snoophound

I jumped on here for a bit of an update on costs as well and found this thread.

We have for years between gf and her sister sent around 25k per mth to girlfirends parents.

My girl and her sis bought the parents a house out by the airport a few years back so its not rent thats the issue,

our problem is we know a lot of the money goes to the loser brothers and sisters but how can we stop it....discovered they all moved into the house!!!

Mums old and dad is bedridden and mum doesnt like to say no.

They are telling us hospital costs are very high and he has to wear nappies now as well?

any feedback here ?

Serious post,I am no neophyte when it comes to thailand and have been with the same girl for 8 years.

Problem is we cant afford to go back as we send a lot of our free money back (holiday money).

Anyone will tell you the number one tension in thai falang relationships is the grasping families demands of the girls when they move to the good life in aus uk or wherever,i can tell you i have seen several aus/thai relationships end becuase of this here in Sydney(or they are working on the game on the quiet)

i note here avg wages for unskilled in BKK are very low still and it amazes me how some families live.

The cleaning and support staff at my business made about 5000-6000 per month.

This is about average.

I worked with a high salary of 240000 per month. This is ~mid class in Thailand.

Thais usually need a university degree for this level of salary

Avg Costs room: 3000-5000 per month (usually shared)

electric per month 2000+ (usually shared)

food + drink = 40-60 per meal for Thai

Bangkok numbers might be higher but not necessarily.

If the girl is pulling 20000 without lifting a finger and her boyfriend lives outside the country then the Buddha has smiled upon her.

240,000 isn't mid class it is the top end salary for Thai people.

yes I think he means 24,000. which would not be a high salary but correct for a middle class family income.

yep

girly!

But seriously convertibles in Thailand

Too bloody hot dont you think?

You could ofcourse be too sexy for a Miata... .

...

Family first

Eom

I just walked away from issan,after 5 yrs i dont like what i see up there now,its gone mad falang are turning up building houses getting trucks,as soon they are gone back to there country all the familys are moving in and riding around in the trucks,its become a joke,im glad im away from it all,my advice dont go to issan theres nothing there anyway only sugar n rice and whole load of people waiting to empty your account,my girl once told me it was a game but farang dont understand how to play it,i know what she meant now...

Not exactly a beautifl idyllic beach is it?

Whats the mayor on??

Ecotourism are you kidding,even Phi Phi which they want to promote as pristine ,beyond the beach theres more plastic bags than your local safeway.

It should be obvious to anyone who ever leaves a beer bar long enough to observe the rest of Pattaya, that there are a large number of couples and families who come to this area as "normal" tourists; looking for an inexpensive way to access and experience a tropical resort environment. It should be equally obvious that it really would be possible to transition a large number of the sex venues to more typical "family attractions" for tourists.

I have observed that most of these couples and families are Russians who stay in cheap accomodation and spend very little money. This is because Pattaya is being marketed as a cheap package holiday destination in Russia. There's no way these Cheapie Vitalys could match the spending of the Brit, Yank and German guys who spend more in one night than a Russian family spends in a week. Also as soon as the Russians have discovered the nicer beach resorts like Koh Chang and Koh Samui they'll stop coming to Pattaya.

Tragic I know and good the guy was caught

Tourists do need to be made aware its dangerous late at night.

You tend to assume tooo much as a first timer in samui or bali for that matter.

They wouldnt do it at home

Same anywhere.

Thai Tourist police. What a joke.

How many of you people in your home country have a tourist police?

I believe they are supposed to speak english..

Few times I have talked with them, (same lady I suppose) she was very fluent. I still believe she's the only one at the desk though.

Cant see what all the fuss is about.

Its all fairly accurate,has been for more than 20 years,its just getting more exposure now.

Lonely 45 up males emotionaly exhausted and morally bankrupt taking a holiday and getting laid.

If you can afford it ,its fun,as long as you cant forget it until the next time you go back.

Why hide behind it?

Admit why you went originaly,admit why you live in Pattaya ...oh sure thats right its the climate and the golf right.

Regarding the comments about the looks of the protagonists in the Channel 4 docu. I thought they both were kind of cute, certainly not ugly by any means. And the fact they weren't classic beauties somehow made their stories more poignant. Certainly the men shown in the film were also not matinee idols either.

And dont underestimate what a classy thai "bird" costs in terms of gilded cage,expensive seed ,wing clipping,and claw trimming.

Don't listen to the doom-merchants; I know where you're coming from.

However, I'm afraid one will need to first 'get connected' to achieve one's aim, but at the very least speak fluent Thai, be extremely polite and have spotless attire; particularly your shoes. Forget the hi, hi-end 'birds' and spend some time in the banks and non-generic supermarkets. Failing that, try a hi-end Bangkok escort agency

A late night burger oint in so4 would fly i reckon.

As would a kebab kiosk i reckon.

Dont need the full on sit down shop ,but a burger joint would work.

Only problem with overseas franchises is the thai staff seem to do something to ruin it...take subway for example the fillings like beef,cheese,etc are inedible.

Has anyone ever been to this burger bar? It’s mainly in the States and the Middle East.

http://www.johnnyrockets.com/themenu/menu1.pdf

I rate the burgers, I like the happy days décor and find it a pretty chilled place to eat, read the paper and enjoy a proper burger, fries etc.

McDonalds, Burger King etc are vile, add to the fact that since watching fast food nation the thought that there’s ‘too much shit in the meat’ has put me well off this type of fast food. Thing is, would people pay twice the price in Thailand for a far superior product?

Anyways, do you think a place like this would work in BKK? Perhaps a franchise, perhaps copied?

Cheers Gents

Looking to get my Gfs daugther into some training.

Can anyone recommend a good Beauty Salon,Hair salon training school in Changmai??

Seems to be the main thing holding back Huahin ,the lack of decent hotels.

Most are below three star and very overpriced.

Hope Joe leaves his fans in Pattaya.

Well they did not look after him by putting him in the Evason , i stayed there last year i thought it was a DUMP , have stayed at the Hilton Hua Hin and did not like that also . Marriot Hua Hin is good if they give you one of the better rooms even in this resort hotel some of the rooms are crap and thats being polite

JB

As long as Thailand has the most beautiful women in Asia people will fight for an expat role here.

Cashed up boomers looking for love and life will also keep coming in droves.

Now if the women were really ugly...then thailands in trouble.

As for the whingeing....well just read the letters to ed in Pattaya mail every week.

Its just bored old codgers with nothing better to do.

Have you seen the beaches in Europe.

Yes.

10 minutes away from me. Of course I never sit on Beaches, that's just for Tourists!

"Jersey - Not in Milton Keynes".

Got to laugh because

---------------------------

Hi Ben,

Haven't posted in some time now. Just couldn't resist when I saw your photo looked so much like La Jolla Shores about ten minutes from my house here in San Diego.

Although the beaches do get pretty crowded during the summer season now. During the winter, when you can still get 72 degree days pretty much beautiful year round, the beaches are surprisingly empty.

God Health,

Pepe

a) I'm from Milton Keynes.

b)Jersey's not exactly a 20 minute drive for people is it? besides that beach still looks way too crowded for me, and the phot is probably taken on the least crowded day ever. Like Christmas Day or something.

c) Its probably 10 degrees celcius.

Good Luck Maria

You gets what you pay for.

Theirs nannying and theirs nannying.

Great references ,good english instead of tinglish etc all count.

hi yes you can have a thai nanny for around 5000.00 baht month.I was hired by a german man who have a 7 years old thai daugther and a very big house he first hired a thai nanny for teaching her english,doing housework,and cooking after 2 weeks he got rid of her because she was doing nothing at all could not teach not take care of his daugther and for the cleaning i will pass.I have been working for him for over one year he was more than satisfied but his contract here was finish and he ad to go back to germany so i think what you have is what you pay for i do my job very good and i am not shy to ask a decent salary for the job i do

it is up to you to know what kind of nanny you whant

take care Maria

TV does fulfill a great social need for the expat to know whats going on.

Of course all bbs s have their Knowalls who you would consider sad.

And of course the abilty in Thailand to be someone you not is part of the fantasyland attraction.

I wonder about the ones who have time and inclination to post 2-3k posts in a year then accuse people of being trolls.

for many, i would say, it is sad. nobody would admit it, but i just imagine a dingy studio and a couple hundred baht "budget" for a week of food... and of course bitching on tv.... but then again, maybe i'm acting and actually describing myself. No, that would be all of the high-rollers here on TV, claiming to be johnny bigballs toughguy ex-military type, or broke-ass-sod-pretending to be rich guy... god i'd love to see some of the digs these clows actually live in... and their 'beautiful' wives? when they piss on thai celebs that make their brown little wives look like maids, actually many of them would be maids if you hadn't saved them.... i'm ranting again.

Its very sad,but there,s a lot of truth in that statement

could become ?

It has been for years

Just some who live their cant admit it.

Perhaps we shouldn't advertise the good points of Pattaya too strongly, or it could become a Mecca for dysfunctional and lonely men from around the world. Geez! I've said it. I've just revealed my own prejudices.

As a potential retiree to Thailand, I'm very undecided as to location. Perhaps all the liberal, naughty, enterprising, desperate but attractive young ladies, gravitate towards Pattaya, Phuket, Koh Samui, Nana Plaza, Soi Cowboy, Patpong and other locations that I've missed.

I don't really want to end up in a backwater where traditional Thai morality prevails and nothing exciting ever happens; where life centers around the buffalo and the rice paddy.

I'm searching for a place where there are not too many farangs, not too many bar girls (but some), where prices are traditional but morals are not.

Maybe I'll just have to travel the length and breadth of Thailand and find this place for myself, and then keep it a secret.

Doesnt Thailand need a points system??

People that apply with skills Thailand needs should rate highly,such as Good teachers,Nurses,Doctors etc.

Retirees should be income tested annualy with a minimum income of 60-100k per mth.

Anyone coming to invest in those cancerous blots of English,Irish pubs,Restaurants and Beer bars should be deemed not needed as their are way too many.

Serious investors should be awarded status and must invest in projects that benefit Thailand and its people and be given the relevant support and tax breaks.

Blues, I think you and Bendix should get a room together and bask in each other's glory over other people's visa hardships. You guys have your visa situations sorted (for now) and you both have zero compassion for anyone elses situation. My situation is sorted but I choose to listen to people and find out what their problems are and help with suggestions if I can. Why dont you guys try and do this? What's going to happen if the US embassy discontinues rubber stamping your income statement Mr Blues? Will you be looking for alternative solutions to sorting your visa situation at that time? Will you be happy when posters tell u I told ya so? Lighten up you 2. The way I see it, you just love smearing salt in peoples wounds. Not a nice way to go thru life. I always felt that this forum was here to try and help people find solutions to their visa problems; I'm having difficulty figuring out where you guys fit into that.

This past Friday the Embassy did rubber-stamp my income statement Good for me.

To answer your question. If the US Embassy starts making me "prove" my income (like the UK does) I will do the work necessary to get the documentation they require for proof of income. Simple isn't it? Or.......I could bitch about how the rules were changed and it is all so unfair.....

So lets get some context around this.

Thai soap operas ..most have story lines around mistresses and mia nois.

My girl often chides me as to whether i want a mia noi.

So its a phenomenon that exists in Thai Culture.

So does anyone have a sensible post on this practice rather than the usual trite commentary?

I am not going to bring it up because its her 19th birthday and we just celebrated by 59th birthday and its been really good moods lately and we are soul mates. i will try to wait and see if i can due with out the mia nois, but since its thai culture, i dont see what the big deal is... why should only the thai males be allowed them? this is my first marriage and soul mate so maybe i am a fish out of water.

CHOKE-DEE-THAI-VISA-KRAP

Guess its the definition of an awful lot General.

I think euro and uk expats far outweigh US expats/Tourists.

Do we like Mexican....not really.

I only say that because you dont see many mexican restaraunts surviving anywhere outside of the US.

I doubt even Trumps best Apprentices couldnt make a mexican food business sustainable in Bangkok.

Why?

An awful lot of us miss Mexican food desperately and Mike in Chiang Mai can make the real thing and he can't be the only one.

Yes Katoey should be a gender choice on here..

One of the most prolific posters on here was one and it appeared he/she had lots of PMS from desparate TV ers looking to hook up.

He thinks the sunshines out his arse.

Gender is not set, could be he, she or it

NOTE TO ADMIN - as this is a Thailand oriented board, shouldn't, 'katoey' be available as a gender??

I doubt even Trumps best Apprentices couldnt make a mexican food business sustainable in Bangkok.

Congratulations! You just became the manager of a Bangkok Mexican fast food 50 sq.m. restaurant grill which will be opening soon directly on Sukhumvit Road between Soi 12 and Soi 14! The good news is 10% of the net profits of this restaurant will go to a Thai visa party. This way all Thai visa members will be a phantom equity partner.

This stand will be looking to be one of the first fresh Mexican Taco grills in the city, it will be well respected for the finest, freshest ingredients and the skill of the staff will appear they are the owner. BUT - it’s not an upscale version of a Taco Bell or Del Taco or Baja Fresh which is not looking to expand to Bangkok at this time - and that’s where you need to put on your management hat.

The Goal: Establish a daily volume of serving 300 people tacos or burritos that runs nearly around the clock within a 2 month period.

The Variance: At the same time as the 300 goal of customers having tacos or burritos is trying to get established, a group of Thai visa members will congregate to chit chat and partake downing a monster glass of margarita( or several) every evening. This same group of customers would eat tacos or burritos because they all will have the munchies.

The Headache: Both locals and tourists have likes and dislikes how they like tacos and burritos... Thais need to be introduced to not be fearful of them, or provide other incentives for them to try. Part of the marketing goal must be to encourage people to try your tacos and see the difference.

What would you do to establish this restaurant, attracting both locals and tourists to your Taco stand? This is a real world scenario; you don't have a blank check so please provide real world answers that work in the long run, not just for the short term. When providing your answers also discuss the ramifications of your marketing strategy both on the Thai and Foreign market. Some options might include theme nights, specials on Wednesdays, a happy hour period, or other incentives. Also think out of the box; recommend new ideas that haven't been discussed before - even if it’s a bit out there because this is a brainstorming experiment. The real world management of a restaurant team is watching this thread; it should prove to be a very enlightening Thaivisa.com topic! Thank you.

www.sunbeltasiagroup.com

Definitely a thread on good restaurants in samui would have less wasted space.

Then we need a definition of what good is.

Good Thai food?

Good English food ,if thats not oxymoron.

These kinds of threads always bother me. Its all so subjective, isn't it?

For all we know, the OP has a grudge against the chef. Just to add, we did have a poster posting very negative reviews of a Samui resort only for it it turn out it was a disgruntled ex employee.

For all we know the owner's mother could have just died and that might explain the poor service and inattentive staff.

Also, how many times have you gone into a restaurant and seen a demanding complaining customer who expects too much? There are people who insist on ordering things not on the menu and then complain when not given what they want (not saying this applies to the OP, just trying to make a point here).

I've gone to a restaurant in Thong Sala and had a terrific meal, two days later and it wasn't so great or they didn't have the ingredients.

Would I then tell people, "don't bother with this restaurant because they didn't have what I ordered" ? No, in fact, usually I will say something along the lines of "this has been my experience but its not always this way, best to try it for yourself & see if you like it"

Instead of posting in the title , "bad restaurants in Samui" , why not post a review instead? "I had a bad experience at Olivio, anyone else have a similar meal"

My two cents worth, but after dealing with the previous experience of a disgruntled ex employee posting (and no, not my place, it was some place on Samui) I am very wary of people starting such threads.

Fair enough point Mrs super duper moderator, but I am not saying dont go and avoid this place at all costs, each to their own, and I am sure that this restaurant will continue to be busy and win awards but as I had said before, I just wanted to express MY opinion and experience at a top Samui restaurant with all who choose to read it. For sure one bad experience doesnt make it a bad restaurant

And please dont be wary I just want to tell it how it was..!!

Actually, it was the title of your thread that I had a problem with. Why not just say "i had a bad experience at Olivios"??? Why say "Bad restaurants in Samui"?

And just to let you know, it pays to be polite. Even to super duper moderators

The reason behind the title is that I am interested in peoples experiences of bad Samui restaurants as a thread before had said about favorite ones, so why not a not so favourite thread? starting with my bad experience. Polite as always....

Reality is the Fraser government made some big mistakes allowing thousands of unskilled immigrants from the Middle east.

Their kids failed thru the broken aust education system and due to the fact that sons can do now wrong in parents eyes.

These people are causing the bulk of thefts,assualts,drug dealing crime in NSW for sure .

Unskilled labour has no future in AUS or NZ due to imports from China etc.

The govt has to work out how to meaningfuly engage this generation before they destroy everything their parents worked so hard to build.

You start with this comment.

Thats because all the good English teachers in Oz leave and come to Thailand to teach

And then you follow up with this classic piece of bad writing…..

It feels good being an Aussie and comming from the BEST country in the world!

So many people want to migrate to Australia and now its even harder, good!

I am not a racist (I married an Asian and I have other relatives from different backgrounds) but as for a mutli-cultural Australia, I think there is too much diversity in Australia as it is. Too much scum has migrated to Australia in the past and un-fortunantly is stuck there. Statistically, its mostly the migrants, especially those from middle eastern origins who have turned Australia into the racist country it has become. There should be cultural diversity to some extent, but at the rate it is going, there will soon be more people from other cultures in Australia than original Australians (if that has already not happend)

How would Thailand act if such a thing happened? Hahaha! Answer that question you hipocrits!

So I see it far better to control the migration process a little better, rather than bringing in quantity of uselessness, lets start bringing in Qaulity. So it may now even be harder to migrate to the land down under, but remember our population is only about 21 million, so of course not everyone is going to be able to come to Australia, if we let thousands upon thousands of migrants come in, we will soone loose our identity of "Australia". Immigration must be controled so Australia doesn't loose its identity and proud "convict" culture.

I sincerely hope you are taking the piss here aussiestyle, otherwise if you meant it to be factual, then what you have written above is a load of stinking cow dung.

A friend of the missus wants to bring her 10 year old son to Aus.

I am telling her to get him some english lessons first.

Any recommendations and prices for english lessons in UDON??

Better to pay Taxi

The amount of women sporting unsightly scars or worse is terrifying.

Sorry, I don't remember if your location is stated. There is a Honda school of bike riding in Samut Prakan if that is close to you. I am astonished that she can't already ride one, I rather thought that all Thai people could ride from age 7 ish. I am judging by the age of the kids on our Soi though

The People at Fox will be loving this.

Murdoch was so smart serving up all the old quality on cable/satelitte and charging for it!

No one mentioned Maverick and Tenderfoot? My favourite and one which confirmed my suspicions that smoking was really ' cool ', Man in a Suitcase.

Well the resort towns would be a lot nicer without the plethora of English and Irish Pubs..

i have to remind all of u that electricity, telephone, air-conditioners, washing machines, cars, airplanes, mobile phones, computers, and of course the internet were invented by thais.

we only managed to install some go-go bars here.

so respekkt to all of them thai inventors. what would we do without them in the west?

imagine poor bill gates, he wouldnt have been able to ship vista if it wasnt for the thais inventing the computer.

my my

We, Thais, obviously didn't invent any of those things you said. It's true that we might not have contributed anything significant to this world, but at least we didn't achieve in killing millions of innocent lives in both World Wars, an almost complete ethnic cleansing of indigenous people like native Americans, and enslaving of another human race (because the color of their skin was darker.) We also didn't invent nuclear, chemical and biological weapons. We also didn't manage to be the main culprits in causing global warming, the next major global disaster. I guess we Thais must give kudos to the West for all these amazing things.

Bravo Really Bravo...well put, man makes the inventions inventions don't make the man. Don't waste your time that bigot with nothing else better to do than to posture upon the next man's innovation.