marios

If he is a traditional Chinese Thai then he is, in all probability, affluent. The edge the farang normally holds is that he is 'rich' whereas the other party is poor.

If you are of independent means yourself and of a matching age AND you learn the language then there could be a chance. All these of course are based on the assumption that he is rich. The Chinese as we all know consider wealth a virtue.

I wish you the best of luck.

Well I found the hotels were expensive, Thailand is a lot cheaper for places to stay. I did like it in the Philippines, nice country, nice people.. Cheap beer.. Food better in Thailand..

The only advantage in living in the Philippines is the fact that they can speak English. They are charming to be with and a fun loving people and that concludes the good qualities. The cost of living is not low for a tourist or expat. Same accomodation costs cheaper in Thailand as much as 50%. Maybe there are ten times less comparable dwelling places in Manila than in Bangkok. Much safer also in Bangkok. Depends on the standard of living you are interested in.

There is a site called 'numbeo' (google that) and it will give you comparisons of any pair of countries or cities. It is very useful.

For me Thailand stands above all Asian countries in terms of overall satisfaction. Excellent accomodation, excellent food, shopping, taxi availability at the speed of thought,health. Sanuk in the Philippines can be dangerous and the list goes on.

For me Thailand and only Thailand. In my opinion Singapore, for example, is a wonderful expensive sterile product, lacking however the vibrancy and magic of Bangkok, This is my opinion again.

Vietnam is the place I can't stop going back to! As much as I enjoy living in Thailand, Vietnam is the place that fascinates me the most!

Why? Can you tell us some more please? One positive thing I can immediately see is the roman alphabet. I would love to hear views and comparisons with regards to Thailand .( Just a few pointers)

Thanks

Mario

Hmm nothing against the Russians as can't judge the calibre of "quality tourists" of any nationality- always good & bad eggs. However, I do feel a bit "som nam naa" towards TAT/Pattaya bars/restaurants/night scene for going way over the top to welcome Russian tourists at the expense of shunning other nationalities.

I recently stayed at a place between Pattaya & Jomtien & the whole area was totally geared at Russians. Menus in Thai&Russian only, many bars just with Russian signs - if we'd entered it would have been like going into a quiet country pub in England where the music stops & everyone stares then someone asks "are youuu locaall?". Whatever happened to encouraging a melting pot of all nationalities & mingling?! Baffles me how people go abroad & do everything they can do "stick to their own" - no desire to interact with locals or learn the lingo. Same with the Brits that flock to the English villages in Spain. Bizarre comfort zone stuff.

The answer is simple. Bar owners and business people do not entertain high moral values like justice to all. If the money comes from The Russians they will adjust accordingly to attract more Russians, it is as simple as that.

I was just saying to my partner today that the police don't have to be corrupt to make good money. There is so many things happening right in front of them each and everyday they could probably rack up a lot more money doing the right thing. Just as an example how much could they make for fining people not wearing helmets (passenger included), driving on the wrong side of the road, crossing double lines, cutting corners, driving and riding dangerously, unroadworthy vehicles, not stopping at pedestrian crossings, not stopping at red lights, failure to indicate, driving with un-care due and attention and the list goes on and on. If they cracked down on this they would make much much more money and make the road much much safer as well.

I used this example to point out to my partner just how much could be made each time we saw something on our short drive. In less than 10min, I could have racked up close to 20,000 baht without doing anything other than fining those actually doing something wrong.

You mean the fines paid will be kept by the policeman? How can he make 20000 in less than ten minutes?

So who is this English guy?

“Then this English guy crosses the road and says ‘You’ve been acting suspicious ... I want to see your passport,'” he recounted."

Since when can Brits, or indeed any other foreigner, ask to see a passport?

Maybe the English guy was merely translating..

1 billion baht in cash

What a disgusting piece of sh*t

When are Thais going to take to the streets and demand the police force is ripped up from the roots and reformed

I agree. People must protest. BUT, people must reform also. If all citizens would wish to be in a positition of power where graft is possible and also able to be concealed, then there is no hope at the present stage of development. The test, to determine 'maturity' as far as the readiness to resist graft, I think, is the measure of the will of a population to pay taxes. Paying taxes because they feel it is the right thing to do. I think some advanced societies in the west are on the right track.

Bottom line:

If people believe that given the opportunity they will dip their finger in honey then the actions of the officer are understood in the sense that he is doing what everybody wants to do. A society improves when the urge for personal gain is somewhat decelerated when confronted with the moral dilemma.

Costa is not Greek it is Spanish and or Portuguese I know cause my last name. And I'm not Greek though a friends grandfather always called me the Greek

Roman Emperor Constantine proclaimed Christianity to be the formal religion of the Eastern Roman Empire. The Greek Orthodox Church made him a saint. The Greek people called Costas were baptised as "Constantinos".

Therefore the origin of that name is neither spanish nor greek, it is Roman.

He gets out of a taxi and forgets the bag with his money and his passport in it? Must have had a few too many drinkie poos on the plane me thinks.

Could be so but it could also be an accidental event. Remember , you are a tourist in a new location, people are not usually very calm in such circumstances. Your behaviour is not the same as that of when you are riding the same bus every day.

I am saying this that because I, on more than 2 occasions, have left items in a taxi in Bangkok, one time was a cell phone and the other my sun glasses, I do not drink and I attribute this to beiing off my usual routine. Absent mindedness of course can be a dangerous weakness.

If you are riding with someone else, the probability of leaving something behind diminishes, I think.

Farangs "think too much and talk too much". I tell my wife I don't want to stop talking because I fear if I do... she might start up.

A stand-up comedian came up with a similar sentiment:

"I haven't spoken to my wife in 18 months. I don't like to interrupt her."

This is a very good joke. I like it. it sounds so true..

Monitors are messy eaters, there should be a crime scene around yard / pond if they ate it. If there is no crime scene than your geese is MIA.

I've got monitors who come to my pond and eat my fish, they always leave the guts and fish head lying around.

I have been contemplating retiring to Thailand for a long time now. House or apartment? The only answer for me is a condo, never a house with garden in a tropical country. I admire you guys who some of you live in rural areas and who so casually mention cobras, pythons or monitor lizards,let alone scorpions and other nasty stuff. I would never relax in an outdoor setting or inside a house in which one window could have been left open. So gentlemen those of you who live in houses with a garden I envy you but too scared to imitate you.

You seem to think that money is a fix-all magic bullet. It's not.

His only problem was that he was in Singapore, not Thailand.

In Thailand, money fixes just about everything. 13 years here has taught me that there isn't a problem I've come across yet that I can't buy my way out of, fix an issue, grease a wheel, or make a NO turn into a YES. Money is now and always will be #1 in Thailand. Corruption can be your enemy, or your friend. It's up to how you use it. People even buy their way out of murder here on a regular basis.

If this is true to that extend, that makes me very sad..At least the judicial must be a little bit untainted. very sad conclusion by Tokay.

The Chaophraya is still running strong from what I know. It needs organization and meticulous preparation but areas near the big rivers can be supplied to a certain extent. Mobile water purification systems, similar to that used for desalination can be setup along the banks and connect the purified water to the water supply network. These units can be of the modular type which can be easy to install. I cannot imagine water shortages when you have a vast supply of water like the the major rivers of Thailand. As I said it is a mater of getting one's act together.

This is my opinion.

I come from a small country, Cyprus, without rivers, with a major water problem due to insufficient rain and we have solved it by means of desalination plants in order to augment the dams. Really, I cannot see how the people along the rivers may have a water shortage problem as far as domestic use is concerned. For irrigation maybe there is a problem but for household use I cannot see an insurmountable problem.

Usually people all over usually do not hold a secret which has been confided to them by others irrespective of the pledges and promises, not to tell, made to the person who told them. They are,however, more reluctant to reveal secrets of their own.

I do not believe that Thais are any different to other people of the region. I think that extroverted and very sociable people are more prone to tell, but I may be mistaken.

The People of India have a saying, 'keep a secret and you are its master, tell a secret and you are its slave', which is so true.

"Mr. Pitipong said that official estimate showed that there would be only 6.5 million cubic meters of water at four major dams, including Bhumibol, Sirikit, Kwae Noi and Pasak by November 1"

6.5 million cubic meters?? Dear Lord!! In tiny Cyprus where I come from, if the dams reach that level then there will be church services begging God for rain. I cannot believe this number. If true, ready yourselves to flush the toilet with Singha water.

The British type three pronged fused wall outlets are fitted with a switch. If you have this facility then switching off the outlet will suffice. If not then, in my opinion, unplugging is the thing to do because leaving an appliance on standby is not a good idea as there may be an insulation failure and the unit can short out. It is a sound advice never to leave any appliance relying on the on-off switch alone.

I was baffled by the same question myself. I asked the Thai Law firm 'Thai Legal' and through a chat with a very helpful person I was assured that only 800000 is required. The wife is considered a dependent.

I found the site of Thai Legal in Thaivisa. They have a chat facility.

I hope this helps as far as the first leg of your question.

Good luck

Hello Mario

Yes I believe it is pet friendly during the earth quake many people came out for safety with their cats and dogs.

Thank you Nigel

IIt is pet friendly, a two bedroom apartment goes for 25000 but I wonder if it has any annoying issues.

Thanks again you for your response.

Well then in that case being foreigners yes its 800 000 per passport!

as immigration rules !

Thanks Dagobert, disheartening news, but that's life. I will try my luck with ED visa.I can follow the course and graduate, no doubt about that. My wife??? Neh.. I am not so sure.

thanks again

Marios......husband farang, wife farang ?

Yes, Marios EU, wife Filipino

They didn't mention anything about Retired Visa's Still wondering if they are going to continue to make us check in every 90 days? And if they will ever change the 1 year visa to a 5 year visa or more? We travel a lot and sometimes it is difficult to get back in 90 days to do you check in.

Another thing concerning retirement visa, I read sometime ago in Thaivisa that the spouse must also provide /secure 800000 baht in addition to her 50+ year husbands 800000 so that she is covered financially in the event of a divorce. Does anyone know if this is still true, or her visa will automatically terminate and she has to go (in case of a divorce in Thailand). The reason I am asking is that to commit 800000 baht is one thing and 1,600000 is another. I am not sure,should I and my wife decide that we do not want to stay any longer, what to do with the balance in the bank. Should we be able to withdraw it and take it back home with us?

It's just money on your normal savings account. You can withdraw it anytime you like.

The money is mine, that's for sure, Can I ask the Thai bank to remit it back to my country in euros to my home country account?

This is really the question. Yet, I would love some info about the security deposit 800000 or 1,600000?

thanks.

They didn't mention anything about Retired Visa's Still wondering if they are going to continue to make us check in every 90 days? And if they will ever change the 1 year visa to a 5 year visa or more? We travel a lot and sometimes it is difficult to get back in 90 days to do you check in.

Another thing concerning retirement visa, I read sometime ago in Thaivisa that the spouse must also provide /secure 800000 baht in addition to her 50+ year husbands 800000 so that she is covered financially in the event of a divorce. Does anyone know if this is still true, or her visa will automatically terminate and she has to go (in case of a divorce in Thailand). The reason I am asking is that to commit 800000 baht is one thing and 1,600000 is another. I am not sure,should I and my wife decide that we do not want to stay any longer, what to do with the balance in the bank. Should we be able to withdraw it and take it back home with us?

You would never, for love nor money, get me on this airline.

Why? We can only speculate now. Maybe he was 45 and apparently in excellent health. Sometimes checkups may not reveal all.

The verdict on the airline will be known after the particulars of the incident are known.

On a second thought, you may be right. I am not sure if I will travel with Malaysian in the near future although I know that the fear is irrational.