owl sees all

2 minutes ago, Destiny1990 said:

Gosh your neighbor killing your dog because it killed one of his chickens. Clearly you have found ur paradise!

He told Mrs Owl that it was put down humanely. 

13 minutes ago, PatOngo said:

Or a tent and hammock with mosquito net!

If Sakoo does not have a mosquito net or a tent or a hammock, there is a natural answer.

Find a neem tree (I think sadow in Thailand) pluck a few dozen leaves and squeeze the berry juice into a cup. When it's time to retire, smear the juice onto any exposed body parts and surround the blow up bed with leaves. This will keep the adventurer safe from mosquito bites and any critters that might be crawling about.

Well known amongst those seeking the ultimate adventures and experiences.

6 minutes ago, sakoo said:

Thank you Owl, you are correct I am just looking for experiences and I pay my way especially toward the humble people of the world. 

 

Where in Isan do you live? I don't eat animals but I would like to know more about free veggies and fruit and regarding this blow up beach bed, what material should it be made from? And can it fit into a backpack, if I also have a pop up tent and camping hammock in tow as well? I can perhaps put the beach bed inside the tent instead of taking a rolling sleeping mat, as those are really bulky. 

 

Also can I find one without the air pump? Those are really bulky and is then the only option blowing into it? 

I live just south of Nong Khai. In a small village, but also live at our farm.

The blow up beach bed can be purchased almost anywhere. They are used a lot at swimming pools. Mostly blue, but can be other colours if you don't like blue. I like green myself, or brown (hard to find), but my daughter prefers orange. Check on the length of the item before purchasing. Get one that is too short and your feet - or your head - will stick out when you are sleeping. Sometimes the small valve, which you use for blowing into, becomes unfuntionable, due to unreasonable abuse. So particularly look after this part. I think the modern beach beds are made from a vinyl or similar.

Doubles are available, which can be handy if you bump into a female adventurer, as you can share both food and bed.

Peace and respect. 

9 hours ago, Denim said:

Yala is pretty cheap. Off the tourist trail so no sex tourists or backpackers. As it is in the restive south they don't get many visitors but those that do go are very welcome. Basic accommodation easily found for 100 a night and if you don't mind small portions then a bowl of noodles can be had for 15 baht. 

 

Possible to sleep at temples and accompany the monks on their alms giving rounds. The food the monks dont eat is given to the poor but weary travelers are welcome. No need to use a tent since there is usually an empty novice monk place available. Basic but better than a tent.

 

By moving around and only eating one good meal a day it is possible not to spend any money at all. But moving from one temple to the next is done on foot unless someone is going your way. You can even make a very little bit of money on the way by giving English practice lessons, necessarily cheap because you are living amongst the poor and seeing the country as a tourist never can.

 

Sometimes , you can get lucky and attend a wedding with the monks who are paid to be in attendance. You can expect a cut if you ate assisting the monks.

 

If you get bored seeing the real Thailand and want to go to Bangkok you can go free by bus if you are not in a hurry.

 

Just jump on any bus and go to the back if the bus. When the conductor comes you can pretend you have been robbed but only just found out the fact. Spin this charade out as long as possible since while the bus is moving it is ticking off the mileage.

 

Two things can happen. You get kicked off the bus so you have to get the next one and repeat, or someone will feel sorry for you and pay your fare.

 

Oh yes, it is still possible to travel the length and breadth of Thailand not only for free but if you are careful and not fussy to turn a modest profit.

 

This way , the OP can be truly proud of himself that he has not been taken advantage of and has made many Thai friends along the way.

A lot of posts on this thread are treating the OP (sakoo) as a freeloader. Not so, in my opinion. He is just trying to travel, meet people, help people and experience new things.

Advice to sakoo section.

In my local market they sell a chicken soup. I guess it's the same throughout Isaan. There's not much solid chicken; I think mostly the sellers just dunk a bit and hold for 5 seconds or so. But sometimes there is a chicken foot. if you are not into eating feet, (I'm not) ask them to remove it for a rduced price.

There is an abundance of free food in Thailand. Fruits and vegetables grow by the side of the road. Just need to know what to look for. There are mushrooms in the woods, and edible snakes (see pic) everywhere. Just need to brush up on the snakes of Asia, as catching the wrong one might lead to discomfort.

Obviously if you do grab a snake you will need to cook it. Starting a fire in the wild can be frustratingly difficult, so do keep a lighter with you, unless you are an expert like me, in which case ignore this sentence. 

When I started adventuring, a seasoned wild man told me to dig out a little hollow for the hip when you sleep in the wild. Don't do this sakoo. Terrible advice; in fact I think he was having a jest with a rookie (me) when I look back now. With that in mind, I can't offer you any better advice than to take a blow up beach bed. They take up so little room and are light. I have a dodgy hip and find it impossible to rest on a hard floor. If you are OK with that, then fine, but just keep it in mind. You never know where your sojurn might be.

Good luck with your journey through Asia and life.

Peace and respect.

1 hour ago, Odysseus123 said:

i must say that I am enjoying this thread-one of the best that I have read for some time on TV.????

I agree.

It's informative, confrontational and positive all at the same time.

I've just came back from shopping in Nong Khai, and this thread has caused me to seek out the more reasonable places.

There is a fishing resort in east Nong Khai that is very resonably priced. Seeing as you only pay for what you catch; don't catch any fish. Their food is OK though, and it's worth a visit. Put your feet up for a couple of days and enjoy. Not you, of couse Odi, but anyone who wants cheap living. Toilets not great, but on the upside, the lake water is clean enough for a bathe.

Pringles are on a special in Big C. Three big tubes for 55 baht.

53 minutes ago, ChakaKhan said:

Now you have my attention as far as the thais ladies and how they can be "accommodating"..do tell!!!

Any old survey will show that Thai women are the most promiscuous in the world. The men are right up there too. Not to say there is anything wrong in that. but if he was that way inclined a traveler could use this knowledge to his advantage. Obviously you need to do the groundwork. Thai ladies love to be complimented. So although it might not seem to be of importance, those little things, those little touches, will really count for something. Offering to help with the washing up for instance.

When the lady is talking you look at her lips, and when you talk you look into her eyes. This is basic animalistic traits. If you have a cat you will know that when it is hungry you not only get meows but the eye too. 

Now, as we are all aware in Thailand, 'face' plays a big part in people's lives. So when you retire for the night, don't epect a lady to join you in your room immediately. When she is sure all the others are asleep she will creep into your bed. She will leave before the other house members awake. Only you and the lady would be aware of the passionate joining together.

42 minutes ago, ChakaKhan said:

I literally just texted Lidl to someone and then read this...............mind..blown!!..Love my Lidl!!

Absolutely. LIDL cooking oil 1 pound a litre; local pump price diesel 2 squids a litre.

I was reported because I was putting litres of the oil in the tank. A neighbor was watching me every day. Evidently it was illegal to do this and also not to put it on your tax return. Fuel duty, and all that. Later I noticed that at each store there was a notice saying they were restricting customers to 12 litres (case) a day.

11 hours ago, oldhippy said:

I can't believe that I - a fundamentalist atheist - am defending christianity, albeit against a thai apologist.

 

Yes there still are religious (and other) nutters in Farangland - but it's all about percentages......

And that is the key word; 'percentages'.  I've been married to four ladies; a catholic, a muslim, a seven day adventist (christian) and the present wife, a devout buddhist. The percentages have not worked in my favour at all. Or am I simply attracted to nutters. Perhaps next time.

2 hours ago, RedPill said:

That's not entirely true, there are also very nice, law abiding people on this forum and in Thailand from EUR/US/OZ who would report you if you don't behave and break the law, i.e. drink illegal homemade methanol or overstay! ????

 

 

I like this post.

It reminded me of an incident in London about 20 years ago. I was reported to the police for putting Lidl cooking oil into my Diesel van.

9 hours ago, sunnyboy2018 said:

Yes a troll indeed.

I don't think Sakoo is a troll. A much overused word on this forum. Even if he is, he (she) is still a human with feelings and all the other human attributes.

Trolling is an art, and makes topics zip along. Done well it is a wonderful input into threads that might otherwise kick the bucket prematurely.

And I don't think it is proper to keep using third person talk. 'He is this, or he does that. Disrespectful in the extreme.

10 minutes ago, TSF said:

A bloke puts on a wig and a dress, it's still a bloke. You can carefully peel the skin from an orange and wrap it around an apple, and hey presto, the apple now looks and feels and smells just like an orange, but it's only a false cosmetic exterior. Inside it's still an apple.

You are going to be in big trouble with the Transgenter people TSF. Be careful when replying to PMs.

19 minutes ago, The Deerhunter said:

After visiting the Philippines my father commented that is never wise to trust a sausage with a hole through it.

Good advice there Deerhunter.

The whole restaurant world is a minefield. Horse meat packaged as best beef. Chlorinated chicken. Owl meat in China and Palestine. Rats, chicken feet and dog in Thai soup.

Sweeney Todd is thought to have been based on a true story.

If you didn't catch it, and cook it yourself; don't eat it.

3 hours ago, sakoo said:

CHAKA: Why wouldn't you suggest Thailand for me? Is it because you don't think I will find 100b/night rooms? Or other reasons? I am usually OK with heat, I don't use A/C. A fan is all I need both for bugs and to fall asleep. I also have a silk bed linen that I travel with, so I can put it on any bed and feel comfortable, as long as the bed is not broken, etc.. Bed bugs are a concern, but I think I have enough experience to know what's what when I enter a guesthouse. So do you still think Thailand is not right for me? I used to live there. So i am not 100% sure why Thailand doesn't seem like the place? I am also going to Laos, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Cambodia, Vietnam. All will be visited on a 100b/night budget (or better). I speak Thai as well and several other languages including many Asian languages. 

 

OWL: Thank you for the admission about jealousy. I am very interested to learn more about this jealousy. Is it personal? Or do they simply resent something in themselves? An inability or unwillingness that they seem be succeeding and then want to bring me down? Is it like a form of macho behaviour between men? Or would they attack a woman in such a personal way as well? 

 

Regarding these ladies of the night, do they want a farang who pays them? Or are they simply attracted to handsome men? Do they want anything other than a sexual experience? For example, will they leech or latch on after it's said and done? And do they realize not all farang are a like? And that we have different cultures related to sex and women? I can't imagine having to explain that in Thai, but it may be necessary. Do they respect a pro-family farang? Or they think we are all after sex? 

It seems you recommend ISAN provinces over Chiang Mai and Pai. Don't you think Chiang Mai and Pai will actually be cheaper than Isan? Because of the volume of people? I can possibly get 100b dorm with fan, and eat the market. Can I do that in Isan for less? Or about the same? 

And when you say Nong Khai, do you mean the city in Nong Khai as well? What kind of deal can I get in Nong Khai? Let's say I want to spend a week in a guesthouse, how much do they want compared with what I can get by browsing in Chiang Mai or Pai? 

In Pai for example, there are 300 guesthouses and hotels, I could check into one I find on Agoda or Booking for the first night, let's say for $2 or 3/night, and then spend that day looking for even better places around the same price range that have shared open air garden showers where you can wipe yourself down under the moonlight. Romantic yes, but possible, no? That is the question for you! 

I am just asking if it's even worth it to go to rural Thailand when i can just get the best deals in places with the highest volume? Like Chiang Mai and Pai? They are not islands, or beaches, so no reason for them to be expensive, and if I go in low season, I can avoid the riff raff and jealous types. I can then also focus on Thai language acquisition, exercises (such as yoga, weightroom) and maybe even cooking classes, if they can be found for under 1000b/full day class. 

But there is no way I want to be around anywhere with a dog market. I am an animal lover and I have cats and I cannot bear it. That's not for me. I also avoid certain markets that deal in animals. I can pick up on the suffering in the eye contact I make with the animals. Elephants especially, I feel their pain, especially the baby elephants who are abused to have their will broken from a young age to ready them for a lifetime of servitude to disgusting human beings with no morals.

 

 

Depends what you want from life I guess. My backpacking days (did the Caribbean and Africa) are finished and I know that it can be tough as well as rewarding. As most farang on TVForum are advanced in years, and are mostly living on memory, it's only natural for them to be jealous of a young person doing now what they used to do themselves in their younger days. Nowadays, I get more pleasure from feeding my fish (which I did 2 hours ago) than visiting new places.

As for the ladies. Thai ladies can be very accommodating. They are also very generous. But if it's not for you, they they could respect that.

I put my foot in in by suggesting a stewed dog meal for 20 baht. Sorry! There is a place near Sawang Dan Ding that does some good grub on the cheap. It's located behind the abattoir, near Tesco.

Good luck with your traveling.

Respect bro'.

4 minutes ago, sakoo said:

Thank you Owl, I can see you are an advanced member, so you appreciate a bit of truth when you hear it. The question is what to do with the riff raff around here? Have they always been so unwelcoming and trashy toward different people? Or is the 100b/night really what triggered them? I am interested in them psychologically and from a socio-anthropological standpoint. They fascinate me and disgust me simultaneously. I want to tell them off and avoid them at the same time. And i have a camping hammock with mosquito net. It is made of nylon. And it is for 2 people. And why do you think the ladies offer me food for free? 

Yes Sakoo, thanks for the heads up. An advanced member that has been on TVForum for many years. Most of the farang on here would be simply jealous of your exploits and future conquests. And indeed your sheer adventurism.

"And why do you think the ladies offer me food for free?" Well the ladies in the cheaper provinces are very welcoming. They will offer to share their food with you. And if you are lucky, offer a spare room for you to get your head down. However, don't be surprised if sometime in the night you are joined by the lady of the house, or her sister or daughter. If you are unlucky it could be her mum. But, as they say. 'many a good tune played on an old fiddle.'

And for the cheapest provinces; Nong Khai is right up there as is Udon. But for sheer economy try Sakon Nakon, or is it Nakon Sakon? Always get confused with that one. Not to be confused with Nakon Ratchasima (khorat). Stay well clear of that place. The food is expensive, the ladies too wise for their own good and is too upmarket for what you seek.

They do still have a thriving dog market in Sakon Nakon, and a plate of dog stew (on the bone), shouldn't set you back more than 20 baht.

So there we have it. Do keep us informed on the forum, on how you are progressing. And keep a detailed log, take plenty of pics. Could be in the future that "Hike around Thailand", could be as well read as "Around the world in 80 shags."

Respect 'bro.

1 hour ago, EricTh said:

In the past, those 'flexibility' means that those agent could get their clients application approved by paying under the table money to some corrupt immigration officers.

 

I thought we have a cleaner immigration nowadays.

I was offered 'an arrangement' by an IO in Udon Thani. And in Nong Khai, a couple of years back, it was a doddle getting anything as long as you purchased some special cream, that she was openly selling over the counter.

But, things have moved on. Now virtually all the farang I know use an agent.

Have to go with the flow here and ride the waves in Thailand. We are at times, a bit peeved at the goings on here. But on the whole we have to just accept it.

The biggest problem for most of us here, is that even after many years we still have that western brain in our heads.

30 minutes ago, sakoo said:

You guys really are a bunch of racists aren't you? I suppose it's easier to be so in Thailand and online so you don't have to show your faces when you make racial remarks. And no I am not Indian nor am i from San Francisco (that horrid place) and I will certainly help the Thais, it is just not in the same way. But thank you for the advice on the massage at the hospital for 80b that is the kind of post that is actually helpful and look only the minority of posters actually comment like that the rest focus on racial remarks or those based on race, status, wealth, etc.. For sure, those are farang, only farang talk like that. Probably the crustiest variety as well, real low life type who is always grouchy and negative no matter what anyone has to say on here, it is just an invite to make a new attack, the troll remark included. And the remarks about me being white vs Indian is again a typical thing only white people would say, but only when they can't be called out for it, it is their race based way of speaking, no wonder so many people leave white countries and end up in Thailand or SEA Asia or Latin America, they are trying to escape their own societies, but only to end up repeating their filthy remarks in whatever new countries they end up, as nobody really likes them minus their wealth, it is the only thing interesting about them from a locals perspective. The fact they can't speak the language only adds to prove just how ignorant they really are. And the other element noticed by their way of talking is how they want to keep new people coming to Thailand in a vane attempt to protect the Thais from other foreigners, when it is really themselves who are the most toxic influence on the Thais. No wonder so many of them end up dead or murdered on Ko Samui and other places after drunken fights for alcohol is really their cultural norm, that an ignorant remarks based on stereotypes, so I will show them what it's like to be treated that way, and then watch their faces light up in angst, it's the least they deserve for being racist, ignorant white men. They know to zip it back home, but in places like Thailand, it is open season, avoiding them like a plague especially when they're drunk is a good call, that is why I like to go to places where there are no other farang, one for that reason, to avoid seeing them drunk and acting a fool, and second, to actually find these 100b/night places where most of them can't because they are too drunk or ignorant to look in the first place. And then another trait I noticed is a lot of answers without any questions asked to follow up? How did you go from my interest in camping to assuming I am going to be hiding in the woods with my tent? I have every intention of camping only at guesthouses, not on my own in a national park. I never even mentioned national parks and here you are going on about how I will appear as if I am evading immigration? Wow! Just Wow! Not everyone who looks for the cheapest deals is a bum, you know. Some of us actually use our money wisely and not waste it away at bars getting drunk with the worst characters on the island. Some of us like to stretch the tourist dollar and help out people other than the bar owner or Dutch guy running a bungalow who already has money from home. So even if I spend less per night on the bungalow, I can cut out the farang running a business in Thailand and help the families instead, especially if I find a massage place run by a family, or a restaurant run by a family, and not some farang and his wife, those are places some of you probably frequent. But some of you did provide some useful tips even though with a lot of sarcasm, which is typical of white people, really obnoxious cultural habit adopted by the British no doubt. The worst quality about them is their drunkenness and sarcasm. No wonder nobody really likes them minus their wallets. The walking ATM machine indeed. It's no surprise they are scammed more than any other tourist group. And finally, I see how some of you assume that my ideas are a vision or a dream as if I have never been there before, it is a wrong assumption, I am not looking for utopia for 100b/night I am just looking for 100b/night and I have already found a few places, none of which I will share with you given your hateful rhetoric, but I will do so for anyone in PM after a quick screening process to see if you're a troll or not. White trolls are the worst. I can spot them a mile off from their race based, sarcastic comments and remarks. It is really all they have to offer, with few exceptions. Now watch them come back with even more remarks. It's their culture. They have learned nothing about saving face. It is a Western culture to feel like you have to win everything, all the time. It's a disgusting culture. 

Well said Sakoo. Great post! But ever heard of paragraphs?

Take plenty of rope and a decent hammock. Also a blow up beach bed. But my guess is that the ladies will offer you food and body for free.

A friend of mine did similar 30 years ago.

No different to Kham Chanod.

Thousands go every day, from as far afield as Chaing Mai and  China. Hugging trees, covering the turtles with powder and letting the catfish back into the lake for their freedom. They win too. Only last month someone won 6 million baht.

Over 100 lottery sellers there every day. Charging a minimum of 100 baht a ticket. some of the more lucky tickets are 300 baht each, (I thought Cha Cha had stopped this!?).

I have been across the long bridge in the past, but now amuse myself feeding the fish, and watching the iguanas until the wife returns.

1 hour ago, sillyfool said:

i did not have sexual relations with that woman...... o wait.

A reference to Bill Clinton; I think. Well Clinton didn't have a relationship with Monica. Just an encounter.

4 hours ago, Grumpy John said:

Interesting! Exactly how do you have a fish round-up?  The Thai way would be to have a bus load of people come in with gunny sacks and catch the fish by hand.....tel me there is a better way?

There is a way for a regular pond without draining. The preperation  must be done about a month in advance.

Not this year as we have not put in small fish due to lack of rain, but in past years.

There are various foods that can enhance a man's libido (think that's the word).

When I was younger I would swear by Vit' E. As i progressed in years I found garlic, ginger and ginseng helped me with my 4 times a day habit.

At the present time I'm drinking a lot of mushroom wine*. I drink at least one litre a day. But, I think it's important to keep the body in balance, in tune; so to speak. And in this regard, my carrera mountain bike is my best friend. I've upped by routine, and I'm averaging 100 km a week. I also do weights, but due to an injury in my army days, I stop as soon as the old war would gets uncomfortable.

I've research the sex act, and according to Professor Pigeon, The actual thrusting of the hips during the sex act Is one of oldest forms of exercise, and can add years to a man's life. So with that in mind it is better for the man to be pro-active that the lady.

* fully documented in the TVForum archives.

17 minutes ago, Olmate said:

And you talk to the fish as well

Yes! Very droll Olmate.

Here I am trying to help the aged, the aflicted and the cash strapped and you are less than concerned.

I do not talk to the fish; well not in Engliah anyway. And I notice that TVForum's main man jokster has given you a like. Dear, dear dear.