Hanuman2547

I used to live on Soi 10 back in 1999.  It was a nice soi to be on as it was a somewhat dead end soi.  I believe the gate is closed to cars at 6:00pm.  Not sure what time it re-opens but it is quite early.  Even when the gate is closed it is still open to pedestrians.  

I guess that the Thai people are happy that the police and immigration use public funds to purchase BMW's as government vehicles.

I like Prachuab Khirikhan.  It's smaller, less traffic, good restaurants, and near the sea.  Not really a tourist destination.  

2 hours ago, Peterbkk99 said:

So Phuket is next?

Hopefully Grab, Uber, Lyft, etc. all invade Phuket and take the taxi mafia out of the equation.  

I was in Chiang Mai last December.  Used the rot daengs a few times but sometimes they had to wait at stops to long.  I also didn't like having to negotiate prices for longer trips.  Mostly I used Grab taxi as it was easier, faster, and more comfortable.  I'd use taxi meters if they were around.  Rot daengs are old like dinosaurs.  Time to move on.

Grab taxi works much better.  You know what the price is already.  It is especially helpful for retuning home from a late night out where the taxis all want to go "off meter".  

Great article about you Colin.  Wish you all the best!

My Thai wife always watched the news program "60 minutes" when we lived in the USA (which is where we met) because yes, her English is that f'ing good.  She also taught university level classes (multivariate statistics) in the US as well.  

1 hour ago, DaRoadrunner said:

This being Thailand, anything is possible. A salesgirl told me if I bought the car, she came with it!

 

As for discounts, I send Lady Roadrunner to haggle. Being Thai, she can get a far better deal, so long as the Farang is not around.

Very true!  That has been my experience as well.  

I have owned a condo in Jomtien for over 13 years.  Never lived in it as it is always rented out.  Nice big pool with a restaurant on site.  It does have a railing and three steps you need to climb up to go from the pool deck area to the restaurant.  As long as the food and bottles stay in the restaurant area no problem.  

Remember when they filmed "The Beach" some 20+ years ago?  What happened to Koh Phi Phi?  Yep, I think the same thing will happen to the Krabi area as well if the movie is successful.  It will have a mass tourism influx for a few years over whelming the infrastructure of Krabi.  

Not the most stunning of birds that you think he would be hooked up with.

After reading this article I feel so much safer now!

Jomtien does have a lot going for it.  I prefer it over Pattaya.  Haven't spent much time up in Naklua and even less on the "darkside".  

Everybody has a different level of living standard.  You could live upcountry in Nakorn Nowhere and probably live like a Thai for 30,000 baht a month.  You could also live in Bangkok like a cashed up expat with an employer picking up your rent and international school fees and get by on 650,000 a month.  Big international schools like NIST, Patana, and ISB are quite expensive which really eats into your budget if you have to self-pay.

Been there, done that already.  Wife passed away in July 2005.  Oldest son was 19 at the time of her death and going to university in the USA.  He has dual citizenship, current and valid Thai ID, and a valid Thai passport.  In late May 2006 he returned and we transferred the house into his name as well as some other property.  Easy peasy.  

The last time they played Thailand got walloped 9-0.  It won't be much different this time.  Should be over by half time.  I say 6-0 USA.  It's too bad that Thailand got put in a tough group with both the USA and Sweden.

3 hours ago, ThaiBunny said:

On what sort of visa?

No idea.  One guy has a Lao wife and a son.  They live in Vientiane but he works in Bangkok.  The others all work in Laos.  

I know a few Thai/farang marriages that are now in their 40+ years together stage.  I also know quite a few that are 20+ years.  None of the Thai women worked in bars, all have at least a bachelors degree. 

My Thai wife and I were married for one month short of 23 years until she passed away from brain cancer.  We met in the USA when she was a graduate student.  Oh, and she was older than me too.

On 5/30/2019 at 11:14 PM, Vacuum said:

I can agree with this. But I think most buyers don't have any experience with construction or house building, what can they supervise?

For one thing, you should buy all the materials to be used in construction.  Thai contractors are notorious for selecting quality materials.  When it comes to building it they use the cheaper materials and pocket the difference from the lower cost materials they used.  

The other thing you can do is hire an independent contractor/inspector to check the work that is being done and if it conforms to the standards that you want.

For me, it would be Laos.  It's similar to Thailand but still different.  LP is a nice place when I first visited there some 20 years ago.  I do have friends that live in Vientiane.  

2 minutes ago, webimpact said:

Thanks to everyone reply. I am walking away and still looking.

Thanks again!

Excellent choice!  You are doing the right thing.