thaigold

Coincidentally, my buddy's wife is going to Phuket to care for an ailing relative that week. My friend asked me if she would be safe with all those sailors around (she likes high-heels and real short skirts).

I told him not to worry a bit, because she has lots of magic Lao tattoos on her body where the sun never shines. Also, I told him she'll probably win the lottery and come home with a whole load of 1000 baht notes.

see ... no problemo...

try MBK ... their techs could teach Sandia Labs a thing ot two.

You might want to check out the Saphan Kwai area. The BTS station is right there and new apartments and condos can be had in the 7000 to 13,000 baht range. Worth a look see.

Young males need to learn in grade school that their testosterone levels can get them killed. A lot of this is the false assumption that females are attracted to big male equipment and manliness. This can get them in trouble, because females are only attracted to the skin pouch (leather wallet) and the money in it.

I feel sorry for his family ... a life wasted on nothing. Sad.

Sadly, women become slaves to skin color and beauty starting in childhood. Recently a Chula coed killed herself because her 'friends' said she wasn't pretty. Sad.

I hope this woman survives ... after all, unlike in the West, she was supporting family members.

Cheers for 3BB / been with them for almost a year. Efficient, constant, and top service on call-in. Highly recommended.

Undoable. Any immigration officer will first check your exit stamp from the country you just flew in from. You cannot enter Thailand on a visa issued by a third nation. It is visa fraud. Don't do it. If you don't believe me, just call any expat legal service here in Bangkok ... you'll be cautioned. Stay legal, or face the consequences.

I recall several years ago when the escalator at Victory Monument had just opened. A young woman stood at the foot of the moving stairs trying to figure out how to get on. After a few moments she mounted the stairs and dragged her young daughter behind her. The little girl was terrified. The mother, equally unsure, let loose the hand of the child and gripped the moving hand rail.

The little girl immediately fell backward .... and guess what? Me, the Farang caught the child and guided her up the ramp. This poor upcountry woman had never been on or seen an escalator before. Amazing Thailand.

Common...in our neighborhood I've seen university girls come in, sit for two or three hours after buying one coke between them. Adding insult, they brought in ice cream from the 7/11 next door. The Thais are just too non-confrontational to tell them to pay or go. Au Bon Pain cured the problem by putting up table signs. Additionally, a lot of these students are from the upscale schools and feel they can do as they please. They just don't know any better.

Pattaya and Kao San Road are about as representative of Thailand as Tijuana or Juarez is to Mexico.

Can anyone explain to me why groups of university students wear their uniforms to the malls, even though the school is closed for the holiday. In the US the first thing a female getting home from school is dump the uniform. Someone suggested it was some kind of a status symbol to wear your school uniform when not attending classes. Any truth to this?

Try Aree, Soi 7, about 150 meters down the soi from the Aree BTS station.

True service is "legendary," if you get my drift.

Not worth the aggravation. Suggest your friends secure their own ISP.

Tempest in a tea-pot folks. Trillions of dollars whirl around this planet daily and the experts claim that 85% of this money storm is speculative dollars chasing imaginary profits. Don't worry. The poor little foreigner with 100K doesn't even show as a blip in the game. Just stay within the 'yellow lines' and you'll have no problem. Take this to the bank.

Most of this urine testing and passport requirements are a feature of the Sukhumvit corridor. Add to this the Farang propensity to get hot under the collar almost guarantees a problem with the Thai police. Stay cool, and say 'yes sir a lot,' just like you'd do after a CHP stop in California. Heck, I got busted for driving under the influence in Honolulu. I did a lot of yes sir's - they put me in the cooler for a few hours and then I blew under the limit. Cool cops / kiss ass arrestee.

Good...check all of the tattooed riffraff.

In spite of all the criticism embassies get, if you are up-front and legal, a visa for your wife is not a problem. The United States does not make your wife take a language test, like a certain English speaking embassy up on Wireless Road. We Americans thrive on diversity, not status.

The Thais are right and proper in protecting their land rights for their own, their children's posterity. Thailand is not alone in this endeavor. Mexico has stringent controls on foreign possession. In part:

Under the Mexican Constitution, only Mexicans have the right to own land or receive mineral or water rights. Foreigners have the right to own real property, provided they do not invoke the protection of their government. That sounds reasonable enough, doesn't it? All this means is that any dispute concerning land ownership will be decided by Mexican courts, treating foreign landowners the same as Mexican nationals. Foreigners have no legal recourse in the legal system of their homelands. This is done to prevent the historic recurrence, prevalent in Latin America in the past 200 years, of a capital-exporting country meddling in the sovereign affairs of another nation to protect a private party's economic interests.

Foreigners are prohibited from directly owning real estate within the "Forbidden Zones" of 100 kilometers of the Mexican border and 50 kilometers of its coasts. Within these restricted areas, foreign ownership is only possible under a bank trust.

Come on folks. If you're dumb enough to leave your wallet on a bus in New York City, you'de never see it again. Something missing from this tale. Oh...and rule number one for you Farangs who think you're a bit tough...do not under any circumstance get into an altercation with a local. You WILL lose. Bank on it.

I didn't read all of the posts, but if you are spending 120K a month, you are spending way too much. I have no idea how old you are, but if over 50-years, why not cut expenses and stay in the Kingdom with your family?

I've had three friends return to Farangland and all returned within a year. My wife and I did a two-year stint in the US, but we returned as soon as we could.

Why not take your wife back to the UK with you? We only get one ticket to ride in this life - best to do it as you see fit.

Good luck....

Try shop comparisons at Fortune Town at Rama 9. All the phone services are there, so you can get a idea on what would work best for you. Good luck.