redfish44

hi cloud96,

That sucks to lose a dive log, as is a nice record to have.

I use blank notebooks as dive log books these days - I stick pictures in there and make drawings etc, so would be gutted if I lost one of them.

Have asked my diver boyfriend and he says if you only have your open water certification registered with PADI (or whoever), then that is enough to go for advanced open water.

If you have lost your card as well, a dive shop can confirm with PADI, NAUI etc that you are registered as an open water diver (assuming that the place you were certified sent in the paperwork). People forget their cards on holiday all the time, so most dive shops do this from time to time.

Similarly if you are already an advance open water diver - they can check your level of certification with the respective dive organisation.

The dive log book would only be a requirement for higher certifications such as divemaster, which require a certain number of logged dives.

He also recommends getting another log book and trying to roughly note the dives you have done.

He says a good dive shop will not offer divemaster training to someone with less than 60 dives.

You need to do EFR + Rescue Diver training first (17 to 18,000B on lanta) which takes a few days (depending on location/weather).

You do divemaster training for 6-8 weeks (lanta it costs around 30,000+. Then you do an internship as a divemaster for another 6-8 weeks.

You want to chose a reputable company/location to do your DM training as you may find it hard get work in other places if you do it somewhere with a bad reputation.

If you have 50ish dives, probably a good idea to do some fun dives to reach 60 with the place you are considering DM training with to scope it out a bit and get to know the staff before committing to DM program.

Lucky you to get to dive the Bahamas - i'd be making another log just so I could reminisce at a later date.

Good luck!

Hi guys, I would really like some info on the best way to treat my badly torn calf muscle that I incurred during a game of tennis this morning. ...I looked behind thinking someone had hit me on the back of the leg with a big stick. That was what it felt like.

Anyway, any advice would be greatful.

...Is there any point in going to the doctor, if only to get the correct medicine?

Hi chang35baht,

I hope you got some treatment, if not go to the physio. From my memory, the pain was the worst a few days after, and was excruciating.

I tore a calf last year, similar sensation then thought it was a cramp, so did all the things for cramp you do not do for tears and awoke the next day to a world of pain.

I had a doc mate who said just go to the physio, who arranged a scan to check the length and location of the tear etc. Treatment was physio every day for 2 weeks: massage, ultrasound, heat/cold, laser (which I though was rubbish, but who knows it got better) and who knows what else.

They got me to keep off it for the first 2 weeks, imobilised in a compression bandage to prevent further tears (so no straightening or stretching); then strengthen it with intensive massage to break down the scar tissue and clotted blood bits later.

I tore mine last year 3 days into my 3 weeks in Aus when I was supposed to go rock climbing, surfing etc, but spent the whole time at sports physio, just in time to go back to work - sucked big time, the only ones that were happy about it were my old physio and massuese who saw more of me than anyone else.

I hope you are feeling better, and empathise totally. They do heal quickly once it gets going. Good luck.

I don't know if its the "norm" or not but of the successful Thai man/western women relationships I know, almost all of them take place between two people of fairly equal status. In general, the successful long-term relationships I know of, the Thai man is not poor, earns his own living and has a decent social status among the Thai community.

I am sure there are many other relationships that don't follow this, but I don't know any personally.

sbk, you get me thinking out into another sphere again - love it!

My first read of this I thought - no way - me & my man totally distinct "status"; my man is from rural small rice farming family and didn't finish school, only now getting the reading/writing thing, whereas I went (was forced) to uni, educated parents, middle class blah blah blah.

But then I thought about it, and although econimically and formal education-wise we seem to be from totally different "status" (or planets sometimes it seems), if I think about the place we both are in our lives the last few years and they are actually quite similar: we both work jobs of a transient nature (diver vs offshore oil), always leaving one place to work in another, never really sure where the next job is though both work with boats and spend a lot of time at sea, both have too many immigration/border/customs issues on a too regular basis compared to "normal people", and we both try to "go home" to where our parents are every few months and catch up with old freinds - all of which have no concept at all of what we do for a living (although they do try to understand it seems like we are from a different planet).

Maybe we do have a similar status - transient kinda style where only your co-workers really comprehend your life (as opposed to mates/family where you are originally from). Its kinda like we don't belong anywhere in the "normal world" everyone else seems to be part of. Had never thought of "status" like this. May not be what you meant by status - but I like thinking about it in different ways as opposed to simply class/economic.

Thanks! I think you've given me a new insight into my relationship - maybe the key to why we are still going in spite of all the craziness we each end up with (and hopefully still keep going).

Love TV for its informative posts that make me think.

(... but then again maybe I've got cabin fever and have gone boat-mad from not enough sleep and will read what I've posted next week at home and have no clue what I was thinking... even if this is so, thanks for letting me think outside the mental cage I am currently in on my tin can in the sea.)

But getting back to the orginial post:

...Is there something i should know about asian/ thai guys?

I'm not saying he is bad, and maybe nothing is whrong but it just seems odd to me that they would contact you first and after a while it seems like they get bored of you or something..

Anyone can give me tips or idea's what to do to make a Thai man happy or what they are really like?

Lotusflowergirl (lovelly name): take your time and find out what your guy likes, but don't go too full on too fast.

Just stick to simple conversations and hang out and let things develop gently and naturally.

If your fella is like mine and his mates they kinda hang back and observe a lot before making up their mind. But then if he's like mine he could have made up his mind he likes you and be so dumb struck with emotion he can't actually say much even if he wants to - just comes over and says a few words but internally is paralysed then after a while says "have to go do..." (and he wonders why it took me so long to figure out he was interested in me - although am not the sharpest pencil in the box: miracle we got together really).

And like the others say - he could actually be busy. While I am at work I struggle to find the time to call, let alone chat for ages, and my man always wants to stay on the phone longer than I really have time for - even though to me we don't seem to be saying much when I say "honey I really have to go".

Being in the same physical place would be the key there - finding the time to do that is another thing though.

i am a thai guy who is really into white girls....i live in thailand but i speak english quite well and i have a strong british accent. but the problem is i dont think i'm good looking, so i'm not confident to approach any of them. i dont know if they'll like me or not. i'm afraid that i will repulse them. please tell me what to do!! any tips (especially from any white girl)?

I dodn't think this guy was trolling - but then, as above, am not the sharpest pencil in the box at times.

oan, if you really are struggling with the confidence thing - forget about your looks for a start, women can be attracted to the most insignificant physical features (but not to us) and not notice what seems blatant to others.

Example 1: I didn't notice I was taller than my first love until my friends pointed it out 6 months after we broke up - I didn't believe them and called his mum to check: it was true.

Example 2: was seeing a guy that actually had one of those eyes that doesn't quite look in the same direction as the other - when I stopped being interested in him I was intrigued with his eye. I had vaguely registered it when we first met, but had completely not even noticed it in the months we were friends and then together. [reading this back: gosh I'm clueless - how did I survive this long and be so unobservant so often...]

Beauty is truly on the inside, and as my thai man says about a lot of people - it is "a good heart" that you can see the most, and that matters the most too.

Is he speaking Yawi then and not Thai? Because southern Thai is merely a dialect and all students learn to read and write in Bangkok Thai in school.

...He does not need to go to the provincial office, or the tax office at the provinicial office, the local amphur is more than capable of doing the tax stuff for him. He just needs to ask someone which office.

Thanks for that sbk. Guess we will have to find the nearest amphur to Lanta if there isn't one there.

Yawi is actually a dialect of Bahasa Malaya, very close to Kelemantan Malay language of northern Malaysia - Kota Barhu, Terrenganu etc. It was origianlly written in arabic script, but now more commonly in english script, like Bahasa Malaya.

My boyfriends mum speaks no Thai at all. I will have to learn Bahasa to talk to her. His family is from a small place in Yala district where not many people speak Thai regularly. His dad is from Samui so speaks Thai, but now mostly Yawi.

My boyfriend didn't go to high school to learn to read and write in Bangkok Thai, although knows basic stuff like how to write his name and the info in his ID card and other documents. It's mostly sqiggly diggly to both of us.

He was sent to Malaysia to live with his married sisters when he was younger so his formal Thai education stopped there. He speaks Thai fine (seems so to me), but I discovered from a Thai friend last year that its pretty obvious to her he didn't finish high school Thai as there are a heap of nuances and things in the language he doesn't use/isn't aware of. I think the effect is similar to my German - great pronunciation and confidently talking away, but with wierdly inaccurate grammar. Both of us confuse a native speaker it seems.

Possibly a reason why he encountered the problems we had in Bangkok, and maybe a reason for the discrimination some from the south may feel.

I'm impressed by him being able to speak 3 (or 4) languages fluently (If you take Yawi and Bahasa Malay as distinct) without formal training.

Sometimes he does struggle with some of the local Lanta Thai as apparently can be a bit of a strange dialect. He also struggles with official things on Thai TV as they use a lot of the Thai he didn't get exposed to when younger - the political and formal stuff they use in Royal Family celebration broadcasts (which he loves, but a lot he has no real idea abot a lot of what they are saying - frustrates me as he can usually translate anything on tv for me).

He has finally started going to English school to learn to read and write properly, and I was chuffed to find out yesterday he is "number 1 in his class" - allthough would be dissappointed if he wasn't as he can speak it fine, and we have been having "English Lessons" together for a year now (but he forgets it all when I go away to work).

Hope I do half as well when I start Thai class at the same school when I get back home next week.

...There are Thais loosing their jobs as I write this. The tourist season has been dismal. Thailand is not isolated from the rest of the world. But the Thais are MUCH more able to handle this than their Farangland colleagues, who are buried in personal and national debt far beyond what they or their offspring can pay for.

But you specifically mention to the exchange rate. This is a vastly complex topic, but IMO, there is currently a carousel running around where the speculators are shorting one currency and then the next and then the next in order to make themselves a profit at the expense of the world's population. So the question is, where should the exchange rate be?

I have no frigging idea, otherwise I would be a millionaire several times over...

My colleagues who also live in Thailand and I have been pondering this a lot from where we are working overseas. I did study economics and was aiming at a financial career when I was younger (hard to believe if you know me now), so have found the Thai Baht intriguing.

Similar odd currency vs economy things have happened elsewhere before - the aussie dollar has gone through the floor before at the same time that the economy seemed to be doing great, huge manufacturing expansions announced, financial institutions seemed stable etc; then when it all seems to be going pear shaped, the currency is tough as nails and flying up and up.

Tourist season has been dismal, but the percentage of Thais with amounts owing from credit and the numbers involved may be a lot less in comparison to other nations - maybe a factor, I wonder.

My dad (retired financial kinda guy) is of the theory that it is the big currency speculators that can end up affecting exchange rates the most - they sink a lot into a currency but can then drop it whenever they feel like it. Whoever/wherever/however these speculators work could potentially have massive effects if it is a huge enough sum of one currency.

Maybe they are holding Thai Baht recently? If so, I hope they don't dump it.

He will have to pay income tax from now on if you want to get the one year extension...

Hi sbk and others,

What a great thread this has evolved into! Maybe i am getting off topic with this question, but then maybe not in comparisson to a lot of the posts - its just so hard to get accurate info for the female farang & thai male situation, so will try anyway:

I am not married to my boyfriend (yet), but considering it.

I want him to get all the tax and other formalities done properly and keep all the docs in case we get married, as know we'll need them.

He is getting tax taken out of his pay at the dive shop this year as he's working for thais now, but had no idea about it before (hadn't crossed my mind either - blissfully in love maybe).

Q: Does he have to lodge an income tax return? If so how do we do this?

His family has a rice farm, but he deson't spend much time there, so am guessing we can just go with the diving income as he doesn't take any cash from his parents - he gives it to them instead when he goes home.

We are on Koh Lanta and neither of us can read/write much Thai (he's from the south), so this might be a big problem too.

Any advice welcome, as after reading TV for most of the year, I am still in the dark about a lot of this stuff.

Thanks girls for the info to date on all the threads,

redfish.

Koh Lanta is not far from Trang - about 1.5 hours (depending on the car ferry).

It is good for kids, heaps of the eurpeans bring their kids here, so the minimarts stock baby and kids stuff (though new supplies only come once a week so sell out for a few days). Probably as many families on holiday here as singles.

No where near as touristy as Phuket or Phi Phi.

You can get a beach as quiet as you want as there are a lot to chose from.

There are a lot of things to do in and out of the water. Lanta is big for diving and snorkelling, but there are mangrove tours, fishing, the caves and elephants in the hills, weekly muay thai. The local tv station is good for ideas too.

It's just a great place to relax.

Hi,

When are you going? I don't know what you mean by a 3 hour wait, or from where you are taking the ferry from, but can tell you what it was like when I was there Nov-Dec (am working overseas at present).

Late November I took the ferry from Phuket-Phi-Phi-Lanta. The new pier is operational in Phi-Phi, and for the first time ever made the connection for the 11am to Lanta. Bad news about the new pier is that you have to go from one end of it, down and back out another limb of it. I had a huge run to do in 3 min, but made it. It was pretty chaotic and busy in both Phuket and Phi-Phi, but thankfully once you got on the Lanta Princess, even though it was still in Phi-Phi, all was calm and relaxed. The Lanta Princess still arrived (and departed) from the old princess pier by the Swedish Restuarant at the end of the main street in Saladan.

FYI if coming from Phuket: Last year my thai boyfriend and I discovered that the guy at the airport tour desk selling ferry tickets has about the cheapest rate. The rate at the ferry terminal was also the same as the airport guy too. The airport guy gave you a better boat and arranged your pickup too - usually included, though always missed my connection. I'm sticking with him from now on.

Then the airport closures had a huge impact on Lanta, as it was still raining, and heaps of dive centres had big bookings flying in that were canned. Business was hit hard, and it was soooooooo quiet. There was only one ferry running a day to Krabi, at 8am or something nasty (if you had the 9pm to BKK.)

Early-mid December I took the Krabi-Lanta ferry on the way back from a short trip to Bangkok. This was just after (5 days?) the airport reopened. I flew in on the red-eye from BKK, and took a minivan to the pier. The airport said the ferry left 11am, the bus people said 11.30am. We got to the pier about 11.25pm. The staff at the pier were checking where you were picked up from and whose bus you came on and which flight - they seemed to wait until everyone that could possibly be getting on the ferry was there before it left, which was nice. It left about 11:45am - only 3 tense tourists seemed to care (it's going to Lanta - no rush). Due to the lack of tourists, they were only running the one ferry to Lanta instead of the morning and afternoon ones they normally do in high season (supposed to be then-now). this ferry went to the new "big" pier in Saladan.

It still stopped at Koh Jum in both directions. Felt sorry for the locals in Koh Jum as only 1 or 2 got off there, the Koh Jum guys on the ferry said it was really quiet. Prices are a bargain though now, we keep meaning to go for a break over there.

I took a ferry Lanta-Phi-Phi-Phuket on 18 Dec. Booked from Princess Pier (cheaper than phuket-lanta as usual), it left from princess pier (eventually), but the connection at Phi-Phi was the old jump-over-to-the-phuket-ferry-we-do-your-bags style, that horrifies a lot of tourists, and confuses the ones already on the ferry that just left Phi-Phi. This last fery was PACKED. It got in earlier than last year, and the chick on the ferry sold bus tickets at an ok price (for phuket) to wherever you had to go (the guys at lanta princess told me to go with her as my man knows how much I hate dealing with phuket so asked them the best way).

I did get lucky last year with the Phuket airport connection when I took the minibus to Phuket Town in the morning, then a Swedish couple and I found a lovelly local guy by accident who drove us around the island and looked after our bags for the whole day in his lovelly clean, safe car, at a sensible speed, until we took our flights later that night. I wish I got his number, as will never happen again. Not for what he was asking - 200B total (we gave him a lot more). We think he had his dad/uncles car for the day.

Ao Nang ferries seemed to be more or less like last year, though perhaps not quite as many sunburnt drunken looking backpackers, but still way more than the others. No idea on times, can probably find out if you need them.

I am not sure if there are now 2 ferries running krabi-lanta, I hope so as will make it easier to get back, but not likely. Apparently there are more people on the island now than when I left (was so nice and quiet for december), but don't think it was like last year and cazy packed (for lanta).

They have made a concrete road that extends the old main road along the waterfront in Saladan to the new big ferry terminal so you can now walk straight into town. So if you want to avoid all the taxis and you stay in saladan or want to chill a bit first, you can walk in 2 minutes. Catfish has moved down this road too, so you can stop there and have a falafel on the way (1 min from ferry). To find this road, when you come off the ferry, walk past the hotel/taxi guys (unless your place has a pick-up: check the signs), then turn right just after the kiosk, before you get to where the tuk-tuks park by the old road. You can't miss it, it's shiny and white compared to every other road in Lanta, and is straight, so you can see right into Saladan.

FYI latest Lanta news: it had stopped raining on Lanta for a few weeks in Dec, but my boyfriend says its been raining again and is cold for him. We had been wearing long pants and jackets at night on the bike and in resturants/bars. The island also had a dengue outbreak while I was there - heaps of the locals getting it. Apart from that it was lovelly and not much changed. The Lanta tv station now broadcasts to Krabi, but is pretty much as was before. They played Star Wars one friday night, half the island got take-out and stayed in.

Sorry this post is so long, must be homesick and happy to write about the place I long to be.

Hope this is of some use, will let you know if I can find out how many ferries are going krabi-lanta now.

I was trained as a swimming instructor in Australia back in the 1990s, and have been swimming as long as I can remember.

In Australia as a kid in the 70s-80s there were mum and babies classes before my lessons, where the mums would get in the pool with the babies in their jumpsuits and the babies would just float around and sleep or gurgle while the mums chatted, gently and slightly holding onto the baby somehow (I used to think when I was young they only held on to them so they didn't drift off across the pool and get stuck in the filter).

When I did my instructor training (with AUSSWIM), a big component was teaching of children, and they taught us that:

Ages 0-7 for water familiarisation - getting children comfortable and relaxed in the water, playing games to encourage them to open their eyes and put their heads underwater, so that they can learn how to hold their breath as the big drive for swimming lessons of small children was to prevent drowning. Water play teaches them the skills to survive if they end up in the water while having fun.

Ages 7+ teaching of the technical motor skills to swim specific strokes.

The reason why technical lessons were not encouraged below the age of 7 (when I was in Aus) is that not all children developed the motor co-ordination required for technical swimming until "about7 years".

They stressed that many kids may be able to swim well before that (I know I was), but kids are kids, they don't need to swim like Michael Phelps or race, just to stay alive.

Putting a bunch of kids the same age (under 7) in a swimming class while their brains and bodies are still developng produces wildly different results with different children. If one child finds certain things more difficult, it can affect their confidence and self esteem etc.

I would assume the same childhood development theories would apply to many activities.

If you have a kid under 7 that seems to be lacking in swimming skill compared to kids their age or younger - don't be concerned. As long as they are still having fun and are safe in the water, its ok.

...its a shocking video so you might not want to see it.

When I first watched these videos I had mixed emotions about the intent of the cameraman. But then I realized the story has to be told. And although the cameraman is a retired doctor, there is likely little that he could have done beyond what was already being done. There were no tools at his disposal such as emergency oxygen, or even water to cool the skin of burn victims. You do see him attempting to take vital signs of an burned girl, but Thai EMT's arrive and actually tell him in Thai to get away. Read his postings on youtube and you can sense his anguish and desire he had to help...

..We all want to help. But in the panic it is difficult to know how. My hope is the terrible images the cameraman has captured will make some difference in fire safety not just in Thailand, but around the world. From what I've seen it is the only video of this tragedy so far.

...I commend the cameraman for being on the spot, as sad as this tragedy was. This video may be the only video of the disaster and can probably be used for evidence in the future.

.. If that was my friend on the floor Id be only too pleased to see she was at least still alive. I hope she recovers. The cameraman is doing a good job of documenting what happened although it is rather shaky it could be useful in the aftermath to see who did what when why etc...

My heart goes to all the people affected by this tragedy, an awful start to a new year.

The mentioned footage is probably invaluable, and now in the public domain.

It shows the Thai emergency response as being a lot better than I would have expected in downtown Bangkok on new years with who-knows-how-big traffic jams (posts indicate many places nearby also evacuated and crammed the streets). The footage also shows the dedication of the emergency workers, something not seen as often as it should be.

The fireman sprinting through the streets with the girl on his back to meet an ambulance before it has even arrived was particulalry moving, but also inspiring, as it shows his overpowering urge to get her help and save her life. I too hope she survived. I also hope the fireman is commended for such a response.

Good points yabaaaa. I first saw internet imagery like this when my friend was missing after the Bali thing. I was initally horrified but then grateful that such images were avialable to search. I spent a long time looking through them, as they were the only resource to find her during the waiting (I didn't know about forums then). I was hoping to find her standing by untouched/being treated. The not knowing/imagining was far worse than anything I saw. I was relieved for every person in an image I saw that wasn't bably hurt, as they gave me hope there could be one more - hopefully her.

After she was found I was with her when the police interviewed her and took copies of her photos from that and the following days. They explained they were looking for things and other people in the images could provide evidence to help solve what had happened.

I feel more confident in Thai emergency workers than I did before seeing this. I hope is that this footage (and others) will be used to help with investigations, promote fire safety, assist finding missing loved ones, and be used by emergency response management to commend thier personnel and to analyse their response with an aim to improvement. I hope the legacy of this awful event leads to a safer Thailand, and one better equipped for emergencies.

You should have tried Viang Yonok hotel at Chiang Saen Lake. 4 klms from the town. Rated #1 in Chiang Saen on Tripadvisor.com

I agree. Satyed there last May. We went for 4 days and stayed for 2 weeks. Loved it. My other half wants to go back again this year.

http://www.viangyonok.com/

Hi Michelle,

I think you might be able to get Vegimite in the food hall/market in the basement level of Paragon. You can get Coopers beer there (at certain hours).

It isn't quite Djs, but kind of similar.

Let me know when you do find it, as might be wanting some myself sometime.

Yes he loves the horses!! still scared to ride one but it is his favorite animal next to the birds of course!

The problem is half the fun of his birds is that they are prize winning and compete in fighting competitions, which actually just mean they have sing-offs! So while we would probably get a bird here it would not be the same.

The other problem is my husband never had big dreams, his dream is to live in his village with me in a new house that we built and of course his mom lives with us. He never wanted to leave Thailand.

He loves school, mostly the social aspect of it but he was so scared to go at first and had no confidence in himself and now 4 years later he is almost finished!

We spend a lot of time in Koh Lanta! MsSabai is right we should have a Southern meet up!

What is it with the horse thing? I guess if you don't grow up with them, they would seem far more interesting than cows or buffalo...

Aren't there birds that sing in Canada? Nightingales? (I am totally guessing as I grew up surrounded by raucous, non-musically enclined, squawking aussie parrots).

My man doesn't really have "big dreams", just wants to know how to "drive a horse".

The more I get to know him though, the more I scratch the surface and find out that he is interested in things that he never considered a possibility before, and that I can probably easily make a reality - if he would like it.

He is still getting used to this aspect of our relationship, and so am I, as it takes us both by surprise.

There is so much stuff he had "seen on tv or in a movie" that he has actually seen in person now, and probably a lot more to come.

The best things are often the smallest and simplest too.

The hotel we stayed in Singapore was non-smoking, so he would go downstairs for a smoke in the evening and sit at a table by the road and "watch the beautiful cars" go by - for ages. He had never seen so many of them, continuously passing by, he was enamoured.

It had never occurred to me what downtown Singapore traffic could look like to someone from small towns of a few boats, minivans, trucks and motorbikes - like an endless parade of the cars you usually only see in movies I guess.

So I guess, if we take our Thai guys somewhere totally removed, the goal is to try and chose (and make) some moments amongst what sounds like could be a struggle "back home", and remember to focus on the strength that will be added to your relationship if you can keep yourselves together in two totally different cultural environments.

Reckon we should plan a south west Thai Visa meet up! Our numbers seem to be growing! Going to be moving to Trang in May and if Meme isn't back by then I am not going to know a soul...

About the school issue Redfish. Mr Sabai also hated school however he is very keen to go back now. But it is because he wants to go to mechanic school and it is the only way to do it. I know a couple of years ago there would have been no way he would have done this. Is there any kind of a goal that would make Mr Redfish more keen on the idea of going? And I am with you on the needing english lessons. Mr Sabai can talk fine (too much I think sometimes!) but his reading and writing is seriously limited (he can read my name and I love you and that's it!). As I am in the UK at the moment I would love to be able to send him texts...

I agree, we so should meet up at some point. The boys would probably like it too - they can trade stories about their women trying to make them go to English school, and then maybe Mr Meme can inspire them to greatness.

Mine can read a bit, or even a lot if he's been practicing recently (memory a bit like a sieve when it comes to things out of the water). He is pretty good with dive terminology, and that is his incentive to learn English properly - career progression.

He has an email address now, but hasn't quite figured out the actual using the computer bit yet, so am still waiting for a successful email to arrive. Not much different from when my mum got an email address though, and she was a Senior English teacher (who still can't understand, read or send texts either).

Wow glibb, good on you for finding the positives. And all of you.

I doubt we would ever go to live in Australia, as when I met my thai man, I was in SE Asia, looking for a nice place to call home one day.

But if we did it, and it wasn't great (which I wouldn't expect it to be), I can at least see how it could be beneficial to us.

Thanks ladies!

Merry Christmas Nampeung!

Your Chritmas sounds lovelly.

I am not really in the real world - I am working aboard a ship offshore Nigeria, counting the days until I can go back to my island and my man in Thailand.

We just had a Christmas Eve dinner in the mess, which has been decorated to the max by the guys. The cooks put on a heap of food, non-alcoholic wine, grapes (yay!), chocolate, cakes and a heap of carved fruit displays, including watermelons with reindeer and santas face carved into them.

Everyone is trying to get hold of the phone to call home too.

We will have a kind of secret santa present thing tomorrow after lunch for Christmas Day.

And then there is the Karaoke going in the Little Manila dayroom.

I have been daydreaming about Christmas in Koh Lanta last year - after a day diving we had Christmas Eve dinner on the beach with the dive shop. Most people went to a dinner on a beach and a lot of the resturants and hotels set off fireworks. Went diving Christmas day, with leopard sharks, turtles and sea snakes at my favourite spot at Bida.

Would have loved to have been there this year too..

Happy New Year too

Thank-you so much ladies!

We have such an amazing group of solid women in this forum, thank-you for sharing your stories, advice and experiences.

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This would also be a good place to add other tips, websites etc. for those of you who have them.

Hi Meme,

If Mr Meme really loves his Thai birds, it is just as likely that he will find other types of birds in Canada that he likes, such as budgies, finches or parrots, or even another kind of animal.

My boyfriend, a diver, recently had to spend time out of the water due to an injury, and I discovered that he is just as much Dr. Doolittle on land as in the ocean, particularly when we visited the zoo and safari in Singapore while he was out of action - he could find all the animals: confounding and helping the other sightseers, and most would actually seem to come over to him: monkeys climbed out of trees and climbed on him, a kangoaroo even hopped over to where he was sitting and kissed him - twice. He also has a new found understanding of dogs and their behaviour since he started seeing me (a dog person), and though he won't touch them, he seems to like some of them now. Even cats at resturants seems to chill him out after a stressful and tiring day.

Perhaps a trip to the local zoo or place with birds, even a park where he can watch and feed the ducks and swans, would be helpful for Mr Meme during the settling in phase. Give him time to find out what he likes - let him play with your friends cat/rabbit/hamster (or whatever else in around in Canada), and see what happens.

I know that when me and my man are away form the beach, and even if he says he has had enough of diving and needs a break, he will spot any aquarium or the like with his eagle eyes (in shopping malls, resturants, ponds in hotels & parks - anything) and be as intrigued as ever with its contents. If we are in a big unfamiliar city, checking out some fish usually relaxes him quite noticeably, takes his mind out of the madness and best of all - makes him smile (I am sure he doesn't notice these effects at all).

You could also find out things that Mr Meme has always wanted to do or dreamed of doing, but were never really available to him before, and are in Canada - perhaps snow sports?

My boyfreind is convinced that if we ever go to Australia, horseriding is at the top of the list, as he really wants to sit on top of a big horse and learn how to "drive" the horse (like a warrior from one of those thai epic films or somthing). I am sure he will turn out to be a horse-whisperer. As yet we haven't managed to find any horseriding where we have been in SE Asia, so it is something to look forward to in Australia.

I was impressed to read that Mr Meme went back to school to study and can now read English up to year 2 level - I fully understand how hard that would have been and the effort required.

Congratulations to Mr Meme, and to you for supporting him with that.

I am still trying to get my guy to have to the confidence to go to English school when I am away (for the reading and writing - he speaks it fine), as since he left school so young he has an idea in his head that school is not for him.

I didn't realise you were in Trang either - I am currently back working overseas, but counting the days and pining for my man, Koh Lanta and the quiet clamness of that part of Thailand.

Enjoy every second of it while you can.

I found a salon I go to when in Bangkok for colour (red) and cut - but can't remember the name. I can give directions instead:

It is in the shopping mall opposite the Chateau de Bangkok, part of the to the Conrad(?) Hotel complex on Wireless Rd, where the Tops supermarket is. The salon is on the floor or 2 above the supermarket, take the back escalators by the supermarket (not the escalators near the main entrances by Hotel or Asia Books), and it is immediately in front of you as you come up the escalator.

I'm a diver and am good at trashing my hair and its colour. I would totally recomend them as I colour my hair red - which is hard to get to stick. Their colours are great and last well. I get full colour and cut, and usually a treatment too if they and I have time. They don't mind taking their time at all, and give you drinks and mags and have tv etc, but if you have to go they can be quick.

I have long hair that is usually totally wrecked when I get to Bangkok, and they don't care how dreadful I look - they say it is their job to make me beautiful, which somehow they manage to do (to my hair anyway). They can do manicures/pedicures while you're colour is cooking too.

I can't remember the price, but is similar to what I pay in Australia or less, and the result is just as good, if not better. They have product that is a bit pricey, but when I have bought some it worked wonders.

The staff are great, and they all seem to know their stuff, some of them seem to specialise in colours. Their opening hours seem a bit strange, but they have always managed to fit me in somehow if I just walk in (and I am never in BKK for more than a few days). Its one of those salons that a whole array of people from all kinds of places and ages can be seen. The mall has all the banks, post office and heaps of other stuff too - can get a lot done there if I have very little time (and energy) in BKK.

Hi ladies,

I have only just read this topic, and am sad to hear RueFang has gone back to Australia, but very glad she posted all of that wonderful information first. Meme and sbk - thankyou as well.

My bf is a diver, at present I meet up with him on lovely tropical islands with plenty of tourists in southern Thailand and Malaysia, but we frequent the not so touristy parts a lot. I am used to standing out like a giant white monster from years of that before we even met. It was a bit strange at first though, as being on small islands where everyone knows everyone and all they do, it was a bit more specific, but we all adjusted to it - I think they were probably more interested in the fact he had a girlfriend, what she looked like was secondary (like I say, small islands - not a lot happens).

He is from Yala/Pattani, and I have been curious about where he lives but not brave enough to visit as yet (have also been terrified of his mum as she did NOT approve of our relationship at first - don't mess with mamma or her bongsu... who knows what could happen to a girl in a "volatile region"...).

The posts by the women on this and other topics in ThaiVisa have helped me understand a lot, and I might just visit one day, as the more I read, the more the Thai South is demystified for me.

I have bought every book I ever seen on the Thai South (all 5 of them) in an effort to understand a bit more, but appart from the female journalist working for the Singapore newspaper a long time ago, they have virtually nothing about 'farang' women in the south.

This and the other forums I have seen you ladies post on have been so insightful.

My bf had warned me early on that I would be the only westerner if I ever went home with him, and that people may act strangely and say rude things etc. Its nice to know that I might not be the first western woman seen in the area after all, and that it is possible to even make friends there.

I have never posted before, the following by sbk cracked me up and was the clincher to do so:

Do not get me started on the unwillingness to deal with authority! Seems to be a Thai disability

My husband is exactly the same and often makes me call, regardless if its about the phone, the internet, immigration, whatever. Its like pulling teeth, getting him to deal with stuff, I swear to god. But, hearing you guys have the same problems (as well, other female friends have confessed the same) makes me feel better and realize it is epidemic

- you are definitely NOT alone.

How my man has obtained a passport, ID card and managed multiple border crossings a year for 10+ years before we met - I have no idea.

I work on a ship in the middle of the ocean, off the coast of Africa, as far away as I could possibly be from Thailand. I have had phone conversations that drove me crazy - where he wanted me to sort out a work permit/visa/who-knows-what "paperworks" in Hat Yai (where I have never been and do not speak the lingo) for him... I swear to god it nearly killed me before he finally realised I actually couldn't do anything...

...or should this bit be on the "How do Thai Men respond to Womens Emotions" thread... I don't want to get banned for beng off-topic on my first post.

I hope to read more from you wonderful women in the future.