ThaisGood

5 hours ago, sirineou said:

After 30 years of marriage and a few kids you value your wife's looks more than anything else?

If so I would say you don't have much of a marriage and much to worry about. If you have a solid relationship based on  the life you have shared you have nothing to fear.

You say she does not have the body of when you married her. Do you?

 

Hello and thanks to all who responded.  I appreciate all of the feedback.  Regarding above comment from sirineou it's funny because when I left Thailand I was about 20 lbs heavier than I am now.  I ate a lot of delicious food back in those days and came home looking fat even in my early 20s.  Bloated face and my waist was 4 inches bigger than it is today. I trimmed it all down via healthy diet.  My wife seems to eat healthy food but piles in the snacks for some reason (like potato chips, Doritos, etc) so she just keeps getting fatter and never tries to look good.  I still love her, we came a long way together.  A few years ago I tried to convince her to slim down, but she will not.  She doesn't like to go outside and get exercise either.  She has nice natural looks though and is very caring.  You take the good with the bad.

Early on I made good money in one job, then started my own company and that thrived for the first 10 years or so.  I focused on the kids more than the business, which ran along fine and paid all of our bills, I have nothing to regret.  Two kids are considered elite athletes, I can't tell you how many hours it took to support their athletics.  They are also scholars with excellent grades and involved in sciences at the university level now. 

However there were some really great opportunities that came along and I just ignored them to my peril.  I realize hindsight is 20/20.  Business sucks now but we make money.  Over the last 4 -5 years, I've tried new ideas and they've failed failed failed.  The core business is still ok.  Every one of my new ideas just fails.  That has taken it's toll on my confidence.

We've raised our family in one nice community and I've seen in recent years marriage after marriage lead to divorce.  I am talking about 20 year marriages collapsing all around.  More common that old friends are divorced, than not.  I really don't want my marriage to end. 

Against this backdrop I have a desire to make a huge change, move the he!! out of this cold climate and enjoy life elsewhere. Pursue a new career.  As others suggested I need to get my wife and see what it's like to be in Thailand for a few months.  Let's try first.  I love motorcycles and adventure.  Thailand is just a great place to stay for that.  I just worry that moving there will end up as a another one of my mistakes, for the reasons I've mentioned.   She would forgive me to a certain extent, for misdeeds, not rubbing it in her face of course.  I probably have a lack of control when it comes to sexy young women.  My weakness. 

When her bother got married she handed over 100,000 baht to them and I think that set a precedent that she's always going to have loads of cash for them.  She goes to visit her mom and leaves 50,000 baht with her every time.  Then recently, at a time when our kids are in college and we are having to pay huge sums for that, she's been passing them $500+ per month for one reason or another.  I can't stand it but for now it's not that big of a problem.  One of her aunts is a fortune teller and let's be honest that's more like a mental illness. That fortune teller is always interjecting things.  Staying out of Thailand avoids most of these issues.  

One of our sons studies in a nice city with a better climate.  My wife seems to want to relocate there rather than Thailand.  Other people like Mexico, thanks to the online community you can get loads of information about wonderful places there.  Still, I think there is no place like Thailand...  

Well, thanks for the feedback.  I think we can make a successful Thailand relocation.  I loved living there and especially the group of farang friends I had.  Better friendships than I've had here, by far.  

32 minutes ago, daveAustin said:

So you're saying being in the US with a big girl (?) is not an issue since she blends in (), whereas you might not trust yourself coming back here and being surrounded by slim lovelies? I think you'll find after the initial excitement, it won't be as you envisage. If you're woman is Americanized, she'll less likely be swayed by the mumbo-jumbo. If you do get frisky, may I suggest a visit to a discreet massage parlour as opposed to a bar. 

Yes. Thank you all above for responding. 

To be specific my wife, who kept her Thai sense of humor (she had always been a good joker like her father was), came here and had three kids so I understand the weight issues.  She is a good 40 lbs heavier and it's not a pretty sight with the big mid section, but after all she and I came a long way. Actually our marriage is 22 years.  We could move south to a better climate here. I am just needing a change, recognize the so-called midlife crisis.  I guess it's hitting me.  I can't stand these winters, and I no longer need to be stuck here. 

We both worked hard on the finances.  She was never a money waster (Thai/Chinese).  But her weakness seems to be superstitions. I am like many of you here maybe, Thai wife has a superstitious explanation for everything.  She gets talked into anything on her trips back to stay with her mom. It's always fortune tellers, monk asks to sponsor a cow to stay alive, etc. Her brothers are pretty useless too. So I'd say this is her weakness, she could get hit up hard for money in Thailand.  I can almost sense she's afraid of it too 

As for me, I got involved with sports for our two boys. I really became somewhat of a health nut. Not overweight at all.  And let's face it, as men we do stupid things for beautiful women, and I find Thai to be just gorgeous. Here, I haven't a chance to have a relationship with a sexy Thai lady 20 years younger. Not a chance! It's almost funny to think about it.  No way.  I am basically 90% sure if I move there, I'll end up with something on the side. 

A lot of older 50+ farang men get a fresh start in Thailand after a life in farangland. Is there a likely success rate for farang/Thai couples that raised a family 25+ years then go live in Thailand together? 

Like many couples at my age, I'd say my marriage is not as strong as it could be. Call it midlife crisis or whatever, I need to make a change. That means I want to move away from this cold climate.  I would prefer staying together with her. 

There are a lot of options. Mexico would be nice. Costa Rica. Ecuador. Or within America.  

I'm thinking Thailand could be the place where our marriage crashes and burns if we go there. I would probably fall for a younger Thai lady (irresistible) and my wife picked on by her family endlessly for money.  

Having said that, I feel most comfortable in Thailand, having lived there 1990-94, and quite decent with the language. 

Sorry to bother you with this but any feedback welcome. 

Hi. I spent some years in Thailand as a student, learned to speak Thai pretty well.  That was almost 30 years ago (!).  I was in Bangkok.  Married a Thai lady, she's been a good wife.  We raised three kids, two are in college.  I gave everything I had to raising the kids.  Really didn't spend much time in Thailand over the years, rarely visited.  

Now I am nearly 50 and see that I can get a visa to stay there.  Good timing, we own some property that is nearly paid for and rented out fetches decent income.  We could save a lot of money and not even work at all, in Muang Thai.

I wonder if marriages such as mine are likely to survive? I suppose a lot of contributors to this forum see farang/Thai couples moving back after years abroad.  Here in USA my wife is, well, let's say she is very Americanized.  That's fine because we live in this culture.  But she's not the shapely one I married, she became a good cook let's just say that.  If we stay here I can tolerate what I got.  

I can imagine going to Thailand, my wife ends up spending tons of time with her family and all the goofy fortune-teller nonsense, handing out money left and right.  Then I take on a younger woman and get scammed out of more cash.  Frankly I can't see us resettling in Thailand and living out our years in peace.  

What usually happens?  Maybe there is not a usual.

Just curious, US$100,000 in the bank is not that high for someone who has real estate in farangland then sells it to move to Thailand. I should think.  But many say it is totally out of reach.  What kind of assets do most longterm farang have in Thailand?  Is it mostly retirement such as Social Security monthly check but nothing in the bank?

Hi. I haven't vacationed in Thailand for many years so pardon me if I am not correct, but I thought Europeans who had 4-6 weeks of vacation per year, would come and enjoy Thailand and spend lots of money, but due to government changing the number of days a tourist can stay, this group of extended-stay vacationers was eliminated?

Also when the yellow shirts closed the airport for two weeks, I think it was December 2008, an event that many tourists just will not forget. I think closing the airport was worse than the subsequent street protests in Bangkok.

Does Thailand have a national wrestling team? Any contact links to a Thai wrestling team would be appreciated. My son is a wrestler with Thai nationality. Perhaps we may move to Thailand and I'd like him to continue pursuing this sport.

I have seen Thai girls in their 20s who look very young. In the case of this person I wonder if he considered that the girl was under age. Also, what is the age of consent in Thailand? In all likelihood what will happen to this guy? Just wondering.

This story is full of intrigue, and not an easy one to dismiss as guilty or not guilty. Very powerful players involved with the Saudi jewels. Fascinating story.

Chalor has an American wife who herself has a very interesting history, as I recall she was born in Thailand in the 1940s, and Chalor was father to her farang daughter, an interesting lady who I knew years ago but I am not sure she is still in Thailand.

I wish him well.

Are the anti-Israel terror events in Asia false-flag operations? It will be interesting to see how the Thai investigation develops. Don't assume right away that the Iranian govt put them up to it. It should be remembered that Israeli intelligence is known to operate and fund terror cells within Iran. Who recruited the Iranians to do the job is the question--and it's definitely not beyond the stretch of the imagination that Israel's mossad agents set it up.

American journalist named Geneive Abdo pointed out in an interview on Australia's ABC national radio network the very strong possibility that these recent attacks were Israeli false-flag operations.

http://www.abc.net.a...12/s3430070.htm

When the King David hotel was bombed, the Israeli terrorists dressed as arabs. The same thing occurred in the Lavon Affair. These are historical events that can easily be researched if you want to learn more.

Terror is theatre... Theatre's a con trick. Do you know what that means? Con trick? You've been deceived.

- John Le Carré, The Little Drummer Girl, 1983

And one more stroke against Thailand being the fun place we love to go.

Just the "normal" fear mongering the US like in order to justify their crazy martial law jurisdiction at home. Enjoy Thailand. I avoid gatherings of farang as a matter of course anyway ...

Nice to know there are skeptics, who view the status quo with suspicion. Unfortunately anyone really paying attention now knows that US govt is corrupt, and the fear-mongering is just a part of the gameplan to keep people depending on them.

Thanks for the input. I appreciate the concern about Pattaya. I have not been there for a very long time but I recall there were housing areas that had an international presence. Maybe we will settle in Ang Sila, as I like that area, and my wife has some family around there.

My wife is probably just afraid of change but I want to get out of here. I think she believes the kids are getting some amazing education here, obviously it's better than formal Thai education. We live in a nice area, people promote that a big advantage of living here are the schools. I think the kids will get much more practical experience by living in Thailand however, and we'll do a bit of exploring nearby countries.

I would not consider us wealthy, as I am still somewhat KEE NEO, and so is my wife. We don't like to be flashy but we can afford most things we want. We saved up over some years, and bought a big piece of land (about 10 acres, or 25 rai?). Not much debt on it. We have a nice home here and big barn and garage, farm animals, etc. One of the largest pieces of land around. There are hundreds of thousands of people in this county but very few own land like we do. My wife does love the land. I have no intention of selling it, but I want out of here. I have a staff person who will caretaker it, we're going to lock up the house and leave. My wife I love her dearly but over 15 years she has filled this place up with "STUFF" and I am just getting so disgusted with the stuff. Every room is full of clutter, this is not a Thai problem because so many locals here live like this. I clean it out, and she fills it right back up. I want to get out of this rat race and go back to a simple life in a small home with no property to take care of, a few chairs and a table and that's it. My wife knows I can minimize and be content. I don't need stuff. Also, I can earn up to US$90k and have no tax, because I am overseas. I believe I need to spend at least 11 months overseas to get that exemption. That is my goal.

It is funny that someone suggested my wife might not want to move because others would think she is a former working girl. I suppose that is an issue for some Thai ladies. My wife is the daughter of a Bangkok "na yai" who had a big sense of humor. He was well known among a group of merchants there in Yaowarat. My wife is a walking comic, full of jokes, and good personality, and she is not a hot looker. Chinese-Thai and a bit chubby, and she just looks like a mom not a former bar girl. When I married her she was a little doll but you know, we all get old. We have traveled back to Thailand as a family over the years and nobody gives her a second look, for being with a farang and having luk krung.

We can pay for international school but I don't think it's a good value. I am planning to setup homeschool. I have a 12 month visa so that base is covered. Really looking forward to coming to Thailand.

When we first married 15 years ago and moved to USA I was told by various people that within 2-3 years my wife would be "Americanized". Well I never thought of her as Americanized. She's Thai all the way but she loves a lot of things about this country.

For various personal reasons I am pretty determined that we all move to Thailand, with our 3 kids, for 6 months+. My wife says, about this plan, "I don't know Thailand any more". She seems to be disillusioned about Thailand. She reads Thai Rath online and must focus on any bad news. She is really negative about her country's safety. Our daughter, who is nearly 15 and has all of the classic Thai/Farang good looks, is probably going to attract the most attention, but I say "so what". My wife thinks our whole family is going to be miserable if we go to Thailand, because of these safety concerns.

My idea is to settle in an area with some international community, such as Pattaya region, so our kids will have others to socialize with.

Not too long ago I took our daughter for 3 weeks in upcountry Thailand. We rented a motorcycle and stayed in little resorts and just had a great time exploring. As it is now, the same as when I lived in Thailand 20 years ago, I felt sabai all the time and never worried about my safety except for of course driving carefully to avoid accidents. A few days after we started this trip, my wife on the phone said she was frantically worried about us in Thailand and could hardly sleep. She was convinced someone would kidnap us, or jump out from behind a tree and steal my gold necklace, or just kill us for any reason. It just sounded insane to me, and I mentioned it to my wife's family in Thailand. They think it's not necessary to worry like this.

Any advice on how to discuss with my wife these issues. She seems to be warming up to the idea very slowly but the bizarre safety issues are always on her mind.

Thank you very much for these replies. As we get closer to the move date I will really focus on these things. Thanks for all responses!

Thanks. That is very good info. May I ask one more question.

"The company must be capitalized to at least Baht 2 Million while operating fund must be at least Baht 1 Million"

Does that Baht 1 million operating fund must be in a Thai bank account? Thanks for any further responses.

Hello. Sorry if this is a common topic that has already been discussed.

Assuming a person enters Thailand with a Non-Immigrant B visa (business), 12 month, multiple entry.

I think I was told by a person at the Thai consulate in LA that with this visa, one does not have to leave Thailand every 90 days, but one must appear at an immigration office within Thailand every 90 days. Did I misunderstand something, or is this the case?

I believe I read elsewhere that with this visa, the person still must leave the country every 90 days, even if it's just for a "visa run" across the border and back again.

Thanks for clarification!

ThaisGood

I'm not sure your reasons for writing off Bangkok, being a bit of a Bangkok-phile myself, there are many nooks and crannies in BKK where you are basically out of the madness that sometimes characterises the place (ie traffic) - and it is really a good international city in its own right.

HI. Thanks a lot for that perspective. I should not write off Bangkok, as you suggest. The main reason I want to avoid it is because of the air quality. Where we are now it's pristine fresh air and I've come to enjoy that so much. When I lived in Bangkok almost everyone had a perpetual cough. Perhaps things are better now. That was years ago. Decades really. Thanks again for the insight.

If your looking for schools, houses for rent/buy and want out of the Bangkok area, Chiang Mai might be a consideration. Tuition for 3 to International school (more than 6 in the area) as you mentioned will be anywhere from 600,000 baht upwards, depending on your choice of schools. Unless your a missionary, then it can be reduced to half that at specific schools. Housing rental, family of five, 6,000 baht to 25,000/month depending on your wishes. Transport, new, 700,000 to 1,300,000 or more if your into imported new vehicle. Don't try to rent in advance, if you can afford all the estimated costs, you can afford to rent an apartment on month to month and look around, Agents, brokers drive up price and are self serving for the most part.

Hope this helps and am sure others will give their experience/knowledge/opinions also

Hi. Thanks a lot for info. Nice info on the rental. My wife said the same thing. She says we should stay at a local tourist-type resort for a month, negotiating some type of discount, and from there we can seek out a rental. We don't want to buy anything, just rent. The rental rate sounds very good.

The tuition seems high but I am not surprised. It is not an ideal option but I may have to put the kids into an online "homeschool" program rather than pay 600k. My kids are doing very well in school here, all A grades and not enough challenge. My son is a local chess competitor who can win against top players, so I know he has the brains. I think putting them in Thailand to master the language is enough to consider one year there a great benefit. They can always catch up later if they fall behind, I suppose. I was thinking we could find something less expensive but, so much for wishful thinking!

Even though we could afford Baht600,000 for a one year tuition, I don't think the value is there. For example, we helped one of our Thai nieces with her tuition so she could attend a local "privileged" school. This is just outside of Bangkok. I am not sure how much money my wife was sending to Thailand for this school, but it was not cheap. Once on a trip to Thailand I decided that since our daughter is a Thai citizen she might be interested in attending that school for a semester. I went to the school, and what an embarrassment. It was a pure money factory. They were squeezed into a TINY piece of land, and the kids were all packed into rooms that took up every possible bit of space, and it was about 6 levels tall. They must have had at least 2000 kids there, and no common area, no playground, NO LIBRARY, no nothing. Just pack into classrooms. There was a really professional looking miniature swimming pool at the entrance, nobody was in it of course, but it gave the impression that your kid would someday be an olympic swimmer if you paid them the tuition. This was just a charade of course. Our niece is not likely getting any kind of education there. For one thing she is now 16 and speaks not more than a handful of English words with an accent that only the most experienced farang could understand.

Another option, a bit of a wild option I suppose, would be to have my kids study agriculture in Thailand. Perhaps there are some who would be willing to teach them about Thai practices. We live on a farm here and have raised animals as a hobby for several years. For kids, there is nothing like an early education focused on agriculture.

Hello. My wife of 15 years is Thai and our 3 kids have Thai passports. As a family we've never resided in Thailand, but over the years we've made plenty of visits. Our kids have basic Thai language skills, and I know Thai fairly well because I spent years as a kid there. I am farang but I think my own visa issues for staying in Thailand are under control.

Now we are planning to move to Thailand early next year. The plan is to close up our house here, and go stay in Thailand through end of summer 2012, maybe longer if we can swing it.

Our oldest child is in high school here in USA, we have a middle schooler and one in elementary.

I wonder if anyone can give advice concerning renting a house. We have family in Kanchanaburi but we don't need to be in the same area. I'd like to avoid Bangkok. I want the kids to go to an international school, one with a reasonable tuition. What can we expect as far as school tuition goes?

I was thinking that Pattaya has an international community (?). I do prefer a quiet highlands area such as Mae Hong Son, Chiang Rai, etc, but I wonder if there are going to be schools for the kids there.

Any suggestions about where to stay, how to find a place to live, and anything else is highly appreciated. Thank you!

ThaisGood

I would estimate more farang marry Thai women who already had a kid, than marry Thai women who have no kids. The father is usually "nowhere to be found". Nothing new. Should be no problem.

I can't see any scenario where rates rise in USA. The govt is far too much in debt, and higher interest payments will cause immediate bankruptcy. That is why gold can only go up, up and up until there is a collapse eventually. Is there something wrong with this analysis?

wrong is that you don't tell us the exact date of the gold collapse.

The collapse I referred to, if rates rise, is in paper currency not gold. If rates rise, of course that reduces the price of gold. The US govt can not afford higher interest payments on all the debt, thus interest rates must not go up. Therefore gold will continue to rise in terms of paper currency, until there is a collapse or devaluation in paper currency (refer to Mexico 1994 as one example). At that point interest rates will likely rise but not until then. Any responses welcome.

Interesting week for PM's

In spite of volatility they finish the week quite flat

I think from last Friday till today there is only a +.10 cent USD change in gold &

-.30 cent change in Silver

I expected more volatility in either direction.

I think the terrible events of the last week or so have made people much more cautious - I sold some ( less than 5% ) of my PM stocks yesterday - but think with all the current events PM's will be well supported at this time .

Here is my logic:

China already raised their rate and worker's pay, and their intend is to shift inflation directly to the U.S.

Also, Japan injected QE last week. The world is now flooded with cash. So, in the second half of the year, the U.S. will have no choice but raising interest rate.

When the U.S. raised the interest rate, Gold will come down.

Most countries , companies , people in the west cannot afford higher interest rates - so what to do ? Borrow more ? Print more ?

I agree. I can't see any scenario where rates rise in USA. The govt is far too much in debt, and higher interest payments will cause immediate bankruptcy. That is why gold can only go up, up and up until there is a collapse eventually. Is there something wrong with this analysis?

Hi. 20 years ago (time flies!) I rode a motorcycle up to 3 Pagoda Pass and went into Burma. There was a very small checkpoint and I think they might have charged a bit of money to enter, I don't remember. My friend and I rode into Burma for an hour or so and then turned around and came back into Thailand. It was really hassle free.

Now I am interested in doing the same trip. I have US passport. I read that they give a 24 hour visa at the border pass, so I can go and come back within 24 hours but longer than that is not allowed.

I would really like to enter Burma and stay for two or three days, but I wonder if it will be difficult to return back into Thailand overland. Perhaps I can get a visa at the Burmese embassy in Bangkok?

Another question: how easy is it to hop on a flight to Rangoon from Bangkok? Approx cost? Visa needed in advance of flight?

Thanks in advance for Burma travel info.

98% of spot is about as good as you will get anywhere in the world.

No -- I can sell for 100% of spot in a number of shops within a short drive from my home here where I live. There is also a well-known service with a strong reputation, you can look up Tulving, he pays over spot for gold and sends you a bank draft via overnight express mail the next day. The main problem is that when I buy gold, I often have to pay at LEAST 1% over spot. On the sale I can get 100% all day long.

I have an answer to this question. From my wife, she sold gold in a shop in Bangkok for 100% of spot price. The amount she sold was a small lot of Credit Suisse bars weighing 10 g, 5 g, etc. She did a calculation of what it was worth before going to the shop, and what the shop paid her was 150 baht less than that. I figure the 150 baht could be lost in calculation. My wife is pretty good with a calculator though. Perhaps the shop bought for 150 baht less. A tiny percentage of the overall transaction.

I realize this is an unusual way of getting cash while traveling especially for most people, but it's nice to know you have real money in gold if you are in Thailand and need to exchange for baht. And based on the experience of my wife, you should expect to get 100% of the prevailing spot price.

-my advice for you is to rethink your plan

I appreciate all advice and I never turn it away. I regret to hear that you are unable to enjoy your sentimental coin collection, with you in Thailand. I have some coins of this nature myself, and I like to view them. I respect you for keeping old coins if they are from your family history. I can't tell you how many times I've been in a coin shop and some person walks in with an extremely well-organized gorgeous coin collection that their deceased grandfather accumulated over 60 years, and they just sell it for whatever they can get. I wish I had a collection like that, and I'd never sell it.

The basic question I have though is: do gold shops in Bangkok buy 9999 gold for spot price, or do they pay a percentage or two lower. So far that question has not been answered but I will find out myself and post here in the future.

Gold is a nice way to secure travel ability. As currencies fluctuate and my own country's $$ is being looted by ___ish financial criminals, I don't like the thought that I won't someday be able to travel because my currency has declined. So I like to buy gold bars for travel, among other things.

I always travel with gold, as mentioned, and of course I have credit/ATM cards and the standard $100 bills. I am a big boy now and I can decide if I want to sell a bit of gold for the prevailing spot rate, or exchange my paper dollars, or withdraw using ATM. Gold does have a nice advantage if you can sell for full spot price. I was just wondering if anyone here has personally sold a bar of gold, and at the moment the bar was sold, were you paid full spot price for it or did the buyer offer 2% lower, or something like that.

I suspect that Thai gold shops pay 100% for the assayed Credit Suisse bars, without any inconvenience, and it's a quick and easy cash transaction. To be continued...