onni4me

Well, I have been here a decade or more and I know exactly one Western lady that used to be with a Thai man. It ended miserably him gambling her money and mutual home. She did not find him from bar. After that she left to her home country.

I suppose if there are successful, good-looking, educated Thai men, they will be very sought after by Thai females. This is pretty male dominated culture, anyway.

Other things come to mind like if the Thai is not very good in languages (or the lady in Thai) so how they can share feelings and thoughts? I mean, to ladies these more than to most men, I guess.

And then there is the SIZE issue. Asian men are usually smaller and Western ladies quite big. Whatever ladies say that size doesn't matter, I don't believe it.

I believe that Thailand is paradise to a Thai male that has things going for him. Why would he look for elsewhere? Thai ladies on the other hand have several issues like when the first guy dumps them, they very likely are damaged goods in the eyes of Thai men. Western guys don't usually think like that.

Just my thoughts.

I find his T-shirt intriguing...the symbol of Hope, an anchor...subconscious or not, makes me wonder...

And yesterday I remember someone saying that any suspicion of things happened were pure speculation and all who questioned things were just wannabe private dicks...

I had my suspicions:

1. Rushed to house...no Thai rushes to anything.

2. 9 mm handgun still in hand after shooting oneself in the head, very unlikely.

3. Something in the reporting just smelled fishy. Either it was the normal 'quality reporting' or facts were not in logical order. Sometimes perpetrators just talk too much and give reason to suspect them.

Sad and sordid ordeal, indeed. Here's what I had to say yesterday:

And this was one comment. I find speculation interesting and reading some of this so called journalism, it is the only way to get ones head around things. News are sometimes so full of nonsensical conflicting stories.

I'm sure the amateur TV detectives will rip this case apart, put it back in some kind of made up order and come out with a totally different conclusion. I look forward to watching some of the finest legal minds in action.

Yep, and we were rightfully suspicious.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/709763-boy-16-kills-parents-then-himself-in-pathum-thani/

What makes me also wonder...9 mm hand guns are pretty difficult to handle and the chance that it would still be in your hand after putting a bullet through your own skull are pretty limited...just saying, of course. The BIB will surely investigate...or maybe not..

I was once at an agricultural affair and sat down to a little place to drink and eat something.

The spot where I sat had a direct view over to toilet area (which was pretty clean and well-organized, not always so) and I witnessed about 50 to a 100 people going to relieve themselves and not ONE washed their hands in the sink outside. I had been inside earlier and there was no place to wash hands inside.

And a cherry on top was our little food shops waiter/cook who went to toilet and guess what? Yep, you guessed it.

Some studies suggest that 90% of all infections could be avoided if people just would wash their hands...it has been a struggle to teach my folks to wash before preparing food and eating. They used to rush to the sticky rice pot when returning home but now they wash hands before. Talk about teaching basics.

Well, if I were in your shoes I would purchase couple studio flats or maybe 2-room ones. You know your country and the rental level. Good location and small size flats are always sought after.

Nowadays situation IMHO does not make stock market attractive. Virtual currency pumped into it is a bubble waiting to burst. Rental property is more permanent and if you can't manage it yourself, hire a company to look after.

This way money coming to your account every month and a related credit card to make purchases or withdrawals. If you are not a seasoned investor, don't start now.

criticised his lower academic performance and feminine gestures

I have personally known few gay Thais that confessed being very insecure in their youth and getting into fist fights when someone called them 'Kratoye'. This to say that someone been psychologically mobbed can make him crack. I somehow see the "love" of some Thai parents rather questionable. There was even some sort of revamping camps for young people suspected of being gay somewhere in Chiang Mai if my memory serves me right.

Insecure about ones sexuality and/or peoples acceptance can cause severe damage. We should always remember that our children are not ours. We don't own them. We should love and support them what ever they are or will become.

In the afternoon, he rang home but no one answered the call, which was he felt was suspicious, so he rushed home.

Not that I know the truth about this sordid affair but I have had numerous occasions when members of my family have not picked up their phones. And certainly never ever RUSHED to do anything.

To me either the article is badly written or something smells fishy. It makes no sense to me knowing Thais. On the other hand, how they perceive the world through their soap opera TV series might explain a lot of things. In this case, unfortunately, nobody is resurrected for the next weeks episode.

RIP

I personally would like to know a few things:

1. Who says the watch is fake? Authorized dealer?

2. It is real easy to buy a real watch, change it to a copy, walk with a copy of vendors ID to a copper and claim that I was sold a copy. I am not 100% happy what is told here. Even I had the brain to go to a Rolex store with the seller to check it first. No show, no deal.

3. We have only the Thai guys side of the story and yet most are jumping to coclusions. Where did you get your private detective training?

Hub of fertility?

I suppose it is...since 1950's about 12 million population it has grown to about 65 million...talk about rabbits...

Hubbaa hubbaa hubbaa...haa haa haa...hubbaa hubbaa...haa haa haa...sing with the same tune as Harry Belafonte:

I forgot to mention that the root of all evil are things like derivatives and CDS's. They are not controlled by anyone. Bankers did the control away during the Alain Greenspan period suggesting that free market was the best way to go ahead.

This free market unleashed is just becoming more and more unstable and when the reality hits these same bankers are calling for taxpayer money to save them.

As free as it gets, I suppose. Winnings are private and losses belong to all of us.

This virtual debt can be paid in only so many ways. Tax hikes are very unpopular. Deflating the value of money is more indirect but puts up all prices eventually. Third and probably least popular is cutting salaries and benefits.

The problem with virtual asset bubble now is that it is far more than all the existing 'real money' in this world of ours. All derivatives and CDS's only make it hundred times worse. We will finally see inflation eating up all worth of our savings and prices - if not going up strongly - becoming more and more expensive to purchase (taking many years more to achieve).

The system is at fault and at the moment money flows to stocks since there are very few other assets making better returns. In my view we will see a burst like 1929. Even then it took couple of years to really hit the consumers.

Gloomy days are ahead and I suppose we will see the symptoms towards the end of this year. Only thing what one can do is buy real assets like land and houses. I wouldn't put my money at the stock market now.

Interesting bunch of responses. Actually, there's a correlation between military 'boot camp' and Thai-style Buddhist retreats. The idea being; badger the novice 'seeker' with sleep-deprivation and privations, while hammering away at whatever preconceived notions of character that person had when entering the premises. When the novice is sufficiently sleep-deprived and uncomfortable, then re-mold that person in the image of soldier or monk - whatever the drill sergeant or head monk deems appropriate.

Yes, this is how it functions in principal. Like in many monasteries the schedule of prayer and other activities is so tight that one can not have any time of his own to think or form his own opinions. Sort of group mentality and sometimes leading towards group psychosis. No questioning the practices or leadership.

Many religious fanatic groups have developed all kind of silly and crazy rites that have to be repeated and repeated forever and ever. I personally think that Buddha had different ideas about his philosophy been practiced or executed. I believe he encouraged people to think on their own - which is for religious power-hungry leaders a red cloth. I think that if there is more egoistic and self-righteous group than so called religious leaders, I still haven't met them.

The main point was not the etymology of ancient languages, but the fact that reading about meditation is like reading sex manuals or cookbooks, you have to do it to really become proficient.

I was not referring to meditation - not to sex or cookbooks. The word I used was Buddhism and it is philosophy by it's nature. How to live a good life. Same as i consider The Bible. It has it's merits but reading it like you will become the Jesus himself will only make one crazy.

Buddha himself wanted no worship or statues made of him. He said that anyone should not do what he did but instead find their own way to enlightenment. And this was exact my point, no need to make ridiculous practices in the middle of the nocturnal hours. No need to make ones life uncomfortable. The sleep deprivation and other things like doing things in groups are making people more susceptible to all kind of nonsense. Adolf Hitler used this mass psychosis in his speeches. Lots of people in the late evening can accept more easily what a person says rather than talking to them privately.

I have my own methods of meditation, I dream and I solve my own problems accordingly. I don't believe in BS from any religious people. As seen in LOS, they tend to fill their pockets first and worry about Lord Buddha later. One very popular monk in television has set a price for a handshake...namely 5 million Baht. Drives a merc and lives in luxury and you say that one should maybe give up some comforts when seeking the true light... As long as there are such people, I will not believe anything they say.

What comes to this topic, I believe that a good way for hosts is to prepare to accommodate their visitors in a way that they are customed to. Just being polite and giving them a nice start while adjusting to new environment. I believe that backpackers are young and naive lot mostly and while they seem to 'like' to sleep on concrete floors, I definately won't.

And I'm sure you're smart enough to realize given your fragile health that you wouldn't book and prepay for a "roughing it" experience from the other side of the world.

Why would anyone? except of course those who like to talk and brag about it later to their friends and anyone who wants to listen about "roughing it"? My health is not fragile, my back is.

The OP was talking about backpacker types those looking for "authentic native" and "adventure" style travel experiences rather than the usual comfort-oriented tourist accommodation.

I see that as a delusional way to find anything of value. Buddhism is a philosophy, not some sort of self-torture. Read a book and travel deeper, don't just cover an area without no depth or knowledge.

Rather than expecting deluxe conditions as standard in third-world conditions.

Deluxe is hardly a comfortable bed without bedbugs or pests or mosquitoes?

Plus just the act of spending time and energy worrying about dangers that are statistically very unlikely is in itself very unhealthy, not just on our peace of mind but sometimes actually causing illness - germophobia and hypochondria are serious conditions and very prevalent.

How about me getting sick of dengue fewer? That was quite many years ago and certainly nothing to do with germophobia and hypochondria. It maybe statistically very unlikely but when it hits you I can guarantee you don't want to become that statistics.

There are meditation circles and other trendy things for those that don't actually or cannot actually deal with what life is truly like.

As for complaints about food at homestays, they should be traveling. I am certain that the family gave their best and if that isn't good enough then those people complaining should just go eat some fast food crap.

I personally am not impressed with bed bugs or mosquitoes or whatever pests there are. I have been exposed to this kind of thing once at Samed island resort and once in some 'national park' between Lampang and Chiang Mai. Samed I couldn't sleep due to bed bugs and at the hill resort I thought that I would be sucked bloodless by those huge mossies.

Both experiences really didn't make me feel that I like to spend any time in such places. When confronting the staff at the resort they just smirked and didn't seem to care less so I naturally left them with their bugs. The nature resort had a big sign that some poor German (?) engineer had died there due to malaria a century ago building the railway tunnel through the mountain/hills. I was not convinced that malaria was not present, though.

This topic is more about temple stays and home stays but as i am getting older and suffered a painstaking car crash a decade ago, I would not tempt my faith trying to sleep on hard floor or willingly make my broken back suffer more than necessary. Just a couple hours drive by car is enough to make me unable to jump out of the vehicle. I dare to think what an uncomfortable sleep on concrete floor would do to me. I reckon I wouldn't be interested or able to receive enlightenment that way.

I find it curious that every topic gets comments that say to take whatever comes and suffering makes us stronger. I very much doubt that a diarrhea, vomiting, aching back or malaria or dengue fewer would make anyone more open to any culture.

I have lots of experience showing that some Thais really don't care how a customer or guest feels like and some that have been very good hosts.

When it comes to Buddhism, I have no reason try to become Buddhist. When Dalai Lama was asked how an European Christian could become Buddhist, he answered that the best thing one could do is to stay as an European Christian since becoming a true Buddhist requires a person to be born as one.

My thoughts exactly.

It does not make much difference regarding overstay but getting a valid visa does. Gay relationship is not recognized in Thailand so I could be in registered relationship with my Thai partner and that would not make any difference here in LOS.

Also, I am not yet old enough to get retirement visa and since I can not "marry" here I am sometimes pissed off with all the hassle getting a visa. But of course there are masochists who enjoy dealing with Thai Immigration. Good on them.

I personally see myself moving out in few years. More than a decade in this country and I see it progressing nowhere. Almost could say it is going backwards...

I was confused there also...

1) It makes zero difference regarding overstay not "not much difference".

2) You say that you "could" be in registered relationship with your partner which leads me to believe that you ARE NOT in one currently? Which makes your entire argument nothing but whinging. IF Thailand changes the rules tomorrow on gay relationships nothing changes for you in regard to applying for your visa. But now instead of being "pissed off" with all the hassle getting a visa you can be "pissed off" for not being "married".

3) BTW I'm not gay bashing.....and I'm not against gay marriage.....I believe the gays have every right to be as miserable as the rest of us!

1. What if in case you are not given a renewed 'tourist' visa and forced to do all kind of traveling that you can't afford? What I am saying that heterosexual couples have marriage visa as an option, I don't so it complicates my situation. As I said previously, I had an occasion that I was unable to do the visa run due to family reasons. If one has a Thai family why he still has to do all these runs? I have done them and am tired of seeing Vientiane or some godforsaken miserable immigration office in the end of a dirt road.

2. I did not include my relationship status. I might be or not, at the moment one can be in registered relationship recognized in another country but at the same time not recognized here. I think you are whinging here. If Thailand passes such a law I would be more than happy. It would help me on so many levels.

3. I am not miserable as you seem to suggest married or "married" couples are. I have been with the same guy over 8 years. It has been rocky sometimes but generally very good and included some of the happiest moments of my life.

I hope it doesn't mean they will fix all seats to Asian sizes...I am about double what an average Thai is in size.

Hmm...

And since I belong to gay minority I have to jump even more hula hoops than regular married guy.

I apologize for drifting slightly off-topic for a second, but could you explain what difference being gay makes to an overstay situation? Why would you even mention that?

Seriously confused...............

It does not make much difference regarding overstay but getting a valid visa does. Gay relationship is not recognized in Thailand so I could be in registered relationship with my Thai partner and that would not make any difference here in LOS.

Also, I am not yet old enough to get retirement visa and since I can not "marry" here I am sometimes pissed off with all the hassle getting a visa. But of course there are masochists who enjoy dealing with Thai Immigration. Good on them.

I personally see myself moving out in few years. More than a decade in this country and I see it progressing nowhere. Almost could say it is going backwards...

I had this unfortunate event few years ago. Due to ill health combined with some cash problems I was just unable to process my papers at the time and since it went so far, I just decided to wait until I had to leave the country anyway.

During that time I was anxious to say the least and sometimes woke up worrying about the matter.

In my opinion not worth the stress but I do understand people since the laws and jumping through all kind of hurdles is quite painstaking at the times. No more leniency even one is married or whatever if not old enough to qualify for retirement visa. Visa arrangements don't care about your unlucky financial situation, whether your child is sick or not or whether mother in law just fell sick having a heart attack.

And since I belong to gay minority I have to jump even more hula hoops than regular married guy. To some here it seems no concern that we actually have real lives that sometimes collide with these rather stupid rules. And to those who say that it is Thailand and we are only guests, I ask how many years and how big investments (emotionally and financially) have to be before we qualify at least to have permanent residency? Just asking because the 'if you don't like it, leave' brigade will invade soon.

thanks to caution among lenders and borrowers, and households’ disciplined spending.

I got this far without having to laugh.

I have witnessed unusually quiet New Year, Chinese New Year and generally people seem to have no money to spend. Good example is a housing estate I visit regularly. Couple of years ago people seemed to enjoy a little barbecue outside their houses after sunset with couple of beers or whatever. Now everybody stay inside their houses and don't seem to do anything for fun.

Wednesday visited Udon Thani and went to UdTown to eat something. Quite many people but very few eating anything except Som Tam. No plastic bags seen after purchases and a Japanese styled buffet we attended had more waiters and waitresses than customers. Okay, it was not weekend but still I feel they were not doing great.

I have my suspicions about sustainability of Thai economy. I see teachers and people with 'reasonable' incomes buying cars etc. and still when they would like to have somewhere to stay they are looking the cheapest option in a form of a shack or something in case they need to rent a place close to work. Their comfortable price level is very low, around 1000-1500 Baht. Here in Esaan one can find something even with that money but I guarantee there is no hot water or air-con.

What I mean that I see - or am believing I am seeing - some evidence of overspending and debt. It is really as the adage goes in my old country. Cars go out to town, shacks don't.

Well, he had his Robinson and she had her Friday...

I have found some Thais getting totally lost knowing where they are and a map given to them. After that all bets are off...once I was traveling with a lady in her car and I was trying to give advice which ramp to go (this was in Bangkok) but she refused to listen to me since I am Farang and can't understand...then she asked a taxi driver to drive in front of us to the hotel where we were going and surprise it was where I told it to be (driven in BKK quite often and normally found my way).

How this applies to this case? Well, I suppose there might have been few signs there and here showing wrong direction and after that no signs and no path to follow and just simply lost in the forest (I believe it not to be a huge jungle).

Inefficiency and no proper marking of routes does not surprise me. This couple was probably more used to German use of logic and leisurely walks in something that I would not call wilderness.

So that this could be put to perspective:

About 80% of HIV transmission in Thailand is heterosexual, as compared to about 10% in the USA and some other western countries.

http://www.thailandguru.com/hiv-aids-thailand.html

The HIV/Aids infection rate is rising in Thailand, with 9,470 new cases a year being reported, 80% from unsafe sex.

About 62% of the 464,414 people known to be infected with the virus in the country are men, according to the Ministry of Health.

We now have one of the highest rates of teenage pregnancies in the world. We used to have one of the lowest.

Young Thais don't realise how easy it is to become infected with HIV. They allow their erections to rule their lives rather than their brains.

So that leaves about 38% of HIV positive people being female. Are they all Lesbians, perhaps? And as it seems, no foreigners are much involved getting Thai teenagers pregnant.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/learning/learning-from-news/327339/aids-hiv-crisis-thailand-learning

Thailand 1,148,117 N/A 666,347 ~10,000 Dec 2009^[12] random

According to statistics Thailand has over a million HIV positive citizens. over 600000 have been lost over two decades. Yearly increase being around 10000 people.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_HIV/AIDS_cases_and_deaths_registered_by_region

Worthwhile cause indeed but let's not take agendas against sexual minorities, please.