in late October or early November this year.

We aren't married at the moment as the Mrs is getting a divorce from her ex husband (UK national) who she split up with over 20 years ago but they just didn't bother divorcing, the only reason that we are doing this now is to make it easier for me to stay long term in Thailand.

I am mid 40's and she is late 40's and we are going to look into buying a business to hopefully live of but will still keep some assets in the UK a flat in London and a holiday let in Wales. We are selling our main residence in Wales to fund the move and buying a business so will have ample money in the bank for visa requirements.

The question I have are will I be able to get a non im visa in the thai embassy in London based on a defacto relationship? we will have to go there to renew my Mrs thai passport as it ran out 15 or so years ago (she has a UK passport now), or would I have to get a tourist visa and change that when we are married in Thailand.