it is what it is

just because i don't live in issan it doesn't mean i live in a tourist ghetto, thank you very much. ...and drying rice, or using the highway for anything other than vehicles, is clearly dumb and possibly dangerous. and using for food potentially unhygienic.

assuming this tale is genuine, a little common sense goes a long way. at immigration never draw attention to yourself, just be another tourist arriving. only speak of spoken to, remain calm and polite at all times. if an IO behaves in any way unprofessionally to your detriment calmly and clearly ask to speak to a superior. personally, i've never had any issue with a thai IO, those i have seen having issues have always been brought about by their words, actions or behavior, or the words, actions behavior of their thai partner! that's tip 2, go alone.

quick true story. an ex gf, a university graduate with middle management job, told me she could expect a sinsot of around 200k, however would be happy to marry without sinsot to the right guy. she married a european guy and talked him into paying 2.4 million sinsot. the result of this is that she, and her family, have zero respect for him. she openly calls him a fool. at family gatherings her relatives mock him for being a fool. he no doubt believes they adore and respect him because he is soooo generous.

it amazes me how many foreign men and the occasional foreign woman, who usually hold all the financial and educational cards, cede power and control within a relationship to their other half. low self esteem, low feeling of self worth, the desperation to be liked and ego flattery are, i suggest, to blame. but, as long as the guys are happy then horses for courses. not for me though.

sounds, sadly, like you've lived a cautious life. it may sound strange to the puritans, but there are some pretty amazing experiences out there

i'm into music rather than guitarists, but check out youtube, that guy prince could certainly play.

he's alright but has a limited scope to his playing, could never be described as a great guitarist

and a trailer with 18 wheels lacking brakes that's a new excuse, a truck without brakes

i'm getting moore (sic), 2.1% with K bank easy access savings. getting over 5% back home but have to have it here

indeed, i went with a gf to get a new driving license, it took ages, queue after queue, reasonably well organised but very bureaucratic and time consuming. back home i can sort out a new license with a few computer clicks. thailand in the digital age? not yet.

horses for courses.

indeed, chatbot or not it's very badly written

chromecast works well a vpn and HDMI connection to a laptop works or simply buy a smart tv, keep an eye out at the shopping malls you can get decent smart tvs at great prices here

i've been on defibrillator/CPR course and can recommend it to anyone. you never know...

sounds like a no brainer.

don't get me started... there's one of those green telecommunications junction boxes near my place and next to a temple which is basically used as an outdoor toilet by the locals, when you walk past it absolutely stinks. the irony is that there is a public toilet about 50 metres away. go figure.

haha, mate, some women just enjoy sex without commitment. the fact that you don't know this is pretty depressing, and suggests you have missed out on some awesome experiences both back home and here. i have had one night stands with women most of my adult life. i have never needed to pay for sex in thailand or anywhere else. and, boy, i'm certainly nothing special. get out of the bars and you'll find an amazing world out there, both back home and here.

* A very large percentage seem to just look for customers (s*x, videos, etc.), and... * The ones who then still claim to look for a relationship don't want to meet you if you actually live in Thailand, or don't want to meet at all in person. i only use tinder, in my experience very few want money, and those who do are up-front about it. sure, many are on tinder because they are bored, accept it and learn to spot them early on sure some don't want to meet, easy to spot and drop them too it takes more effort than the pre-smart phone halcyon days of thailand friends and DIA, when i had a wild time(!), but there's still fun, and relationships to be had with a little patience.

agree. it's the price you pay for the convenience of living here. understanding and accepting this will make your time here more enjoyable. my 800k earns around 2% here, back home i 'm getting over 5%, but hey, what's important, living the life i want or 3%? i'd question coming here without the finances to adequately support a pleasant life style. why come here only to worry about money?

means nothing until they make a booking, as even the most illiterate digital marketeer surely knows...

oh please... these are plenty of independent coffee shops in thailand, why would you waste your money on the insipid coffee and sanitised, dull environment of a starbucks?

a couple of years ago i was going on a trip with the gf of the time, she had a 14 year old daughter and was adamant that the girl would not only share our room, but share our bed. no chance, i only agreed to go if i had my own room. the gf was not happy but agreed. it was a bizarre situation.

years ago, i lost my annual london rail ticket, value over 1K GBP, plus bank and credit cards in a wallet. someone found it and returned it. happens all the time, all over the world. not sure why such events generate media, and indeed asean.com, attention. really, nothing to see here.

i've never dated lower/working class woman, or sex worker, but those i have dated all said they would not want or need sin sot. non of my mates married to thais paid anything, it's a thai tradition that really doesn't apply these days. any thai putting such pressure on is a manipulator. up to you.

Motorists started slowing down at zebra crossings and there was a huge spike in rear-end collisions. i was in a previous gfs car, she was driving and would never stop or slow down to let anyone cross the road safely. i asked her why, and it was the fear of being rear-ended, it is a genuine issue here.