JimmyCA

6 Pages, 134 replies and 2625 views in 2 days. I take it this is a subject of many peoples mind. . Agreement on op statement to just laugh it off. Most have been said already. Western people are jealous of us western people living here, in all aspects, and the ones that are not jealous is the ones that dont make the idiotic statements. People (like my mom for instans) who only say that i made good choises and seem to have a good life and that she also want to move here eventually and so on. Genuine people. Thats what counts. The other <deleted> can keep their miserable lives for themselves and if it make them less miserable to trow a little shit our way, hmmm, why not, lets agree, hang up, and laugh it off here in paradise.

Some good points, however you will not find genuine people in Thailand. If that's what counts back home to your mother you must go.

Never never seek advice online.

Know the game

Or you will be scammed every time

take your raincoat, galoshes, and umbrella...monsoon season in the gulf now thru March

Another American who thinks he knows Thailand.

What's being American got to do with anything here? What a pointless post.

And since the OP was planning on coming soon, it is relevant as it is still raining in Surat Thani and the rainy season lasts through November. Although not March as JonnieB seems to think. But, being American doesn't really have anything to do with a mistaken post.

Anyway, to answer the original question, there are some really nice areas--quiet beaches in Prachuab Khiri Khan, as well as the National Park at Khao Sam Roi Yot.

Also, Chumphon has some really quiet beaches as well. There is also the Khao Sok National Park in Surat Thani (just don't go caving in the rain!) which I hope has been re-opened. You can stay in treetop bungalows and see quite a bit of wildlife there.

Aside from all the governmental mistakes of late, as you well know, Americans are numero uno.

Never buy a bar, dont fall in love - just pay.

In my experience, people in the states (#1) don't know anything about Thailand and don't seem to care either. Can't see any benefit in telling them much. I just spend the winters and July in Thailand so I go to Thailand mainly for the weather . GF of 5 years is a tad over half my age, maybe time to find a younger lass.

I have in the past when very bored one afternoon, sat down and played with some numbers for the profitability or otherwise of bus drivers in Pattaya. It does not need me, a risk analyst, nor a financial analyst, to see that they earn substancially above their "pay grade" if they are even prepared to do the basic routing job.

Agreed, they are already overpaid.

Any sod (well almost any) can do the calculation.

10 baht is more than a fair price for the driver to make a baht

I am sure you have done a detailed analysis to substaniate this statement.

Yes, I have. You can also, it is that simple. Just get an average time to go around the loop to determint the loops per day x an average load x 10 baht. Even you can do it

Please share your results (details), I'm just dying to know. Seriously, as a financial analyst by profession, your logic is flawed but it was certainly good for a chuckle.

If the logic is flawed please detail how you made this conclusion. Obviously, with flawed logic, no financial analysis can ensue.

As for financial analyst as a profession, I'll do my own financial analysis thanks. Financial analysts are basically self proclaimed knowitalls wanabee engineering and math majors. Many couldn't even balance a checkbook.

she have a stable work . in a large firm in bangkok . only child , have her own car.

and her family is some of the most classic thai i ever met ,

So she can pay money for wedding also.

Many short stay places in that area offering a good workout.

It's in Chiangmai so don't get too excited!

Thanks for the input. By way of answering my own question I have amalgamated some of the points on Khun Bob's post and made a list that I'm going to use as the basis for evaluating this condo. I see that someone on that thread suggested a comprehensive checklist might be usefully pinned in this forum so maybe this could be a first draft - and, please before anyone mentions it, all credit goes to the writers of the posts included.

Checklist for Buying a Used Condo

1. Get the minutes of the AGMs AND the Minutes of the Committee Meetings.

2. Read The Condo Act; read the Condo Regulations which is a legal document deposited with the Land Office

3. The Condo Association will also have records of what percentage of units are foreign owned. DON'T get stuck with a unit owned by a bogus Thai company.

4. Does the Committee meet as specified in the Regulations?

5. Are the Committee Members approachable and helpful?

6. Speak with as many non-committee member residents as possible

7. Meet the Manager. If he/she won't answer questions and says go speak with the Committee then do so.

8. If Committee says go speak with manager then unless you really like the building and would like to fight all this kind of nonsense at the AGM and during the year, go find somewhere else to buy.

9. Ask for the AUDITED financials; ask for monthly financial statements - they are common property and some good condos put up on notice board for all to peruse. Other condos are/may be secretive. If so, why?

10. Ask about major maintenance projects - sewage and drainage, water and filtration, roof, roads, gardens, painting of outside of building and corridors, elevators.

11. Have the projects planned for the previous year been completed OK? How about any work in progress?

12. Check the basement for damp.

13. Is there a Sinking Fund? Is it sufficient?

14. Is Insurance Coverage enough?

15. What are the yearly maintenance fees? What percentage of co-owners do not pay.

16. Are smoke alarms installed in common areas? In individual units? Are they checked and monitored and/or connected to the fire service?

17. Is there a sprinkler system?

18. Walk the emergency stairwells - what kind of lighting? Does it work? Are the stairwells clear and clean?

19. Check that fire fighting equipment is available and periodically maintained (there should be a record of costs associated with this so you don't just have to take someone's word for it)

20. Check that security personnel are smart, courteous and at their stations.

21. Is there 24 hour coverage by English speaking staff?

22. Does the office staff have name badges?

23. Is the building secure or can anyone just walk in and go where they please?

24. Is the perimeter secure?

25. Is there CCTV and does it work?

26. Are there recordings and how long are they kept?

27. If there is a key card system how often is it changed? How many key cards have been issued? How many are unaccounted for?

28. Try to find out how many burglaries in past 2 years.

29. Are the grounds neat and tidy?

30. Is the garbage room clean and tidy? How often is garbage collected?

31. Availability of (IDD) telephone (data) lines and the cost of same (some condos charge a criminal amount to get a IDD line).

32. Availability of cable TV choice and options for putting up own satellite dish(es).

33. Cost of metered services – water and electricity if supplied by building and cost of changing to own meters.

34. What facilities (residents' lounge, exercise room, etc.) are available and are they in use and good repair? Swimming pool? Tennis court? Is there a charge?

35. Are facilities open to non-residents? This can lead to an increased security risk and different atmosphere with strangers coming and going frequently. Is additional wear and tear on the facilities covered by the charges to non-residents or does the management pocket the takings?

36. Are there karaoke bars or other noisy places nearby? How often? How loud? How late?

37. If there is a view is there the possibility it could be blocked in the future?

38. Check basement rooms for trash, evidence of staff (and their friends) staying there.

39. Parking spaces are common property and should not be allocated.

40. How long to wait for an elevator during high season?

41. How many units are currently unoccupied?

42. How many units are currently offered for sale or rent? Check other prices.

43. Make sure most if not all the units in the building are occupied by the owners.

44. If the management offers to rent condo's on the owners' behalf, how much do they charge and exactly what service is on offer?

Nice list. You seem a person who likes to dot every i and cross every t. I am curious how this approach meshes with life in Thailand.

10 baht is more than a fair price for the driver to make a baht

I am sure you have done a detailed analysis to substaniate this statement.

Yes, I have. You can also, it is that simple. Just get an average time to go around the loop to determint the loops per day x an average load x 10 baht. Even you can do it

10 baht is more than a fair price for the driver to make a baht

Why do they need foreign help to do their job?

In Scandinavia , all policemen speak English and most even speak German. In USA most policement also speak Spanish.

Thar Phom Samart Rean Phasa Thai- Khun Kor Samart rean Phasa Eunggrit Dai Muen Gun!

(if I can learn Thai - then they can learn English!)

Why did you not write this in Thai characters? No Thai person, without special training, could decipher this writing.

So, you have answered your own question.

DamianMavis - You are probably right. What can I say. The total insanity has only started since I left her and moved into the bar. Before that she was irrational and violant etc but most of the time she was a loving wife, faithful, and a good mother. I told you about a few instances from our 9 year marriage. The rest of the time was mostly good. The bottom line is I loved her, I wanted to believe her excuses and her apologies. I fooled myself into believing the outbursts would never happen again. I was wrong and if anyone else in in the situation where they think it will get better learn from my mistakes. People do not change. A wife beater will always be a wife beater and a husband beater .....

Chris

Most of the time does not count. OJ was a good husband most of the time.

Your lady's behavior is outrageous and more common with thai women than people here will admit.

Clean beaches too

Soon ..... very soon

pi is booming economically? huh? pi is less known to the world than los.

They are doing well with call centers and exporting nurses and doctors.

Not just nurses and Dr's - we have some Dr's but other senior researchers are working here from the PI.

I also know some PI guys setting up there own computer biz and getting a lot of work around the region - I know no Thai's doing the same thing.

I love Thailand dwarly but the PI seemed to have more buzz about it on recent visits with regard to call centres and IT work

Just look at the monthly remittance going back to PI from their oversea's workers - 2 billion USD a month - how much ios going to Thailand in foregien currency from the same sources.

As I said I do like Thailand and have mentioned that our BKK has some great people - its just that the PI is my dynamic from what i see in this area

PI, although much more educated, is much poorer than Thailand as PI is more corrupt. Nice place, nice people but poor as dirt.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IQ_and_the_Wealth_of_Nations

Country IQ estimate

Thailand 91

Philippines 86

China (PRC) 100

India 81

Thailand has a median IQ of 87, over 1 standard deviation less than the international norm. In other words, the median IQ in Thailand of 87, 50% higher - 50% lower, compares with the international norm 37% lower than 87 - 63% higher than 87.

some countries are fated to never be wealthy countries not because of economic policies but because their cultures are not conducive to wealth creation.

Am I really the first to just call this 'Racist claptrap!' ?

Guess I am.

Maybe you can explain what is racist here other that you want to sound like you have something to offer.

It's a matter of debt.

Most Americans/Westerners are under so much debt that they cannot afford to have the Mai Pen Rai mentality or else they will be sleeping on the streets.

True true ... and amazingly so little is done to educate the average American about long term personal finance, a subject the rich know very well

Alright, I posted in another forum (Local forum for Bangkok) about doing a study abroad in Thailand, but I'm hitting a road block from my parents. My father seems to think that horrible things will happen if I live in Thailand for 5 months as a single 20 year old woman. He's scared by all the bad press about Bangkok, and the sex trade reputation it has. What can I do/show him that will show him that I'll be safe provided I use common sense?

Tell him you met a guy named JimmyCA (no relation) who will look after your EVERY NEED .

Well, I don't see why a western man can't prefer a Thai woman, I am married to a Thai man and find most western men too fat, too hairy and too macho for my personal tastes. But those are my tastes and I certainly don't expect anyone else to share them nor do I condemn anyone who doesn't, nor do I attack western men simply because they aren't my taste.

And that appears to be the problem here, why can't you just say "hey, I prefer Thai women" and leave it at that? Why the need to take your personal issues out on some total stranger on this board simply because she is a woman?

SBK, I know many farang men who are not fat, hairy or macho, in fact the majority of farang men are not fat, hairy or macho. For whatever reason the farangs who meet your personal tastes didn't result in a match so you wound up with a Thai. Maybe you found a greater selection of Thai men whom you find appealing and were interested in you. So your situation is basically the same as the farang men who wind up with Thai women. Takes two to tango.

4) Repeating topics that have been absolutely done to death a million times before.

You forgot the (mentioned before) on this one

Come on you guys this site is going downhill the threads are so dull.

Let's liven thing up!!

Anyone with anything interesting to say gets banned.