1FinickyOne

very much agree...

I think places like Patt and Phuk most of the Thai there are from other places who come to work... they would rather be home but they are there to make a living and then go home... if you catch them in their home environment they will be friendlier... and if you can speak Thai, you have much more access to having a genuine relationship w/Thai people...

who said I have it figured out? I just mentioned that there are many factors... Dtair pom dee jai koon sabai

most people have a sense of humor - its just not always the same..

Here lies Marianne Tippy Who to her last days held thanks to the universe that she didn't marry Sipi

Do you think it is because many of them are stuck w/aging European cranky-assed males?

OMG!!!!

I was answering a question that was asking for things I don't like - which will surely read as a list of complaints.. - I thought Geordies were supposed to be a bit nicer and more clever than that? Next time I should just complain that the ice cream is great?

Sounds about right - - rental apartments can be had cheap - food can be had cheap... those are the basics, then up from there..

'she was just 17, you know what I mean' Beatles - right? She was my first love but crazy - her whole family was nuts - when my parents met her they told me there were good shrinks out there.. we were together 4 difficult years and finally parted because we needed different directions. I last saw her in 2000. She was married to a sweet guy and I was happy for her. We would message occasionally. I did not hear from her for a while and just recently found an obit - very sparse, no messages or memorials... She died in 2016 and the sparsity of the obit made me very very sad. As if her life had little meaning to anyone. Her husband died in 2021... I've had several good friends die - this haunts me a bit. 'And I always thought I would see you again' James Taylor

How aggressively are you priced to sell.. that usually makes the difference

1. not enough easy parking in CM 2. When business owners claim the parking spaces in front of their businesses... 3. complaining farang [who don't seem to understand that this is a different culture and what that actually means] 4. dirty farang 5. unconscious drivers [though this can be anywhere and there are also unconscious walkers who just seem to drift away - I often wonder where they are and what it is like there...

They are not on salary - It is pretty much true for any business anywhere... you have employees to fill a purpose, they rarely can just come and go as they please...

It is tied to interest rates... lower inflation, lower interest rates, less desirable is the currency, for an outsider...

The wheels on the bus etc... That's life in Kokomo... As you can see the baht is falling again the last couple of days... it's the elevator effect - - sometimes it goes up, sometimes down and there isn't always an obvious reason...

If you bought her 10 baht of gold you would not be having these problems...

And if all 3 masseuses go 'home' at the same time? The owner is forced to close her shop even if rent is due in a few days?

yes, true - and in this case the lady does not feel there is a wrong - just business as usual and she is obviously well compensated there or she would have left long ago... the larger hotels, even in the stix, operate on the same principal... they need ladies there, even if only 2-3 and if everyone were free to take off when they wanted, would the shop have to close down? The lady is probably doing fine there and it is more important to keep her jib than have an 'occasional' BF...

where are Mallomars? my grandmother used to buy them for me - - and for that matter, where is my grandmother? where have all the flowers gone, long time passing?

dazi - - there are likely parts to this puzzle that you are not seeing... or being shown. [tips tips tips!!!] my guess is that you do not know the whole story - - if it were so egregious, she would leave. She wants to keep her job and is willing to go along w/the particular 'rules' of that individual road... That type of relationship is not unusual here and I have heard of much worse... maybe the customers who frequent that shop are generous tippers and she does not want to miss out on that opportunity. And so she tells you.... it is 100% her and the owners business - - and 0% yours... if she is unhappy, she will leave... she surely knows what and where the opportunities are for a masseuse on Loi Kroh and beyond... you cannot talk about a ladies income if you don't figure in tips.... most masseuses make the majority of their income in tips and the owner gets zero of that... now, if you want to go to the authorities with that information, I am sure everyone will be angry at you...

Wow. Maybe she knows my wife then??

If she works as a mamasan, then she knows that near all those girls/ladies earn more than their BF's and husbands...

Yes. I do renew for an entire year - the 90 days is just a notification - I used to mail it in but now have an agent who takes care of that too... I never remember as for me it is a nominal fee- I think maybe 6,000 baht for the agent and that includes the 1900 baht fee for immigration - - the 90 day notification is maybe 1500 baht for 4 times for the year???? Yes, for me, I definitely made the right choice. I was first here as a young backpacker many years ago and fell in love with the people and the culture. No, it is never frustrating that I can't work here. It does not mean that I cannot get involved with people or donate to charities. Life in general can be boring anywhere, and yes I get bored here, but not because I can't work. I would get far far more bored in my home country. I assume you have visited here, not sure if you mentioned this in your initial post, but keep working and keep visiting and keep experiencing the country. I have been charmed for 50 years - - here and nowhere else. And keep learning - the language is very helpful. ps - I think you will find the language a fun challenge. If English is not your first language, your written English is terrific, better than many Americans... I am here a long time and never have any problematic situations. You will be fine - I also am not looking for trouble and do not get drunk nor do I enjoy hanging around drunks.

Life is short - I seek out indulgences

Guess, people will have to buy their cement elsewhere...