mgjackson69

In Reply to the leather shoe comment above:

Speaking of shoes, I used to really hate Nike, because I did not like their ads, and I thought they might be sacrificing or diverting money from quality shoe construction to pay for the ads.

Maybe true in the past, I do not know, however a few years ago I was forced to buy a pair of Nike shoes because there was nothing else in my size where I was at the time.

After a year of constant use, I realized that Nike does make a tough shoe that is comfortable, is well constructed, does not fall apart, and is worth the money.

After that, I just buy Nikes.

I have no stock in Nike, and I still hate all television and radio ads, which is why I also threw out my TV 20 years ago.

I don't think the Armies of the World would be advised to outfit their soldiers with leather shoes, because the synthetic fibers are getting really good.

Wingtips are great, but cost about USD5000, and then you cannot exactly go walking around town in Louis Vuittons below jeans, and expect people to take you seriously.

Not to mention that wingtips are for looks, and not for serious walking.

Funnier was when the Catholic Diocese in Omaha, Nebraska fell for one of the Nigerian schemes and sunk about 20000 USD (I could be wrong on the exact amount, but it was substantial) into "fees" etc to facilitate their "payout"....which of course did not exist.

Many here seem to confuse "budget" and "salary".

Over pricing is everywhere in Thailand.

A few days ago i had a farang visit me.

It was very hot so the lady went to our village shop.

She bought ice, 3 small bottles of coke.

Price should have been 10 baht ice, 3x12 baht coke.

She was charged 60 baht. When she told me, i said thats wrong.

Next day my wife went to the same shop, bought same items 46 baht.

My wife asked why did you charge my farang friend 60 baht.

Answer was, she farang tourist she got big money.

Now we will go to the other village shop, he thought he was being smart but has lost a regular customer over his short sighted greed.

The 711 doesn't do that, only those mum and pap stores do. So i boycot them..

I try to patronize the mom and pop shops when I can. But I also know what things should cost.

They get one chance to treat me fairly....otherwise I go to the next.

"Don't let your kids..." ???

If they are adults, how are you "letting" them do anything?

Whether Mom and Dad pay is a different deal...

Yes...rather than just enforcing the laws that exist...we lurch from "crackdown" to "crackdown".

Each "crackdown" inconveniences the guilty parties for a week/a day/an hour/not at all , then on to the next.

My wife and I married 9 years ago. She made the decision to take my surname.

The *only* difficulty was in getting the power bill changed. It is paid via withdrawal from her bank account, and for some reason the Provincial Electric Authority had trouble changing the name on her account.

It took three trips to the bank and I think 5 or 6 to the PEA office. Fortunately, both are on the same road, within 1/2 KM of each other, and about 1 KM from our house.

A beautiful 2011 Fiesta 1.6S, in stunning metallic silver.

She has FSH, less than 22000km, bluetooth audio, handsfree, a non jumpy twin clutch gearbox, 125BHP, recent new battery, d*mn! you can even talk to her!!

Nong Fiesta has been the length and breath of Thailand without a hiccup.

Oh, did I mention she's for sale soon??!

Is there such a thing as a "stunning" metallic silver...?.............

Sure....all equally "stunning"...

3 out of 10 people in this world has a low IQ , that's a fact and explains a lot.

Actually 50% of the population has, by definition, below average intelligence.

Reminds me of parents who insist their children's school should aim to have all the students score above average on class tests.

Yep....

Think about how stupid the average person is....then realize that half are even worse.

It was fun, mostly only used as a toy and really did not go off road on it, but a well built bike and had no problems, only did about 2000 Km on it before i sold it i think

It looks to me like a "supermoto"-type bike. That was a short-lived fad in USA. Street-legal dirt bikes with smaller wheelsets, suitable for a bit of light off-road. In competition the courses were a combination of "motocross light" and some on-road sections.

It seems like just the thing for the crappy roads/trails here.

I like the MSX also, but it does not seem "quite right" for me.

Many thanks for the responses. In the event, my hamstrung proved to be severely inflamed, but not torn and a hefty dose of anti-inflammatories got me haltingly mobile by the end of the day. I'm still limping, but much better, and I'm happy to see that crutches are not, after all, required.

A simple cane might help you out a bit until you get healed up.

It is very likely that she was bred by more than one dog.

In a previous lifetime, the German Shepherd Dog / St Bernard female I had "escaped" in a similar manner.

She had a litter of 7 pups, and one could definitely match them up to different fathers by coloration and features.

The bank info is provided every year to immigration in order to renew a retirement visa.

It is "getting a new extension of stay based on retirement", not "renew a retirement visa".

And no bank information is provided if one uses an "income verification" letter from their embassy.

2002 New Honda CRV

2005 New Toyota Fortuner

2008 New Toyota Fortuner Smart

2011 New Toyota Fortuner Sportivo

2015 New Toyota Fortuna Sportivo (Still Have)

2015 New BMW 320d GT (Still Have)

Bikes: (All Gone)

New Honda CBR 150

Honda VTR Firestorm

New Honda CBR 150

New Kawasaki 250 DTracker

New Kawasaki Ninja 250

Honda CBR600RR

Wasted a Few Baht Here J

I am considering a D Tracker...what can you tell me about it?

This will surprise you I am sure,

But I am nearly 70 years old now and have Never owned and probably never will own a vehicle.

Neither in Thailand or in my home country (the U.S.)

A line from a Jimmy Buffet song comes into my head.

It goes,

"Well I have been a wanderer,

and I have wandered far,

But the one thing I have learned for sure,

is God won't own a car."

I am guessing that you have always been an urban dweller, in places with decent public transportation.

I am your polar opposite.

53 years old, between USA and Thailand I have owned 21 cars/trucks and 7 motorcycles

My current fleet is

USA: two trucks (son is driving one), one Jeep, one car, three motorcyles

Thailand: two trucks, one motorcycle

The Hub of Copycats...

"at least 50 guys daily,"

"the sums however are rarely above 20K Baht "

"98% of them wont file any police report"

Wow, some in-depth statistical analysis from the TV Bar Stool Crime Scene Investigators (BS-CSI). I'd ask where you pulled the data from, but this is a family forum.

It's nice to know that only Thai & Filipina women and random Africans run scams. And these 50 intellectually challenged guys per day come from what demographic sector? Sounds like there's a bottomless pit just waiting to be exploited.

No need to ask...you know already

>>How does one go about sleeping in a temple? Is it free?<<

It would ease things all round if you made a small donation ,say B100 .

I agree....

A small donation should get you a place to sleep and a bit of food as well

A farang in a fight is seen as entertainment and a money making opportunity for a Thai Policeman.

Here is an example how things can quickly go "belly up' in Thailand.

Some time ago, I was in McDonadls and there were 2 German boys claiming the cashier 'shorted' them the correct change on a 1,000Bt note.

They were being very polite about it all, but persistent, and requested to see the CCTV video to verify their claim.

The cashier of course was not going to show them the evidence...

so the German guys persisted, they wanted the correct change & asked the Tourist Police be called to settle the dispute. They were being very polite and expected it to be sorted by the police.

Coincidentally, there was a police box across the street, so the cashier sent staff and asked the police to come resolve the issue.

Did the police go and help the tourist? No. They sent over 7 motorcycle taxi drivers to escalate the situation and they watched from across the road.

I waved over the German boys and explained the Police were not coming...They are not exactly like the German Police back home...Really? .. and those 7 taxi drivers lurking around were sent by the Police to escalate the situation. Probably get a good kicking, then be spending a day at the Police station costing 20,000 Bt each.

The took my advice and gave up their quest for the correct change.

The 7 motorbike taxi drivers all got a free ice cream.

Uh huh....

There is nothing bigoted about it....we see plenty of makeshift "cardboard and plastic tarp" housing around, and the attendant garbage etc etc etc.

And it is not farangs living there.

Every monetary exchange online is not a "scam".

If some fool pays a lady for some "show on cam", that is not a scam.

The rich Thai lady who married a farang and went to Europe, where the man demanded that she pay off his mortgage and buy him an expensive car....that is not a scam.

I have been in on-site housing (I guess that would be "legal") on construction sites in Bangkok.

It was pretty much as K Prajiad described the "illegal" camps.

Same-same.

First bike: Tiger 125 - this was my daily driver when I was working in BKK. I never understood the bad rap these bikes got; it held up as well as a comparable Honda. This one was converted to samlor and later sold to a handicapped guy who is still running around on it up here in Chok Chai.

Subsequent bikes: Through a bit of 'loan-sharking' the wife acquired a couple of Honda Click variants. One has been sold, the other is a daily driver. Acquiring one cheap is the only way I would have one of these...I hate the automatic/CVT setup. Give me a manual gearbox and manual clutch every time.

First truck: 2008 Toyota Hilux Vigo Prerunner 4-door. Bought new, I still have this one.

Subsequent truck: 2005 Toyota Hilux Vigo "dumb cab". We bought this cheap from a family member who could not make the payments. I am not sure what the long-term plan will be for this...other than I want to get rid of the stupid 17" low-profile tires and switch it over to 16" ala PreRunner.

Speaking of which, does anyone know of an aftermarket kit to put about 2" of lift under that truck?

What is "TPV" ?

Got it....

Too many damn abbreviations....people make these up out of thin air and expect everyone to know what it means.

Just type the words.

I doubt that many people consider the legality for their actions in that type of situation.

Many people do not know how to fight, or defend themselves.