LaosLover

Nimman expats tend to be short to mid term. Most people in the nabe don't stay long enough for the bloom to go off the rose. The few long-termers (which I intend to be) tend be stoners, foodies and culture buffs, not boozers or mongers. Not that there aren't plenty of desirable, mixed-race women here to mingle with, which I forgot to mention in the other thread. Nimman has more in common with Soho or Greenwich Village than the rest of Thailand. Ask any such residents: would you like the same thing for 60% less cash? So no way am I seeing the same long faces that Bob does.

Yeah, def. I wanted to hear about people's adult relationships with mixed-race people. People wanted to talk about their mixed race parenting issues. 'Works for me. Than Bignok wanted to remind us again about his Englebert-level body count and offer up some 6 word town reviews. Another guy abstrusely pondered the diff between a pot bar and a pot store. It's all good.

How many Toby's and Gwens am I supposed to watch ooh and ahh over a bowl of noodles? And face it Toby: We're only watching at all due to modestly fetching Gwen. You're just dead weight.

Drop by if you feel it. We can get mega-stoned with the nice. mixey people I referenced in this thread. Very decent 80 baht Khao soi 90 seconds away.

How many got a second trip to the well? Anything kinky, or was it all starfish Sheila's?

The bug eating anecdote was a Lonely Planet-type convo staple forever. Shame you missed that Ko Phangan, stoned, bs session down at the youth hostel by about 30 years.

Why can't you just love the fabulous, messy, alway in flux Thailand right in front of you? Like, if you walked down my street and saw pot stores with Japanese writing, you'd say, "that's not the real Thailand". But it is the real Thailand, the real Thailand right now. The Thai's aint complaining, the tourists aint complaining. The only complainer is you. And you-types have been complaining since the beginning of travel -"you call this a Crusade? The old Crusade was better".

Gagging to hear about your bug-eating phase and what eventually caused its end..

Thank god Thai people don't do any of those things. Like you, I love those pure, untouched Buddhist savages. Just read a witty bio of Paul Loti, among the first travel writers, the guy who inspired Paul Gaughan to get on the boat to Tahiti. He had the exact same complaints about the locals as you do. Counter arguement: We're a big disappointment to them too.

If all I have to do is have Starbucks on speed dial for the morning, and then eventually wander out into a mellow, cheap environment where everyone is blissed out and saying kaaaaa to me... -Well, just exactly how sharp do I really need to be? Do I expect drunken brits to somehow entertain me?No. Maybe you don't know 'em like I know 'em.

The OP ponders the possibility of popping into a Muay Thai gym, crooking a beckoning finger, and thereby easily recruiting a mob of henchmen to do his bidding. Is this the funniest thing I ever read here? No, that would be the comment about doing a reach around on a ladyboy. But this comes close.

Well, I did ask what problems these people might face. They somehow have let Bignok down. They annoy him. And now they have to live with that. Westernization is bad, am I right? Leads to arrogance? Tell us more.

There's a few on the backstreets of Siam Square that get Time Out write-ups. And Issan food is a staple in any mall food court.

Def knocked up a letter grade across the river in Vientiane, where there's a bit of Frenchiness about it in the herb mix and that rice powder was pounded that morning. Love larb, but it's hard on a non-pork eater. Duck larb is another Lao goodie. You see it here a bit, but there it's on every menu. There's a famous Issan tin shack place around the corner from me. I go maybe once a month. I prefer the food of the Eastern Seaboard, so basically Issan with fish. 'Can't be bothered to look for them, but Mark Weins has done some great Issan video's. He recco'd a chicken and cashew place in Ubon that was so good I went twice. Fall down great chicken and cashews is very hard to come by. No raisins, delicate oyster sauce, fried to order cashews.

True enough. Spend $100 on a microphone. It sounds like they're speaking through a sodden roll of paper towels. And those impenitrable posh accents demand subtitles. Never over-react to a random lizard again. A million other gap ye-ahh dullards have gone before you.

It's mini-BKK. Want Mexican food? Ok, you don't have 50 choices, only six. Boo-hoo. So much to discover here. The area a bit south of Wat Umong is developing into a hippie zone alternative to The Old City. Love seeing the mountains everyday. In the states, an old town with mountain views generally is only for millionaires.

Apart from being bi-lingual, they are also bi-social. Conversations with them are less awkward. Caveat about all my future observations: All of the mixed race Thai people I meet are in pot bars. They may be a little diff from your upstanding children. Being westerner-friendly is def a leg up for a pot store employee.

-Def not, now that the rent rates have gone mad and he will be paying Hollywood rates for the privilege. What does he want to do in England? What draws him there? Would he go to school? This couple want to leverage their Thai-ness and youth to get some kind of personal assistant to rich people gig and live the high life in a big city. They are wise in the foibles of the white man, so I think they have a shot.

Do you think he will? I know a young couple who have the right to go to the states, talk about it incessantly, but are unlikely to pull the trigger. The States are expensive and Thailand is chill. Also, if he goes, do you think he'll come back? This duel mixed race couple see living away from Thailand mostly as a way to build a nest egg.

Lived in Greenwich Village 75-90, with broad guest list privileges for live shows (my brother was a semi-famous bouncer). So for example, in one week, I saw Madonna open for Prince, Shawn Colvin (pretty good folk singer), and Sun Ra, a jazz legend now much more famous post mortem. Another week might be Tito Puente in the park for free, Run DMC/Red Hot Chili Peppers, and some only famous in New York band like Lydia Lunch. And at those shows, you could meet interesting people, many of them women. My best years are right now, but those were great days.

Most of the Thai people I deal with are half-American or European. They def are super prominent where I live in real estate offices and pot stores. I enjoy their tales of migrating back to Chiang Mai from San Diego or their student years in an English Village. 'Can't say why, but I haven't met any home-grown Western-Thai people here yet. Over the years, I have read that mixed race kids get some grief in school. Most posters here have much more experience with Thai people than I do, including possibly kids. -What are pluses and minus's of being mixed race here? -Is there a pecking order say, between kids raised and the west and not or otherwise? -Do you have any interesting mixed race-person stories to tell?

He was (rightfully) a proper legend here. Back in the day. I do believe we are prohibited from quoting sex prices here, but think in terms of a Khao Soi noodle dish in a place with air-conditioning. Since he was a regular. He offered me a go. I said, "Only if I go first".

For many, the quality versus quantity agument does not work. I knew a famous monger in CM who blew a quarter of a million dollars -on BJ's mainly. Was it worth it, I asked? He said: "The last one was as good as the first one".

Therein lies the problem. More like 97% Not nearly enough open-minded, classy but slutty women to go around. Again, God is found to be completely asleep at the wheel. When I was a mod on a divorce board, I made friends with a 350 pound woman who was having affairs off of the old Ashely Madison site. As one of the very few non-bot females there, her inbox was never empty -about 100 requests a day for truly terrifying face-sitting. I'm all for old, homely married guys livin' la vida loca, but what's the actionable plan to make it happen? Other than 1800 baht?

For real comfort, a grab cab can be booked on the spot for 1,500 baht for a 6-8 hour day. Or 2K for a marathon 10 hour mad dash of Chiang Rai's big sights and then back to CM. Mini-bus to Pai is a socializing dream, and then that van goes on to Mae Hong Son (2 hours more). And then you can fly back to CM for small money. This is a great way see a lot without backtracking. 3 days in each place is good. That little cave town is possibly worth an overnight too (on the same van route).