samuibeachcomber

The question is: What are you going to do?

Don't worry, they know already as they control both sides of the game.

"You cannot invade the mainland United States.

There would be a rifle behind every blade of grass."

- Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto

(Japanese Navy)

You know why he said that?

This goes for enemies from without & within

yes the right to bear arms in the USA would make a govt. move more difficult.............but easy way poison the water supply include in it a passive making drug...........would be easy.I do believe the USA will fall from within,not from an outside force.

I really dont think there will be any pensions being paid that will sustain anyones retirement,and i dont think inflation in the future will pay much of these accumulating govt. debts.and will there be enough people working and receiving inflationary wages to pay back(their taxes) the indebtedness of countries around the globe.

It would have been better to have allowed every business to go bankrupt and start again,and in the case of the banks the govt. could have just gauranteed depositers savings.

But i wonder if this whole global bailout is not just some scheme for govts. and big business to control our lives more.When local populations have no more savings they will be easier to control.

how come santander seem to be holding up compared to others?

Hi

Read every post with interest and relate to many sentinents. My thoughts in my usual ramdom order :-

I too am sorry for 'splurting on' about LOS all the time to my UK mates.

100% of the UK female friends thought I was on a 'sex mission' and understood nothing about Thai culture.(I wasn't BTW)

Most Thai's are tied down to debts just like westerners with mortgages. In the words of The Eagles "When you call it Paradise, you can kiss it goodbye."

'when we' 'When we'. In the UK I felt alone. After living here(Surin) 2 years, I have more friends than I made in the previous 48 years in the UK.

I too lived & worked in S.E. England. I changed occupations, never again worked in 'an Office' and left the office mentality behind.

When my dad died, I bought a motorbike and changed my circle of friends and 'got out and about' instyle!! what Im trying to say is big changes can be made locally too.

Like the Seaman said :- I had a month in LOS and it changed my life more than the many other beautiful countries I have visited.

Finally, remember if you expect to make no money in Thailand, you will not be disappointed, ENJOY

Chok Dee

:jerk:

Dave

yes,follow the heart,sometimes being practical or overly cautious,can spoil what could be a really great experienc/adventure.

the only problem i see with more vacant seats is that with only short notice they will cancel your flight,make you wait a couple of hours till fill another one.While this makes good business sense,it brings unreliability to the airlines name,and for those booking out of samui to connect with an international flight headaches to say the least.My g/f was booked on a 6am flight to BKK only to have it cancelled and had to wait for an 8am flight.She was due in BKK for a business meeting for 9am.On her return to samui tomorrow her booking was for a 5pm flight out of swampy,only to be told there now was no flight at 5pm,and she is now booked on a 9pm flight.........................is this a good service?I dont think so.

When flying out of Samui make sure you are booked on an almost sold out flight,not one nearly empty.

Why you don't put the lump sum in a fixed deposit account? Kasikorn is given 3.25 % last time I checked. Another possible is that you mix the necessary lump sum with your income, lets say 50/50. After you get a renewal of your Visa based on marriage you wait to transfer some money till the rates get better. You also saving on transfer fees.

If you still have a Visa or MasterCard from your UK bank, you can use them to pay your grocery bills, benzine and other things because the rates are better and you have one month extra time to pay them.

I'm not a Brit but I do understand your worries, because this can happens to all us who retire in Thailand.

keep strong

Do these kinds of accounts satisfy Thai immigration though, with regards to issuing the visas?

Some on here have said in the past that they DON'T qualify, and the person is refused an extension.

Pekoprod

I have always had the impression, but can't put my finger on where, that immigration only really understand Savings accounts and it is Savings that is specified in the list of requirements they need for extension. They don't specifically dismiss Term deposits in the lists but I have always made sure my accounts were Savings accounts. Previously they could only fathom bank books, but last time I renewed, they had finally understood that some Savings accounts don't have them and that statements and letters are credible proof. It is always best to be on the safe side, unless prior experience proves otherwise, even it means missing out on 3 months interest.

I have always understood that immigration want your money in a savings account to show you are using the money on a daily basis.After you receive the extension there's nothing to stop you transferring a portion to a fixed term if you want to.

wow. there are sure a lot of unhappy people on here.

i think that happiness comes from within, not from a geographical location.

you get back what you put out there.

2nd and 3rd points totally agree with.The topic is an interesting one,and has bought out a lot of good responses and not from IMO unhappy people.

The OP is no different from anyone else,his father recently passed away and he went on a trip to thailand that opened his eyes to a different way of life in a different environment,and he returned unsettled,questioning"what was he doing with his life".Now the question is "how to go about changing his life"and at the moment he is procrastinating on making a decision,hence his posting of the topic.Its difficult giving advise without knowing his financial status,career qualifacations etc.there is planning to be done.because of the procrastination the sub conscience is pushing for a change by saying it is now unhappy with the status quo,once a decision is made about what to do and how to do it he will begin to feel better and more happy.........................action of some kind is needed,the hardest thing is making that decision,the easiest thing but most destructive thing is to do nothing.

OriginalPoster

For someone who has never been in Thailand before and doesn't know the drill (which probably describes the vast majority of backpackers), it's going to be pretty hard to find the "real interesting places" if they aren't written up in internationally available publications. Maybe with enough time you could drift from village to village and eventual find the unpublicized gems, but that's not a practical option for most backpackers. To them the Lonely Planet seems to save them flot of rom a "trial and error".

maybe they should Google a while to inform themselves on the countries where they are going.

there are thousands of different website about interresting places on the Net.

But IMHO there are more interesting in the Backpackers scene than to realy explore the country.

what happened to good old way of "word of mouth"you land in thailand say,go to chang mai,stay at a cheap guesthouse frequented by other backpackers,and you'll soon know all the best places to go to and the best way to get there.

sorry to hear about your dad ukme,good luck with whatever you decide.

greatings bearo,glad to know someones getting a discount on samui,if your into the bar girls you should try there too,dont ask dont get.

No problem for me with backpackers, however often wonder why so many older backpackers(saw a few that look to be 55 or older) these days? I WONDER!!

Oh My God!!! 55 Years old !! And still travelling !!

I'll tell you a story, many years ago I was in a Gaijin house in Tokyo ( Farang cheap lodgings ), In walks this English guy who must have been 47 - 48, 95% of the people there were in their 20's and from various countries.

After a few looks and a quick touch of the dreadlocks from the resident Farangs ( Gaijins ), this guy began to talk, then he played Guitar, then he cooked an amazing meal for many people, then he blew peple away with his knowledge and charisma...... and then..........

He ended up sleeping with a Swedish girl that every young buck in that Gaijin house wanted but could never get, they even left Japan together to go to India.

,

Don't write the older guys off chaps, many have a wealth of experience, that money and a lonely planet book, cannot buy.

well said that man!

No problem for me with backpackers, however often wonder why so many older backpackers(saw a few that look to be 55 or older) these days? I WONDER!!

reliving their youth or maybe just carrying on the way they enjoy travelling.IMO its the best way to go and see places and meet interesting people.

Is this thread being wound down?If everyones had enough i would like to say i love it here too,but am only human and like to have a moan too from time to time.............but wild horses would n't drag me away.

most backpackers are just on extended holidays when after say 1 year they go back to their same lives in the west etc, and their backpacking holiday becomes just another boring tale and that holiday just becomes another credit card expense for their parents

i more interested in meeting people who just go for it and travel and work and see what life brings to the table rather than the mundane backpacker production line that is thailand australia and back home

i think the ones your interested in are a rare breed today.Back packers now are guided by lonely planet,cell phones,lap tops and the internet(a must have)using skype to phone home to mum and dad daily.there is no adventure for these types,its all been planned out long before they left home.

back packers just dont have a shoe in.......................money talks i hear you say.

Personally, I don't know why anyone would want to live in Asia permanently. Which brings me to ... backpacker or expat?

its a dog's life.

OP,

You don't mention your profession.

The downside of moving to Thailand is you have to be able to make money and apparently its hard. People on this forum brag and get angry when other people claim to make 120k baht a month. That's not very much money in the West. So... you either need to have some savings or you need to be able to work via the internet, as you can see the prospects of good expat careers in Thailand appear quite slim.

maybe find a thai girl to date in the UK?

thats a good idea but i think he hates the UK now.someone suggested save save save,work work work if still have a job and get the hel_l out of there and come to thailand..............could do a lot worse.

Per a reliable source, Centara (ex. Central Hotel Chaweng) last year same time was booked out (200+ rooms). Now they have 52 rooms only full. Their lost income is approx. 150 rooms @ 10,000++ night = 1,500,000 baht per DAY less than last year same period. That is 1.5 mill baht per DAY "lost"!?!?!?

They have 300+ staff! A horrendous loss vs last year!

others will tell you that samui is doing ok and that centara obviously are n't running their business very well..................but there's nothing like the plan truth,tourism is probably down 50% at the minimum and it will get worse.Huge resorts may still be being built,clubs,bars and restuarants being renovated but they better have a lot of cash to tidy themselves over in the meantime.

sure i buy into this scenario...........one world govt.massive unemployment,followed by famine followed by each nations population being controlled by the military to keep the people in check.

enjoy while you can...."your either with us or against us" sound familiar.if you want food and shelter you will have to join them(alex lah touched on this in another thread.

this link expects 2009 to be the year of a new age of rebellion with riots occuring throughout the world

http://www.infowars.com/?p=7273

like the article said people are becoming aware that something is radically wrong...........

OK guys we are about at 48 - I think this is the most clear message you can possibly get that you need local funds/assets - transfer in the good times - PKRV - Mind you I stick to my prediction!

you dont think the pound will go lower?

by having local funds,do you mean working here and having an income in thai baht?

by assets do you mean selling a property to get cash rather than transfer money over at a bad exchange rate.

In a perfect world we would all transfer when the rate is good and in our favour,but its not always possible.for example someone might consider 55baht to the pound very good in the current climate and transfer money over,only to find out next week its hit 65 baht.the vagaries of the exch. rate cannot always be fathomed.it can be a proverbial pain in the arse.

Thailand is no country for young (farang) men

(Unless they are tourists, drawn like moths to the neon flame.)

Thailand as a permanent or semi-permanent destination- for a retiree, sure, it makes some sense. For those under 50, it is tantamount to checking out of life.

i kind of agree,i am glad i did not stay here too long when i was young,because i would have wanted to stay,no doubt,but how to earn a living here for the next 30 years or so.Not easy.Far better to come when you've made some money and dont have to work.

I stay here because I have no choice! My new GF keeps me as a sex-slave! I am locked in her bedroom, handcuffed to her bed for 23 hours a day and forced to commit all types of kinky sex with her. At weekends she threatens me with even more sex unless I agree to a threesome with her sister.

I don't think I can last much longer, maybe just a few more years.

S.

nice sense of humour considering your predicament.

i think many people today stay at home longer perhaps because the generation gap between them and their parents is not so great,and parents allow adult sleepovers.So maybe they dont begin to travel till mid to late 20's.But if your still travelling in mid 30's and have n't anything to fall back on or anything to start a career,this can be quite late.To be unsettled in mid to late 30's to my way of thinking is a worry.

The best time for adventure is late teens to early 20's,everything is so new and an eye opener.I travelled for 10 years and at the end was ready for the next stage in my life,i really wanted a family.So by 30 i started a new life,and the travelling finished,and i was quite happy for this to happen

In conclusion,to overcome the travelling bug you need something to replace it with,whether it be a career/family.But its not easy to go back to your country of origin because if seen so many better places to live and better life styles.I left the UK at 20 and never went back.

the travel bug it is,the more you see the more you want to see.very normal.

OK, I propose a new game: Expat or backpacker?

First up:

pc, in your other photo you appear much slimmer - so I say expat.

nice pic.grab it while you can.