SomSak64

Swift and right on target.

Thank you!

A quick Google search didn't give me a good translation of Bangkok's official name (Krungthep MahaNakorn AmornRatanakosindra etc...) Can anyone help please?

every night i telephone thai gf in bkk (pathumthani)

her apartments telephone cuts off every 10 minutes,

Excellent service! I will contact my phone company and ask for a similar deal. I cannot imagine a call that needs to last more than 10 minutes.

Are you referring to board games like Makrukh Thai (Thai chess) or the Thai version of checkers?

Thanks for all constructive replies!

It seems I have got a couple of good alternatives here.

Only one remark worries me - are flowers considered second rate birthday gifts in Thailand? Are they thought to be a cheap way out?

Here in Northern Farangland flowers are a somewhat extravagant luxury, and certainly appreciated by most girls. But I could understand if Thais don't appreciate them as flowers naturally are rather abundant in LOS.

Maybe something in gold would be a wiser investment? 3000baht in flowers last a week tops, while 6000bahts in gold last a lot longer - and I suppose I could have a friend pick something in Chinatown and deliver it for me.

My main concern is that I wouldn't like to spoil her - my GF is a smart and hard-working girl - but she still seems to have no understanding of money's worth or the concept of saving.

After all I consider marrying her in a not too distant future!

Any opinions?

I was hoping to make it back to BKK to my GFs birthday February the 27th. But now it seems obvious I will miss it by at least 1 month.

So I will have to send her something nice - maybe flowers.

Do anyone have experience with http://www.buythai.net/ or other similar firms?

I assume they are not a scam, but can I trust they do something sensible if my girlfriend is not at home (I could give them her cell phone number). Or would it be wiser to send the gift to her job (she is a waitress, and her boss seems very reasonable)?

Of course she expects me to remember her birthday but I would still prefer it to be a surprise.

Any advice appreciated.

Aha!

Now it makes a lot of sense. An Internet-search turned up this (among others): http://welcome-to.chiangmai-chiangrai.com/umb-fest.htm

A princess week-end in Chiang Mai it may indeed be!

Thanks for the advice.

Yes, I am sure my gf would like a princess weekend in Chiang Mai. And shopping she appreciates anywhere. She is however working 6 days a week, with only Mondays off, so it will have to wait a little until we have some days to spend together (generally she is working even in the national holidays).

But what is Baan Borsang, and is there any reason I would expect to find a parasol there rather than in some market or mall in Bangkok? Umbrellas I can find anywhere, but I would like something really nice in silk and beautiful details.

I am back in northern Farangland for the next month or so, but it would be nice if I could arrange something sent for her birthday on February 27th (I doubt I can make it back to then)

My girlfriend always worries about the sun, while I enjoy to get a little tan. So now I consider to buy a parasol (a sun-umbrella), but have two questions:

1) Would she accept it and use it, or is it totally unfashionable?

2) Where can I find a really nice one in Bangkok?

Any thoughts?

Thanks for the replies!

It seems that the language question now has been more than sufficiently answered for my needs.

As for the cultural part, I assume it will vary in different subcultures, the bargirl scene being one of the least attractive. But it still seems to me that Thais are a little less gullible than the average farang.

sbk,

Could you (or rather your Thai husband) please enlighten me, is chuea a combined verb and noun like in English or just one of the two?

Thanks for all helpful replies so far!

I am a bit disappointed by the translation attempts. I know that Thai in some areas may seem rather lacking in vocabulary, and that you sometimes may need more words to describe a concept than you do in English. But there certainly must be a word or an expression closer to 'trust' than 'jai dii'?

Any native Thai speakers out there?

It seems that white lies and hiding of uncomfortable facts are very accepted in Thai society. How does this impact Thais trust of each others?

For instance, would a Thai trust his girlfriend if she disappeared for a few days and told she had visited her family? Or lend money to a co-worker and expect to get it back at the agreed time? Or would he trust a doctor giving him colored pills, ensuring him that his illness is harmless?

Could someone please tell me what is the Thai word for 'trust'? And if a Thai is really intent to prove that he is honest, what would he do? Is there any equivalent to the Christian 'swearing on the Bible'?

Thanks for the replies!

This seems to summarise the replies:

1) A change of first name is not very unusual in Thailand

2) There are different reasons for a name change, none of them very worrying.

As for the discussion about trust, white lies and hiding of the truth, I believe it belongs in another thread. So I will open a new topic.

My GF is a very beautiful girl. She is also intelligent and hard-working. So much I know for sure. But none of the above are reasons to trust her.

I have only known her for a few months, and have so far no reason to trust her. Neither do I expect her to trust me yet (actually she is quite jealous for no reason).

I have more than once discovered that she has told me half truths or said nothing about things I ought to know. I realise that she may have done it because she feared I would misinterpret the truth, but still it makes me suspicious.

Trust is not given, it's earned.

Thanks for the replies so far.

Her original name was Prawpan (to my ears it sounded more like Peo-pan). I did some research and found that it is a not too uncommon name.

I would never post her full name (or other ID-details) on an internet message board, but might well consider to send it in a private email.

How can I tell if she has got Mrs or Ms on her ID-card? I cannot really read Thai script. But with some effort I can recognize most Thai letters.

She told me her first boyfriend died in a car accident, and that she ran away from her second, as he was 'no good man'. I believe he lived off her money, but I didn't get an impression that she was married to any of them. I know she sometimes is 'protecting me from the truth', but I have no reason to believe she has ever told me an outright lie.

Regards

SomSak64

Shortly before she met me, my girlfriend changed her first name. Should I try to find out why? When I asked her, she told me that her previous name was no good - it was an Isaan name, not popular in Bangkok - and farangs would always mispronounce it.

I somewhat doubt that explanation, and wonder how usual a change of forename is in Thailand? It seemed to cause her quite a bit of extra paperwork when she got her passport, but I really don't know what is normal Thai bureaucracy.

Any advice appreciated.