swain

Yes, I love the women... well I have to say I love the woman... my wife... first it was the women... now its about the woman... Thailand would not be the same with out her... >>>> Breakfast in the rain today <<<<

??? You cannot farm ocean fish

You can but I never buy farmed fish knowingly as it gets full of sea lice.

mmmmmmmmmmm sea lice

Very well said, Qualtrough. The US is hardly a "nanny" society, as Bendix implied.

In fairness, that's why I qualified the US. However, compared to Thailand, the US is a Nanny state. When you add that to the fact that you would be poor and destitute in your own country, surrounded by your own people, which has to be better than being a farang beggar on the streets of Pattaya, i stand by my assertion.

Of course, I could be wrong. I have that charming habit.

Some of my best friends are poor... they are not begging in the streets and live quietly with out taking the good name of the "farang" ( ) and dragging it through the mud. I have two friends that live off their social security checks.. and were doing ok until the baht rose in value. 42k now down to 34k but even then figured it out and though they are hoping that the dollar pulls a rabbit out its hat.. they are not counting on it. Not sure what would happen if it went to 25k but thats another post.

I found my dream and moved to Chiang Mai, one of the less expensive places to live in Thailand. I am not poor but if I was I would much rather be poor and live in Thailand than be poor and live in the USA. Here life can be an adventure, there its survival. As alot of us know you can be in the chips one moment... and then after ... lets say the tech bubble burst .. be somewhat lacking. Fates change.... I am not saying Thailand is for everyone.. in fact I would say it is not for most. I have invited 5 friends here and only one could get by the culture shock, the others hated it and couldn't wait to get back to the USA. This surprised the hel_l out of me... 3 were women and hands down they were the first to go.. they couldn't go to a quality bikini wax joint, or in Chiang Rai they couldnt find a place that would die their hair the right color. The biggie for them was that men were not falling at their feet as they do in the USA...

but either way... have enough money to come and stay 30-90 days with out burning your bridges at home.

I think it might... I did the same thing... and it worked fine... there should be a power switch on the back of the computer that will allow you to switch to 220, most monitors now a days have auto switching between 110 and 220 but you can check with the info for the monitor or look at the power adapter. Your speakers not so sure about... but check the power adapter... it will read 110-220 if it can operate on 220. I would say your chances are very good that it will work.

I hope this is not too far off topic but in your exploring these international schools, have you seen anything that would lead you to believe that they are imposing gender roles on the kids.. Meaning... if my daughter is going to be taught Thai traditional roles for women, I would, as soon as my daughter is of school age take her back to the USA to go to school there.

It's not off topic, but it is sort of hard to answer. Thai schools definitely reinforce traditional ideas about how women should behave in society--to be feminine, demure, marriageable, etc. By nature, international schools will not overtly push "Thai traditional roles for women," though some will seep in. And the ideas and images are pervasive in all media and culture that, quite frankly, you can't avoid it. Any Thai preschool teacher, babysitter, friend of the family, etc., will carry all that stuff automatically (for both boys and girls). And TV is, well, extreme.

Personally, however, I wouldn't worry too much. I say this having lived here for 10 years. For one thing, there's no changing it or avoiding it. For another, there are lots of bright, confident, independent, and successful Thai women who are not confined to "traditional" roles-- and they went to Thai schools, not international ones. In fact, women in Thai society enjoy much more equality in terms of education, career, and lifestyle than almost anywhere else in Asia, except maybe Hong Kong and Singapore.

My last point--and I say this without a trace of farang "I-was-here-first" curmudgeonliness or male "I-like-'em-hot-and-demure-anyway" shallowness--if you're really not comfortable with basic Thai values, you might not enjoy living and raising a family here. Otherwise, what's the point? Anyway, good luck sorting all this out.

I do like basic Thai values, and can appreciate the lifestyle and beauty of its culture. It does not mean that I am interested in giving my daughter the basic belief structure that she is second to anyone. I can look at a flower and appreciate its beauty but I don't necessarily want my daughter to be one. I love my wife, She broke with Thai tradition early in life and went to a Christian school as a child and then eventually on to one of the better university's in Thailand. As a child she rebelled, she would not eat after the men had taken their fill, she took her share of the meat. She got up when the men did as apposed to getting up at the crack of dawn to cook and clean as the other women did. She was at the top of her classes and was decorated by the queen for her honors. Her father only had girls and was making sure his daughter got all the breaks to do the best in her life and in the world. UNTIL one day two weeks before she graduated with honors and scholarships to pay for collage, (all except dorm fees which her father promised to pay for) her father had a SON.. She was immediately NOT important anymore. Daddy decided it would be better for her to stay home and be a nanny to take care of her brother than to go to university. As you can imagine she had worked her entire life up to this point, going to school 7 days a week. The gifted school she was going to and the honors classes she was attending demanded all her time, there were no days off... The school even controlled her diet so that she would have the best brain food. All of this kept her motivated to go to school with a promise of a small reward from her father (dorm fees). As you can imagine, she broke Thai tradition again and went against her fathers will, she was 18 and basically said SCREW this and left home with her younger sister so her father would not make a slave out of her as well. She worked at a 24 hour restaurant as cashier at night and went to the local almost free collage during the day. This is where I met her, (another story). She is now back at a grade A university and at the top of her class (and I do mean at the very top).. . With her as a role model I am sure we can over come the bombardment of male dominated thought process. But I think it might be easier ... path of least resistance --when my daughter gets to school age to consider the possibility of going back to the USA. I really love it here.. but her development gets precedence over my desire to stay.

I hope this is not too far off topic but in your exploring these international schools, have you seen anything that would lead you to believe that they are imposing gender roles on the kids.. Meaning... if my daughter is going to be taught Thai traditional roles for women, I would, as soon as my daughter is of school age take her back to the USA to go to school there.

It's not off topic, but it is sort of hard to answer. Thai schools definitely reinforce traditional ideas about how women should behave in society--to be feminine, demure, marriageable, etc. By nature, international schools will not overtly push "Thai traditional roles for women," though some will seep in. And the ideas and images are pervasive in all media and culture that, quite frankly, you can't avoid it. Any Thai preschool teacher, babysitter, friend of the family, etc., will carry all that stuff automatically (for both boys and girls). And TV is, well, extreme.

Personally, however, I wouldn't worry too much. I say this having lived here for 10 years. For one thing, there's no changing it or avoiding it. For another, there are lots of bright, confident, independent, and successful Thai women who are not confined to "traditional" roles-- and they went to Thai schools, not international ones. In fact, women in Thai society enjoy much more equality in terms of education, career, and lifestyle than almost anywhere else in Asia, except maybe Hong Kong and Singapore.

My last point--and I say this without a trace of farang "I-was-here-first" curmudgeonliness or male "I-like-'em-hot-and-demure-anyway" shallowness--if you're really not comfortable with basic Thai values, you might not enjoy living and raising a family here. Otherwise, what's the point? Anyway, good luck sorting all this out.

I do like basic Thai values, and can appreciate the lifestyle and beauty of its culture. It does not mean that I am interested in giving my daughter the basic belief structure that she is second to anyone. I can look at a flower and appreciate its beauty. I love my wife who also broke with Thai tradition and went to a Christian school growing up and then on to one of the better university's in Thailand. She also would not eat after the men hand taken their fill, and got up when the men did as apposed to getting up at the crack of dawn to cook and clean. With her as a role model I am sure we can over come the bombardment of male dominated thought process. But I think it might be easier ... path of least resistance --when my daughter gets to school age to consider the possibility of going back to the USA. I really love it here.. but her development gets precedence over my desire to stay.

I found what I was looking for sure... My wife, the dream house I could NEVER afford in the USA.. and a baby on the way.. Thought I solved the family problem by buying them a house... but I am beginning to see this is a never ending cycle... Don't get me wrong I love giving... (and this is NOT just lip service.) Its the entitlement attitude that I get from some of them. ahhh its most likely just me and just today... TOO much family came for Songkrahn and my nerves are thin.... No more family for at LEAST 6 months.. FOR SURE....

I would agree that 7 years is really too early to tell which would be the best place to retire to. If you were doing it right now.. I would say Chiang Mai as that was my choice. Cebu (Philippines) is nice as well and I have been to both places. You will get more bang for your buck now in the Philippines as the Thai Currency is going through some robust gains but everything changes over here quickly. Even though I am sure others will disagree, I DO think that Burma or Myanmar might be the place to live in 10 years time. Now? No... In Chiang Mai you do get seasons, and you do get some cold weather, not that I would bring my skis but it gets cold enough in the higher elevations to freeze water.

If you are stuck in your ways... and want the feel of the USA ... Neither location will work for you. Biggest problem you can see right here in this forum. Americans coming here wanting to change Thailand into the USA.. and they do try... Its got allot of the western comforts but with a twist and the twist is what bugs allot of Americans coming here. But hey... if you are open minded and go with the flow its great here, otherwise consider Florida.

Another boringly happy relationship... three years ..baby due in 8 weeks... I learned alot from a book called Thailand Fever ... one page is written it thai and the same page is translated in English... HIT IT RIGHT ON THE HEAD.... We were both running back and forth showing each other a page... so we could understand what the other was feeling... I have to say with out this book... I WOULD NOT have understood... and it would have only been a matter of time before the relationship was over...

READ IT... when you first get involved.

Supply and demand on this holiday for sure... if the price is too high we just don't get in.. We have a car so we don't use the Taxi service much, but when we do almost always 200-300 flat. I live out in Hang Dong... so I could take a tuk tuk and get the fumes in my face, or travel in comfort in taxi that is over priced. I have taken the number and use a certain taxi driver and when he is available and he charges meter--at least when he is driving me-- but he is not always available. I take it in stride... I sort of let this place flow over me.. like water.. the water is going to go where it wants to... I can go for the ride or try to swim up stream.. too tired to buck the current... so make like a leaf... ... hmmm too much beer and girls in sexy dresses

I had a blast today...

I love Chiang Mai... even with all its problems.

I have Lingo, skype, and packet 8.. websites are lingo.com skype.com and packet8.com Skype is by far the worst... I am on TT&T MaxNet in Chiang Mai with a 512 down and a 256 up. Packet8 is the best.. most of the times clear as if I was talking on a land line. Lingo sounds a bit Tinny but thats what I hear... the person I am calling cant see the difference between the two.. Lingo is good to USA, England, Germany and most of western Europe for one price monthly unlimited calling... IF you go with lingo.. use me as a referal and I get one month free and so do you... same with packet8... Skype.. Not impressed with... choppy and it dies every so often. skype to skype though is the best... meaning if you call someone that HAS skype and not a land line the quality is the best I have EVER heard.

Packet 8 wins for quality of sound... Lingo wins for all the features they have plus they do all of western Europe for free as well. You can even have a local number from Germany, England or France..

Message me here if you want my account name if you choose to sign up as I will get a free month and you will get an extra free month on top of the free month you get already.

You will have to get someone to ship to Thailand for you... as they dont ship their modem overseas... plus you will have to have a valid credit card that can be charged to a USA company.

Bangkok Post reported in the database section a while back that com-mart has specials on computers for under 10k baht? No information on what the specs were. Just curious, where are the best places to buy a laptop now? Not a big fan IT mall, and have not had good experiences with them. Have nothing against mail order either but dont want import duties of 20-46 percent as I have heard others talk about. Is there mail order in Thailand? Yes yes... more than one question and I am sure its not original either... if there is a topic on this subject please put me there. I am up here in Chiang Mai but am not against going to bangkok to pick one up.

Thanks

Out Hang Dong way .. we had a NICE down poor... and it continued for about an hour.. clean air.. gotta love it...

I hope this is not too far off topic but in your exploring these international schools, have you seen anything that would lead you to believe that they are imposing gender roles on the kids.. Meaning... if my daughter is going to be taught Thai traditional roles for women, I would, as soon as my daughter is of school age take her back to the USA to go to school there.

I also love happy endings... but there has to be a joke in there somewhere... Sausage found still plump ... a plump hot dog... ok fine... I said there was a joke in there somewhere, but I am not the one to find it.

hmm I guess I understand the need to keep this site PC so you don't get shut down by the powers that be but I would like a full conversation about this equipment legal or otherwise.. so would it be out of line to suggest a another board or site that does have a unrestricted environment to talk about this subject? Or is that a no no as well?

hmmm it would depend if she had family to fall back on... if no.. and she had no other place to go... I might try to help her find a cheap apartment to stay in... you say she has work at a restaurant ... well my understanding is those jobs don't pay much... and getting a deposit and first and last months is going to be hard for her... I couldn't just dump someone I was involved with paid or unpaid into the street after a year.. even if they were stealing... yes its not fair that you are footing the bill.. but take it as a learning tax ... and screen your future partners better... doing it this way (for me anyway) would allow me to sleep at night...

I had a black lab that was fast as hel_l .. that we called Jaguar or Jag for short and another we called Rocket.

We have three mixed kittens for free to the right home. two girls and one boy, half Persian and half Thai cat... If you are in Chiang Mai and you have a VERY stable home you can have one of these kittens.

Does anyone know where I can buy a "Super Soaker" type water rifle, with sling, that I can hang on my back while riding the Honda Dream 100 beater (I parked the "nice" bike a few days ago)? I don't imagine it will be a deterrent, but it will be lovely to dismount, take careful aim, and hose the miscreants/celebrants from extended range...

Tesco Lotus has a fairly large supply this year. Never liked buying them near the moat as half of them never fired right. This year... if bought at Tesco and they dont work you can get your money back. 195 baht for the super soaker I want.. though I think I saw a sling.. I not sure....

TT&T Maxnet ... Youtube working just fine

Chiang Mai has been getting some slams of late and its nice to see something positive. Still cant wait for a good rain to really clean things up a bit. Looking forward to the water festival as its going to be a full week starting on the 10th this year.

Thai Trading Curbs Backfire, Set Stage for Baht Gains

By Kevin Lim and Shanthy Nambiar

April 2 (Bloomberg) -- Thailand's baht, the best performer among Asian currencies this year, may keep gaining because investment restrictions aimed at protecting exporters have backfired.

Limits on bringing money into the country imposed Dec. 18 have eroded consumer confidence in Southeast Asia's second- largest economy, reducing demand for imports. The currency controls also spawned an offshore exchange rate that has risen five times faster that the official price of the baht.

The policies have created a ``vicious cycle of an inexorably strengthening baht,'' said John Stuermer, managing director of Bear Stearns Cos. in Singapore. ``The capital controls are supposed to curb the baht's rise but every time they do something stupid it decreases consumption and imports.''

The military junta that seized power in a bloodless coup imposed the rules to curb last year's 16 percent gain in the currency and protect exporters. Instead, they have caused rifts within the government, prompted businesses to delay spending and slowed growth in the $195 billion economy.

The onshore baht rate has risen 2.1 percent to 34.99 per dollar this year, outpacing the Malaysian ringgit's 2 percent gain, as reduced imports led to a current account surplus of more than $1 billion per month. Stuermer said the currency may rise as much as 11 percent by year-end.

The Bank of Thailand has fended off criticism of the controls, which included requirements that investors put 30 percent of their funds in bank accounts subject to penalties if they withdraw cash within a year.

`One-Way Momentum'

The rules succeeded in ``breaking the one-way momentum'' of the baht, said Pongpen Ruengvirayudh, the central bank's senior director for financial markets in Bangkok. She agreed that the pressure is now for appreciation.

``The market has a tendency to believe that the baht will appreciate further'' because of the current account surplus, Pongpen said in an interview. The central bank last week told lenders to report currency positions daily to evaluate whether they are speculating.

Thailand started backtracking on the capital controls within 24 hours of imposing them. Equity investors were exempted on Dec. 19, after the benchmark stock index slumped 15 percent. Investors in bonds and property won a waiver on March 1. They now need to prove they have completely hedged to avoid profiting from baht gains.

Offshore Exchange

Transactions such as paying for exports and sending funds to subsidiaries are a ``hassle'' inside Thailand, said Suan Teck Kin, an economist at United Overseas Bank Ltd. in Singapore. ``You have to put the money in some sort of onshore account and then prove that it's not for speculation,'' he said.

Companies seeking to avoid delays are buying the baht outside the nation. Limited supply has driven the so-called offshore exchange rate higher. The baht trades at 32.45 to the dollar offshore, a 10 percent increase this year. It's 8 percent higher than the onshore rate.

``The offshore market, although thin, influences the onshore rate by providing investors' perception of the baht's value,'' said Thio Chin Loo, senior currency strategist at BNP Paribas in Singapore.

Trading offshore has slumped by about 75 percent to $50 million a day, BNP Paribas estimates. In the domestic market, trade has also shrunk to between $100 million and $500 million, Pongpen estimates. Total trading in the baht previously averaged $1.3 billion a day, according to the latest Bank for International Settlements data.

Thailand isn't the only country with two exchange rates. Venezuela has a parallel market because of restrictions imposed in 2003. The currency, fixed by the government at 2,150 per dollar, has plunged 15 percent this year on the black market.

Finance Ministers

``Historically speaking, capital controls are put in to avoid outflows,'' said Corrinne Ho, senior economist at the Bank for International Settlements' Asia-Pacific representative office in Hong Kong. ``The Thai case is exactly the opposite.''

As the government argued over the policies, Finance Minister Pridiyathorn Devakula quit in February after less than five months in office. Consumer confidence slid to the lowest in six months in February. Business confidence dropped to 42.9 in February, the weakest since 2001, from 43.9 in January, the central bank said on March 30.

Imports dropped for three consecutive months because businesses ``are hesitant to invest,'' Commerce Minister Krirk- krai Jirapaet said on March 21. A central bank report on March 30 showed the current account surplus rose to $1.54 billion in January, the highest since 2000, from $1.22 billion in December. Currency reserves reached $69.6 billion, the report showed.

Trade Surplus

Morgan Stanley last week cut its forecast for economic growth in 2007 to 4 percent from 4.3 percent as domestic demand and export growth slows.

``Recent policies have created lots of uncertainties and have not been effective,'' said Mark Mobius, who oversees $30 billion in emerging market stocks at Templeton Asset Management Ltd. in Singapore. ``With trade and current accounts in surplus and foreign exchange reserves increasing, the baht could continue to appreciate.''

Richard Han, chief executive of Hana Microelectronics Pcl, a Bangkok-based assembler of memory chips exported to the U.S. and across Asia, says the trade surplus will keep pressure on the baht to strengthen.

``The baht is generally strong because we've seen quite a big drop in imports,'' said Alistair Thompson, who helps manage $18 billion of Asia-Pacific stocks and global emerging markets at First State Investments in Singapore. ``No one is taking strong, big decisions.''

To contact the reporters for this story: Kevin Lim in Singapore at [email protected] ; Shanthy Nambiar in Bangkok at [email protected] .

Hello,

I was the one with the 5 Persians but I have been informed by my wife that we really cant call them that... as mommy was a Persian but daddy was a Thai Cat... they are still longer hair kittens but what can I say... They are not full blooded Persians . Three of them are up for adoption, NOT for sale but adoption. Stable household in Chiang Mai with a house that is not in the middle of town. Meaning if you can afford to live someplace nice and can take care of the kitten the way it should be taken care of then email me please. Otherwise they will just be new additions to my family. They are ready now, and will be getting shots tomorrow. I will have more pictures tomorrow. Two are white, one boy, two girls. The picture is of one of the girls.