The Dark Lord

2 minutes ago, janclaes47 said:

So you think this insurance will cover all medical issues, be treated at top hospitals, or will even be available for people on anything other than a tourist visa?

 

You gonna be disappointed as in my opinion this will be only available to tourists, cover the same as a travel insurance, and only available for treatment at government hospitals.

You might well be right my friend, you might well be right. 

Having just suffered and paid for a dreadful mis diagnosis  in a top local hospital followed by ( what I hope is) a correct diagnosis with painful corrections to the initial one as well as expensive treatment for the correct diagnosis after having changed hospital , I  welcome a local insurance. That way the scamming ( as practiced by most hospitals on foreigners to differing levels) will be Thai scam Thai 

Dear TVF friends, the current Mrs Dark Lord and the Dark Lord himself are bowled over by the flood of genuine advice, help and opinion garnered so far from you lovely people. 

We we are both very much indeed appreciative of the time and effort you have selflessly given to us  in responding so comprehensively and positively. 

I honestly did not expect such kindness and am somewhat humbled by it. 

As we chrystallise our plans and start to move closer to a visit to each of your suggested locations, I will contact you to try and arrange a meet up to explore in perhaps a little more depth each of your suggestions in exchange for some refreshment as fair barter . If you wish to remain anonymous no problem no offence taken at all, if you are agreeable to meet up with the Dark one and his consort, again we would be delighted to do so. 

Meanwhile once more our most most sincere gratitude for your help so far. 

All the best

Mr and Mrs Dark Lord.

28 minutes ago, Encid said:

I prefer the Eastern seaboard over the Hua Hin area... there is always a sea breeze here wheras Hua Hin is always hot and humid.

As has already been mentioned, Pattaya almost matches Bangkok with the plethora of restaurants ranging from basic Thai to 5 star, lots of western style supermarkets and shopping centres, and great dental and medical facilities.

Swampy international airport is only 1.5 hours away by car and Utapau airport is only 30 minutes down the road to Sattahip.

 

I would recommend the Najomtien area... south of the city but only a short 15-20 minute drive into central Pattaya.

Much cleaner beaches, cheaper housing, less traffic, and much quieter.

 

 

/Edit: I forgot to ask... do you play golf?

There are no less than 26 golf courses within a hour's drive from Pattaya.

Hi Big E and thanks for taking the time and effort to respond, Both  the current Mrs D Lord as well as the Dark Lord himself very much appreciated the display of human kindness. 

Do I play golf? Well I have a set of clubs, I have taken lessons and hold / held a handicap card for Nad Al Sheba golf course in Dubai but if what I do falls under the heading of playing golf is very much a matter for great discussion and often hilarity. 

Probably best described as a most enthusiastic beginner!

18 hours ago, newnative said:

Moved to Thailand from America in 2010.  We started in Rayong on the beach near Ban Phe.  Didn't last too long--just not enough to do and it was a fairly long drive in to Rayong to the stores like Home Pro.  No movie theater nearby and, actually, not many farangs around, either.  I was usually the only farang in Home Pro or the grocery store when we went shopping.  We ended up moving to Pattaya and it was the right move for us.  Some TV posters view Pattaya negatively and persist in insisting that it only has two things to offer--girls and bars.  However, we have friends like ourselves who live a very nice life here and never go near Walking Street, Soi 6, and the like.  In the seven years we have been here Pattaya has changed quite a bit--lots of nice, new hotels and condos have been built. Great housing choices whether you rent or buy--both in Pattaya itself and the quieter, outer areas.   A lot of ticky-tacky shacky type buildings have been torn down and replaced by nicer buildings.  New malls have opened and older malls, like Central Marina, have been beautifully re-done.  A number of family-type attractions have opened to join the ones already here--Harbor Mall has opened with lots of family entertainments such as an ice skating rink and roller skate rink, rock climbing wall, etc. Two big new waterparks opened--Cartoon Network and Ramayama.  Some nice, new restaurants--like The Chocolate Factory and Sky Gallery--have opened to join the wide variety of restaurants already here.  Two movie theaters playing movies in English are here--as are bowling alleys, lots of golf courses, and good public and private hospitals.   Terminal 21 is being built and it should be another great addition to a city that is changing for the better.  Anyway, maybe worth a look--there's a nice group of expats and retirees living here full and part-time. 

Hi and firstly many thanks for taking the time and effort to respond. As I say to all the kind folks who have taken the effort, the current Mrs Dark Lord and the Dark Lord himself are genuinely appreciative of your comments, advice and sharing of your experiences. 

We have relatives in Patts but as you so clearly point out there is Pattaya and there is Pattaya which are as alike as chalk and cheese. In my misspent youth I knew Pattaya well but in my autumnal years I would like to get to know the other Pattaya better to put it in the "serious consideration" list. 

Need to sort port out some things up here in the wastelands but once we have our plan to come down would you be open for a meet, a few cold ones one afternoon or evening such that we could get some more ideas on specific  areas to look at / avoid?

no pressure and no offence will be taken if you prefer to remain anonymous 

cheers

TDL

18 hours ago, beachproperty said:

My vote is for ......Rayong ....although its not Pattaya (that's a plus) , Pattaya is just an hour away

 

Doesn't flood

Mostly Thai with some falangs living here

Weather is the best in Thailand ....Not too hot ...get the cool sea breezes

Has all the amenities .....Makro, Tesco, Big C , Central Shopping Mall, Home Pro, Global, etc.

Has a vibrant Bar scene.....with live music

AND its just 1 1/2 - 2 hours from Bangkok

Many thanks for taking the time to respond, genuinely appreciated by both the current Mrs D Lord and the Dark Lord himself!

you are on our wavelength and certainly will, once we have sorted out a few issues up here, pay a visit to Rayong. As we get closer, could we contact you for more detailed suggestions based on your experience?

cheers

TDL

12 minutes ago, Nurseynutcase said:

Ever thought about Phuket?  I live in Kata, don't ride a motorbike but cycle - 9 mins to the beach.  Live in a quiet area of Thais and some  short trem (holiday) farangs.

 

Local bar of Danes, Germans, Swiss and Swedes - all speak English.  A real old English pub full of ex-pats in Chalong if you want that kind of thing.  Many different restaurants serving all types of foods.  Big C, home pro a short motorbike ride away.  Macro now in Kata, beautiful fresh food market.  Fantastic fish market in Rawaii.

 

Shopping for the Missus?  Depends what sort of shopping, local markets or expensive shops - they are in Patong and Phuket town.

 

We rent - 15,000baht/month for 2 bed villa.

 

Have a great time looking around.

Thanks, very much appreciated your time and effort to reply. 

been to Phuket many times and found it to be more and more expensive each time we went there. Also felt our ex soviet friends seemed to be on the rise to the detriment of those originating from further west. Have a number of friends in Phuket but had dismissed it due to cost and the aforementioned ingress.

will refloat the concept with the current Mrs D Lord when she gets back from the hairdressers ( how much time do they spend in the hairdressers over a lifetime.....)

cheers

57 minutes ago, craigt3365 said:

Are you more interested in a relatively quiet place or one closer to the action? Or some place in between?

Somewhere in between. Having been in the Navy for several years and posted to Singapore for several more with responsibility for all of Asia  I have collected most t shirts, read most books , seen most films etc of the "fun side" and with a reasonably good Mrs D Lord by my side for the last 17 years have " hung up my guns" 

we do not want to be the Swiss Family Robinsons of the area but by the same token neither do we desire constant streams of visitors. . 

All your suggestions so far are pretty much along our thinking based on visits but your elaborations and comments are seriously helping us a great deal. 

Been living here here in LoS for a number of years already but in the desert wasteland of AIS SAN which whilst having some beautiful attractions just does not press the right buttons for me. 

Glad to read about the clean beaches and sea as I have salt water instead of blood running through my veins. Rayong is where the aircraft carrier is stationed is it not? Maybe to be joined by the subs soon. Does the USN or any other Navy visit often?

2 hours ago, todlad said:

I don't know how many of the very smart people who have posted on this thread so far are from the UK and USA but don't forget the saying, people in glass houses ...

 

Trump is so worried about one source of illegal immigrants that he wants to build a massive wall to keep them out and has travel bans in place/in mind to isolate his country even more. I am not judging the immigrants, rather the US's ability to track down and exclude their illegals and overstayers.

 

The UK is leaving the EU at least in part because its immigration control system is way out of kilter. Last I heard there were half a million illegals there ... overstayers!

 

Finally, I am not saying all is sweetness and light in the Thai garden either but if you're going to throw stones, be aware that a bad ricochet and they will smack you in the eye!

What you say is true and is inexcusable however in defence of the lowly Brits ( on of which I happen to be) we gave up any chance of being able to control our borders when the EU took control. In fact even when our inept and politically hands tied Plod did capture a murderer, rapist or generally bad guy we were not allowed to deport / hang / torture him because his human rights to live a family life could be breached. No care for the human rights of those dead or raped by these scum. 

So what happened? we got collectively pissed and chose to try and grab back our independence and be damned to some Kraut bitch telling us what to do in our country ( out of spite cos they lost twice plus one more time In 1966) or some inane cheese munching clog head with limited grasp on reality and voted OUT. 

Ofc there are always the non indig remoaners whose claim to be British is tenuous at best or the snowflakes who believe all on Facebook to be the truth or the so called superstars whose only claim to fame is an odd catchy tune or two but zero education to back their inane claims, who say that to regain our independence, the same independence that was on the line as young men by the thousand gave the supreme sacrifice to maintain, is wrong. 

In my not so humble opinion we almost left it too late, I hope our new " leaders" have enough cojones to plough through the crud to achieve that to which we are striving to achieve then and only then can we focus on cleaning the dross the scum and the unwanted from our once proud shores. 

( That was a political broadcast on behalf of the common sense party) 

3 hours ago, Yann55 said:

Every time I read a comment like this, advocating more police state, more control, more surveillance, I can't help but think of Orwell's '1984' and cringe ...

 

The pretext invoked for tightening up control on individuals is always security, and the result is inevitably that law-abiding, quiet and normal people have to put up with more hassle. Their lives become more difficult, while the real criminals continue their criminal activities, because chapter #1 in the criminal's handbook is : "how to avoid the rules, be under the radar and break the law". It's what criminals do, and yes some of them will get caught in random checks, but most of them won't, they'll just adapt. It's pretty much like trying to kill a mosquitoe with a bazooka.

 

In Orwell's 1984 the citizens have been slowly brainwashed into thinking that everything around them is normal, done for their sake and to protect them from terrorism. The key word here is slowly. As a species we tend to think 'in the box', it's a survival process. If the authorities reduce the size of that box slowly enough, chances are most people won't notice. That's what's happening around the world.

 

What amazes (and depresses) me most is that whistle-blowing geniuses like Orwell, Huxley, Bradbury, Voltaire and many others who wrote novels and essays to warn us of this danger seem to have, in the long run, no effect on the process. They are widely read ... but their nightmares are nonetheless becoming our reality.

Salvation is here!

A well read and educated TVF member!

Is this an anomaly in the Matrix or an even more subtle way of making that box even smaller?

i fully concur with you my friend just look at today's "joys" of flying commercially, Has anyone ever published a list of terrorists (potential or actual) caught in the highly invasive personal screening and loss of basic decency at airports nowadays?  Who are the compliant sheep who mutter their angst but are afraid to mouth it because to do so will inevitably result in your ( an innocent but concerned individual with not one terrorist bone in your body) further loss of basic human dignity?

yes it is the common man not the perpetrators of the crimes that lead to this disgraceful loss of dignity and freedom. That is just the airports, look at the governments eavesdropping on our every electronic communication, where is our privacy? How do we know for sure that the information they keep is not abused?

On 22/05/2017 at 9:13 AM, thaibeachbum365 said:

Yes, the longer you stay here the more you come to understand that Thais and farangs are poles apart in thought processes. That girl that's been with you for years will trust the word of another Thai, she's only met 5 minutes before, rather than your more plausible explanation of things or events. I see it it and hear of it over, and over, and over, and over again. Why? well because your a farang and you don't actually know anything and Thais know better.   

Spot on bro spot on. How f*****g frustrating is it?

also Thai never wrong, farang always to blame when things go pear shaped.

why do we stay? <deleted>*k knows.....

22 hours ago, phantomfiddler said:

I would say that both parties are to blame; put it down to Thailand,s total lack of teaching driving etiquette. The man signals that he wants to change lanes and the woman would not let him in. She is displaying the "Me first" syndrome also. If I want to change lanes I put on the signal and wait until it is obvious that the driver behind me is slowing down to allow such a manouvre (how the heck does one spell manoover !)

If you wind down your window, put your arm out and wave it about whilst changing lanes ( pushing in) you usually get in then in order not to get "tooted" wave thanks to the guy you just cut up. 

Works for me when none none of the ignorant sods will give an inch without the incentive.......

6 hours ago, oldhippy said:

This leaves us with the following possibilities:

 

1/ UK imm & foreign office are incompetent

2/ they are not interested

3/ they too have a price

 

Combinations are of course possible.

 

Option 1 by a long margin. Trust me I know

And I get so depressed when I recall having to sell my BM's back in the UK for a pittance because of the ridiculous import duties here.

Then having to pay 3x the UK price for a jalopy to replace them here

-1 points to LoS

Guys you are fabulous, thanks for the advice so far. Genuinely very appreciative!

i did not say ( by error) that we are looking to buy a place ( preferably detached house with a garden) I am retired (early)  and all spawn have flown the nest. Some voluntarily, some "by request" .

we are not avid people mixers but like to mix when it suits us. 

Both the the same age (circa mid 50's) and enjoy walking the beach, people watching, each other's company ( most of the time ), good internet.

we have given ourselves one year to find "the place"  and will spend about two weeks at each location savouring the area prior to final purchase. 

Understand it it is a bit cheeky but as we try each area, would love to catch up with our advisors ( you guys) for a cold one or two and a chat ( our cost) as we explore in more depth. 

Spent time in Patts and HH as visitors over the years but tough to get the right feel without local expert knowledge hence our request and thanks to you all so far. 

Interests range from the inevitable shopping, eating and talking ( current Mrs D Lord) to Pink Floyd, playing guitar, ( Mr D Lord) 

Current Mrs D Lord is indig Thai  but has lived with me in UK, Italy, Singapore etc as well as having travelled extensively ( and expensively - see shopping above) for over 17 years so is somewhat world wise. Me untypical Brit, disheartened by the lowering of basic moral standards in business and general life at home who left there in disgust but am not a "preacher" preferring to live with an each to his own attitude.

Looks like a fun year ahead!

cheers

Hi fellow well informed TVF friends,

After four years in the wilderness bereft of any semblance of civilised contact, I have finally persuaded the current Mrs Dark Lord to move to the coast away from this intellectual desert in central issat.

looking to move to good mix of Thai n Foreigner area, safe, not overly crowded and preferably close to the sea with clean and easily accessible beaches. 

Thinking; Rayong, Hua Hun / Cha Am

the Dark Lord and his minions welcome any / all feedback from those who are already seconded in such places.

thanks oh wise ones.

5 hours ago, Fulwell53 said:

Mr Glass typifies the attitudes of many british males these days.

Think they know it all, world owes them a favour etc etc.

Like many brit expats ( NOT ALL)  it appears there are doubts about his overall legitimacy.

Anybody helping him get away with his appalling behaviour needs help.

I Wont generalise as many do on here about thais and say they are all bad but I rarely encounter a brit in a bar that I want to spend more than a minute talking to. Foul mouthed , racist etc etc. As I said not all but too many for my liking.

Might I respectfully suggest you change bars then. I am a Brit ( as you so dismissively refer to our nationality) and I also feel that the LoS is struggling to attract the better class of not just "Brits" but the whole mongrel spread of those who abuse the Queens English in an attempt to look cool or hip or tough, but for Christs sake, open your eyes and look around you. It is not the exclusive domain of us Brits to be obnoxious aggressive and foul mouthed, the whole world seems to be going to hell in a handbag nowadays. Standards that my parents installed in me now can get me accused ( for example) of being mysogynous if I retain them, ignorant if I do not. I don't know you ( and judging from your somewhat narrow minded posting, probably don't want to either but I would suggest avoiding such ridiculous comments about a specific nationality until you are completely sure that those who share yours do not also share the unpleasant characteristics to which you attribute to my kind. 

On 13/05/2017 at 6:34 AM, bandito said:

 

In 1999 the Bangkok-Pattaya Hospital refused to admit me unless I put up a deposit, that while I was insured.

After phoning my Health Insurer, who did pay a deposit immediately, I got admitted.

While there I got visited every day with a request for more money at which I answered that I was insured and to contact my insurer.

After treatment was finished the hospital refused me to leave my room until full payment was made.

Thanks to the cell phone could I call my insurer who paid the bill and I could leave.

Suckers!  

Similar experience in the Khorat Bangkok hospital, as a walk in patient with severe back pain ( muscular caused by lifting car engine in my youth) I was immediately admitted following which I had visits from heart doctors, kidney specialist s and a whole raft of completely unnecessary  money making scammers. Finally after repeated requests for someone to listen to what I was saying I got a physio who made me stretch in a certain manner and bingo pain decreased by 70%. 

On trying to walk all out via the payment section, nearly had to call for the cardiologist again as I was presented with a THB 25,000 bill! No negotiations were entertained and suddenly nobody spoke English.

similar experience but much less polished scammer performance at Khorat Memorial.

sad especially if there was a thai in uk wanting treatment......

On 04/05/2017 at 10:22 AM, jvs said:

Massage for half the price,still paid the full price but had two girls.So in a way yes,very nice!

In the good old days, I could never get a discount before the massage but when the goods were revealed I usually got some sort of relief....

Our beach breakers are pretty tame in Khorat....

On 03/05/2017 at 0:36 PM, howard ashoul said:

Also when you're showering in Thai bathroom, floor in entire bathroom gets wet.

 

You have no idea how many times in my early days in Thailand I almost killed myself while entering bathroom. 

 

Worst thing is, that bathroom is ussualy only room in Thailand, that has door threshold. And you're falling on it with your spine... .

Tell me about it, I am still in serious agony after slipping on wet floor and going flat out on my arse. Hospitals seem more interested in how much they can milk than the mending process. 

I wonder if if I will ever lose this limp....

On 04/05/2017 at 0:41 PM, williamgeorgeallen said:

i bet you there is not a single case where it worked out cheaper to just get a marriage visa. all the guys i know who got married to a thai girl lost more than 400 000thb. 10 years in thailand and i dont know a single case of a successful western thai marriage.

Oh dear WGA, seems you are a little negative over mixed marriages out here. Sorry to hear that , really!

my marriage may not be like the ones portrayed on the TV and admittedly we have had some "sporty" moments but here we are after almost 20 yrs together at ages  xx ( knocking on our 60's) and we still really do not like being apart. 

Slowly the current Mrs D Lord is beginning to accept some of my mannerisms that to her are strange......

On 08/05/2017 at 8:06 AM, mahjongguy said:

" Why they test for color vision I have no idea "

 

Umm, what about red lights versus green?

Hi, I was under the impression that for the majority of the indig pop, there was very little difference.

I was in the navy for a number of years and as a deck officer had to be tested as not colour blind but that was sensible as at night if you cannot easily distinguish between the starboard running lights (right side) and the port running lights ( left) you would have a problem

when I recently went to transform my coveted local 1yr License ( heavily expired) into a 5 yr one along with a motorcycle license ( for which I have never had any training anywhere in the world) it was immediately clear that there was some hanky panky going on. My reaction test was extremely fast switching between the lights but after having failed it a couple of times and the current Mrs D Lord getting a bollocking for trying to explain to me what was required, I stood back to observe an indig female try it. I could have stopped a supertanker, discharged several hundred thousand tonnes of oil , cleaned all the tanks with a toothbrush, cleaned myself up, had my tea and watched an episode of Black Adder  in the same time that it took to change the same lights that had just minutes before almost sent me into convulsions as they flashed rapidly back and forth. 

It was then then that I noticed the light changing mechanism in the examining plods hand!

I caught the current Mrs D Lords eye and directed her view to this indicating to her not to say anything. I also made sure that I played the idiot farang and when going for the test again made a point if asking  the CurrentMrs D Lord what it was in plots sweaty Lawanda very pointedly pointed at it. 

Enough said i I'd I sailed through that obstacle that time. 

The peripheral vision tests were a doddle then key then I was directed to a large vacant but very hot school room type place where it was indicated to me that I would have to watch what was possibly the most idiot catching five hour video in Thai about who is responsible for maintaining the roads, who for the rules and regs ( different apparently) why you should always display a red square behind you if you  are carrying a long load........ but that was enough for the currentMrs DL. 

She was not not going to sit and listen to all this crap for five hours ( though she has a proven ability to be able to do so at home with these badly dubbed Korean faux love / fashion / dynasty series that are constantly on local TV) so she stormed right through the Plod sitting at desks and trying to look busy straight into the head plods office. 

Therein she launched into a lecture to the head Plod about how the Plod working under him were showing to her husband what a collection of ignorant, useless corrupt swine they really were with all this stupid tests. Furthermore the top Plod was shaming Thailand and its reputation and she would be talking to her ( fictitious senior Plod ) brother when she next went to Bangkok. 

Was he incapable of seeing this and the shameful way in which the honest (?) hard working (?) but poorly paid people were being treated which only went to further deter such folk from even attempting to get a license? Surely his responsibility was to improve road safety...

Had these ignorant Plod  people not sufficient sense to look at this foreigners license before making him do these ridiculous tests? Could they not see that his (UK) license was an international one which he has used in Saudi Arabia, UAE, ISC, Singapore ...( she listed a number of countries but I will not bore you with detail)  and how on earth could they explain why they would send someone to get an eye test which would involve them driving to and from the opticians? Surely even a Plod could see (sorry) that if the person was blind that by sending them to an eye test in which they would have to drive there........

the top plod grasping the opportunity of one of those rare moments when an indig female stops talking for an intake of air, jumped in apologising for the misunderstanding and that he would personally talk to the concerned Plod and would her esteemed husband like to sit there and supply two photos please....

five minutes lster i had both licenses in my law and tears of laughter running down my cheeks as up to then ( and we have been together since the RomanOccupation of England)  the only person I know who has received such a brutal tongue lashing from her ( and still lives) was me. 

She still to this day cannot fully fully understand why I found that so funny but puts it down to the usual case if farang ba ba. 

On on a side note, the majority of the other attendees at this "Palace of Wonder" were local farmers and pretty poor people all of whom were being lined up to be scammed (a reasonable bribe gets you a get out of having to watch the film card)  and who were being spoken to by the desk Plod like scum. When the current Mrs D Lord exited top plods office they clapped her which I am pretty sure did not make top Plod or desk plods day.

could this indicate that the ordinary silen Thai has started to have had enough?  Do they just need an inspirational leader, one who can combine integrity with ability and who could perhaps drive positive change or am I living in cloud cuckoo land? 

Either way way there is one driving test centre that has started to realise that even the poor indig have limits.....

To any of my chums on TVF who doubt the veracity if this story, I can assure you that it is perfectly true though the translation of "the rant" may be a bit out.

On 01/05/2017 at 8:07 PM, elgordo38 said:

I paid last time.

Kee neiow

6 hours ago, moe666 said:

They would have been arrested in the US. Lewd behavior

Yes but is that not because originally we sent all our puritans over there and you are still playing "catch up" with Europe?

i am sorry but all this false indignity is pathetic, in my (accepted limited) experience our hosts are significantly more reserved than most in Europe when it comes to the subject and variations available for " Rumpy pumpy" almost to the extent that they seem to lie to themselves in an endeavour to delude themselves and others about their morality ( whilst stealing from you)

now that  is unhealthy