tonititan

Tonitian,

Just the whole idea. Everybody wins, right? Not specifically the age difference issue - although age difference seems pretty common. I just know that I'm so happy my baby brother, who uses a "puff and blow" wheelchair, has found someone to love him, give him children...I don't see anything wrong with it at all. I would come here to find love, if I didn't have it already.

Thanks for clarifying. I was just trying to understand.

That's great for your brother. I do agree that it is a beautiful thing when someone can see through a disability and love the person for who they are. I'm not trying to be offensive, just curious...do you think that your brother's partner truly loves him and does not care about the disability? Or do you think she enjoys the caretaker role that she likely assumes on some level? Or is there any possibility of it being about money or another superficial reason? I'm just wondering what it is about Thailand specifically that made it easier for him to find a companion (in your opinion).

Are there any much older women with much younger guys here? I imagine so..just havent seen much of it myself. Would be interesting to hear that perspective.

I wouldn't say I've noticed it a lot, but I do have a few female friends here who are dating younger guys.

Personally, that's my goal. Marry a younger guy so there's more of a chance that we can die at the same time. I appreciate older guys for that maturity/stability factor, but I don't want to be with a guy 15 years older than me and then spend 20+ years living alone after he croaks.

In your title you mentioned "older men, younger women." But you talked about how beautiful it is that less desirable foreign men can find "true love" here - no mention of age difference. I'm just wondering, is it the age difference you are defending, or the whole idea of foreign guys coming here for finding a partner?

The term "Gentlemen's Club" always seemed pretty ironic to me.

Well dating is a career option n Thailand

LOL! Funny but kinda true.

Maybe another explanation is that....gasp....you can make up anything you want on an online dating site!

I'm in BKK too.

What about the pre-packaged orchids that they sell in the duty free shops in Suvarnabhumi? Are those off-limits for taking back to the US also? I planned to bring some home eventually, but I forgot that it might not be allowed.

Interesting question. My wild guess would be no, because the bride's family wouldn't be expecting it. I think some families would even be insulted by it, unless it was presented as helping to pay for the wedding. But, I would love to hear from people who have firsthand experience or knowledge.

The baht currency traded near a 22- month high, trading at 32.29 per U.S. dollar 10 a.m. Friday

Sweet, time to go transfer some money back home!

Or maybe some of them have just gotten lazy? The bar method gets the reward with the least amount of effort.

Mine is BKK to LAX

I didn't think a direct fkight from BKK to LAX existed? I would be interested to know if it does as for the past 3 years I have been using EVA it has always (for both out going and return) had a stop over in Taipei, the flight from Taipei is 11 hrs 45 mins! And 3 hrs 35 mins from BKK to TPE, well thats what it said on the tickets!

I know that Thai Airways has a nonstop from BKK to LAX. I have taken it in the past and almost booked it for this summer. The downside is that it is quite expensive compared to other carriers. I have not heard of any other airlines who have a direct flight, but perhaps there is something else out there.

Chonburi has beaches ofcourse but no foreigners overthere so forget about the need for a foreign padi instructor.

You seem to forget Pattaya is in Chonburi province............

However it is still a long way from Minburi.

I think the OP and his girlfriend need to rethink their plans and location......................

The last time I was in Minburi was 20 years ago, but one thing stayed in my mind about the place is that it`s miles and miles from anywhere.

I can remember it took hours to travel into the main Bangkok.

Good advice given from the posters above.

I think that either the roads have significantly improved over 20 years, or your memory is exaggerating. It does not take hours to get from Minburi to downtown Bangkok. Minburi is just past Bangkapi.

I want to make a distinction here as I think this is one of the reasons why there are wildly differing opinions. The OP talked about flying LONDON-BKK, a mere 12 hour hop, if I was flying LAX-BKK then Eva comes in at 17 hours as opposed to around 25 hours or more via the Middle East, in those circumstances I would also think about Eva Air given the lack of practical quality competitors. That,s simply not the case for LHR-BKK where there is much greater choice if you don't mind wandering around and stretching your legs midway.

Very good point.

Interesting. Is the Elite/Evergreen Deluxe considered business class? I always understood that it was a premium economy (just a small step up from economy), and that EVA did not have a true business class. Is that incorrect? Either way, I think you get what you pay for. If Elite/Evergreen is in fact a business class, then it is WAY cheaper than most business classes (at least for my route).

I agree that the EVA economy class looked very cramped.

What happened in Taiwan last August? I can't remember.

Evergreen Deluxe= Premium Economy

Elite= Business Class

Do you have any other details? When I just looked up the seat sizes/spacing, both Elite and Evergreen showed the same seat width and pitch (distance between rows....leg room). What are the differences between the two classes (which aren't offered on the same flight)? I believe I booked an Evergreen for this summer. Would it be worth it to try to switch to a flight that has Elite? Any idea of the specific differences? Thanks!

But I also prefer the service and the meals on EVA compared to ThaiAir.

Ironically the meals are one of the things I don't like about EVA. I thought they were gross. But I think that's just because I don't really like Chinese or Taiwanese food. I skipped most of the entrees and stuck to the bread and fruit.

Is Eva worth it...premium or economy ? i know Eva has fans here I'm sure not one of them. Flew in the Elite class (business) LHR-BKK and my experience was typical of many see here. Very sub-standard, non working tv, very cramped for business class, seat not properly reclining and indifferent food. Also flew the normal economy class and once again if you were to judge it against other non-direct carriers such as Qatar or Etihad its not even close. So I guess at the end of the day it comes down to if you want a direct flight and/or have long legs.

Still as I say it has its admirers so no doubt there will be someone popping up to defend it soon.... they probably wouldn't be doing so if they had been among the many passengers "bumped" on the most spurious of reasons last August in the wake of the Taiwan disaster....

Interesting. Is the Elite/Evergreen Deluxe considered business class? I always understood that it was a premium economy (just a small step up from economy), and that EVA did not have a true business class. Is that incorrect? Either way, I think you get what you pay for. If Elite/Evergreen is in fact a business class, then it is WAY cheaper than most business classes (at least for my route).

I agree that the EVA economy class looked very cramped.

What happened in Taiwan last August? I can't remember.

It's long, but it's not so bad on Thai Airways if you are in premium economy. 4 inches more legroom than EVA premium (and 9 inches more than EVA economy!) and 1 more inch of width than EVA premium. That extra half foot of leg room (with a very comfortable leg rest) makes all the difference. I actually prefer to get it over with in one long flight rather than having a stopover in Taipei.

Mine is BKK to LAX

Well my direct flight (on Thai; EVA doesn't have it) is 16-17 hours! But it's not so bad with the extra leg room.

For me it is definitely worth it, but I am fairly tall and have longish legs. On EVA, premium economy gives you about 1 more inch of seat width and 5 more inches of leg room. Those 5 inches are really noticeable to me on a long flight! Plus, I like that it is a very small section of the plane, so it's not too noisy and no lines for the toilet. Thai Air's premium is even better in terms of space and food, but EVA's is much cheaper, so that's usually my choice.

Yes, and you might also want to think about whether the job is a good enough job to justify the commute. Is it at Bromsgrove?

Wow. No offense, but I think you need to look at a map. Minburi is nowhere near the coast. It is definitely peaceful, though, with lots of trees and space. I can't imagine wanting to commute from Chonburi to Minburi every day, but I guess it depends on how much time you're willing to spend in the car.

I'm not sure this is double standards... In a similar situation a Thai would have very likely been dealt with the same way.

Discretion seems over rated in Thailand.

Yeah, it would probably be the same. People accused of crimes don't seem to get much privacy here. Think about how often there are postings on TV with links to news articles - the top photo is usually the accused person in the police station. And then there are pictures of the accused person at the crime scene.

So, I'm wondering what examples there might be of misinterpretations of behaviour that are seen as rudeness, but aren't.

Here's a few ideas of things that many westerners find rude, but (as far as I know), the Thais don't consider it rudeness:

1. Pointing out and commenting on someone's physical flaws

2. Asking how much money someone makes, or how much their condo costs, etc.

3. Asking how much someone weighs and then trying to guess the # of kilos

You can always make a better deal in person

I wouldn't necessarily agree with such a generalization that you can always get better walk-in rates. I have had several experiences in which walk-in rates were actually more expensive. I prefer to book ahead, but sometimes my friends will join me and try to find a room when we arrive. They are often quoted prices (for the same type of room) that are much higher than what I paid. Three weeks ago I went to Koh Chang and paid 2100 baht/night. My friend was offered the same room type for 4000 baht. The hotel was not willing to negotiate, even when we showed them my booking details. It seems like a lot of it might come down to demand.

I do agree that you can often find the cheapest places when you walk-in. That is because many of the cheapest bungalows and hotels do not take advance bookings, or they are not listed in hotel search engines. But the cheapest rate for a given hotel is not necessarily the walk-in rate.

Personally I would be weary of not having a reservation during Songkran week. I would guess that you wouldn't be able to negotiate as much during a busy time like that. But then again, I've never tried because I always pre-book when I'm traveling on holiday weekends or during peak travel times like Songkran, so maybe I'm off the mark here.