mangkut70

the "drinking friend" should get used to fork out larger sums for the girl anyway. I figure she - and more importantly her family - got accustomed to the money she can make from multiple customers (her bar salary plus all the STs, LTs, online Bfs sending money etc.) while she is in the business. If he indeed takes her out of the bar, he puts himself basically in the position of the only customer and gotta "take care" and pay up for everything. So, IMO paying the inflated farewell bar fine is not the problem because it's small money compared to the big permanent deal. It’s a long time ago, call it a former life, I've met a gorgeous Agogo girl and we became special friends with benefits. GFE was the term. She kept working, i did not mind. Well, I simply would not have been able to provide the amount she needed for her family. But it was amazing how many sources of income she had beside her daily activities. Several guys she previously met, online via email - all believed they would be the only one and sending money to keep her out of the bar-life. So, unless your drinking buddy can stay with the girl 24/7 and control the money flow and her activities, I guess he will be just one of the many. Some of the girls want to get out, become a good wife, getting kids with her farang etc. but most would not. There is so much more money to be made in the business if you are young, hot and sexy.

Gosh , i wish I would...

different city, quite a while ago and less money involved... but yes. barfine back then was 200thb, the farewell payment 8500thb. The way I understand it: this is a mixture of things and dependencies. On a business level, the bar loses an earner. For an hour or a night, it's a barfine. For a long holiday with a customer or a total checkout, it's a larger sum. Often, the girls are very much integrated into a bar, almost like family, living, sleeping, eating there. Think of it as a kind of sin sot and "go with our blessing"—nobody will talk badly about the girl, and if things don't work out, the door will be open.

doubt that. At least not the kind buying one bottle of beer in a 7-Eleven to share it amongst 4 or 5 people.

I totally agree. The idea of "yours" and "mine" changes, especially once you have kids. It's about building something together to pass on to them. Everything in Thailand is in her name, everything in the west in mine but IMO it does not really matter. Generally I do control the finances, which gives my wife an excellent excuse when there are expectations from her family. Every now and then, we naturally have discussions about certain expenditures. I've offered several times for her to take over all of it—the whole money-related package including tax filing, investing, booking holidays, insurances, planning, all the paper work etc. For whatever reason, so far she has always politely declined.😉

Good mom, bad mom...what choice do they really have? Staying at the village, spending time with the kids but maybe not having enough money to buy them school uniforms? Or better to leave the kids with the grandparents and go to a big city to earn money and support the whole family? Who wants to be the judge of that? What sense does it make to look at it from a Western point of view? The biological fathers—Thai ex-boyfriend or ex-husbands—normally don’t give a flying f*** and don’t provide. I’ve observed now for many years a case in my wife’s family. A lovely, now middle-aged lady, just not very lucky with her relationships. Two kids from different Thai-ex-husbands. She got solid education compared to many other girls in this area; finished college and got proper job training in IT and accounting. Always tried to provide by working hard and earning honest money. As she’s getting older, it’s becoming more difficult to find work in a small town. She was basically forced to move to Bangkok to make enough money for her kids and her old mom. She is able to send home around 10k per month. Everyone speaks highly of her; for the family and neighbors, she’s a shining role model of a good daughter … and mom. Don't think it would change anything if indeed she would work in a bar. Well , maybe she could send more money then...

"I take care family" it's IMO more about beeing a good daughter and making merit, providing for the parents than about beeing a good mother. Nothing really to do with Pattaya or bars except the fact that there they can make exceptionally good, easy and fast money. Especially young women (mothers or not) work away from their families for instance in Bangkok or industrial zones like Chachoengsao or Rayong. There are hardly any well paying jobs in rural areas especially for women.

Just ask her out and see how it goes? Her English is probably ok if she works at a golf course? Maybe she is a fun person, just looking for a good time. Or looking for a boyfriend or just some fast extra cash. Everything is possible. You will find out. There is a good chance though that her buffalo is sick. God speed

I only know the tourist and nightlife areas of Pattaya; used to love the place, but I’m not as impressed anymore, especially post-covid. However, I’ve never stayed for long anyway. That said, I know plenty of expats with families who live there away from the tourist spots, work, teach, run businesses etc. The people I know are very happy with the infrastructure, including schools, hospitals, and other amenities. Not difficult to keep the family and kids away from the nightlife. At least they don't see it as a big problem. For retirement, I’d personally prefer somewhere in the countryside, but for a business or working life, Pattaya seems to be a serious alternative to Bangkok , more and more a great spot offering many opportunities.

Reminds me of a remark an old friend ( Thai lady running a small bar in Pattaya) made a while ago about the behavior of groups of Indian tourists; them going to 7-Eleven to buy one bottle of beer and sharing it among four or five people (instead of going to a bar and ordering individual beers that is). She despised them wholeheartedly. I’ve been to Pattaya numerous times over the past (nearly) 30 years. I’ve always thought Pattaya changes quickly, adapting to waves of tourists from different countries. A money making machine dancing to the song of whoever brings the money at the moment. When I first visited, both tourists and Expats were mostly middle-Europeans and Americans. Used to love the place. Over the years, there have been waves of Chinese, Russians, Arabs, Koreans etc., and lately, Indians. Each wave brings new changes, and many bars and restaurants change ownership to cater to the new dominant group. I’m not a big fan of the current Indian wave, nor the proliferation of kebab stalls or the declining quality of local street food and food courts at Pattaya shopping malls, now mostly run by migrants instead of Thais. The question is: Which wave comes next? Can it get any worse?

Wow ... Guess I'm a cheap charlie then 😛

Interesting Question! No idea but there is Google AI... "In Thailand, prepaid cards like the Caltex Prepaid Card and Planet SCB Card can be used as a convenient and secure alternative to cash. These cards can be loaded with funds and used for various transactions, including paying for goods and services, withdrawing cash, and managing finances Caltex Prepaid Card: This card, offered by Bangkok Bank, is specifically designed for use at Caltex petrol stations. It can also be used for other purchases where a prepaid card is accepted. Planet SCB Card: Siam Commercial Bank (SCB) offers the Planet SCB card, which is a prepaid card that allows for spending in multiple currencies. It can be used for cash withdrawals and payments in Thai Baht and 13 other currencies. "The Bangkok Bank's Caltex Prepaid Card has an ATM withdrawal fee of 20 baht per transaction when using it at Bangkok Bank ATMs, according to the provided news release. The maximum withdrawal amount is 5,000 baht per transaction, with a daily limit of 20,000 baht per user account. The card also has a monthly maintenance fee of 50 baht (VAT inclusive)." If this information is true maybe there is a solution for cash withdrawal. I have no personal experience with these mentioned cards. Would be interesting if anyone here is using this and if it is possible for a tourist to get one at all.

For the last few years I only managed to visit Thailand once a year and updated the BKK bank book also just once a year. Never had any issues.

Hi! You referred to my post. I use Wise a lot while traveling around SEA. The good thing: it’s transparent about fees. You pay the fees when you exchange money within your Wise account into a THB, SGD, MYR, etc., balance. Including the fees, the exchange rate is usually better than any money changer. Later, when you use the card for purchases, only the exact amount of the bill is charged in the respective currency. I can’t recall ever having to pay extra in a shop for using the card or Apple Pay. As I mentioned before, ATMs are different. There’s an extra fee when you withdraw cash. I do have a Bangkok Bank account but rarely use it for small daily transactions. I’ve used QR codes a couple of times, mainly to test if they work. The Wise card (directly or via Apple Pay) and cash work best for me. countryside cash is king!

Things have changed a lot over the last few years, I think. We—customers, travelers, expats, tourists now have more options. Not long ago, it was absolutely necessary to have a "real" local bank account if you stayed long-term, and it surely was very useful for tourists visiting regularly. But now, I would say 90% of the usual transactions an expat needs can be managed with Wise (or a similar provider), covering basically everything related to payments—and paying is what we do most of the time anyway. 😛 A Wise card connected to Apple Pay, Grab, etc., goes a long way. (Getting cash at an ATM, however, is another story; there will be fees.) Only if you earn money in Thailand and receive THB would you really need a local bank account, I guess. (Sadly, Wise does not provide a local bank account number to receive Thai Baht.) For genuine tourists, apps like Wise combined with a card should be absolutely sufficient. Just wondering: Are there other countries in the region where it was/is possible to open a bank account as a tourist? I always thought this possibility was quite amazing.

It’s been very interesting to read about these experiences with Wise here. Thanks for the extra info! I primarily use Wise during trips, and the Wise card has worked like a charm so far – I linked it to Apple Pay and apps like Grab or booking platforms. Super useful! When I occasionally transfer money from the Wise balance to my Bangkok Bank account, it’s over 50k thb, and the transfer has always taken one to two days. Good to know that sending less than 50k and avoiding the “for long-term stay” option might be faster. I’ll give it a try. By the way, it seems impossible to send more than 50k from Wise to a Thai account other than my own.

Well, that's probably not correct. As far as the media in Germany has reported (following the leaked call between some high ranking military officers), the operation of (at least) the Taurus missiles is not possible without the direct involvement of the Germans. So, if the Bundeswehr is involved on the ground, there's a good chance that Russia will define Germany as a party to the war. This was probably also the reason why the former chancellor blocked the delivery of Taurus.

Hello! Hopefully this is the right place to post this. I have a question for people who have experience with renting out student rooms in Thailand (dormitories), specifically regarding taxes on income generated from such rentals or general fees for running a dormitory. Situation: My mother-in-law runs a small dormitory. The maximum possible income — based on the number of rooms and the rent per room — is slightly less than 150,000 THB per year. She has no other income. We built the house several years ago; the family lives downstairs, while students stay upstairs (separate entrance). I never really cared much about this (everything worked like a charm and this setup was sufficient to support the family) But now I'm wondering because my mother-in-law says she has to pay some kind of tax every year — it's around 10,000 THB — and it seems to be negotiated depending on how many rooms are rented out. I'm not sure which authority is responsible for collecting it. My question: Is there some kind of special general fee or tax per room when renting out student rooms? As far as I understand Thai income tax regulations, if you earn less than 150,000 THB per year, there should be no income tax at all. Am I missing something?

father in law owns this stretch - it is also the access to his farm land. Probably would be a good idea to purchase it from him before we spend money upgrading the road. The picture shows one of the better spots. Generally its on slightly elevated ground so it is not too muddy. but some parts are just on the edge of the neighboring paddy field and would need to be stabilized.

Hello! My wife recently inherited a few rai farmland and we plan to set up a little second home there. Pretty much off-grid; the property is located about 500m away from the next road and is connected only with a small trail. Allegedly, cars could use this path as well, but I would not dare… especially during raining season... I like to upgrade this to a road (approximately 3m wide), so we have reliable access. Hope to find a reasonably priced solution. Doesn’t have to be a beauty just a bit broader and more solid than now I guess large concrete panels would be the way to go? Any thoughts, experiences or advice? Cheers M