GreenSnapper

There, their, they're,

This is the most annoying mistake. Especially when used by native speakers.

I have the N8, fantastic phone and has not had any issues at all.

Yep! Best phone camera in the market. Needs some time to learn, but better than any android device.

10 - 12 million is a lot of money in any country to ensure a decent standard. That kind of money would buy a great house in the uk, or probably anywhere in Europe. I've been looking at houses for a third to half that price in the Uk and all were in streets and areas cleaner and better kept than any I've seen in Thailand, other than maybe the ones you talk of. It doesn't seem quite right that in a developing country like Thailand you need to spent 500k pounds to enjoy a decent standard. Than again, maybe it does. I wonder what proportion of Thais live in houses priced 10 - 20 million?

I have seen 'luxury' condos (!) in Pattaya for around 20-30 million Baht.

Only a few years old, but already crap. The mostly farang owners where desparetly trying to sell them. Without much success.

Prices here are well out of any reason. Third world building standards and workers get 30 baht an hour.

But Western prices and more. But ok, that's market. People pay for such crap, so it is right.

If i shell out 30 million baht, I'd chose a Western country with high living standards, but not a dump like Pattaya.

General rule: don't buy any electric equipment ' made in Thailand'.

If you have a laptop Skype calls to a landline are very cheap and great quality i use it all the time calling UK from Thailand.

Modern smartphones have Skype as well, but you need a 3G connection.

Alcohol-free 'beer' from Germany is taxed everywhere.

Probably the tax office has no clue, or believes the Thai buyer has no clue.

Proper apartments at good location in Bkk are expensive. If you can live in a small box of 45m2, then ok, 20000 should be sufficient. Otherwise count on 40-50000 a month. Yeah, same or more what you'd pay in your home country.

So you may end with 100k/month for everything, but add some extra cash for travelling and visits to your home country.

Thailand is NOT cheap if you need some standards.

As long as we're making observations, many young attractive, intelligent, Thai women seem to not want to be seen in the public company of a much older farang male because it sends off a message to their peer group that they are unable to find a young, attractive, intelligent, possibly well-to-do, Thai male.

Why don't you try some cosmetic surgery, jazzbo?

So, just out of curiosity, I am wondering for all these men who think it perfectly acceptable to be 20 + years older than their wives. does the reverse hold true? Do you stand in judgment of women who prefer younger partners or do you think its just as perfectly fine as your own relationship?

There is a high rate of sex tourism of older Western women to the Caribics, Africa and Arabic countries.

why should I care?

Perfect!

But you forgot the costs of a Western divorce, also known as 'western sin sod'.

It makes no sense to count women in top positions and compare with men.

In Thailand, women can get top positions if they work as hard as men. This needs efforts and 99% of men don't reach top positions either.

This discussion is the typical western BS where it is believed that everything should be same in regard to gender.

Women and men are very different and that's the reason more men work at construction sites and in top management. Most women don't want to work hard.

I'd only buy a smartphone which has 3G frequencies 850,900,2100.

This will limit your choice considerably.

my wifes 35 and im 35 what will happening to me in 15 years dose it become void

You will have a mia noi half your age.

A relationship based on 'tests' is doomed to fail.

Haha... women do it all the time. Worldwide.

I'd vote for a no-mosquito-zone.

wHAT'S A PROPER tHAI WOMAN?

gOOD qUESTION

Im thinking the word "proper" (in BK anyway) might include one whos married to a Thai, got a few kids, possibly works when she can, and has never been to Khao san road or to the places farangs frequent in Sukkhumvit

Exactly. But her husband has a mia noi, and the proper Thai wife also has something running at the side.

As long nobody knows. Why do "motels" have curtains for the cars? They are solely for proper Thai husbands and wifes!

Is Ecuador tax free for retirees and investment income?

This should be your first question.

Not very romantic, and it is not my style too.

But one shall be reminded that this is the standard attitude of 50% of Western married women.

At least the OP will not steal his GFs assets.

Also, in Bangkok, there are little "portacabins" set up at intervals along Charoenrad Road (between Rama 3 and Sathorn Road) which are little community libraries. One is always closed but the other seems to have a group of local ladies doing aerobics or having a chat outside it early in the morning and it seems to be open every day.

And, I even saw a mobile library van parked on the beachfront in Songhkla once. Clearly marked as such in English and Thai. I was so amazed. I couldn't see if it was open, otherwise I'd have taken a closer look. Never seen it since or anywhere else in Thailand.

Lumpini park actually has a small library. And in Rajavithi Rd, not far from Victory, there is a new library. From my observation, though, both are heavily equipped with glorification of a certain family.

Wandering around the streets of Yangon, I was amazed to see the amount of book shops (albeit second hand - too expensive for the Burman).

Yes, even this dirt-poor country has many more educated people than comparatively rich Thailand.

Maybe only Cambodia can compete with the level of factual illiteracy we see in Thailand. I don't think any other Asian country comes near.

Ian is right: most camping gear you find here is cheap trash.

Siam Discovery has an expensive shop with limited imported supply. You may try this. IIRC 3rd floor.

The only people I see reading books are students. They are forced to.

Have you ever actually seen them reading them, or just carrying them?

Last time in BTS, I saw a woman reading a book. I tried to check what she read. As far I could decipher, it was a bible and probably she belonged to some Christian sect.

A few days later, I saw a man reading a book. I checked again what he read.

It was in Japanese and he was Japanese.

I like watching people doing exotic things :jap:

The only people I see reading books are students. They are forced to.

Is doing it 10,000 times exponentially worse than 6 times? (Can you catch the same bug multiple times?)

No bragging, please!

Yes, very bad again. Also I get frequent disconnects recently.

Today I have full speed some time at 7Mb/s and a few minutes later 10 Kb/s.

Thai internet is an eternal drama.