samuibeachcomber

truth is the first casualty of war................lies are all around us,there is no truth anymore.What was that saying " believe nothing of what you hear and only half of what you see"....and thats the truth!

And of course then there are the jokers...............i prefer to keep things light hearted but its not always possible.It pays to have a thick skin and not take things too personal when attacked by another member.

child rape, paedophilia,abuse against women................its world wide.

I read somewhere that koh chang has the highest rainfall per year than anywhere else in thailand..........hope eveyone is ok.no electric,no internet and maybe supplies run short and no where to go but stay in the house.not much fun.

i saw some inflatable dolls down in lamai the other day.

To the OP...................Nice account of your thai family.Let me paint a completely opposite picture.Really a sad one.

I was very new to thailand,met a lady,after 2 years got married,after 2 years we separated.

During that 4 year period....FIL died of cancer age 66. stepmother hung herself,step daughter killed in a motorbike accident.One uncle shot and killed another uncle..

Checking out the prospective MIL is very important,cos she will be the mirror image of your g/f in years to come.Also important will be the FIL.important to have a good bonding with him.This of course is true all over the world not just thailand.

Well we cant go back to the days that were free of technologly(only tv. and landline phones).Only thing i would like to see is some kind of social etiquette program taught in schools in regards to smart phone usage when in the company of others.

For example,when dining out,it would be nice imo for all parties to switch off cell phones which would encourage conversation.

Its so easy to become cynical here in thailand To the OP..............enjoy the moment but watch your pocket/atm card/bank account etc. cos once you start giving money it can be hard to stop.

There are gems out there,not always easy to find.The age difference need not be a problem as long as you realise they are making a sacrifice in exchange for some security.The danger can really come if the said lady has a greedy mama and papa back home who will in time put pressure on her to loosen your purse strings.

I sincerely hope it works out,dont get too starry eyed though.

You old people sure are cranky.

cranky,grumpy..........it all comes as you get older,less tolerant etc etc and we all believe we become wiser,but its an illusion.enjoy your youth cos old age is just around the corner for us all.

In regards to getting on with other expats,is n't it just the same back home.You gravitate towards people that you find empathy with and they become your friends.Sometimes you find yourself talking with people that you would n't normally associate with back home but you do so because we are all expats living in a foreign land but they do not necessarily become your friends.

The basis for a happy life here is to fit in,enjoy the different culture and accept it for what it is,dont try and change anything,go with the flow and accept the smiles as happy ones,even if they are not,and if you speak good thai and hear the locals slagging us off,dont get too offended,its their problem not yours.

Cambodia maybe ok...............easier immigration laws and business laws.You should check out siem reap,phom phen,and sianookville.Business done in dollars.Lack of health care could be a problem but you are young.

So this topic is about higher school education,thai schools private schools schools abroad etc etc.

When children are young they should be "seen but not heard"

But when it comes to their views on schooling at a college uni level then they definitely need to be heard and their feelings,wants,desires taken into account,yes as parents we need to listen to them.

you want to get out yet thousands of latino's want to get in.........................does n't say much about where they come from!

Why so much bitterness exist in this world?

Some people have bad family experiences,its not all a bed of roses.count yourself lucky.

I dont know about deck chairs...but i just want to say i love lamai,the beach,the town,nice and clean,plenty of bars and restaurants.I f i was n't so happy where i live in bophut,i'd be down there like a shot!

This lose of face thing i agree is a big deal to thais,but only seems to work one way.............their way.It impeads the progress of society,and on an individual basis when two people have a disagreement "loss of face" gets in the way of solving a problem until one of them will totally lose it and explode violently,when the problem could have been solved by talking through it.

And another thing is thais are basically cowards,they are quite happy to kick the shit out one person when they are many.So to conclude,for me,"lose of face" is a contributing factor to the violence here.

And for westerners here it is very wise to stay away from arguing with thais,its a no win situation.Losing your cool here can get you killed or badly hurt.A smile and a wais will always win the day.

yes but overstayers overstay cos they dont want to leave thailand.

The problem is not the caning(imho)...............but in this case the severity off it.I dont have a problem with caning as a form of discipline,but it should not lead to bruises and cuts,so yes i think the teacher should be prosecuted.

yes nice to go away but even nicer to get back,home is where your heart is.

The times they are a changing.No one knows what will happen next."the price of peace is eternal vigilance"

Take care of your money..............remember cyprus!

I am wheelchair bound. In banphai where i live forget it. I have to stay at home. Wife will not take me into town because as she says ,Thai drivers dont care about wheelchairs. Footpaths impassable , have to go on the road, to dangerous !SO STAY HOME!

sorry to hear your plight,yes thailand is not wheel chair friendly.

strangebrew.........................strange post! If my translation is correct you are recommending to buy a condo in your name only?

And that of course makes just plain common sense particularly if money is short.

But there are others out there who have bucketloads of the stuff,and if out of a kind heart they want to buy their lady a condo in her name ....well why not!

cant see pavements any time soon.The problem is even if the central govt.allocated funds to the councils most of that money would be syphoned off as(tea money)

Near where i live money was allocated to re build a flood damaged road,only 3/4 ever got completed cos they ran out of money.Its the same all over thailand...................unfinished projects!

jesus ND...............you at a loose end today!

Not really SBC, I was driving long distance today and thought I would create a few threads as I travelled the long straight boring stretches. I've got my new IPad mounted on the steering wheel, seems to work alright too.

you're not travelling to the restaurant at the end of the universe are you?...........i hear its quite dangerous cos if you fall off you'll have a major tom experience.