Hanuman2547

On 11/18/2019 at 4:08 AM, VocalNeal said:

Do what experienced runners do? In Bangkok? Finish the session with a beer.

or 2 or 3!  On-On!

3 hours ago, jimn said:

Never heard of it. Must be an American thing

Pretty much an American thing.

I originally came for two years.  I ended up staying for 12 years.  Been back in my home country for almost 20 years now but still visit Thailand regularly.

16 hours ago, Dmaxdan said:

Because Thai TV soap operas aren't available any where else.

That used to be true but now with the internet and especially Youtube, you can watch the latest thai lakorn, and other TV programs right after they air in Thailand.  Your problems are solved!!

It's a good idea but will not bring about the results that they desire.  The reason is that the MOE will not allocate enough money to hire fully qualified native English speakers.  Instead they will hire sub-standard teachers with minimum education qualifications not directly related to ESL.  They will also employ teachers from other areas of Asia who lack native fluency in the English language.  That, along with poor quality textbooks, and old teaching methods will hamper the program from producing the desired outcome.  

Those d*mn monkeys have been there forever, or at least since 1983 when I first went to PKK.  I don't know why the government has never had them removed permanently but they haven't.  They are always there every time I have been in town.  

It will be very difficult to hire Native English speaking teachers.  Will the income be enough to qualify for the visa and work permit?  Will the teachers be granted the teaching license the Ministry of Education requires?  It all sounds good on paper but in practice the Thai government continues to put up roadblocks.

Things change dramatically if you are married and have kids.  Doesn't matter if it is a Thai or farang.  You'll need funds for school or if on an expat package (if there are any left) paid by your employer.  You will also need to save for retirement whether your company provides a pension or not.  Therefore if you're making less than 300K baht a month you should head back to your home country.  

8 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Yes, many (most?) people are not aware of this:

 

It kind of looks like this source will be a bit biased in their view of events.  

I've been living in and visiting Thailand for over 36 years.  I've always used tap water for brushing teeth.  I don't swallow it or drink it.  As for cooking with tap water, I've always used it and have never had a problem.  Yes, everybody has gotten the Bangkok Belly at some point, but trying to determine if it came from the tap water is a little difficult to determine.

On 11/4/2019 at 7:18 AM, mostcurious said:

Your right, I feel Bangkok is so much more expensive now. Whilst just an 1 1/2 hours away by plane, you have Ho Chi Minh city. The flights are quite cheap, it's possible to book a return from Bangkok to HCMC for under £100. Last time in HCMC I stayed at a very nice guesthouse for £15 per night in the heart of the city. That is now not possible in Bangkok. 

Why even bother with Bangkok?  Just fly straight into HCMC.  From there you can work your way north all the way to Hanoi if you want to.  There are lot of places to visit and sights to see that haven't been destroyed by wars with the Japanese, French, and Americans.

No.

However, if I did it would most likely be a one and done type deal.  

Well it's all quite simple really.  Obviously it's a farang.  He's probably married to a Thai and was getting short of cash for his annual 400K baht he needs to have in his bank account to show immigration when he renews his retirement visa.  

More and more the poor air quality in Bangkok and the rest of the country is making me re-think if I want to spend as much time in Thailand as I was previously planning.  Last December and January were pretty bad and makes me think that maybe elsewhere in the region or a different continent might be a better choice.

Do you know how many times this has been said over the past 35+ years?  The only difference is that they keep pushing the date out further each time!

Been to Koh Chang many times over the last 25 years.  Although I haven't been there since 2007.  There are quite a few ferries going over and back everyday so I don't worry about trying to make any specific ferry.  I do try to leave early in the morning just so I can get there early.

Mid November should be a good time with little rain.

Restaurants all over.  As was said earlier farang restaurants a little pricey.

Accommodations are enough to fit every price point.  I do miss the days when there were no big hotels and I just paid 300 baht for a non-A/C beach bungalow right on the beach.

Plenty of sandy beaches, you'll be fine.

If you are set on Koh Samet then I would suggest going to Ao Phrao.  It's on the west side of the island so you will have sunsets.  I took my parents there back in 1996 when they came for a visit.  It was nice and secluded.  10 years later and it was pretty built up but still nice.  You can take a speed boat directly there and avoid going through the park entrance and all the fees you'll have to pay.  A lot faster too.  

There are also beaches further south that might be good.  I haven't stayed at them because back in the late 90's there wasn't much built.  I rode my mtn bike all over the island.  Most of the places to stay face east or SE.  Not the best for sunsets.

Have you thought about Koh Si Chang?  It's closer to Pattaya than either Koh Samet or Koh Chang.  

On 10/19/2019 at 12:39 AM, ivor bigun said:

Usually just drive through when going up to Pratamnak,walked down there last year when the wife was doing the Pattaya marathon.

Sent from my SM-A720F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

.............and why weren't you running it with her?

My luk krueng sons both have Thai passports and ID cards.  They were both born in the USA and got Thai passports while there.  We lived in Thailand for quite a few years but returned to the USA so that they could go to high school and university there.  Their Thai ID cards both start with the number "5".  I seriously doubt either of them will ever return to Thailand other than for a holiday.  They are busy with their lives and careers in the USA.  

19 hours ago, Tony125 said:

You should still get him a British passport, reason, if he has money and desire he can travel the world on a British passport to far more places and easier. If things go bad here can easily move to England or a former Brit colony.

The USA is a former British colony.  I don't think it will be too easy to move there.  However, a bit easier using a Brit passport instead of a Thai one.  

Not sure about all this and what it means but last December and January the PM was really bad in the eastern Bangkok area.  

First went to Pattaya in 1983.  What a place!

A very sad day for all involved, especially for the young boy who lost his life due to a lot of poor decisions.  

10 hours ago, lopburi3 said:

Actually the taxis had meters but drivers normally used them to hang their hats - you always had to bargain a price before travel. 

No meters back in the late 70's early 80's.  According to the Bangkok Post, taxi meters were first used in 1992.  I thought it was 1990 but it was a welcome relief once they were up and operating and more commonplace.......provided you could get them to use them!