Richb2004v2

We are looking for a house to rent for 15,000 - 20,000 baht. My wife has looked around Pattaya and not found anything suitable. We have found a 2 bedroomed clean house on a quite estate in Ban Change though, which is where we currently live. However I thought I would check on here for any suggestions before we settle on this on. So, is it possible to find something decent in Pattaya for this price. Most of the ones my wife found where either themselves dilapidated or at the very least on dilapidated estates.

Thanks.

I've transferred £60,000 in one go to UK from the sale of a condo a few years ago and no questions asked, either by the bank or UK government.

It was an offshore account though, which I'd assume you have also?

Maybe on the transfer instruction state 'proceeds from house sale' so your UK bank won't need to ask.

As long as he dosnt own a property in the UK also as that would flag up CGT issues.........

I have property in the Uk. What are CGT issues?

My wife has been looking in Pattaya and Ban Chang for a house to rent for around 15,000 baht per month. So far all she has found In Pattaya are dumps. She's not had much more success in Ban Chang although she is showing me something that she says in good tomorrow. I just thought that I would ask on here before I commit to anything. It needs to be toddler friendly and clean.

Thanks.

We have just sold our house here in Thailand and will be hopefully sending the money to my Uk account. Apart from the issue of actually sending it I am also concerned about significant sums of money landing in my account raising alarms at the bank itself. Although I have nothing to hide really I don't want checks on my finances, so would rather avoid this. Will sending 10k GBP deposits over a series of months be a problem, and am I liable for any kind of penalty? If so are there ways around it. I realise I may be worrying over nothing but I figure it's better to check first.

Thanks.

Feel free to move this to relevant forum.

I listened to a very interesting BBC podcast about Thailand the other day. Several of the Thais on it made some great points. One of them covered his opinion in Thai tolerance and racism. It is well worth listening to.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/documentaries/2011/01/110131_what_can_i_say.shtml

Wow! That is classic Thai comedy!

I have a 5 gallon (I think) bottle delivered weekly. My wife uses it for cooking and not drinking directly, but I've always wondered about how safe it is. If they can find a way to do things cheaper here they will regardless of safety. With minimal regulation of anything here I always worry about such things.

Nice, draw your conclusions then design a survey that supports it. May I suggest adding a few other questions? GDP per person, literacy rate, live expectancy, vague things like freedom of speech and minimal corruption?

That's how it looks to me. The squalor that people live in here is hidden but can be found easy enough if you want to find it. Most people from western countries seem to only see the not so filthy living standards of the poor people of this country. Just as bad as the Indian slums & shanty towns of the world.

Tunnel vision perhaps or just the refusal to see anything that dosent fit into thier cosy life

Have you been to West Virginia, Arkansas, Tennesee?

....even Manchester or Darwin might suffice as well.

Come on! How many people are living in homes made from old packing crates and sheets of corrugated iron in Manchester and Darwin?

Most of the world is like this. If some foreigner went and wagged their privates at a picture of the Queen of England in downtown London it'd be a bad scene involving boots and fists to the face. So, don't get all self righteous i'm sure wherever you're from there are similar social taboos.

Right, but there is no general atmosphere of fear in the UK.

Pray tell where is there a "general atmosphere of fear" in Thailand? In the U.K. you stand a much higher chance of getting beaten and robbed in a London side alley by chavs or other miscreants. Besides social taboos are unspoken most of the time and the consequences are obvious. People don't NEED to tell you what will happen in the above scenario because it's common sense just like how it is in Thailand.

That's strange. I wonder how it is that for as long as I can remember people have been free to joke and criticize the British royal family, even on TV. Maybe the British Prisons are full of British comedians that openly mocked the royal family.

I'm sure you have your reasons, but why not teach in the UK?

Good question, I think ultimately I want to live in Thailand as I am dissatisfied with life in the UK. Maybe more a question of why I don't want to teach or live in the UK and I could go on all day why I don't want to live here.

I will add that I am realistic about development of the teaching industry (ish), my ever increasing age but also, my kids might not want to move to Thailand when they are older so i might have to remain in the UK.

I'm considering the exact opposite, a return to the Uk to possibly teach in the future. I'm also with the OU.

What's a Yam?

I'm sure you have your reasons, but why not teach in the UK?

I did my monthly napalm run on the ant nests in my garden a week or so ago. I found that they were full of the winged ants ready to alight. It must be that time of year.

Try jogging around the streets! Its unbelievable how many Thai's stop in your path to look at you with that 'huh' blank stare on their on their face. I have asked the missus several times to get me a running vest with "Don't look at me just get out of my way" written in Thai on the front. And "See, that was easy, wasn't it" written on the back!

I have now taken, possibly foolishly, to jogging on the road, in to oncoming traffic as i really do believe it's safer!!

I do the same. It's impossible to run on their excuses for pavements anyway, as they are so broken and have so many obstructions, as well as the height of them as you constantly have to go up and down.

I've actually never bumped into a Thai walking. My problem is the state of the pavements. I generally just walk on the road at all times.

It's got nothing to do with the inconvenience of standing. Most will agree that it is not really worth the hassle of remaining seated at the risk of upsetting someone else in the theater, let alone get arrested. It's about the freedom to remain seated if you so choose, and not only none Thais. The Thais should have the freedom to make the choice. Most of them would probably still choose to stand, which is fine, but that's not the point. For one thing their devotion might then be true rather than imposed on them.

Is this not how dictatorships work?

It is difficult to judge actual pride or affection for something when it is enforced.

Do any of our home countries enforce such laws? I've a feeling they don't, and if they did we would be complaining about it, but because it is a Thai thing we just have sooooo much love and respect for it.

Wow...sorry to hear about the trash. I've been meaning to visit there, but just haven't made it yet. Here are some posts about this area:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/407032-nice-quiet-beaches-for-a-day-trip/page__view__findpost__p__3955628

http://thaitrump.blogspot.com/

I may have been a little harsh in my description. During the week it is certainly worth a visit. It is the best beach I have come across in Thailand outside a main tourist area. For me it compares favorably to those on Koh Chang, Samet or Samui. There are not the restaurants but it is very peaceful normally.

Saying about the people that home though, they're more interested in X Factor it seems than seeing the World that's out there..

Ah well, you've come to the right place then. Thais don't spend any time at all wasting their hours watching TV all day and night, and even whilst at work or on the bus. They are far too cultured for that. Unlike those ignorant people from London.

Anyone notice that they don't play the Royal Anthem in the top end cinemas in Central Festival ?

I live in Buriram province and (re National Anthem) I have often been virtually the only person to stand still at 18.00 hrs in Makro ! That is OK with me - personal choice and personal awareness.

The standing still thing is mostly a Bangkok thing. (And perhaps South, I wouldn't know). In the Real Thailand people tend to go about their business, save for the occasional Farang who wants to go native but missed the target by a couple feet.

They probably stand still because they are weighed down with the mandatory wanabe amulets.

I've never heard the national anthem played anywhere other than the cinema and the TV/Radio.

Well that was about as disappointing for me as could be.

They have never adjusted to anything, they have murdered people for stepping on money bearing the Kings face. There is no adjustment from them, just us.

Wow! Is that true, and if so can we even talk about it?

We ventured there on Saturday against my better judgment. It was actually fine. It was absolutely packed, mainly with Thais, but it was not bad. There were also huge swarms of flies, but only near the more filthy groups where food had been discarded. There was also obviously more noise. On the whole though it wasn't a bad experience. We did decide to call it a day though when one party sat down with their mat, whiskey and food and were literally sat with us. No harm done though. The soi dogs I think are unfortunately unavoidable anywhere in Thailand.

Last week I got a little bit of hassle there from an over-friendly drunken chap, but again no harm done.

I can't think of anything in the Uk that will illicit the same reaction in absolutely everyone. There will always be some with a different opinion that refuses to conform, which I believe is healthy.

I remember in the late 80's early 90's one of the British Royal family going to visit some sort of youth center or drug rehab place and one young man refusing to even stand up and shake hands. As far as I know he wasn't imprisoned, lynched, or shot. I don't particularly think it was a great thing to do but I prefer it to living in a country of mindless sheep, with opinion enforced by the authority.

It's a little like comparing a 1980's Skoda to a current BMW. There will be some folk that for personal reasons prefer the Skoda, which is fair enough, but to argue it is better then the BMW is surely delusional.

Nicely put summation and analogy..

So you're saying Thais are the '80s Skoda and westerners are the BMW ... and therefore westerners are "better" than Thais??? Better in what way? Are westerners more polite? More moral? Better parents? What? While Thailand and Thais have all the negatives of any country and people, overall I find the Thai people at large to be much nicer and friendlier than westerners. Of course, there are many exceptions on both sides of the equation.

No. I was actually referring to the countries to be honest. However I do believe that the people make the counties however indirectly, so I guess it could cover the actual people in a way.

It is not for you to decide.

That's pretty much my point. Maybe it should be. Some would say that GW Bush did a lot for his country or that T.Blair did for his, but would you feel fine standing every time they appeared on Tv just because you had to?