mikalmus

I am looking through the form on the net. I want to get everything right first go and I've got a few questions about the financing of the trip.

If my girlfriend were to come with me to England we would travel together and I wouldn't have a proof of income or much savings to speak of since I will have been in Thailand for 6-8 months. I will get a job once back in the UK, most likely within a month, but I doubt information like that holds much sway. She wont be receiving any income while she is in the UK. At least at the very beginning of her stay she would be staying at my family's house.

Would my parents financial statements which are very healthy be proof of income along with a letter saying they will support her be sufficient?

What value should I place in 6.1 (how much money is available)? If the real case is as much as she needs, should my parents' letter just state a sum of say £5000 and then place that value in the form even if it has little to do with the truth?

Thanks in advance

A friend of mine is a masseuse and earns roughly 10,000 a month plus accomodtaion plus rice. I remember once someone tipped her 700 baht and she refered to him as stupid farang and they all had a good laugh at how stupid he was. She appreciates tips but doesn't expect them and she just puts it down to farangs being stupid when they tip anywhere near the same as the massage cost. She can't understand why they wont go somewhere better or have a longer massage. She doesn't need tips to survive, if she did she wouldn't work there.

MTW, I'm sorry you had to go through all of that but I find it difficult to believe you haven't been burned before in life since you are very naive. Perhaps I'm mistaking trusting with naive but sometimes they can be the same. People who display wealth noticibly above that of those around him is opening themselves up for abuse, combine that with your obviously trusting nature and what you have is your situation. Perhaps you grew up where you never had somebody take advantage of you but this isn't specific to Thailand.

"You know the middle aged losers who pay for pussy, stay clear of them because they are just sad f***s" - a freind of mine who I met on my first trip to Thailand. To the point and as far as I can tell very accurate.

I don't think 2.6% year on year growth is positive news. I imagine the 'supply' (e.g. rooms, travel agenies, tour operators, transport, international restaurants, bars etc) of tourism has increased more than 2.6%. This will appear as a downturn to people with money invested in tourism.

Where's the best place to pick up a second-hand honda dream or something similar on kpg? Or is it worth going over to SuratThani and picking one up there? I can't imagine it would be. Any ideas on what I should be paying because I really don't want to be ripped off. I might send my girlfriend to buy it, possibly get it cheaper.

My girlfriend barely even mentions her parents or family. She just tells stories of how her brother is a bad boy and I know her sister. She has never asked for money and never seems to send any to her parents. She says she sent some money to help her sister through school but I don't know whether that was a bullshit story to stop me from 'borrowing' anymore money off her. She pays the rent for the bungalow, bike and I pay for food and drink. If she wants to buy new clotes then she can buy them out of her own money, just like I do when I buy clothes for me. Thats why she has a job, for financial independence. Why is it that I only read these stories of girls asking for money blah blah blah on TV? Where do you find these girs?

Sorry to hear that is the situation you are in but you need to take a step back. You need to forget the different cultures and see that if you two love each other and want to get married that is a decision between the two of you, nobody else should have an input. Tell your gf that you don't want to pay any money (careful not to make her feel like damaged goods) and that she should tell her parents, if she wants to marry you, she will marry you.

I think I lie somewhere in between the two 'extreme' opinions so far.

Her not tellingher husband about her HIV+ status was wrong. There are no two ways about it. She knowingly exposed him to a harmful infection and didn't warn him. However, his claim that she has given him a 'death sentance' is also extreme and perhaps a little outdated. A lot of views based on HIV and AIDS is based on pre HAART information. Since then things have changed a lot if the patient is lucky enough to live in a country such as Canada and is well disiplined. Although long term effects are obviously hard to come by since the treatment is barely 12 years old, it is believed that HIV+ person following their treatment to the letter and following a healthy lifestyle (high blood pressure has to be under control) can expect to live a long life. Unfortunately, the majority of HIV+ people don't live in a country where this is possible.

Personally, I think this is a very sad case but to accuse her of causing his death is stupid. He has just as much chance of dying from a number of other illnesses and accidents as he does from dying with AIDS.

Thanks for the help. This link from Surat Thani Airport to Donsak then onto Samui, is it easy enough to continue the leg onto Koh Phangan?

Lazeeboy, the first flight leaves at 6am, to me that takes out a lot of the convinience of flying. We would have to wake up at 3am, and I don't think it would be that fun.

I'm heading back to LOS soon and meeting my girlfriend in Bangkok for a few nights before we travel back down to Koh Phangan together. As a bit of a suprise I am planning on flying down since she has never flown before and tends to go on a bit about how she wants to fly. Anyhoo...I know my options are either Samui or Surat Thani. Flying To Surat Thani seems like the much cheaper option in terms of flights (which is important to me) but then what do I do from there? The airasia flight arrives at 10.15am. I saw a link for a service from the airport to Samui, which leaves at 10.30. That is cutting it a little too fine though. Is there a service that can link the airport to the pier to Koh Phangan without too much hassel? I could bite the bullet and fly to Samui but the planes that leave at a reasonable time are far more expensive than to Surat Thani.

Any advice welcome. Its all leaving me with a bit of a headache tbh.

I have looked through sites such as phanganisland.com but the rental property isn't really what I'm after.

I'm looking for a very small property similar to the ones on the left as you're leaving Thong Sala going to Sri Thanu. They are terrace and in two blocks if that helps anybody.

I'm getting back there in August, so I'm in no rush or anything. I was hoping someone could point me in the right direction as to what to do. I'm looking for accomodation between 6 months and a year with low rent but definately not looking for a beach hut etc, that you can rent on a nightly basis as well. The example I gave was just to give you an idea.

Thanks in advance

I don't like lending money to my own family let alone someone elses. It can make things uncomfortable. My girlfriend is helping pay for her young sister to go to school but she hasn't implied I should help.

If you don't work in Thailand the easiest way to stop her asking for any money or gifts etc is just to say that spending more money now means you have to leave Thailand sooner. I said that once and she never asked for anything from me again and started trying to cut down our spending. I think it went a bit far when she only asked for bananas when we went Christmas shopping. One of the best things I ever said tbh.

Book in advance and stay more than one night and you should have no problems anywhere ..... <both names as guest >

have no idea as to the particular hotel .... have you looked in Lonely Planet?

<plus ... KSR? really? why!?>

Are you sure about the book in advance. Everywhere just seemed so anti thai. KSR was her idea but I haven't got a problem with it. Its a good base from which to get to and from places around the city..well kinda...oh shut up.

Before returning to the UK my girlfriend and I spent a night in Bangkok. I remember having a lot of trouble finding accomodation in this area which allowed a Thai national to stay. We gave up on Khao San and walked onto Chakkapong Rd turning right then taking a left presumably on to Rambuttri as I remember the road bending round. After a few failed attempts we found a great little hotel that allowed her to stay. The double room was small but was only 850 baht and very comfortable. When entering the hotel there is a internet room with glass walls to the left and then the small lobby. I don't think there was a lift so we took the stairs instead.

Its a ridiculous question considering the rather generic description but does anyone know the name of this hotel? If not, have you got any recommendations around the area which are within a similar budget and most importantly allow my girlfriend to stay as well.

Thankyou.

I work in a shop in the Uk and there is no minimum to how much you can charge to a card. 5p? Thats up to you. Doesn't bother me. I've had people buy items less thatn 50p on the card, why not 5b in Thailand?

The name I've been given is Mane Kumpong but the chances are that isn't how it would be listed. I also have that it is 'past 32130'. I'm just looking to see if I can see in on any maps, or perhaps have a look at it on google earth.

Can anybody provide any help?

Thanks

The name I've been given is Mane Kumpong but the chances are that isn't how it would be listed. I also have that it is 'past 32130'. I'm just looking to see if I can see in on any maps, or perhaps have a look at it on google earth.

Can anybody provide any help?

Thanks

I think you got yourself into a bad situation when you started giving her a 'salary'. That doesn't seem like a genuine girlfiend you have there.

I'm sure there are many people with Thai girlfriends like myslef that have never given or been asked to give money to their grilfriends so why is this behaviour considered acceptable?

I've only spent 5 months on the island but I am playing with the idea of opening a business on the island. Everything would be under a trusted Thai persons name so there shouldn't be any problems on the legality of it but there are so many more blank spaces to fill, especially the cost side of things and the logistics.

Does anybody have an idea of the starting costs of opening a massage shop? This includes rent, furniture etc. Is it possible to take over an existing shop? I'm finding it really difficult to find any information on the matter so I was hoping you could help me out. There is info on starting a business in Thailand but this is more likely to concern bars or situated in bangkok which is a completely different kettle of fish.

Thanks in advance

Where is the best place to buy a bike such as a Honda Dream 125 in Koh Phangan? I'm tired of renting due to fear of scratching it or whatever and over a long period renting probably doesn't work out much cheaper.

I'm looking to buy a used one. Does anybody have a guide to what new and used bikes cost in Koh Phangan and where best to get them. I thought about asking rental companies about buying an old one off them for cash. Do you think that would work? Would it be cheaper to hop over to Suratthani and buy it there then bring it over on the car ferry?

You do not mention where you intend to get this but believe there are almost as rare as the dodo bird these days. The validity would be six months from day of issue and there is no getting around that.

I was going to try Hull, where i got it last year or Birmingham. Are they very difficult to get? I had no problem last year but I guess things have changed a little since then. What would you suggest as a viable alternative?

I plan to apply for a 4*2 month tourist visa but this will be my sencond time in doing so in a year. Do you think there will be a problem in issuing me a 4*2 month tourist visa?

The last time I received one was in Aug-06 and I entered Thailand for the first time in Sep-06. My plan is to do the same this year possibly a little earlier.

Also, when I was issued the visa last year they told me I had to use it within 6 moths of its issue so I couldn't stay the full 8 months because they issue it before I arrive in Thailand. Is this enforced?

Thanks for the help

I would like to return to Koh Phangan pretty soon but money to cover living expenses there would be on the very low side. I've already been there 5 months so know my way around a bit. Is it easy enough for a farang to get a bar job with accomodation? Has anybody done it before? Where would you recommend looking?

Thanks