Razzler1973

These houses tend to be on a monthly basis, include bills, etc?

Paddys Palms is decent, I usually stay just opposite there and they tend to have draft Singha at 100 baht a pint until 7pm or something, which is a great deal. Always had decent service and pretty sure the cashier has been there years, not sure if she is someone's missus but they seem to know what they're doing.

Had a few hungover breakfasts in there in the past

There's loads of places tbh

Just get off at the 7/11 near 15 palms and stroll upwards. On the beach itself prices are crazy these days but across the road the opposite side there are lots, some a little up a side road but it's all short distance from the road. Even up the hill a little there are places, check t'internet as well but no shortage of options

Isn't that expat life in general. Been in Dubai 12 years and my best friend is the guy I knew before I got here. Met loads of people, acquaintances, some stronger than others but not sure I consider any of them actual friends and you pick up certain things down the years, the way people are.

There's also a lot of one upmanship down the pub (BS'ing) and ripping whoever isn't there to shreds as well which is one of the reasons I don't frequent my usual pub anymore, not cause of anything they may say about me but the slow realisation that these people are just pub acquaintenances, which is fine.

If you have a couple of really, really good friends that is more important so rocking up in the middle of nowhere, which is cool as that's my style too, and not being able to meet such a person is not unusual. You're pretty much lumbered with acquaintenances that may develop into real friends over time and just have to pick and choose who is more tolerable or entertain certain people for certain things.

Part of getting older as well, someone mentioned Seinfeld earlier, you get to an age where it's more difficult to make real friends not just 20 people I say hi to and chat about the weekend's football.

In my time in Asia I have had the 'ol sob story expats pouring their troubles out types and the tales of woe and 'they're all shit' type people and lost causes to the ones that want to borrow money, I don't go for any of it

Also can't drive at night with a red plate, can you?

I like that one though

In a city I wouldn't just engage people for no reason. Maybe if I am in a bar by myself I may strike up a 2 minutes chat at the bar whilst waiting for my drink, maybe a tale about an amusing incident.

I think if you're somewhere out in the sticks and you see another westerner it's odd. Do you rush to say hello and it come across as "thank goodness there's another one of us here" as I am quite happy doing my own thing anyway. To not acknowledge the other westerner at all is equally odd though. I don't want to be friends with people out of circumstance ... oh we're both living here so let's be friends. No harm in a nod or passing chat though but I'd probably gauge it based on how they looked (I am shallow like that)

I do find tourists, well mostly 'travellers' odd though. They outright refuse to ask a fellow western people for directions or info even if you're standing there. They may think you don't know but bloody ask. I have no qualms about that, they can just say they don't know. It's like admitting defeat in the great game of traveling or something. If i don't know the place I'll bloody ask where the bus station is!

You hear them talking in broken English to some poor Thai bloke that has no clue what they're saying and they're getting frustrated instead of just turning around and asking me standing nearby

I know that time of year is supposed to be the rainiest but I tend to get over there about that time and the last couple of years I have been at that time first one the weather was great, sunny/hot, bit of rain for half hour sort of thing but no worries. Last year it was hot/sunny for 3 or 4 days, cloudy for a couple but hot and then bad rain for maybe 2 or 3 but those 2 or 3 days of constant rain were the first at that time of year I'd had in years tbh

It's seems quite random. Perhaps high chance of rain but just how much rain is a random factor. I don't mind hot days and a bit of rain in the evening. Had few days 'spoiled' by rain anyway

I live in Dubai and never had a problem coming in/out and Duty Free, they're not known for scams or anything so probably is just good old fashioned ineptitude!

Why is it that those 550 and 555 or 556, etc all seem to have changed their routes? The one that used to serve Sanam Luang for instance that doesn't go anywhere near Khao San these days. I mean, forget Khao San you'd think Sanam Luang in itself is a destination that you should be able to get to via bus from the airport at least

Just waiting for her bikini shots via PM and I'm sure I'll be able to help her on her way.

Maybe it's a make model

I have never been slapped by a woman of any nationality.

I do find 'the rules' of the whole bar girl thing a bit odd. Maybe some girl is slapping you cause of another girl in said dodgy areas. What are these sort of unwritten rules of not taking girls from the same bar like it's somehow saving them face ... erm, you're a working girl, darling. Think we are past the face saving in our relationship, don't you

Of course BKK is as much Thailand as any big city is part of that country.

In the same way you get out BKK to see 'the real Thailand' why not get out of places such as Soi Cowboy and see other parts of BKK. I am a city person (amongst other things) and I appreciate a bustling city and BKK is great, I spent a long time in Hong Kong which was also great. I do enjoy various parts of Thailand but I still do genuinely like BKK and I don't really hang around girlie bars. Not that I am doing anything cultural, I do like drinking and eating too much but I'd perhaps stroll down Soi Cowboy in a afternoon if that at most

I spend about 5 or 6 weeks back in England over Xmas/New Year and it's ridiculously easy to get laid back home if that is what you want and isn't that what most people on internet dating sites want anyway?

How did she arrive at the figure of 200K? You really think this is the last 'payment'?

Need more details about the situation though

I would have thought it was simply because when people discuss their wives on this forum they may fear that others may perceive that 'they married a bar girl' and they may not want the prevailing notion to be that is what they did if they didn't so they go out of their way to mention 'Chinese-Thai' as a nod to 'my g/f isn't or wasn't a hooker'.

Granted not all darker skinned girls are hookers or want your money and not all fair skinned girls are innocent virgins but I always perceived the mentions of wives origins as letting others know they haven't married a hooker.

I am not married to a Thai but if I was and they weren't a former bar girl I may wonder if everyone thought my wife used to be a bar girl as it seems it's quite common

Nice post.

I suppose managing the perceptions of one's peers - even if you've never met them - is really important for those who measure themselves by life's more superficial benchmarks.

I think it's probably just human nature.

Even if you just post here to kill a bit of time and genuinely don't care what other people think of you there may be something in the back of your mind that people are thinking XYZ. People judge, we all do it. You may not care if people have the wrong impression about how much you earn or things like that but when it comes to getting married and family maybe some don't want to be lumped in with some of the others who have a line of thinking 'everyone is for sales' etc

Whenever subjects about Thai girlfriends come up people make a point of mentioning something that highlights she's not a hooker almost like assuming everyone is talking about hookers is the default setting. To be fair the stuff some people come out with it's not a bad assumption

I am not into the whole hooker thing myself so if I was mentioning a Thai g/f I'd probably also want to make sure people knew I'm not talking about hookers and bar girls. Odd really but I can see why people do it

Human nature? Hmm, not so sure. I don't think expats posting on forums like this around the world feel the need to nip suspicions that their GF or wife might be a hooker in the bud.

Judging from some comments on here I could see people wanting to make that distinction tbh

Reasons for me to go back to farangland.

1. Fish n chips.

2. Chinese takeaway. Its the sweet n sour sauce over those lovely balls.

Not going back mind you, but when I do for a visit I will PIGOUT bigtime!

Chinese takeaway in the UK is awesome every now and then but you can get decent fish & chips in Bkk in a couple of places. Back home I rarely have fish & chips anyway, more likely to go to a Chinese ... most of the old ones seem to be half chippy/half Chinese takeaway anyway these days, down south anyway

Investment: Only 2 of the 5 got their 2 million back and now it's 10 million. Yeah right.

What was the reasoning behind the others not getting their 2 million back? I mean was this through official channels and they just said 'nah, we're keeping that' or they manafactured a reason why it won't be returned or they just made it too time consuming to make it worth getting back?

Num Dtok rules

Ah so sweet, they just want to be friends.

Can't say it's ever happened to me but maybe pre-empt if by saying 'I am here a few times a week' 'see you in the bar' instead of it getting awkward. I honestly don't think I have ever asked for a blokes number when not work/business related

I do not like the use of Bath for Baht and it irks me almost as much as 'falang' instead of farang.

I genuinely dislike Songkran though but that's cause I am grumpy. Maybe we need to get Singha sponsoring the holiday and fill those water guns with beer then I'm in!

I would have thought it was simply because when people discuss their wives on this forum they may fear that others may perceive that 'they married a bar girl' and they may not want the prevailing notion to be that is what they did if they didn't so they go out of their way to mention 'Chinese-Thai' as a nod to 'my g/f isn't or wasn't a hooker'.

Granted not all darker skinned girls are hookers or want your money and not all fair skinned girls are innocent virgins but I always perceived the mentions of wives origins as letting others know they haven't married a hooker.

I am not married to a Thai but if I was and they weren't a former bar girl I may wonder if everyone thought my wife used to be a bar girl as it seems it's quite common

Nice post.

I suppose managing the perceptions of one's peers - even if you've never met them - is really important for those who measure themselves by life's more superficial benchmarks.

I think it's probably just human nature.

Even if you just post here to kill a bit of time and genuinely don't care what other people think of you there may be something in the back of your mind that people are thinking XYZ. People judge, we all do it. You may not care if people have the wrong impression about how much you earn or things like that but when it comes to getting married and family maybe some don't want to be lumped in with some of the others who have a line of thinking 'everyone is for sales' etc

Whenever subjects about Thai girlfriends come up people make a point of mentioning something that highlights she's not a hooker almost like assuming everyone is talking about hookers is the default setting. To be fair the stuff some people come out with it's not a bad assumption

I am not into the whole hooker thing myself so if I was mentioning a Thai g/f I'd probably also want to make sure people knew I'm not talking about hookers and bar girls. Odd really but I can see why people do it

I have dated or rather hooked up with several Muslim women living in here in Dubai. From Egypt and Lebannon to Iran, Syria, Jordan and Yemen.

Some have been perfectly ok with sex only two were 'anything but vaginal intercourse/save for husband' thing.

Is there any need to sandbag cause of marriage down the line? Just enjoy it now and see what happens. The religious thing is always your 'get out' if things get serious and you don't fancy it

I would have thought it was simply because when people discuss their wives on this forum they may fear that others may perceive that 'they married a bar girl' and they may not want the prevailing notion to be that is what they did if they didn't so they go out of their way to mention 'Chinese-Thai' as a nod to 'my g/f isn't or wasn't a hooker'.

Granted not all darker skinned girls are hookers or want your money and not all fair skinned girls are innocent virgins but I always perceived the mentions of wives origins as letting others know they haven't married a hooker.

I am not married to a Thai but if I was and they weren't a former bar girl I may wonder if everyone thought my wife used to be a bar girl as it seems it's quite common

Is that common for Expedia then as surely no one would use them if they were fleecing people on this double charge?

Some rental car companies 'ring fence off' a small portion of money on top of the rental but it's timed for 7-10 days in case there are additional fines, etc (which they will notify you about) but it saves them chasing you down. They do here anyway

Paying the same amount twice seems excessive though

I imagine full moon time is very lucrative

No question regarding the paying up and chalking it down to experience and be more careful in future. I don't mind the odd smoke but haven't had any in years and don't even bother when I am in Thailand, just not worth the hassle and I'm gonna have a great time anyway