roygsd

we send money... on father's day and on mother's day...

his parents are poor, have no use for new clothes (they put the stuff we bought them in a box for safekeeping), but they do need the money for meds, food stuff they normally wouldnt buy, ivomac for the dogs, bits and pieces for a sprayer, etc.

hubby doesnt send per month. we send on father's day and mother's day and occasionally if requested for something; this mother's day we will send a lump sum...a small one for us, for them it will go a long way ( or a short beer/lao way)... i dont care. its their present, they can do with it what they want.

when we were there to visit, we gave each about 300 baht as that was what we had and that was fine for them...

bina

israel

YOU fly from israel and visit them in thier home and give them about 300 Baht each and that was fine for them?

"Fine for them" is not exactly the same as "Fine by them", they may not have complained to your face but I am sure they would have felt highly embarrassed/loss of face at you and your husbands lack of consideration of their situation.

Did you also peel oranges whilst they are still in your pocket during your visit?

You needent bother replying you have said enough already.

Roy gsd

Hi, just after advice and opinions really, my Thai wife is here in UK on a settlement visa, she arrived earlier this year. However she has been telling me that its soon to me Mothers Day in TL, she asked me what I do in UK for Mothers day here, I said, buy flowers, take her out for a meal, or buy things for her garden, things like that..she looked bemused and said "oh no, in TL we always give money to our mums for mothers day" she said she normally gave about £300 to her mom, as its a very important time!! Hmm this isnt a problem as its her own money she would be sending as she is working full time here, however this does seem rather alot in my opinion, I just wondered if this was the norm for middle class families in TL?? What do you send to your mom in TL for mothers day?? Many thanks in advance, Newstart

Hi,

I dont mean to be unkind but £300 is 2 or 3 months salary to many thai people so I would be suprised if your wife sent that amount last to her mum, unless ofcourse she has a fantastic job or you helped he with it.

Dont get grumpy with her, she knows that her family consider that she is now living the good life (we know its not that good for everyone) and whether or not you have discussed it previously sending money home is ikley to be a regular feature of your relationship with your wife.

Some guys claim their wifes dont send money home to help the family, this may be true but I suspect they are in the minority, most I suspect are either cheap charlies or liars or perhaps ignorant of the fact the wife is sending cash home behind thier backs.

I dont know your wifes families financial status but £100 a month is not a lot of money to send home if they need it, many ofcourse send much more.

For your own peace of mind and for the good of your relationship with your wife I suggest you raise and discuss sensibly the subject of sending money home now rather than allow misunderstandings on either side to spoil the happy home.

Some thai families expect the farang husband to support the wife and also to send money home, others consider that if the wife works then her income is nothing to do with the farang and almost regard that income a " family money " and for their excusive use.

I would hope if your parents were in need of finacial assistance you would help them out if you could, the key I think is to strike a balance on what they want and what they really need and with luck it will not be more than £100-200 a month, on top of that oyu will get the odd emergency to contend with but it goes with th territory I am afraid.

JUst in the middle of replacing the inlaws house, nothing fancy, but the stress involved does the head in.

I am sure they would rather we just sent the money rather than asking for details of specification/construction./ material/ labour costs etc, and withut doubt it causes a great deal of grief in my house when I insisrt the wife presses them for answers to my questions, it seems a bit like pulling teeth at times, but pull I do!

From the details I have managed to extract I fully expect to be replacing this cock up of a building in a few years to come,

but if the government can order an airport to be built on a swamp then no one should be suprised when a rice farming family with no experience of construction insist they they know more than myself who has only been involved in contruction/ removation for over 30 years.

If you can sort out the sending money home bit soner rather than later it might make your life a little easier in the future, MIGHT, being the operative word!

Still I wouldnt swap her for a minute, my old man used to say " if you find a good woman you better shoot her before she turns bad", as I no longer have a gun .................LOL

Roy gsd

Hi all, my Thai wife is currently on a 2yr settlement visa in the UK and has a full time job, her employer has a pension scheme and i was wondering can she join it whilst still on a settlement visa?

Also can anyone just clarify the exact route to UK citizenship, am i right in thinking Esol level 3 or life in UK test must be passed before the 2 years is up? Then what happens after this, assuming we have a ILR?

Now just a moan! How come my wife cant claim any public funds whilst on a settlement visa but they take NI and tax out of her wage!!!! SO FRUSTRATING as surely she shouldnt put anything in to the UK because she cant get anything out if it yet!!! So let just say in 2 years she doesnt get ILR and leaves the UK, will she get all her NI and tax back???

Thanks in advance again

Newstart

As your wife is working I am at a loss to understand why you think she should be entitled to recieve public funds?

I am a keen supporter for assisting those in need but at the end of the day if you chose to emigrate to a foreign country

then you accept the law of that country.

Your wife and yourself knew quite well it was a condition of your wifes settlement visa that she has no right to access to Public Funds for two years before departing for the uk.

I would also remind you had, and still have, the choice of supporting your wife from your own resources for the two years

probationary period or working.

I would also remind you that the cost of providing Benefits and medical care quite often outweighs the contribution made

in NI and tax, particularly where child birth/ child care is involved.

Coming to the uk is a gamble for anybody, but it appears you want to change this gamble into a 100% guaranteed win, in order to take something out someone has to put in before it is there to be taken out.

THe uk has many faults of which I am very vocal and critical of, but with respect you know very well that your bread is much better buttered here in the uk than in LOS, infact in LOS oyu would not qualify for even a stale slice of bread muc less have it bettered for you.

How quickly people moving to the uk forget the joy they got when they were granted their settlement visa and also convieniently chose to ignore the many reasons they left their own countries in the first place.

I realise you are a uk citizen, but the reality is your wife is not, if you were to live with your wife in the LOS you would get sweet FA from that system so think yourself lucky you are here with your family.

It could be much worse, the legislation could be written to prohibit all residents that do not hold citizenship from recieving entitlement to benefits and medical services as many countries in the world already do.

The uk is far from perfect, but it beats many other countires like LOS hands down, and you know it.

Roy gsd

Presumably No-one forces your wife to work so if paying NI and Income tax in the uk during her probationay period in the uk would be for your wife to be supported by yourself for the two year probationary period?

No there site is very expensive unless you use your fight miles which I won't do as I want my free flight at Xmas

Actually I find the site pretty much on target with what the agents offer, though if you book Etihad with Mighty Travel on Silom they usually knock off an extra 1000 to 2000 and they can normally get the cheapest "Q' FARE available if sold out.

Last year I had some friends going to Paris and the Etihad office actually recommends Mighty Travel. Also they very generous with baggage allowance. Join their milage program and after 2 round trips you get 30K per person.

Hi,

Just been reading a post on this site warning of travel agencies that take your cash and dont pay the airline for the ticket, so the travellers either pay again or return home, be careful and if possible deal direct with the airline seems to be the best advice.

Roy gsd

I don't understand the sheep thing, but then again, I don't understand half of what Aussie's are saying anyway.

The topic was "Aussie Brawl Sparks Concern About Cheap Phuket Travel". Sparks... This is one of those Media terms that is used to actually Spark, rather than actually discussing the spark.

Like in America..."We don't know when, we don't know where, but something

bad IS going to happen!!"...Ronald Dumbsfeld, SecDef

Alan, unless you are a reporter, talk from your heart, don't spark the concern yourself. Did you see the fight? Or was it second hand testimony. I think it is biased to say that Aussies are in fact cheap tourists and are the ones causing trouble. IMHO, you are causing more trouble than they are. So they were fighting, on a day that makes them sad, so what? I have to say, I have been in quite a few fights in my time, but when it's over, I always feel a bond with the other guy. Fighting is healthy. Would you rather they all started hugging and making out?

I think it is time to question your place in all this. If you are so concerned with Aussies being cheap, or Aussies fighting, writing what you have written here is not the way to solve it. I think you are merely trying to coax (sorry, SPARK) others into feeling the same way you do. In actuallity, you should go and ask the brawlers their thoughts. Be sure and tell them you are sparking awareness about them and their behavior.

If it seems that I am shooting down your thread, I am not. Everyone has the right to post (within forum rules) whatever they want. But sparking concern, or leading a cause...

I think this post is biased, and should be closed.

Hey Sir Burr, I hang out in Rawai and my favorite spot is Candy Bar across from the Sea Shell Museum. The Late Black Jack loved that place and turned me onto it. They keep a running tab for Jack over there. Man I really miss him.

RIP Jack. RIP

Hi,

It may be biased but it makes a change from slagging off the brits, personally I think its more to do with folk being on holiday and drinking all day than where they come from, still shame " the Don(k) wasnt there to lay down the law

roy gsd

Does anyone know what has happened to the Angel massage on Soi 17 off 3rd road in South Pattaya, between Tigglebitties and the Lion Bar?

Flew away?

Or maybe head office called them back for retraining?

roy gsd

I hear a lot of you guys complaining about the Thai teachers, system and low standards etc, I would like to share with you my experience since returning to the UK with our daughter.

First a few facts.

Our daughter until age 11 was in Thai government state school. Moved schools a couple of times to begin with due to lack of satisfaction with teachers. For the last four years attended the same school in BKK.

Command of English was what I call limited, mostly due to having no contact with farang either at home ( other than me ) or at school IMO.

Behavior was exeptional, regarding school, homework, respect and attitude.

In 2006 We decided that the time had come to return to the UK in order to expand her education, horizons and future opportunities.

When we arrived in the UK she went into Junior school for approx 3 months before summer break, we intended it to be a gradual introduction to the UK before going to the local state comprehensive. As it turned out it was a perfect balance and gave her a gentle intro into UK life, culture and language.

Imagine our shock when we were informed by the junior school that her maths, art and IT education were way above the other students.

There was a initial problem with her english but spending the summer holidays concentrating soley on that brought her up to speed by the start of big school.

She is now 13, been here for 2 years and continues to lead the class in IT, Maths and Art. I addition to this she is also top in her class for French ( even though there are two french students in her class ), Geography and unbelievably History. English is no problem now and she is in the top 10 % of the class.

After just two years.

I find it quite amazing that considering the reputation of Thai state education our Daughter has had a comparable if not superior education during her early years in Thailand, not to mention an attitude and respect which other parents here in most cases can only dream of.

Now i'm not saying our daughter is a whizz kid or anything, far from it in fact, just a normal bright kid that just enjoys learning. The thing that sets her apart from most is her attitude to school and homework. There is also a cultural thing regarding the importance of education and respect for others and authority.

This is something that thai culture and to a degree the thai education system has given her. We have sent her back to LOS for the summer to see the family and continue thai language studies, also to reinforce thai culture and style. This we hope will go some way to counteracting the UK youth culture and attitude which the whole country is lamenting.

I am incredibly disappointed with the UK education standard since returning, especially at GCSE level and am seriously considering homeschool/ e - learning for the next few years. As far as A levels and a Degree are concerned I see online learning from a reputable western Uni whilst living back in LOS the way to go.

Now it may be we got lucky, but I have to give credit to the Thai state education system because from what i've seen of the UK system it gives very little homework, too much personal freedom and so little comprehensive teaching that I refuse to refer to her school as a comprehensive at all. Rather a parrot system only interested in focusing on modules that will be in the SAT and GCSE exams, it might make the school look good but the students will have very limited skill sets at the end.

I know you guys n gals in the teaching profession there have insider knowledge of the Thai system but it served us very well and it's years ahead teaching respect and attitude at an early age, something the UK has lost.

Hi,

Interesting post.

I think the point is less to do with the teachers and more to do with the envirionment at home and society at large.

Many kids in the uk dont have parents that spend any time with them and pay little or no attention to their kids education , or manners in general.

If the parents dont care its little suprise the kids dont care either, parents are trying to abrogate their responsibility for ther childrens behaviour and education by blaming the teachers, in turn the teachers are not allowed to disipline or even correct kids at times.

Head teachers who expel a child are often over ruled, the message the kids recieve from this is that they know the head is not to be respected.

I have a sticker in my car that says " A dog is for life, not just for Xmas", perhaps parents should be made to display a similar sticker saying " A child is for life and is the sole responsibility of the parents" ?

If the child doesnt respect the parents then it is unlikley to have any respect anyone else, teachers have no chance.

roy gsd

I read just moments ago a news article about the ongoings in Venezuela. Makes me wonder what will it take for LOS to succumb to the same fate. Will it be the energy "crisis"? The restive southern part of LOS?

With all that is happening around the world, regardless of hunger, thirst, or wealth, it seems that everyone is learning that a small bit of dissent goes a long way. Frankly, I would not be half surprised to see LOS revert to the policies of Vietnam, Cambodia, or even China as they were 30 years ago.

With pessimism running rampant in my mind tonight, I wonder when/if the countries we belove will become intolerable.

The future of LOS?

The rich will get richer and the poor will remain poor..........

roy gsd

When I used to live in BKK, it took me nearly half a day, if not more than that, to go to Suan Plu to apply for a visa extension, and return home. I'm not rich by any means, but for 2000 baht, I would just take my losses. It is not worth it for that amount to spend money on taxi fare and sweat it out in Suan Plu... with the probable outcome being that the Thai official will say "no" to the refund request.

Yeah you're probably right, but I can almost walk there. For me it's just the prinipal of the matter and that they don't keep good records.

Hi

If you dont feel like going back and waiting now, then why not wait until your next 90 day visit is due and simply sit there with the officer until you get your refund?

They will have a long queue to deal with and if you stand your ground and ask to see that particular officers senior then repat that with each officer who refuses your request it is possible the will pay up before their error is brought to the attention of those higher in the chain.

Ofcourse you could be wasting your time but as you are there anyway its worth a go I think.

2000 Baht would be better in your pocket than theirs, the question is did you get, and have you retained, a reciept for the 2000 Baht fee?

Roy gsd

this one will do for now.

OI, Thats not a troll!

Thats THE DONk" from oz:D

Roy gsd

Hillside ,400m elevation and it floods for 4 months????????

Its obviously a very flat hill

roy gsd

Mods-I don't know if this is against Forum rules or not, but I'm going to post it and if you have to take it down, so be it.

HELP !!!

If any of you out there know of outgoing Thai ladies that would like to earn a good wage, please PM me. I need Thai salespeople, urgently.

Please, no bargirl types and no recent graduates, solid people is what I am after. A fairly good command of English and knowledge of Microsoft office programs needed.

Thanks !!! HB

Does the person have to live in Pattaya ?

HI

I think H/B is based in Phuket?

Roy gsd

thank you all for your quick replies!!

I am travelling alone, so i need somewhere safe (i am a 30 year old girl). Shopping is a priority, but i also would like to be close to the nightlife. I will not be using the beach much but i would be interested in hiring a bike. thanks

Hi,

Dont even think about getting a bike, transport is quick cheap and readily available almost 24 hrs a day.

As for accomodation that really depends on your budget and what comfort zone you require.

I would strongly advise all ladies not to stay at the Grand Sole' Hotel in Pattaya and if you want to know why please contact me directly for more info.

YOu would do well to avoid swimming in the sea at Pattaya, its not that clean, and under no circumstances go down to walk along the Prom or areas too close to it after 7pm.

If you want to go somewere witha nice beach try koh Samet which is not too far from Pattaya, bit more expensive but all islands attract a premium, in fact I wish I was on the beach at Samet right now!

Enjoy your stay

Roy gsd

To McThai Minor Food Group Yum Brands BK Foods DQ et al.

Will you kindly start to print your menus & promotions in Thai & English?

You are insulting the rest of the people who might be visiting Thailand & wish to purchase some of your food.

This is typically what happens when western companies come here, set up businesses hire a bunch of local MBS's & then go home & forget about it.

Why not go the whole hog and insist they only speak english!

If you feel that insulted dont visit those business's, alternatively stop being so petty.

Roy gsd

Haven't heard of any boerboel in Thailand.

Although not impossible, strange that all your 8 dogs slept through the event. Can it be they knew the intruder and therefore didn't bark?

Other guard dog breeds that are bred in Thailand are the Rottweiler, Fila Brasiliero, German Shepherd, Malinois. Just to name a few. Oh, the Thai breed, Ban Kaew, also can be a pretty good guard dog.

Nienke

Nienke,

i don't think it was someone i knew. a german guy and a business in the market also got hit that night in our village.

funny you should mention Ban Kaew, i've got 2 of them actually but all dogs were sleeping at the front of the house and the intruder jumped my fence and broke into a kitchen window at the opposite side. stole all the wife's gold, wedding ring, jewellry, watches and pinched my wallet from our bedroom, all while we were "blissfully" sleeping as well.

the rest of my security consists of a pug, shitzhu,french bulldog, labrador, a lab/? cross pup and a toy poodle, the latter being the most vigilant one of the bunch.

help is on the way, tho. my wife says she's got a line on a free rottweiler so we'll see if that improves. with that and the 2500$ alarm system we should be okay.

thanks for the reply, and thanks for the list of dogs. i was going to post a question about other watchdog breeds bred in thailand, you've saved me some work.

all the best,

tp

HI

With 8 dogs to cope with I take my hat off to you, I keep 3 Gsds and thats a full time job!LOL

I keep mine in the house and the noise they make would awaken amyone.

Its an obvious solution but why not keep a few of the dogs that you already have in the house at night?

All dogs are usually territorial and one will start the others barking for sure.

I know closing the door after the horse has bolted isnt much good but bringing some of the dogs inside at night might give you peace of mind and a good nights sleep.

If you are serious about another dog oyu need to consider how it will respond to the other dogs, a Malinois is a great defensive dog but it needs a great deal of training and control is vital.

Roy Gsd

Hi friends,

I live in Vietnam. And Now I would like to find some kind of dog as: French mastiff, Brazillian mastiff, Italy mastiff, Canalia, pitbull.

Could you help us to find them.

Because some of our Vietnamese friends want to built their kennel as their favor kind of dog.

Thanks in advance.

Le Hoai Nam

Hi,

Odd that all of the dogs you have named are often used as fighting dogs.

One questions where these amimals might end up, sorry but there are way too may people breeding dogs who seem to see them as nothing but a commodity and whos only concern is the asking price.

Sorry but I dont think genuine dog lovers would be willing to assist anyone seeking to open a kennel of the type you discribe.

roy gsd

Hi All

My stepdaughter was granted her settlement visa today and i would like to take this opportunity to say A BIG THANK YOU to all the people on this forum (especially Scouser) for sharing there knowledge and past experiences with me.

I still have time for one quick rant though -

why on earth my wife had to wait 8 weeks for a 5 minute interview and also the embassy didnt even ask to see the extra information for which they had asked.

Rant over

Thanks again

Steve & Bow & Poppyo.

Hi,

Because they can!

Not nice being left hanging for so long and for no good reason , but thankfully you got the result in the end,

good luck to you the three of you

Roy gsd

Yes sorry about that but i thought if i was good enough to insert the link to an excellent post you would also have taken the time to read it ?

Good luck

Hi,

If you would like to take the time to click on the link you provided you will find you need a groupee account to access it,

I doubt many people would be keen to open yet another account.....

roy gsd

My partner has been applying for a schengen Visa 5 times already, (for the Netherlands) and the procedure has always been, submit on day one, call on day two and collect passport on day three. Don't know why a simple Schengen visa would take one month to process...

Is that in LOS or the uk?

Roy gsd

Ir was only taking 3 days to process at the German Embassy read the post.

In fairness you didnt say how long it would take to process at the german embassy, but the german embassy does seem to be more switched on than some other embassies.

From memory I recall that the German embassy website in london states that if the schengen visa applicant has entered the uk within the past 12 months a visit to the embassy would not be required, from that it should naturally follow that over 12 months requires a visit.

However I came across an anomoly whichI discussed with the head of the German Visa Section who on hearing my enquiry told me just to send the wifes application in for processing, as I am requesting a Schenen visa that will be valid for the best part of two years it will be interesting to see how that turns out.

As Yet I have not had time ( excuse really!) to draft the letter to accompany the wifes S. V. application but this has reminded e to do so within the next day or two.

When the wife gets the passport back I will let you know hw lonfg it is valid for, finger crossed.

Roy gsd

Thanks Guys!

I called the Southampton consulate this morning and he was quite helpfull, we have an apointment tomorow morning. however it still will take 1 month to process. better than nout i supose!

I dot think is very good at all...........

roy gsd

I trained as a nurse and frequently found myself working with only females. They would always make a fuss over me and if I'm honest it meant I could get away with a lot. I once asked some of my female colleagues if they minded that I sometimes got special treatment, but they assured me that it was great having a man around as it meant less bitchiness in the unit.

I thought only female were nurses?

roy gsd

If you feel so disapointed living in LOS and in particular your workplace why are you still there?

The Thai staff have given you their reasons, not that they make sense to us farangs but never the less you have the answer from the horses mouth so what is the point is canvasng advice here?

If you dont like the answer you recived from the staff perhaps you shouldnt ask them questions?

No point shooting the messengers.

Missor mirror on the wall whos the fairest of them all?

The danish guy replied the mirror, crash!

Another mirror dispatched to the bin? LOL.

Inferiority complexes are often deep rooted, pehaps you might find it more productive to examine why you feel like this rather than why the staff like this guy?

Roy gsd

guys; did you fall for it? where is your sense of humor? do I sound that real with all that "silly" comments am throwing around!

Um , smells like something from the buffalo's behind to me?

Still, now we know you like a joke, do you really have to wear that rubber nose all the time?

Roy gsd

watch for your words MAN! I bet you should work on fixing your nose soon

Mine; is not a rubber nose ; It is a silicon implanted one; I paid alot to put it on

Hi, just telling you what your workmates are saying about your nose behind your back but they are afriaid to tell you for fear of you getting all angry again

Roy gsd

Anti-AIDS pill that can be taken before sex under development

Scientists are developing an anti-AIDS pill that can be taken before sex and prevent transmission of the deadly disease.

By Tom Peterkin

Last Updated: 9:12AM BST 06 Aug 2008

The successful development of such a treatment would be controversial because it raises ethical questions about the circumstances in which the pill should be taken.

Experts in the disease, which claimed two million lives last year, are involved in scientific trials on antiretroviral drugs that already used to prevent transmission of AIDS from infected mothers to their babies during birth.

Scientists are hopeful that similar protection can be offered during sex.

Three trials of antiretroviral drugs are underway around the world. A report published in the Lancet claims they are "showing great promise" as experts meet in Mexico City for the International Conference on AIDS.

More research has to be done on the side-effects of the pill and the development of resistant strains of HIV before it is made available.

Controversy is bound to arise over who should take the pill and for what reasons. Globally, use would probably have to be restricted to those at greatest risk from AIDS such as sex workers or injecting drug users.

The pill could also have a major impact on the lifestyles at a time when experts have observed that promiscuity is on the rise.

"The party scene involving multiple sexual partners is definitely back in London and probably in most European cities," said Sheena MCormack, a specialist in HIV prevention and reader in clinical epidemiology at Imperial College London, said.

"There is metrosexual mixing involving gay, bisexual and some heterosexual cases. We estimate new HIV infections in gay men are running at three per cent a year."

She added: "People could pop a pill on a Friday night and be covered for a whole weekend."

The trials involve 2,400 drug injectors in Thailand, 1,200 heterosexual men and women in Botswana and 3,000 homosexual men in America, Africa and Asia.

Experiments on primates suggest that the drugs are effective and can prevent the disease being passed. But their success in humans has yet to be proved, the Lancet report by Nancy Padian of Women's Global Heath Imperative, San Francisco, said.

The trials use tenofovir, a drug currently used to treat AIDS, with a combination of other drugs.

A bit flipant I know but an asprin held tightly between the knees might work just as well,

roy gsd

ok make that 4 mins

Reading these posts are not mandatory,

UP to U as they say,if you wanted the 2 mins back why read any more?

Your problem not the O/P's.

Roy gsd