samesamebutdifferent

Why would the majority of thai drivers wish to improve their driving skill? Their point of reference is the other drivers around them, who drive at a similiar level of ability so, as far as they're concerned, they're good drivers. The driving test is not as rigorous as western equivalents, and you can buy your way through it, as well as buying your way out of most traffic offenses.

50% caught without a license, even if the figure is exagerated, and it's only 25%, still 1 in 4, what's the punishment? If they've no license, I think it's fair to say they also have no insurance, and if they don't care about any of that what percentage of them had a road safe vehicle?

As long as the BIB are taking the 200B on the spot fines and waving people through,nothing will change, it's cheaper to run the risk of getting caught than actually being road legal. still the BIB have got to get their 300,000B investment capital back somehow I suppose.

I had similiar problems getting an appointment. As stated above, the appointments are issued 6 weeks in advance, and snapped up fast. Although, as far as I'm aware, they're issued electronically at midnight, and the fact that the website crashes or becomes unresponsive from 0:01 in the morning I reckon it's the truth. From looking around various internet forums, I found the best thing to do is get up early, pick the 3 nearest offices for you and leave the chosen dates and times BLANK. This will give you a choice of any available appointments. We got our appointment at Glasgow on the day we wanted by going online at 5:00am on the day of release and booking up.

I don't know how much of the slots are taken by agents, but I don't like it, considering when you apply for a settlement visa at the UK embassy in BKK, any suggestion that you've used an agent and your application is refused. Why is it OK to use an agent for ILR? and they get pick of the appointments? That sounds like the sort of rants I see on Thai Visa against Thai authorities. Nice to see our own officials aren't above getting their palms greased.

I just got 38% in the citizenship test. What a farce. How many British people would know the number of constituancies in the UK? Laughable.

The UK does'nt seem to have a problem with ex-BGs applying for a visa. I found there is more emphasis placed on the sponsors' ability to support the applicant, as well as proof of a genuine relationship. In reality, do you think the case officers believe that the vast majority of middle aged men met there younger bride in the hairdressers she works at?

It's a pointless thing to lie about, be honest about how you met in your application (OK, up to a point - they don't need to know she was your favourite titty tequila girl)

I did'nt lie about it and my wife has been granted a settlement visa on 2 seperate occassions.

I've read through most of the posts, and would like to know how many of the people damning the idea of taking a TGF to Scotland have actually been there themselves or is it the usual TV self elected experts with no experience of what they're talking about, passing judgement from on high?

My Thai wife and I have lived in both London and Scotland and my wife prefered Scotland, probably because my family are here, and its where I'm from, so there was a bigger social network for her. There were things she lost out on in Scotland, like China town and the Chinese supermarkets on the north circular but I think internet ordering phone solved that.

Considering the OP, it'll be down to the type of girl you're bringing, my wife is from a small village in Issan, so she has a high boredom theshold, no malls or the like and I don't think she gambles.

Alot will have to do with how well you handle the situation, as mentioned already, arguements ect. will increase any feeling of isolation your GF will have, and a higher level of consideration will be needed than usual in a relationship. That's my advice, drawn from my own experiences. Good luck.

Dunno if it's any good to you, but to bring my money to Thailand to build our house I got 25,000GBP of travellers cheques. The biggest size for AMEX is 500GBP. This is still a sizeable wad, and a lot of signing, but at a charge of 33THB per cheque regardless of its size, I was paying 50p in every £500. I think that's 0.1%. I don't really know the legallity of what I did, but the bank did'nt seem to mind.

Dill grows in this part of the world, so should'nt be a problem, getting the local variety

Thais refer to it as Pak chii lao ผักชีลาว

Hope that helps a bit.

If money is so tight tell her to go back working. Least then you don't have to listen to her moan about it.

If you ain't going to give her more, tell her thats it.

Every one seems to assume she has the right to sit about all day doing nothing. Would that happen in a (long lasting) relationship between 2 ferangs?

And, to the poster who quotes 6000B/month for internet and telephone, where do you live? In an internet hub?or have you ever seen the bill?

I dont pay quarter that. I've seen the bill, and we get adequate service.

Just 'cos you've got money to burn, it don't mean you can get by on less, without living in the gutter as you seem to imply.

20B Noodles are tasty, or would you not try them before the price hits 100B for the same product?

Or was that a bit of a troll post?

Health officials, the Red Cross and even the protesters' figurehead, Mr Thaksin, expressed concern about how hygienic the mass blood donation was.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8569483.stm

Personally, not a big fan of the blood protest, as I'll bet the cleaners that had to clean it up were'nt either.

I can't speak for what opinion the Thai people have on the spectacle, but if that's the best the Reds can do, is a black magic type ritual the sort of thing you want from a group of people who want to form a government?

I've had similar experiences with a Thai woman phoning my number in the UK (god knows how they got my number), saying my wife was being unfaithful. I came to Thailand, met my wife in BKK, and phoned this biatch a day or so later. This mystery woman, who never gave her name, continued to say she'd seen my wife with the Thai man in question that very day. Utter cr@p. I let my wife have a few choice words with her at this point.

I went to the BIB out here, with a record of all calls and texts sent to me, stored in the phone. They did nothing. Well, they took a statement. We had a phone number ect. but they could'nt (be bothered to) do anything.

The calls have stopped, although I do have friends phoning the number at about 7-8pm UK time, about 3-4am LOS time.

Prank calling is a nasty, vindictive activity, but ignoring it is probably all you can do if you can't change your phone number.

I don't really understand what a lot of the posters would see as a satifactory state of affairs. The ones that feel hated by the Thais, do you want them to dance around you, hanging on your every word like perfoming dogs?

I myself do speak Thai, and I meet a broad spectrum of Thai people, most will have an opinion on me, and ferangs in general, before I even open my mouth, but I find most will carry out what ever transaction ect., with a reasonably polite attitude, that I would get in most places in the world. Some will chat and have a bit of banter, others won't. Just like anywhere else. I don't expect eveybody to want to practice English or put on a special performance for me.

Sure, there's Thai people here I don't like, some I despise, but others that I see as friends as well.

On the subject of overcharging, a issue that was brung up in the original post, if it bothers you, shop elsewhere. There's loads of Tescos, Carre fours, Tops ect. all over the place these days where everyone pays the same.

I think alot of this problem stems from the fact that the majority of us came here at first on holiday, to a tourist area, and can't see why it has'nt stayed like that in our now everyday life. All this talk of 'Real Thailand', ever considered when you were on holiday here it was the 'Unreal Thailand' you were in love with? Every relationship has a honeymoon period. I think a lot of ferangs have unrealistic expectations of this country in general.

And while this thread as per usual on TV , takes a turn towards Thai bashing, I'd like to point out there is a lot of ferangs here I would'nt give the time of day to, and I would'nt expect any one else to either regardless of there race.

Is there any guide lines into how you would claim the riot money? Would a bloody wound be regarded as proof?

Depends on what you want to do, but Udon is the larger and more built up of the two, with a wider selection to offer

Say what you want, if your getting red stamps or being told to get the proper visa, your obviously doing something wrong. It's not so important that you don't think it's wrong, your not the guy handing out the visa.

I don't see why you don't sort yourself out, and get the correct visa, even if it means abit of expense in the short term. All the back and forward over the border must be stressful, if nothing else.

I read all this cr@p about how draconian the visa law is here, try take you LEGALLY married wife back to the UK and experience some real work to get a visa.

Gym equipment can be quite expensive in LOS, unless all your after is dumbells, a bar and a bench. But even that could set you back around 30K easy, If your near Udon, try the sports university on the ring road near the old bus station or try Big gym city. You can directions from there web site www.biggymcity.com The university has more cardio equipment, and big gym leans towards weights.

Both are cheap by western standards. It all depends how much of a hassle going to Udon is for you.

Failing that, there are some machines at the sports shop in the Complex shopping mall in Udon, but they're over priced, IMHO.

There's a German guy who runs a business down in BKK, that makes machines, which are reasonably priced, I think a smith machine comes in at about 40K. I thought I had the web address, but it can't be to hard to find, I found it.

I think the poster would have to give a lot more information on what he intends to do with his time in Pattaya. 30G's sounds OK if your quite a quiet guy, you've got to consider that's not even a 1000 a day after expenses. But if your going to live there, I suppose you would'nt be out all the time. Or would you?

Personally, I only spend 4-5 days in Pattaya at the end of a trip before going back to work, and do about 50-60K. But that's a full on party.

I think no matter what you budget, especially as a 'newbie' - for want of a better word, you'll spend more. Get an open ticket you can change, just in case the sh1t hits the fan.

when I had my wife over in London, I did notice she favoured the purple skinned variety of garlic, being similiar in looks at least to what she was used to. Then she discovered China town and the numerous thai shops/warehouses. then there was'nt any problem. I would definitely say the Thai garlic is a different variety to the European/American one.

I don't see what all the fuss is about; as long as I wear my bullet proof vest, don't leave the hotel room or go shopping / touch anything at the airport, things are the same as they ever were.

Is there going to be a follow up a year from now when he's blown all his dough? Living in a unsustainable fantasy, unless your potted of course.

I've used amex cheques for years in LOS, and large denomination ones - 500 GBP. I always wait until they authorise the cheque before I sign it. Never had a problem. If they decide your signatures not up to scratch, don't think there's alot you can do. They do have an office in Bangkok, though. Worst comes to worst you could always head down there.

American Express (Thai) Company, Limited, S.P. Building, 388 Phaholyothin Road, Samsennai, Phayathai, Bangkok 10400, Thailand.

As far as getting through the marriage process as quickly as possible goes, here is my experience.

We used an agent and he did all the paperwork. All wedid was show up. When we went to the marriage place the waiting hall was jam packed with people. However part of the fee must have involve greasing somebody's palm as we went straight to the front of the queue. The people there supplied the two witnesses, and we were married and out of the place in half an hour. The agent also gave us English translations of everything that we needed for the visa application.

I'd use an agent. My wife just told me he charged 8000 baht, and that was two years ago.

Good luck.

This is a similiar experience to my own, I got married 7 years ago, so I'm aware that everything could have changed, but we done the whole thing in a day. I paid an agent, who done everything for us. I think it cost about 10,000THB, but no hassle on our part. I'm sure it can be done cheaper. But, my experience was entirely painless. I used one of the visa companies at the other side of the bridge at the bottom of Wireless road.

If the can is intact,then not really a problem.When they only offer the coke in a plastic bag with ice,THEN you run...LOL.Up in Sawan all the small shops/stalls sell the drink in a plastic bag,complete with ice and a straw...I give it a miss.I think you are lucky,i have had glass bottle drinks,where they asked me to drink it all on the spot,because they want the glass bottle back...

that is because they pay a deposit on the bottle. if you dont mind paying 10 baht more i am sure you could hsave the bottle, but then it is likely that you would claim that they overcharged you because of the colour of your skin.

poor buggers cant do anything right, can they?

and why give it a miss? i think it tastes better that way.

Well ,for starters,they didn't TELL me that there was a deposit on the bottle...Like i would give a flying sh t about 10 baht extra,not everybody is a tight wad like yourself.....And the day i consume a drink that has been removed from the can/bottle and put into a plastic bag with ice of an unknown quality,is the day i start dating transsexuals.....That would be the same day hel_l freezes over,and a moo can fly,BACKWARDS! Does your avatar mean what i think it means?Filthy and disgusting,is that how you want to be seen??

Ah, even in this mundane thread, the flaming begins. Thai visa, gotta love it.

Few, glad thats all sorted now. So, does anyone have any thing to say who is not a member of the forum intelligensia/nazis?

There's a book store in Siam Paragon on the level below the cinema (i think) not cheap, but good selection.