garyinhuahin

I'm really just wondering how much the tea money is?

 

I've read on here people paying 500 baht, 300 baht, 200 baht... I have a feeling the actual fine is 200baht, does anyone actually know how much the real fine is?

 

 

The fine is what they say it is, unless you want to go downtown and discuss it. I've paid 200 and I've paid 300.

Of course, it is all paltry compared to what would happen to you if caught driving without a license in a Western country. Smile and pay up.

Real problem, as mentioned, is if you get in an accident. Any insurance you might have won't cover anything and any liability of the other party will be nulled. If you cause someone injury, it can be very very expensive and they're likely to hold you in jail to ensure you don't flee.

If you must drive without a Thai or international office, be really careful.

Good luck. I've been stalked for years at a time with far less prior history than you now have with this girl.

Worst case was a gay Thai cop who (without any conscious encouragement on my part) fell in love with me and followed me around for nearly 2 years and tried to move into my house. Got rid of him ultimately by promising to post the gay smut he had sent me on his boss's facebook. That finally did the job

Move to another part of town. Change your phone number. Consider plastic surgery. If that fails, look into the possibilities in Latin America. I wish you well.

Everyone one does go there. I do so only rarely because of the crowding and predominance of tourist goods.

The Grand Hotel night market is less touristic and crowded, a place where locals shop and a good alternate when you tire of the midtown carnival

But every visitor should hit the midtown market at least once. My favorite part is seeing it magically appear and disappear day in and day out.

Golden Place

As OP says he's been sending 15 kilobaht at month, my guess is that she already views wife-of-farang as a career path in itself. Not a great scenario.

Golden Place

Fun! I'm planning a CM trip at some point with my ladyfriend & her 9 year old. Sounds like a good take, provided children are allowed.

It starts out good, looking like a fundraiser for a film documentary of Isan music and culture. Looks and sound fine in the short clips seen, and I think that idea would be a very good one.

Then it turns into pimping an uncompelling 'fusion' song of some guy named Richie Rokstar. Huh?

How about a project to make a decent and entertaining film of Isan music culture, and then bring a good group of performers to New Orleans and Rio? With the right setup, the music and dance could go over very well there and provide a launching pad for it to be another recognized 'world music' category.

Biggest upcoming event, as far as I can tell.

http://www.thaiticketmajor.com/concert/concert-detail.php?sid=2429

Thai schools want farang teachers for teaching English and other languages because they cannot find qualified Thai people for teaching foreign languages. They want to emplay foreigners but do not provide the necessary work permit. This is illegal, responsibility of the employer to get a work permit for his employee. It is not only illegal in Thailand, it is illegal in every Western country. So the police must fine the schools, not the employees.

The actual situation will result in a sharp drop of foreign teachers in Thailand when this continues like it is at the moment. 

I know a goodly number of qualified Thais, more fluent in English than the average Texan. They don't teach English because the pay is too low. Underqualified farang English teachers are the functional equivalent of Burmese labor. Cheap and willing.
 

Probably exceptions to everything, but:

• Catholic schools are way better than state schools, and not terribly expensive.
• Private international schools range from pretty good to big ripoff. Investigate before you enroll.

I'm lucky enough to live near the Patravadi School in Hua Hin, know the director, and at present have sufficient means at hand. My newly-adopted 9-year old is getting started there after early training in the lower ranks of state boarding schools. He loves it so far and the teachers say he's bright. The school has an approach that in my experience is unique in Thailand and is likely to produce some real leaders for the country's future. It will be very interesting to watch my lad in the next few years.

I have him in a boarding program for now. It's costing about 300k per annum. Day school would be half that.

I think this clarifies yesterday's very unclear message from Hua Hin Immigration and, in regard to producing your passport, is nothing new. The new clarification just says failure to produce a passport, which I read as not having a passport - i.e. the individual is unable to produce a passport because he/she doesn't have one.

I have faith that a decent copy, showing the ID page and visa/extension stamp will be enough for a police check.

Probably. I'll carry mine for now until this clarifies further. Especially as I am in Hua Hin

 

I get and agree with all your points.

Firstly yes hands up the title is incorrect, I'm on my phone whilst dare I say it at work. I should have rechecked the auto corrects but I was rushing. Lesson learnt, take a moment to check.

Yes I take on board and agree with most that has been said.

No she has no tattoos, nor is she a bar girl in fact she had a very good job in Thailand and well respected.

Yes I understand the overbearing dad, I truly get that but there are other men on her Facebook which are European.

Yes I've seen her Facebook briefly when she was on it. Yes she has over 600 friends and over 1000's of pictures.

Yes I've snooped a bit online and found a few pictures, I won't go into details as I'm sure I'll get a lot of piss take. But needless to say I've asked a question which would explain it but she clear said that she has never been or done that.

Up until recently I've trusted her 100% made allowances for my gut due to her culture, but recently my trust of her has started to drop.

If I confront her or ask questions it all gets blown out of control and she over explains things.

I'm trying to wall a thin line between being understanding of her cultural background and my gut feeling she's lying through her arse.

go with the latter, dude. My gut feel is that she's been pulling train up and down the Old Malay Peninsula for a period of years. Lots of men of the honkish persuasion on her FB but you can't be one? Really?

 

Pattaya in the middle of nowhere?

 

I like Hua Hin but I think our requirements may be quite different.

 

Pro's

Girlie bar scene but in an area bounded by about 4 or 5 little soi's so not in your face.

Small town feel but with some wonderful restaurants.

Served by rail - 3 or 4 trains a day to Bangkok, about 4 or 5 hours.

Taxi, 3 or 4 hours to Bangkok - can't remember how much but will guess at about 3,000 baht or thereabouts.

Plenty of shopping opportunities.

Clean beaches within walking distance - Main beach tends to be crowded with concessions. 

A number of gyms both in the main town and a couple out of town.

A big shopping centre called Market Village about a mile out of the town centre selling farang food if that's what you want.

A couple of really good night markets.

Not many Russians.

Very cheap condo rentals.

 

Con's

In the floods it took me about 7 or 8 hours to get to Suvarnabhumi in a taxi. If the expressway is crowded then that's you done.

Don't get a minibus from Bangkok unless you have a deathwish.

Getting more and more expensive. Thai's use it as a weekend getaway.

There are some periods where hotels are utterly ridiculously high in their pricing. 

Don't know in your case whether it's a pro or a con but backpackers tend to stay near the railway station and out of sight.

Can get quite cold at night with the wind coming off the sea at certain times of the year.

 

Can't help you with dance classes but there is a large northern European population who will point you in the right direction. 

Don't know too much about franchises but I do know there is a MacD's. I avoid them like the plague. 

 

Good luck and have a good time!

Also don't know if it's a pro or a con, but backpackers then to leave within 36 hours.

2 Mickey D's now, and likewise 2 Colonel Sanders and Stabucks. Much like Noah.

The Northern Europeans can teach you some polka or Suomi courship dances.

i do not understand the comment about cold at night. I have experienced 3 slightly cool evenings in 10 years here and couple of lively wind storms.

Best stay in Kansas. It's much safer for you. Really.

It's a big kite-surfing area in season.

Apart from that, it's pretty much where we all go to die....

A few good restaurants, including Thailand's one good Brazilian Churasco grill.

3 or 4 places with good British breakfasts, a couple with pan-european.

We have one shopping mall, where the theatre and bowling alley are. Usually there's one film on with an English soundtrack. Once in 3 months it's a film you actually would want to see.

Did I mention there a a good Brazilian grill?

You probably should move on. As it is, you're already disturbing our slumber and adversely affecting the rental market.

ZZZzzzzzz.......

Diplomatico you should have asked for a fee to be the new poster boy! Actually I am not really joking.

But be sure to ask what the exact duties of the new poster boy are. To avoid any misunderstandings.....

Don't understand the negative comments to this guy, is there some jealousy rearing its ugly head? 

 

Of course 100,000 baht or £2,000 a month is a decent amount to live on in Thailand as long as you aren't hammering it hard every day and having orgies.

 

He's done the right thing and come to a well-known discussion forum for some advice and what does he get?. I've been visiting and living in Thailand for years and the fascination for the place has never left me.

 

Some people have a half cup full attitude and not a boorish know-all attitude mentioned in another thread.

 

For what it's worth, take 6 months just travelling around to find out what area suits you best, don't fall in love too quickly, there will always be something better around the corner. Enjoy yourself!

 

Yes, 100k/month is more than liveable. But it's hardly F**k you money. Important point is how much of a next egg is there? With enough, there are no great problems. If all you have is 100k/month, and nothing much in the bank, it'll take some maneuvering to sort things out.

Good luck.
 

Just chill out in Rio for 17 years....

Are you zoomin' me?

Right now, everybody's trying to dot their t's and cross their i's. The 'new broom' is a stickler for the letter of lots of long-standing (and long-ignored regulations) and it's got minor beauracrats up and down the line quite nervous.

Just play along. Speak in calm, reassuring voice and don't make any sudden moves. It'll all be all right

The last time a Thai cop took my picture, he was trying to pick me up. True story.

Stalked me, actually, over a period of two years. He built up a photo collection of me. At one point, I was apparently posted on a gay website and received several propositions on the phone.

Eventually, I had to black mail him to get him off me. He messed up when he sent me some gay porn. I told him if he ever bothered me again in any way shape or form I would send this to his boss and coworkers with a full account. That did the job, finally.

It's taken a long time for me to trust any male or female here again.
 

The message I take away is that district immigration offices are being kept on tighter leash.

Prachuab probably got one of the first visits, because of it's proximity to Bangkok and the size of the 'customer base' here. But I'll bet the other offices get the same talking-to.

Net result is less flexibility for us, and some officials inadvertently getting themselves in the position of issuing statements like those of the last two days.

It's telling that the office here felt they had to endorse the stricter interpretation when pressed for clarification. I'll carry mine for the moment. After that, we'll see.

The last time a Thai cop took my picture, he was trying to pick me up. True story.

It sounds like out immigration office had a talking to from upstairs and are doing some CYA.

All longstanding regs, frequently ignored. Carrying an ID is a good idea in any case. Everything else pretty much falls out except the bit of visiting another province and reporting yourself to the police there. My guess is that no one will really concern themselves without, and it'll be taken to be covered by your place of lodging.

Same same, just everyone's a bit nervous now.