pothai

The U.K. economy is in better shape than the European Union. As with the dollar, the £ will recover...... to approx 63 Baht in the next 5 months as interest rates also rise within the U.K. to counteract inflation. With Spain, Ireland, Greece it will be at the expense of the Euro which can expect to see about September as 37/38 baht. Dollar still strong at 35/36...

Looking for somewhere to come live in Thailand. Never been to Hua Hin before. I need decent beaches where I will stay. How do they compare to Phuket and Samui?

I assume they are obviouslly cleaner but are they as swimmable?

cleaner than Phuket and Samui, no way. the beach in Hua Hin is pretty disgusting but Cha-am is a bit nicer. both have a nice green slime layer from the horse poop. also the water is dirty and there's nothing to see under water anyhow.

however I kind of like Cha-am and would consider living there, it certainly has the advantage of location to BKK and lower cost than Phuket and Samui. one thing to remember, its very dry there. if you like deserts, that's fine, if you like tropical, not so fine. personally, I wouldn't consider HH for a second, over developed and too 'farangy'.

Phuket and Samui not too farangy but Hua Hin is ...Patpong , Karon, Chaweng and Lamai really are a taste of Thailand with all the girlie bars and Macdonalds Starbucks etc like a desert .I suppose the amount of rain and floods is Samui constantly are a tourist attraction, great after a twelve hour flight that you have to walk through 3 feet of water to get to your hotel because the taxi cant drive there...yeah...think I prefer the desert.....

And Nationwide will be charging 1% as of June 1st for ATM withdrawls, so 15,000 will cost 300 baht in total....thats 2% so very expensive and counteracts almost any interest received on savings as their best bond only pays 3.25% interest gross...

He still have the big jug of berr 99 Bhat???

Mr Joe, happy to see you are OK......welcome back

For a few days it is going to be very expensive...flights and taxis to and from Samui is like being robbed at gunpoint everytime...so very very expensive and a rip off. No doubt it will rain while you are there but at least that keeps the timeshare mob off your back but all said and done you can at least go and have a macdonalds or burger king to get that real Thai Samui experience .....

So i take it you dont like Samui one of the bar girls give you a bad time?

I am a lady......and live befor Samui...

If you are that interested, the prospect of taking a position here hasn't come up in the past 5 years until now.

Okay, so you have a position in Thailand for that money, just that your OP didn't state it.

As you can see from the above it is doable, not in real slick style but doable none the less, but the big question mark is going to be your partner and her aspirations. If she wants to work she has to do it off her own back with no special treatment because of your status, unless you can wangle her a job in the same company. Her chances of getting employment depend, obviously, on her line of business, quals and experience. If she's not going to work then boredom will be the big issue and, as I've found in the past, blokes who come here with non-working wives very often have problems. Obviously the more you go out socially the more your money fades away so you need to find activities that don't cost the earth.

It plenty for comfort lifestyle...why everyone think graduate only get 6,000 baht one month.....you must be crazy, most get 30,000 up. Even austriandutch pay his nanny 10,000 baht so imagine an accounts graduate. my sister just graduate and she now earn 28,000 for her first month. only working 5 hours in a daytime.

yes they were yesterday...(Monday)...dont forget buses also go from chatuchak bus station to hua hin but only a few times a day...if that more easy to get too

For a few days it is going to be very expensive...flights and taxis to and from Samui is like being robbed at gunpoint everytime...so very very expensive and a rip off. No doubt it will rain while you are there but at least that keeps the timeshare mob off your back but all said and done you can at least go and have a macdonalds or burger king to get that real Thai Samui experience .....

I agree with pat...after living in both Phuket and samui I can assure that Hua Hin is a far better place than either of them. Samui is a mass of burger king,pizza hut,starbucks...may well be london with sun...phuket is the same but more expensive than samui. Yes hua Hin has a bit of the west but is still essentially a quaint fishing town with fantastic beaches only 20 minutes to the south..If you live there you will be much happier than samui or Phuket....I like because only 2 hours from central BKK and 200 baht...Phuket or samui is 12/14 hours and much more expensive, especially samui...we used to have to pay almost 11,000 baht return with taxis to BKK when we lived there...flights are a bit cheaper but still will cost 8,000 baht return by plane....Hua Hin has everything....not sure of sand flies???

No, we haven't but we have been attempting to locate him. Hope everything is alright

I hope so as he always has very correct information. Hope we here very soon.

so no one in Isaan knows him or of him?

we dont need details, just wanting to know if there is any news at all, and mainly to find out if hes ok?

thanks all

I'm sorry that nobody seems to know him.

I think he mentioned in an earlier post, that he lived in a village north of Ubon city on the road to Trakan Puetpon.

Hope he's ok!

Is Joe OK does anyone hear from him yet

Have a look at the Hua Hin forum, just one problem you will encounter. For a foreigner to buy in Thailand is too many problems. You will never own the land, and leasehold or fake companies will cause many problems if you try to sell. Rent is much better. Samui agents will talk nicely but do not listen to what they say as they only want the commission. Most of them now have reduced the workforce dramatically as they are not selling anything.

The lease can be extended a further 30 years but at the discretion of the leaseholder who of course would not be in their best interests so would not do this. As the owner has discovered even selling you must gain permission from the leaseholder. It is a shame that people are not explained correctly when purchasing a property. To buy a house in Thailand really is for Thai Nationals only and it seems unfair that the story above will become more common place now that people who bought under leasehold will find out....and ones that bought with ghost companies will have an even bigger surprise when they try to sell. There is a man in Hua Hin that can help people, he is in the newspapers so maybe contact him but the law just is not on your side in this scenario.

Since the first of the year my wife and I have been staying in various cities trying to decide where to settle (Lopburi is NOT on the list!).

Pattaya/Jomtien is appealing, but perhaps beyond our budget. We like bungalow style homes near the sea, and plan to rent one somewhere for a year before buying one. We stayed also in Chao Lao Beach near Chanthaburi and I thought maybe it was perfect but after staying there two months I found it not suitable because there aren't enough english-speaking people, food, businesses or entertainment all of which are plentiful near Pattaya.

I assume Hua Hin is worth checking out so I think after Songkran we will head off for that part of Thailand for a while.

Any experience or recommendations about living near Hua Hin vs on the other side of the Gulf?

Hua Hin is a very good choice for a couple. Bungalow style houses are the main and Hua Hin has many for sale/rent. Hua Hin has all the facilities you need, major shops...Tesco etc in the shopping mall and plenty of good cheap restaurants, especially for fish. Only 2 hours from Bangkok, you can drive, bus, fly or get a train, all reasonable priced. Hua Hin has many nationalities, English, Swedish, Norwegian are just a few so you will not be lonely. If you need help with accomodation PM me.

Just noticed the misspelling...

Herbert - Austrian - Tour Operator - Reckless driving

Is this a coincident or is this our infamous visarunner?

Is Herbert married to an Austrian lady, a few years ago he lived with a Thai national lady.

Thanks, but Tesco and Big C do not have anything suitable, only a few 8kg or 10kg weights.....the sport shop on 3rd floor does not have anything too.

Kalimera,

Yes, on the Flying Dolphin from Kia. Have been to the market a lot befor and good for buying some presents.. Always buy some gyros...so lovely can eat many of them...I like Foleagandros in the chora and also Astipela and Anafi...sometimes we aways start on Kythnos for 2 or 3 days as only close to Piraues and can relax....

But I live in Asia not Europe also I can fly to Phuket return for under 2,000 Baht....Bangkok Air must do the same for Samui as many people will not go there because of that. I love Samui and many times want to come and see friends but is too expensive and the bus too long from Bangkok so I not go......as many people do not go. This airfare must change now to help Samui or more business will close because of them.

If you love someone you will be happy and long lasting time together, if you are in Bangkok, Samui, U.K. Mexico does not matter when two people care and respect eachother. Speak and do somethings together, like listen to music, play tennis or watch a movie.

5,500 Baht per person return plus some taxi fare....must need to be cheaper even more if Samui wants tourists. I love Samui but is so expensive to come there or so long on the bus or drive our car. Must be only 1,200 Baht and maybe then will think to come more often.

Pireaus, fantastic place for get the ferry to Cyclades....many time go there befor and holiday. Have some retsina....look at the roads all sell the same thing. One road sell chair and office things. Next road sell something for the boat.

Thai Visa news today say tourists expected down 30% and rooms being discount up to 50%.

Want to buy some weights, dumbells and z bar. where can buy in Hua Hin/Cha am/Petchaburi/Pranburi or anyone have some for sell

When is a bar girl not a bar gir??? When her boyfriend gets her a job in

A.Dive Shop as customer service

B.Restaurant as waitress/cashier

C.Beauty Salon as nail therapist

D.Any other menial position that he has a friend with business.