floridaguy

Yeah, I am interested also. I know there is a Spanish restaurant called Rioja on Sukhumvit next to the Intercontinental Hotel at Rajadamri, but I have never been in there. The closest I found is California Mex places, like Los Cobos in Asoke. But that is just the occasional salsa type music. No dancing.

Well, I have bought and installed it, it was about 3 times brighter than halogen, but guess what, the 1st ballast broke down after about 2 hours, and the second about 40 hours of usage. I emailed the seller, initially agreed to send me one, but until the second one broke down, still have not received replacement and emailed him several times but he chose to be MIA ( Missing In Action). I think the problem with these ballasts is they are tightly sealed with silicone to make them water resistent, but it gets too hot and blow up.

They are not so reliable after all, I think maybe the thicker ballast will last longer than the slim ballasts which I bought. This is my experience with hid xenon from this seller, what about others, have any to share?

I bought mine from DBigBike in Nakon Pathom. I have HID brights and halogen low beams. I had a problem in the first 2 weeks where they shorted out, the seal in the headlight allowed water in and shorted the circuits. DBigBike replaced the damaged parts for free, no labor charge either. Since then, June 2010, they have worked great. No overheating. I have the slim ballast. It is in a place on my Honda Steed where when it rains, the ballast gets wet. But I don't ride in the rain, so that shouldn't be a future problem.

I brought 3 desktop PCs here from the US. I never disassembled them. I just put each tower in a suitcase and packed alot of clothes around them. I never had an issue. Thai customs scanned one suitcase, but never said anything about them. One suitcase was scanned by US security going out, but again no issues.

OMG, please go, take videos and post everything. Can I borrow some money?

Thanks, so if you're not familiar with RingCentral, what would you recommend for making calls? Have you tried Skype with 3G or something, or should I just get a regular VoIP adapter?

I cannot get Skype to work over 3G. Even sitting next to the transmitter, literally in the 3G store of AIS, it wouldn't work. I use Cydia app that allows Skype over 3G, but it wouldn't work. You can get some thing from the US that expats here in Thailand seem to love. It is a VOIP adapter but I can't remember the name. But, Skype works great over wifi here on my iPhones 3 and 4. So you could do that. If you get a True SIM, you can get a package that has free wifi throughout Bangkok and the larger cities, such as Pattaya, Phuket, Chiang Mai. The signal is ok, so you could possibly try that.

There were problems with the original PS3 models that involved failure of the laser.

I had to get the laser in of mine replaced about a year ago. Does it play any other discs? Movies? mp3?

I'll try and find the name/address of the place I took it to. It's in Bangkok, as that is where I live.

It won't play anything now, or maybe I didn't know that it won't play the demo's that he has saved on the HDD. I popped in a movie and it won't play. It just doesn't recognize the discs, they don't even show as loaded. I live in Bangkok as well, so any place here in town would be great. Thanks.

You can go to the Major Cinema wesite and book online with your credit card. You can even choose which seat you want. All Major Cinemas take credit cards in person as well.

Go to the fourth floor of MBK as lemsip said, there is a shop all the way in the back in the section that sells cell phones. They have many different units and mounts and such.

I assume you want a one off custom big bike, like a chopper? There are several of those in Pattaya and Bangkok. I went to one on Thap Phraya (?) in Pattaya and talked to the owner of the shop. He had many really nice customs. I asked how much to get a one off custom done. He told me it would be about 300,000-500,000 baht on top of the price of the bike itself, depending on what I wanted done. And it would take a couple of weeks. There is Thor Kustom Chops in Bangkok, many examples on the website.

Where there's a will there's a way is the key phrase from the original post.

It is quite possible to settle here in your 30s or 40s but you might need to be a little creative when it comes to earning a decent living.

Contrary to what GreenSnapper said there are plenty of well educated, English speaking women if that is a concern. I certainly wouldn't move to Singapore instead, what a dull place to live.

Having said that, I don't think anybody should move to a foreign country with the expectation that the natives should all speak English - rather an ignorant attitude.

Completely agree. If you live in a country, why would you expect everyone to conform to you? Should millions conform to one? No matter where you live, learn the language, and be thankful when you find someone who can speak your native language.

If you live in Bangkok, there are literally millions of people who speak English. If you live in the countryside, then you better learn Thai.

Millions of people speak English in BKK? Amazing!

I moved to Thailand at 39. Didn't work for the first 6+ years. 46 now and a director of a Thai company (not based in BKK

So yes, there are some 30's-40's foreigners in Thailand

I didn't say fluently, but certainly enough for an English only speaker to function on a daily basis. I couldn't tell you how many foreigners here claim to speak Thai, only to have a 100 word vocabulary. Do they speak Thai? Yes. Fluently? No.

You are a 50 or 60 year old policeman looking for work in Thailand? Not a hope.

On second thoughts, maybe you could do some detective work for Stickman.

The OP clearly states he is 30 not 50 or 60.

Must be nice to retire before your career begins. lol

The OP has 30 years experience as a detective, his age is not mentioned.

Does age make that much difference in Thailand?

If you are curious, I just turned 58.

As I mentioned, I have a great pension. $5600 a month till the day I die and $700,000 in Drop and 457b (401k like).

I do not have to work. I am just looking for something to do to make myself useful.

Yes age makes a difference here in Thailand. It is both legal to ask and legal to deny employment based on age. Most job offers specify an age range. In the US, I could never ask the questions that I can ask here during an interview. You will find that your age will limit your prospects, as some will feel that you are too old for any type of work involving physical prowess. I do not know if working would cause you to lose your retirement, but with your background, you could do some investigations and volunteer work, but your lack of ability with the Thai language (I am assuming you can't read or write or speak Thai) will certainly hamper your ability to find paid work. You could try security consulting, with Thai or international companies.

my guess is it was poi pet

it is a scam

they can find the space if they want to

they got me once

very hard to fight it

be prepared

If a full page is not free it is NOT a scam.

If you pay they can put it over other stamps or use one of the non-valid pages (first and last in the PP) and look over the fact that it isn't a valid position...be happy they accept it and his wife didn't get stranded in Cambodia for 3-4 weeks...

in both cases, mine and the op's

they DID manage to find the space

because they were motivated to do so

by money

in my case there was clearly more than one blank page at the end of the pp but it did not say VISA on it as it did on the other previous pages, like it really mattered

they didn't like me because at the time i was giving them 20 bucks as the sign said above the window and not the 1000 baht they extort from the innocent backpackers

yes it was a scam no doubt from my point of view

especially conveyed by their completely selfish attitudes

this was years ago at poi pet

they were notorious a@@h@@@@ and everyone knew it

perhaps things have changed

i certainly hope so

It is NOT a scam since YOUR WIFE was in the wrong, trying to get a VISA/stamp into a page that lacks the proper 'credentials'.

Don't confuse their willingness to take a bribe and break the rules with a scam. A scam would be to claim that they couldn't use a valid page. This is clearly not the case here.

If her passport was left into en embassy in Europe it would just have been declined - so where does the scam come in?

I love this statement. I couldn't agree more. Too many westerners are way to quick to scream SCAM. This goes for so many things besides passports. I mean traffic tickets, visas, etc. If it is a legitimate law or rule that YOU need violated, then pay the bribe and be happy that you are not in your own country, where it would be outright refused. I would love to see the look on your face if you were trying to enter the US or Canada or the UK and offered a bribe to be allowed in illegally, and you were thrown in jail. The same goes for bribing a cop because you didn't have a helmet on, or ran a red light, etc. Be happy we have the option of paying a bribe for our indiscretions.

Where there's a will there's a way is the key phrase from the original post.

It is quite possible to settle here in your 30s or 40s but you might need to be a little creative when it comes to earning a decent living.

Contrary to what GreenSnapper said there are plenty of well educated, English speaking women if that is a concern. I certainly wouldn't move to Singapore instead, what a dull place to live.

Having said that, I don't think anybody should move to a foreign country with the expectation that the natives should all speak English - rather an ignorant attitude.

Completely agree. If you live in a country, why would you expect everyone to conform to you? Should millions conform to one? No matter where you live, learn the language, and be thankful when you find someone who can speak your native language.

If you live in Bangkok, there are literally millions of people who speak English. If you live in the countryside, then you better learn Thai.

(It seems I can't edit my post!)

During that time I have had it regularly serviced at 4,000 and sometimes 2,000 km points,replaced the speedo cable at 8,400, new IRC tyres front and rear at 15,000, new battery at 16,200 (it was the original and nearly 5 years old, the chain and front and rear sprockets at 22,000, cam chain tensioner at 23,xxx, front and rear brake pads at 25,000 and bulbs as and when required.

May I clarify with you the procedures for your servicing - would it be oil changes or does it involve inspection of the internal workings, such as valve clearance checks, cam chain tensioner, etc?

Thanks!

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Read your earlier post - will make some corrections to the wiki now I will also post the gear ratios on the wiki, from the Phantom manual.

I'm pretty sure we're using a 520 link chain so some theoretical gearing work could be done at www.gearingcommander.com

As far as I can remember the guys down at the Honda shop follow the service manual but if I take it in for a between service oil change that is mostly what they do.

I get the chain oiled every so often (usually when I remember) and that costs about $1 US and during the regular services every 4,000 km they will clean the plus, change the oil and air filter, check the valve clearances, adjust the chain tension but not the cam chain tensioner but they never give the bike a wash mores the pity.

Overall I get a good level of service from the guys and girls at the shop which is more than reasonable as only one person can speak some English there.

I have been trying for months now to get hold of the parts manual so that I can scan it onto my PC but they won't let it out and even Honda Thailand won't sell me a copy.

I have an english version of the manual if you want it. just pm me

what does this have to do with Thailand?

can't you get more pages at the embassy?

Hi all, my son brought his PS3 from the US here to Thailand and it will not load any games. These are official DVD and Blueray games that worked just fine in the US, but when he got here, they won't even show up on the screen when he loads them into the machine. This is an unmodified PS3, and it is the original model, I bought it when it first came onto the market. It will play the demos that he has saved on the HDD, but no games. He updated to the most recent version online here.

Is there a setting somewhere I am missing? I have the time zone set to Bangkok. Is it the TV? I use an HDMI cable, output is 1080P. The screen looks normal as before.

What am I missing? Thanks for any help.

I know a few people here in Thailand under 50, most off them are offhore workers.

FD

There are lots of us here. Most of us have families and real jobs. I have come across the odd English teacher who is still below retirement age, but nearly everyone I know who is under 50 are normal people and they have some kind of a managerial position or position of responsibility with a Thai or multinational company.

Personally I'd like to see more younger expats over here. Nothing against the retirees, but I simply can't relate to most of them. My concerns are about job security, raising my children, and preparing for hard times that I know are coming in a decade or two. It is hard for me to relate to someone whose main concern is where they are going to eat lunch tomorrow, which hospital has the best prostate cancer program, how many languages their gardener speaks and no concern for the longer term global outlook.

If you really want to live in Thailand, the only option right now is to get to Thailand today, get a job, and get permanent residency. The economy of the West is crumbling. If you are in your 30's or 40's today, there is almost zero probability that you will have a retirement pension of 60,000 baht per month in a few decades. The era where that was practical is winding down quickly. The West is on a trajectory to ruin.

Your best bet is to make 80k per month domestically so you can qualify for PR in a few years. Then you'll be ready without the concern of being expelled from the country for insufficient funds when you reach the age of retirement.

You will have to give up some aspects of Western culture if you want to live here. It is too expensive to do otherwise. It's a trade off each one of us has to make for himself.

GregB, you hit a sore spot with me. I love living in Thailand, but I also have a hard time relating to the retirees. I work for an international company, and I brought my 2 kids here recently, who were born and raised in the US. My concerns are for them, then me, for the future and for now. I worry about college for them, and (oddly) retirement for me. I can't drink beer at 9am until 2pm, take a nap, then drink some more, day in day out. I have a job and have to work.

Nothing against the retirees at all, they put their time in, worked hard to live in peace and are lucky enough to be able to live here in Thailand. But, often times I need to hang out with someone close to my own age, with similar concerns and interests, and with similar lifestyles. My brother is retired and living here in Thailand, out in a small farming community near Kanchanaburi. He is only 47. I will tell you, he is starved for excitement or just living. He calls me and rambles for an hour. He begs me to visit and when I do, he seems to tell me the same stories I have heard a hundred times. I am in the process of opening up a small restaurant/bar for him to run, just to keep him sane, and to keep him busy.

To the OP, if you do come here at this age, try to find something to do other than chasing the next skirt and the next beer. It will be great for a couple of years, but then it gets a little old. I don't even hear the calls of "handsome man" and "where you go?" anymore. Find a hobby, find a business to run, get a job, find something to get you up in the morning, keep your mind working. Otherwise, you may find yourself 40 and bored and looking for the next thing to amuse you.

I live permanently in Thailand, and am 38 years old. I love it, and have no immediate plans to return to the US. I can barely comprehend the idea of snow anymore. When I speak to someone back in the US and they mention the cold, I can't resist rubbing in their face that it is as hot now as their summer is.

Anyway, I say, do it. You will never regret it. I have loved every minute of being here. There are small frustrations, but no different than in the US, just of a different nature. The good far outweighs the bad.

I don't think all the mods on my bikes apply to what you want. But any info on them you need I can provide.

there is a motor service here in Thailand that give discounts to TV members that covers flat tires. They will dispatch a mechanic to you or pick your bike up and take it to a service center. I can't remember, and I couldn't find it in a search. Perhaps someone with a better memory than mine can help.

don't know about the iPad version of Powerpoint, but the Windows version has an area at the bottom of every slide that you can write notes to yourself. They don't appear on the slides, only below the slides as you are viewing them in windowed version, not full screen. They print also when you print the slides, but you can leave them out also.

I don't know the answers, but I would think these things should be specifically spelled out in your company documents to avoid legal battles in case these things happen.

For future reference, Gadget Trend in Bangkok has Ram Mounts, top quality. Not cheap though. I have just bought one for my iPhone 4 and mounted it on my motorcycle. Works great. They have many kinds.