chicowoodduck

What about your belongings, didn't you have to reroute them, and were there any obsticals bringing/getting them into thailand?

And how did your family back home react of you being in Thailand instead of China?

Some of us reduced a lifetime of "stuff" to a couple of suitcases. Lots of garage sales and eBay sales! Considering the friends and experiences I've collected in Thailand, I don't miss any of the "stuff" I left behind. As to outfitting a new home--it's dirt-cheap in Thailand compared to the West. I ended up buying all the essential "stuff" in Thailand (appliances, furniture, etc.) for about 5% of what I sold everything else back in the home country. (And saved all those shipping costs, as well!).

In the middle of last year, I started downsizing my lifetime of accumalated belongings through give-a-ways, Criag's List, garage sales and the like. I reduced my "stuff" so that it would all fit into two suitcases and one backpack! My daughter calls it "becoming a minimalist." I don't miss much of anything from back in the U.S., except seeing my daughter and family on a regular basis. I'm still doing the same routines that I did when I was living in the U.S.,.....getting up early, running, swimming, working out, doing the mundane house chores, visiting with friends and chasing the girls! I don't need much to make me happy, and find the cost of living and ability to maintain a lifestyle that makes me happy on a daily basis here in the Land of Smiles easily within my budget. Life is good.

Would it make a difference where it happened, Thailand or back home?

As so often is the case - Someone else seems to have lost their moral compass when they moved to Thailand.

Something about Thailand that can reveal the fact that sometimes one never had a compass...

How's the old song go, "if you can't love the one you love, love the one you're with!"

The Discovery channel has a programme on the topic of eunuchs last night. Having your testicles removed is allegedly quite a 'growth' industry for the medical profession. Just a local anaesthetic and your are home the same day. Mostly gay guys getting it done.

A couple of links for those who are interested in reading more:

The Eunuch Archive

Eunuchs - India's Third Gender

Eunuchs and Castrati

Thesis: Eunuchs are Gay Men

Peter

Reminds me of trying to buy tickets to the Eunuch Ball.

Banglamung Hospital (naklua) its cheap. Always ok for me, I had an ear infection a few years back, i went stone deaf in one ear - my thai partner took me to Banglamung hospital and they cleaned my ears out with warm water, cost me 100 bt. I think if i had of gone to another hospital it would have costed me thousands. you gotta try it - it really is ok. good luck and hope you feel better soon.

I'll give it a go next week IF I don't see some improvement. I've had a few broken ribs in the past, but this time the pain has kicked it up a notch and I pray each day I don't have to sneeze or cough.

A few days ago I took a nasty tumble down a flight of stairs and found out that marble is harder than the human body. Lucky for me, I didn't go ass over teacup, but I did hit my back pretty hard. Although I'm not a doctor, I believe I may have cracked a few ribs. My question is, where might be the best place for me to go and get an x-ray and overall check-up? I live in Pattaya City central, and since I have limited medical coverage, would be paying any bills in cash.

I don't think people should be taking off shirts in public, except while sitting at the beach. I don't understand the idea that if you are young and cut it's ok, but older and fatter not ok. That is completely ridiculous.

Nobody said cut - but in general a young body is inoffensive. Whilst old and wrinkly and flabby is offensive and an assault on peoples senses!

My GF gets upset with the whole shirtless parade as most of the older men have BIGGER boobs on them compared to what she carries around!

grow up !

Geez, grow up? I was born in a cellar and was never brought up, I've never even thought about growing up, perhaps that's why I only scored in the mid-20's.

I was informed today ...

Anything that starts like this has little red flags going up everywhere for me. You should be the one informing, not the one being informed.

It took me awhile to get "up to speed," on the whole Sin Sod routine, hence my Sin Sod Part Deuce thread, but after a few months of going back and forth with my GF about "required Sin Sod amounts," the bubble burst and I just walked away, not so much poorer, but rather a bit wiser. On my next adventure, I won't bring a bank book to the table, just a smile and my continued good attitude about how lucky I am to be living in the LOS!

There's been a lot of discussion on expat's retirement needs and financial status recently, so I thought it would be interesting to have a poll to see what the average net worth of expats are. It's not about finding out the relative wealth of each member; I'd expect members to vote without revealing personal financial details. But it might be interesting to build a picture and see where you stand against the average.

By net worth i mean if you cashed in all your assets - house, savings, shares etc.

But, then again, it might totally flop as a poll . .

We'll see . . .

I sold the "ranch" a few years back and just keep that money for a "rainy day" while living the modest life on my pension (1+ million THB / year). Maybe I'll get lucky and that rainy day will come long AFTER I'm enjoying my dirt nap!

We are westerners yes but we are not superior to the average Thai regardless of what one might believe, Therefore If a girl you ''fancy'' has parents who are demanding 1 milion Baht upwards and you cannot afford it then you are clearly punching above your weight, or she does'nt care enough about you enough to beg her parents to get the price lowered. If you are hit with a price tag you cannot meet then walk away and start afresh. There are plenty of fish in the sea especially in the Gulf Of Thailand. It's HERE and It's not going away anytime soon so deal withh it chaps.

Before dating better talk with the parents. See whether we punch our own weight.

Since my original posts, I've found that better than talking with the parents, take your time with the whole Sin Sod / marriage business. In the past year, I've gone from being asked for 2+ million THB, to "we'll get married with an amount you are comfortable with." Better to say you are broke and see what happens than show the bank book and get the "up sell" from the git go!

What happens if you get it wrong? I mean, what happens if you pick 84 and plan your finances to run out around then but you actually make it to 90? Would you think of that as good or bad news?

Good point.

I think it's anyway difficult to plan your finances. Some people say as you get older you will spent a lot less because you've seen it all, done it all and it's not like when you're younger chasing women, sitting in the bar all day etc. etc.

I always figure if you cut out the beer and smokes, the money will never be the problem, it's the state of your health. One illness can wipe out the books and it's sleeping on the beach with some sand as a blanket!

Either it's an affair of the heart or a financial transaction, decide.

Very good question. It should be the former but Thais often try to make you pay for the former with the latter. Western girls would tell their parents to eff off but Thais are many decades behind that level of thinking.

No reason why western males can't help out their Thai female counterparts in this matter and do the "<deleted> off on their behalf, that should cause true motives to rise to the surface fairly quickly. Interestingly I have a similar dilemma but in the reverse order.

When I started to live with Ms. CM I said I don't want to get married right away, let's see how it works out and she said fine. In the four years that have passed since we first met I have provided various things for the family including building them a small house and taken care of various odds and ends - given my finacial circumstances, no great shakes (whatever that phrase means). I have done those things because I wanted to, not because I had to and the rewards of the relationship have repaid those equivalent monetary sums many times over.

But of late, Ms CM says she wants to have "the party" to cement the relationship in the eyes of her family, neighbors and friends. I accept that this is about Ms CM's culture and I'm OK to do that as long as the costs are within bounds, and they are. But what followed was a long and interesting debate about Sin Sod, to which I replied, I've paid my dues. Where we are at present is me maintaining my original line whilst Ms. CM is debating matters with the family as to this farangs unorthodox approach to the Thai way of life. I will happily provide this forum with progress in this matter but all can seriously trust that my line will not change and I'm sure you will all be keen to learn if the family line does, or, perhaps not. My underlying position on all of this is that I will be fair and reasonable but I will not be held to emotional or financial ransom and I expect the same in return. Stay tuned.

After building a house for them if they want non-returnable sinsod then you're being screwed.

What's the old Rod Steward quote? "I'm going to go out and buy a house and than find a woman I don't like and give it to her." The OP was a lucky man, my Thai GF started out wanting 2 million THB + (see Sin Sod Part Deuce thread) with the promise of getting ZERO back. When I refused, she blew a gasket saying I insulted her and wanted to f-her for free? In the end, we negotiated down to the sum of zero and I kick her a** out. Once again....life is good!

i think you were simply a gig and somebody new turned up. you are not the only one with a wealth of options

Hey, we are starting the low season, you never know, you might get another swing of the (your) bat!

Simone should protest by handing back her Aussie passport.

Naka.

They have a new name for Mad Cow disease, it's called menopause. And by the way, when in a discussion, one always has the option of shutting ones mouth if the bullshit gets too high.

Having FUN and a GREAT TIME is throwing water on moving motorcycles & watching the rider flip to possible death or maiming. NUTTY idea of fun to me. In most countries I know, this sort of crap would be illegal.

My GF owns a bar and is simply THRILLED about the upcoming Song Kran and all that it entails! For her and her, it's all about bringing in the customers during a usual slow time of the year.

Just a sidebar..........in some parts of the US (Midwest) they have a thing called Corn Night just before Halloween. You are suppose to go out under the cover of darkness and play pranks (throw corn at cars, people and houses, wax windows, shaving cream mailboxes, etc.) on your neighbors. Of couse, people took it to the next level and starting spray painting cars, throwing pumpkins THROUGH windows, starting fires and the like. In other words, they took a "harmless" activity and went from dumb to dumber. Sound familair?

just get it re-inked. fresh paint and be good as new.

I don't want a "fresh" one, I want one removed. FYI - Now don't you think someone, somewhere, has come up with the idea of having flesh colored tattoo ink? Just a thought.

Ok, I have a few elder farang friends in Thailand (all overweight and bald) and know one who has just moved back to Australia who is in his 40's (just bald).

The thing I have noticed is that (not all) most of them are ugly as fuc_k and I think the Thai girls (pattaya) who have been calling them handsome man for such a long time, that they are actually starting to believe it.

Last time I was there (a few months ago) I was paying them out (we always tease eachother) and saying they couldnt get a real Thai girl because your fat and ugly. (I hope i dont offend anyone here)

The response they would come back with is, No they like me because they think I look like a movie star, or no they look good for there age and Thai girls like older men etc etc.

The guy who just moved back to Australia thinks he is a stud also, we go out drinking here in Sydney every fridays without fail, he tries so hard to pick up the young asian girls but always gets rejected hard, I mean sometimes im pissing myself laughing because the reaction from some of the girls is priceless.

I mean he is a great bloke and a good friend but looks like a walrus. He has been constantly been told when he was in Thailand he looks handsome that he started to believe it..

My question is, is this a common thing with older western blokes? I mean I have even seen in here that some older people actually think they look good to Thai girls and attract them because they think they look handsome.

Please dont get offended by this post, its just all in fun. Im sure I will think im still a 10 in 20 plus years also

Sort of like when my mom told me I was the smartest kid in my graduating class. Come on, wake up and smell the coffee. Every night when I'm enjoying a late night dinner and watching the parade pass me by near my Soi, I'm amazed at the number of men who, for the most part, are uglier than a bushel basket of a**holes, stroll by with a young, beautiful, and thin Thai girl on their arm, and with a smile on their face you could not slap off if you tried!

I've seen many threads on TV dealing with getting a good tattoo, I'm wondering about a safe and painless (?) way to get one removed. I have a small, multi-colored one on my hand that has run its course. Hopefully, someone in the Pattaya City / Jomtein area has had the procedure done on them recently and can give me an idea of the cost, time, and pain factor involved.

mick...I don't know if your being cynical, but I was being facetious!

Maybe in a drunken state people would have a moment of moral clarity and vote their conscience. Of course, their choices are limited.

Hey, I think you've hit-upon something here. Have the voting booths inside the bars! Everyone would be happy; just imagine the voter turnout...

But can you imagine the length of the lines to vote? People would be pissed while getting pissed!

Has anyone experience with buying a cheap mobile phone & service?

I only need it for a few weeks at best.

Specifics needed:

Where to buy?

Estimate of price level for cheapest available, even used.

Any other details (sim card purchase places, country coverage---has to work in the South, etc.)

Looking for the throw-away type now found in Europe and North America (Virgin, Go, etc).

Thanks

I have a cheap-o Nokia cell and just get the 1 - 2 - Call cards at 7/11 for 100 THB. Seems to do the trick. I think they charge 5 THB a call and 1 THB for text messages? At any rate, I use it to call the USA with my NOBEL International calling card couple times of week, always seem to have pleanty of minutes.

Beauty, with a great personality and intelligence - now that is the holy grail.

So True... I keep forgetting that one... tack on financially very well off as well...

As far as I can tell, beauty always fads with time, intelligence takes a little longer.

Being the cynic that I am I always assume these sites have no actual women but just fake profiles......

But assuming I am wrong and the women are real...

I believe the women are real, but that many are not real women.

Caveat Emptor!

I'm always amused when I return home late in the evening and see the Thai girls in my apartment complex madly typing to several different "friends" in the Western World. It amounts to a small cottage industry in my complex alone and I'm sure they always have someone on the line or at least are trolling the waters for the next BIG catch!

HELP ... for the life of me I can't find a quality towel. Can anybody recommend me a place to go? I will be visiting Bangkok shortly.

Much appreciated,

Riverhigh

There is a hotel supply shop on Pattaya central road. It has great towels and even better sheets (high thread count), duvet covers and duvets. They do a really great bath sheet that is huge. Coming from Sukhumvit, turn into Pattaaya Central, go past Big C on the left then the Japanese restaurant. There is a dry cleaners and the hotel supply shop is next to that.

It's on South Pattaya Road. The Japanese restaurant is Kabuto Yakiniku which was substantially damaged by a fire last month.

-redwood

I'll have to go check it out as the ones I'm sleeping on right now feel like they were made by the 3M abrasive division. I've touched 60 grid sandpaper that was softer.

Just an update, I went and purchased sheets and towels at the Pattaya Hotel Suppy on South Pattaya Road, the highest thread count I saw was 230, but it was good enough for me. Just a sidebar, I notice they have a small second shop just behind Carrefour on Central Pattaya Road.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I ended up flying United out of Taiwan.

Explore3

You have all my sympathy....UNITED might be the worst airline provider flying to and from SE Asia. I think the average age of the crew is 60+ on most flights, so the service is sloooooow and certainly not friendly. FYI - my cousin worked for years on the crew doing the Taipei - LA run because she was VERY senior on the pecking list....she was 60 and looked 75!

be sure to get an airtight tent- motorhome....when the schirroco's (desert sandstorm) & there are many according to my brother that lives in reno. last year they rented a motorhome(his 3rd burningman) & he said it was so worth it. Have fun- Let us know how it was this year!

Ahh, the life as a "Burner!" I can remember cleaning out that powder sugar type dust from my truck two years after my first "burn" in 2004. We always took two tents each, one for supplies and one for sleeping and the like. It's an easy enough journey from Reno (about 4 hours West of San Francisco where it all started) up Interstate 80 and on to the Blackrock Desert. The BIGGEST item is the WATER! One never seems to have enough, the other thing is the eye goggles for the dust storms..they can and have lasted for days! Cuts down on sunburn because everyone is indoors. Check out the website (www.burningman.com) as it is a wealth of information. Once a "burner," you will never be quite the same.