Jonson83

Actually paulsmithson,if your trying to teach someone a new language your not supposed to use their own native language to communicate with them.

My old man pointed this out to me.I am sure many of the teachers here aren't supposed to speak any Thai to the kids,or so i have heard anyway...?

How much does it cost to have your hair straightened in los? and how many places do this sort of thing? Only the places aimed at farang? Not like the thais need to straighten their hair or anything.

yeh..err..my sister wants to know..ahem

thanks

One smelly,dreadlocked backpacker is worth 10 fat,wrinkly, perverted sex tourists..

Seriously though the gap year backpackers are the ones who go home and then later return with their families year in,year out.

In the short term places like pai,ksr etc might not smell that bad but long term it doesn't make sense.

I tried....

Educate yourself on the subject jingthing.

Yup and in a years time there will be another study that 'disproves' this one,then there will be one that counters that one,then another one that counters that and so on....

I think there is more than enough evidence to suggest that more muscle mass = more calories burnt.The Pro bodybuilders swear by it and they are, afterall the 250 pound guys with 2 to 5% bodyfat or even lower

The idea that you can reduce bodyfat by isolating it (ie belly fat,thigh fat) is complete nonsense and has probably been disproven a billion times already.

Evidence? Anecdotal I would say. Maybe those bodybuilders just have good genes.

Muscle burns more calories then fat,this is a fact.If you want evidence,simply type that sentence in on yahoo and you'll find plenty of sites backing this up.

A lot of Pro-bodybuilders do have excellent genes.Some have great bone structure which means they can build more aesthetic muscles.Some have mesomorhphic(Wide shoulders,thick muscles,average bodyfat) bodytypes which allows them to gain muscle easiliy without gaining to much fat.

Good genes that help fat loss though..? Most people born with those sort of genes would be classed as ectomorphs(Tall,narrow shoulders/chest,long arms,thin muscles,hard to gain muscle,easy to lose fat).There are very few ectomorph pro-Bodybuilders.

Although i can't link it,In arnold schwarzeneggers 'encycloypedia of modern bodybuilding' there is a section explaining how building more muscle helps greatly with fat loss.He says how many endomorph(basically the fattest of the 3 bodytypes) bodybuilders would find it much easier to burn fat once they had built a significent amount of muscle.

At the end of the day it all comes down to the individual,articles like this should be taken with a pinch of salt.Because there are always gonna be other articles that will say the complete opposite.Different diets/training techniques work for different people,what works for one person probably won't work for another.

cheers

Yup and in a years time there will be another study that 'disproves' this one,then there will be one that counters that one,then another one that counters that and so on....

I think there is more than enough evidence to suggest that more muscle mass = more calories burnt.The Pro bodybuilders swear by it and they are, afterall the 250 pound guys with 2 to 5% bodyfat or even lower

The idea that you can reduce bodyfat by isolating it (ie belly fat,thigh fat) is complete nonsense and has probably been disproven a billion times already.

Jonson83 - I see what you mean with the 30,30,40 rule but I was just stressing the importance of the effort needed during the training sessions, not neglecting the importance of other factors Or the ratio of time spent doing each. I'm sure you wouldnt advise putting 40% effort in at the gym Although some days I guess we feel like it

haha, good point

I think maybe 50 is a bit to old to be building muscle??? But if your serious about quick gains that last.Fly to India and get yourself some HGH .....Its legal,don't know what the Thai laws are though.

Jared,

Hi m8,

How much weight(muscle mass) do you reckon you have lost then?

I'm flying out to Thailand in a few weeks and i'm going to be their for quite a long time(longer than a year).Ive spend the last 5 months repairing the damage my last long stay in THialand caused! Ive put on nearly 30 pounds of muscle and the last thing i want to do is lose all that in the first 6 months.

Getting the right maintence diet and training routine sorted are the best ways to prevent this but bar eating canned tuna/protein supplents all day on top of other meals, what can i do? How do you manage it? I'm ecto-meso(leaning more towards ecto),so if i don't eat right ,im gonna suffer.

Whats the protein powder/creatine like? any good? 60/100G seems alright,although the stuff i use in the UK is normal 80+/100G ,but whatever.

Hi Mate

To be honest since moving to Thailand my trainning has all gone out of the window. Ive been living here about 7 months now and when I got here I was in the best shape of my life, I had the lowest body fat percentage ive ever had, I was physically fit and I had packed on a shed load of muscle. Everything was so much easier in England, Gyms close by, high quality food at every super market, cool weather for runing and a nice cool gym. 3 months before moving to Thailand I took a course of steriods although I now do regret taking them due to all the problems they caused and that may also be a reason as to why my trainning has gone tits up.

When I moved to Thailand the first thing I done was find a good gym and I finally found a brilliant proper bodybuilders gym, not one of these crap hotel gyms were everyone thinks its great but you go there and theres nothing there. Anyway I got a 3 month membership, I spent about a month there then finally packed it all in.

Reasons for giving up, trianing in this heat would make me feel sick and pretty crap for the rest of the day. I like to go to the gym nice and early. In England I would be at the gym for 6.30 and train till 8 and then go to work. Over here I dont have to get up so waking up at 6-7 or 8 started to slowly get later and later leaving me with less to do in the day.

Protein powder is almost impossible to find and when you do its 2,3 times the price. I managed to find some plan whey protein powder for 4000Baht and I ended up mixing it with choclate powder just so it didnt taste so bad. Best bet is to get some imported. Ive got about a months supply which i brought off a guy on this forum and once that runs out ill be gettting a years supply shipped over.

Food was also a big struggle, I went from eating very healthy high protein meals, tuna chicken etc to eating high fat Thai food. Everything seems to be deep fried over here and every dish seems to have spoonfulls of sugar. At first the drastic change in diet also made me sick until i got used to it.

Probably the most important reason why I gave up and have struggled to get back in to it is I now have a 3 month old son who keeps me up most the night and ive just lost all motivation. Also im stuck behind a computer workin gall day long when back in England i was actively working outside.

All of that aside im on the verge of getting back into things now, to be honest im probably in the worst shape of my life after 7 months here and I ve put on a shed load of weight and basically feel crap. Once the little one starts to sleep through the nights im going to reniew my membership and start again.

4000bht for protein powder!!! gahhs thats crazy.

Anyhoo,thnx for the response.The biggest problems i had half the time was lack of time,motivation and lack of a gym to train in.Mainly because i was travelling all other the place(all around SEA).I won't be that this time around.Finding a gym and getting a decent diet sorted will be of high prioity!

alixjames,

I always go by the 30,30,40 rule 30% sleep,30% diet,40% Gym.Its all down to the individual i guess.

Tesco lotus is a good place for tuna,shitloads of canned tuna their.

If the person is a m8,you tell them.If not...you keep quiet,its their life,not yours.

If I was at the airport.I wouldnt have told the BF anything either.Its not for me to tell him.He'll find out the hard way.I certainly would not have let my wife persuade this tramp to stay though.

I think maybe 50 is a bit to old to be building muscle??? But if your serious about quick gains that last.Fly to India and get yourself some HGH .....Its legal,don't know what the Thai laws are though.

Jared,

Hi m8,

How much weight(muscle mass) do you reckon you have lost then?

I'm flying out to Thailand in a few weeks and i'm going to be their for quite a long time(longer than a year).Ive spend the last 5 months repairing the damage my last long stay in THialand caused! Ive put on nearly 30 pounds of muscle and the last thing i want to do is lose all that in the first 6 months.

Getting the right maintence diet and training routine sorted are the best ways to prevent this but bar eating canned tuna/protein supplents all day on top of other meals, what can i do? How do you manage it? I'm ecto-meso(leaning more towards ecto),so if i don't eat right ,im gonna suffer.

Whats the protein powder/creatine like? any good? 60/100G seems alright,although the stuff i use in the UK is normal 80+/100G ,but whatever.

Hi guys,i'm not really in the same 'game' as you lot.

I'm quite into bodybuilding and keeping an eye on your fat levels aswell as losing fat is quite an improtant part of this type of training.

I hope this link is quite useful for you guys.All about Bodyfat monitoring and how to take the correct measurements.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/drobson98.htm

Obviously not everyone can get their hands on decent caliphers.Towards the bottom of the page,there is an explanation on how to measure your BF% without using caliphers.Its not 100% accurate ,but trust me,its close enough.

IMO,its better to monitor you BF% than constantly using scales.Scales can fluctuate greatly and this can really destroy motivation etc

Its ok to link that article isnt it?

Why have you chosen Thailand and what do you think you want to do with your time?

Sunny beaches? culture? nightlife? Thai women?

Give us a hint and youll get some more informative answers.

"If I were young, single, and not qualifed to get a good job in Thailand, then I'd be off to Japan in a second."

What do you mean by this jjspitz?

I would have thougth that if you werent qualified to get a good job in Thailand,it would be even harder to get a decent job in Japan?

Saying that,ive just been reading up on the subject and as things stand.You need more qualifcations to teach in Thailand than you do to teach in Japan!

Good question m8.I hope to teach in Japan after i earn my degree and would also like to know what its like teaching in Japan.

I think IJWT compared the expat life there to bill murrays existance in the film 'lost in translation'

"In my day we used to sleep in a paper bag on the side of the road"

lol that pretty much says it all about this thread.

How the hel_l can anyone critisize people for teaching for low wages?? Teaching Thai kids english for low wages is a REAL benifit to the Thais? How can you knock it? Youve got to own your own buisness to be respected or something? what a load of <deleted>.

Typical superior expat nonsense.I have a general rule as far as expats go.For every good one there is,you get a complete nobhead who thinks hes gods gift to the yellow people of Siam.I remember talking to one prick in a bar on the moonmuang who was telling me how most people coming to Thailand were desperate and worthless back in their own country.But that was only in the last 4 years,anyone before then was ok.When did this guy first arrive in Thailand...? 5 years ago.What a nob.

Funny thing is,its so similar to the 'uber traveller' mentality .They think because they were here first,that they own the place.Very,very sad.

Aswell.Why are you guys so bloody ageist?? Whats that all about? Only 7% of the males on this forum are below the age of 30 ..and it shows.

Really tho,you knock us youngsters for doing what exactly? Not spending enough time at Spotlight? or other bars on the Loikrok road? Do we not contribute enough to the local BG economy for your liking?

@ OP,sorry if this comes across a bit harsh m8.

I cannot substantiate, corraborate or provide any further information abou this, but was informed in earnest by a connected thai person to take care. I am taking their message seriously enough to alert others.

There are meant to be 2 Thai people, man and woman, currently operating in Chiang Mai. They stop farangs, and then "take them away". (I don't understand, but it is not good.) I think they might stop people on motor cycles, but the thing to do is get away from them very quickly if you are stopped.

Apparently, this has happened to three people already. The female is meant to be a particularly bad character.

Please be on the look out.

If anybody has heard anything related to this, i would like to hear it.

Since I am unable to support this, you may as well take this message as just talk, but at least i have tried to inform people.

So, am I supposed to be afraid of all Thai couples??

Looks like it...No more trips to majorcineplex for me then.

I love movies but i dont wanna be 'taken away' now do i?

Of course Udon is too far from Chiang Mai; you'd have to move. If you're already retired, I doubt you need to worry if a BA from Thailand is impressive in New York City or London. A Thai bachelor's degree would be impress Thais in Thailand. I have a BA from a third rate US uni, and the Thai schools who employed me never questioned its ranking. It would have satisfied the authorities (if the schools had bothered to submit my documents), simply because it's a real bachelor's from an accredited US university.

Good luck. An online degree might be the way to go (we used to call it a correspondence school degree, like LaSalle).

Thats what i'm doing.This course was linked on this forum a couple of months ago and since then ive been in contact with them and everything seems sound.

http://www.ultraversity.net/

http://www.anglia.ac.uk/ruskin/en/home.html

Its not cheap and lack of direct contact with fellow students will require more will power than say studying full time,but the online community they have is supposed to be outstanding.

I did look into studying at a Thai Uni but i was put off that because it seems that the Japanese and Korean education authorities don't take them to seriously.Anyone know much about this?

35 or over to play?? Are you sure??

A chap who knows the manager(i guess he owns the pub?) offered to introduce me.But im not 35 plus and i certainly don't look it!

Maybe its because Quality Goalkeepers are always in short supply!

Thnx for the replies lads,very helpful.

Well,i'll have a few grand(£) in the bank when i come over but i'd prefer to live on earnings.I don't won't to be taking any more than 5k bht out of my own account monthly.Fair point about GFs,ill have to be a bit more careful

Its an English Uni course,so i'll definatly have to return home after about 15 months or so to put some pounds in the bank.

What makes a good burger?

The owner HAS to be American.

However, fish and chips takes a Brit, Aussie or Kiwi to do it right!

I've had burgers in many countries georgie and the best by far was a small shop in Parnell Auckland called "Al and Petes". Their steak egg and cheese burger was second to none.

The best burgers I've had were in Australia - Crow's Nest, Sydney. Beet root on burgers really works. As for Chiang Mai, Mike's gets my vote so far, but I've yet to try lots of other places who do them...

most of the small fish & chip/burger bars in NZ do beetroot as well.Infact,mcdonalds even came out with one called the "Kiwi Burger"

almost made our kiwis extinct!!

what a way to drag down one of our best cusines- the lettuce all sliced up and using cheese slices, give me a real burger any day over MacDs

McDs burgers are the best by a long shot imo,sorry for being boring!

morning, afternoon, and a evening class in the same day.... ouch!

Thnx for the reply,very helpful

I've read that 25 seems to be the average but if you want to earn more you can find extra work easily?

I ask this because i'm hoping to start a Uni course in September and i'll need to juggle both teaching/studying.

There does seem to be a fair few people who are doing this in Thailand,even a couple on this forum(Mbkudu??)

So it must be possible,but the last thing i want is some 45 hour a week job

Cheers, Jon

Right on, Englishoak! More geckos and toukays (sp). They do good work cleaning up vermin. I heard you can also train them to drop poo in one spot, even into an Asian-style toilet.

Jonson83, those little scorpions are monsters. But, a pity you had to decapitate it. I usually secured the hut before I moved in (bug spray). Did it once up near Bottle Beach and an army of those little stingers marched out of the room.

The shower was to weak to flush it down the plug,had to kill it quick!

Billfo,truly awful m8! hahaha

Early last year i was having a shower/shave in my hut on bottle beach,koh phangyan when i noticed a little yellow skorpian coming towards my feet rather to hastily for my liking.I just got the old gillette mac3 and killed the little bastard! Close call thought,it was only like a foot away when i noticed it.

Other than that,i really hate centipedes.Theres nothing wrong with the big purple millipedes,their harmless but those biting centipedes are killed on sight!

The casual passerby can almost always see directly into a Thai men's bathroom. Usually the door is open and the urinals are in full view (no blocking walls as per most countries). You can stand there pissing and watch people walk by outside.

Why?

This seems to be everywhere from gas stations to offices to medium quality shopping malls to restaurants.

Please explain why they can't build a blocking wall.

Many years ago while I was in Vietnam I was always amazed that the local bargirls would always turn out the lights before coming to bed or undress only with the lights out.

Yet a "nice" girl would be willing to take a shower outside the house from a vase of water wearing only a thin silk sarong which when wet showed just about everything you wanted to see.

I finally got a girl to explain to me that sex was "dirty" but taking a shower in front of everyone was "clean".

Therefore, by that logic there was nothing to hide when taking a shower because your intentions were good.

Same logic with urinals.

It is a natural function, so why should it be blocked?

Also someone noticing you taking a leak in the urinal, would lose face by noticing it to the point of commenting about it.

Losing face by commenting on your actions is to be avoided at all cost in Thailand

The Vietnamese are kinda f@@ked up when it comes to this kind of thing.When everyone gets off the bus for a piss break,they walk like 2 yards from the buses door and then piss Man,woman,child..whoever.

Then ofcourse theres the staring at ya bits when your trying to piss,that was always a hoot.