JensenZ

Oh, ok, I didn't know that. Because it comes from elsewhere, no effort should be made to clean it up? Yet they are complaining about cigarette butts.

So it should be illegal if you're old and ugly with a pot belly?

Lack of public amenities is the biggest concern of all. When I walk on Pattaya Beach, I have to pay to use a toilet, if I can find one. I'm onboard with stopping people from using the beach as a giant ashtray, but I can't see how it can be policed. Here's a walk I did on Jomtien Beach about a month ago. Cigarette butts were not of any concern here.

In that case, don't even think about it. If they can't fix stuff before new tenants move in, you're in trouble if something needs to be repaired after you've signed the lease... and then you have to ask, what are the chances of getting your deposit back when you leave, with dodgy landlords or agents?

Just viewed another one today to rent, or buy?

My gf works for a major Condo development company. I'm not trying to sell anything, but the scale of some of these condo projects is massive. Take a look at Marina Golden Bay Pattaya, still under construction, just off Theprassit Road. They tap the Chinese market, not for tourists, but for investors.

Why would you compare a major tourist destination with a population of over 300k and an endless supply of tourists and expats, to a small residential city in the US that no one has heard of? Chinese investors are lapping up these condos. They can't get enough. A new condo building was constructed at my back door during the COVID-19 pandemic, and I predicted they would have a difficult time selling and/or renting them out, as they were being sold for ridiculous prices—251 tiny apartments. I was wrong. They were soon sold and rented out.

It's no horror movie. What is the relationship between the 2 girls? "Friend" can have many different meanings and is a term used very loosely in Thailand (the English version of it). My girlfriend calls her new colleague at a new job a "friend" after just a week, simply because they work at the same place and sometimes have lunch together. A lot of these "friends" will backstab each other to get to a foreigner. It's dog-eat-dog, or more aptly, friend-eat-friend, when it comes to nabbing a foreigner. It could have gone the other way just as easily. I don't know the age difference and didn't read the original story (OP - next time, post a link to your original story), but if there is no money forthcoming in this relationship, it'll end soon enough. Perhaps the first girl is relieved to be done with the OP?

To save unwanted children from being born to people who cannot look after them would be a good reason.

Well, your experience in finding a partner is ancient, and you were lucky, or your standards are low. Times have changed since then (19+ years ago). Everyone is advertising on dating apps and social media has taken over, yet you scoff at my list of attributes a potential partner must have, and don't believe I found a self-funded option that ticked my specific boxes. The list I gave was just the start of the requirements. What you think is complicated was actually quite a bit of fun. I didn't just ride into town - I've been here 20 years and tested out quite a few over that time.

I know what you believe, and you will only get what you aim for. I don't own a house, and was paying big rent, so it was a good solution for me. I don't need your advice about how to take care of my finances. There's no point in disagreeing with you, as you only believe what your limited thinking allows you to think. "Homework" is a colloquial expression used to denote research. You're the only one making silly comments.

No, I didn't forget. What I forgot to mention was that she owns her apartment, and I live rent-free. We share other costs. You can find real relationships in Thailand that aren't transactional, but you need to do your homework and have some good luck. That can't happen if, like you, you don't think it is possible. You can't find what you don't believe is available.

That's why I go for ladies who don't speak English (or any other foreign language)... and have a real job, and have a university degree, with no kids and a small family, and not from a farming district.

Yep, nothing beats weights. My home gym is stocked with bars, dumbbells, plates, and a rack. It's much more than I need, as I bought the equipment over 10 years ago when I was much stronger. I have a pulldown machine for many additional movements. It's not a pretty gym, but very functional. It's all you need and quite cheap to set up. I train with weights for only one reason these days - to prevent (or slow down) muscle loss or sarcopenia (technical term). The longer you can maintain your muscle strength, the better you'll age. As they say, if you don't use it, you'll lose it. For the heart and circulatory system, I have a Concept 2 Rower, a Concept 2 SkiErg, and a Cybex Arc Trainer... and add to the mix regular 1-hour brisk walks. I'm on the other side of the hill now, so I do my best. All this talk about heavy weights is irrelevant on this forum, as it doesn't take into consideration the age factor. A 30-year-old man should not be training the same as a 60-year-old. Train as heavy as the muscles and joints will comfortably allow in a higher rep range (10 - 20). Use a range of motion that is comfortable and doesn't injure joints.

To be fair, Thai people are smaller in girth (usually), i.e. less bulky, and they are born in a country which averages 30C most of the year, so they are acclimatised. Don't confuse a lack of sweating with laziness. My Thai gf trains harder than I do in a room temperature above 30C, and she won't drip sweat at all, but she still sweats, only you cannot see it, and it doesn't make the benches wet.