Schooner

Get a grip Kuffki, your the only one talking about someone who has a glass of wine or a beer. Apples and Oranges

It won't take CSI to figure out if 1. the guy was drunk. 2. there was a history of conflict.

In the case of my example of my friend it would have taken the cops 2 seconds to determine both. My friend was insane and so was his girlfriend. We all have choices and those choices determine the odds of the outcomes.

"You gotta konow when to hold 'em and know when to fold em...la la la"

Sorry, don't mean to sound insensitive but there is a lesson in this for you. I would "fold em" and walk away and hope that you learned the lesson.

I came here to sort some stuff out for myself, it's not about them it is about you. What I love about my experence here is how it has thrown my judgement tis way and that, but I have folded a few times and hopefully learned my lesson. I would not throw good money after bad and I would certainly not confront her. I would just walk away because that is the lesson, being secure enough in yourself to be certain you have the strength to walk away when you need to. It does take practice.

"In other words, if someone goes to a bar to have a few drinks, and gets killed-thats his fault?

and if someone has a few at home and gets killed, thats also his fault ?"

Reread my post. The victim apparantly had a long history of drunkenness. The example I gave of my friend also had a long history of conflict and drunkenness, There are also many posts on this forum of farangs who live that lifestyle. So the short answer to your question is yes, if you are a drunk your odds of producing a bad outcome are increased and no, I do not have much sympathy.

For those of us who come here and try to respect the culture and behave in ways that are somewhat respectable it is a embarrassment to share the city. I've had my share of good times here and I have pushed the limits. If I would have been burned by my bad choices I would not be complaining about it.

This does not sound like a case of a "few drinks"

Natural Consequences eventually steps in to settle things.

A good friend of mine died here after years of drunkeness and abuse of his thai girlfriend. Why would I care about the nuance of exactualy what happened the problem took care of itself.

I don't go to the bars anymore and have curtailed my own drinking because I am sick of seeing drunken farangs. I wish I had a nickle for each time I tried to talk my friend out of climbing on a motorbike with his devoted thai gf drunk as a skunk. He even attacked me once when I tried to talk some sense into him. It was pathetic.

I got my a$$ kicked in a bar in the states and the cops told me that they are not going to waste their time trying to sort out who did what because 99% of the time the victim got what he deserved. In hindsight, I got what I deserved, natural consequence, case closed.

One word....Haliburton

I paid 250 from beach road to a km past the track on time. Didn't the OP say he paid 10,000 to get out of his charge? Isn't the fine 2,000 - 10,000 if you go to court and can loose your visa? It makes 250 or 500 for that matter sound cheap. A taxi once and awhile won't break the bank, but I suppose if it's a daily thing...perhaps a ride is not your bigest problem.

I've paid $40 - $80 for a cab ride home after a night out when I knew I was over the legal limit back in the states, my brother who refuses to stop driving drunk has spent many thousands of dollars and had his license suspended for 8 years out of the last 10.

"There should be a special line for them at the airport where someone punches them in the face then sends them back home."

Bravo.

We got her W-2 a few weeks ago. Took awhile.

Hot stove rule...

I seem to recall a few years ago a farang settling with a Thai girl for big money after he groped her at Tony's and she reported him to the police. I think the key word of is uninvited.

Hey thanks guys. It was open. Thanks also for that information about expats. I didn't know that. I could have procrastinated for a while longer...Yes I am living here, thus the Jomtien post office.

Don't tell my wife, it was her return and she's getting $96.00 back.

Thanks again for the come back.

I don't mind them as long as they keep bringing their blonde women. Pattaya has room for everyone as far as I'm concerned and it's really up the the Thai's. It is still their country not with standning certain farangs who think they know what is better.

I agree with LeoAlex, just because we were lucky enough to be born in a developed country it dosn't make us any better.

Need to get the tax return into the mail today. Is the Jomtien Post Office Open?

No problems on the darkside. It was down a couple of days two weeks ago after one of the storms and the ususal speed variation but that's been it for a few months.

You get what you pay for. There is such a huge range of quality in Pattaya. Some houses may look beautiful on the outside but have cheap furnishings water problems, bad neighbors, noise, etc. I started out looking at condos and I am so glad I didn't buy one. My friends who live in them all constantly complain about the conditions there.

I bought my house to live in and have never regreted the decision. I enjoy being here. The village has never had any of the problems that you frequently hear about. The developer lives here with his family and he is on top of what is going on. The house next to mine sold 6 months ago for slightly more than what I paid and my house and my house has better furniture, garden and media stuff. My house is one of 3 - 2 bedroom houses in the village, the rest are very high end 3 and 4 bedroom places with huge pools and gardens.

I don't agree that you should look at what a Thai would pay unless your comparing Thai's of your social, economic status. I wanted a farang kitchen and other features and Thai houses wouldn't have them.

Has anyone figured out what the legal limit is for Thailand? I don't believe that it is zero.

Taxi's are cheap, zero hassles.

Years ago I made up my mind to try to not break the law. I've paid for taxi's, got my paperwork in order because I don't like cops and don't like to be hassled. It's a no brainer.

My experence and the science says otherwise. We all have problems, modern living presents big challanges and people are looking for an escape. Unfortunatly substances provide that escape temporarily and people underestimate their ability to manage it. Now they do have real problems.

I can't count the people that look down on drugs while swilling huge quanties of alcohol. The double standard is a big part of the problem. Alcohol is 10 times more of a problem than all the drugs combined. The science shows that thousands of people are using powerful, addictive pain killers and still managing their lives. Back in the 20's opiates were legal and there was little crime associated with it. A few countries are looking at the science and making huge strides towards correcting the problem but they are being pressured by the US to keep drugs illegal. It is insane to create education and generate the science, but then ignore the recomendations.

Governments around the world are not using the science and thus the problem grows.

I've never seen any objective crime data for Pattaya, but my opinion is that some crimes like purse and neckless snatching have increased but the major stuff has stayed steady. Most of the crime that happens is around the bars where drunk farangs make an easier mark. The other crime we hear a lot about involves bringing girls back to the room.

I'm not hanging out in the bars or on the beach late at night so I'm not seeing it. There are stories that people tell, but I think that the Thais are more likely to help you than to hurt you if you are behaving and showing a little respect. What I see far more often is farang being surley and disrespectful to Thai service people for no reason other than their impatience. That's not a crime but it is unneccessary and I wonder how much it contributes to the resentment some Thai's feel towards us.

I've been under the impression that I could download books via gprs as well as wifi, but I guess I've never tried it. It is a great device though for reading books.

That was a pretty good rant Lucky and trust me when I say I feel your pain. At one point in my life I would have agreed with you. If your approach is working and I'm sure it does for many than keep at it.

I have this crazy idea that relationships could be more than a extended tug of war. I've experimented with different approaches and this one is working for me. I've experenced the benefits of this approach first hand and I think that the quality of my current relationship is a direct result. Creating a safe, supportive environment does not mean becomming a doormat for them and times it requires a firm hand

I've also been on the recieving end of women who have not delt with their issues, don't know what is happening or why but they become intent on punishing the nearest guy around...me!

There is a reason that we accept that PTSD is real and we provide decompression counseling for returning combat vets. The reason is that it increases the chance of them becomming rebalanced after their tramatic experence. That is what all the brain science seems to be saying. BTW I would give the same advice to a woman who's husband was having issues. Frankly, I think that men have 10 times more reasons to run off the rails than women and it is made worse by our isolation from each other due to our homophobia and competitiveness.

Good advice, try to meet a local that you trust to deal with the Thai's. My wife makes me hide out of sight whenever she is negotiating a deal so we get the Thai price. It's just a fact of life but it's easy to get around.

We use the Chase app for the Iphone, works great.

I bought a Kindle a few months ago and I love it. I used to love books and spent a small fortune on them for a time, but the Kindle is the way to go. It has an incredable battery and I can instantly obtain books. As far as the feel I never liked holding books but I did it because I wanted the words that was in them. I love the way the Kindle works. I can flip the pages with my thumb. The price of kindle books is about half the cost of paper and I don't have to run around looking for something I want to read. I don't have a Ipad (yet) but I've played around with them and they are much better for media in color but the kindle will remain better for reading books I think.

I'm not worried about the Thai's one bit. The fact is that all of the major religions around the world are on the decline as people become more educated they are sorting out those aspects of religion which are based on humanism and were hijacked from that which is aimed at control. The only thing that religion ever had going for it that made it seem real was being in a room full of fellow humans and being a community. That's what humans want. The cool thing about Thai Buddism is that it has kept its roots firmly planted in animism where it belongs.

At our engagement party in the village my wife's grandmother and her great aunts prepaired a huge meal with very expensive dishes and gifts. They prayed for the blessings of their ancesters for our union. It was a very powerful and beautiful thing to witness. They left the banquet untouched by human hands for the ancesters to feast on overnight. I was tempted to check to see if anything had been eaten the next morning but of course that would have been inapproate. Non the less it had the desired effect on me and my devotion to my wife and my commitment to the relationship. The last thing I want to do is piss off a bunch of thousand year old ghosts.

I'm not worried about the Thai's one bit. The fact is that all of the major religions around the world are on the decline as people become more educated they are sorting out those aspects of religion which are based on humanism and were hijacked from that which is aimed at control. The cool thing about Thai Buddism is that it has kept its roots firmly planted in animism where it belongs.

At our engagement party in the village my wife's grandmother and her great aunts prepaired a huge meal with very expensive dishes and gifts. They prayed for the blessings of their ancesters for our union. It was a very powerful and beautiful thing to witness. They left the banquet untouched by human hands for the ancesters to feast on overnight. I was tempted to check to see if anything had been eaten the next morning but of course that would have been inapproate. Non the less it had the desired effect on me and my devotion to my wife and my commitment to the relationship. The last thing I want to do is piss off a bunch of thousand year old ghosts.