RamenRaven

I've been seeing more older Thai woman / younger non-Thai man couples recently. They seem to be getting more common if you look hard enough.

So let's take a vote!

My marriage visa extension expires at the end of next July. That means my consideration period is typically from late July to late August, for about one month.

I would like to plan a 6-week trip abroad starting from early August, ending in mid-September. Can I request for immgration to make the consideration stamp to be 2 months long instead of the usual 1 month?

My local immigration office is Chiang Mai.

Planning very early in advance because I need to book plane tickets early.

Given the high levels of debt compared to the average income levels in Thailand, this is nothing surprising at all.

Rather, the question should be, who are the top 12% that has more than 50,000 baht in their bank accounts?

Many Americans and Europeans living paycheck to paycheck don't even have $1500 in their bank accounts.

1. Lose the bikes

2. Lose your sanity

I'd rather lose the bikes than to lose my sanity dealing with a psycho ex-girlfriend.

Avoid drama and confrontation, move on and start a new life in peace.

There are some things that money can't substitute for.

1 minute ago, BobBKK said:

Why buy when you can rent?  no point coming here then having a farang wife or GF is there? Thailand is a playground - enjoy it!

But if you rent, then that's a GF, even if it's short-term. Note that I deliberately said wife/GF.

1 minute ago, IvorBiggun2 said:

Just done a 'Wise' transfer about an hour ago. Informed that my money will be transferred in '7 hours'.

I've done a Wise transfer that took me 7 days, and I was sending money to myself.

The larger the amount, the longer the wait time.

Would you rather have a Farang or Thai wife/girlfriend?

There are many posts here that are not so flattering of Farang ladies, while others are not exactly fond of Thai ladies.

So let's take a vote!

Not meant to negatively stereotype or be discriminative towards either group of course. Personally I love both. This is just for some lighthearted discussion.

Moneygram has lower fees than Wise, but the transfers often take longer, as long as 2 weeks.

I personally prefer Moneygram over Wise if I'm not in a rush. However, whereas incoming fees are not charged with Wise transfers, Moneygram transfers are charged incoming fees. For example, 150-300 baht would charged for Moneygram transfers of 50,000-200,000 baht.

4 hours ago, GammaGlobulin said:

If one cannot poke fun at oneself, then what's the point of living. 

 

We can't hide from history. 

Neither can we hide from ourselves. 

 

One should always try to see through the glass less dimly. 

 

Well said.

In any case, I've been watching too much South Park. That's where I got the idea for the silly satirical story.

Let's suppose that one day the Farangs revolt and set up their own community called Farangville in Thailand. Unfortunately, Farangville also includes some Thai households.

Jimmy Jones wakes up one day to find out that Somchai was burning leaves and sticks.

He calls 911. "There's an unhinged man setting fires everywhere. Asian male, about 40 years old, black hair, brown eyes. I don't know if he's got a matchbox or machete, so he might be armed and dangerous. I read on the web that it's a mental illness called pyromania, so this is a seriously deranged individual. He's going to burn down the whole neighborhood. There are kids here with their lives in danger, and this is in blatant violation of State Code 245.3 and our County and Municipal laws!"

The fire department, K-9 units, and multiple police units in their Ford Crown Victorias arrive within 5 minutes.

Somchai: "Sawatdii khrap" and wais.

"Don't move! Put your hands up, faced towards me! I said don't put your hands together!" Guns drawn, completely surrounding Somchai.

Somchai looks confused and walks towards the officers.

"I said don't move, get on the ground!"

Somchai, confused as ever, doesn't know how to respond and gets tased. He pleads for mercy.

"Don't talk back! That's obstruction of justice and resisting arrest. You're in violation of State Code 245.3, which is a felony that can get you decades in state prison. And don't get me started on the multiple violations that you've just committed. So get in the police car!"

And ever since then, there were no more open-air fires in Farangville.

Now isn't Farangville a great place to retire and call home?

11 minutes ago, still kicking said:

Hey, I live what you call a nanny state I am glad I got out of that third world country we have laws 

Which nanny state?

Which third-world country?

Glad to see a happy poster here.

Bring on the optimism and drown out all the angry frustrated trolls here!

2 hours ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Direct quote from California...

Sorry.

Should have provided attribution.

2 hours ago, ubonr1971 said:

What country are you talking about here especially in regard to the last sentence. Sounds like America or another nanny state. 

 

FYI on thailand.... people burn <deleted> whenver they want and whereever they want. In fact I live in the cbd of a small city. Some idiot near us burns plastic at 2am sometimes. 

 

I had to laugh at your narrative 'all permit holders'. I dont think the local farmers would understand what the hell you are talking about...

In Western nanny states, you need a permit to change the color of your house, install a different type of front door, plant vegetables in your yard, and sooner or later - ask a woman out on a date. Actually that might already be illegal due to draconion sexual harassment laws.

Thais tell me all about how the workplace is where people meet their mia nois. I tell Thais that in Farangland, the workplace is where you get sued by women for appearing to show the slightest hint of interest, so you wouldn't even dare to wink at a woman, or heaven forbid, ask her if she wants to grab some lunch with you. MeToo caused an incredible amount of paranoia. But Thais couldn't believe me. It simply didn't register in their minds.

You can get sued into bankruptcy if someone trips on a rock in your front yard.

People call the police if a harmless man with dreadlocks is walking through their neighborhood.

No loitering signs in parks, even though that's the point of having a park in the first place.

Imagine the hell we would be in if Farangs forced their nanny state regulations onto Thailand.

Enjoy your day-to-day freedom in Thailand, and don't let the cranky Farangs take it away!

14 minutes ago, ozimoron said:

This is just gratuitous Thai bashing and nationalist hegemony. Why assume that Thais are any less sophisticated than any other nation? Other comments in your post are off topic garbage designed to deflect.

Meanwhile in Farangland:

"All Asians look the same."

During lockdown times, Thais, Filipinos, and even Mexicans, Peruvians, Central Americans, and Afghans all got beaten up because Farangs couldn't tell the difference and didn't care if they were different.

Much less sophisticated than Thais.

From a Thai's perspective, they'd be thinking:

"Yawn, farangs talking about farangs. So confusing. What are they fighting about? Don't they all know each other in Prathet Farang?

Aren't they all the same? Putin and Macron both look like the same person, what's the difference?

I wish that I could speak Farang (phuut farang) so that I could understand Farangs better.

I have heard that Ukraine girls are really pretty. So why do farangs still prefer dark-skinned women?"

7 hours ago, ubonr1971 said:

no you dont understand. Its not his land. He visited our land and burnt our green waste without asking us for approval

But you wrote:

Quote

This morning I woke up and he sent me 2 messages. First one asking my permission to burn the 3 piles stating that the conditions 'were perfect'

6 hours ago, Neeranam said:

I'm not sure you long you have lived here or if you are a Buddhist or not. 

I am Thai, not a Buddhist, but spent time in Suan Mokh, the temple of a revered monk, Aj Buddhadassa Bikhu, and assure you they are the pure form of Therevadn Buddhism. I've also spent time in McLeoad Ganj, studying Tibetan Buddhism, where I met HH Dalia Lama. 

I suspect you have been exposed to Chinese Thais, or perhaps gold-digging women ????

 

No, I mean regular Thais, including both rural villagers and shopkeepers. I have not been exposed to gold-digging women either.

People tell me: "Tham boon" and maintain spirit houses so that good things can come into your present life: peace, prosperity, no family arguments, happiness at home, good income at work.

But philosophical Buddhist books by Thich Nhat Hanh and others promote a Stoic view of the world, where you aren't supposed to be attached to the transitory material world because it's all nothingness, emptiness, and illusory. They teach that there is no true ego, since the self is an illusion.

I have almost never heard regular Thai Buddhists talk about nothingness, emptiness, non-attachment, and non-ego.

1 minute ago, soalbundy said:

Buddhist concept, it is as it is. I watched my father-in-law die last night (78) the children did their duty holding watch all night for a week, one daughter had to drive 500 km to be there. He died at home, no pain, no illness. The last two days he didn't wake up and then, very undramatic, he just stopped breathing.  Many people were there during the week making preparations for his death, laughing and joking within his earshot, all the villagers came and went. The room was crammed full when the monks came and did their chanting around the bed set up in the living room, the onlookers reciting when they should do. The monks had to come 3 times because, as his wife said, he was taking his time going. No tears were shed, his children were busy deciding which photograph to enlarge for the cremation service 10 minutes after his death, all very 'matter of fact'. I found it OK. What did disturb me was the lack of dignity when my wife and her sister changed his diapers in full view of whoever was present. A good time was had by all.

You nailed it. That's what I witnessed multiple times with funerals of elderly people.

The family members were all very dedicated and spent an incredible amount of time and money for funeral preparations. They all wanted to make sure that the funeral was properly carried out so that the deceased person's spirit could be in peace.

All very matter of fact, no emotional drama.

Average Thai that you meet on the street:

Ukraine! Is that a city in Russia?

Russians! Another kind of farang. Can they eat spicy food? Russia is next to England?

Fighting already ended right? No news about it on Thai social media, so things must be back to normal.

Then you meet the occasional Thai history/politics buff, usually a middle-aged man, who has very strong opinions and would take sides.

The rest don't care or know much about the outside world.

Back to their plate of som tam and another bottle of Chang beer. Who cares, farangs are all the same anyways!

There are way more coming out of India. India is the online scam capital of the world, by a long shot.

Nigeria and Ghana just get more attention because they're the most obvious and sometimes the silliest ones.

Naturally, the Anglophone countries with the largest populations are going to have the most scams.