IanForbes

excellent...I always thought that Monty Python was stupid and silly like most americans but that is a nice one...

but what bothers me is that most brits appear to have not washed or bathed but still manage to wear clean shirts...

(how d'ye hide a 50p from an englishman?...put it under a bar of soap...)

There is a reason for that. Who wants to have a cold shower in a wet, cold climate. The Plumbing in an average British flat is so old and rusty that nobody can trust a tiny water heater to work.

You also have to wonder what the punters tell everyone back home. Do they let everyone back home know what they are getting up to? Do they email their coworkers and children pictures of last nights snag? Or does everyone back home think they love Thailand for it's culture and temples? Perhaps the sex tourists are also concerned about their imagine, just not in Thailand? What about all the business men with wives back home? Perhaps one should setup a permanent 24 hour webcam on Walking Street and see how that goes with all the uninhibited punters who detest being hated for their natural sexual prowness.

You bring up good points with both your posts, farang. But, being single, I like to stuff it in the eye of all the uptight religious bigots who say one thing and do something else entirely. Having sex seems to be the one big hangup with all religions, even though it is the one driving force that we all share. And, if you believe in some sort of god then you have to place the "blame" on that god for designing us with a sexual drive for pleasure as well as procreation. Most of the animal kingdom, of which humans are a part of, only have sex at certain periods of the year. Humans and the ape kingdom tend to have sex as a pleasure outlet. Other animal species only have sex as a method of increasing their species. And, in times of stress or enviromental problems, they stop having sex altogether.

There have been several studies showing that married men would rather watch pornography than make love to their wives. That tells me something about humanity and what they are thinking. More problems have been caused by religion and their unrealistic guide-lines of how humanity should act, than just about anything else.. Most of the world's wars have been caused by some leader trying to use a religious doctrine for their own personal gain.

I try to follow a very simple code... never force my opinion on anyone else. I try to lead by example. I treat everyone that deserves it, with respect. I don't lie, steal or cheat. I don't play around of flirt with any other man's woman, and I feel that what goes on between consenting adults is their own business. Thailand's doctrine seems to be that what is out of sight is okay. That is why the hookers in one city all seem to come from a different city within the kingdom.

Sorry to burst bubbles again but racism does not necessarily get expressed in extreme violent cases like the ones you mentioned (cross burning ..)

And "You are MIGHT" is just grammatically wrong, but Im not "a native speaker" as said regine, so who am I to say that ?

Let's go back to basics : racism definition ; Racism is the behavior of discriminating for or against people on the basis of race.

Thank you Wikipedia

If you are going to quote me and my SUPPOSED mistake, then please get the quote correct and don't place the words out of order.

I did NOT say... "You are MIGHT". YOU placed "you" before the "are", not me. Please re-read what I wrote..

"then chances are you MIGHT become a bit racist "

oops ur right sorry

Apology accepted. I will concede when I make mistakes as well... which I often do when I repeat what others have told me.

I'm sorry, Aneliane, but the more you write the more you sound a bit paranoid...

If I experience people who appear even a bit obnoxious then I just smile and ignore them. When I run into a tuk tuk driver, or motorcycle taxi trying to charge me more than the going rate, or act like they don't know what I mean then I just laugh and ignore them. A case in point...

I always stay at the same guest cottage in Kanchanaburi every time I visit that city. It is one kilometer from the bus depot to the guest cottage and an easy walk even if carrying a bag.. In years past I always took one of the 3 wheel bicycle taxis for no other reason than to help them out. It's a simple 20 baht ride and I usually gave them a10 baht tip. It's 40 baht on a motorcycle. However, this year one of them thought I was a naive tourist and tried to scam me into paying 80 baht. I told him with hand signals to stick it where the sun don't shine and I easily walked to my destination. They just lost a long term customer.

One of the reasons I come to Thailand is to give my money away. It gives me pleasure helping others. But, I give it where it does the most good, and I try to help others help themselves. However, I am not an ATM machine and I know instantly when I'm being scammed. At that point I let them know they just lost their sucker by being greedy. I no longer give to charities in North America because the poor in Canada are mostly there by choice. They waste all the opportunities to help themselves. It doesn't bother me because I have the choice to help or not help. Nobody is forcing me to do anything. If I can help just one or two people improve their lives then I am happy. I lead a frugal life and don't lack for anything, and one of my pet peeves is waste. I don't see the reasoning for pomp and splendour. I hate to see excess food thrown away. I hate to see people waste their lives due to laziness.People who put on airs by showing off what they own bother me. I dislike true racists and will call them on it... even if it is reverse racism used as an excuse for not doing what they are capable of doing... which is just another form of waste.

Sorry to burst bubbles again but racism does not necessarily get expressed in extreme violent cases like the ones you mentioned (cross burning ..)

And "You are MIGHT" is just grammatically wrong, but Im not "a native speaker" as said regine, so who am I to say that ?

Let's go back to basics : racism definition ; Racism is the behavior of discriminating for or against people on the basis of race.

Thank you Wikipedia

If you are going to quote me and my SUPPOSED mistake, then please get the quote correct and don't place the words out of order.

I did NOT say... "You are MIGHT". YOU placed "you" before the "are", not me. Please re-read what I wrote..

"then chances are you MIGHT become a bit racist "

What you are experiencing is perceived racism, not racism. And yes, there are studies linking perceived racism to nonclinical paranoia.

I think you've nailed it, in a nutshell. I would think one of the symptoms of nonclinical paranoia would be denial. I'd venture to say the OP is in full denial.

For those who grew up in the west, in my case the USA, the word "racism" conjures up all sorts of ugly images. Slavery, cross-burnings, lynchings, and the like. In contemporary times, it's inability to get a job, housing, loans, or even to hail a cab. It's being stopped by the police while driving or walking around because they look "suspicious." And so on.

Here in the LOS, we have TV members crying "racism" because the cashier at Tesco won't empty their basket. Surely Ms. Aneliane can see the absurdity of such claims. It doesn't even register.

If you are a convenience store clerk in rough part of an American city and you've been robbed 6 times by young black males wearing hoodies, then chances are you MIGHT become a bit racist and not so happy when you see another black male wearing a hoodie enter your store.

Agreed.

They're rioting in Africa

They're starving in Spain

There's hurricanes in Florida

And Texas needs rain

The whole world is festering

With unhappy soles

The French hate the Germans

And the Germans hate the Poles

Italians hate Yugoslavs

South Africans hate the Dutch

And I don't like anybody very much

But you can be certain

That some lovely day

Someone will set the spark off

And we will all be blown away

A few years ago an American paedophile was in a Thai jail for his crimes. At the same time there was an unsolved murder of a little girl in Colorado and authorities were still searching for the killer. The paedophile admitted to Thai authorities that he indeed was the killer. Apparently the guy had been in Colorado at the time of the little girls murder, so the Thai authorities contacted the USA and the guy was transferred back to the states. As it turned out the paedophile had nothing to do with the murder, but he knew that once he was back in the states they would put him in a US jail instead, where conditions were much better. That tells me that some of the stories about Asian jails are true. I have no intention of ever doing anything that might remotely put me in a Thai jail... even if it was only for a visit.

If this is Alexis Reich/John Mark Karr you are referring he/she was arrested in Bangkok after a request/arrest warrant was issued in the US so was not in a Thai jail before hand.

I stand corrected. That is the problem with spouting second hand information... where I got it from. Thanks for correcting me.

That is a pretty good post, Bangkokburning. I somewhat agree with you, but it will take a long while for the former Burma to catch up. They were mired in the dark ages for so long it's going to have the same growing pains that Thailand is going through. I never thought I would see the day that Pattaya would be taken over by Russians. Of course I never thought I would see the day that the former great Soviet union would crumble to dust, either. The crooks and scammers at the top of the Russian elite stole what they could and turned into the capitalists that they formerly abhorred.

Good post, Kerry, I agree with you. And, on the subject of Hemingway, he fancied himself as the ultimate man's man. When he found out he had prostate cancer and his "lovin days" were over, he didn't think life was worth living any more. He had ALREADY done the so called "manly" adventure things in life and would never again be able to live up to his reputation. He couldn't picture himself sitting in a rocking chair telling tall tales to his grand children.

Anyone with half a brain could look at Thailand as a whole and say the whole place is a shithole. It just goes along with a person's personal view of life. There is much wrong with Thailand, and it starts at the very top that we are not allowed to discuss. But, when you balance it against other countries, and ones own personal outlook and wants, then Thailand is a pretty nice place to be.

One, and an occasional second one if the waitress is pretty. I learned a long time ago that too much alcohol inhibits a man's performance in bed. Besides, women don't like boozy breath and the sweat that goes with it.

flooding?

what is the mileage on that thing?

That would be my guess as well. I wanted to buy a new Kawasaki D-TRacker last November but was told there was an 8 month waiting list because the factory was under water. Fortunately, I was able to find a 4 year old model with very low mileage for 56,000 baht less than the new model.

A few years ago an American paedophile was in a Thai jail for his crimes. At the same time there was an unsolved murder of a little girl in Colorado and authorities were still searching for the killer. The paedophile admitted to Thai authorities that he indeed was the killer. Apparently the guy had been in Colorado at the time of the little girls murder, so the Thai authorities contacted the USA and the guy was transferred back to the states. As it turned out the paedophile had nothing to do with the murder, but he knew that once he was back in the states they would put him in a US jail instead, where conditions were much better. That tells me that some of the stories about Asian jails are true. I have no intention of ever doing anything that might remotely put me in a Thai jail... even if it was only for a visit.

Young Thai man after hearing his girl friend is pregnant... " Of course I'll take financial responsibility for my child because I wouldn't wear a condom"

Recently divorced Thai man... " Of course I'll take financial responsibility for helping raise my 3 children I've abandoned with my ex-wife"

He wants a stuffed piranha.

Mounting fish is a slightly different method. The best results are actually replica models created out of plastic and then painted. Anglers take the measurements of the original fish and the taxidermist sculpts a model out of clay. He then pours a quick drying resin over the clay and lets it dry. Once the resin is hard it is separated from the clay and the finishing process takes place.

Who do you want to mount?

I mean, what do you want to mount? There are not a lot of creatures available to mount in Thailand, unless you are thinking of lizards or snakes. Most animal species are protected.

Modern taxidermy is a sculpturing art form where the artist creates a life size model of the animal a tiny bit smaller than the real thing and then spreads the carefully prepared hide over the form. Modeling clay is spread on the form prior to putting on the skin so that it can be moulded into place before the drying process takes place. There is no "stuffing" of animals in modern taxidermy. Gone are the days of the straw stuffed mammals.

But, in answer to your question I would not have any idea where you could find a taxidermist in Thailand... unless some retired taxidermist bloke now lives in Thailand. At least my reply and the other silly answers have kept the topic at the top of the forum. Somebody might see it and know.

re ... theblether arrives in the city next week.

again : (

just joshin .. dave2

Good one, Dave. It's my turn to buy when I get back next November. Maybe theblether will be around then and we can share a pint or two. I've got some legitimate scottish background as well. This ivory and silver snuff box has been passed from father to eldest son since 1637. My son gets it when I pass on.

I can't help it, Ian...she's the most beautiful little girl in the world... but she's gonna break my heart and run off just like her big sister...I just know it...

I keep telling her that I got diabetes and high blood pressure and that there's only so much heartbreak that one can take and that she has to remain 9 y.o. for the rest of her life but I don't think that she understands...

I've been looking after a Thai family in Kanchanaburi for the past 10 years, but If I had to spend any more than a couple of days with the mother it would drive me crazy. However, I fell in love with the woman's two youngest kids when they were still in diapers. The little girl, Fong, is now a string bean who is almost a teenager and is going to be a knockout some day. She doesn't know it, but she has a firm grip on my heart, and it's fun to spoil her when I come for a visit. I just don't want to see her get pregnant at 13 like her older sister did. I'm thinking of bringing my Phantom motorbike down on the train next winter and giving it to Fong's older brother. Gong just turned 14 and will be riding soon, and it wouldn't hurt if he learned something about mechanics and maintaining a bike..

^ Try Kanchanaburi then,

OK so we have had our very small share of crime as we know it, but it is still close to escape to Bangers and Mash (BKK). Lots to do and plenty to see once the rainy season arrives.

http://www.pbase.com/win13/comet

Happy days to you all.

Win

Ah yes, Kan Win, the beauties of Kanchanburi province...

and speaking of dangers... Just run your rental scooter over a patch of oil dumped by a poorly maintained van... and have an interesting 24 hour visit to the public hospital.

I grew some length recently (un-dyed) and tied it back and admired the result...then my little niece refused to speak to me and it was 'all over now...'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtSRD9i1Vyg

she's only 9 y.o. but she's really a square...

Thanks for digging up that golden oldie, tutsi. I remember when it first came out. ... and it's stood the test of time. He sure had the moves back then.

From your reports I can see you really like your little niece. They do kind of grab your heart, don't they.

Then what are you complaining about?

Who said I was complaining? I never complain about anything. But, what I do, do is voice my observations. I see no need for a kitchen for myself in Thailand. I would seldom use it. But, I sure use my kitchen a lot in Canada where it's much colder for 10 months of the year. Just today I roasted 3 chickens and prepared a large stir fry that I will use for Thai omellets and various other dishes. Tomorrow I will barbeque some tuna steaks I've taken out of the freezer and thawed.

Had you considered the off white, Thai look outfits? They are like robe type tops with cloth buttons, and with wide, bulky looking bottoms.

I wonder what would happen if you hired a speaker truck to blare something that is totally offensive to Thailand.