BFD

Does anyone know when these will be for sale in Thailand? The Online Apple Store has already been updated, but they say shipping in 1-2 weeks. I want one now!!

....i quickly worked it out in my head and told her.

$103.99 right?

Hi folks, I wish I could find info on this topic, but it seems like most of the ISPs in Bkk don't like to update their pricing info.

Can anybody tell me what they're spending on internet access at the moment? I'll be moving back to Bangkok in July after a few years out of country. Just hoping to see what speeds are available in the lower Sukhumvit area.

Cheers!

Yeah, I guess it is sort of a dumb question. If you're the type of person that needs a new phone/computer/entertainment center every three months, this goes out the window.

I was just wondering mostly about how much, percentage wise, people spend on rent/utilities in Bkk and thought the rest of the thought experiment might be fun.

I know this topic has been beaten to death and the amount required to live in Bangkok is anywhere from 5000THB/month to 500000THB/day. However, I propose a slightly upside down thought experiment. What if you had a set budget and you HAD to spend it every month? What would you do with the dough?

Restrictions:

Single expat with a typical 9-5, Mon-Fri job.

140,000THB/month

Have to live in lower Sukumvit (soi 1-24)

2BR apartment

NO SAVING (assume that there is already an invisible portion put aside for that purpose)

What sort of breakdown would you have for food, rent, entertainment, etc?

Again, this is a thought experiment - if you don't want to participate, please just leave the thread alone. I'd love the perspective of the you folks who live in Bangkok to let me know what sort of lifestyle you'd lead spending that much money every month.

Excellent, I'll try to get there today. Meanwhile, if anyone has any more options, please let me know. I'm particularly interested in a place I can buy it and get it engraved, all in one go.

Thanks!

Thanks for that.

I'll actually have to get this on Wednesday or Thursday this week, so I can't wait for Jatuchak...

Any more locations, folks?

Pretty please?

Hello folks, I was wondering if anyone knows of a good place to buy a flask (the kind that holds alcohol) in Bangkok.

I'd imagine MBK might have something like this, but I have been there in over a year and I was hoping someone could confirm or deny this.

If anyone could help me out, that'd be great.

Thanks.

Snip...

A lady who was with me was calling another lady to tell the car to pick me up at the airport. This is modern Thailand.

...snip.

Scandalous! I wouldn't even be surprised if one (or both) of the ladies were wearing trousers!!!

While I applaud this guy's condemnation of Thaksin, I still find many of his views outdated and 'quaint'. Thailand simply can't function on a global level if they continue to utilize the Patron systems, for Christ's sake. Similarly, while kreng jai is a wonderful and beautiful concept, it simply bogs down the government in bureaucratic red tape. Returning to the 'old ways' is no longer an option, so let's focus on what is possible.

BFD!

I need more photographic evidence of this to determine if it is really worthy of a crackdown...

One of the motorcycle drivers told me that ChefXP only makes their money from the 60 baht charge, and that the drivers themselves live off of tips.

I had already tipped him ~80B at this point, so I don't see why he would have been lying to me, but I'll just report what I was told.

I think it's completely counterproductive to speak pidgin anything with a significant other. It's actually one of my biggest pet peeves as I listen to various pals of mine asking their wives 'Why you go to bar with friend? I want you get me ciga-ret before you go, okay?'

With my girlfriend, we spend about 75% of our time speaking Thai. She has made it very clear that she isn't speaking dumbed-down Thai to me and I would never deign to insult her with pidgin English. As far as I can see, it's something that will hold her English development back.

In some of my more impatient moments (in shops or asking directions), when my Thai isn't sufficient, I'll resort to pidgin English with strangers. However, I really try to avoid this as much as I can.

Totally, what's the harm?

I work at an international school, teaching middle school Literature.

My pay, after taxes have been taken, is 85,500B per month.

Yearly increases are about 8% (meaning I'll be at about 92k next year).

I can't comment on other schools/subjects as this is my first full-time overseas gig.

BFD!

I’ve been keeping pretty detailed records this year to see where my money keeps disappearing to, so I can answer your cost of living question pretty accurately.

I make 85,500 baht/month.

22000 Rent

20000 Luxuries

14000 Drinks

11000 Food

4000 Transport

That leaves me with about 15000 baht to send home every month to pay off various debts.

Let me explain the categories a little better:

Rent = Rent (duh) 14k, utilities 3-5k (depends on season), laundry 800B, maid service twice a week 2600B, ADSL internet 1k. This is for a one-bedroom apartment (meaning it has a separate room for sleeping in) in a pretty ‘Thai’ area of town. It is 54 square meters. There are folks that don’t mind living in studio apartments of roughly 30 square meters, and they usually will pay in the 10-15k range (including all the stuff above). I like being able to walk to the skytrain, but if you’re willing to live further away and hire a motorcycle dude every time you want to go anywhere, you can start to cut back on rental costs.

Luxuries = various ‘pleasures’ that Bangkok has to offer. This includes gifts for the girlfriend, new clothes, hotel accommodations, etc. I usually put major purchases into this category, too (ie. new phone, computer/musical equipment). I could probably cut down on this one a lot, but I am a creature of comfort.

Drinks = dam_n Irish heritage. This is almost always from drinking in the semi-expensive areas of town. You can get away with drinking for much cheaper, or you can blow 20,000 baht in a night, if you so choose.

Food = I am one of the few creatures on the planet that doesn’t like Thai food. Therefore, I usually buy very expensive, imported food from specialty stores or order from expensive restaurants. Many people eat for less than half of this, and are very happy with what they get.

Transport = I don’t own a car (since I’m not suicidal), so this is taxi and skytrain money only. Gas is cheap, if you decide to buy a bike or car.

What is your budget going to look like? You can basically construct a lifestyle that will fit any budget. For instance, my girlfriend makes 10,000 baht a month as a hairdresser. Accommodations, food, rent, even sending 1000-2000 baht home every month is very do-able for her. It all comes down to your personal habits and comfort levels.

BFD!

How is this article Thai related?

Well, it has to do with the Aussie lady that was arrested and detained in THAILAND.

For the record, I give my girlfriend 4000 baht per month and she won't accept a satang more. While most will now yell 'Long-Con!', I truly believe she's just too proud to take any more from me.

There is a world of difference in the allowance you give and what the OP is saying.

Your wife works.

She is happy on 4K and refuses more. Means to me she has more integrity.

Many of us help out, that is what we do in relationships, so no problem there and I do not see how that is a 'Long Con'.

When a woman gets as much as the OP gives, she does not work and then she says it is not enough, most of us know the score.

Yeah, I totally agree with your point, G54. There is a big difference between my situation and the OP's. However, there seem to be many posters making blanket statements to the effect that any financial aid is prostitution.

You're right that this not a Long Con, I just wanted to get the to punch before various trolls call it so. Also, I'll let my girlfriend (not wife!) know that you think she has integrity .

BFD!

My girlfriend makes about 10k per month doing nails. I get about 90k per month from my job. I don't really think it's prostitution to help her out with her standard of living. Most people are looking at this from one side: if the lady isn't getting paid, she'll leave. Well, perhaps the man WANTS to help the girl out and make her (and/or her family) a little more comfortable. I'm sure someone has brought up this point already in this thread, but sometimes the myopic tendencies of posters here is really frustrating.

For the record, I give my girlfriend 4000 baht per month and she won't accept a satang more. While most will now yell 'Long-Con!', I truly believe she's just too proud to take any more from me.

Financial discrepancies between 3rd-world countries and developed nations are bigger than some of the reportedly PC posters here seem to realize.

Excellent! Thanks very much!

That's cool, but I'm more specifically wondering if I'll have any trouble coming back into to Thailand if my Canadian passport doesn't show that I've been anywhere (ie. no stamps from London).

Just want to cover my bases.

Okay, this might seem like a silly question, but I can't seem to wrap my head around it.

I have two passports: Canadian and Irish.

I entered Thailand on my Canadian passport (has my re-entry permit, etc). I also have a valid Thai work permit.

I intend to go to London next month for a few days and then come back to Thailand.

When I enter and depart from Heathrow, is there any reason why I shouldn't use my Irish passport? From what I understand, it makes customs go by much faster (is this even true?).

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

BFD!

I'm going to agree with the masses here:

Giving in to ultimatums will only lead to resentment later on.

I really think threats are a bad way to start a marriage.

I'm flying with Etihad BKK-LHR-BKK in mid-June. I bought my ticket about a month ago for 27275THB return.

This will be my second time flying this route, and I highly recommend it (no complaints on the first trip, anyway).

Abu Dhabi airport is terrible, but that doesn't reflect poorly on the airline itself.

...

For those still scratching their heads over DCC, see the top part of this well-worn article.

HERE

Haw! I was LITERALLY scratching my head when I read your last sentence! Thanks for the explanatory link.

BFD!

My girlfriend tells me that I shouldn't read this thread.

when and where?

Wow, I am not firing on all cylinders today!

It's at Overtone bar in RCA.

Tonight (April 1) and 6:00pm.

Tickets are 600B.

I really hope I haven't forgotten anything this time!

BFD!