Daewoo

Thailand has a very strong riders culture amongst the expat community, especially up North out of Chiang Mai...

Depends on what you want to see and do, but I would recommend flying to Chiang Mai and hiring a bike from there, where there is a better range, and better riding roads...

A newish 650 Versys is about 1800/day... Older 'big bikes' are under 1000/day... IMHO it would need to be a long trip to overcome the hassle and probable cost of buying and selling and registering...

The best place to start your research is www.gt-rider.com

Cheers,

Daewoo

I know lots of girls who won't go to KS Road or Silom for Songkran anymore because of the groping... Mostly Thai guys, but the girls said about KS Road that maybe because it is Backpacker area, that maybe the guys assume the girls are there for young white guys, and therefore the Thai guys consider then slutty and fair game... Silom is all Thai, and they said not as bad...

I don't go to KSR because I assumed it was all hippy backpackers with dreadlocks and Thai working girls.

Why should any Thai girls or guys think different to me?

Well, you are wromg KS Rd isn't Patpong... lots of bars, resaurants selling food, some girls freelancing for sure, but also lots of Thai girls, not on the game, looking to meet young Western guys, not old Western guys...

The girls I know go there occasionally for that reason, and liked to play Songkran there, because of te young Western crowd, as opposed to Soi Cowboy which they would never go to...

You start adding Khun to other farangs names.

I always do this to my mate Jim, "Khun Chim, Khun Chim"... he doesn't like it, but the girls think it is funny...

When you start to think you think too much.

This one made me laugh...

I know lots of girls who won't go to KS Road or Silom for Songkran anymore because of the groping... Mostly Thai guys, but the girls said about KS Road that maybe because it is Backpacker area, that maybe the guys assume the girls are there for young white guys, and therefore the Thai guys consider then slutty and fair game... Silom is all Thai, and they said not as bad...

For all the fools on here who can't tell the difference, if a girl is on the P4P game, is in the place where they work, and on the clock, they are working... If any of those don't apply, don't treat them like they are...

As for the posts about Songkran always being no rules, it is wrong. Songkran was about being more relaxed, fun, and flirty, but that extended only to being allowed to put powder on the others face and arms without being a social outcast, not grabbing, groping, topless dancing...

I'm a bit confused...

Were you trying to take some video of a typical Thai street scene, and the worlds biggest waterfight broke out??? Or were you trying to take video of the worlds biggest waterfight, and were suprised that there was water involved???

Title should have been:

"I didn't think through the idea of taking my video camera to film the songkran festivities, I've learnt my lesson now."

I've one mate who has owned and run a few bars in a few places successfully, and not successfully...

He 'bought' a bar in Cowboy - 'bought' fitout and goodwill and paid rent... paid for itself and then generated income... he paid a Thai to run it and manage the BiB... closed the doors over a dispute with landlord (didn't get to 'sell' the bar, but did generate a profit while he ran it, after paying for the purchase)...

Started another bar with a Thai partner elsewhere in BKK... closed after a short time, I don't know why, don't know if it made money...

Bought a bar in Pattaya, ran it for a while, sold it and went back to BKK, don't think he was making money...

Has recently opened a very big bar in BKK... he isn't a dummy, so he wouldn't be doing it if he couldn't make it pay for itself plus make some money for the hassle... for most of the time he has also been working elsewhere earning good money...

My understanding is that few bars make money or even pay for themself... for the most part it is cheaper to buy drinks in someone else's bar...

I don't think it is entirely accurate that we aren't attractive to Thai girls, or that they ALL only see us as a walking wallet... they are also attracted to being treated well, looked after, cared for, and treated with love... physical attraction might not be at the top of the list...

WRT the OP... <deleted> you can't tell me that if your Canadian Wife was taking thousands of dollars out of your account, you would take her to task on it... you know what the household budget is, even if you don't tell your wife it is her budget... If more than that is being spent, you take her to task and make sure she doesn't repeat it...

Giving her a fixed budget is just giving her an excuse to scrimp in places to give her more money to send home or keep for herself...

Her knowing that you watch the money should be enough to stop her really taking the piss... her knowing that you are OK with helping her parents, as long as you know and that there are limits is reasonable...

Her acceptance of the polygraph idea is typical Thai 5 second forward planning... say she wants to do it now, discussion stops till at least you all get to Canada... then the polygraph might not happen... then the result might be inconclusive... then the outcome of you putting her on the plane might not happen, she might be able to lie/talk her way out of it... congratulations, yours actually is pretty good at forward planning...

Stop bullshitting to her and yourself... tell her that despite her denials, you know she has taking your joint money as her own... it isn't acceptable... ask to see her bankbook and ask her to transfer the money back to your joint account...

If you choose to continue with her after that, tell her what is acceptable use of joint money without discussion... and what she has to talk to you about first... anything to run the house acceptable... some small items for herself, acceptable... money to family, needs discussion... large purchases, needs discussion... no different to a normal Thai or Western wife...

Mate, if she is sitting in BKK or at home, for a month at a time without anything to occupy herself, she has a whole heap of things to spend money doing that you don't want...

Daewoo

Fly to Malaysia, re-enter on a 30 day stamp or tourist visa, claim refund, fly out, re-enter on retirement visa???

If you are arriving on a Visa Exempt status (without a visa), print out the e-ticket in case you get asked at Thai immigration - immigration don't have access to airline booking systems and could refuse you entry (unlikely, but easy to guard against by printing the ticket...)

The VAT refund desk at the airport most definitely check your passport before issuing your refund slip which you swap for the actual refund air side.

Before you check in you need to go to the VAT Refund Desk in the check-in hall... they will check your passport and what visa (or visa exempt stamp) you entered on... and can ask you to show them the item you are taking out of the country...

After Immigration you go to the other VAT Refund desk, and they give you the cash...

Think the OP will miss out this time...

Daewoo

I think the OP wanted advice on how to keep his phone and passport dry, not a lecture on a relationship with a Thai lady.

I keep my phone in two snaplock bags, seperate to my money which is in another two snaplock bags... because the money is in and out of your pocket all day, buying drinks, and you don't want to be opening and closing the bag with your phone all day...

You can also buy alegedly waterproof bag things that tie around your neck from vendors on the street (and maybe supermarkets)... but I would still keep the phone inside a baggy inside one of them to be sure...

Best protection is to get the cheapest phone you can and carry that... I have killed an old Nokia every Songkran, wouldn't risk a real phone...

Holding the phone out is definately going to make you a target... I especially like blasting cigarettes from smokers mouths (although that is frought with danger, cigarettes being only slight less treasured than phones)...

I probably wouldn't take a good girl to Bangla unless she suggested it... up to you tho...

Hope it helps,

Cheers,

Daewoo

Exorcist

กลัวผี

<snip>

The best time for a child to learn a language is before the age of six and a child between 2 and 5 can easily learn three languages simultaneously. Without being put in a classroom at that age.

Actually, studies have shown that children who are taught to be bi-lingual (not just studying a little of one language) at a young age, become less skilled in either language than those taught only one... but since learning only Thai leaves them at such a huge disdvantage, I would still advocate truly bi-lingual education, or better still, English education with a side focus on Thai...

Cheers,

Daewoo

Cannot find a decent swimsuit of her anywhere on the internet.

I am sure she is in here somewhere, but it may take a while to find here (because you have to look at FACES to do that)...

Daewoo

Never mind "new challenges", I really don't think they can even cope with current and existing challenges.

While a little tongue in cheek, that pretty much hits the nail on the head...

I think we will find Malaysia will be the powerhouse in the AEC...

Singapore is not the shining example that the article holds it out to be... typically Chinese parents attitude to study to pass exams only, lots of pressure for academic achievement, constant exams and published results, which in the end breeds narrow minded, conformist, worker bees drones, not open minded, entrepreneurial thinkers required for management... when management can be done by numbers it will be done by computers even more cheaply...

Thailand will struggle whilst-ever they stick to Thai as their only real language... luckily they have a large enough domestic economy to support most of their needs, at least in the short term...

Cheers,

Daewoo

Hi Tony

I filter whenever I can, and split if I think it is safe... both are not legal in Australia, and I understand not legal in the US, even in California, but is tollerated in CA where the traffic is moving at speeds under 25mph...

Unlike what Tony said, here in Aus, you are not taught to stop between two lanes, but always in the middle of the lane, in gear, watching your mirror, ready to make a fast exit if the car approaching isn't looking like stopping...

Good practice, and what I always do, is filter the the front, and then move into one lane or the other... otherwise you can be stuck between moving cars if you stall, or think you are in 1st but in neutral , or one car or the other decides to take you on in the traffic light grand prix...

As for the road rage in the OP... the guy was probably out of line to kick the car, but I doubt he would have done any damage to her car... I can't say that I have never done the mirrors of a car that has intentionally closed the gap to prevent me filtering, or my favourite, open the back door so the drvier has to get out and close it... I wouldn't do it if they just f^cked up... only if they have intentionally put me in harms way...

That said, I can easily imagine if I was in the drivers (not riders) seat... a woman alone, with some angry rider running at my car with menace, looking to do me harm, that I would put my foot down and try and take off... as stupid as it was...

Daewoo

haasip haasip on this one...

I'm 38 with 3 boys 7,5,3...

When I was 25 there is no way I was stable enough personally for kids... too much to do with my life, and never enough time... no way I was up for being at home most nights, responsibility, and the workload that kids bring... but I had lots of energy, never needing to sleep more than a few hours a night before backing up and doing all the crazy things again...

At 38 I am more balanced, but still have a pretty active life outside the family... but kinda feel like I live on Caffeine

at 50, I can't imagine that I will still be out drinking and chasing a good time the way I am now, and will have even more 'free time' for family pursuits...

The flipside is that I am becoming a grumpy old man... much less tolerant of bad behaviour... much higher expectations of my wife than 10 years ago...

haasip/haasip on whether there is a right age...

Yes, the check in agent looks at the computer, and checks if you have a return ticket with them, if not, they may ask you (depending if they are diligent at their job, or their airline is diligent in complying with the requirement).

In fact, one flight, not to Thailand, I was made to go to the Internet Kiosk and print the return ticket, because Immigration in the destination country don't have access to the airline booking sysytem and require PROOF of a return ticket (not just that you have one). I wonder if that will become the norm...

If asked (which is seldom), I tell them that I'm going by bus to Laos. Which I usually am...

So no, the return ticket is not necessary IMHO.

I tried this one, I was actually planning to go to Laos, I was eligible for 3 months visa exempt on arrival, I was able to buy a return ticket for the same price a day or 3 months in advance... The response from the check in girl was that, unless you are a good swimmer, eventually you need a flight back to Australia, and Thai immigration may refuse entry if you don't have that... that was their position, and was not negotiable... I had to go and buy a return ticket before they would give me a boarding pass... If you are going to try a one way ticket from Australia (with Jetstar, BA, or Qantas), I suggest you have the cash and the time to buy the return leg if you want to board...

the demolition of 14,000 phone booths

oh great.... just what is Superman supposed to do now?

.

Seems like in this case, the girl was a runaway, who intentionally and illegally crossed into Thailand with 5 friends... The Man whose Van she and her friends crossed in might have drugged them with nefarious intent, then thought better of it and dropped them at a Mosque in BKK, or maybe that was where they asked to be dropped...

The police had little part in 'rescuing' the girl and her friends in any of the scenarios, they walked to the train station and either went to the police, or were identified by the police as travelling without documents...

There is a lot of trafficing, either by choice of the girl, by choice of her family, or by misleading the girl of what the job will be, from neighbouring countries into Thailand for sex work... The majority of the clientel who use their services are Thai, plus lots of other Asians (Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese, Malay, Singaporean) who do not have the same cultural taboo around using sex workers that western cultures generally have, and do not have the same attitude to age of consent that westerners generally have...

I don't understand why the girl and her friends would take the great risk of entering Thailand without documents, rather than heading to KL for bright lights big city...

Some areas in Malaysia are both fundamentally Muslim, and backward in development, and often put forward views that we find disgraceful (such as blaming the rape victim)... it is easy to link the statement and the religion, however the same views are often put forward by people from other less developed regions, with a different religion, and the blame placed upon their education...

Vasu Money Exchange, think it is the corner of Sukhumvit and Soi 7-2.

I am sure they will offer a better rate for greater than $US10k. But better than the banks for smaller amounts always, and easy to find.

I did pretty much the same thing... ridden auto scooters, but never a bike with gears until I stalled it 5 times getting it out of Mr Mechanic's store... Had a great few days riding out of Chiang Mai... drove me to go home, buy a cheap bike and get my endorsement (you aren't covered by Travel Insurance if you aren't endorsed in your home country)...

Ended up buying a second, and now third bike at home, and doing a lot of riding here as well...

Northern Thailand must be about the best place in the world for it tho...

Cheers,

Daewoo

Generally - the worst of both worlds...

Out in the smog and the heat, without a meter, like a motorcy... stuck in the traffic without being able to sneak through between the cars, like a taxi...

Only time I use them is late at night, when the accompany has already organised the fare, without the driver knowing a farrang will be joining, for a short journey...

They do still put a smile on my face in that situation...

Daewoo

I booked directly with Avis Thailand via their website (for a family holiday in Phuket and Krabi), then followed it up with an email to organise the child seats... I tried all of the 'mum & dad' businesses in Phuket, but none could provide (2) child seats... The prices were about 50% more, but also comfortable knowing that an international company is less likely to try and scam you on repair bills...

Happy with the service... I had it delivered to my hotel for free and returned it to the airport (designated parking)...

I would have no problem driving in BKK although I've never done it... just make sure you have a good GPS, and know how to input your destination without having to spell it, because even the Thai spelling is completely random...

Cheers,

Daewoo