swissie

A Mia Noi situation can only be maintained with the approval of "the wife". Her stll remaining as the main beneficiary of the financial resources of the Farang. To keep any Mia Noi situation secret in rural Thailand for any lenght of time is impossible.

I did. But most Farangs probably don't. Therefore the occasional "surprise-drama".

Mia Nois are longer term rentals. In rural Thailand short term rentals are possible but harder to come by.

Let's assume you are a Farang living in Thailand. You have gotten older and so has your Thai wife. While sitting on the front porch, enjoying a peaceful sunset, have you ever considered exchanging your current Thai wife for a "newer model"? Granted, that you would not suffer ruinous financial consequenses by doing so? Or rather go the traditional Thai way: Get a Mia Noi on the side? Or rather stay put and be satisfied with what you've got? Not wanting to go thru another round of this Love Circus at my age, with all it's up's and down's? -------------------------- - I live near a registry office. I see many young happy newlyweds walking by. I often wonder, if they realise what life changing "contract" they just signed. Also: There is software available, that projetcts a current picture of a person up to the age of 65. Looking at the result, one might be more hesitant to swear "until death do us part". PS: I consider this thread as "incomplete" until "GammaGlobulin" has voiced his opinion concerning this matter. ????

I suffer from a bad case of COPD. So, I received my 4th vaccination last Fryday within the last 8 months. Knowing, that even a slight infection of COVID would likely equal a death-sentence to me and most other sufferers from an advanced case of COPD. Those 4 vaccinations within 8 months have not caused any meaningful side-effects for me. I am as good as before. Leads me to believe that "overvaccination" is not an issue. But "undervaccination" is. Especially for those that suffer from "pre-covid" respiratory/heart problems. Again, and I can not stress it more: "Overvaccination" is not the problem, "Undervaccination" is the problem! Especially for those that realise, that even a "mild"-COVID-Attack in combination with a pre-existing lung/hearth problem is likely to be fatal. Daily, people die of overdoses of "mind altering drugs", but (so far) nobody has died of an "overdose" of currently available life saving vaccines in connection with COVID. I certainly didn't.

How can this Forum become "stale'. Before, there were contributors like JSixpack, JT, Bonobo and many others that kept the Forum from going "stale". Now we have "GammaGlobulin" that keeps the forum going. May there be more "GammaGlobulin's" to join here. PS: They come and go. I am the only one that has been here for the last 200 years.

Right on. There are only 2 kinds of humans left. The ones with "capital" and the ones that only have "labor" as their only asset. The ones with capital have been thriving over the last 30 years, while the price for labor has remained stagnant over the same period of time. With the result, that wealth created by labor has ended up in the wallets of the ones "with capital". "The great vacuum cleaner sucking up everything and all ending up in the dustbags of the ones with capital", as one economist described it. There are 2 ways to rectify this situation: - A global tax-system, based on the simple question: Why does a single individual need to own more than 5 Million $ ? For starters, then take it from there. - Or the situation will rectify itself the traditional way, with blood in the streets. Not going to happen as long as "the masses" are kept in a comatose state of mind with "bread & games". This concept worked for the Romans and it still works today. But take one of those 2 componants out of the equasion and off we go. Case in point: COVID restrictions. With the "game-factor" gone, how fast "the masses" have turned "restless". Amazing! How about Thailand? Thanks to a deeply rooted buddhist/monarchist tradition, Thailand might well be one of the last countries, where the population truly gets "restless". I can not see the rural Thai population supporting any sort of armed "Guerrilla-Movements". Good news for Expats: No need to pull up stakes in Thailand hurriedly in favour of Venezuela, Zimbabwe or Eastern Timbuktu.

The older I get, the concept of "Wine, Women and Song" seem to diminish in importance. 1) The wine tastes not as good as before. 2) As opposed to before, women appear to me as some "Alien-Species", so unlike me, where do they come from? To think, that in a former life, I bougth them flowers and diamonds leaves me puzzeled. 3) The only songs that will pass the test of time, were written between 1962 and 1975. After that: Yawn! To compensate this feeling of emptyness I have tried Stamp-Collecting, Chasing Butterflies, listening to music of Igor Stravinsky, beating-up local Policemen. Nothing helps! I am therefore tempted to conclude, that points 1 &3 can not be rectified unless connected to point 2. There is hope in connection with point 2. Having gotten a shot of Testosterone in my rear, I still can see myself walking up and down on an empty Walking Street in Pattaya until meeting a lonely Female, me then exclaiming: "Me Tarzan, you Jane"! Something like this might re-calibrate/bring into balance points 1,2,3 as a whole. If not, it's back to Stamp-Collecting. DISCLAIMER: My posts should be read "with a grain of salt" and the ability to read "between the lines". This way, no mental negative side-effects to any readers should occur. Cheers.

I know something that does NOT increase Happyness: Something we take for granted until it's gone! A fine example: 5 years ago, I decided that Thailand is "no country for old Farang men". So went back to home-country. Being sure, that I could visit Thailand 2 to 3 times a year. Before COVID, I actually did. No more. Boy, do I miss Thailand. This has decreased my level of overall "happyness" a great deal.

Yep! COVID may turn out to be the ultimative "monkey-wrench". Especially as the "global-vaccination-effort" must already be classified as a failure. Vaccination-Rate in Africa less than 2%, for example. Plus the 30% of hard-core infantile malcontents, refusing to get vaccinated, taking their clues from some Internet-Morons. This way, we are giving the Virus plenty of time to mutate. To a point, where no vaccine will offer any protection anymore. Just a matter of time. Under these circumstances, ANY business-decision must resemble a session at a Roulette table in Las Vegas.

OP descibes the behaviour of some ladies associated with the "entertainment-business" or "Tinder-Acrobats" (a minority). PRE-COVID: Once past their prime, those ladies could always marry a Farang that would even adopt her children from previous "activities". A kind of golden parachute! Due to COVID, the supply of this type of Farang is drying up and with it the "last resort Farang golden parachute". Rats! Those "Love-Life high frequency ladies" may end up with one of their former Thai-"husbands". Good luck. Enjoy.

As long as 1/3 of the western population staunchly refuses to get vaccinated and the 3rd world is undersupplied with vaccines, this may last forever. Not to forget, it's just a matter of time until the virus mutates to a point where vaccines offer no more protection. It's not a matter of "if", rather "when". My original post, recommending "buy low, sell high", I can no longer support. This is an entirely new ball-game, where former "fundamental-axioms" can no longer serve as a reliable compass to guide us to make reasonable financial/life decisions. Like I said. This is an entierly new "ball-game".

"TALIBAN" means "Students of the Koran". In the West we would call them Monks or Priests. Our "christian-soldiers" would also be hesitant to shoot at Monks and Priests that are of the same Religion and "Nationality" (tribe) on top of it. Regular Afghan-Soldiers are believing Muslims. How could the "West" assume that they would ever shoot at their Monks and Priests that may even belong to their own "tribe"? Unless directly ordered by their western military "Bread-Givers". Shoot at their Monks and Priests in favour of a decadent and completely corrupt thin "Elite"? The regular Afghan-Soldier has seen his service in the Army as an "Employment-Opportunity", in an environement, where other employment was scarce. With no intention of ever shooting at their own "men of God" in erarnest. Case closed!

Walking Street and the "red-light-districts" may vanish over time. What remains? Memories! A place where zillions of frustrated white males have found out that "fighting for women/property" is not necessary. As both were available plentyfully. Hardly any Barfights, as opposed to Birmingham, Hamburg, Boston, Oslo, Zuerich. Why fight for something that is available to anyone? A congregration of male citizens of all the Nations of the world that have found out that there is nothing to fight for as everything is freely available in Pattaya, that in other parts of the world must be fouhgt for bitterly by young adults as well as elderly males, them still cursed by the production of minor amounts of Testosterone on a daily basis. Unfortunately. In Pattaya, we came awfully close to something called a non-agressive "brotherhood of man". We rally came close, we almost made it. Now, it's back to the Bar-Room Brawls in Birmingham, Hamburg, Boston, Oslo, Zuerich. Fighting over Women/Property as we have done during recorded history over the last 2000 years and probably beyond.

I wrote this at a time when I had reason to believe that the global vaccination campaighn would be a success. Instead it turned into a debacle.

That's what I meant: It's (and always has been) about money. Once understood, no problem for the Farang or his ladie(s).

Never were truer words written on this forum. Yes, look at the Farangs and their Thai-Ladies. The discrepancies could not be any wider. (looks, frame of mind). If there is any "root of the problem", this is it. Quite simple, actually.

"No woman wants a man whose balls she carries in her purse" Then how come that this is the kind of man that is the most desirable for every Bar-Lady (or regular Lady) in Pattaya? If a Bar-Lady (or regular Lady) manages to land such a fish, her social-standing jumps by several noches upwards among her other lady-friends.

1) I have always made it a point, that everything hinges on the speed of vaccinations (worldwide). Has been very dissapointing as the pace has been much slower than I expected. 2) As "Harsh Jones" has quoted above, the Central-Banks have flooded the financial system with liquidity, thus preventing any healthy "corrections". With the result, that true "rock-bottom prices" have not materialised. Not in Thailand nor anywhere else. To answer "thaibeachlover's" question, as to what business I would invest in: Unless the pace of global vaccinations increases dramatically, I would not want to invest in any business at this time. Not in Thailand nor anywhere else. The only thing I remain invested in is Copper & Nickel.

Right on! Ellsmere Island, Aruba, French Polynesia, Arizona? All those places may have their own charm, but getting "routine" after a while. Not so Pattaya. Pattaya can be a daily new adventure if one want's it to be. Can travel around the world, but there is no second Pattaya. - There are literally 10'000ends of Farangs sitting in Europe, waiting for Pattaya to re-open. Let's hope Pattaya will re-open gradually (only vaccinated folks, for example), otherwise there might not be enough Bars etc etc to handle the onslaught of visitors, them being convinced that Pattaya is the most exiting little town in the universe.

It seems, the older I get, the more I dwell on things. I used to dwell on trivial things like "the meaning of life" and such meaningless things. But lately, I have turned my attention to more important things, like: Staying fit while getting old. Exercise and more exercise seems to be the ultimate recommendation. But there is something that keeps me awake at night: - An average rabbit lives for about 2 years (maybe 3 if regularily served Beer-Chang for desert). An absolute exercise fanatic, hopping around all the time. - On the other hand, an average "household" turtle can live up to 70 years. Everything in slow motion. Totally anti-exercise. If it wasen't for their grazing, I think they would prefer not to move at all. More: The last time I interviewed a giant turtle on the Galapagos-Islands, she claimed to be 150 years old. I asked her how come you gotten so old? She answered with the same words as Winston Churchill did, when asked the same question. "NO SPORTS". Looking at the Rabbit/Turtle/Churchill situation, I am tempted to conclude that the "Exercise-Thing" is overrated and the "Gene-Thing" is underrated. What to do? Best do nothing. When the final curtain falls, nobody at the entrance of "the pearly-gates" is likely to ask us of how many carrots or steaks we ate during our lifetime. I myself believe, that upon my demise, nobody will ask me any questions anymore. I am very comfortable with this thought. With or without prior exercise.

Joke: In the "great depression" 1929 there was this lady in New York asking a bystander: "Where is the nearest public toilet"? Bystander: Oh lady, right here, just around the corner. Lady: "Don't give me that Hoover-Talk, I really have to go". ----------------------------------------------------- On a more serious note: After a slow start, the vaccination pace is increasing. AND: There is no other place on this globe like Pattaya. Imitations available, but not topping the original. Those 2 factors are likely to serve as a "quick revival turbo". - When everybody (including his uncle) proclaims that the "end is near", historically this was always a good time to buy and a very bad time to sell. Applicable to Stocks/Commodities/Real Estate and every other item that is traded within a "market-economy". Especially when a wave of "forced-liquidations" is in progress, this is usually a reliable sighn that a "market-bottom" is being established. Seems to be the case in Pattaya. Therefore: To start any business venture in Pattaya would be NOW. And not 6 months from now when everybody (including his uncle) has reached the conclusion "that the worst is over". Because by then, prices for viable businesses will already have increased by 30% compared to todays "rock-bottom" prices. No issue for me these days. But if I were 40 years younger, it would be. Definitely! Boom and bust. Buy low, sell high.