Goinghomesoon

We have a traditional Thai house on our farm, now we are looking to build something over our dam so we can fish and 'hang out'.

My hubby wants to build a traditional on-concrete-stilts sala over the water (he would like to make a simpler version of this www.nongnit.com/thaihouse/gazebo1.jpg) but I think they look a bit stupid in dry season when the water levels drop. However we haven't really been able to find any way of floating a roofed structure. And I right in assuming the building structure & roofing would make it too heavy? Have any of you seen such an animal in your travels?

**oops sorry meant to put this in the DIY forum! Sorry ***

Or you can order off-menu at Din Tai Fung. I know, it's not from a trolley & there's not the huge variety of choice. But they come hot - really steaming hot - and for anyone that's lived in Taiwan they are, well, just that bit of familiarity that sometimes we crave

I know loads of thai man western women couples that are long term where both work together & contribute together to their relationship both emotionally & financially. I know zero that are like the supposedly thai poster (I have my doubts) claims but hey what the flub do I know right, I am only a western women married to a thai man who doesn't hang out with bar boys or motocy taxi drivers & neither does anyone I know.

Like Boo I know quite a few western women with Thai hubbies both in Bangkok and here in Australia and I too haven't met anyone remotely like a 'mangda'. And while my husband may be originally an Isaan farm boy who worked 20 years in Bangkok doing menial hotel and other jobs, he's an absolutely brilliant husband, wonderful step-father to my daughter and an excellent communicator. And since we moved to Australia he's not only learned a new language but also gotten a permanent job. I think as was pointed out on another thread, that there is a lot to be said for being raised by good role models. Perhaps the difference between mangda and normal Thai fellas is that our blokes have been raised with a decent dose of respect for themselves and others.

good point on the model the father set. My FIL is a coconut farmer and he and his wife have worked side by side for nearly 60 years. They spend most their time together, do talk altho if they do about emotional stuff (which I doubt) its behind closed doors.

When hubby and I got married and were filling out the forms I said, when is your parent's birthdates. He had no idea. I couldn't believe it and said how can you not know?? So we go to his Mom and Dad's house and ask Mom and she said, "I don't know. Let me go look at my ID."

To this day Thai people are amazed that I know my parents, sisters, nephews and nieces birthdates.

try explaining that one to the immigration folks here when anon never remembers any dates liek: when did u get married (amphur or village ceremony?, when is bina's birthday?ummm; how old are her kids? not sure... etc etc.....

Oh god yes! Trying to work out the birthdates of hubby's 7 siblings including one that died as a child, for his visa application was the worst. His mother had no idea, she just remembered the seasons they were all born (and the season the one child died).

Bina, Happy 50th and glad you had a wonderful day and got a present. See, you CAN teach an old dog/hubby new tricks!

To the OP I have no advice - hubby and I haven't had any children together (although he is Dad to my youngest) and we have never had any major disagreements or communication problems. But I wish you all the best.

So glad to hear that you guys are talking about how things will work (and where ). Your son is such a happy little guy that I'm sure he'll do fine wherever he is, at least for the next few years and you can always supplement his English with some home-schooling. Maybe there are some families in town that would pay for some supplementary tutoring in English too. Thinking good thoughts for you!

Thank you so much for all of your adviced. Your information Is very helpful. But if i would like to keep in touch with you for more information would you mind to give me your e mail please? appreciate.

London you are welcome to PM me via Thaivisa.

Hi there, sorry I don't check in this forum very much anymore. I am guessing it should have cost around $3,000 but in our case due to all the delays, extra cattery fees & repeat blood tests due to our BAD agent, it was just over $4,000. I mentioned above but my friends were very happy with the service they received shipping via Singapore.

Thanks David. No GF's here! Thai hubby might listen to it though

Lenny that's the problem...I did Google it. And ended up on a site that bombarded my computer with viruses. I thought someone here might know a reliable service that didn't do that.

Endure, will try that too. Thanks

Trying to watch Thai TV online from Australia and having trouble finding good reliable sites. Which ones do you prefer?

I would probably consider somewhere else in Thailand or a regional country where you could be more comfortable and form support networks, where you would have a better choice of education for your son, put some distance between you and the in-laws and your hubby could see if he can make a go of working and supporting his family in Thailand. I love my Isaan in-laws and love our house up there but could never live there for all the reasons outlined above, but primarily education (my daughter is in high school & doesn't speak enough Thai to go to a local school).

We lived in Bangkok with regular visits to Isaan and found it worked very well for us. However hubby was not able to find a decent-paying job and my contract finished, so ultimately we came back to Australia after 4.5 years, where we are both happy. We have a great house, I have gone back to my job and hubby has been studying full-time. It sounds like your husband is very adaptable, after all he lived in the UK and it sounds like he quite enjoyed it, so perhaps a move within Thailand or regionally would not be such a big stretch.

We haven't come across the hubby-partying-with-his-friends aspect yet but he's just gone back for his first visit, so I would expect a certain amount of celebration. Then again he's in his late 30s and a bit past the party-boy age and his father still keeps a tight rein on him, so maybe not! We'll see, when daughter & I get back to Thailand next week.

The old man's still alive. He's still got somebody taking care not depending on any money that's coming in or not. I do not even wish that my enemies have to suffer like he does.

There's another Australian old man, without any relatives or fiends two beds away from him. Also very sick. Tried to help him a little as well.

Should anybody live in Ubon area, the German and the Australian are in building three, 4th floor.

If you have the Australian's details (name and date of birth) email them to [email protected] Depending on how sick he is, the embassy may be able to try to find his family to let them know about his situation.

I must say I admire anyone that can live full time in their hubby's village. Having our own beautiful, wonderfully airy, cool house has made it easier to visit but 2-3 weeks is still my limit Hubby is going back soon for 2 months and the rest of us will join him for the last couple of weeks. He will do the hard labour on father-in-law's farm first and then we will spend a week or two working on our own place when I am there. I am originally a farm girl and thought i was tough but living without electricity or running water and cooking over charcoal fires is really really hard, really just like glorified camping. Luckily I really like my father in law and the personal relationships with other family members are good, but I'm not sure they would remain that way if I were there full-time!

Kris...as a woman I would definately want to know. And yes 1/35 is considered a very high chance of a having a "Baby Errrr" (as my Thai hubby refers to Downs children).

Personally if I had medical tests in Thailand and the results were given to my husband in Thai, I would definately want to know the results even if they had potentially bad news. Particulately if your wife is going to be a stay-at-home-mum then she would be the one to bear much of the burden of raising the child.

I think that you need to sit and think about how a Downs child would affect your life. By thinking about the worst case scenario you can be prepared, but hopefully be pleasantly surprised and not need the information you gather.

Each state in Aust has different rules about late terminations due to fetal abnormalities post-20 weeks if you are considering this (eg: Vic permits it up to 28 weeks). I am not trying to sway you one way or the other.

Oh Carry I am so sorry for your loss. I hope everything works out and you can get the marriage and your daughter registered belatedly in Thailand.

Hi Phl,

Perhaps it's changed. You can actually use any country on the DAFF (formerly AQIS) list provided your animal meets the residence requirements. Our colleagues sent their cats to stay with family Canada before importing them to Australia. It worked out the same cost as 6 months in Singapore in a cattery and they got to roam around a family home for the 6 months instead of being locked up. The cats then had the meet the requirements to be imported from Canada to Australia.

The requirement for both Malaysia and Singapore is that the animal has spent 6 months in-country before coming to Aust. In Singapore your cat must spend 1 month in Quarantine & 5 months in a cattery or with friends. In Malaysia they spend 1 week in Quarantine and 5mths3wks in the cattery. There are also very small differences in the number and type of blood tests required for Australian clearance.

GHS

I thought I should update this - we did have a happy ending. After a lot of legwork here at the Australian end we were able to have our cat imported in April - 4 months longer and $1,000 more expensive than we were intially told. She's has a house to roam around, lots of windowsills to balance on, and a nice warm ducted heating vent to lay on when it's cold. She very, very happy to be back with us and has actually become very cuddly and friendly since her ordeal, whereas before she was aloof and agressive.

Personally I don't agree with the teachers doing this, but as the posts above show, everyone's tolerance levels are different. Only YOU know your children and what might adversely affect them. Many kids will be okay, but for some it could really affect their experience of learning and turn them off school, which might come back to bite you down the track. At least one of my children would have been very badly affected if it happened to them. You probably don't have many school choices in the village, so you will likely just have to work within the system.

MissyMoo I found yours a thought-provoking post as we are likely to face something similar in coming years - Thai hubby's dad is getting older although - touch wood - for the moment he is healthy. However hubs takes his responsibilities as the eldest son very seriously and he, along with one of his sisters, will no doubt become the primary carers if his father's health deteriorates. It's something I've always known and hubby's attitude to his dad is one of the things I love most about him; it's not a blind devotion but he sees caring for him a very practical and necessary expression of his love. It was just one of the complex realities we had to consider when we got married and moved to Australia.

I think being able to care for a parent is a wonderful thing, but do heed the advice of others and consider using carers, at least for the heavier physical side of things. The less physically exhausted you are, the more quality time you can spend with Dad. And if you can spend quality time with him they you might be less likely to become resentful of all the things you have given up.

I'm sorry about your relationship but I'm a big believer in 'what will be, will be'. You can never recover this time with your father, but there will always be the possibility of relationships down the track. Do let us know how you go.

I seem to recall the main Villa on Sukhumvit (near the entrance to Soi 33) sold other, imported brands with applicators. They were a lot more expensive than OB.

Would appreciate advice from those of you who read Thai. My partner needs to source some non-fiction parenting books in Thai for some study he is doing. Which of the Thai bookstores has the best online search and delivery services?

We use World Nomads as they will cover expats that are already outside their own country. I deal with travel insurers and their emergency cases every day work at and there are some companies I wouldnt touch with a barge pole. World Nomads has a very good reputation.

I also liked that they were happy to put into writing that they would evacuate my Thai spouse to Australia if there was a medical emergency, rather than back into the Thai medical system. For many insurers this not the case, they will often only evacuate someone to their country of citizenship.

Married 2.5 years and we left Thailand 6 months ago to live in Australia. I think our relationship works because we are both happy to try new things. I was willing to do the village-thing in Thailand, build a house on our land and spend time getting to know my in-laws. Here in Australia the hubs is studying English full-time and has thrown himself into learning how to function in a new country. We've never had a major fight and I'm sure our flexibility is the main reason. To be honest, hubby would have been the right man for me, no matter which country he came from. I don't think the fact he's Thai really played into it much.

Do you want a school that teaches 100% in English? What grade levels? The only real international school is VIS across the border in Vientiane. Otherwise try St Paul's in Nong Khai, not sure what their English program is like but when we looked at it a couple of years ago it was pretty dismal. You would need to supplement with some home schooling I imagine.

Is the military pension a life-long thing (sorry I'm not sure how they work). Or will you need to swap to the Aussie aged pension once you are old enough? If so you need to be very careful whether you are seen to be permanently living off-shore beforehand. There is a long thread on ThaiVisa about eligibility and Aussie residency requirements, but you might also want to talk to Centrelink.

She's at an independent cattery not linked to the agent, thank goodness. We are now looking at using a big international company.